Why does my turkey feel firm? I thought a fresh turkey feels soft?

It feels firm because we grow, process and distribute our turkeys direct from our ranch and we insure the wholesomeness of our fresh turkeys in many ways:

Chilled in small batches: prior to bagging, Diestel turkeys are chilled in ice, not re-chilled water, in small tanks and each tank of turkeys receives fresh, clean ice water.

Constant refrigeration: Once in a bag, we hold our birds in refrigeration as cold as possible without freezing. While the USDA allows turkeys to be labeled fresh when held as low as 26° F.(we chill only to 28° F).

No preservatives or additives: only cold refrigeration will keep a Diestel turkey wholesome since it is purely natural – no added salt, no preservatives or additives of any kind are ever used.

In order to guarantee you the absolute freshest Diestel turkey, we intentionally chill your bird as cold as possible without freezing. Chilling is our only way of preserving its wholesomeness since we do not use preservatives Chilling can result in a firm, cold turkey we term "crusted" and that we feel is ideal for you to take home to your refrigerator, allowing transportation time for that last minute stop. In preparing for your oven, a firm turkey will easily soften by merely submerging the turkey, in its bag, under cold running water.

We recommend that you check your turkey early to be sure you have ample time to get it ready for the oven.