Talking Turkey, Farming & Recipes with Guest Ferndale Market

Transcript:

BRANDY: Welcome to Dishing Up Nutrition, brought to you by Nutritional Weight & Wellness. We are a Minnesota based company that specializes in real food nutrition education and counseling, helping people make the connection between what they eat and how they feel. My name is Brandy Buro. I've been working here as a registered and licensed dietitian for over three years now.

And I am very excited for today's show because we are talking about a topic that is basically an intersection of everything that I love about food and nutrition. So I'll get to tap into my experience, not only as a clinical dietitian, but also my experience as a cooking class instructor, a personal chef, and somebody that advocates and supports local sustainable farming, because today we have a very special guest joining us.

And we're going to touch on all of these aspects of eating well, and I'm going to be introducing them in just a moment. But if you've been with Nutritional Weight & Wellness for any part of the last 35 years that we've been teaching about the magic of real food, you know that a foundational aspect of our curriculum and our meal plan is eating animal protein.

The importance of getting adequate quality protein

Getting enough quality protein is essential for so many of our bodily functions. It plays a really big role in our metabolism and our energy, our mental health and neurotransmitter production, and it plays a really big role in our metabolism and our energy, our mental health and neurotransmitter production;

Healing from illness and injuries and of course building muscles. So if you're interested in learning more about protein and all that it does for us, please check out the many articles and podcasts on our website. There's tons of information there on why protein is so important, how much protein you need, and of course recipes on how to prepare great tasting protein rich meals.

So you can find all of those resources on our website at weightandwellness.com. But today with our very special guest, we are going to zone the conversation in on a very special and specific quality protein source: turkey. It's turkey time here at Nutritional Weight & Wellness, and we're going to talk about what sustainable farming looks like and share some recipe ideas that you can incorporate into your rotation all year round, not just the holiday season. So without further ado, I'd like to introduce Katie Peterson from Ferndale Market. So welcome, Katie.

KATIE: Thank you, I'm so glad to be here.

Background on Ferndale Market

BRANDY: Really happy to have you here. I just want to give our listeners a little background on Ferndale market. It's a third generation turkey farm, which is amazing, and it's located right here in Minnesota in Cannon Falls. And you specialize in raising free range turkey.

And you also on your farm have a store that carries over 100 local farmers and the products that they make, which is fantastic. You also carry your full line of Ferndale Market free range, antibiotic free turkey products. And some of my coworkers have actually visited the farm and done some shopping there, which they love doing.

And you're going to share more about Ferndale market with us today. And I'm just going to give them a little bit of a background on you, Katie. So you are currently the marketing and communications manager for Ferndale market and you grew up on the farm.

You're part of that third generation of Petersons that is carrying out that legacy of your grandparents. And before you started working for your family's business, you were doing PR and marketing for a variety of food organizations and sustainable farms. And what I think is so interesting is that you have a master's degree in gastronomy from Boston University. So I'm going to want to hear more about that.

Just sounds like you're a very passionate person about sharing stories about farming and supporting local, sustainable farms. So welcome to the show Katie. Welcome Ferndale Market.

KATIE: Thank you so much. We are thrilled to be here

BRANDY: And I'm so excited to learn more about you. And you know, what I want to start with before we talk more about Ferndale Market and the farm, I think it would be so interesting to hear more about your degree in gastronomy.

KATIE: Sure. Yeah. It's such a unique degree. It's basically a food studies degree. So it's a liberal arts program that studies all aspects of food. So I did everything from like food history and anthropology to more hands on classes like food writing and marketing, and even some culinary and nutrition. So just kind of like a really broad based look at all things food studies.

BRANDY: That is fantastic. So you are a true food foodie, I would say . It is amazing to have an expert like you on our show today, so I'm really excited to see where this conversation goes. So before we get into the story and history of your family's farm, I just want to mention how many of my coworkers love your company and love the products that you produce.

When I first started working here, us dieticians kind of swap recommendations for different products that we think are really like top notch and the turkey sticks from Ferndale market were one of the very first things that were recommended to me by another dietitian so those cranberry turkey sticks are a staple for me and probably a lot of my clients because I'm always recommending those so…

KATIE: Oh, that's so fun to hear

BRANDY: You've got a lot of love coming from Nutritional Weight & Wellness. That's for sure.

KATIE: We appreciate it.

BRANDY: Well to kick us off, can you share a little bit more about the history of the farm? Being a three generation farm and business, I'm sure there's been a lot of evolution over the years with the changes in technology and farming and the food industry. So maybe you could just walk us through what that's been like.

