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Organic beef source


puchica

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My roomates and I have bought sides of organic beef for the past two years, but our hook-up moved out of town. Does anyone know of local organic farmers or butchers who sell pre-cut beef by the half or quarter? I've found some places that offer "grain-fed" cows, but I'd rather have organic or near-organic.

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My roomates and I have bought sides of organic beef for the past two years, but our hook-up moved  out of town. Does anyone know of local organic farmers or butchers who sell pre-cut beef by the half or quarter? I've found some places that offer "grain-fed" cows, but I'd rather have organic or near-organic.

Grain fed beef may still be organic... traditionally Ranchers feed corn/ wheat as a grain along with hay for wintering. Beef raised on the ranch rarely, if ever receives antibiotics or hormone injections. It is the comingling in feedlots where beef becomes polluted...

Yes, I raise cattle. :biggrin:

Ang.

www.fairsted.com

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I know Wegman's carries an assortment of Sunnyside organic meats. The hanging tenderloins rule... Damn pricy shite I might add! Would "naturallly" (no hormone/anitbiotic) raised beef fit the bill??

Edited by sdelgato (log)

"I know the human being and fish can coexist peacefully."

—George W. Bush in Saginaw, Mich., Sept. 29, 2000

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Forrest Pritchard of Smith FAmily Farm sells grass fed and finished beef at the TAkoma Park Farmers Market on Sundays and the ARlington Market on Saturdays. He can supply you. Grass fed is better than organic. Cows are not supposed to eat grain, organic or conventional. They cannot digest it.

My roomates and I have bought sides of organic beef for the past two years, but our hook-up moved  out of town. Does anyone know of local organic farmers or butchers who sell pre-cut beef by the half or quarter? I've found some places that offer "grain-fed" cows, but I'd rather have organic or near-organic.

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but grass fed beef is, well, flavorless. Lower in fat, but flavorless. Who said a cow shouldn't eat grain? Corn is only 12 percent digestable to anyone or any animal, cows are no different. No?

Edited by sdelgato (log)

"I know the human being and fish can coexist peacefully."

—George W. Bush in Saginaw, Mich., Sept. 29, 2000

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seconding ferostyle's suggestion, i would highly highly recommend putting some sunshine in your beef diet: sunnyside farms.

there is no love sincerer than the love of food

- george bernard shaw

i feel like love is in the kitchen with a culinary eye, think she's making something special and i'm smart enough to try

- interpol

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Thanks for all the guidance...

I have to say that one of the great thing about our most recent half-cows was their relative cheapness. And tastiness of course. The second one (we named him Deuce) was even cheaper because his organic pedigree had been ruined by antibiotic ointment for an eye infection. Since we weren't going to eat the eyes, we decided it was OK with us.

I think grass fed is what we are really looking for, truly organic or not, so it looks like we should be hitting the farmers markets and making some deals. There really is no better feeeling than a freezer full of delicous beef products.

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but grass fed beef is, well, flavorless.  Lower in fat, but flavorless.  Who said a cow shouldn't eat grain?  Corn is only 12 percent digestable to anyone or any animal, cows are no different.  No?

Previous discussion of whether cows digest grain. Short answer: yes, they do, and it's not "bad for them" - it's comparable to the difference between eating granola and spinach for a human.

Spinach, like grass, has a lot more indigestible matter and essentially no fat, so the body has to work harder to extract nutrients from it. Granola has more digestible matter and is higher in fats and sugars, so it takes less of it to provide the same number of calories. All other conditions being equal, a grain-fed animal is not going to be any less healthy than a grass-fed animal, but it will develop more intramuscular fat (aka marbling) and will taste and cut differently as a result. In the end, it's basically an issue of whether you like the taste of one vs. the other.

"Tea and cake or death! Tea and cake or death! Little Red Cookbook! Little Red Cookbook!" --Eddie Izzard
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