What 5 Grocers Offer for Holiday Carnivores

It's Christmastime in the city, and for many people, shopping for a holiday meal is taking on greater significance than at any other time during the year.

Many of us St. Louisans will compare options and items offered by all the stores in their area, which can be time-consuming—not to mention frustrating—as we fight holiday traffic going from place to place until we find just what we're looking for.

That's why Clayton-Richmond Heights Patch has done the legwork for you.

Today, we'll tell you what you can expect to find in the way of turkey, ham, duck, capon, cornish game hen and (occasionally) pheasant at five grocery stores in or near Clayton and Richmond Heights.

And maybe this is just the year you'll finally cook a Christmas goose.

We know where to get that, too.

Schnucks

6600 Clayton Rd., 314-644-0510. Open 24 hours a day, seven days a week. 

Schnucks offers a wide variety of turkey and ham. Both fresh and frozen turkeys are available, including Honeysuckle, Butterball, Purdue and Schnucks brands. Kosher turkeys are available but can sell out, so call ahead to make sure they're in stock before you go. As for ham, you'll find bone-in and boneless varieties with many brands available. The most popular brand is Kretschmar. The store also offers duck, capon, cornish game hen, and frozen goose.

Dierbergs

8450 Eager Rd., 314-962-9009, 6 a.m. - midnight Monday-Saturday; 6 a.m.-11 p.m. Sunday

Dierbergs carries both fresh and frozen turkey. Brands available include Honeysuckle, Purdue and Butterball. Butterball also offers an organic line. The store doesn't carry kosher turkeys. A large selection of ham is featured, including bone-in and boneless Kretschmar, Hillshire Farms, Double-G and Dierbergs brands. Hillshire hams are available spiral-cut. The store also carries duck, capon, cornish game hens and goose.

Whole Foods Market

1601 S. Brentwood Blvd., 314-968-7744. 8 a.m.–10 p.m., seven days a week.

Whole Foods Market specializes in turkeys that have been fed a vegetarian diet that includes no hormones and no anti-biotics. Brands include Nature's Range and Larry Shultz Organic Farm. The store also carries kosher turkey and often has pheasant and goose, but it's recommended that shoppers call ahead to determine the availability of these and other special poultry. In the ham category, Whole Foods carries Welshire Farms and Virginia Black Forest brands, and semi-boneless spiral-cut hams also are available.

Straubs

8282 Forsyth Blvd. 314-725-2121, 7 a.m.–8 p.m. Monday–Saturday; 9 a.m.-7 p.m. Sunday.

Straubs provides fresh, natural and free-range turkey. Miller Hams are featured in both bone-in and boneless varieties. The market always has pheasant, capon, cornish game hen and goose. Any other specialty meats can be ordered in advance. No kosher turkey is available.

Trader Joe's

48 Brentwood Promenade Court, 314-963-0253, 8 a.m.-9 p.m., seven days a week

Clayton-Richmond Heights Patch visited Trader Joe's and found frozen Trader Joe's brand turkey and young turkey. T.J. Glatt's kosher turkey also was on hand. The store also offers chicken.