Eco-Friendly Family
Big E (6) & Little E (2.5)
Local organic meat
I want to get away from purchasing our meet in the grocery store. I generally buy turkey sausage, ground turkey, chicken breasts, a few roasts, etc. I really don't know how that is going to translate if I buy locally.
For instance, we eat some ground meat but not much beef so I don't want to buy a quarter pig really.
What do you buy? Do you specify cuts, etc? How much do you generally spend, and how long does it last you?
Big E (6) & Little E (2.5)
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Re: Local organic meat
We buy our meat from one of the local farmer's markets so it'll probably vary on your area. We can specify cuts, but sometimes the selection is limited. I have to get there as soon as they open in order to get certain cuts as they sell out really fast.
I usually buy whole chickens and then butcher them myself, so I don't know the cost of just breasts. A 3lb "freedom ranger" bird costs me around $13. 1lb of grass fed, hormone free ground beef is $5, round steak is $6/lb, ribeye $11/lb, ground bison $6/lb. Ground chicken is $5/lb, I haven't been able to find ground turkey at a farmer's market ever but they sell organic ground turkey in the frozen section of our grocery store.
You won't believe the difference in taste! I had a regular grocery store steak for the first time in months and I couldn't believe how much less flavor it had.
ETA: I should add that I am in TX, so there are a lot of beef farms around here. Your prices are probably going to be higher.
The only things available in my area are grass fed or grass-fed/grain finished beef (ground), occasionally other cuts, and whole chickens. The beef is comparable in price to the grocery store. Whole chickens are $2.99/lb. I'd say, depending on price and distance you have to drive, buy what you can afford and what you can fit in your freezer. Kdello mentioned buying a whole steer, but I know that I, personally, wouldn't have any space for all of that meat!
And ditto pp about the flavor. It's unreal how they treat even the "organic" meat in the grocery store.
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There are four people eating the meat in our family and we are big carnivores!! We go through a half pastured/local beef every nine months (we eat three meals at home per day and never go out to eat). I love doing it this way because I get to specify the cuts I want (we want more steaks, ground beef, and stew meat with less roasts). If you don't do ground meat, you can let the butcher know and they will give you different cuts.
Then I go to a local farm 2-3 times per year and stock up on my other pastured meats - pork, lamb, chicken, and turkey. Here is the price list from my local farm (we are in rural Ohio with a low COL):
GRASS FED LAMB, NO GRAIN EVER.
Ground Lamb $6.00/lb.--approx. 1 lb. packages,
Lamb Patties $6.50/ lb.--4 patties per package, approx. 1 lb.
Leg of Lamb $8.00/lb.--1/2 leg per package, approx. 3lb package-bone in.
Lamb Chops $10.00/lb. --4 per package, approx. 3/4lbs. per package.
Lamb Stew Cubes $6.000/lb.--approx. 1lb. per package
GRASS FED BEEF, NO GRAIN EVER.
The majority of our beef are Black Angus.
Ground Beef $4.50/lb.--approx. 1lb. packages/
Beef Patties $5.000/lb. --4 patties per package, approx. 1lb. packages.
Rib Eye Steak $12.00/lb.--2 per package, approx. 1 1/4 lbs.
Beef Stew Cubes $4.50/lb. ---approx. 1 lb. packages
Soup Bones $2.00/lb.-- approx. 4lb. packages.
Beef Liver $2.00/lb.---approx. 1lb. packages.
Filet Mignon Steak $16.00/lb....2 per package....8 to 12 oz. per package.
Chuck Roast $6.00/lb.--2 1/2lbs. per package. 1 roast per package.
Canned Beef $8.00 /28oz. can
Strip Steak $9.00/lb. --2 per package, approx. 1 lb. packages.
Beef Tongue $3.00/lb.--approx. 2 1/2 lb. per tongue.
Sirloin Steak $7.00/lb.--1 per package, approx. 2 lbs. per package
FREE RANGE CHICKEN
Whole Frozen Chicken $2.50/lb. --approx. 5 to 6 1/2lbs. per chicken
Ground Chicken $6.00/lb. approximately 1 pound packages.
