Author Topic: Turkey Shortage?  (Read 2874 times)

Ben

  • Administrator
  • Senior Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 47,714
  • I'm an Extremist!
Turkey Shortage?
« on: October 14, 2021, 11:10:17 AM »
I've read a couple of local articles suggesting there will be a turkey shortage for the holidays in these parts. Have any of you seen that in your neck of the woods?

Thanksgiving and Christmas turkeys are a big deal for me, mostly from a family nostalgia perspective. So it will be a priority for me to get a couple of turkeys this year, with cost secondary. I usually don't buy fancy or even fresh turkeys. I'll get whatever Costco has and call it good. But they may not have any this year.

A local farm sells pasture raised turkeys and seems to have plenty available so far for pre-order on their website. You have to create an account to see price, so I'm guessing they'll be really expensive.  :laugh:

I figure my game plan will be to check Costco and the better grocery stores in the area starting the first week of November. If I see any decent frozen turkeys I'll grab two and be done with it. If that fails I guess I'll buy a couple of likely very expensive turkeys from that farm.

I can't imagine not having turkey on Tday and Christmas. I've never not had any in my entire life.
"I'm a foolish old man that has been drawn into a wild goose chase by a harpy in trousers and a nincompoop."

DittoHead

  • friend
  • Senior Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 1,574
  • Writing for the Bulwark since August 2019
Re: Turkey Shortage?
« Reply #1 on: October 14, 2021, 11:13:27 AM »
I've read a couple of local articles suggesting there will be a turkey shortage
Even if there wasn't going to be one before, there will probably be one now. These things tend to be kind of self-fulfilling.
In the moral, catatonic stupor America finds itself in today it is only disagreement we seek, and the more virulent that disagreement, the better.

Ben

  • Administrator
  • Senior Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 47,714
  • I'm an Extremist!
Re: Turkey Shortage?
« Reply #2 on: October 14, 2021, 11:42:46 AM »
I don't know how accurate the reporting from websites like this one are. Nevertheless, here they suggest that as far as turkeys go, the potential shortages would be for smaller, fresh birds.

I usually get smaller turkeys, but if all I see is frozen 20 pounders, that's okay. If I have to cook a 20 pounder, I'll freeze half of it for turkey dinners later in the year.  =)

https://www.tasteofhome.com/article/food-shortages-2021/
"I'm a foolish old man that has been drawn into a wild goose chase by a harpy in trousers and a nincompoop."

K Frame

  • friend
  • Senior Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 45,902
  • I Am Inimical
Re: Turkey Shortage?
« Reply #3 on: October 14, 2021, 12:04:34 PM »
My family used to have turkey for both T-giving and Christmas.

A few years before Mom died I decided to break out of the mold for T-giving and did a roasted pork loin. It was nice, but it did seem to be a bit strange.
Carbon Monoxide, sucking the life out of idiots, 'tards, and fools since man tamed fire.

Northwoods

  • friend
  • Senior Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 8,662
  • Formerly sumpnz
Re: Turkey Shortage?
« Reply #4 on: October 14, 2021, 02:07:26 PM »
Ben - if you need a turkey let me know.  I have some extras not yet spoken for.  I usually ask $7/lb (these are heritage turkeys raised free range).  Might be able to cut you a small break but I don’t make much over costs at that price.  I also have some broad-breasted turkeys in the freezer (20+ lbs).  Those would be closer to $3/lb.
Formerly sumpnz

Northwoods

  • friend
  • Senior Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 8,662
  • Formerly sumpnz
Re: Turkey Shortage?
« Reply #5 on: October 14, 2021, 02:10:50 PM »
For that matter, anyone on here that wants to reserve a turkey for future years please let me know.  I don’t have much not yet spoken for this year, but next year it’ll just be a matter of not selling too many poults that hatch out to accommodate folks.
Formerly sumpnz

Northwoods

  • friend
  • Senior Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 8,662
  • Formerly sumpnz
Re: Turkey Shortage?
« Reply #6 on: October 14, 2021, 02:30:35 PM »
I raise meat chickens too.  So if you want to make the trip worthwhile I can sell you a bunch of chickens too.  Come out to help on slaughter day and you can have up to 12 chickens at my cost (~$2.50/lb).  After 12 it would be $3.50/lb.  If you don’t help out I usually ask $5.50/lb.
Formerly sumpnz

dogmush

  • friend
  • Senior Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 14,741
Re: Turkey Shortage?
« Reply #7 on: October 14, 2021, 04:07:30 PM »

Bogie

  • friend
  • Senior Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 10,675
  • Hunkered in South St. Louis, right by Route 66
    • Third Rate Pundit
Re: Turkey Shortage?
« Reply #8 on: October 14, 2021, 04:20:41 PM »
The Aldi two blocks from my house had a whole freezer full. I hate turkey.
 
