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Boston's Best Places to Buy a Turkey

Turkey
(credit: iStockphoto)

It's not called turkey day for nothing. Thanksgiving Day is all about the golden turkey, smothered in gravy, with all the fixings. Skip the grocery stores, the lines and the frozen birds they offer. Farm-fresh turkeys are available by special order for pick up the week of Thanksgiving all throughout the area if you know how to work. Check out these spots to ensure the turkey on your table makes for a memorable meal this holiday.

Sulmona Meat Market
32 Parmenter St.
Boston, MA 02113
(617) 742-2791

Located in the North End, Sulmona will definitely have free range turkeys for sale in a range of sizes. From 10 pounds to 30, Sulmona's will take orders and provide turkeys a week-and-a-half before the big day. Pricing will depend on the market at this local butcher shop, so check in for additional details as the holiday nears.

DiPaolo & Rossi Meat Market
56 Salem St.
Boston, MA 02113
(617) 227-7878

Also a small neighborhood butcher, they'll cover all of your meat and poultry needs, including turkeys for Thanksgiving. DiPaolo & Rossi Meat Market will have 12- to 24-pound turkeys available in November with pretty standard market pricing. Brought in from a farm in Maine, its free-range turkeys will meet your needs for the perfect holiday meal.

American Provisions
613 E. Broadway
South Boston, MA 02127
(617) 269-6100
www.american-provisions.com/

Located in South Boston, American Provisions allows you to order your turkey as early as today. Ranges will include eight to 12 pounds, 12 to 16 pounds, and even 16 to 18 pounds for the larger crowds. Generally it recommends a half-pound per person for its meats, or in the case of bone-in turkeys, a pound per person is a safe bet. Its turkeys will come from Misty Knoll in Vermont, which features free-range turkeys, and from Bell and Evans in Pennsylvania, which offers all-natural, no hormone, air-chilled turkeys. Pricing will become clearer based on the market at the beginning of November. Last year, prices ranged from $3.59 per pound to $4.99 per pound.

Related: Families Make Pilgrimage to Plymouth on Thanksgiving

Natick Community Organic Farm
117 Eliot St.
Natick, MA 01760
(508) 655-2204
www.natickfarm.org

Just outside Boston, in Natick, another option for holiday turkeys is Natick Community Organic Farm. It will sell fresh turkeys right in time for Thanksgiving for $4.75 per pound.  A $30 deposit is required, with the rest of the balance due when you get your bird. Pick-up will take place on the Tuesday before Thanksgiving, Nov. 20 from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.  Though you cannot specify ahead of time the exact size you will need, you can reserve a spot to head there on pick-up day and look through its selection, which will include all of the sizes and weights you could ask for.

Mayflower Poultry Company
621 Cambridge St.
Cambridge, MA 02141
(617) 547-9191
www.mayflowerpoultry.com/

A historic landmark in Cambridge, Mayflower has been a premier place to get fine meat and poultry since 1932. Open Monday through Saturday, head here for farm fresh turkey from 10 to 12 pounds or up to 28 to 30 pounds. Mayflower even offers de-boned turkeys with duck and chicken to put together a turducken for around $80, which includes a 16- to 18-pound turkey, six pounds of duck and four pounds of chicken for an unforgettable dish. All turkey reservations should be placed as soon as possible.

Related: Gridiron Grub: Gobble Down These Turkey Burgers

Michelle Levine is a creative energetic, young professional that is passionate about everything Boston has to offer. She loves to attend local events, dine out, and cook and wants to share her findings with you. Her work can be found on Examiner.com.

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