When I was growing up, my parents often bought beef by the side or quarter from someone they knew. After I went to college, they moved to a farm and raised their own for years. Being from the very edge of the Midwest, we typically grass fed the beef until fairly close to the end then we gave them grain. The amount of grain given and “fattening” done covered only a week or two and still provided very lean beef.
When my husband took a job here in the South a few years ago, we started looking for places to buy beef from a farmer like I had growing up. We think that there are a lot of great things about the South, but the quality of beef in the grocery stores is not one of them. (If you live in the Midwest or Mid-Atlantic consider yourself lucky if you eat beef.)
We found a couple of farmer’s markets where not only did they sell fruits and veggies, they sold meat. We met a great guy named Brian who gave me a pamphlet and told us about his family farm. They raised grass-fed beef. We bought a couple of pounds of ground beef from him that day. We ate it that week and loved it.
A package of frozen grass fed beef
Not only did it taste good but it is higher in Omega-3 fatty acids, lower in saturated fats, and hormone-free. The livestock were(are) treated well and we could visit the farm. Additionally, it was a very good value. We ordered a side of beef from Brian the following weekend. Last year, we ordered our second side from him. We plan to place another order this year.
We really like knowing were are meat and veggies come from and feel very blessed to have the opportunity to buy from people we know. It also helps that it is a very good value for us.
Here are a couple of links for more information on grass-fed beef