Chicken Stock $3.50 a Quart
Chicken wings $3.00/lb... 12 wings per package
Chicken Thighs $4.00/lb... 4 thighs per package
Chicken Legs $4.00/lb....4 legs per package
Chicken Breast $6.00/lb...1 breast per package
Chicken Feet $2.00/lb.
FREE RANGE TURKEY
We are now taking orders for our free range Thanksgiving Turkeys. $3.00/ lb Call or Email to reserve your turkey.
We are sold out of most of our Turkey products and are waiting for the next batch to finish growing.
Bulk Ground Turkey $6.00/lb. approximately 1 pound packages
If you have never had smoked turkey, it has a smokey ham flavor.
Smoked Turkey Wings. $5.00/lb.--2 wings per package.
Smoked Turkey Legs, $5.00/lb.--2 per package
Sweet Italian Turkey Links. $7.00/lb. ingredients are , Salt, fennel and black pepper
Seasoned Turkey Links: $7.00lb... Seasoning for our links are: salt, red pepper, sage, sugar, and black pepper.
Plain Turkey Wings $3.50/lb. 2 per package and weigh approximately 2 1/2 lbs.
Turkey Legs $4.00/lb. 2 per package and weigh approximately 3lbs.
Turkey Breast $5.50/lb. 1/2 breast per package and weigh approximately 3lbs.
Pasture Raised Pork
Our pork is from either Berkshires or a Berkshire Large Black cross. They do excellent on pasture and have a wonderful flavor.
Ground Pork $4.50/lb.--approx. 1 lb. packages. No Seasoning.
Pork Chops $6.00/lb...4 per package and weigh approx. 2 1/2lbs per package.
Pork Spare Ribs $3.50/lb.--approx. 2 1/2 lb. packages.
Maple Breakfast Links $6.00/lb. approx. 1lb. packages. Ingredients, salt, sugar, spices, and maple flavor.
Pork Bacon $6.00/lb.--approx. 1lb. packages,
Smoked Ham Slices $6.00/lb.--2 slices per package, approx. 2 1/2 lbs. per package.
Seasoned Breakfast Patties $5.50/lb.--4 per package, approx. 1 lb. packages, Seasoned with: sage, salt and pepper.
Ham Loaf $6.00/lb.--approx. 1 lb. packages. Mixture of half ground ham and half ground pork.
Pork Arm Roast $6.00/lb.--approx. 2 1/2 lbs. per package. 1 roast per package.
We are taking orders for beef, for the months of November, December and January, don't miss out on this wonderful tasting beef.
We offer total pasture raised beef, for sale by the whole, half, or quarter, $2.75 per pound hanging weight.
We will have pork available for the months of November and December, taste the difference!!
We offer pasture raised pork for sale by the whole or half, at $1.75 per pound hanging weight.
Our lamb should be available October through January.
We offer total pastured raised lamb for sale whole lamb only, at $3.00 per pound hanging weight.
*We let the customer pay for all the butcher cost. *
Prices subject to change without notice
We are spoiled in my area as local farming has really taken off. I actually am able to order farm delivery - one direct from a farm itself, the other is a company that works with tons of farms across the state, packs the orders and delivers to your door. I would just look for area farms near you that sell directly to the consumer. If you have any farmers markets, you can generally buy meat just like you would at the grocery store. None of our area farmers sell ground turkey or turkey products other than the whole bird. Prices in our area are definitely higher than the grocery store by at least a couple of dollars per pound, but there is absolutely no comparison in terms of quality. Grocery store meat is like fast food quality to me now.
Oh...and when you find a farmer - get eggs and milk, too. You won't regret it. If you ever want to compare how much better a fresh farm egg is than a grocery store egg, crack one of each into a pan side by side. You will be amazed by the high-sitting, deep golden yolk of the farm egg compared to the pale, sad little grocery store egg.
Good luck! I hope you can find someone in your area.
...and I probably should just skip past this, but make sure you don't tell the farmer you don't want a quarter pig because you don't eat much beef....they'll look at you really funny!
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