In the blink of an eye, another year has nearly flown by again. Just a few days till Thanksgiving which always feels like the gun sounding at the start of the Marathon that is Xmas.My pre-race ritual every year begins with one thing - buying the Thanksgiving turkey. I think I'd tried just about every frozen and fresh I could get my hands on over the years, from CostCo and Bristol Farms to Trader Joe's and Whole Foods, but the year I discovered the Willie Bird I knew I needed to look no further.
Run by owner Willie Benedetti out of Sonoma County, all Willie Birds are free range, fresh and the majority of the birds are organic as well. Aside from the peace of mind you get from knowing the turkey on your table had a good turkey life before he got there, free of processed foods, antibiotics and hormones, they just plain taste better. Another interesting note, because the birds are free of all that junk, they tend to cook a little faster than your average bird. I've had them fried, brined, and plain ol' baked, and any way, they've been moist and flavorful. You haven't really had turkey until you've had a Willie Bird.
Thanks to the wonders of the internet and FedEx overnight, you can order one of these babies online (they range from 12lb hens shipped for about $90 all the way up to 35lb for some of the toms which will run closer to $200) and have them delivered to your doorstep. If you live in LA, I've found the best place to get your hands on a Willie Bird is at Puritan Poultry at the Farmers Market.
Located in stall #226, these poulterers know their stuff and you can reserve your bird (selecting size and gender) up to almost a month in advance and pick it up on the date of your choice. This is much more reasonable than having them shipped (averaging $40-$60 a bird) and they usually have a few on reserve if you want to head in this week with a last minute order. I can't wait to see my bird Wednesday morning!
Should you find yourself in Santa Rosa, Willie Bird has a retail shop open to the public where you can pick up very reasonably priced birds and just about everything else turkey you could think of, including some amazing smoked turkey sausage. If you'd rather not cook it up yourself, they've got a Willie Bird Restaurant, too!
