I really enjoy this blog.  The writer gets to the point that people need to understand and walk in someone else’s shoes before pointing fingers.  I truly do appreciate when people speak up about animal abuse but just because you see something on a farm doesn’t necessarily mean it is abuse.  You need all the details leading up to and after the fact to make the judgment.

Enjoy the blog

Goat is ready for the spotlight. It’s kosher; it’s good for the environment; it’s tasty and lean. Making appearances everywhere from high-end restaurants to street food carts, goat meat and dairy products are being lauded as the next big thing.

From bestselling authors Bruce Weinstein and Mark Scarbrough comes Goat: Meat, Milk, Cheese  a lusciously illustrated collection of recipes and anecdotes all centered on this ubiquitous and versatile food.

The most comprehensive and accessible cookbook on the subject, Goat will revolutionize the way American cooks think about “these bearded head-butters.”

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Posted By Susan Schoenian to Shepherd’s Notebook

eat fresh and eat local

An interview with Steve Ells, founder of Chipotle Mexican Grill

This is a great interview about how Steve Ells decided to make a difference for Mother Nature.  His description of eating local and eating fresh is excellent.  I really like what he has to say about why big cooperate farming is what hurts the planet versus why people should buy and eat local and eat fresh.  I hope you enjoy the article.  The chef-turned-CEO talks about family farms, native prairie grasses and the true meaning of food with integrity.

Do you know where your meat comes from that you eat?  If not, think about being a more informed consumer and learn where your food comes from or better yet, EAT LOCAL and EAT FRESH.  Get to know the people that raise your food supply not some big cooperate conglomerate that really doesn’t care how the meat source was taken care of or where it is going.

Enjoy this article about what is in your meat and I hope you decide to become more pro-active about how your food source is taken care of.  You only get one body to care for, be good to it because you really are what you eat.

Michael Pollan (journalist) recent article about eating meat is very interesting.  I especially enjoy how he puts pen to paper and talks about the cost of small farming versus big cooperate.  He states that meat pricing is cheaper with big cooperate because of volume, he is right.  But he further misinforms his readers that it costs a small farm $150.00 to custom butcher their meat to sell off the farm or at farmers markets.  I wish that were true, for a small farm to raise fresh local and high quality beef is very costly.  I would like to share with our readers that it really costs $100.00 to have the animal killed at a USDA facility then .50-.65 per lb. to have it freezer wrapped.  A typical beef cow going to the butcher weighs at least 1200 – 1350lbs. you do the math.  This is why is so costly for the small farms to raise your food and the prices you need to pay to keep small local farms raising fresh meat going.  No matter whether the meat has been straight grassfed or grass and grain fed, the butcher charges the same pricing.  To butcher a goat is even worse because only a few USDA butcher shops in Maryland will kill and butcher a goat because it is so time consuming.  It costs a minimum of $100.00 to have a goat processed as well, plus the time and energy it has taken the farmer to raise the goat meat.  I wanted to share this with you because consumers should be aware of what they are paying for and why there is such a difference in price from going to the grocery store.

You are buying from your local small farms because of the quality of meat you are looking for and because you get to know the people that raise your food and how it was taken care of.