Last week, Debbie and I helped our host farmer harvest his turkey crop. Over the course of four days, we processed 800 turkeys. I was a feather inspector, never got involved in the killing... killing that was necessary to get the birds to the table. I do know that no birds were mishandled, and the process used is the same as responsible farmers practice.I learned, through this process, how polarized we have become as a consumer society. It seems few want to admit that the meat they eat came from a living animal.
Debbie's family couldn't understand how she could get involved in such a seemingly barbaric act, even though, if they had asked, she was there to place a plastic tie on the drumsticks to hold them together. In the end, nobody really understood that we simply wanted to say "Thanks" to Farmer Brown for lending me a field, exposing me to a new interest in life. We were there along with about twenty other family members and friends of his... all volunteers... who in some way have been positively affected by the farmer and his farm.
I guess it's o.k. when people want to come to a farm to pick flowers and vegetables, but when it comes to living animals, well, that's something left for the likes of Tyson or Perdue!
Well. after four days at Wychwood, it was time to go home, and Farmer Brown asked me how big a turkey I'd like.
"I'm happy to pay," I said.
"You helped a lot," he insisted.
"Fifteen or twenty pounds," I told him. This year, we're not expecting a big crowd.
Right now, I can smell the turkey, and it's at 170 degrees.... ready to come out of the oven in a little bit.
Thanks for all of the great comments.... and for following my first season. Hopefully I'll be back when I have something fun to report.
Happy Thanksgiving, Friends and Family!
