Talking Turkey

Were we out of our minds to drive 150 miles each way in the rain to pick up a couple of turkeys? Probably. But my friend KC and I did it anyway. Having recently read The Omnivore’s Dilemma, it seemed like the perfect Thanksgiving to celebrate with turkeys raised humanely on a grass farm like Polyface.

There were a limited number of turkeys this year. They did not make it easy to get one. We had to show up in person at Polyface Farm either this Saturday or next to claim our birds.

It rained steadily as we traveled out I-66 in the early morning. It was still raining as we went south on I-81 headed toward Staunton. It was just after we crossed I-64 that the fun of going down more country roads that we could count started.

We pulled into the parking lot and were welcomed by 3 honking geese. That was about the point where we realized that we were supposed to have made an appointment to pick up the turkeys. By then the rain had let up so we got out of the car to walk around in the mud. There were black chickens and these mottled chickens. They all looked quite happy.





Here is one of the portable chicken coops they move all around the farm to allow the chickens to fertilize the grass and clean up the insects in the cow pies, of which there were quite a few.


Just as we were about to despair that no one was home, we spotted some guys dealing with new cows. One of them headed up to give up a quick tour of the chickens and rabbits before going in search of our turkeys.


We couldn’t pass up other temptations like bacon, sausage links, and strip steaks. After throwing everything in the cooler, we started to go out exploring the farm once again. Just then a sheet of rain fell from the sky, utterly drenching us.


We made a dash for the car and headed off in search of Staunton, which we found with some instinct and a little difficulty. Homemade tomato soup, a small piece of quiche, and hot coffee were the perfect lunch for us. We were eating at Cranberry’s, one of the fine establishments using Polyface meat.


After lunch we indulged in a different kind of grass – wheat grass put through an extractor to produce a bright green drink, served with a hunk of orange as a chaser.



It was only as we neared home on I-66 almost 8 hours after leaving home on this adventure that the sun came out and we saw multiple rainbows.


It remains to be seen if these will be the turkeys that rise above all others. But even if not, it was an adventure into rural Virginia, a part of the state that moves just a little slower than life in the Washington suburbs.