Mac Stone has been caring for flocks of organically raised turkeys at Elmwood Stock Farm for more than two decades.
When families gather to share a Thanksgiving meal often consisting of a juicy, brown oven-baked or fried turkey, most people don’t pause to think about how the turkey was raised.
But this year you might insert some of these facts into your dinnertime conversation, thanks to Mac Stone, a farmer with Elmwood Stock Farm near Georgetown. Stone, who has worked with turkeys for about 20 years, is happy to provide insights into the behavior of turkey flocks and even turkey personalities.
The farm raises hundreds of certified organic, pasture-raised turkeys each year. Varieties include broad-breasted turkeys and heritage breeds such as Rhode Island-developed Narragansett, Slate and Bourbon Reds. Stone’s in-laws, Cecil and Kay Bell, are the sixth-generation owners of the 550-acre farm, which also produces fruits, vegetables, pantry items, meat chickens and eggs, pork, beef and lamb. But, especially this time of year, Elmwood is known for its turkeys.
“The birds are just fascinating,” Stone said. “People say ‘turkeys are dumb,’ but no. They’re so smart, wary to where if you do something new, they’re like, ‘Oh I don’t know about that, it’s different.’”
For example, he said when a turkey notices something approaching, such as an airplane flying overhead, it will chirp an alert. The flock responds by sticking up their heads and each looking around. If none of them sees anything dangerous, no follow-up chirp is given. But if one spies something truly suspect and sounds its chirp alarm in response, they all run under their turkey house for safety.
“They’re so gregarious,” Stone said. “They care about each other.”
Personalities aside, they are being raised as food. Stone says because the turkeys are raised with quality feed in an outdoor environment; they don’t need additives to grow big and healthy.
“It’s a darker meat, but it’s richer and you just don’t feel like you need to eat a lot,” Stone said. “It’s very filling.”
He’s not alone in his accolades — both Cook’s Illustrated and Vogue magazines have recommended the stock farm’s turkeys in their publications in the past.
The turkey meat is mainly sold directly to customers on-site, online, with delivery, shipping and scheduled local pickup options and at farmers' markets. Though they’re set at premium price points — some whole birds fetch more than $200, depending on size — Stone said they’re not priced for extreme profit.
Instead, the farmers want to raise interest in the birds’ value, some of which are raised as part of broader conservation programs. The farm’s goal is to raise as many animals as people are willing to serve for dinner, offering the type of bird that matches consumers’ values.
“There’s no hype, it’s ‘here’s the education, you make your own decision,’” Stone said.
He adds that turkey breasts, legs, thighs and ground turkey can also be purchased separately.
Lexington resident Susan Hill has been buying turkeys from Elmwood for about 20 years and laughs as she admits she even has a commemorative drawer full of wishbones from them as keepsakes.
She serves the turkey at either Thanksgiving or Christmas dinners, depending on which occasion most family members attend. She said they only require the simplest roasting methods, as they’re already so flavorful on their own.
“The turkeys are delicious,” Hill said. “They’re juicy; they’re moist; they’re tender; they’re everything you could imagine a yummy turkey without any kinds of additives.”
She said supporting the local farm economy and buying organically raised turkeys from a farm with a state commitment to preserving water and soil quality is equally important to her.
Stone said the seventh generation on the family farm is now high school and grade school age, and “they’re watching over the fences and deciding” whether an agricultural calling is in their futures.
Stone said the current generation of family is working hard to keep those choices viable, and a strong local food movement has helped with these goals.
“It’s our job right now to, when they’re ready to go to work,” to ensure the local food business is a viable option, he said. “And that depends on our customers.”