'Heritage' Turkeys Roam Free at Meadowhawk Farm
CHAMPION TOWNSHIP, Ohio -- Ferenc de Szalay hesitates before telling people what his turkeys eat, especially as business picks up right before Thanksgiving.
Not that he has anything to hide, he’s quick to add. All of his turkeys are fed an all-natural feed mix free of any animal byproducts and, when they aren't eating that, they're grazing in the pastures. It's what in the pastures that concerns some people. “After you tell someone it tastes like what [turkeys] eat, [some people] might not be pleased to find out they've been eating grasshoppers,” he says with a laugh.
At Meadowhawk Farm, which he and his wife, Chantelle Carroll-de Szalay, own, some 65 turkeys are given free rein to roam through their pastures, to walk about, eat and drink as they please, growing for the six months that lead up to Thanksgiving.
Turkeys at Meadowhawk are kept in rotating pastures, where their fenced-in enclosures are moved every two to three weeks. The practice keeps the fields better prepared for other uses. One spot about 50 feet from one of the pens is a bright green. It stands out among the rest of the brown, dying grass. Four weeks ago, Carroll-de Szalay says, that's where the pasture was.
“They're going to clip [the grass] down and also be digging and scratching, looking for insects to be able to eat,” she says. “At the same time they're putting down their own manure, so all of that fertilizes the pasture which then brings the nitrogen level up and makes it a very lush pasture.”
For some, Carroll-de Szalay says, knowing the environment where the birds are raised is the major draw. The taste is where people really notice a difference.
“In general when turkeys have this kind of diet, the texture is a little different and they don't have the same fat content. You're able to taste the meat without having to add spices back to the bird. They do truly taste different,” she says.
The farm sells three types of turkeys -- Broad Breasted Bronzes, which sell for $3.50 a pound, and two varieties of heritage turkeys, Bourbon Reds and Spanish Blacks, which go for $4.50 a pound.
“The heritage turkeys are the kinds that have been around since the late 1700s. These are the varieties that are similar to what was domesticated from wild turkeys,” de Szalay explains. “They have the shape of wild turkey and they have the behavior of those turkeys. They like living outdoors and they forage pretty well on the grass.”
The taste of the heritage birds, Carroll-de Szalay says, makes them the kind chefs seek most.
The couple started selling turkeys about six years ago after raising their birds — the de Szalays also raise chickens — for their own use for about four years. Since opening up their farm for business, they have increased the number of turkeys every year by about 15%, de Szalay reports.
The growth in business has come entirely through word-of-mouth, both say. Turkeys are sold through the farm and through the Kent Natural Foods Co-Op.
“We don't advertise, actually. It's 100% word-of-mouth. When somebody buys a bird for the first time, it's usually out of curiosity because they've heard about it from someone else,” Carroll-de Szalay says.
Usually, all of the birds have been purchased a couple of weeks before the holiday. As of Tuesday, all of the heritage turkeys had been sold, along with about half of the bronzes. About a week before Thanksgiving, the turkeys will be sent to a small-scale processor before being returned and frozen at Meadowhawk Farm.
While the price of the Meadowhawk turkeys is above what most supermarkets charge, de Szalay says that at this time year -- for Thanksgiving, Christmas or New Year's -- people are willing to splurge on their purchases.
“These are a little more expensive than what you'd get for a day-to-day meal, but it seem like people want to make the best meal for their family and give them all best experience possible,” he says. “We sell to people who are more interested in the lifestyle of the turkey or the quality. We don't try to compete with supermarkets because they can sell them cheaper.”
Aside from the taste, Carroll-de Szalay says with a laugh, what keeps her and her husband adding turkeys every year is the satisfaction of knowing that they're helping the environment -- however small the scale -- and their community.
“We both feel it’s important to be ethical to the land. This is a good way to be both ethical to this land, give something back to the community, and then have something for ourselves,” she says. “Everyone is benefiting.”
As for their personal choice when it comes to the birds they raise, both say they prefer the heritage turkeys, even if they are a bit more troublesome than the bronzes on the other side of the farm.
“Those turkeys like to fly a lot. If we don't trim their wings, they will fly up and over the fence. What they like to do more than anything is fly on top of the coop and roost on it rather than in it,” Carroll-de Szalay says. “The neighbors have come out and watched and laughed as I'm out here with a broom trying to shoo them off.”
Pictured: Ferenc DeSzalay and Chantelle Carroll-DeSzalay operate Meadowhawk Farm.
Copyright 2014 The Business Journal, Youngstown, Ohio.
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