Re: source of grass fed meat?

[Guest guest]

Pat,

I don't think all the Australian animals are grass fed (esp. those shipped

first to Canada and the processed for the US), but I'm not sure. There are

all grass-fed lambs being farmed in the U.S. Yes, shipping is expensive, so

I don't know if the farm I buy from (in Colorado) would work for you or not:

www.foxfirefarm.com . Also bison is good to try, but I'm unhappy with my

last supplier so don't have a recommendation on that. A closer farm to you

might be worth checking out, for lamb and other animals, I think it was

" From Our Farm to You " if you google for that.

http://www.taichi4seniors.com

[Guest guest]

patsy898 wrote:

>I live southwest of Boston and have been unsuccessful in finding a

>source of grass-fed meat. I thought that Whole Foods meat was grass-

>fed, but was disappointed to find otherwise. Is the internet the only

>source - it seems so expensive with the postage...

>I'm buying Australian lamb from the supermarkets because I read that

>Australia and New Zealand have all grass fed animals. I don't know

>about their beef, or that it's available in this country.

>Any help would be welcome.

>Thanks,

>Pat

>

>

>

>

Have you checked out www.localharvest.org? They list local sources of

all kinds of great foods. And if there happen to be no beef farmers

there, you could always ask some of the farmers listed if they know the

closest source for beef.

HTH.

Steph

[Guest guest]

>

>Have you checked out www.localharvest.org? They list local sources of

>all kinds of great foods. And if there happen to be no beef farmers

>there, you could always ask some of the farmers listed if they know the

>closest source for beef.

>

>

>

>

Here's some beef in the general Boston area - nothing came up with just

a Boston search:

http://www.localharvest.org/search.jsp?lat=42.64797 & lon=-71.56599 & scale=2.037037\

1 & ty=0 & co=1 & nm=beef

If the link doens't work (I don't know how to do the mini URLs) what I

did is search for 'beef' and started clicking on the map near Boston

until it was showing about half of MA and parts of NH. :-)

Steph

[Guest guest]

>I live southwest of Boston and have been unsuccessful in finding a

>source of grass-fed meat. I thought that Whole Foods meat was grass-

>fed, but was disappointed to find otherwise. Is the internet the only

>source - it seems so expensive with the postage...

>

>Thanks,

>Pat

You might check with the farm-type folks. The BEST source

of meat is to go to a farmer and invest in a cow (or share one),

or a whole lamb or goat or calf. Folks here buy the animal at

auction a lot, and the butcher comes and gets the animal at

the auction house. But it's better to KNOW the farmer.

You can ask the custom butchers, who know the good

people usually, or the 4H folks, or the local grange, or

the feed coops. Or put up a card at one of those places.

Some farmers also place ads in the Little Nickle. The prices

are very reasonable per lb that way, plus you only go

meat shopping once a year or so.

One farmer I met took " preorders " in the spring, then

raised the animals all summer so you got your meat

in the fall. Many farmers are quite willing to work with you:

selling meat direct is a lot more profitable to them than

paying to have the meat " grain fattened " . And raising a

grass-fed animal is a very profitable project for a 4H kid!

Heidi Jean

[Guest guest]

.... bison is good to try, but I'm unhappy with my

> last supplier so don't have a recommendation on that.

,

Have you tried Lindner bison? (I hope that's not the supplier to whom

you refer) They are fantastic and in So. Cali.

B.

[Guest guest]

,

I just got off the phone with Kathy Lindner -- my third or fourth call

trying to work something out. I haven't tried them before (was working with

Northstar -- unhappily for quite a while now) and was ready to start with

them, but they don't have in the amount of heart I want (and need right

away), so I went ahead with another order from Northstar and will try again

with Lindner in a couple of months. What is it you like about Lindner? Is

the meat itself better than other bison you've had? I actually hadn't

considered that ranch when I did my research on line because the website was

so . . . well, primitive <g>. That is, no prices listed, no way to order

online, etc. but then someone, maybe on this list, spoke well of them and I

made my first call. I was pleased to learn they actually sell the heart

cubed, and not for too much more, and that would save me lots of work.

http://www.taichi4seniors.com

[Guest guest]

What is it you like about Lindner? Is

> the meat itself better than other bison you've had? I actually hadn't

> considered that ranch when I did my research on line because the

website was

> so . . . well, primitive <g>. That is, no prices listed, no way to

order

> online, etc.

,

I've only ever had a few brands of bison before. I like Lindner bison

so much because of the flavor--which I think is superior--and the

Lindners themselves, who are at all the LA farmer's markets every week

and very accessible--you can look them in the eye and shake their

hand; that it's local meat is very important to me, too.

I buy Northstar bison organs and glands at the raw co-op here because

it is so convenient, and I like buying whole, unfrozen, hearts and

livers, but for all other cuts, I buy Lindner because, well, I love

those people, and I think that's why their meat tastes so good.

B.

