Life on Florida’s West Coast

Free Range Turkey

We tried something different on the table this Thanksgiving. We still had the fresh yeast rolls, green bean casserole, rich homemade gravy, real mashed potatoes, candied sweet potatoes, cole slaw )everyone in my family likes to have at least one raw green on the table at all times), and the stuffing made with hand toasted wheat bread and fresh sage. This year, though, we roasted a free range turkey.

You might assume that the turkey might not taste any different, but I would have to tell you that you would be wrong. First of all, this is the leanest turkey I have ever prepared. There was hardly a peck of fat in the juices at the bottom of the roaster. The skin was also noticeably absent of a layer of fat underneath. The meat itself was gamier, more savory, and very tender in texture.

A majority of the turkeys you can buy at the supermarket are injected with insane amounts of salt water. The people selling the turkeys like to tell you it is a flavor enhancer, but we all know it is to plump up the weight of the turkey, ands therefore the profit margins. Adding all that salt to your meat before you even start to season it on your own is bad for your health. If it’s the only thing you do, at least take the time to inspect the turkey when you buy it and find one that is “all natural” and does not indicate it has a “solution” injected into it.

I’ve read a lot of information online about the controversy of free range turkey farming. Apparently, the only stipulation that a farmer ahs to prove in order to claim a turkey is free-range is that it has access to the outdoors. They still may be kept in warehouses or have their beaks clipped. I have no idea about the further background of the turkey we ate, but the fact that it was so lean has to account for something.

Of course, my ideal Thanksgiving would include a wild turkey. Maybe I can get up to dad’s one year and one of the cousins can find us a wild bird.

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