Reading: Disappearing Moon Cafe, Sky Lee.

Laughing at: Matthew's response when I told him that Nana had an operation last week: "Did she swallow a puzzle piece?" (That's why Curious George had to have his operation.)

Turkey Farm

This time of year, nearly every grocery store in our area gives away a free turkey to customers who spend a certain amount of money in October and November. Tab's boss, an Irishman who doesn't celebrate Thankgiving, offered us his free supermarket turkey as did our vegetarian neighbors. So with the offer of two free turkeys, why did I drive miles out of my way to the turkey farm today?

Because after having enjoyed a fresh turkey, no store-bought frozen bird will do for Thanksgiving.

The fresh turkeys we buy from Lee's Turkey Farm are delectable, moist and flavorful. Until I tried one, I never really liked turkey. In order to choke down turkey at Thanksgiving I had to smother it in gravy. Not any more.

Lee's farm in East Windsor, about ten miles from Princeton, has been worked by the same family for six generations . The land in that area was once nearly all agricultural, but now office parks and housing developments have swallowed up most of the farms. Lee's farm is one of the few exceptions and all the more remarkable for the fact that it is completely encircled by a fifty-year-old suburban neighborhood. It is a small rural island amid a sea of Cape Cod houses.

Ronnie Lee, the current owner, has been approached often by developers who would love to buy his land, but he considers his farm a trust for his children. Tab met Ronnie years ago when Ronnie dated Tab's cousin. Although they eventually broke up, Ronnie has remained friendly with Tab's family. He is a tall, gangly fellow who seems awkward in appearance, until he starts to talk. Then he reveals himself as a consummate storyteller who can hold an audience enthralled.

Every year Ronnie usually ends up on TV sometime during Thanksgiving week. News stations from Philadelphia or New York love to run stories about turkeys during this week; quite often one or more of them will send a news team to Ronnie's farm to get footage of the turkey flock and to interview Ronnie.

Interviewer: "So is it true that turkeys have been known to drown during a rainstorm because they are too stupid to put their heads down?"

Ronnie: "Well, Ken, that's actually a myth...."

Even if we didn't know Ronnie, I would still buy our turkeys here. They are so much better than the store-bought turkeys, for one thing. And I like buying directly from the farmer, avoiding the middle men. It's why I prefer to buy our produce from farm stands and farmer's markets, whenever possible.

Every year I mean to call in late October to reserve a turkey so I can get the size I want, and every year I forget. I was hoping to get a small bird, about 12 pounds, but by the time we arrived this morning the smallest ones had been sold, so I ended up with a 14 pound turkey. We'll just have more leftovers, I guess. Lee's was hopping busy, with a steady stream of customers arriving to pick up their turkeys, often adding a peck of apples or a fresh baked pie to their order. I'm glad that Ronnie is doing a brisk business. It just wouldn't seem like Thanksgiving without a visit to Lee's.

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