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grass-fed beef

September 3rd, 2011 at 08:13 pm

I went to the farmer's market this morning and got a small watermelon for $3 and a zucchini for .50 cents. I have a buttered zucchini noodle recipe I want to try out next week.

I also got 2 pounds of grass-fed, hormone free ground beef for $4.50/lb from the Anderson Meat Company. I've been looking at grass-fed beef for several weeks now, but hadn't been able to talk myself into paying the price. Most of what I've seen has been around $8 in the stores. I did some online research and found a couple places about $6-$7/lb. I'm going to try it tomorrow night to make sure I like it before buying anymore. Does anyone have any suggestions on buying grass-fed meat at least somewhat less expensively?
Or do you know of a good online source?

I would fix it tonight, but I'm going to my parents to play games and have steak.

It was really cool this morning - under 50 degrees. I had to wear a light jacket when we walked. I love it. 50 - 70 is my preferred weather.

I finished reading my book Valor's Choice by Tanya Huff. Sci/Fi - very good.

Posted in Uncategorized | 6 Comments »

6 Responses to “grass-fed beef”

  1. gattaca Says:
    September 3rd, 2011 at 09:13 pm 1315084380
    1315084380

    I recently purchased grass fed beef through a group at work. These two women contracted a butcher to purchase the beef through. I think about 20 people bought in. The price per pound ended up being around $5/lb.

  2. baselle Says:
    September 4th, 2011 at 02:48 am 1315104524
    1315104524

    Its tricky - $4.50/lb is a pretty good price already for hamburger.

    Ours was about $7.50/lb final for grass fed, grass finished beef, but the price was an average of the meat we got - in addition to hamburger, we also got treats like NY strip, sirloin, chuck, brisket, shoulder roast, filet mignon, and tenderloin.

    Three years ago we found the farmer online - he had 1/4 to sell, no one to buy, so we stepped in that year. I think I would hunt around online for a local small producer. Another possibility is to check out a local farmer's market for any local producer. Keep your options open and collect business cards.

    If you take the step of going into a group purchase ...man you will learn a lot. Remember its seasonal - works best for us if you establish the relationship with the farmer in late spring/ early summer. That way you can visit the operation if you'd like.

    Oh yes, fun fact to know. If your above the fridge freezer is empty, should be able to fit 50 lbs in it.

  3. Petunia in an OP Says:
    September 4th, 2011 at 03:47 am 1315108037
    1315108037

    If you haven't looked into it, you might want to look around on the web at how to cook grass fed beef. It cooks a little faster than conventional, and it's better cooked at a lower temperature than what you're used to. At least, that's been our experience.

  4. gattaca Says:
    September 4th, 2011 at 03:18 pm 1315149484
    1315149484

    I agree with Petunia. The grass-fed beef has less fat so you do not want to cook it too long otherwise it will dry out. It also has a different flavor than grain-fed beef.

    Baselle - I was able to get an assortment of meat for the $5/lb, not just hamburger. I guess it depends on what state you're in? I'm in New Mexico so maybe it is cheaper here?

  5. baselle Says:
    September 6th, 2011 at 12:46 am 1315269963
    1315269963

    gattaca - could be. We also sprung for making some sausage out of some of the hamburger, which cost a bit extra. I also think that the farmer assumed some outside costs, but passed several on - such as slaughter (the smaller slaughterhouses cost a bit more); storage - beef is always aged for taste, to break rigor mortis, and (this from the butcher) for food safety ... turns out the bacteria involved in aging beef do best in cold dark conditions and outrun pathogenic bacteria; butchering; and packaging. Perhaps these costs were passed on to us in Wa state and yours weren't?

    I think the lesson here is that if you like grass fed beef, to follow its prices just like you would any from the grocery.

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