My family was in the car with me the Wednesday afternoon we picked up the Thanksgiving turkey. It was my first time hosting the holiday. Ron and I had moved to Alexandria a few months back, so we welcomed my parents and one of my brothers into our rental townhouse that was still piled with unpacked boxes. Since we had no dining room table, I had bought a plastic folding one from Costco. It didn’t exactly match our wedding china. Also, I don’t cook. But those were minor details. I was excited as my family and I navigated our way to Potomac in search of Nick’s Organic Farm.
Unlike my family’s tradition of a high-fat, high-caloric, sugar-laden meal, I planned to serve a healthier version of the feast. Mashed organic red potatoes (skins left on) in place of conventional Idaho spuds. A raw veggie salad substituted in place of cooked green beans drenched in butter. No gooey pecan or chocolate pies; instead, pumpkin with a whole wheat crust. To ease any concerns about the menu, I stocked up on wine (made with sustainably grown grapes, of course).
We turned the car down Horseshoe Lane. Despite the promising name of the street, I started to worry. “This doesn’t look like farmland,” I said.
“Well, here’s the address.” My dad pulled the car into a residential driveway.
No one answered the door. I called Ron at his office and asked him to double-check the information. My mom disappeared around the back of the house. “I see a turkey!”
We raced to meet her. Sure enough, there was one lone turkey wandering around a fenced pasture. Then a man walked outside: Nick, the organic farmer.
“Sorry,” he said. “I was in the basement and didn’t hear the doorbell.”
When I told him I’d placed an order for a turkey, he hopped in his car. “I’ll be right back.” He took off toward a shed in the far corner of his yard.
“Uh, oh,” my brother Adam said. “I hope we don’t hear a BA-GOCK chop!”
Personally, I just hoped no de-feathering was involved. Thankfully, the fresh turkey was already wrapped in a plastic bag and cleaned out.
“Twenty-six pounds,” Nick said, lugging the bird over and dropping it in the trunk of our car.
“Twenty-six pounds?” my mom cried. She had told me to order twelve-pounder, max. But I’d ordered late.
“How will we prepare such a large bird without drying it out? Will a grass-fed, antibiotic-free, organic turkey have any taste? Enough fat to make gravy?” Those were the questions on my mom’s mind.
I tried to change the subject. “What’s it called?” I asked Nick as I patted the meat.
“We don’t name our turkeys,” he said. “Except Squeaky. Squeaky is the runt of the litter.” He pointed to the bird in the horse pasture.
I clarified I was trying to inquire about the breed. When I learned it was a Broad-Breasted White, I was a little disappointed. I had images of something exotic, like the Bourbon Red heirloom breed turkeys Barbara Kingsolver raises in Animal, Vegetable, Miracle.
At home, my mom and I squeezed (well, smashed) Squeaky’s humongous brother into a roasting pan and stored him in the fridge. The next morning, I received my first lesson in preparing a Thanksgiving turkey. Once I figured out which end was the neck and which was the butt, it was surprisingly easy. By 4 p.m., we had a juicy, mouth-watering, golden brown bird that would prove to be more delicious than the factory farm ones we’d eaten in the past.
Ron carved the meat and everyone joined hands for prayer. As we sat around the table, I smiled at my family, glad to be together. I hoped a healthier meal would encourage all of us to eat better, not just on Thanksgiving, but every day. We bowed our heads and Ron thanked the good Lord for all the wonderful food he’d given us: the turkey, the homemade stuffing, red potatoes, cranberries, raw veggie salad, whole wheat crusted pumpkin pie, and—to everyone’s delight—plenty of gravy.
Looking for an organic turkey? Try placing an order from one of these local farms:
Nick’s Organic Farm With locations in Frederick and Montgomery counties, Nick’s Organic Farm also offers pastured raised beef and chicken, as well as free-range eggs. 8565 Horseshoe Lane, Potomac; 2733 Buckeystown Pike, Adamstown. 301-983-2167. www.nicksorganicfarm.com
Ayrshire Farm offers turkeys that are certified organic as well as certified humane. Raised on fresh pastures, these turkeys are “free to engage in natural behavior 100% of the time.” 21846 Trappe Road, Upperville, Md. 540-592-9504. www.ayrshirefarm.com
Smith Meadows only raises 400 birds a year, and gives them constant access to fresh grass. They are handled humanely, never fed animal by-products, or given growth hormones or antibiotics. Their pastures have never been treated with chemicals, pesticides or herbicides. You can pick up your bird at one of their DC-area farmers markets, or on their farm—where you’re welcome to roam the field and visit the animals up close. 568 Smithfield Lane, Berryville, VA, 877-955-4389. www.smithmeadows.com.
Eberly Poultry raises their organic turkeys on small Amish and Mennonite family farms in Pennsylvania. You can order one from certain retail stories in the D.C.-area (check Eberly’s website for locations). 1095 Mt. Airy Road, Stevens, Pennsylvania, 17578. 717-336-6440. www.eberlypoultry.com
