We’ve been sourcing and selling Diestel Family Ranch turkeys for over a decade because we believe the Diestel family uses the best animal husbandry practices to raise a turkey that is full of flavor for your Thanksgiving table.
Diestel Family Ranch has been raising turkeys the right way since 1949. They share our values of never compromising on quality when producing the tastiest food. They don’t just carry the titles of Global Animal Partnership (GAP) Rated Step 5, NON-GMO Project Verification and Organic Certifications, but they walk the walk!
Diestel’s day-to-day operations are committed to improving their animal welfare and environmental operations, to the fresh pine-wood shavings that line their barns, to the natural and organic cleaners they use, to the generous spaces given to the birds to roam. The Diestel Difference led them to be the first to market in Organic in 1999, and the first in turkey to market Non-GMO Project Verified products.
So why does all of that matter?
Who cares what the turkey eats or where it lived? We do! At Liberty Heights Fresh, we are committed to quality from seed to plate, following the Slow Food principles that food should not harm the ground it was raised in, the people who raised it, nor the people who eat it. Truly Good Food is not easy to come by in this industrialized era of civilization. Most poultry farms feed their birds genetically modified soy products supplemented with cheap filler feeds that may contain animal by-products, antibiotics, and other chemicals that promote fast growth in the birds. We believe that this animal husbandry practice creates a poor quality of life for the animals and does not provide a tasty finished meat product for the consumer.
Over the years, we've brined and roasted and tasted lots of different types of turkeys from Diestel Family Ranch and have curated a list of our favorite whole turkeys to offer to our customers each year on Thanksgiving.
Organic Turkey
These birds are humanely raised the way nature intended – slowly- and fed non-GMO certified organic vegetarian feed. This feed gives their full, hearty flavor time to develop. What we especially love about these turkeys is that they are delivered to us FRESH, never frozen, so you can have a truly delicious centerpiece on your Thanksgiving table.
Heirloom Organic Turkey
Most turkeys today are a shadow of the breed that once was. Diestel raises Organic American Heirloom Turkeys: Auburn, Black, and American Bronze turkeys are rare breeds that’ve been around for hundreds of years. These turkeys have not been bred to have more breast meat like other modern-day breeds, so you can find lots of dark meat with rich flavor that’s tender, juicy, and exceptionally hard to come by in this bird. Just like Great-Grandma used to make!
Pastured Raised Turkey
If you want a turkey that helps to fight climate change, this Pasture Raised Turkey is for you! Part of a holistic regenerative program, these birds graze on rotational plots of land that are treated to regular applications of nutrient-dense compost and allowed rest periods of 2-8 months. Just as important, these birds have a tender, juicy, full-bodied flavor that will impress the most discerning foodie.
Hickory Smoked
This Naturally Smoked Whole Turkey is perfect for anybody who wants the rich, decadent flavor of a smoked turkey in just the time it takes to build a modest fire. These birds are uncured and slow cooked over natural hickory wood, so all you’ve got to do is warm the bird in the oven (and find a distraction to keep you occupied until it’s ready).