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On Turkeys
Nov. 3rd, 2007 12:43 pmReading about food is becoming addicting; I'm immensely enjoying Coming Home to Eat, that book by Gary Nabhan about eating the foods of Arizona. It, Animal, Vegetable, Miracle, and a presentation by a graduate student have all gotten me to thinking about one particular subject that becomes salient for most people this time of year: turkeys.
Turkeys are strange critters, and one of those foods that Americans feel (ignorantly) loyal towards--after all, our fall harvest festival, Thanksgiving, is centered around the sacrifice and eating of one of these massive American birds. I hadn't known until quite recently (thanks, CHtE and AVM) that, as with many of our planted crops, our country's turkey supply is essentially one vast monoculture: a mere 23 hatcheries produce 90% of the turkey poults and eggs that develop into the birds we eat. On top of that, only 10 breeds of turkeys are commercially bred, and 8 of these are rare (fewer than 6000 total individuals are hatched each year). The bird that is likely to end up on a Thanksgiving table is, more often than not, a Large White Turkey. I should also note that 3 international companies own 90% of the world's turkey breeding stock. (note: most of this information is derived from CHtE)
Why is this cause for concern? There's an inherent danger in relying on food sources that have low genetic diversity--what happens when a pest or pathogen emerges that can crack these birds' genetically inherited defenses? And what about the health of these birds in the first place--my guess is that these Large White Turkeys are the animals who have been selectively bred to produce so much meat that they can no longer stand on their own, and that are no longer capable of reproducing without direct human intervention.
Then there's the matter of flavor. Nabhan mentions in CHtE that most commercially produced birds are fed mash up until they die, which results in the flavor that most of us recognize as "turkey." Meanwhile, birds that are fed mixed greens in their final month of life end up with juicier, more delicious meat. That's not to mention the fact that most of what we eat are probably not field-raised birds; even "free-range" meat usually comes from farms whose facilities just barely meet the letter of the USDA's requirements (a certain number of hours of access to an open door leading to a small pen outside).
A quick search of Teh Internets reveals that LocalHarvest.org has some information about heritage turkeys and where to find them here, although, for example, they can only be purchased in a single town in Arizona (Elfreda, quite south of here), and only a limited number of live birds can be bought from the farm. I don't know about you, but the thought of butchering my own turkey is a wee bit daunting to me, especially given my decided lack of facilities. Of course, if you were even more ambitious, there's information out there on how to raise your own heritage turkeys as well, although it's a bit late for this year's Thanksgiving...
I hope that someone out there finds this information thought-provoking or somehow useful. I find it extremely disturbing to talk to people who really don't want to know where their food comes from. As Nabhan so beautifully teaches, the stuff we use to nourish our bodies is what connects us directly to the world around us (people, plants and animals), and I think he's right that we need to understand and conscientiously develop our relationship with our food.
For those who know that I'm vegetarian, I'm sure you must be wondering, would I eat heritage turkey if it were available? My answer is yes, if the context were right. I'm doubtful that the right context will appear any time soon, but I am open to the possibility. I'm not especially fond of meat (hence the whole vegetarianism thing), but am very interested in learning how to eat responsibly. Meanwhile, I'll continue to enjoy eating tepary beans and locally-grown squashes and all of the other desert foods worthy of celebration.
Turkeys are strange critters, and one of those foods that Americans feel (ignorantly) loyal towards--after all, our fall harvest festival, Thanksgiving, is centered around the sacrifice and eating of one of these massive American birds. I hadn't known until quite recently (thanks, CHtE and AVM) that, as with many of our planted crops, our country's turkey supply is essentially one vast monoculture: a mere 23 hatcheries produce 90% of the turkey poults and eggs that develop into the birds we eat. On top of that, only 10 breeds of turkeys are commercially bred, and 8 of these are rare (fewer than 6000 total individuals are hatched each year). The bird that is likely to end up on a Thanksgiving table is, more often than not, a Large White Turkey. I should also note that 3 international companies own 90% of the world's turkey breeding stock. (note: most of this information is derived from CHtE)
Why is this cause for concern? There's an inherent danger in relying on food sources that have low genetic diversity--what happens when a pest or pathogen emerges that can crack these birds' genetically inherited defenses? And what about the health of these birds in the first place--my guess is that these Large White Turkeys are the animals who have been selectively bred to produce so much meat that they can no longer stand on their own, and that are no longer capable of reproducing without direct human intervention.
Then there's the matter of flavor. Nabhan mentions in CHtE that most commercially produced birds are fed mash up until they die, which results in the flavor that most of us recognize as "turkey." Meanwhile, birds that are fed mixed greens in their final month of life end up with juicier, more delicious meat. That's not to mention the fact that most of what we eat are probably not field-raised birds; even "free-range" meat usually comes from farms whose facilities just barely meet the letter of the USDA's requirements (a certain number of hours of access to an open door leading to a small pen outside).
A quick search of Teh Internets reveals that LocalHarvest.org has some information about heritage turkeys and where to find them here, although, for example, they can only be purchased in a single town in Arizona (Elfreda, quite south of here), and only a limited number of live birds can be bought from the farm. I don't know about you, but the thought of butchering my own turkey is a wee bit daunting to me, especially given my decided lack of facilities. Of course, if you were even more ambitious, there's information out there on how to raise your own heritage turkeys as well, although it's a bit late for this year's Thanksgiving...
I hope that someone out there finds this information thought-provoking or somehow useful. I find it extremely disturbing to talk to people who really don't want to know where their food comes from. As Nabhan so beautifully teaches, the stuff we use to nourish our bodies is what connects us directly to the world around us (people, plants and animals), and I think he's right that we need to understand and conscientiously develop our relationship with our food.
For those who know that I'm vegetarian, I'm sure you must be wondering, would I eat heritage turkey if it were available? My answer is yes, if the context were right. I'm doubtful that the right context will appear any time soon, but I am open to the possibility. I'm not especially fond of meat (hence the whole vegetarianism thing), but am very interested in learning how to eat responsibly. Meanwhile, I'll continue to enjoy eating tepary beans and locally-grown squashes and all of the other desert foods worthy of celebration.
