Dittmer’s Gourmet Meats & Wurst-Haus
4540 El Camino Real, Los Altos
650-941-3800
www.dittmers.com/
Dittmer’s carries turkeys from Diestel Family Turkey Ranch, a Sonora, Calif., ranch well known for high-quality birds. The meat market also smokes turkeys for customers; the turkeys are smoked for 10-12 hours. There are four size tiers: petite (5-7 pounds), small (11-13 pounds), medium (14-16 pounds) and large (17-19 pounds). Dittmer’s will take Thanksgiving orders until Friday, Nov. 22. Prices vary; call to check.
Draeger’s Market
1010 University Drive, Menlo Park
650-324-7723
www.draegers.com
Draeger’s sells Diestel Family Turkey Ranch turkeys and Heidi’s hens, also from Diestel ranch. The market will also have heritage turkeys — various breeds, some considered in endanger of extinction, that maintain characteristics no longer present in most store-bought turkey — for $8.49 per pound. The Menlo Park market also brines turkeys.
Mollie Stones Markets
164 S. California Ave., Palo Alto
650-323-8361
www.molliestones.com
Mollie Stones offers two Mollie Stones brand turkeys — one natural ($2.59/lb and one free range($2.99/lb) — plus Willie Bird free range turkeys from Sonoma County ($3.49/lb) and Mary’s free range, organic air-chilled turkeys ($3.99/lb). All are gluten free. Order online through Monday, Nov. 25. Kosher, brined and heritage turkeys are available in limited quantities; call the store to ask.
Safeway
Palo Alto, Mountain View and Menlo Park locations
Safeway carries both frozen and fresh turkeys. Prices vary depending on brand and whether it’s organic, free range, etc.
Schaub’s Meat Fish & Poultry
395 Stanford Shopping Center, Palo Alto
650-325-6328
Schaub’s in the Stanford Shopping Center takes orders for Mary’s turkeys, raised on a farm in the San Joaquin Valley in California. The turkeys are all free-range, organic, vegetarian-fed and gluten-free; no preservatives or hormones. A Schaub’s employee said the farm raises turkeys specifically for the Palo Alto store because it receives so many orders every year. Call for prices.
Whole Foods
774 Emerson St., Palo Alto
650-326-8676
and
4800 El Camino Real, Los Altos
650-559-0300
www.wholefoodsmarket.com
Whole Foods in Palo Alto offers six different types of turkey for Thanksgiving. The cheapest is an all-natural Whole Foods Market turkey, raised in the Central Valley in California on an all-vegetarian diet ($2.69 per pound; from eight to 25 pounds). Whole Foods also carries a few Diestel Family Turkey Ranch turkeys — one, a basic all-natural for $2.99 per pound; another that is organic, sustainably farm-and-range grown for $3.99 per pound; a third that is pre-brined (choose original, Southwest or lemon-herb brine) for $4.99 and comes in between 10 and 30 pounds; and a fourth that is an heirloom turkey, also organic, for $4.99. The most expensive option is a Diestel farm turkey that is pasture-raised and spends its entire life on a single farm, where it is also processed ($5.99 per pound).
None of the Whole Foods turkeys are frozen; all are air-chilled, meaning the water in the meat is frozen but not the meat itself. To thaw, run under tepid water for an hour.
Orders can be placed via phone or online.
I’m picking mine up at Monta Vista Market in Cupertino. It’s a little out of the way, but worth it. It’s a tiny “all organic/local” market where you don’t have to deal with all the hustle and bustle as you do with larger stores. The Thanksgiving Turkey’s they have are Heidi’s Hen from Diestel Ranch which is range grown, Organic as well as non-GMO. It’s also Fresh, not frozen, which is a plus.
Costco! Organic turkeys are $2.79/lb. No other store can beat the price for organic turkeys. Yum!