Food: Meat

[dancerjodi]

I think the issue with a meat share is that there are lots of things that would come up in it that Brian and I don't normally eat (not to mention the one friends are using is closed until May). There is something to be said for experimentation and learning to cook new things but with the time we have, I'm not sure I'm ready to jump into that now.

The Di's have gone to http://www.balancerockfarm.com/ a few times, so I think I may like a drive out there to pick up some things to sample. Making a once a month pilgrimage to grab meat to freeze wouldn't be a huge time commitment.

Or I wonder if there are any local butcher shops that will have this high of a quality stuff (beyond Whole Foods)? There is a place in Watertown Square (The Meat Spot) that may be worth checking out. Years ago we'd try and get there and buy our meats to freeze and they were good quality/price compared to the supermarkets. I wonder if they have the grass fed beef, pastured chicken and that kind of thing . . .

Comments

[developer.livejournal.com]

I've been wanting to do a meat share but I would never make it back to the 'burbs in time to pick it up during the week. Maybe we could work something out?

To me it is just as important to have the meat be local as it is to be 'organic' since if the grass fed beef is flown in from New Zealand (which Whole Paycheck will do) then the environmental impact is still huge.

[dancer.livejournal.com]

The variety of stuff in the meat share wouldn't be for us - we eat chicken breasts, pork chops, ground stuff and Brian eats some certain cuts of beef. There's too much in the shares we wouldn't be able to easily use without a lot of time/research.

[canongrrl.livejournal.com]

I love http://www.chestnutfarms.org/ - but they may be full up till June. There is a monthly pickup in Arlington at the parking lot by rt 60 (coincides with the farmers market there in the summer). Meat is 50% ground or sausage or bacon. The rest is either pork, beef, chicken or lamb (the lamb you can opt out of). In general they've been pretty straightforward cuts - lots of chops, some steak, some kebobs, an amazing skirt steak - overall I've been really happy (though I'd like a few more odd ball cuts - I have asked and I can buy them after the fact - so at least that's also a great option too).

They are also really friendly and have amazing fresh eggs.

if you don't want to go in for a share, they are at the arlington farmers market. I believe that are adding a dropoff in Waltham too

[developer.livejournal.com]

The problem is I need to be there by 6:30 pm and I just don't get back to Arlington by that time usually.

[canongrrl.livejournal.com]

7pm I thought

and if you did it, we could work out something since that is where I pick up

[dancer.livejournal.com]

They are adding a Waltham site (Devina has been using them). She shared with us what the last share was made up of and I'm not sure we'd be able to use all of it, but I guess perhaps its all just a matter of habits.

They are locked out till May or June, so I guess either way we have some time to think about it. :)

I really love the Farmer's Market in Waltham but they don't have meats or raw milk so I'm doing some digging now in the off season.

Thanks!

[canongrrl.livejournal.com]

yeah I've been fooling around with a lot of recipes - gotten very creative with meatballs, and ground beef in general.

10 pounds does go surprisingly fast - especially when you have a 4-5pound chicken (2 of the last 3 times) which is....to die for. Between a simple roast of it, salad from the leftovers and soup from the carcass - just yum. but yeah, your fear is exactly the same one we had before signing up. And the meat does require a slightly different method of cooking (I always cooked rare before, so it wasn't too much of a stretch) and occasionally I get something that I just don't know what to do with (pork steak? ummmmm yeah - that didn't work out well).

Also http://www.savenorsmarket.com/Cambridge2.htm has more esoteric meats - great pedigree, more expensive than whole foods. To be honest, whole foods does have one of the better meat departments around. sadly.

oh and both arlington and davis farmer's markets have meat people there - I'm not sure who is at the davis one. I bet if you looked around, one near waltham would have a meat person there as well.

[dancer.livejournal.com]

C'ris mentioned the Lexington market has a beef guy. I'm not a huge meat eater but I'm trying to branch out a bit more, so depending on what we end up doing I may check him out. Thanks! :)

[devina.livejournal.com]

Chestnut Farms has indeed added a weekend drop off, first Sunday of every month in Waltham. They have reached capacity though, and won't open up more shares until May.

[cris.livejournal.com]

you might have to ask. The few times I've gone into The Meat Spot, I don't recall them advertising the pedigree of their meat.

As far as other butcher suggestions in the area:

silentq doesn't eat red meat, so I often don't have cause to visit a butcher anymore, but in the past, there used to be a pretty awesome butcher's shop in Washington St. on the South End run by two tough ladies who could get anything for you in you gave them a bit of notice, and they tended to stock some quality stuff. Unfortunately, they folded before Washington St. really gentrified.

There's The Butcher Shop, which is an ersatz wine bar/butcher/charcuterie place on Tremont that's part of the No. 9 Park empire. Way bobo and spendy, but the wares look impeccable. Savenor's also has a great selection if you want quality, but they're also more expensive than Whole Foods. There's also a guy who has a freezer truck at the Lexington Farmer's Market (on Tuesdays? Thursdays?) and I've bought stuff from him before and liked it, but I don't know if the markets are running in the winter. Finally, you can still go with the meat department at Wilson's, but that's not necessarily a full-service butcher.

Below that are all of my typical sources -- MacKinnon's, al-Hoda, Mayflower (aka Fresh Killed Poultry), but none of these are particularly humane with their wares.

Meats

[dancer.livejournal.com]

Thanks! That's a huge help.

Re: Meats

[julishka.livejournal.com]

the davis farmer's market has a fresh meat vendor. not sure who it was now, but the ground beef was good.

also, check the farmer's market site at the state website. they usually list participating vendors as well as having resources for "pick your own" farms that i think include places with fresh meat. i'd like THAT cow please!

as for the butcher shop, the foods are delicious, but it felt more like someplace you'd pick up specialty pates, terrines, etc., or sit in and have lunch or request that they make up a charcuterie plate & have a glass of wine, than a regular butcher.

[devina.livejournal.com]

These folks have a booth at the Lexington Farmer's market, and deliver to the Boston area. They just started their own CSA, but they also do just regular orders.

Wherever you end up going, be sure the meat is from pastured animals. The animals are healthier that way. Feed can be all natural and organic, but if they're not letting the cows graze on grass, it's not that much better than supermarket meat.