Thanks to books like "The Omnivore's Dilemma," there's a growing interest in learning more about where food comes from, and this year the trend is spilling over into the most noble of birds: the Thanksgiving turkey. Particularly, people want to know how their gobbler lived before it became the pièce de résistance of their holiday smorgasbord.

I won't go so far as to say that free-ranging turkey farms are becoming tourist destinations, but the demand for a fresh, non-factory farmed bird is definitely on the rise. That's not only leading to more Turkey Day tourists piling into to the minivan to check out a real live turkey farm, but it's also changing the way many of us look at turkeys -- the would-be national bird.

For decades now, most Americans would define the turkey as a frozen, bird-like creature that's usually featherless, headless, and takes many hours to thaw. The truth is, they're actually very impressive, fearless and often beautiful birds. That's one of the reasons Benjamin Franklin favored them over the bald eagle.

Many Americans are now starting to realize that they prefer the taste of a well-brined, free-ranging turkey purchased from a local farm -- even over a self-basting frozen Butterball. Not only does a natural bird appeal to their taste buds, but to their sensibilities ... and their sense of heritage.

Think about it: Which is a better symbol of Thanksgiving? A fresh, farm-raised bird that lived its life like a turkey? Or a frozen bag of turkey that lived its life confined to a cage, surrounded by thousands more soon-to-be flash frozen bird-like creatures?

If you're interested in scoring a fresh, free ranging turkey for your Thanksgiving, check with your state's department of agriculture or agricultural extensions office.