The only way to know if the poultry products that you have in your freezer are Kent Heritage Farms products  is to check the label.  Our Plant Number is 6644, and this number is displayed in the center of the seal on the label of all our flash frozen, cryovac sealed items.  If the number is 6644 then you know it is ours.  To check all numbers visit the OMAFRA website

No we are not - our last supply run to Nutrafarms was Christmas 2016.  We extend our congratulations to them on setting up their own production facility.  We  had the pleasure of serving their company for over five years, and many clients were first introduced to our products through Nutrafarms.   

Of course our product is always available to anyone who would like to purchase from us.  We usually recommend purchasing meats in 3-6 months supply, however we are happy to fill a year-long supply order if you prefer.  We have a clear and transparent pricing policy.  If you are interested in bulk purchasing please contact Paul directly as we may be able to offer you prices on par with other small wholesale accounts.  Please write to us at heritagesales@kentandcompany.ca and let us know if you would like to make a bulk purchase.  

The only thing you can do wrong to our turkeys is overcook them.  Turkeys become overcooked when we fail to take into account that the turkey will continue to cook even after it comes out of the oven.  While your turkey should reach a temperature of 165 degrees to eat, we always recommend to pull the turkey out at 160 and "tent." Tenting simply means to leave the bird in the pan and cover it with aluminum foil for approximately 30 minutes. The internal heat of the turkey combined with "tenting" will finish the cooking process without causing the bird to overcook.  Moreover, the juices settle inside the meat so that they won't immediately run out of the turkey upon carving.  For a super easy holiday meal, Paul recommends cooking the turkey a day or two ahead.  Cook the turkey to 150.  Remove, tent for 1/2 an hour to 1 hour and then chill the bird completely.  When the bird is cool it is easy to carve.  Slice the turkey, place it in a baking tray, add some turkey or chicken stock warm the turkey in the oven for about an hour and serve.  For more information see Paul Kent's full instructional video.

Our hams are brined and smoked in a traditional smokehouse.  The smoking process gives our hams tremendous depth of flavor & also cooks the ham, making it one of the easiest holiday meats you will ever prepare.  Because our hams are already cooked by the smoking process, all you need to do, essentially, is reheat them.  The best way and easiest way to work with our hams is to carve them before reheating.  First remove the netting (used to handle the ham in its brine), trim off the excess fat, and cut off large pieces.  From the large pieces, cut your slices, as thick or a thin as you like.  We recommend saving the bone to make ham soup or chowder.  Smaller pieces are great for dicing up for omelettes, in pasta dishes, on pizza, in casseroles or to add to your ham soup.  Place the slices in a baking dish and add a little flavored liquid (pineapple juice, brown sugar & water, honey & bourbon, whatever you prefer).  Cover your ham & warm it in a preheated  325 degree oven for approximately 30 minutes. Because it is already cooked, you can check it just to make sure it's warmed to your liking.  It's that easy:)  For more, see Paul Kent's instructional video.

Traditional free range -- where the chickens roam freely in outdoor pens -- is simply not an option (outside the small backyard farm operation) due to the Canadian climate. We strive to mimic free-range conditions while providing the warmth and security of a barn by: (A) more than doubling the air-flow of the standard industrial chicken barn (B) using natural light cycles (as opposed to the high-intensity 24 hour lights used in commercial operations) (C) by giving our chickens more than twice the space than the industrial chicken has, enabling them to run around freely.  (D) Feeding our birds all natural grain feed and (E) by substantially lengthening the bird's lifespan.  The growing time of Kent Heritage Farms poultry is more than double the industry standard.  In our opinion, by allowing the birds to reach full maturity naturally, they obtain the full flavor that our customers value and have come to expect.  

Our chicken pot pies should be kept frozen.  Simply put the frozen pies in an preheated oven set to 375 degrees for approximately 45 minutes.  

