Early Wednesday morning, the cars lined the small grassy circle at the heart of Maple Lawn Farms in Fulton. A short distance away, people streamed into a large white building, and left bearing bulging white bags. It was just another day before Thanksgiving at one of Maryland?s largest turkey producers.
“It?s hard to gauge because we?ve got to get through today, but sales are probably a little bit higher [this year],” said Chris Bohrer, plant manager.
The farm and the handful like it in the Baltimore area are a draw for families that want their Thanksgiving bird direct from the source, and whatever the size of the operation, it?s a big week for turkey-producing farms.
Maple Lawn produces about 20,000 Thanksgiving turkeys each year, Bohrer said. About 3,000 people visited the farm Tuesday and Wednesday to pick up a turkey, and 5,000 more birds went to local businesses for their employees. The remainder of birds are stocked in local markets and Maryland-area Whole Foods stores.
Bohrer said it was a typical year for the farm, which began selling turkeys 70 years ago.
Smaller operations also reported busy sales, including David Smith?s Springfield Farm in Sparks. Smith?s farm began selling turkeys eight years ago.
“We?ve been very busy. We had 700 turkeys this year ? all but about 50 are gone,” Smith said. “We?re small compared to other places, [but] with people coming to get turkeys we?ve probably increased 50 percent each year.”
Carol Brueggemeier and her son Alex, 5, picked up their turkey Wednesday at Maple Lawn.
“Last year?s turkey was the best turkey I?ve ever cooked,” she recalled. “With frozen turkey, there?s something about it that?s not the same.”
For Alex, and many young children, the trip to pick up a turkey was a rare exposure to a working farm. The energetic boy might not have liked everything he found there, as he held onto his mother with one hand ? and pinched his nose shut with the other.
“He?s noticing the smells,” his mother said.
