East Sacramento butcher shop has been thinking about your Thanksgiving turkey since January

An East Sacramento butcher shop flips the idea of bland turkey on its head with a process that starts nearly a year before you begin planning your holiday spread.

When you walk into V. Miller Meats, you’re greeted with chilled glass cases lined with various types of meat — beef, pork, lamb, chicken, duck, sausage and deli meat — but turkey is not on display. The birds destined to make the journey to 4801 Folsom Blvd. in just a couple of weeks are alive, roaming a small family farm about 40 miles away in the foothills.

In January, owner Eric Miller of V. Miller Meats purchased 150 broad-breasted white turkey eggs from PT Ranch in Ione.

The animals spend their entire existence on the farm, outdoors without confinement. They are fed a GMO-, soy- and corn-free diet until they are slaughtered a week before Thanksgiving Day.

Miller said the result is a tender turkey full of flavor.

“Being able to bring those in and offer them for sale for people takes a lot of work and there’s a reason that there’s not a lot of proper butcher shops or traditional butcher shops anymore,” he said.

The butcher shop works closely with its farms, with locations stretching from Santa Cruz to Oregon, to guarantee animal welfare is the top priority and it shows through the quality of all of their meat.

Raw, pasture-raised turkeys can be reserved in person or over the phone (916-400-4127). Sizes range between 10 and 14 pounds and are priced at $9.99 per pound, meaning the smallest turkey could cost you $100. The butcher has budgeted 130 turkeys for this holiday and are taking orders until they are sold out, which they estimate to happen around mid-November.

Turkey, even when conscientiously raised, is not for everyone; Miller said a pork or beef roast would be a fun substitute or addition to your holiday feast.

The shop is also taking orders for $22 sides ideal for meat lovers including cornbread stuffing with sausage bound together with bone broth. Also on the menu: creamy macaroni and cheese with a fried pork skin topping and savory sweet potato casserole with marshmallows.

Both turkeys and sides will be sold fresh, not frozen. Pickups begin Nov. 19 through Nov. 22.

What I’m eating

Just off the intersection of Watt Avenue and Fair Oaks Boulevard sits a Sacramento-based popcorn company that uses a secret family recipe — passed down from generation to generation — to make delicious caramel corn.

Carmazzi Caramel Corn moved its machines into a storefront in Arden Arcade over the summer after operating as a home business for several years. This isn’t your regular ol’ caramel corn and the customers that shuffled in and out of the store during my visit made that clear.

The corn is popped in olive oil and made without gluten, soy, high fructose corn syrup, preservatives, peanuts or tree nuts. Small batches of caramel are made with real butter and vanilla.

Simply put, the popcorn is addictive.

Regular popcorn ranges from $5 to $8, depending on the size. It isn’t overpowered by salt, butter or sugar.

Caramel corn ranges from $6 to $44, depending on the size. Here are the options: classic caramel, chocolate drizzle, vegan caramel and the seasonal flavor apple cinnamon.

I settled on a $6 bag of classic caramel, $7 bag of chocolate drizzle, $7 bag of vegan caramel and $5 bag of regular buttered popcorn for a total of $25.

Holiday and sports-themed tins ($25 to $50) and plastic tubs ($15 to $20) of popcorn are also available.

My name is Brianna Taylor, The Sacramento Bee’s service journalism reporter, and I’m taking over for food and drink reporter Benjy Egel while he’s on vacation.

If you’re looking for ways to have a good time without breaking the bank, you’d probably enjoy my affordability series where I write stories similar to the one you just read about Carmazzi. Once a month I try a Sacramento activity — big or small — per a reader’s suggestion while on a $25 budget.

November marks “Sacramento on a Budget”’s first anniversary and I hope you give it a read.

Carmazzi Caramel Corn

Address: 520 La Sierra Drive, Sacramento

Hours: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday; 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday; closed on Sundays

Phone number: 916-790-2676

Website: https://www.carmazzicaramelcorn.com/

Vegan options: Not a ton, but the vegan caramel classic is available.

Noise level: Quiet.

Our cookbook countdown

Want to get “Sacramento Eats: Recipes from the Capital Region’s Favorite Restaurants”? This is Benjy Egel’s cookbook coming out Nov. 17, order at https://bit.ly/45r9Rng for a selection of restaurant recipes from around the Sacramento region.

Sacramento Eats: Recipes from the Capital Region’s Favorite Restaurants and Bars

Pre-order your cookbook here to get recipes from 60 of the Sacramento region’s top restaurants and bars, plus photos and descriptions of what makes each business so exceptional.

Openings and closings

▪ Purple Pig Eats’ orange shack on 2790 Stockton Blvd. in Oak Park is closed, the hamburger joint announced Friday on its Instagram. The business remains open for catering services as it transitions into a new storefront.

▪ Popular Portland based creamy added a second location in the Sacramento area on Friday. Salt and Straw opened at 1005 Galleria Blvd., Suite 110, in Roseville. The Ice cream shop is known for its unique flavors like Arbequina olive oil, honey lavender and freckled mint chip.

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