Viviane, what is the difference? I would guess that "Heirloom" means wild stock, and bloodlines, similar to heirloom vegetables. What would 'heritage' be? (T-day is not such a big thing in Canada, so I'm a bit confused by the terms).
I only discovered this existed right after American Thanksgiving. I've called 15 farms in the area (meaning a 2 hour driving radius) and they are all out. The only way I'll get one is if Santa is real and loves me. Otherwise, I will have to reserve one in August for next year. Specifically I want a free range heritage turkey. Everyting I read says they taste amazing, far better than the turkeys in grocery stores, especially if they are free range and brined.
So, what is heritage? I am lazy and cutting and pasting:
First of all, a quick lowdown on what heritage actually means: It does not mean organic, all natural, or free range, though a true heritage bird is probably all of those things. Heritage refers to 10 specific breeds of turkey (if you want to know what they are, click here). These breeds were raised in the U.S. prior to the 1950s, when the poultry industry began to genetically engineer (through cross breeding) the commodity, broad-breasted white turkeys most people eat today.
