The American Farm Bureau says the average cost of a Thanksgiving turkey should be about $24 this year, but apparently if you want the best of the best you’re going to have to shell out a whole lot more.
While some folks may think a turkey is a turkey, others are willing to shell out hundreds of dollars for what has been dubbed the “Rolls-Royce of turkeys.” The turkey in question is a variety known as KellyBronze, and sells for about $13 a pound, which means it can cost as much as $300 for the bird, depending on the siz.
So, what’s so special about the KellyBronze? "They’re probably the best turkeys in the country, [they] have a deeper flavor,” Jake Dickson, the owner of Dickson’s Farmstand in Chelsea Market, shares. “They’re pretty special.” Farmer Paul Kelly, who raises the turkeys, says they have a “more distinctive turkey flavor.
As for what makes them so different; the turkeys hatch in the spring, which is the natural season for that, and are then free to roam outdoors, with about 200 birds an acre. They are fed corn and soy milled fresh from the farm, as well as whatever they find in the field. Plus, the turkeys are slaughtered at around six months, twice as long as conventional turkeys.
The birds are traditionally raised for Christmas in the UK, but in 2014 Kelly expanded to the U.S. after buying a farm in Virginia. They usually sell about 50,000 birds in the UK, and this year they expect to sell about 3,400 in the U.S, with the birds ranging in size from eight to 27 pounds.
There are some downsides for some though. Some say the taste isn’t so different that it’s worth the price. Plus, the turkeys have unique black feathers and quills, which some say can be visible under the skin, which isn’t pleasant.
Source: New York Post
Photo; Getty Images