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.