Fresh: At a conventional grocery, “fresh” means just barely frozen. At natural products stores, fresh means fresh—not frozen, now or ever. Truly fresh birds will last for only about two days in the refrigerator, so don’t buy one too far in advance.
Natural: According to the USDA, “natural” means that no additives were used in processing the bird. At a natural grocery store, natural turkeys were raised on a vegetarian diet, with no antibiotics.
Organic: Organic turkeys are certified as never having been subjected to antibiotics, pesticides, or animal by-products in feed.
Prebasted: Turkeys are sometimes injected with broth to plump them up; if you don’t want to pay for salty water by the pound, read labels carefully.
