Question about Local Beef and other Meats
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Anonymous
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I've just finished reading Fast Food Nation, and of course I'm ready to never buy meat from a grocery store again. I have purchased some meat from the Kensington Farmer's Market, and I've looked at South Mountain Creamery. These places talk a lot about how their cattle are raised, but don't say anything about how they are killed and processed. It seems like that means as much as how they are raised for whether the meat is safe, whether the cows were treated humanely, etc. Does anyone know anything about how cattle (or pork or poultry) are processed from any local producers?
Thanks for any info. |
Anonymous
| It's my understanding that all meat must be slaughtered in USDA approved facilities, but I don't know much more than that. If I wanted to learn more, I would go down to Dupont market early one morning & chat with the farmers. There are 4 or 5 meat vendors at that market. Don't forget to spend a little money for their trouble! |
Anonymous
| I now get most of my meat, and all ground meat, from South Mountain. It is fantastic. They take their cattle to a local butcher and he carves up the meat. Just email them and they will be happy to share details with you. |
Anonymous
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This book has the answers to all of your questions: The Butchers Guide to Well-raised meat http://www.amazon.com/Butchers-Guide-Well-Raised-Meat-Great-Poultry/dp/0307716627
Yes, all meat sold commercially must be slaughted in USDA approved facilities. BUT they are not all created equally. Some slaughter thousands a day, others just a few a week. The latter are the ones that tend to be more humane (bringing in the animal one by one as opposed to having them all in the room at the same time for ex). It's a great book and will teach you a lot about the industry. |
Anonymous
| Polyface Farms is also an option - they do deliveries to various locations around DC every 6 weeks. It's terribly inconvenient (short window of pick-up time) but the meat is great. |
Anonymous
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You can find local beef producers on this website - http://eatwild.com/ Some may explain their slaughter processes on their websites.
Eatwild also has their own criteria for including businesses - that criteria may include slaughter processes, but I don't know for sure. |
Anonymous
| The butcher counter at Whole Foods has a rating system that apparently describes the range of living conditions to which the animals were subject. It always sends me into a tizzy, and I stand in front of that counter for many minutes, because I might have come to the station wanting to buy one product but feel too guilty when it turns out it has a low rating, so I wind up buying something else or, best of all, not buying any meat at all. |
Anonymous
| Talk to the farmers. Most of the local farmers markets have meat vendors I trust. |
CMarie
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Member Offline
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I second the Polyface suggestion. Also, as chefs, my husband and I get our meat from biodynamic farmer Allan Baillet. Dude could talk for days about what he does:
http://www.localharvest.org/a-fresh-and-local-csa-M3917 -- Christy Przystawik Holistic Health Coach. Chef. Mother. Motivator. coachchristymarie.com |
Anonymous
| MOM's Organic Markets (not in DC proper, don't think, but has a bunch of other locations) carries only humanely raised and slaughtered meats. |
Anonymous
I lived Polyface, but it was too inconvenient. Now, we do farmers' markets in the summer, and South Mountain in the winter. |
Anonymous
Have you been able to find leaner cuts of meat? We had Ground Beef and it was good but fattier generally that what I used to get at Giant, etc. |
Anonymous
| But the fats in pastured raised meats is good for you! |
Anonymous
| We eat buffalo over beef, mostly because it is leaner. Cibola Farms sells it at Dupont Circle market. |