A few weeks ago I went to Traci Des Jardins' Acme Chophouse to taste the season's best sustainable meat and game in preparation for the holidays. Traci and executive chef Thom Fox were joined by the owners of Sonoma Country Poultry and Marin Sun Farms to talk about their turkeys, duck, geese, cows, goats, lambs, pigs and chickens. Bottom line: "The better the animals are treated, the better the meat tastes," according to Marin Sun Farms' Judie Geise.

I couldn't agree more. We tasted duck and goose from Liberty and lamb, pork loin and chicken from Marin Sun—all delicious. But if I had to choose one to cook, especially for Thanksgiving, I'd definitely go with what's called the 4H Heritage Turkey, a domestic turkey being raised in Sonoma County by kids in the 4H and Young Farmers of America programs. You won't find a moister, richer turkey.

Go to Slow Food Russian River to order your bird in time for Thanksgiving. And come back in a few weeks to find out how SF's top chefs like to prepare their birds, along with a few recipes, including the super-coveted scalloped potatoes from Acme. If you're good, that is.