THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, November 19, 1995 TAG: 9511170747
SECTION: SUFFOLK SUN PAGE: 20 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY DAWSON MILLS, CORRESPONDENT
LENGTH: Medium: 95 lines
THANKSGIVING BRINGS to mind two humorous stories about how to prepare the perfect turkey. According to the first, the secret is to start with a fresh killed bird - one that has never been frozen. Slather it with butter (not margarine) and cook it at 325 degrees for 30 minutes per pound or until the feathers are golden brown.
Gotcha with those feathers, didn't I?
Feathers aside, there are many cooks who believe that a fresh turkey is head and shoulders above the plastic-wrapped frozen kind that proliferate in supermarkets this time of year. Fresh turkeys are still available but you may have to go to a little more trouble to find them and, when you do, you can expect to pay a premium of about a dollar a pound. Even at that, the product won't be exactly what old timers remember from years gone by.
Those memories of going to a turkey farm and selecting a big fat live gobbler or hen from a flock of turkeys in a pen are fast fading into history. Almost a full day of phone calls failed to turn up any working turkey farms in or even close to Suffolk.
Nowadays a fresh turkey is, as noted above, simply one that has never been frozen. Most of those sold in the Suffolk area are raised and slaughtered in Maryland or North Carolina. Like their frozen cousins, they are vacuum packed and shipped in refrigerated trucks, but never at a temperature that permits ice crystals to form.
``It's not like going out in the back yard and knocking the feathers off,'' explains Jodie Matthews, 40, manager of Bennett's Creek Farm Market, 3881 Bridge Road, Route 17, one of several family-owned markets in the city selling fresh turkeys.
Matthews would know. At the family farm across Route 17 from the market they have two domestic turkeys, a hen and a gobbler, and three wild turkeys. The closest they'll get to the dinner table, however, is if the domestic ones come up to beg. They strut right up to you like a couple of house pets; the gobbler, a big, fat, white old fellow chases Matthews' truck like a dog.
According to Ralph Keech, turkey and fresh poultry buyer at Valley Foodservice and Poultry, the area's supermarket chains advertise fresh turkeys, too. The smaller markets compete, says Keech, by special ordering the exact size bird the customer wants and providing personal attention.
``We've been doing it for at least 20 years,'' explains Matthews. ``We get customers from all over Tidewater; they come back year after year. Everybody just says they're perfect: juicier, tender, full of flavor.''
Orders for Thanksgiving birds had to be in by the end of October this year. Matthews ordered around 100, enough for his regulars plus a few extra for those who didn't let him know in time. Christmas orders will have to be in by Dec. 1 unless you're willing to take your chances as to what size birds he'll have left after the special orders are filled.
Emily Holland, 68, proprietor of Holland Produce in downtown Suffolk, says there is definitely a difference between fresh and frozen. ``They're more sweet, not dark at the bone, juicier. I've had customers call me to tell me, `That turkey was so good.' One called last year and said it was the best turkey she'd ever eaten.''
Like Matthews, Holland offers only fresh birds. You won't find the frozen variety in either of their display cases.
``Many, many years ago we raised our own turkeys and would kill them ourselves,'' recalls Holland. ``I've seen my mother kill and cook many a turkey.''
Holland has run her market since 1972. It's moved several times over the years; it opened at its present location at 100 Commerce St. in August. Holland's daughter, Jeanette, who has worked there for 15 years, is taking over the business. Asked if she plans to continue ordering the fresh fowl, the answer is an emphatic ``Yes.''
Holland, too, has her regulars, some going on 20 years or better, she says. For Thanksgiving she ordered about 10 fresh birds. She'll be taking Christmas orders until Dec. 1.
What are the Hollands having for Thanksgiving? ``Mom cooks for us,'' explains Jeanette. ``She cooks a fresh one.'' Like others who swear by fresh turkey, they wouldn't have anything else.
Oh, that other story? It's about popcorn stuffed turkey, a pleasant change of pace if you're tired of corn bread or oyster dressing. After cleaning the bird, stuff the cavity full of unpopped popcorn kernels. Cook in a 325-degree oven about 40 minutes per pound or until the popcorn pops and blows the bird's tail off.
You know, even that recipe would probably be better with a fresh bird. But here's a real turkey tip. Try basting your bird with mayonnaise instead of butter. You'll end up with a tasty turkey that's covered with a crisp, golden brown skin. Happy Thanksgiving! MEMO: Do you have an idea about an interesting place to visit in or around
Suffolk? Call Dawson Mills at 489-9547. ILLUSTRATION: Photos by DAWSON MILLS
You won't find any frozen turkeys in the meat case at Holland
Produce in downtown Suffolk.
Jodie Matthews keeps two domestic turkeys as pets on the family
farm.
by CNB