What to look for when choosing your Thanksgiving turkey

Turkeys are produced all year around, but they definitely have a season of their own, which is timely as Thanksgiving and the year-end holidays approach.

During most of the year, we eat turkey breast as lunch meat, turkey thighs as a quick-and-easy main course and turkey drumsticks as low-cost, high-protein treats for lunch or dinner.

But it is now, for the holidays, that the whole bird — wonderfully brown, stuffed with moist herb dressing, filling the house with its ineffable roast turkey aroma — is set before the family as a ritual of togetherness in the face of today’s intractable political tribalism. If the turkey could speak, it would say, “Nobody talk politics.”

Most of us buy commercial turkeys for our holiday dinners, but it’s impossible not to cast a quizzical glance at the gangs of wild turkeys that appear in the neighborhoods, fields and woodlands of Sonoma County.

In spring, the gangs include males displaying their snoods, wattles and tail feathers in hopes of finding a receptive female. In summer, the hens make popping sounds to keep their chicks together, and in fall, as groups fatten up on acorns and bugs, they set many of us to wondering whether those birds are tasty.

According to California certified naturalist Dave Barry of Santa Rosa, who dispenses his knowledge of local flora and fauna through his “Wild by Nature Walks and Talks,” our wild turkeys are the Rio Grande and Merriam’s subspecies of the indigenous birds of North and Central America.

“Their flavor is much richer and fuller (nutty) as compared to a domestic bird, which has had all the flavor bred out of it,” he said. On the other hand, “they are runners, and as such, are extremely lean,” he added. He brines his wild birds for 24 hours in salt water before he barbecues them.

But let’s face it, few of us will be shooting wild turkeys for Thanksgiving.

You can get a little closer to the wild birds by choosing a turkey from one of the heritage turkey farms across the country. Heritage turkeys are of breeds that pecked the farmyards of our forebears in previous generations.

Old-fashioned turkeys considered the best of the heritage breeds include the Auburn, Buff, Black, Bourbon Red, Narragansett, Royal Palm, Slate, Standard Bronze and Midget Whites. These birds may not have the large amount of breast meat of today’s commercial turkeys, but they have rich flavor and succulent dark meat.

Almost all commercial turkeys for sale through local outlets like Willie Bird or our supermarkets like Oliver’s, Pacific Market and Nugget are a breed aptly called the broad breasted white. Over 250 million are raised on farms across North America. They’ve been bred to have large breasts, so large that the birds have trouble walking, can no longer fly (like the wild birds) and can’t even mate naturally.

Conventional production often confines these birds in large numbers in airplane hangar-size facilities. Because of the danger of disease due to crowding, 13 antibiotics are used to protect the birds; in recent years, under a veterinarian’s supervision. Also, 10 drugs for controlling a parasitic disease of turkeys called coccidiosis, plus others for parasites and beetle infestations, are used because crowding causes rapid spread of infections or infestations.

To avoid the chemicals used in conventional turkey production, you can choose organically raised birds. You’ll find organic birds, including broad breasted white, labeled wherever they’re sold. Here’s what organic culture for turkeys means:

The young are managed organically from their second day of life. They’re allowed year-round access to the outdoors, except during inclement weather. The land they run on must be managed organically without the use of agricultural chemicals. The birds are fed 100% certified organic feed, except for trace minerals and vitamins. They’re managed without antibiotics, growth hormones, feed containing avian byproducts or feed containing urea, manure or arsenic. Finally, those concerned about the birds’ quality of life may rest easier knowing their organic turkey was better fed and raised in more favorable conditions than those confined in a crowded factory.

Organic turkeys are more expensive, but many are willing to pay that price. But whether organic or conventional, today’s broad breasted whites are juicy and delicious.

If you’re buying a frozen turkey, be aware it will take three to five days in the fridge to thaw, depending on its size. So give yourself — and the bird — plenty of time.

There are innumerable ways to use leftover turkey, but a simple, delicious choice is to smother the meat with the exotic spicy Indian sauce called masala. It’s made from cardamom, black peppercorns, garam masala, paprika, turmeric, garlic, ginger, yogurt, cream, cloves, cumin, cinnamon, bay leaf, tomatoes, cilantro, lemon juice and caramelized onions. You can make it yourself, but the Maya Kaimal company makes a fine version. It’s available in the cold case at Oliver’s Market.

Turkey Tikka Masala

Makes 4 servings

1 cup basmati rice

2 tablespoons canola oil

1 ½ pounds leftover cooked turkey, mostly white meat, cut into ¾-inch cubes

1 12.5-ounce container Maya Kaimal Tikka Masala sauce

¼ cup coarsely chopped cilantro leaves

Cook the basmati rice and keep warm.

Heat the canola oil in a medium covered skillet or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the cubed turkey and heat lightly on all sides, about two to three minutes.

Add the Tikka Masala sauce. Reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer for five to seven minutes, until heated through.

Garnish with the cilantro and serve with the basmati rice.

Jeff Cox is a Kenwood-based food and garden writer. Reach him at jeffcox@sonic.net