KATIE: Yeah, definitely. Our farm was started in 1939 by my grandparents, Fern and Dale Peterson. And that's where our Ferndale name comes from. A lot of people wonder about the origin of that. When my grandfather started the farm, he was raising his turkeys outside and without antibiotics, just like everybody would have done at that point.

As my dad got involved in the farm in the 70s, that's when things were really starting to change in agriculture in terms of consolidation and really focusing on efficiency. But I guess my dad was stubborn because he kept at it the way that we had always farmed. So he kept those turkeys free range.

We continued to raise without antibiotics. And then fast forward to 2008 when my brother John came back to the farm and started to get involved as well, he realized that what we were doing was really unique. That in 2008 we were continuing to raise our turkeys free range and without antibiotics, naturally processing them, all of that.

And so it was actually his idea to then direct market our products under the Ferndale market label so that we could have that direct connection to consumers who are seeking out more sustainable options.

BRANDY: Yeah, absolutely. Well, that's a great story. The stubbornness of, for the better actually.

KATIE: Yeah.

BRANDY: I'm wondering, do you think your grandfather kind of suspected that the way things were changing was not necessarily in the best interest of the consumer? Do you think he had that hunch?

KATIE: Yeah, I would think so. I think that he and my dad were both hesitant to change things for a reason. I think they saw that the way that we were raising our turkeys was obviously working for us. And we were raising very healthy birds that way. And so, they didn't necessarily feel an urge to change.

BRANDY: Why mess with a good thing?

KATIE: Exactly. Yeah.

BRANDY: Yeah, it makes total sense. Well, thank you for a little bit of background there. It always helps to know where your food comes from and the evolution of how you got there.

KATIE: Yeah.

BRANDY: One of the things that we teach in our classes and in those one on one counseling sessions with clients is that try to get the best quality that you can afford. Shoot for the best quality that's in your budget.

What to look for in quality turkey & some other meats

And when it comes to protein, for example, like if we're talking about beef, we would recommend grass fed or if it's fish, we suggest wild caught. So when it comes to turkey, we do recommend free range as the best quality that you can find right now. So you're absolutely doing it right. And I was looking at your website earlier and it looks like not only are you doing free range raised without antibiotics, but you also mentioned using custom feed, humane processing, and the term naturally processed.

So it sounds like you're going above and beyond that free range designation, but I thought maybe you could just share a little more information with our listeners about what that means, what all those terms mean and why those are important aspects of farming.

KATIE: Yeah, absolutely. Those are things that whenever we do farm tours, we always try to hit on these points really key differentiators of what we do. So we'll start with free range. If you drive by our farm or come visit can see our turkeys outside. And we have two different free range environments. So this time of year when Minnesota weather, as we know, can change very quickly, the turkeys are typically in a barn with multiple doors and a large outdoor space. So they can choose at any time to be inside or outside.

And so, on a beautiful sunny morning, they are outside. And then if it suddenly starts snowing, they're making their way in. During the summer months, we have our turkeys completely on pasture, and so there's no barn out there. It's a completely pasture raised environment where every week we're moving them to fresh grass, and we simply do that by hitching up their shelters and their feeders and their waters on a tractor and dragging them to a new area of grass and they just follow.

So that's how they live their life in the summer. It's really beautiful. And again, like I said, that is what my grandpa started. And so it's really cool to think that 80 plus years later, we're continuing to use the pastures like he did.

BRANDY: Yeah, that's incredible. It sounds like a happy life for those birds, having the ability to choose. Could you tell us more about what naturally processed means?

KATIE: Yeah, definitely. So naturally processed means that when we process our turkeys, we are not adding anything to the turkey. So if you're buying a whole turkey from Ferndale market, you're not buying any kind of brining solution or fillers or water that is often injected in more commodity turkeys. In terms of our further processed items, like our hot dogs or sausages, we use only very clean ingredients. We never use artificial nitrates. So it's things you can feel good about putting in your body.

BRANDY: Absolutely. And I'll have to say like when I'm working with clients or teaching a class about how to determine if a product is high quality, you have to look at the ingredients list to see what's in it. And I've looked at all of your products and they passed the test. I can pronounce every single ingredient. It's really reassuring to me because, it's like, you're not really taking risks with your health when you can see that on the label.

KATIE: Yeah, definitely.

BRANDY: One thing that I wasn't really that familiar with was the term custom feed. So what, what would that mean in terms of, how you're raising your turkeys?

KATIE: Sure. Well, so we work with, very closely with a veterinarian who obviously helps keep track of our turkey health and then helps us determine the best diet for our flocks. And then we work with a custom, with a, I should say with a local mill who then custom blends the feed for us. So because turkeys need a lot of protein, it's primarily made of corn and soy. But then we also use a mix of everything from and minerals to probiotics and essential oils, things to just have the best turkey health that we can.

