We were invited to a taping of the Martha Stewart show today all about bloggers. It was really a lot of fun to see the process of a live show and to see Martha eat 27 hot dogs (we’ll get to that later).

The day started early, we were ready and on our way to Manhattan at 7 a.m. The taping was set to start and we were told to be there at 8:30 a.m. the latest. We got exactly on time. We met some really fabulous people on line. One of those people was Jill, assistant to Joe who takes care of us for being part of Martha’s Circle. She is also the author of the Homemade by Jill Blog. Check it out, really cool stuff. Plus, she will be a mommy soon, givin birth to a new blogger. We also met lots of bloggers and a ton of students from FIT, should have remembered to bring our camera :( 

The wait was quick and we were there in a snap. There was a little security, but nothing to make you feel weird. We were led into a room where we were prepped on clapping, ooing, ahhing. You get the drift. The guy that was prepping the audience was hilarious. I’ll have to add his name to the blog later; he deserves it for doing such a good job.

We sat in the blogger section in the audience (and even though we aren’t really bloggers) we were told to bring our laptops and blog real time. So I did as the Romans do and blogged away.

The show started with Martha giving her audience a brief overview of what blogging is and why it was important.

She showcased some of her favorite blogs like CuteOverload (which kinda reminds me of lolcatz); A Year Of Mornings (a very sweet exchange of photographs between friends living away from each other) and perhaps my favorite part of the show was when Perez Hilton came out. He is a true blog celebrity and seems to be a stand up nice guy.

Martha also explored more serious topics with the gentlemen of Politico, they spoke about how comfortable they felt knowing that McCain was not a part of the internet world and of the importance of bloggers in debunking the lies of politicians.

There were some lighter topics such as gardening and crafting.

Overall it was a really fun experience and a very nice surprise at the end for everyone was  the schwag bag…an hp printer for everyone in the audience, a copy of the book A Year of Mornings and the Cute Overload calendar for 09.

And I almost forgot, we were asked to stay around for one more segment. Next week Martha will be choosing the best dog (hot dog) in the Metro area. She actually tasted 27 hot dogs from NY, NJ, CT and the surrounding areas to see which would make it to the show. I hope that Rutt’s Hut makes the cut, I mean Martha’s from Nutley, I lived in Nutley and Rutt’s is amazing. It was so incredibly surreal watching Martha eat 27 dogs. Scarry, but I was so hungry at the time I was ready to jump over the audience and steal a dog for myself.

Martha, I'll come over any time you want to have me at your show...thanks.

I have been hearing a lot about Heritage Turkeys for the past few years.  I finally ordered one this year, it arrives next week. I am so glad I did and can’t wait to bite into my results.

I began hearing about Heritage Turkeys a couple of years back and was automatically intrigued.  I worry about the chemicals, hormones and unknown substances in the foods we eat. I also worry about the environmental impact that our consumption has on the planet. So when I heard about the Turkeys I knew that I’d be soon moving in that direction.

I have tried to condense a lot of what I learned about the Heritage Turkeys. To start, here is some info on what makes a Turkey a “Heritage Turkey” according to the ALBC (American Livestock Breeds Conservancy):

1. Naturally mating: the Heritage Turkey must be reproduced and genetically maintained through natural mating, with expected fertility rates of 70-80%. This means that turkeys marketed as “heritage” must be the result of naturally mating pairs of both grandparent and parent stock.

2. Long productive outdoor lifespan: the Heritage Turkey must have a long productive lifespan. Breeding hens are commonly productive for 5-7 years and breeding toms for 3-5 years. The Heritage Turkey must also have a genetic ability to withstand the environmental rigors of outdoor production systems.

3. Slow growth rate: the Heritage Turkey must have a slow to moderate rate of growth. Today’s heritage turkeys reach a marketable weight in about 28 weeks, giving the birds time to develop a strong skeletal structure and healthy organs prior to building muscle mass. This growth rate is identical to that of the commercial varieties of the first half of the 20th century.

In the early 1920’s turkeys were selected for their size and abundance of breast meat. This selection finally gave way to the Broad Breasted White which by the 1960’s had taken over as the most popular of all turkeys. It produces the most meat at the lowest cost.  Today, because of its size and shape, the Broad Breasted White can no longer breed naturally, it actually has to be artificially inseminated. It cannot even fly.

The popularity of the Broad Breasted White has led to the near extinction of most types of turkey; for example the Beltsville Small White, Jersey Buff and Midget White are quite close to extinction. This is yet another reason I made the choice to purchase this bird, diversity is a good thing that we should all strive to preserve.

The Broad Breasted White can grow to as much as 32 pounds in about 4 months, Heritage Turkeys can take 2 to 2.5 years to reach their market weight. This is quite costly for their growers, since they have to feed, house and care for them for that time. Most foodies say that the wait is worth it as these birds have more diverse flavors and are juicier than their commercialized counterparts. They are leaner and have more dark meat than the Broad Breasted White. This also means that it is quite costly for those who want to buy one of these birds. Mine was on the least expensive side and cost me $110 for an 8-10 pound bird.

I was very careful when purchasing my turkey. There are farmers that try to pass off a cross between Bronze and Broad Breasted Whites as “heritage” but these are not considered Heritage by the American Poultry Association’s Standard of Perfection.

This is my first time preparing this type of bird. My next step is to do a bit of research on how to cook the turkey, since they are quite different from the Turkey that we have come to know. I’d appreciate any tips that any of you may have for preparing the bird (since it is my first time) and I hope you all wish me luck.

These are the sources where I got my info and places where you can get yourself a nice juicy bird.

http://albc-usa.org/cpl/turkdefinition.html

http://www.amerpoultryassn.com/

http://www.reeseturkeys.com/

heritagefoodsusa.com

deandeluca.com

dartagnan.com

localharvest.org

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/07/dining/07turk.html?pagewanted=2&_r=1

Place the Patacones on a plate and let your guests add the hogao on top.