Countdown to Thanksgiving - 8 Days Left!

This is the first of an eight-day series leading up to Thanksgiving; I'll be posting interesting facts and anecdotes daily about turkeys and turkey rescue, as well as the occasional Thanksgiving menu suggestion. I hope you enjoy this little glimpse into the world of our beautiful turkey friends. :-)


Today's turkey factoids (and the photo above) are courtesy of Farm Sanctuary.

Do turkeys make good companions?
Anyone who has spent time with turkeys will tell you that they are very friendly, social, and sensitive animals with desires and needs all their own - just like more common family companions, such as cats and dogs.

Is it true that turkeys are dumb?
There is a tendency for people who eat turkeys, or other animals, to perceive "food animals" as unworthy or undeserving of respect and compassion. One way for people to rationalize their choice to eat animals is to dismiss these beings as dumb. There is even a rumor that turkeys are so dumb that they will look up in the rain and drown. This claim is ridiculous and false. Farm Sanctuary has cared for turkeys for more than 20 years, and when it rains, the turkeys go inside their barn. No one who works at Farm Sanctuary has ever seen a turkey drown in the rain.

And finally, today's Thanksgiving recipe suggestion is Fat Free Vegan's Double Layer Pumpkin Cheesecake. I've made this incredible pie twice and it is truly divine - a perfect blend of creamy cheesecakey goodness and rich pumpkin. Yum!