The Turkey Dilemma

Welcome to the holiday season (otherwise known as The Turkey Dilemma), that glorious time of year when we all come together to mix pumpkin into absolutely everything, regardless of whether it belongs (pumpkin spice salsa, anyone?)

Faced with another case of PPSD (Post Pumpkin Stress Disorder), and the traumatic memories of last year’s epic episode of indigestion, you’ve made the misguided attempt to avoid yet another barely-edible Thanksgiving at Aunt Doris’ (in an assigned seat next to that awkward 3rd cousin with the turtle-neck sweater obsession), and you’ve told everyone you’re going to host Thanksgiving this year.

Forget the pumpkin, now you’ve got to try navigate the minefield of options, opinions, myths and misinformation, and decide what sort of Turkey you’re going to buy. And you’re still trying to set the menu, and decide who you’re not going to invite. You don’t have time for this.

And that’s why you love Basil Bandwagon Natural Market. We’ve done all the heavy lifting for you (hint: if you ask nicely, we’ll even carry the bird out to your car for you).

So, let’s go ahead and assume you’re not going to follow Aunt Doris’ example and go with the conventional, factory-farmed turkey that’s been languishing in a deep-freeze in the back of the supermarket for the last three seasons. (And we’ll assume you prefer your antibiotics prescribed by your doctor).

But there’s still so much to consider, right? Right. But we’ll all miss Thanksgiving dinner if we really get into the ethics of turkey choices here (check out our infographic below for the key points). We can assure you, however, that our turkeys check all the boxes, from helping to prevent the rise of antibiotic-resistant superbugs, all the way down to supporting your local farmers (and the turkeys) keep living the good life. And if a heritage turkey is your choice, you’re helping keep those breeds away from the brink of extinction.

But after all those considerations, we can break this down to a much simpler choice:

Do you like your turkey white, plump, and juicy? Or do you prefer it a little darker, gamier, and more textured?

The former? Buy our certified organic turkeys, or turkey breasts, from Koch’s Family Farm in Tamaqua, PA. If the latter sounds more like you, then you’ll want one of our heritage birds, from Double Brook Farm in Hopewell, NJ.

And, now that we’ve sorted that out for you, all that’s left is to work out how to let Aunt Doris know you don’t have room for any extra cousins and their turtle-necks. But that one’s up to you.