Crazy Hart Ranch hopes to benefit from turkey shortage
Farm owner Linda Hart says her heritage turkeys are free-range birds
Updated: 6:03 PM EST Nov 19, 2013
Randy Gyllenhaal
If you're hoping to snag a last-minute fresh turkey at the supermarket this year, you might run into some trouble.The nation's largest turkey producer, Butterball, announced it will be shipping about 50 percent fewer large, fresh birds this year due to a shortage.Florida family farms, like the Crazy Hart Ranch in Fellsmere, are hoping people will look to them as an alternative.MOBILE USERS: Tap here to watch the video"These are not like the store-bought turkeys," said Linda Hart while tending to her 100 heritage turkeys. "It's got a great flavor. You have more turkey flavor with it. And it's a juicy bird. The dark meat is darker."Hart said her birds are different because they're a different breed than the white turkeys sold at many supermarkets. Heritage turkeys are thought to have been eaten by pilgrims during the first Thanksgiving.And the birds living here are not locked in cages or confined to a factory farm. They are free to eat, fly and mate within the 5-acre property."They're raised out on pasture," said Hart. "This is where they spent the last six or eight months."On Thursday, the birds will be processed and eventually turned into Thanksgiving dinner. It's a bittersweet time on the Fellsmere farm. This is a business, but Hart said she gets very attached to her birds."They're very personable," said Hart. "I've had people say, 'Oh, I'm going to raise a turkey for Thanksgiving.' And I kind of laugh, because it's like eating a family dog. They're going to follow you around. They're going to live with you."For information on obtaining a heritage turkey, contact Hart at 772-913-0036 or visit CrazyHartRanch.com.Follow Randy Gyllenhaal on Twitter at @wpbf_randy.More From WPBF: Email alerts | Mobile | SocialView, Share Breaking News Photos On WPBF.com's u local:9146236
FELLSMERE, Fla. —
If you're hoping to snag a last-minute fresh turkey at the supermarket this year, you might run into some trouble.
The nation's largest turkey producer, Butterball, announced it will be shipping about 50 percent fewer large, fresh birds this year due to a shortage.
Treasure Coast Food Bank distributing fewer turkeys this Thanksgiving
Florida family farms, like the Crazy Hart Ranch in Fellsmere, are hoping people will look to them as an alternative.
MOBILE USERS: Tap here to watch the video
"These are not like the store-bought turkeys," said Linda Hart while tending to her 100 heritage turkeys. "It's got a great flavor. You have more turkey flavor with it. And it's a juicy bird. The dark meat is darker."
Hart said her birds are different because they're a different breed than the white turkeys sold at many supermarkets. Heritage turkeys are thought to have been eaten by pilgrims during the first Thanksgiving.
And the birds living here are not locked in cages or confined to a factory farm. They are free to eat, fly and mate within the 5-acre property.
"They're raised out on pasture," said Hart. "This is where they spent the last six or eight months."
On Thursday, the birds will be processed and eventually turned into Thanksgiving dinner. It's a bittersweet time on the Fellsmere farm. This is a business, but Hart said she gets very attached to her birds.
"They're very personable," said Hart. "I've had people say, 'Oh, I'm going to raise a turkey for Thanksgiving.' And I kind of laugh, because it's like eating a family dog. They're going to follow you around. They're going to live with you."
For information on obtaining a heritage turkey, contact Hart at 772-913-0036 or visit CrazyHartRanch.com.
Follow Randy Gyllenhaal on Twitter at @wpbf_randy.