[Guest guest]

-

>so I went ahead with another order from Northstar and will try again

>with Lindner in a couple of months.

You've become disillusioned with Northstar?

-

[Guest guest]

,

>You've become disillusioned with Northstar?

Many months ago, I posted here trying to get recommendations for other

ranches. I liked the hearts and liver I got, but was becoming increasingly

frustrated at having my requests messed up or in some cases actually

ignored. The last request I made -- to send only hump fat if they had it --

I requested in writing and then by phone discussed at length with

exactly why the kidney fat she had once sent me was unacceptable. She

assured me she had the fat I wanted and I just waited another week, I'd get

as much as I wanted. And then she sent me kidney fat! Well, this time

(there had been so many other times) I made a big enough stink that her

husband (Lee?) wrote to me offering to credit me for the money spent on the

fat and also the extra pounds of heart I had not ordered and I found him

very reasonable and his information on why hump fat was never available at

that time of year -- something should have known or found out --

helpful.

Anyway I switched to lamb while looking around for other bison ranches and,

although I just had to fall back onto Northstar last night for an order, I'm

hoping maybe Lindner will work out in the future.

Oh, and I saw your recent post about delivery problems with Northstar, but

didn't comment, because that was the one remarkably good thing I experienced

with them! Their shipping charges were very low (given the distance) and I

always got my package the next morning from DHL in good shape.

http://www.taichi4seniors.com

[Guest guest]

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>Oh, and I saw your recent post about delivery problems with Northstar, but

>didn't comment, because that was the one remarkably good thing I experienced

>with them! Their shipping charges were very low (given the distance) and I

>always got my package the next morning from DHL in good shape.

I don't object to what they charge for shipping, but I've had horrible

problems with defrosting. They never seem to put enough dry ice in the

box, and even after I spoke with at some length this time, half my

latest order of liver was defrosted. I refuse to eat any more defrosted

liver. The taste is simply too rank. But worse yet, some of the liver

that WASN'T defrosted this time has been rank and horrible and extremely

difficult to gag down, so I'm starting to realize I need a new source.

-

[Guest guest]

,

<But worse yet, some of the liver

that WASN'T defrosted this time has been rank and horrible and extremely

difficult to gag down, so I'm starting to realize I need a new source.

Well, the only bison I'm ordering now is heart. I'm completely in love with

lamb liver -- much richer and tastier than bison, I think.

http://www.taichi4seniors.com

[Guest guest]

,

I placed my order to Northstar by email last night. At 2:00 this afternoon

I got a tracking email from DHL -- a first! Maybe they are trying to

implement better service. You and I can't be the only disgruntled

customers.

http://www.taichi4seniors.com

[Guest guest]

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>I placed my order to Northstar by email last night. At 2:00 this afternoon

>I got a tracking email from DHL -- a first! Maybe they are trying to

>implement better service. You and I can't be the only disgruntled

>customers.

My most recent problem was entirely DHL's fault, I think. They dispatched

it to the wrong part of town, and instead of getting it in the morning, I

got it at about 9:15pm. Since it was in the mid to high 90s during the

day, most of the liver was defrosted.

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[Guest guest]

> My most recent problem was entirely DHL's fault, I think. They

dispatched

> it to the wrong part of town, and instead of getting it in the

morning, I

> got it at about 9:15pm. Since it was in the mid to high 90s during the

> day, most of the liver was defrosted.

,

I asked at the LA co-op yesterday if they ever have problems with

Northstar, as they get an order every week for years now. They said

no, or rather, so rarely as to not matter.

B.

[Guest guest]

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>I asked at the LA co-op yesterday if they ever have problems with

>Northstar, as they get an order every week for years now. They said

>no, or rather, so rarely as to not matter.

I believe they switched processors recently, which could account for the

decline in freshness of the liver, but my main problem is with

DHL. Because of my neighborhood and because there's no buzzer in my

building, the only shipper which doesn't screw me over regularly is UPS.

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[Guest guest]

,

I opened my first bison heart from Northstar and they must have a new

processor! First of all, all the meat was more accurately cut to 1 lb.

(easier for me to deal with) and it was better trimmed. Then, instead of

the purple stamp I always had to fuss with, cutting it away, there's now a

kind of cellophane with the govt. info which is easy to life off and

discard. I'll probably still try Lindner next time, to compare, but it

seems Northstar is really making an effort now in several ways.

http://www.taichi4seniors.com

[Guest guest]

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>First of all, all the meat was more accurately cut to 1 lb.

>(easier for me to deal with) and it was better trimmed. Then, instead of

>the purple stamp I always had to fuss with, cutting it away, there's now a

>kind of cellophane with the govt. info which is easy to life off and

>discard. I'll probably still try Lindner next time, to compare, but it

>seems Northstar is really making an effort now in several ways.

I've gotten those little plastic (or cellophane?) sheets on each piece of

liver, but DHL remains a problem.

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