It's good to be friends with the farmer
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It's like Aunt Eller sang in Oklahoma, it's good to be friends.
With the large meat processing plants closing, farmers are struggling to sell their livestock. Small meat processors can't handle that kind of volume, but they're taking on the orders from farmers who have customers ready. Like us.
Through friends, we were connected to a family farm that is in this predicament. We have enough freezer space to help, and they are very glad to give us a good deal.
We're paying the farmer directly for the hog, and our local meat processor will butcher and package it for an additional fee. All told, the price per processed pound will be about $2.50, maybe less depending on the size of the hog. That's very fair. It's a win-win all around.
I hope more people can do this. The farmers need some more friends right now, especially if the friends have space in their freezers.
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That's great---especially for something locally raised.
Even with a large family, we've never been ones to stock up---Being less than 10 minutes from half a dozen major grocery stores, allowed us to get into the habit of shopping almost every day. I didn't mind it, since it kind of helps ensure things don't go to waste.
Sort of regretting not having a big freezer right now though. That'll change for sure after this.
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That's great---especially for something locally raised.
Even with a large family, we've never been ones to stock up---Being less than 10 minutes from half a dozen major grocery stores, allowed us to get into the habit of shopping almost every day. I didn't mind it, since it kind of helps ensure things don't go to waste.
Sort of regretting not having a big freezer right now though. That'll change for sure after this.
@Rich said in It's good to be friends with the farmer:
That's great---especially for something locally raised.
Even with a large family, we've never been ones to stock up---Being less than 10 minutes from half a dozen major grocery stores, allowed us to get into the habit of shopping almost every day. I didn't mind it, since it kind of helps ensure things don't go to waste.
Sort of regretting not having a big freezer right now though. That'll change for sure after this.
A few things to keep in mind...Uprights are more convenient than chest freezers. Uprights take up less floor space than chest freezers. Food in frost free freezers doesn't last as long as freezers that are not frost free, but the latter must be defrosted every now and then. A full beef will fill a 20 cubic foot freezer.
So...Longest storage will be in a chest that is not frost free. Those also tend to last a little longer, as they don't run as much. But, if you have a large family and turnover in the freezer is pretty good, a frost free upright would be much more convenient.
Just some thoughts...
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@Rich said in It's good to be friends with the farmer:
That's great---especially for something locally raised.
Even with a large family, we've never been ones to stock up---Being less than 10 minutes from half a dozen major grocery stores, allowed us to get into the habit of shopping almost every day. I didn't mind it, since it kind of helps ensure things don't go to waste.
Sort of regretting not having a big freezer right now though. That'll change for sure after this.
A few things to keep in mind...Uprights are more convenient than chest freezers. Uprights take up less floor space than chest freezers. Food in frost free freezers doesn't last as long as freezers that are not frost free, but the latter must be defrosted every now and then. A full beef will fill a 20 cubic foot freezer.
So...Longest storage will be in a chest that is not frost free. Those also tend to last a little longer, as they don't run as much. But, if you have a large family and turnover in the freezer is pretty good, a frost free upright would be much more convenient.
Just some thoughts...
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Just placed our beef order, looks like we're coming in at 1/6th a cow. My friend also gave me a recommendation for getting a butchered hog and some fryers...
We wound up with a 15ft standup frost-free freezer. We were fortunate that a friend was getting rid of theirs at the same time we started looking.
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That's great---especially for something locally raised.
Even with a large family, we've never been ones to stock up---Being less than 10 minutes from half a dozen major grocery stores, allowed us to get into the habit of shopping almost every day. I didn't mind it, since it kind of helps ensure things don't go to waste.
Sort of regretting not having a big freezer right now though. That'll change for sure after this.
@Rich
We were already buying our meat from another local farm family that does grassfed beef, pork, lamb, and goat. They used to do chickens, but have stopped that for now.This additional purchase will not be grassfed, but that's alright. It will still be good and the price is right. We're buying some extras from the grassfed folks, too. We think it's time to fill the freezers. We have two upright freezers, each 20.2 cf, and the kitchen fridge has a freezer side, too.
I'll clear out a few things that don't need to be in there anymore, such as flours that I got on sale and stocked up there. Some old leftovers that aren't good anymore can go, too. The leftover stuffing from 2017 should go away. LOL
By the time I get those things done, there will be plenty of room for the hog, the whole hog.
Is this what they mean by going whole hog? LOL
Seriously, ask around with your friends who know some farmers. There might be someone looking to move their livestock. It's a huge issue here.
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We never butchered cows that were only grass fed. The meat doesn't taste as good and it doesn't have good marbeling.
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We never butchered cows that were only grass fed. The meat doesn't taste as good and it doesn't have good marbeling.
@Jolly
We prefer the taste of the grassfed here. Could be different types of grasses in different regions. We find it tastes more beefy, and is less fatty. We tend to cook steaks medium rare, which doesn't require so much marbling. The ground beef is also more actual meat per pound when cooked. No grease to drain. Just enough to keep the meat juicy, not greasy. It's supposed to be healthier for us, too. Leaner meat seems consistent with that. -
One reason so e grass fed beef has little flavor and is tough is because a lot of smaller farmers tend to not maintain their fields properly. They don't rest them every so often, let the cattle overpick them, and the cows end up eating whatever happens to grow. Some won't spend the money to keep mineral blocks out for the cattle to lick, and they rarely supplement the grass the cattle eats in the field. You can't grow good beef on poorly maintained fields.
You've got to sow alfalfa every couple of years so there's a good balance between that and plain grass. You've got to keep mineral blocks out. You've got to rotate out of fields and let them rest. And you've got to supplement what they forage for with sileage. It's a waste of time to take a cow thats meat is as tough as shoe leather from spending it's whole life eating Johnson grass and putting her in a pen and feeding her corn for a month or two to "fatten her up". The old girl is already beef jerky, and that's all she'll ever be. So there is a difference in taste and texture between grass fed beef that's had a lifetime of good balance in what there had to eat and grass fed beef jerky that ate nothing but scrap grass out of poor fields.
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Hmm, now you have me concerned. This beefalo weâre buying is grassfed.