BRANDY: Okay. So that's something that's constantly monitored and adjusted based on what those turkeys need?

KATIE: Yeah, yeah, exactly.

BRANDY: That's great. Well, anything else you want to add about the process of raising these free range antibiotic free turkeys and how they live and the whole process beginning to end?

KATIE: Yeah, I guess I'll just mention that raised without antibiotics claim, because you see that on our products too, that that actually means that from the time that turkey is in an egg in an incubator all the way to the end of their life, they are never administered any antibiotics or growth promotants. So that's something that, again, we're really proud of that we're able to raise our turkeys without that.

BRANDY: And would you say that it is mostly the standard and more conventional farming practices to use antibiotics?

KATIE: I think it has become that way today.

BRANDY: So you're really going against the grain here. That's a big commitment. Big commitment.

KATIE: Yeah.

BRANDY: Well, so far this has been really informative, really interesting.  We're just going to take a quick, a quick break. When we come back from break, I want to hear more about farming practices and maybe we can touch on, like, some ways to prepare turkey.

You are listening to Dishing Up Nutrition brought to you by Nutritional Weight & Wellness. My name is Brandy Buro and I'm here today with our special guest, Katie Peterson, part of the third generation of Petersons involved in her grandparent’s legacy at the turkey farm, Ferndale Market. We'll be back in just a moment.

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And we are back with your weekly Dishing Up Nutrition episode. So before we went on break, I was talking with Katie Peterson from Ferndale Market about the farming practices on her farm. They're raising sustainably produced free range, antibiotic free turkeys. And it's just fascinating to learn about all that goes in that.

And Katie, with your history and passion of working with sustainable farms, do you have any suggestions on the types of questions that we could be asking other local farmers? So say that some of our listeners might want to strike up a conversation at their local meat market or the farmer's market. What are some good questions that they could ask to learn more about the quality of what those farmers are producing?

KATIE: Yeah, that's a great question. I think just taking the opportunity to seek out, like you said, going to a farmer's market and asking about if there are certain things that are important to you, like the use of antibiotics, just having some of those direct conversations is so helpful. And then also if you're at, like a natural food co-op and the twin cities where they have a meat counter, those are, those butchers are usually very informed about what is in their case.

And so that's a good place to learn more too and to just get some more information. Of course, now with social media and websites, you can also go online and that's a good starting point. We try to really share our story on our website and through social media as well. And I know a lot of other local farms do that too.

BRANDY: Yeah, I think transparency is becoming more of a demand maybe from the consumer.

KATIE: Yeah.

BRANDY: So it's, it's really great to see that you're keeping up with that and just sharing all that you can about what you're doing and how you do it.

KATIE: Yeah. Thank you. And actually along those lines, one thing that we do to make sure we are really transparent is we invite the public to visit our farm every summer. It's always in July. We'll have a public farm tour day and people can come on out.

We do a hayride tour and we tell all about our farm's history and our practices and you get to see the turkeys up close out on pasture. So that's a really fun opportunity to come see Ferndale turkeys. But you know going back to your question about learning about other farms, too, any opportunities to actually visit a farm I think is really important is such a cool opportunity, and if you have kids to be able to show them too, like this is where your food comes from and we're picking apples or whatever it is that you're doing. It's just fun to get the whole family involved.

BRANDY: Absolutely. That's what I was thinking. It would be such a perfect outing for kids. So I think, yeah, it's great to understand where your food comes from and at a young age, too, just really investing in the value of food and the energy that goes into it.

KATIE: Yeah, absolutely.

Different ways to prepare turkey & products available at Ferndale Market

BRANDY: So now I want to get into what I think is the best part, like let's talk about the food! Let's talk about recipes. I want to hear more about the the products that you have and the different ways that you prepare turkey and what's available to all of us at your store.

KATIE: Yeah, definitely. So we have a wide range of turkey products, which is really fun. And you mentioned our turkey sticks and those are one of the favorites. We have both a cranberry variety and a pepper jack cheese variety. We make other sausages and hot dogs as well. We have lots of fun smoked turkey products, including a whole smoked turkey that is like a holiday favorite.

If you don't want to actually prepare your own turkey, you just heat up the already cooked smoked turkey. And obviously we have lots of raw products as well, from the whole turkey to raw parts. Ground turkey is one of our top sellers. Ground turkey is just so versatile. So people buy it by the case.

BRANDY: Oh, really? Put it in your freezer. You're good to go for a while.

KATIE: Yeah, definitely.

