IT’S TURKEY SEASON! It’s here, the season of over indulging and being thankful. There are inevitably left overs and turkeys are notoriously big! There are some tips to getting the best turkey and making best use of it.
One thing to note is that farmers who raise turkey on pasture can only grow them through summer months, so they need to be thinking in March and April how many turkeys to raise. There are also regulations on how many farmers without quota can raise in Ontario. This will limit accessibility and may mean that when you ring up in late September to find a pasture raised turkey for thanksgiving they may all be spoken for. One way to combat this it to let your farmer know well in advance so they can plan, this makes it better for you and for the farmer, as the risk is lower and you know you’ve got your thanksgiving dinner sorted!
Another thing is unless the farmer gets the turkey sexed, there will be a mixture of males and females. The males will be much larger and will yield much higher meat ratio, which may or may not be what you’re after. This may be a good opportunity to utilize the extra. At Vibrant Farms we try to sell only the females and utilize the males (Toms) for smoked turkey necks, and gluten free turkey sausage.
Here are some of the top reasons why you can be grateful for turkey and indulge in the season while it’s here. It’s great for your health and it’s a locally grown product!
better ratio of omega
lower calories for those looking to manage calories
low Glycemic Index and highest protein per serving
High in Selenium - Ontario soils are lacking this, and therefore many people are lacking this element
B vitamins - These are super important and if you have ever experienced being low in Vitamin B, and then getting a vitamin B shot, you’ll know how amazing it is for your energy and mental clarity.
If you find yourself with extra turkey, here is an idea to spice things up and change it up a bit from the typical turkey pie, or turkey stew, or turkey sandwiches, or turkey stir fry or turkey soup, or turkey... everything!
Recipe for Turkey Jerky
http://www.backcountrypaleo.com/gobble-up-some-turkey-jerky/
Resource for Nutrition
http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=125