Top Turkey

When it comes to turkeys, there’s your husband, and then there’s….

Just kidding. But there certainly are many different ways to procure a bird to grace your Thanksgiving table, should you be unlucky enough to be the one hosting that dinner for 12.

First, you have to ask yourself: Do I want a special turkey, or do I want a supermarket turkey? Whether or not they’re actually different—and in what ways—seems a matter for personal taste. But turkeys from farmers and butcher shops have one distinct advantage. You know where the turkey came from, and it didn’t have to travel very far to reach your table.

That said, supermarket turkeys have two key advantages. The price is usually lower—as much as half the cost of a fresh bird from a butcher shop—and no planning ahead is required. You can drop by to pick one up any old time you like, and chances are, there will be turkeys available—some fresh, and others frozen. For a general idea, Sobeys and Your Independent Grocer are both advertising frozen Grade A turkeys for $1.79 per pound this year.

But if you like the idea of a free-range or grain-fed (or both) local turkey, it helps to know where to look.

If you live near the Byward Market, check out Aubrey’s Meats on York Street. In business since 1908, Aubrey’s is a traditional butcher shop that specializes in providing local, fresh, naturally raised meats. For Thanksgiving, they’ll be selling free-run, grain-fed, fresh local turkeys for $4.40 a pound. According to the owner, these turkeys are raised in large, spacious, bright barns and the owner has the photos to prove it!

The only catch: you have to be organized. They have been taking orders since Labour Day and they have only 450 birds available. So drop by the shop to fill out an order sheet and specify how many kilograms you need, or give them a call.

With one location in the Byward Market and another in Wellington Village, Saslove’s Meat Market will start selling turkeys on the Friday before Thanksgiving. They do recommend placing an advance order because most birds on the shelves will be spoken for. The turkeys are not organic, but are “all-natural”, meaning hormone-free. Saslove’s gets them from a farm in nearby Spencerville, where they live in a nice, roomy barn..

All Saslove turkeys are fresh, not frozen, and cost $4.35 per pound. Rather than specifying a particular weight, you need to request a small (10–14 pounds), medium (15–20 pounds) or large (up to 35 pounds) bird.

The Glebe Meat Market is another popular destination for those in search of fresh turkeys. Their grain-fed birds, also sourced locally, cost $6.39 per kilogram (that’s 2.2 pounds). Free-range turkeys are $8.37 per kilogram. They also request that you order ahead—starting any time now—because there are only so many of these fine birds around.

Finally, if you like the idea of actually meeting the farmer who nurtured that turkey before it was plucked and bagged, we recommend the Aubin Farm, also in Spencerville. These turkeys are free-range and organic, cost $4.50 per pound, and are delivered right to your door.

Now that’s talking turkey.

Aubrey’s Meats
(613) 241-4093
www.byward-market.com

Saslove’s Meat Market
www.saslovesmeat.com
50 Byward Market location: (613) 241-9266
1333 Wellington Street location: (613) 722-0086

Glebe Meat Market
(613) 235-9595
869 Bank Street

Aubin Farm
aubinfarm@aol.com
(613) 658-5721