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Buy a locally-raised turkey this Thanksgiving
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Thanksgiving is a holiday centered around gathering together with friends and family for a holiday feast. Every family has their own favorite recipes and traditions for the holiday meal, but the majority of people choose turkey as their meat of choice. When it comes to buying that turkey, you basically have 2 options: the grocery store or a local farm.
When you buy a turkey from the grocery store, you get very little information from whence that turkey came. The questions remain: Where did it come from? How was it raised? What did it eat? Mass-produced turkeys available at grocery stores everywhere are raised in confinement with no room to run around and often little room to even move. These birds are physically stressed and are often given antibiotics to prevent and treat infections. This practice has contributed to the rise of antibiotic-resistant strains of bacteria which pose a human health risk. Not to mention that there is absolutely nothing appetizing about the thought of eating a turkey that was sick enough to need antibiotics.
Your other option is to seek out a locally-raised turkey. Turkeys on smaller farms are given space to roam and develop into healthy birds. It's not necessary to look for an organic turkey. You can always ask your farmer about their animal care practices or peruse the farm's website for their farming philosophy. Becoming “certified organic” is a lengthy and expensive process, so many farms are following organic practices or even going above and beyond organic practices, without necessarily being “certified organic.” There are many farms around Chicago that raise holiday turkeys. Slow Food Chicago offers an extensive list of these farms. Some farms, such as Mint Creek Farm, even offer online ordering and delivery to farmer's markets within the city or home delivery.
Providing your family and friends with a locally-raised turkey may be more expensive than a grocery store turkey, but it's food you can feel good about. You'll be providing the people you love with healthy food, and health is definitely something to be thankful for.
For more information on local food, check out:
Slow Food Chicago
Barbara Kingsolver's book Animal Vegetable Miracle
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