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Green Thanksgiving Day: Getting Techie
Salmonella affects 1.4 million people every year, according to Medicine.net. Here's how to stay safe: With a frozen turkey, defrost your turkey in the fridge, not on the counter. For a fresh turkey, remove innards immediately, rinse with cold water and keep it in the fridge until you're ready to cook. Wash your hands with soap before and after touching raw poultry. Designate a cutting board and knife for poultry, and wash them immediately with soap and hot water after use. Finally, don't let the bird sit on the counter: Once you've served it, refrigerate as soon as possible, and eat the leftovers within a few days. We've got some more tips for a clean, safe Thanksgiving.
Where do turkeys come from?
Turkeys are indigenous to North America, but today's turkeys are deficient in one glaring way: They can't reproduce. They've been bred to produce the most meat at the least cost, and are now dependent on human intervention to fertilize their eggs. Heritage turkeys, in contrast, mate naturally, live outdoors and grow slowly. And, according to those in the know, they also taste better. Sustainable Table has the full story on heritage breeds, and Slow Food USA has a list of farms that sell heritage turkeys.
Organic, cage-free, free-range.the many designations of a green turkey
Organic turkeys are fed with grains grown without pesticides or chemical fertilizers (yum!).
Vegetarian-fed turkeys are fed strictly vegetarian diet. These birds cannot go outside on pasture since foraging for "bugs" is not considered a vegetarian diet.
Cage-free turkeys are not confined to cages, but do not necessarily have ready access to outside.
"Free range" turkeys are not confined to cages, and have access to the outside, which doesn't necessarily mean that they take advantage of this "free"-dom—turkeys can "free-range" on sand, dirt or even concrete.
Pastured turkeys are housed and/or ranged on pasture, with grass, legumes and insects comprising a significant portion of their diet. As such, they may or may not be "organic."
Day range pastured turkeys are free to range outside in large rotating fenced pasture during the day, and are housed inside a permanent or semi-permanent coop at night, with an open floor (no cages).
Local Harvest has a database of farms with these (and more) various turkey options.
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