I have received a bunch of questions on the post about me buying 168 pounds of grass-fed beef. Many of the questions were the same, so I thought, instead of repeating myself over and over in the comments (and taking the chance that some of you wouldn't check back for a response), I would put them all together in one post!
:: Where did you buy your cow?
I bought it from Wholesome Dairy Farm and I only bought ¼ of a cow. It was a very large steer and the "hanging weight" of that ¼ cow was 168 lbs. I ended up paying just over $675 for a BUNCH of meat!
I thoroughly enjoyed working with Mark (and just FYI - he is one of the few farmers in PA licensed to sell Raw Milk), but I get the feeling that he only has a steer available every few months. I purchased through him on the recommendation of my friend/whole-foods-guru Jo-Lynne. My husband is ready to send out a lynch-mob after her (he still hasn't forgiven her for our first foray in to organic foods..what will forever be known as "The Organic Salsa Incident"), but I love her.
If you are looking to buy organic local meats (or any food) in the Philadelphia area, I highly suggest that you check out Eat Local Philly to find a supplier near you! If you live outside of the Philadelphia area, check out Local Harvest
:: How much room do you need to buy that much meat?
As Diane said, I needed room for about 2 laundry baskets of meat. However, as I mentioned, I only bought ¼ of a large steer and she purchased a half-steer. The "hanging weight" of the share of my cow was 168 pounds......use this as a guideline.
:: How is it packaged?
This is going to vary from vendor to vendor, but in my case, everything was packaged in the perfect portions for a family of 4 (1 lb of ground beef, enough of a roast for 1 night family dinner, etc) and was vacuum-sealed. Check with your vendor to see how they are packaging it!
:: You are buying a pig?????
I have no desire to recreate "Babe" in my back yard. I just want to buy a pig (post butchering) from a local farmer. Aside from the fact that my Homeowners Association Board would likely have a heart attack if I kept a pig as a pet, I have no intention of having my kids get "attached" to their food supply! I try to teach them from where their food comes (and that it doesn't just magically appear in the supermarket wrapped in plastic), but I am not going to have my 4 year old ride her next source of pork chop dinner around the back yard! I am SO not ready for that conversation!
Did I miss any questions or do you have another? Leave them in the comments!
Heather S
I love Wholesome Dairy Farm! I have bought several things from them at their stand at the Boyertown Farmers Market last summer. It's always been great quality and delicious!
Nerak
I am glad you are teaching your kids where food comes from, but speaking as someone that grew up on a farm, "making friends with your next dinner" isn't a bad thing (at any age). It is one fact of life you grow to accept, and then it just "is". In another year, your child can join 4-H, which would be a great learning experience about where food comes from (animal and plant based). Kudos for buying from a local farmer!
Momto3
I'm so happy to see your posts about the meat shares. So many people think I'm nuts to spend more on meat, I think they are nuts for not 😉
We started buying bulk meat from local farmers last year. We eat organic, almost everything. We believe eating healthier food is better in the long run. All other items household I only buy store brand or on sale with a coupon, whatever works out cheaper.
There are some meat CSAs out there too, if you don't have room for a separate freezer. You pick up your meat portion every other week or once a month. The farm I buy our beef from also sells a "sampler" box, about 40lbs of meat, that will easily fit in your standard freezer.
We bought a half pig last year. It lasted our family of 5 a little over a half a year. I probably could have stretched it a little more even. We'd be more than covered for the year with a whole pig. I definitely recommend buying one.
Anne
Thanks so much for answering the questions! I really appreciate your honest information on this topic.