BRANDY: Yeah, no, I would say ground turkey is like a staple for me in my home because it is, it lends itself to so many different types of cuisines because the flavor of turkey is so mild that it takes on whatever flavor you add to it.

KATIE: Yeah, yeah, that's so true.

BRANDY: Going back to like a whole turkey, you mentioned like you have this great smoked turkey for the holidays. If you don't really want to go through the process of roasting a whole turkey yourself, but I know that there are so many of us out there that really want to do that, roast a whole turkey. It can be a challenge if you've never done it, especially. So for any first timers out there, do you have any tips, any secrets to roasting the perfect turkey?

KATIE: Yeah, we actually have a recipe on our website that is for a butter and herb roasted turkey. And it is one of my favorite ways to prepare a turkey because it's, you're just taking quite a bit of butter and lots of fresh herbs and some lemon zest, and you're putting it under the skin of the turkey.

And then you start with the turkey actually, with the oven pretty high, I think like 450 just for 20 minutes to get that breast kind of, brown and beautiful the way you imagine. But then you turn the oven down to about 350 and you flip that turkey over and just let it more slowly roast.

And you can baste it with some broth to keep it moist. But it's a really just as foolproof as a recipe can be for roasting a turkey. It just is so flavorful and it has that with the, the butter and the broth help keep it moist and the fresh herbs and lemon are just such a nice touch.

BRANDY: I, I love the idea of putting lemon in there. I'm going to have to try that this year. So just to recap, you start the oven hot, 450, and we're getting the, the skin on the breast kind of a nice color, some browning. Then you actually flip it over.

KATIE: Yeah. And that's the trickiest part when you're dealing with a big hot turkey is to flipping that over. But yeah, then you're putting the breast down so that, that, that part stays moist and doesn't dry out.

BRANDY: Brilliant. That's so smart. Yeah. So thank you for those tips. I think, there are a couple of tweaks that maybe somebody hasn't tried that's going to make all the difference in their turkey this holiday season.

KATIE: I hope so.

BRANDY: That's awesome. So we know that from all the different products that you offer that roast turkey is just one way to prepare it and enjoy it. And like you mentioned, it's really versatile. And for me, that's just one of the reasons that I would recommend my clients or my students try to incorporate turkey into their meal plan, not just because you can do so much with it, but also from a nutritional standpoint, it is really high in protein because it's a really lean meat.

Nutritional benefits of turkey

So the protein content is much higher than maybe other protein choices. So like a three ounce serving is about 25 grams of protein. And I would typically recommend like four or six ounces of protein per meal. So depending on the person, it's a really easy way to get your protein goals. And if I can just like add in a couple more nutrition tidbits for our listeners, just to drive in, like how nutritionally sound turkey is, it's really rich in B vitamins and iron and zinc, selenium and magnesium. So it covers a lot of ground. But I think what it's most famous for is that it's really high in tryptophan.

KATIE: Yeah, you always hear about that.

BRANDY: And just a little background on that. It is one of the essential amino acids that helps our bodies create serotonin. So you can't go wrong with that. That's like our feel-good brain chemical. So a lot of bonus points for that serotonin from turkey. So I want to hear more about how you like to make turkey, Katie. I'm sure over the years you have eaten a lot of turkey. You've probably gotten pretty creative with the ways that you like to eat it. So could you share a couple of your favorite recipes or ways to make turkey?

More ideas on ways to prepare & eat turkey

KATIE: Yeah, definitely. I think the, the like everyday ways that I use it are actually probably pretty simple. Like we’re talking about ground turkey aga.in I love to use ground turkey and things like meatballs or, even just doing like turkey tacos. It's just such a, like you said, a versatile protein that takes on flavor well.

I also, we have a smoked turkey breast that's really nice if you just want to add it to a soup, like a, ham and bean kind of soup idea, but you can use smoked turkey; also really good just on a salad or in a sandwich, on a charcuterie board, that kind of thing.

BRANDY: Well, just thinking back to what you said about meatballs, like that is one of my very favorite things to use turkey for. Even within like the idea of a meatball, you can use so many different spices and herbs to change like the vibe of it. One of my favorite things to do is like a Vietnamese meatball with like mint and cilantro and ginger and green onion and like some fish sauce.

KATIE: Yeah, that sounds so good. Yeah. Turkey burgers too. I should mention thinking about that is again, you can do, you can incorporate lots of different flavor profiles into a turkey burger.

BRANDY: Absolutely. Definitely. I've done like a Tex Mex vibe with like some cumin and chili powder. That's really fun. And another thing I like about these ideas is that they all freeze really well.

