Tuesday, November 22, 2011

Local turkeys fly the coop

Triple D - Alaska's only commercial poultry farm - is out of business. Where's a Palmerite to get a local turkey? If you know, please share!

The Post shook a few trees but just hasn't heard of any local poultry providers who could help put a bird on the table for Thanksgiving. Triple D Farm & Hatchery, of course, was the place former Gov. Sarah Palin made famous during a Thanksgiving turkey pardon when she showed up on TV with a little bird-slaughtering as backdrop. But the farm was a Thanksgiving tradition for folks who liked their birds humanely raised and chemical-free. It closed this year. Owner Anthony Schmidt said debt and burdensome federal regulations forced him under.

There is one local retailer doing a brisk business in fresh turkeys they describe as free-range and all-natural: Mat Valley Meats on the Palmer-Wasilla Highway. The turkeys come from Washington state; Mat Valley couldn't find any local suppliers. Neither can their customers, apparently. While bigger birds are still available, all the turkeys under 20 pounds sold out within five days, before they actually arrived at the store. 

"We've been crazy crazy crazy, busy," said Colsie Burris, staffing the counter this week. "It's been insane."

-- Zaz Hollander  

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