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Organic Turkey?

(8 posts)
  • Started 6 months ago by yayunicorns
  • Latest reply from lakreitz
  1. User has not uploaded an avatar

    yayunicorns

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    We had to resell our fancy farm turkey because the smallest they had was double what we needed and we aren't willing to spend $140 on a turkey. So which grocery stores carry organic/free-range turkeys? QFC had nothing but 'natural' ones which always seems like a schemey way of saying 'we're not really organic at all, but we hope you believe our lovely Natural sticker'. I'm hoping Ballard Market, Met Market, or PCC might have something that we're looking for. If you've seen anything of the sort, please let me know.

    Thanks.

    Posted 6 months ago #
  2. BuffaloHawk

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    yayunicorns

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    Thanks BuffaloHawk. This is perfect!

    -Barrie

    Posted 6 months ago #
  4. lifeisamazing

    lifeisamazing

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    If you want to cook your own I have a ad that says that QFC has Mary's organic Turkey for 3.49 a pound but you may have to order one to get a smaller size.
    Like "natural", the word "freerange" guarantees nothing as far as the humane conditions (lots of loopholes) and certainly nothing regarding organic.

    Posted 6 months ago #
  5. treehugger

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    We have had great luck pre-ordering from PCC... free range and organic and you can pick the size you want, within a range. Not frozen, so no time for defrost. Someday maybe we will be noble like Vegan Biker, and go meat free but for now turkey maybe my favorite food.

    Posted 6 months ago #
  6. Just heard something on tv about "natural" turkeys. They are shot up with a salt & water solution to "tenderize". Think about the fact that you are paying by weight-- therefore you are paying for salt & water.

    Posted 6 months ago #
  7. lifeisamazing

    lifeisamazing

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    It all depends on the purpose of your search. If you're concern is organic that is easier. If it's humane treatment then it's more difficult to find.

    I spent some time on the phone the last couple of days calling turkey farms to find out how they "process" their turkeys. To sell meat, it has become the fashion to say "humanely raised". But if you ask specifically how the slaughtering is handled they will tell you.

    The only company I have found so far that is truly humane from beginning to end is Mary's Turkeys owned by Pitman Farms. They have organic and non organic.

    Even PETA says it is humanely handled and that's a shocker to me because I would assume that they wouldn't think anything involving the death of an animal was humane.

    You can buy them at whole foods and at QFC but they are uncooked. The Diestel turkeys that you can get cooked from whole foods are humanely raised but not humanely slaughtered (in my opinion) although certainly more humane then regular big processing plant turkeys. Obviously it depends on what your looking for. If the last 5 to 10 minutes of their lives is an issue for you, get Mary's (Pitman's)

    Posted 6 months ago #
  8. lakreitz

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    Yay - When I've needed a big turkey for my guests, I've gone with the 'fresh' from Diestel from PCC. A very tasty bird. Though not solid frozen, they are 'deep chilled'. There is ice. A 24# bird requires several days in the fridge to be oven-ready Thursday. Sorry to learn from LIA Diestel does not humanely slaughter though.

    This year my crowd is much smaller and I am going with a bird from Broken Bow Farm which I ordered in August. The farm is near Rochester, WA and the birds live the good life in a pasture until the end. There was an unfortunate coyote incident last month. The birds were traumatized (and some killed). At least the trauma wasn't the result of poor treatment at human hands. I've been buying roasters from them. They aren't cheap though - though I hope not $140. However, the chicken is noticeably different and I am now hooked. I hope the turkey will be just as tasty. As of an email I received from the farm earlier in the week, the turkeys were still clucking around the yard. I think it will be fresh.

    Posted 6 months ago #

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