THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, November 16, 1995 TAG: 9511160637
SECTION: NORFOLK COMPASS PAGE: 18 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY DAWSON MILLS, CORRESPONDENT
LENGTH: Long : 104 lines
TO MOST PEOPLE, Thanksgiving means turkey.
But turkey can mean different things to different people.
In this area, there are only a few small farms remaining where poults - young turkeys - are raised for the dinner table, and few are offered for sale. Turkey farms, where one could go and pick out a live bird to be killed, dressed and taken home, almost have become a thing of the past.
The distinction between ``fresh'' and ``frozen'' turkey persists in the marketplace, however, albeit in a form that would have your grandparents shaking their heads.
In today's parlance, a ``fresh'' turkey is one that simply never has been frozen. Most now are slaughtered out-of-state, vacuum-packed, then shipped into Hampton Roads in large refrigerator trucks. The only difference between them and their more abundant cousins that proliferate in area supermarkets, often ``loss leaders'' selling for pennies a pound, is that they have been kept above 32 degrees - generally at 35 or 36 degrees - and ice crystals haven't been allowed to form in their innards.
A seemingly insignificant distinction, but those who purchase the relatively small number of ``fresh'' turkeys sold in Hampton Roads insist that they wouldn't consider anything else. Putting their money where their mouths are, they pay as much as a dollar a pound or more extra for the ``fresh'' fowl, explaining that it is worth every cent.
``There definitely is a difference,'' explains Lee Carey, president of Carey's Farmers Market Ltd., located in the 5600 block of Virginia Beach Boulevard. ``They're moist when you slice them. You can cut them with a fork.''
The market, founded by Carey's father, started selling fresh turkeys in the early '60s, when they would raise about 50 each year on their farm. Demand grew rapidly, and they moved the operation to Bayville Farms in Virginia Beach, where, at its peak, they were handling 2,000 birds a year, about equally divided between Thanksgiving and Christmas.
``Then,'' Carey says, ``about seven years ago, Bayville Farms got out of it - didn't handle turkeys anymore. Daddy contacted a man in Maryland, an old farmer, who had good dressing facilities; he does 2,500 a year, year-round, for supermarkets. We've been getting them from there ever since.''
Carey explains that his birds, in addition to being fresh, are raised an extra month before they're slaughtered. That, too, he says, contributes to improved taste and flavor.
``A fresh turkey cooks quicker, 10 minutes per pound at 325 degrees,'' says Maggie, Carey's wife, who recently came into the business with him. ``It's the moisture, I think, that makes a difference.''
Carey also notes that there's less discoloration of the meat next to the bone, which, he explains, occurs when the bird is flash frozen. His fresh birds are chilled in ice water for five or six hours to draw the blood out, preventing the darkening near the bone.
The Careys recommend keeping the bird cool and cooking it as soon as possible.
``If you're going to spend the money for a fresh turkey,'' Carey says, ``you want to handle him good. Turn the refrigerator down when you put him in it and cook him the next day. We have them available for pickup two days before the holiday; smart people bring a cooler.''
This year, Carey is taking orders for the birds for $1.69 a pound. Some area supermarkets advertise fresh turkeys, too. Smaller markets like Carey's carve out a niche by special ordering and touting a high degree of customer service. The Careys will accept orders for birds ranging from 14 to 28 pounds up until a week before Thanksgiving or Christmas.
They'll also get a hen or a tom, if the customer requests it. It's a popular misconception, according to Carey, that hens are more tender than toms because they're smaller. It's not a function of size, he says, but of age. If they're the same age, when cooked, you can't tell them apart. Hens weigh as much as 25 pounds; toms weigh as much as 28. Still, if a customer has a preference, the customer is always right.
``One thing you find with turkey people,'' Carey observes, ``is that once they've had fresh turkey they always buy fresh turkey. We have people in the reservation book that have been buying since back in the beginning. Now their children are coming in. The children keep coming if they've been raised on them.''
Carey is concerned, however, that today's young people don't appreciate the distinction, their tastes having been influenced by a lifetime of fast food. He expects to sell only about 1,200 of the fresh birds this year, including several supplied to a vendor who sells them door-to-door and a small meat market in Virginia Beach that buys from him.
Helen and A.B. ``Buck'' Stillman, of Estabrook, stopped in recently to order their Thanksgiving bird. They've been repeat customers for ``20 years, at least,'' Helen says. They started buying from Carey at his present location; when the birds were available at the Carey farm near Stumpy Lake, they made the trek down Indian River Road to get theirs. This year, pickup will be at the recently remodeled Virginia Beach Boulevard location.
``They're more moist,'' Helen says, ``you don't have to thaw them - they taste better. My husband says, `They taste better all the way 'round.' Fresh is always better than frozen. I may pay a little more, but it's only twice a year.''
The Stillmans ordered an 18- to 20-pound bird to share with their granddaughter and her family; they'll be feeding 21 people, she explained. A.B. was worried they had waited too late to order; they let out a collective sigh of relief when they found out they had gotten to the market in time.
The Stillmans, married for 58 years, have lived in Estabrook since 1929. They are the kind of loyal, repeat customers who warm a merchant's heart. Carey's smile darkens, however, as he again notes that fewer young customers seek out the fresh product.
``I believe,'' he says, ``that we're losing people that know quality.'' by CNB