Heritage Foods Offal

[Chris Hennes]

The selection is still not perfect, but I have always been pleased with Heritage Foods, and I just got an e-mail announcing a bunch of new pork cuts, including trotters, jowl, liver, ears, cheek and even head!! I'm excited since this is the most readily-available offal available to me -- now I can have at some of the Nose-to-tail recipes!

Heritage Foods USA Website

(note that I'm not affiliated with them in any way, I'm just excited about pork!!)

[hummingbirdkiss]

That looks so nice and I totally would be tempted ..but honestly I almost choked at the prices...you are not able to find Nose-tail at a butcher near you? I have never had a problem but I live in an area with a huge supply of all kinds of things..butchers will usually give me the "lesser" cuts for free with my orders..other options are I order directly from a grower ..I just bought a half a happily raised lamb ..butchered and wrapped to my exact specifications ...with all the parts.. for less than $100 (including a tip ..not sure if you should tip a butcher but you should see how full my freezer is!) from a local grower ..I just call around ask around ...

I am so sorry you have to pay such high prices to get these type of meats ...bummer!

but again that place looks fantastic in its quality ...

[Chris Hennes]

Yes, unfortunately living in the middle of nowhere, "local" means "FedEx delivers here". The prices are startling (though they include shipping), but the quality is excellent, and they seem to keep close tabs on the way the pigs are treated, etc. I'm looking forward to moving someplace with better access to quality food products this summer!

[Busboy]

Yes, unfortunately living in the middle of nowhere, "local" means "FedEx delivers here".  The prices are startling (though they include shipping), but the quality is excellent, and they seem to keep close tabs on the way the pigs are treated, etc. I'm looking forward to moving someplace with better access to quality food products this summer!

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But doesn't living in the middle of nowhere mean that there are pig farmers nearby? Half the farmers at the markets in DC are from Central PA, though, I suspect, south of you. (How's the weather in Scranton these days )

[Chris Hennes]

But doesn't living in the middle of nowhere mean that there are pig farmers nearby?  Half the farmers at the markets in DC are from Central PA, though, I suspect, south of you.  (How's the weather in Scranton these days )

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I can get fresh dairy easily enough, but I have yet to find a pig farmer who sells locally and raises anything better than what I could get at the local supermarket. I'm willing to pay a premium for humanely-raised pork, but I insist that it must also *taste* better! So far Niman Ranch and Heritage Foods have served me well, despite the hefty price tag.

[Peter the eater]

That is an appealing website, thanks for bringing it up. Pricey, but probably worth it. Any vendor that offers a turkey cam so you can watch your future meal is good by me. I gather the farms are all over the US?

In the "Brief Overview" they say:

Just as the Bald Eagle and Panda Bear are on the brink of extinction in the wild . . .

I don't know how the Pandas are doing, but the bald eagles were taken off the "Endangered and Threatened Species" last year. There are tons of them here, particularly at the north end of Nova Scotia in Cape Breton where my wife's family farm is located. Last summer an adult female bald eagle took two of our chickens - this bird was enormous - its wingspan was bigger than mine - mine is well over six feet. I'm glad they are doing well again worldwide, a couple of chickens was well worth the price of admission to see such a powerful raptor at work.

[Chris Hennes]

That is an appealing website, thanks for bringing it up. Pricey, but probably worth it. Any vendor that offers a turkey cam so you can watch your future meal is good by me. I gather the farms are all over the US?

Yeah - a lot of the pork seems to come from Missouri (at least my previous orders). At Heritage each package is labeled with a control number that you can use to look up the farm the animal came from. They give you a bio of the farmer, etc. It's kinda fun - makes it feel a little more personal, IMO. And the turkey cam was pretty funny around Thanksgiving - one day they lined the turkeys up and had a parade of sorts, walking them all past the camera. I've never bought anything but pork and beef from them, so I can't speak to the poultry quality.

In the "Brief Overview" they say:

Just as the Bald Eagle and Panda Bear are on the brink of extinction in the wild . . .

I don't know how the Pandas are doing, but the bald eagles were taken off the "Endangered and Threatened Species" last year. There are tons of them here, particularly at the north end of Nova Scotia in Cape Breton where my wife's family farm is located. Last summer an adult female bald eagle took two of our chickens - this bird was enormous - its wingspan was bigger than mine - mine is well over six feet. I'm glad they are doing well again worldwide, a couple of chickens was well worth the price of admission to see such a powerful raptor at work.

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Yeah, they probably wrote that years ago... not high on their list of things to update, I suppose . Bald eagles are indeed incredible... seeing them from a distance you don't get a sense for just how GIGANTIC they are.

