You can still find a green turkey in time.
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You meant to do it this year. You tried to remember to order your turkey right from the farmer when the sign was up earlier this month (or was it last month? Time sure does fly...). You swooned over the idea of picking up your turkey -- your turkey, grown especially for you -- the day before Thanksgiving, fresh and direct from the folks responsible for caring for it up until it became, well, your turkey. You thought about how great it would be to have a turkey who got to grow up and live like turkeys are supposed to, and how special the experience would be to honor its life with a perfect preparation, alongside the rest of your green celebration. You daydreamed about how delicious it would be. And then you forgot to make it happen. Don't worry, it isn't too late to get a good green bird.
Nearly 50 million turkeys will be purchased for this year's Thanksgiving feast next week, and there are a lot of different green options for birds out there. While the greenest turkey is the one you don't buy, a fresh (e.g. never frozen) bird from a nearby poultry farm -- one that raises heritage breeds on organic feed and gives them a long, happy life -- is probably the most sustainable meat-eating option out there. If you didn't plan ahead, and place your order at your local farmers' market (or with the farm itself) already, it may be too late. What to do?
Never fear. You can still get a bird that both Mom and Momma Earth would be proud to serve, but, unfortunately, it probably won't be as easy as running to your local mega-mart and grabbing the 20 pound ice cube that passes for turkey in some places. Turkey labeling is a complicated, complex system that seems like maybe it should involve a decoder ring to decipher, and it can make it harder than it should be to find a worthy turkey. Here's a quick primer.
