How to get a local Thanksgiving turkey around here

Every year I tell myself I'm getting a turkey from a real farm, and every year I remember around Nov 20, right after the farms stop taking orders. So this year I started early. I sat down with the order pages for the farms that bring birds to our markets, and I wrote down every date that matters. Thanksgiving is Thursday, Nov 26. The deadlines land well before that, and the first one is less than two weeks away.

The good news is that Chester County makes this easier than you'd think. You don't have to drive out to a farm at the end of a gravel lane, unless you want to. A lot of local birds come to you, at the same markets where you already buy apples and eggs. So that's where this guide starts: with the Chester County pickups.

The markets are the trick

Lindenhof Farm raises its turkeys out in Kirkwood, in Lancaster County. Its link to Chester County runs through our farmers markets. You preorder on Lindenhof's website, and then you choose a pickup spot close to home:

• West Chester Growers Market, Church and Chestnut, Sat Nov 21, 9am to 1pm
• Kennett Square Farmers Market, 401 Birch St, Mon Nov 23, 3 to 5:30pm
• Eagleview Market, 570 Wellington Square in Exton, Tue Nov 24, 3 to 6pm
• North Star Orchard, 3232 Limestone Rd in Cochranville, Tue Nov 24, noon to 5pm

If you'd rather make the drive, Lindenhof also does pickups at the farm Monday through Wednesday, Nov 23 to 25.

Lindenhof's preorders close at noon on Wednesday, Nov 18, and they take a $30 deposit.

The West Chester Growers Market pickup is the one I'm circling. It's the Saturday before Thanksgiving, right in the borough, at the corner of Church and Chestnut where the market sets up on Saturday mornings. Bring a cooler. A cold 18 pound bird gets heavy on the walk back to the car, and you'll probably grab a few more things from the stalls on the way out anyway.

Kennett Square's Monday afternoon pickup at 401 Birch St is the easy one for southern Chester County. Eagleview in Exton covers the 100 corridor. North Star Orchard in Cochranville is the pick for western Chester County, and it's a nice excuse to see the orchard in late fall. Whichever market you choose, put the pickup window in your phone, because these are short windows on busy days, and the farm can't hold your bird all week.

White or heritage

At Lindenhof you choose between two kinds of turkey, and the price gap is real.

The broad-breasted white is the classic Thanksgiving bird. It has more breast meat, and it's the cheaper one at $5.90 a pound. If your family fights over the white meat, get this one.

The heritage bird runs $11.45 a pound, almost double. Heritage turkeys are older breeds. They have a smaller breast, more dark meat, and a richer flavor. It's the bird for the cook who wants the turkey to be the point of the meal, and for the uncle who only eats drumsticks.

To make that concrete, a 15 pound white bird comes to about $89, and a 15 pound heritage bird comes to about $172. That's before the deposit you already paid comes off.

Fresh or frozen

A fresh farm bird means you pick it up the weekend or the few days before Thanksgiving, and it goes straight into your fridge. There's no thawing, and that's honestly the whole appeal.

If you end up with a frozen turkey from the grocery store, the math matters. The USDA says to thaw a turkey in the refrigerator and to allow about 24 hours for every 4 to 5 pounds. So a 20 pound bird needs four to five days in the fridge. Count back from Thursday and it has to go in around Saturday, Nov 21. I'd put that on the calendar right next to the pickup date, because forgetting it on Tuesday night is how people end up with a turkey in the bathtub. The USDA's full turkey guide covers roasting temps and safe handling too.

USDA's turkey guide: Let's Talk Turkey

How big to go

This is the part where you should ask the farm. A common rule of thumb is a pound to a pound and a half per person if you want leftovers, and less if you don't. If your table is small this year, you don't need a whole bird at all, so ask about smaller birds or parts. Farms get this question all month, so ask when you order and let them tell you.

Finding your own farm

Lindenhof is the farm where I could confirm Chester County pickups, dates and prices this week. It isn't the only farm around here raising birds. Chester County's AgConnect program keeps a "Where to Buy" page with a Meat and Eggs list of local farms, and it's a good way to find a farm near your own road.

Chester County AgConnect: Where to Buy Call before you count on one. Small farms sell out fast, and not all of them post deadlines online.

Rounding out the table

The turkey is only half the job. This Sunday, Nov 8, the Berwyn Farmers' Market holds Pie Fest at Bronze Plaza from 9 to noon. That's a good chance to taste-test before you commit to a Thanksgiving pie. And if you're already standing at a market on Nov 21 picking up a bird, the sides are right there in the next stall.

The deadlines, all in one spot

• Mon Nov 16, before noon: Linvilla, a short drive into Delco, closes phone orders (610-876-7116)
• Wed Nov 18, noon: Lindenhof preorders close ($30 deposit)
• Sat Nov 21: Lindenhof pickup at West Chester Growers Market, and about the last day to start thawing a frozen 20 pounder
• Mon Nov 23: Lindenhof pickup at Kennett Square Farmers Market
• Tue Nov 24: Lindenhof pickups at Eagleview and North Star Orchard
• Thu Nov 26: Thanksgiving

Put the order date and the pickup date in your phone today. Future you, standing at Church and Chestnut with a cooler and a fresh bird, is going to be pretty smug about it.