[hummingbirdkiss]

How about 4H?

my boss's daughters raise the best high end beef you can imagine!!! ...there is not more "local" meat that is for sure ..they raise it with love and care ..feed them ...brush them ...talk to them...cuddle them...walk them ...show them and sell them for food...the money goes to college ..they are learning and growing up to be healthy adults with a deep understanding of how food gets to the table...and I get the best beef you can imagine for a very low price per pound! ...win win win win win as I see it!

name an animal and some 4H'er is out there raising it ..chickens, rabbits, turkeys, geese, ostrich, pigs, goats, sheep, cows ..depending on your area and the size of a kids yard

when they are raised they sell them ..usually whole ..but what I do is get some friends to share with me since there are only two of us I don't need a COW! If you dont have someone to share with you can ask if they know anyone who only wants part of it ..they usually do .

the animal goes right from walking around loved and fed well ...to a local butcher who for a reasonable fee cuts and wraps it up to your exact specifications! Nose to Tail!

one more thing that makes these guys great is you can get pretentious breeds for low prices

it is hit and miss each area has its own popular thing to raise and like anything else it goes in waves ...sometimes I find all the rabbit I want ..sometimes none!

but Fed Ex does sound easier now that I think about how much work this can be!

Edited January 10, 2008 by hummingbirdkiss (log)

[JohnnyH]

That is an appealing website, thanks for bringing it up. Pricey, but probably worth it. Any vendor that offers a turkey cam so you can watch your future meal is good by me. I gather the farms are all over the US?

Yeah - a lot of the pork seems to come from Missouri (at least my previous orders). At Heritage each package is labeled with a control number that you can use to look up the farm the animal came from. They give you a bio of the farmer, etc. It's kinda fun - makes it feel a little more personal, IMO. And the turkey cam was pretty funny around Thanksgiving - one day they lined the turkeys up and had a parade of sorts, walking them all past the camera. I've never bought anything but pork and beef from them, so I can't speak to the poultry quality.

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I've bought turkeys from heritage foods the past few thanksgivings, and have always been very, very happy with them. Especially two years ago when, because of an error on their part, I was the lucky recipient of two 15-lb birds instead of just the one that I ordered. I called them to let them know but there was no way to rectify the mistake. So we ate 'em both.

[Chris Hennes]

How about 4H?

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That sounds like a fantastic idea, but I just don't have time to dedicate to it right now. I want to eat wonderful things, but sourcing them takes time... hopefully someday I will actually finish my degree and can actually have weekends off!

[hummingbirdkiss]

How about 4H?

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That sounds like a fantastic idea, but I just don't have time to dedicate to it right now. I want to eat wonderful things, but sourcing them takes time... hopefully someday I will actually finish my degree and can actually have weekends off!

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fair enough Fed Ex it is for sure!!! and I would do the same thing because I love to eat great food!!!... it is a lot of work doing this stuff to begin with but once you get sources it is easy! so shelve it but when you are ready I highly encourage this ...it is very rewarding!!!

Edited January 10, 2008 by hummingbirdkiss (log)

[MattJohnson]

How about 4H?

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That sounds like a fantastic idea, but I just don't have time to dedicate to it right now. I want to eat wonderful things, but sourcing them takes time... hopefully someday I will actually finish my degree and can actually have weekends off!

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fair enough Fed Ex it is for sure!!! and I would do the same thing because I love to eat great food!!!... it is a lot of work doing this stuff to begin with but once you get sources it is easy! so shelve it but when you are ready I highly encourage this ...it is very rewarding!!!

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How did you go about setting that up? I live in Wisconsin and feel this must be a possibility.

[hummingbirdkiss]

How did you go about setting that up?  I live in Wisconsin and feel this must be a possibility.

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if you are asking me ..it was word of mouth here ..but in other States I have lived in I attended the local fairs ..or just called the 4 H directly

they have a web page I am sure of it ...

the fairs are a fun start because that is the time the kids are strutting their stuff! and you can see what kind of animals are popular in your area

I just ask .."can you tell me how I can purchase goat meat?" or whatever you want ..

hope this helps ..

[MattJohnson]

How did you go about setting that up?  I live in Wisconsin and feel this must be a possibility.

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if you are asking me ..it was word of mouth here ..but in other States I have lived in I attended the local fairs ..or just called the 4 H directly

they have a web page I am sure of it ...

the fairs are a fun start because that is the time the kids are strutting their stuff! and you can see what kind of animals are popular in your area

I just ask .."can you tell me how I can purchase goat meat?" or whatever you want ..

hope this helps ..

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Sounds good. Its a great idea - anyway.

[DouglasBaldwin]

You could also just trying calling some of the smaller meat lockers in your area (say, search Google maps for "category: Meat Packers"). Often they are very friendly and will likely know a farmer who raises what you want (and how you want it).

We found our beef supplier through word of mouth (and get the calf of the same cow every year). But when a friend wanted a whole lamb, I gave the locker (where we hang our beef at) a call and they found just what my friend needed.

At least with beef, it will likely be a substantial wait for your meat once you find a farmer who raises what you want. When we switched farmers, it took a good 4-5 months to get our side of beef -- a couple months to get the animal to market weight (1300 lbs on the hoof) and 28-days of dry-aging. The price is based on the weight "on the hoof" and that days market price (plus a packaging fee). All told, I think it came out to be around $2-3/lbs (for the packaged meat).

Edited January 13, 2008 by DouglasBaldwin (log)