chicken Archives - Community Food Co-op

Thanksgiving Turkey Alternatives

Not a turkey fan? Accommodating dietary restrictions? We’ve got you covered with nine turkey alternatives — both plant-based and meat-forward!

PLANT-BASED

Plant-Based Holiday Roasts

In-house Vegan Holiday Loaf

This delicious housemade loaf is made with chickpeas, oats, vegetables, and mushrooms then glazed with a sauce full of classic Thanksgiving ingredients! Omnivores and herbivores alike can enjoy this mouthful of cozy, fall flavors. Truly a Co-op staff favorite!

A plate of vegan Thanksgiving food, such as plant-based loaf and cranberry sauce, ready to be enjoyed for Thanksgiving

Field Roast

Beloved plant-based brand Field Roast has two holiday roast options this season!

The first is a rich and fragrant centerpiece, the Hazelnut Cranberry Roast. This sweet yet bold roast is wrapped in flaky puff pastry and is the ideal balance to salty potatoes and stuffing.

This roast serves eight, and is typically $18.99 but you can get it at the Community Food Co-op for $14.99 for a limited time.

The Celebration Roast is an even better deal and features a more savory flavor profile. The roast is enhanced by the rich and earthy porcini mushroom gravy included in this dish. Not only does Field Roast recommend this roast as a Thanksgiving centerpiece, but also for sandwiches! Yum!

This roast serves eight, and is typically $18.99 but is $12.99 for a limited time.

Tofurky

Tofurky — a household, vegan name! Not only do they have a roast for you this season, but they have a whole feast.

A savory blend of wheat and tofu, this roast is filled with a flavorful wild rice and bread crumb stuffing, ready to be basted, roasted, carved and devoured by all. This roast serves five, is usually $17.49 but is $11.99 for a limited time, and has been around since 1995.

The Tofurky feast serves six and includes much more than just one roast! It also includes stuffing, gravy, and a brownie for $34.99. This meal is $24.99 for a limited time.

Gardein

Gardein has a plant-based ‘turk’y’ stuffed with a tart cranberry dressing. This Savory Stuffed Turk’y is served with a warm, savory gravy to balance the tart stuffing.

This vegan option serves five people and is regularly $19.99 but will be $13.99 for a limited time.

Quorn

This roast is for all the vegetarians out there! Quorn’s Turkey-Style Roast is gluten free and has 15 grams of protein. Perfect for a group of four and only $7.99 for a limited time at the Community Food Co-op, this savory-forward roast is great for a meatless Thanksgiving dinner.

Plant-Based Ham

Tofurky

A plant-based main course perfect for any holiday, this ham has a tender, smoky flavor, complimented by a sweet, tangy glaze. We’ve heard positive reviews from vegans and meat-eaters alike.

This ham serves five people and is regularly $17.49 but is $11.99 at the Community Food Co-op for a limited time only.

ALTERNATIVE MEATS

Wild Alaskan Sockeye Salmon

Our wild-caught, Alaskan sockeye salmon is previously frozen and sold as a whole filet. Sockeye is rich in texture and high in flavor; a northwest favorite anytime of year. Need some inspiration? Roast your salmon in butter for classic Thanksgiving flavors with an innovative protein.

Steamed salmon with fresh herbs and lemon ready to be enjoyed for Thanksgiving dinner

Our filets are about 1-1.5 pounds each and serve two to four people. Sockeye salmon is $16.99 per pound.

Chicken

Roast chicken is the perfect alternative for a smaller crowd, especially if you want the gorgeous roasting photos without the turkey! You can still enjoy the roasted vegetable bed, basting, and carving experiences of a turkey with this more manageable alternative.

First time roasting a chicken? Here’s a little inspiration.

Farm Fund Spotlight: Brittle Barn Farms

by Laura Steiger, Outreach Team, and Hannah Coughlin, Brittle Barn Farms

brittle barn farms, local, farm fund, zack tyler, karl prisk,

Karl Prisk (left), Zack Tyler, and Tarquin, Zack’s trusty Australian Shepherd, take a break from tending their free-range turkey flock at Brittle Barn Farms in Ferndale. The farm prides itself in buying local and used a Farm Fund loan to purchase organic, Non-GMO Project Verified feed from Bellingham’s Scratch & Peck Feeds for their poultry flock.

Zack Tyler of Brittle Barn Farms, a local free-ranged meat producer, has been interested in animal husbandry for as long as he can remember.

Growing up on a half-acre in Arcata, California, with his younger brother and hobby-farm parents, Zack was inspired by his small community of do-it-yourselfers and small farmers. “Every Saturday I got to see farmers and artisans pour into an empty street and make it come alive with their hard work and passions,” said Zack.

His mom makes her living raising fiber animals (llama, sheep, and goats), spinning, and knitting their wool into wares that she’s sold at the Arcata Farmers Market for over 25 years. His dad taught Zack how to slaughter Thanksgiving turkeys when he was six. “My parents taught me to be respectful and compassionate to our animals from the beginning to the end,” said Zack.

After he moved to Bellingham to realize his dream as a small farmer, Brittle Barn Farms was born.

After he moved to Bellingham to realize his dream as a small farmer, Zack and his partner, Hannah, rented a five-acre plot just outside of Bellingham where Brittle Barn Farms was born. They raised meat chickens, egg layers, goats, ducks, geese, turkeys, and Icelandic sheep.

Zack noted, “Neither of us had any capital to start with—no inheritance, no wealthy relatives, and not much combined income.”

Zack works in the classroom with developmentally disabled or at-risk youth, and Hannah works for a local environmental nonprofit, RE Sources for Sustainable Communities.

“We had to start at square one—on a cheap rental with a falling down barn,” said Zack.

They named their farm after that barn to remind them of the virtue of small beginnings.

In 2014, Brittle Barn Farms moved to Cougar Creek Ranch in Ferndale, a 160-acre original homestead owned by the Prisk Family. “Karl [Prisk] and I have been friends for a long time. After he moved to town to farm his grandfather’s land, it was an obvious partnership,” said Zack. They went into business together and grew Brittle Barn Farms, increasing their overall production, and adding cows and hogs to the farm.

In the spring, the Co-op Farm Fund secured a low-interest loan for Brittle Barn Farms in partnership with Industrial Credit Union.

The farm used the loan to purchase organic feed from Scratch & Peck Feeds.

“It’s important to us to operate locally. That includes where we purchase our feed,” said Zack. Purchasing organic, Non-GMO Project Verified feed upfront from Scratch & Peck enables the farm to better control the price and quality of their free-range poultry, while keeping their money circulating in our local economy.

Zack’s dream is to farm full-time. “I love caring for the animals, being connected to the seasons and natural life cycles, and I love producing an important commodity for my community,” he said.

You can purchase Brittle Barn Farms’ chicken at the Cordata store. All their meats are available at both Bellingham Farmers Markets, Carne, and on the farm.

Learn more about Brittle Barn Farms or contact the farm at 360-610-7740 or [email protected]