Where the Birds Are: Turkey Shopping in NYC

Turkey shoppers at New York City’s greenmarkets this week may find themselves cursing the early birds. Violet Hill Farm and Quattro’s Game Farm will only have turkeys for customers who pre-ordered. However, for those busy cooks, and spontaneous souls, who’ve left their turkey buying to last moment, there are still a few options beyond the frozen foods section.

Vermont-based Tamarack Hollow Farms, which sets up at the Union Square market on Wednesdays, still has poulet for the purchasing. Its broad-breasted bronzes are free of antibiotics and forage in the farm’s pasture.

“What that means is, the meat tends to take in fat. Because the muscle is being used, it takes fat into the muscle tissue, as opposed to pooling up on the surface. So they’re very tender, super juicy,” said Mike Betit, owner of Tamarack, when reached in his barn. “Pasturing turkeys does a lot of the same things that brining does, just without having to put a lot of water into them.”

Trace elements from the pasture greens also enhance the meat’s flavor. “I don’t know if you’ve ever had a farm egg, but the yolk’s pumpkin orange, and then you get a supermarket egg and it’s like a blanched yellow,” Betit said. “It’s the same thing with a pastured turkey — it’s just heads and shoulders above what you’re getting in a supermarket. You can’t fake that in a barn.”

Due to certain out-of-state “vagaries,” Betit explained, Tamarack sets up a shingle at several greenmarkets but doesn’t sell the turkeys there. To be assured of a bird, call or email Tamarack (details below) before noon on Wednesday. The farm will make arrangements to deliver the turkeys, or else customers can pick them up. Pricing is on a sliding scale, with a per-pound weight of $6 for a 10-pounder and $5.50 for a 20-pound bird.

Additionally, New York’s Hoosick River Poultry will be toting 10 to 15 extra turkeys, along with its pre-orders, to Tuesday’s St. Mark’s market at E. 10th Street and Second Ave. Pasture raised and $4 a pound, the turkeys are broad-breasted whites — the vastly predominant variety, bred for its quick growth and broader breast, versus the country’s native, slower-growing and naturally reproducing heritage breeds.

And finally, the Di Paola Turkey Farm will also be bringing extra birds to the Union Square and 97th St. and Columbus markets on Wednesday. The birds, according to a worker at the New Jersey facility, are "broad-breasted hybrids" priced at $2.99 a pound.

If a heritage breed is a must — and price and carbon footprint are no object — Heritage Foods USA* will FedEx Standard Overnight a never-frozen turkey from one of its network of farms for a Nov. 24 delivery. Pricing, with shipping, begins at $119 for an 8- to 10-pound bird.

As for the all-important question of preparation, a laugh burst from Betit when he was asked for his method. “Wednesday is kind of a big day for me. [By Thursday,] I’m usually in no condition to cook a bird.” He paused for a moment, and the song of peeping chicks came clearly through the phone.

“I’ll have Thanksgiving turkey,” he added, “but it’s usually with whoever’s good enough to take me in.”


• Tamarack Hollow Farm: Order before Wednesday at 802.535.1515 or tamarackhollowfarm@gmail.com
• Hoosick River Poultry: A limited supply will be available Tuesday at St. Mark’s Church greenmarket; you can also reach the farm at 518.686.5564.
• Di Paola Turkey Farm: A limited supply will be available at the Union Square and 97th St. and Columbus Ave. markets on Wednesday.
• Heritage Foods USA: Order for overnight delivery on Tuesday, www.heritagefoodsusa.com
















Should all the whole turkeys be gone, by the time you find your way to the markets, Di Paola's makes a delicious spicy Italian Turkey Sausage. Toss it with pasta, and only the fools at your table will complain.

*UPDATE: Heritage Foods just called to say they'll accept orders until noon E.T. on Tuesday. Also, the majority of the turkeys are coming from the Good Shepherd Poultry Farm in Kansas, which is run by Frank Reese. Heritage describes Reese as the "godfather of heritage turkeys," though his moustache alone is reason enough to visit the site.