Choosing traditional foods is part of the recent trend toward eating what the Ethicurean calls SOLE food — Sustainable, Organic, Local, and Ethical.

Traditional foods include heritage breeds of livestock that are better suited to being raised the old-fashioned way (in open air, on pasture, eating foods appropriate to the species) than the ones bred for industrial conditions.

The NY Times today includes an article on preserving traditional turkey breeds.

We’re picking up our own heritage turkeys this weekend. Yes, that’s plural. We’re getting two because the birds turned out to be smaller than expected. This is the first year our farmer has raised heritage birds, and after losing the first round of poults to predators, they didn’t have enough time to raise these slow-to-mature varieties to their full size.

With 9 adults and 2 kids here for Thanksgiving, the two 6 lb birds we’re getting still may not be enough. I’m excited about trying them, though. And a little apprehensive, since I usually don’t serve things to guests that I’ve never made before.

Preparing heritage birds is different from the standard butterball not only because they’re smaller, but also because they’re leaner and have a more balanced ratio of white to dark meat.

Local Harvest suggests that they should be cooked faster and hotter than most birds bound for the Thanksgiving table. After searching for tips on preparing heritage birds, here’s the most promising recipe I’ve found: D’artagnan’s Roasted Wild/Heritage Turkey