KATIE: Yeah, that's true.

BRANDY: You can make a big batch of turkey burgers or meatballs. Even like the turkey soup you mentioned.

KATIE: Yeah, or chili.

BRANDY: Yeah, yeah, that's a great tip for especially this time of year when people get so busy with the holidays.

KATIE: Yeah, definitely

BRANDY: Any other recipes that you want to highlight?

KATIE: One thing that I don't personally do a ton of but growing up my dad would always grill turkey and I don't think I realized, I think that's somewhat unique, but he would grill whole turkeys. He would do bone-in breasts. He would do turkey parts and it is just so good to have. Sometimes it's like a marinated turkey breast tenderloin on the grill. It's just really tasty to throw turkey on the grill.

BRANDY: What a great idea. I can't say I've ever tried that, but I'm going to have to. And one thing I wanted to mention, which maybe gets overlooked sometimes, is when you're done with that roasted turkey or that turkey leg, like, the bones are actually really valuable. Like, you can make an amazing bone broth or a stock by using that leftover frame or those big turkey legs.

KATIE: Yeah, that's so true.

BRANDY: Have you ever tried something like that?

KATIE: Yeah, I've done a stock after, like after Thanksgiving when you have the whole carcass. It's great for that.

BRANDY: Yeah, definitely. So don't toss those. Definitely save those.

KATIE: Yeah.

BRANDY: Really flavorful broth. Well, these are all great ideas. I hope everybody's walking away with some inspiration for how to use turkey in their meal plan outside of the holidays. This should be a staple in your meal plan the whole year.

So Katie, as we're winding down with our conversation today, do you have any words of wisdom or encouragement or any words of inspiration that you'd like to share with our audience when it comes to trying to create those relationships with farmers and their food?

KATIE: Yeah, I think just going back to some of the things we talked about, seeking out those opportunities where you could have some face time with a farmer and it's so good for consumers, but it's also so helpful for farmers to have that direct connection.

So I think farmers really appreciate it when you approach them like at a farmer's market and ask some specific questions and show interest in what they're doing, because so many farmers have lost that connection to their consumers these days.

BRANDY: That's such a good point. That you don't really think about that. But as so much work goes into farming. Yeah, and it's so nice I imagine it's really nice to make that connection and see the difference that you're making in people's lives, knowing that you're like nourishing this person's health and that they really like doing this with that ground turkey.

KATIE: Yeah.

BRANDY: So I'm sure that's really rewarding

KATIE: It absolutely is. That's something we've, you know, having the on farm market and doing some events on our farm. It has just been tremendously rewarding to like actually have the customers come to us and have conversations and knowing that they're getting their Thanksgiving turkey from us for their holiday meal. It's a lot of fun.

BRANDY: That's lovely. So don't be shy. It sounds like the…

KATIE: Yeah, don't be shy. Get out there.

BRANDY: Yeah. Well, Katie, thank you so much for sharing your time and your expertise with me and all of our listeners today.

KATIE: Thank you. It was so fun to talk to you.

BRANDY: And as somebody who grew up on a farm, I just know that it is a ton of work what you do and especially hearing the evolution of this three generation legacy and what you've had to do to stick to your values. Like, I'm so grateful for what you do.

So for all of you listening today, you can find Ferndale market at their website: Ferndalemarket.com. You can actually place an order for a fresh turkey to pick up from the farm, which would be fun. I encourage you to do that.

KATIE: A lot of fun, yeah.

BRANDY: But if you don't live near the Twin Cities, you can actually order a frozen, free range turkey to get shipped to your home across the nation. Is that right?

KATIE: Yeah, that's right. Yeah, we offer nationwide shipping. We also have a Thanksgiving locator on our website, so you can find if there's a retail partner near you that's carrying our Thanksgiving turkeys as well.

BRANDY: Fantastic. Well, Katie, is there any other place that our listeners can find you and connect with you?

KATIE: Yeah, we're on both Facebook and Instagram, just at Ferndale Markets, so follow along, for updates there as well.

BRANDY: Wonderful. I'm sure you're really busy this time of year.

KATIE: Very busy. This is our Super Bowl, so we're very busy, but it's also a very fun time of year.

BRANDY: Oh, wonderful. Well, I really appreciate you making the time to chat with us today.

KATIE: Of course.

BRANDY: We'll have you again someday.

KATIE: That sounds great. Thanks again for having me.

BRANDY: Thank you, Katie. Well, our goal here at Nutritional Weight & Wellness is to provide each and every person with practical, real life solutions for everyday health through eating real food. It is a simple yet powerful message. Eating real food is life changing. So thanks everyone for listening today.