Prior to the 1960’s, roosters were neutered in an attempt to make them grow larger.  At the time, farmers believed this was the only way that a male chicken could grow past eight pounds.  The government later outlawed caponizing, as it was called, due to the high mortality rate associated with the procedure as well as its obviously cruel and unethical implications.  Today, the term capon simply applies to a male bird which naturally grows approximately 30% more breast meat than its female counterpart.  Our capons naturally reach 9+ lbs live weight or 7+ lbs after processing.  At Kent Heritage Farms, our capons are the finest poultry you can put on your table.  Chicken the way it used to taste, with white meat as moist as the dark meat.  Abounding with flavor, a Kent Farms capon is the most flavorful, moist, wholesome family-size chicken you can find on the market today.  Our business was founded on our being the premium providers of the capon.  This premium product is still, after all these years, a customer favorite.

Kent Heritage Farms' farm-fresh meats and poultry are all-natural and completely drug free.  This means that there are absolutely no hormones, chemicals, preservatives, antibiotics or drugs of any kind in our meats.  As providers of all-natural meats, we eschew all practices of intensive, high-stress commercial operations that employ tactics of crowding and high-intensity lights to unnaturally increase the speed of maturation times.  In addition, Kent Heritage Farms never uses the technique known as "gas-flushing" -- which involves injecting red meat packages with carbon monoxide to unnaturally retain the bright red color of the meat.   MAP (modified atmospheric packaging) developed in response to the tendency of UV lighting to increase the surface temperature of packaging (thus decreasing a product's shelf-life). Ironically enough, UV lighting was adopted by grocery store chains because it also makes meat appear redder than it actually is.  All of Kent Heritage Farms meats are free of MAP packaging. Our farm-fresh meats and poultry are individually packaged in cryovac seals immediately upon processing without the use of any preservatives whatsoever. 

After processing and defeathering, your poultry must be chilled.  For years, the industry standard in North America has been ‘the water chill,’ favored because of its ability to rapidly chill high-volumes of poultry quickly and at a relatively low cost. Back in the early 90's Paul decided to go against the grain and use the slightly more expensive process of air-chilling his poultry. In the air-chilled process the birds are gently spray-rinsed after defeathering and then whisked away along a very long winding track through chambers of constantly circulating cool air.  Kent Heritage Farms is committed to a true air chill process; the birds are never submerged in a water-chill bath, even before their air-chill, nor are they subjected to high-intensity sprayers. Because Kent Heritage Farms chickens never undergo the conventional immersion water bath they retain all of their natural nutrients.  In turn, the consumer does not ‘absorb’ the added costs of the conventional water-chilled birds you find in most stores.  Discerning chefs also love the way a roasted air-chilled chicken cooks, with a crispy skin on the outside and tender, juicy meat on the inside.

Many years ago, Kent Heritage Farms made the choice to adopt the air chill instead of the more common water-chill process.  This is because, in Kent Heritage Farms opinion, the water chill process produces a less flavorful, less nutritious meat.  The water chill process involves submerging the birds after de-feathering in large vats of chlorinated water, mechanically churning them through this water bath.  It is an effective way to chill meat quickly, however, the birds do absorb a percentage of this water.  This is the reason that, when you buy conventional water-chilled chicken, you will notice that it sits on an absorbent pad that is soaked with blood tinged, slightly chlorinated, water.  In Kent Heritage Farms' opinion, this excess water not only artificially inflates the price of a conventionally processed chicken, it also creates a bland and tasteless product.

The common mistake in cooking our chicken is that many first-time customers are used to cooking the traditional water-chilled birds that you find in the grocers. Water-chilled birds cook differently because of the amount of water that they absorb during water-chill processing.  When cooking air-chilled poultry care should be taken not to overcook the meat so as to retain all its natural juices. To cook a perfect bird a meat thermometer is your very best friend. Cook your chicken, breast side up, until the breast meat reaches 175F. Do not cut the bird right away -- if you do the juices will run out out of the bird. Instead, after removing from the oven, flip it over onto its breast and "tent" -- cover in tin foil -- and let your chicken rest for approximately 5-15 minutes.  "Tenting" ensures that you will give enough time to allow the juices to settle inside the bird.  NOTE: if you would like to retain the juices for making a gravy, Paul recommends that you flip the bird onto its breast in a clean pan so that it does not reabsorb the juices you intend on using for your gravy.