This Thanksgiving, Stick to Your Heritage

If you can get your hands on a Heritage Turkey this year, you should. These are the heirloom tomatoes of turkeys. They're grown naturally, and they're rich and flavorful.

When you eat a heritage turkey, you know you're doing well by your your family and by the bird.

Read below to see what the Heritage Turkey Foundation has to say about the birds.

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What is a Heritage Turkey?

Prized for their rich flavor and beautiful plumage, Heritage Turkeys are the ancestors of the common Broad-breasted White industrial breed of turkey that comprises 99.99% of the supermarket turkeys sold today. But the Heritage Breeds still exist and are making a comeback. Most breeds of heritage turkey were developed in the United States and Europe over hundreds of years, and were identified in the American Poultry Association's turkey Standard of Perfection of 1874. These breeds include the Standard Bronze, Bourbon Red, Narragansett, Jersey Buff, Slate, Black Spanish, and White Holland. Later added to the standard were the Royal Palm, White Midget and Beltsville Small White.

Large corporations have dominated turkey production and breeding since the 1960's, choosing the Broad Breasted Whites because of high breast meat production in a short period. But Heritage Breeds have been quietly gaining a renewed market and respect due to their flavor and superior biological diversity.

Raising Heritage Breeds is more costly and time consuming than raising White Breasted Toms. While supermarket turkeys grow to an average of 32 pounds over 18 weeks, Heritage birds take anywhere from 24-30 to reach their market weight. But those who have tasted Heritage Breeds say the cost-and the wait-are well worth it.

The Heritage Turkey Foundation accepts the same definition of heritage turkeys as the the two organizations that inspired our work, the American Livestock Breeds Conservancy and Slow Food. They are are traditional "standard" breeds of turkeys which have not been "industrialized" for efficient factory production at the expense of flavor and the well-being of the turkeys. These are the breeds of turkeys recognized by the American Poultry Association in its 1874 Standard of Perfection,

What is the Heritage Turkey Foundation?

The Heritage Turkey Foundation is being formed to protect the surviving heritage turkey strains and re-introduce them to the American marketplace. The Foundation will be a non-profit organization accepting tax-exempt charitable contributions. We're located at:

300 Plum Street #97
Capitola, California 95010

(831) 476-1271
Roger@HeritageTurkeyFoundation.org