I blew about $100 on groceries for the next few weeks or so.
Blog under construction

Ben

  • Administrator
  • Senior Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 47,714
  • I'm an Extremist!
Re: Turkey Shortage?
« Reply #9 on: October 14, 2021, 05:14:43 PM »
Plenty of stock:

https://www.cajungrocer.com/turducken

If I want a turducken I'm not gonna buy one. I'm gonna wait until I see a duck flying over the house followed by a turkey. Then I'm gonna shoot the duck with 00 buck, which will send the duck flying into the mouth and down the gullet of the turkey. The turkey that swallowed the duck will drop at my feet and I will pick it up and toss it in the oven, just like in the cartoons.
"I'm a foolish old man that has been drawn into a wild goose chase by a harpy in trousers and a nincompoop."

JTHunter

  • friends
  • Senior Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 2,467
Re: Turkey Shortage?
« Reply #10 on: October 14, 2021, 05:35:00 PM »
Thankfully, I am not a big fan of turkey and my elderly mother won't touch it.  She does like pork loin, esp. the way I cook it and she loves dressing.  I do the cooking now and she does the eating.  ;)
The rest of the family live at least 200 miles away so the chances of us getting together is slim.
“I have little patience with people who take the Bill of Rights for granted.  The Bill of Rights, contained in the first ten amendments to the Constitution, is every American’s guarantee of freedom.” - - President Harry S. Truman, “Years of Trial and Hope”

MillCreek

  • Skippy The Wonder Dog
  • friend
  • Senior Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 20,217
  • APS Risk Manager
Re: Turkey Shortage?
« Reply #11 on: October 14, 2021, 05:45:33 PM »
Depending on the virus status in the area, we will either have 25-30 people for Thanksgiving or five.  We will see.
_____________
Regards,
MillCreek
Snohomish County, WA  USA


Quote from: Angel Eyes on August 09, 2018, 01:56:15 AM
You are one lousy risk manager.

Jim147

  • friends
  • Senior Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 7,687
Re: Turkey Shortage?
« Reply #12 on: October 14, 2021, 06:03:12 PM »
With all the cows running around here I'm thinking standing rib roast sounds good.
Sometimes we carry more weight then we owe.
And sometimes goes on and on and on.

BAH-WEEP-GRAAAGHNAH WHEEP NI-NI BONG

RoadKingLarry

  • friends
  • Senior Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 21,841
Re: Turkey Shortage?
« Reply #13 on: October 14, 2021, 07:14:59 PM »
If I can acquire one I may smoke a turkey this year. Haven't done that in several years now.
So far I haven't heard of any unusual shortages on meat and other groceries locally.
If ye love wealth better than liberty, the tranquility of servitude better than the animating contest of freedom, go home from us in peace. We ask not your counsels or your arms. Crouch down and lick the hands which feed you. May your chains set lightly upon you, and may posterity forget that you were our countrymen.

Samuel Adams

Kingcreek

  • friend
  • Senior Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 3,735
Re: Turkey Shortage?
« Reply #14 on: October 14, 2021, 09:38:12 PM »
For several years I bought heritage free range turkey from a young menonite guy near me. They were awesome but he must have stopped because I didn’t get my usual spring preorder commitment email from him last year or this.
I have done ok with organic turkey from Aldi without the injected brine and usual contaminants.
We have invited my wife’s parents and siblings but it might be just the 2 of us or as many as 16. Doesn’t matter to me. I love left over turkey.
AFTER thanksgiving I often pick up a whole breast or young turkey for cheap. I like to keep a couple  in the freezer and smoke them slow in the pit barrel.
What we have here is failure to communicate.

tokugawa

  • friend
  • Senior Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 2,876
Re: Turkey Shortage?
« Reply #15 on: October 14, 2021, 09:46:23 PM »
My patience is thin. I am going to have long pig.

French G.

