PASTURED POULTRY: WHOLE HERITAGE TURKEY

THIS MEAT WILL ARRIVE FROZEN.  IF YOU WON'T BE HOME, PLEASE LEAVE OUT A COOLER WITH ICE PACKS!

One whole, frozen, Pastured Heritage Turkey from our own farm!  (Choose the weight you want from the drop down menu.) Scroll down to learn all about the happy, healthy heritage turkeys of Will's Eden Farm!

PLEASE NOTE:  We do the processing here, ourselves, in accordance with USDA regulations under Exemption P.L. 90-492.  

Scroll down to learn all about the happy, healthy heritage turkeys of Will's Eden Farm!🔽🔽🔽🔽

ABOUT OUR PASTURE-RAISED BIRDS:

FOOD/LIVING CONDITIONS:

Our turkeys are fed non-GMO (soy-free, non-medicated) feed, fruits and veggies from our gardens, and whatever grass/plants/bugs they forage for on their own. These turkeys are only penned up at night, so from dawn until dusk they’re free to search the woods and grassy pastures for tasty morsels, enjoying the emotional/psychological benefits of living as they were designed to live.  And because they spend their days soaking up the sun and eating wild plants and bugs, their meat boasts the added nutritional benefits that can only be found in pasture raised birds!♥️

THE BIRDS WE RAISE:

Our turkeys are what they call “Heritage Breeds”.  To better understand what this means, and why it really does matter, here’s a quick lesson on the two categories of turkey breeds, Heritage and Commercial:

Heritage breeds are those which have retained the qualities of the earliest domesticated turkeys, and whose bodies remain more similar to those of wild turkeys.  They have a slower rate of growth, relatively equal proportions of white and dark meat, a more robust skeletal structure (including longer legs), and smaller bodies overall.  (Added bonus:  The even white-to-dark ratio actually makes it easier to get the perfect cook!) 

Commerical breeds (AKA “Franken-turkeys”) were bred to grow enormous breasts in very little time. Because their breasts become so heavy so fast, commercial breeds raised in confinement with 24/7 access to food soon struggle to walk.  (Of course, commercial growers don't even WANT their turkeys to be able to walk, because not walking means underdeveloped muscles, which translates to a higher white meat to dark meat ratio.)  

FUN FACT: The flavor and texture of poultry actually INCREASES with the bird's age, as does its moisture content (younger birds don’t have much body fat).  Because they’re processed while still technically babies, commercially produced birds therefore cook up to be bland, mealy, and dry.  Commercial operations try to combat this at time of packaging by injecting their birds with a "pre-brine" solution which contains either pure saline or (more often) a solution of saline plus vegetable oils, phosphates, emulsifiers, and/or "natural flavor enhancers".  Bleck! 

THE “PROCESSING”: 

We entered the meat-raising side of farming in order to ensure that the meat we consume has had both a wonderful life and a quick, low-stress death.  When we discovered that the nearest USDA poultry processing facility is a two hour drive away (which the birds would have to spend crammed into those awful little crates), we opted to go the route of on-farm processing instead.  We follow all of the USDA’s sanitary guidelines, and if any of you would like to come and see our little processing set-up you’re welcome to!  But please be aware that while we can be subject to random inspection at any given time, we are not under the constant supervision of the USDA.

We do everything within our power to give each bird a peaceful passing.  After the bird has been caught we talk to them until they reach a relaxed state, say a blessing of thanks for the gift of their life, and use a captive-bolt stun gun to render them instantly brain-dead before proceeding.  It’s hard to take a life and there was one point when I nearly said I couldn’t do it anymore.  But it occurred to me that the taking of an animal’s life SHOULDN’T be easy.  Their sacrifice should always leave a mark on the hearts of those who demand it!  

Factory farming and grocery stores have allowed meat consumption to become such a mechanical, detached, process that no one has to feel the weight of the life that was taken.  How sad is THAT?!  Choosing to continue raising and processing birds for meat is my way of honoring the birds themselves, as well as giving our customers the chance to eat meat without guilt!