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Making A Comeback: Heritage Breeds
Before supermarkets and distributors made the Broad
Breasted White turkey the dominant bird on the market
and the turkey most Americans are familiar with, diverse
breeds such as the Narragansetts and Jersey Buffs
offered families a turkey with greater flavor and
texture. Now such turkeys, known as Heritage Breeds or
"standard" turkeys, are making a move to be on your
table this Thanksgiving.
Prized for their rich flavor and
beautiful plumage, Heritage Turkeys are the ancestors of
the common Broad-breasted White industrial breed of
turkey that comprises 99.99% of the supermarket turkeys
sold today. But the Heritage Breeds still exist and are
making a comeback. Most breeds of heritage turkey were
developed in the United States and Europe over hundreds
of years, and were identified in the American Poultry
Association's turkey Standard of Perfection of 1874.
These breeds include the Standard Bronze, Bourbon Red,
Jersey Buff, Slate, Black Spanish, Narragansett and
White Holland."
With rich tasting meats more moist and
flavorful than the mass produced large-breasted turkeys
of today, Heritage Breeds owe their taste to diverse
diets and extended life-spans. Dining on fresh grass and
insects, these birds exercise and even help control
farmer's pest problems. And while large corporations
have dominated turkey production and breeding since the
1960's, choosing the Broad Breasted Whites because of
high breast meat production in a short period, Heritage
Breeds have been quietly gaining a renewed market and
respect due to their flavor and superior biological
diversity.
Raising Heritage Breeds is more costly
and time consuming than raising White Breasted Toms.
While supermarket turkeys grow to an average of 32
pounds over 18 weeks, Heritage birds take anywhere from
24-30 to reach their market weight. But those who have
tasted Heritage Breeds say the cost-and the wait-are
well worth it.
To find your Heritage Turkey, you can
browse the LocalHarvest website to find a farmer in your
area or you can visit the LocalHarvest Store to purchase
your tasty Tom online |
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