  • friend
  • Senior Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 10,274
  • ohhh sparkles!
Re: Turkey Shortage?
« Reply #16 on: October 15, 2021, 12:09:15 AM »
I would assume that most of the turkey day birds are already ded. I do notice here in turkey central that it seems that new birds are not getting put in barns at full capacity. Probably related to the fact that every processing plant here advertises non stop for workers. My heritage turkeys won't be big enough to eat, also I ended up with one tom and six hens so probably make them all producers of new turkeys. Did end up with two broad breasts that were a bonus payment on a sheep shearing. One hen is definitely dinner. The other is probably here to stay as a pet. One blue eye, very docile, can't turn around without tripping over it because it thinks it is a dog.
AKA Navy Joe   

I'm so contrarian that I didn't respond to the thread.

zxcvbob

  • friend
  • Senior Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 12,498
Re: Turkey Shortage?
« Reply #17 on: October 15, 2021, 12:22:55 AM »
I have one in the freezer that I bought last year at Thanksgiving time for Christmas and then didn't use.  I will cook it for Turkey Day, and try to find one to replace it; shouldn't be too hard because Minnesota raises a *lot* of turkeys.

I make a killer turkey gumbo, and Wife would actually rather have that than a roast bird.  I might partially thaw it, cut it up like a fryer, and roast the breast and make gumbo with the dark meat instead of roasting the whole thing and making gumbo with the carcass and some of the leftover dark meat.
"It's good, though..."

K Frame

  • friend
  • Senior Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 45,902
  • I Am Inimical
Re: Turkey Shortage?
« Reply #18 on: October 15, 2021, 07:15:05 AM »
The Aldi two blocks from my house had a whole freezer full. I hate turkey.


You hate the Freedom Holiday Bird of Plenty?

*expletive deleted*ing Commie! :rofl:
Carbon Monoxide, sucking the life out of idiots, 'tards, and fools since man tamed fire.

K Frame

  • friend
  • Senior Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 45,902
  • I Am Inimical
Re: Turkey Shortage?
« Reply #19 on: October 15, 2021, 07:16:04 AM »
I've had a 20 pounder in my deep freeze for about 4 years now.

I got it after the holidays, meaning to cook it, never did.

So, I'm thinking that I'm going to roast it... but then turn it into stock.
Carbon Monoxide, sucking the life out of idiots, 'tards, and fools since man tamed fire.

dogmush

  • friend
  • Senior Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 14,741
Re: Turkey Shortage?
« Reply #20 on: October 15, 2021, 08:43:56 AM »
I had no idea so many here were so serious about turkey.

Mrs Mush doesn't eat turkey, and we'll be camping for T-Day, so I'm not getting one, but in general  I'm ambivalent about turkey meat.

K Frame

  • friend
  • Senior Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 45,902
  • I Am Inimical
Re: Turkey Shortage?
« Reply #21 on: October 15, 2021, 08:48:07 AM »
I had no idea so many here were so serious about turkey.

Mrs Mush doesn't eat turkey, and we'll be camping for T-Day, so I'm not getting one, but in general  I'm ambivalent about turkey meat.

HOLY HELL! COMMIES EVERYWHERE! MCCARTHY WAS RIGHT!
Carbon Monoxide, sucking the life out of idiots, 'tards, and fools since man tamed fire.

Ben

  • Administrator
  • Senior Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 47,714
  • I'm an Extremist!
Re: Turkey Shortage?
« Reply #22 on: October 15, 2021, 09:05:07 AM »
HOLY HELL! COMMIES EVERYWHERE! MCCARTHY WAS RIGHT!

No kidding. This has been a good thread to discover the commie pinkos among us. What's the anti-turkey equivalent of a scarlet letter? We need to mark these hippies in some way.
"I'm a foolish old man that has been drawn into a wild goose chase by a harpy in trousers and a nincompoop."

K Frame

  • friend
  • Senior Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 45,902
  • I Am Inimical
Re: Turkey Shortage?
« Reply #23 on: October 15, 2021, 09:25:56 AM »
"What's the anti-turkey equivalent of a scarlet letter?"

The White Turkey Feather.

It works on multiple levels...  :rofl:
Carbon Monoxide, sucking the life out of idiots, 'tards, and fools since man tamed fire.

dogmush

  • friend
  • Senior Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 14,741
Re: Turkey Shortage?
« Reply #24 on: October 15, 2021, 09:38:38 AM »
Also, since no one mentioned it:

If you don't deep-fry your Turkey, are you really even an American?