Bob And Hope

A couple of weeks ago, Jeanne and I went with Tommy's class on a field trip to a farm called Bakerwoods. As we entered we were greeted by a Royal Palm Turkey strutting in full splendor.

First words out of my mouth, "We have to get one"!!
This took some work on my part, and I feel terrible I had to use the spider card.

Here is how that works. " Honey, how about a tarantula instead." She doesn't know that the last thing I want is a giant spider.

It worked!! Introducing, Bob and Hope.


The Royal Palm Turkey is a Heritage Breed Turkey, and a Heritage Breed is everything the engineered "Broad-Breasted White Turkey' found on supermarket shelves is not.

Heritage Turkey breeds include: the Royal Palm, Standard Bronze, Bourbon Red, Narragansett, Jersey Buff, Slate, Black Spanish, and White Holland, White Midget and Beltsville Small White.

If you are under 60, chances are you have always eaten a factory produced turkey. The Broad-breasted White Turkey fills 99.99% of store shelves, driving the Heritage breeds to near extinction. The Broad-Breasted White has been engineered to produce large amounts of flavorless white meat, cheap, and fast. This has produced a bird that can't fly, can't survive outdoors, and cannot reproduce without human intervention. It is said that a turkey is so dumb, if rain drops hit their heads, they will look up and drown.

Their was a time when our grandparents and great-grandparents feasted on one of the heritage breeds. This was a time when you did not need to drown your plate of turkey with gravy to get some flavor. This was a time when a turkey was a turkey and not some sort of science project.

The American Livestock Breeds Conservancy's
Definition of a Heritage Turkey:
Turkeys must meet all of the following criteria to qualify as a Heritage turkey:

1. Naturally mating: the Heritage Turkey must be reproduced and genetically maintained through natural mating, with expected fertility rates of 70-80%. This means that turkeys marketed as “heritage” must be the result of naturally mating pairs of both grandparent and parent stock.

2. Long productive outdoor lifespan: the Heritage Turkey must have a long productive lifespan. Breeding hens are commonly productive for 5-7 years and breeding toms for 3-5 years. The Heritage Turkey must also have a genetic ability to withstand the environmental rigors of outdoor production systems.

3. Slow growth rate: the Heritage Turkey must have a slow to moderate rate of growth. Today’s heritage turkeys reach a marketable weight in about 28 weeks, giving the birds time to develop a strong skeletal structure and healthy organs prior to building muscle mass.

The birds sold in supermarkets take on average 18 weeks to reach the 30 pound range.

Unfortunately, because Heritage breeds are raised in small numbers and take longer to reach marketable size, which is much smaller, the cost will keep most people from enjoying a true turkey at Thanksgiving.

Ekonk Hill Turkey Farm in Moosup Ct, Charges the following.
Free-Range Turkeys (10 to 40 pounds) - $3.59 per pound
Fresh Heritage Turkeys (8 to 16 pounds) - $7.99 per pound

With all the love and work Jeanne puts into our Thanksgiving meal, I think it would be well worth it

And did I say?, "Bob & Hope are NOT going to be invited to the Thanksgiving table" they are pets...

Below is a example of the Royal Palm Turkey