Thanksgiving Guide

We will be accepting pre-orders online and over the phone until close of business, November 16.  All sales after that date will be in person in the shop, with goods offered in a first come, first served fashion.  Everything will be sold Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday in-person at the shop (not by phone!)— so come by and see us!

Please note:  We will be closed Sunday, November 19, 2023, to prepare Thanksgiving orders for pickup.

Thanksgiving hours

Thanksgiving Hours

Thursday 11/16 | Last day to place orders 
Friday 11/17 | 10:30AM to 6PM
Saturday 11/18 | 10:30AM to 6PM
Sunday 11/19 | CLOSED to pack orders
Monday 11/20 | 10:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.
Tuesday 11/21 | 10:30 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.
Wednesday 11/22 | 10:30 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.
Thursday 11/23 | CLOSED – Thanksgiving Day
Friday 11/24 | CLOSED
Saturday 11/25 | 10:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.
Sunday 11/26 | 10:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.

About our Thanksgiving birds

Sharpen those knives, dust off the family recipes, and reserve your Thanksgiving turkey. The Local Butcher Shop is offering beautiful birds from two ranches. The team at Good Shepherd Ranch is providing us with rare pasture raised heritage turkeys, while PT Ranch in Ione, California is also sharing their pastured, broad breasted turkeys with us. This is all in addition to our sausage stuffing, gravy, stock, pie dough and more. Order online, by phone or in the shop by Thursday, November 17. Delivery is available to much of the East Bay through our partner Mercato.

Good Shepherd Ranch 

Frank Reese, of Good Shepherd Ranch

Frank R. Reese Jr., owner of Good Shepherd Poultry Ranch, is a fourth-generation farmer who has been producing the country’s best poultry for 60 years. The turkeys are raised on pasture, fly and roost in trees and are 100% free of antibiotics. In fact, these are the oldest pure genetic lines of heritage turkeys in America, dating back to the 1830s.

Since starting his first flock in the 1950s, Frank has dedicated his life to raising heritage birds and ensuring the survival of their unique breeds. Frank’s philosophy of animal husbandry rests on three fundamentals: animal welfare, breed conservancy and environmental stewardship. The result of Frank’s breeding methods and attentive animal husbandry is happy, healthy turkeys with a character of flavor and juiciness that cannot be matched. The meat of heritage birds is visibly darker and the flavor is deep and rich. The Local Butcher Shop receives the turkeys fresh (never frozen) a few days before Thanksgiving.

PT Ranch

The broad-breasted white turkeys from PT Ranch are pasture-raised, roosting beneath oak trees at night, and actively foraging by day. Beyond foraging, their diet is built on a foundation of non-GMO grains. Many industrially raised birds are injected with saline solution for ostensible flavor and water weight. The turkeys from PT ranch do not undergo this process.

In addition to raising well adjusted turkeys, PT Ranch focuses on running a net positive carbon balance in their agricultural practices. This means they capture more carbon than they generate. To do so, they follow a Carbon Farm Plan which increases the amount of photosynthetically captured carbon stored, or “sequestered,” in long-term carbon pools on the ranch, such as soil, perennial plant roots and standing woody biomass.” Carbon farming results in a direct reduction in the amount of CO2 in the atmosphere, while supporting crop production and farm resilience to environmental stress, including flood and drought.     

In being pastured in the ecologically conscious environment, these turkeys have a healthier life, with exercise and an eclectic foraging diet supplementing their non-GMO feed. This results in better, juicier, flavor, and they are known to cook faster than their supermarket counterparts, allowing you to make better use of your oven for the rest of your holiday fare.

Pricing & how to order

Good Shepherd Ranch turkeys are priced at $16.65 per pound. PT Ranch turkeys are $13.95 per pound. Orders may be placed online, by phone or in the shop. The Local Butcher Shop encourages you to reserve your turkey as soon as possible because they typically sell out. Delivery is available to much of the East Bay through our partner Mercato.

A note about the price

We know that these turkeys are significantly more expensive than what you’ll find at the supermarket. Why? It takes time and hard work to produce birds outside of an industrial system. Pastured, humanely raised turkeys take longer to mature, and consume more feed of a higher caliber than those found at the supermarket. By taking longer to bring to market and using less intense cultivation practices, the expense to the farmer per bird is much higher. Our mission is to bring responsibly raised meat to you, which comes at a price.

Broad-breast white turkeys from PT Ranch

Raising turkeys this way is not easy, but it’s good for the bird, good for the earth, and good for the farmer. We are proud to pay Good Shepherd Ranch and PT Ranch a fair price for their turkeys. And, we are grateful to our customers who entrust us with connecting the land and the farmer to their Thanksgiving meal. 

What size turkey do I need?

We have several turkey sizes available this year. We’ll do our very best to get you a turkey as close to your desired size as possible. Here is our recommendation guide to help you decide the best size bird to fit your holiday table:

  • Extra Large Turkey (22 – 25.9 lbs) serves 16 to 22 people
  • Large Turkey (18 – 21.9 lbs) serves 10 to 16 people
  • Medium Turkey (14 – 17.9 lbs) serves 7 to 10 people
  • Small Turkey (10 – 13.9 lbs) serves 5 to 7 people
  • Extra Small Turkey (7 – 9.9 lbs) serves 3 to 6 people
  • Turkey legs and/or breasts (cut to order) perfect for small gatherings

Additional offerings

If you’re looking for an alternative to turkey, we’re offering holiday hams, pork roasts, guinea hen (it’s like a mini turkey for two!), quail, duck, rabbits, beef roasts, lamb legs and more—our skilled butchers can guide you toward the perfect option. In fact, our shop specializes in custom-cut butchery. Give us a call at 510-845-MEAT.

Our favorite Thanksgiving recipes & tips