A Farm-to-Table Thanksgiving: Your guide to the perfect turkey this holiday season

Thanksgiving is just around the corner, meaning it’s time to devise a plan for your turkey! One of the best things about living in Lancaster is our access to local veggies, fruits, and meats – and many farms in the county offer fresh turkeys for Thanksgiving. Our Communication Manager, Mikaela Bender, has mastered the art of a perfect, farm-to-table Thanksgiving turkey, and she’s ready to share her tips and favorite recipe!

Mikaela has been cooking her family’s Thanksgiving turkey for four years now. She loves to gather with family over good food, taking a chance to slow down before the chaos of the holiday season.
“In 2020, I started watching a bunch of chefs on YouTube. I once watched a Thanksgiving video and noticed that all the turkeys they were using were pasture-raised from Lancaster County,” Mikaela notes. “Larger grocery stores don’t notice that you bought their turkey. But when you get it from a farm family, they do notice. It’s their livelihood. After these few years, I know that family and I enjoy saying hi to them every year. It’s that connection with your local community that feels good.”

Mikaela orders her turkeys from Livengood Family Farm LLC, a small farm dedicated to selling pasture-raised meat and organic produce in Lancaster. She likes this location for its easy online pre-ordering process and even simpler pick-up process. She discovered Livengood four years ago after LNP released an article about local turkeys and their price per pound. Livengood was the best deal, and after nothing but great experiences with the family farm, Mikaela has returned every year.

Her advice for the perfect turkey? Pre-order online as early as October and drive to the farm the week of Thanksgiving for pick-up. This will ensure you get the size of turkey you want at the freshest quality.
A fresh turkey makes for a delicious Thanksgiving feast, but it’s not complete without those hours of seasoning, slicing, and cooking it to perfection. Need a turkey recipe? See below for Mikaela’s go-to recipe from Bon Appetit!

Recipe information
Yield
Eight servings
Ingredients
¾ cup Diamond Crystal or seven tablespoons Morton kosher salt
3Three tablespoons light brown sugar
1 12–14-pound turkey, neck and giblets removed, patted dry
2 sprigs rosemary
2 garlic cloves, crushed
½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
2 teaspoons soy sauce
Preparation
Step 1
Place salt and brown sugar in a medium bowl and work together with your fingers to incorporate. Place turkey on a flat or V-shape roasting rack set inside a large roasting pan. Pack dry brine all over turkey, inside and out, nudging some into areas where the skin naturally separates from the bird, such as around the neck and top of the breast and between the legs and breast. Chill, uncovered, at least 12 hours and up to 2 days.
Step 2
Place oven rack in lower third of oven; preheat to 425°. Rinse turkey and pat dry. Rinse roasting pan and rack if needed. Place turkey, breast side up, on rack in roasting pan and pour 1 cup water into pan. This will prevent drippings from burning. Roast turkey, rotating pan back to front halfway through and adding more water by ½-cupfuls as needed to maintain some liquid in the pan, until skin is browned all over, 35–45 minutes.
Step 3
Meanwhile, cook rosemary, garlic, butter, and soy sauce in a small saucepan over medium heat until bubbling and fragrant, about 5 minutes; keep warm.
Step 4
Reduce oven temperature to 350° and continue to roast turkey, basting with butter mixture every 10–15 minutes and rotating pan every 30 minutes or so if bird is browning unevenly, until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of breast registers 150° (temperature will continue to climb as the bird rests), 40–70 minutes longer. Transfer turkey to a cutting board and let rest at least 30 minutes and up to 1 hour before carving.

Buying your turkey and other Thanksgiving supplies from local family farms boosts Lancaster’s economy, helps the environment, and supports small businesses. Plus, it’s the perfect time of year to reflect on all that Lancaster’s farmland offers us – from traditions to holiday meals. As Mikaela says, “When you live in Lancaster County and are a part of the community you quickly become aware of how essential our farming community. It’s what makes Lancaster so special.”

Ready to buy local? Click here to check out a list of some preserved farmstands and markets you can support this holiday season, or click here to check out Livengood’s website!

We hope that everyone who celebrates has a happy, healthy, and delicious Thanksgiving this year!