We bought a whole butchered hog. Yep. He's in the freezer. But don't worry, he's not stuffed in there like a dead body or anything. I highly recommend this to anyone who is a meat eater and is trying to save some money. It's enough meat to last the entire year.
First, go to http://www.eatwild.com/ to locate a farm near you. They've got an awesome clickable map (I love clickable maps!) that's easy to use. The great thing about EatWild is that it is a directory of farms that sell grass-fed/pastured meat, dairy, and eggs.
Why grass-fed? Well, just go to their website and read why. I learned alot about this when I read Michael Pollan's In Defense of Food. That book totally changed the way I look at food. I know that grass-fed stuff is expensive, but if you buy directly from the farms it is not at all. And its worth it to drive out to a farm every other week to get milk, eggs, cheese, etc. Noah totally looks forward to it now as a treat.
Next, get yourself a chest freezer. You can easily find one on Craig's List. Make sure you get a chest-style one, not an upright (they use alot more energy). I just slapped a post up on Craig's List that said, "Looking for a chest freezer. Will pay $50 and come get it." I got alot of responses, and there were many sizes to choose from. Go to Sears ahead of time and check out the different sized freezers to eye-ball the one you want. They are measured in cubic feet.
I chose Meadow Run Farm in PA because I know we do business with them at WFM. Don't hesitate to ask to visit the farm before you commit to purchasing anything. A clean, well-run farm will let you come out anytime and let you wander around as you will. This is important because you want to buy from a place that is totally transparent in it's business practices. A place that has nothing to hide has no prob with you looking around. Believe me, I've taught enough food safety classes to know that this is essential. Meadow Run let me walk all over the place and invited me to bring my kids back whenever I wanted.
They offered 3 cutting options for the hog, and it arrives frozen and vacuum packed in small portions. Some farms might let you choose the cutting options, and some will let you purchase a 1/2 or 1/4 of the animal (known as a "share"). The cost came to $3/lb hanging weight. That is a great price, especially for pastured, all natural, no hormone, no antibiotic, vegetarian fed meat. And it is an unbelieveable amount of meat! There's about 30 lbs ground, 25 lbs bacon, 15 lbs pork chops, 2 hams, 2 tenderloins, 2 full racks of ribs, all the bones (for soup stock), and some other stuff that I'm forgetting now. We chose pork because we eat it alot more than beef or chicken, and it's cheaper than beef too. We used some of our tax-return money to buy it, and probably will again next year.
This is one of the smartest things my family has done to date, and I definately recommend it to everyone.
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
Summer 2009
I don't have time to do all the recipes for this summer yet, so I will just make some notes and try to come back later. Favorites this summer include: cucumber yogurt soup, pickled cabbage, frozen strawberry pops, cucumber avacado soup, and pork fried brown rice.
I have also been having 2 teaspoons of Bragg's Cider Vinegar + 1 teaspoon agave nectar (or honey or maple syrup) in a glass of water 3 times a day. This is basically an all natural gatorade. It takes a minute to get use to it, but you will find that your body craves it soon! Also aids in digestion and is a bit of an appetite supressant. Have one first thing when you wake up, mid morning, and mid afternoon. Yum.
Fried Rice
The pork fried brown rice is simple. I usually make a big pot of brown rice at the beginning of the week and store it in the fridge. It helps to sprinkle a bit of water to the rice daily so it doesn't dry out. As we go through the week creating little scraps of leftover veggies: the end of an onion, a few baby carrots left in a bag, a small handful of baby spinach from a leftover salad...I just dice them up finely and put them in zip lock bags. You can use your leftover meat scraps (or tofu) as well: the bit of a leftover chicken breast, a few slices of bacon, the end of a pork roast, etc. Basically what you do is sautee the diced veggies in a bit of olive oil (or the bacon fat if you aren't counting calories!) and add the cooked meat. Stir for a minute, then add some rice (I use one cup per serving). Again, you will probably need to add a tablespoon of water here for the rice. Let it get all heated up then start seasoning it. I use Bragg's Amino Acids as a replacement to soy sauce (doesn't have all the sodium, but has the same flavor), a dash of toasted sesame oil, and a bit of seasoned rice vinegar. That's it! If you prefer a different flavor, you could season by shredding some jack cheese over it instead of the asian seasonings.
Frozen Strawberry Pops
I started off by making these as baby food for Josie (just reheat and add to rice cereal), but they ended up being a frozen treat for Noah. Noah is the pickiest eater on earth, and this is the only way I can get fruit in him.
Take as much of your favorite fruit as will fit in your blender. Obviously wash & cut off any green tops, pits, etc first. Throw them in the blender and puree. Add water if it gets too thick. Then push it through a fine mesh seive. It's a bit time consuming, but it's important if you are making baby food (or have a picky eater). Freeze in ice cube trays or those plastic popsicle makers. Turn out of ice cube trays after a day and transfer to a zip lock bag (in the freezer). Will keep for 6 months in the freezer.
I have also been having 2 teaspoons of Bragg's Cider Vinegar + 1 teaspoon agave nectar (or honey or maple syrup) in a glass of water 3 times a day. This is basically an all natural gatorade. It takes a minute to get use to it, but you will find that your body craves it soon! Also aids in digestion and is a bit of an appetite supressant. Have one first thing when you wake up, mid morning, and mid afternoon. Yum.
Fried Rice
The pork fried brown rice is simple. I usually make a big pot of brown rice at the beginning of the week and store it in the fridge. It helps to sprinkle a bit of water to the rice daily so it doesn't dry out. As we go through the week creating little scraps of leftover veggies: the end of an onion, a few baby carrots left in a bag, a small handful of baby spinach from a leftover salad...I just dice them up finely and put them in zip lock bags. You can use your leftover meat scraps (or tofu) as well: the bit of a leftover chicken breast, a few slices of bacon, the end of a pork roast, etc. Basically what you do is sautee the diced veggies in a bit of olive oil (or the bacon fat if you aren't counting calories!) and add the cooked meat. Stir for a minute, then add some rice (I use one cup per serving). Again, you will probably need to add a tablespoon of water here for the rice. Let it get all heated up then start seasoning it. I use Bragg's Amino Acids as a replacement to soy sauce (doesn't have all the sodium, but has the same flavor), a dash of toasted sesame oil, and a bit of seasoned rice vinegar. That's it! If you prefer a different flavor, you could season by shredding some jack cheese over it instead of the asian seasonings.
Frozen Strawberry Pops
I started off by making these as baby food for Josie (just reheat and add to rice cereal), but they ended up being a frozen treat for Noah. Noah is the pickiest eater on earth, and this is the only way I can get fruit in him.
Take as much of your favorite fruit as will fit in your blender. Obviously wash & cut off any green tops, pits, etc first. Throw them in the blender and puree. Add water if it gets too thick. Then push it through a fine mesh seive. It's a bit time consuming, but it's important if you are making baby food (or have a picky eater). Freeze in ice cube trays or those plastic popsicle makers. Turn out of ice cube trays after a day and transfer to a zip lock bag (in the freezer). Will keep for 6 months in the freezer.
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