Christmas and Thanksgiving are the two major holidays for turkey consumption in Canada.

That from Wendy Harrisko, marketing coordinator with Manitoba Turkey Producers. She says their goal is to get people thinking about turkey year-round. Harrisko adds families are smaller than they used to be, so many people are looking for an alternative to cooking a whole turkey. A good option is a smaller roast that can fit in a slow cooker.

There are two types of turkeys that consumers can purchase, which are Grade 'A' and utility. Harrisko says the only difference is that utility might be missing a body part or the skin might be broken.

She explained where Manitoba's birds are processed.

"The birds are all processed through Granny's Poultry, which is located in the Steinbach area. A lot of our co-operative producers also have farms around there, but we also have farms scattered all throughout the province."

She notes there are 52 turkey producers in Manitoba.

For turkey recipes visit the Manitoba Turkey Producers website.