Readers respond with local, regional sources for grass-fed, grass-finished meats
In July I asked for your help and “Wow,” did you deliver.
I wrote about my web sources for what has been called “clean,” grass-fed, grass-finished beef as well as pasture-raised (versus crated or caged) chicken and pork. And, since I can't cover all possible sources in the five counties the Daily Herald serves, I asked you to share your sources.
Here are your stories.
Anthony Aiello wrote about Wallace Farms (wallacefarms.com) in Keystone, Iowa. Don't fret; you're not going to have to head to Iowa for your ground beef. Wallace Farms offers 85/15 ground beef at $7.99 a pound. They believe that: “ ... cattle should be 100 percent grass-fed, organically-raised, no hormones or antibiotics used and sustainably-raised.” These are my kind of folks.
Sue Sawa and Francis Weibal both wrote that I should: “ ... check out Meadow Haven Farm (meadowhavenfarm.com,) a family-run, organic and 100-percent grass-fed beef.” They indicated that Meadow Haven delivers once a month to certain suburbs (check the website). Sawa wanted me to know that she's: “ ... amazed at the difference in taste compared to what I've been eating all these years.”
Teresa Gallo from Wauconda, a founding member of Milk and Honey Farmstead (milkhoneyfarmstead.com), wrote to tell me about the animals raised on the farmstead. She shared that Milk and Honey Farmstead meats are available in farmers markets in Arlington Heights, Barrington, Lake Zurich and Berwyn.
Sarah Poeppel shared that not only does she love Broad Branch Farm (broadbranchfarm.com) meats, she's proud of her son and daughter-in-law who run that farm. Broad Branch delivers in a wide area around Naperville and also run a Community Supported Agriculture program. They also sell wild-caught Alaskan salmon.
Anne Guarnieri wrote to let me know about Terra Valley Farm (terravalleyfarm.com), her family's farm in Mineral Point, Wisconsin. Terra Valley is “ ... direct source for Midwest Organic Services Association-certified organic, 100 percent grass-fed, dry-aged Black Angus beef.”
Terra Valley's beef is produced without hormones or antibiotics. They never feed their cattle corn, soy or any GMO food.
For Terra Valley, the critical word is: “direct.” Terra Valley sells its beef by the quarter, half or whole steer. Yup, a big difference from heading to the supermarket to pick up a steak or some ground beef. If you've got a big freezer to hold all that beef, this could be an economical path.
Charles DuBose wrote: “I've bought good quality grass-fed beef from Plum River Farms” (plumriverfarm.com), located in Pearl City, Illinois. DuBose, who knows the owners of Plum River Farms said: “I think Plum River Farms can supply the quality of meat that you desire.” Plum River only sells beef by the quarter, half or whole steer.
If this is all too complicated and time-consuming, take a look at Pre Brands meats. They sell all grass-fed and finished beef products available in several major suburban supermarkets such as Meijer, some Jewel-Osco locations and Treasure Island.
Oh, and one more thing, you'll find the prices of grass-fed, grass-finished beef higher than beef conventionally produced. I believe there's real nutritional value in that extra expense.
One of my favorite beef steaks is a chuck-eye. You can sometimes find them at Whole Foods, but even there they're hard to find. A chuck-eye is a piece of chuck that comes from where rib-eyes end and chuck begins. It's got a big beef flavor and is tender as can be even though it's technically chuck. They are reasonably priced compared to rib-eyes. If you can find them, give them a try. Here's how I prepare them.
• Don Mauer welcomes questions, comments and recipe makeover requests. Write to him at don@ theleanwizard.com.