Guides in Buying Poultry

In purchasing Turkeys, if intended to roast, select always a young Gobbler or a young Turkey Hen, the latter being far more preferable, as the meat is more tender and delicate. The Turkey should always be fat, the flesh firm, the breast broad and flat and the skin fine and white. Turkey Gobblers and Hens that are not so young, may be cooked nicely in daube, but roasting is the proper way to cook a Turkey if you wish to bring out its flavor. The left-over Turkey is always used by the Creoles in making Turkey Gumbo. The shorter the neck the better will be the Turkey. An old Turkey Hen always has purplish legs, and the Gobbler, if young, will have black legs and small spurs. But a Gobbler is always larger than a Turkey Hen of the same age. In an old Gobbler the flesh is tough and strong in fiber. An old Gobbler can easily be told by its long spurs and purplish legs. In general, old Turkeys have long hairs, and the flesh is always purplish where it shows under the skin on the legs or back. These are infallible guides. In following them the young housekeeper need never be imposed upon. About the month of March Turkeys begin to deteriorate in quality.