Yes, Sacramento is becoming a real city these days, with our freeway traffic and spare the air days, but you can still find some small-town charm around. Like this past weekend, when three wild turkeys decided to wander into my yard in Land Park and have a visit. They were casually strolling around the neighborhood, doubtless looking for snacks. It reminded me that there was a flock of ten wild turkeys alighting in the area last year. Hopefully none of them last year or this got themselves turned into dinner, but there are some good local sources for turkey for the upcoming holidays. And what with Canadian Thanksgiving just happening, testing your turkey technique is a good plan. (Did you miss it? It's always the 2nd Monday in October, you know.)

Branigan's Turkey Farm has been raising turkeys in Woodland since 1942. They are different from standard domesticated turkeys because they're raised up to 10 weeks longer than the standard, giving them a bit of fat to help keep the meat moist. They're also sold fresh (refrigerated, but not frozen), so you don't have to thaw them in your fridge for several days before cooking. I get my Branigan's turkeys at Taylor's Market, where they're available for order year-round, but there are plenty of other local vendors and you can find a complete list on the Branigan's site.

You can also find local turkeys from Diestel Turkey Ranch in Sonora. They've been range-growing birds since 1949. The turkeys are fed an antibiotic-free vegetarian diet for about six months on this family farm. They have their own feed mill and processing plant, so every aspect of the turkey production is closely controlled. Diestel turkey is also available as sausages and sliced meats, and you can find them at the Sac and Davis Co-ops and at Whole Foods. Visit the Diestel Web site to learn more about their commitment to sustainable farming.