Shopping Local Farms for Pasture-raised Lamb, Pork, Beef, Poultry, and Eggs

I’ve been reading about the health benefits of pasture-raised meat and eggs lately, so I went to Eat Wild and Local Harvest to find some local farms. It was suprisingly easy to find farms within driving distance. Try it.

Go to Eat Wild, then click on the left link that says Shop for Local Grass-Fed Meat, Eggs & Dairy. Then scroll down and click on your state. The first sentence in the text says “Looking for the farm or ranch nearest you?” and then provides a link to Google maps. There you’ll find your state stuck full of pins signifying farms. Click on the pin and you’ll get a little pop-up with additional information you can search. Cool!

I Found Healthy, Pasture-Raised Eggs

The first farm I visited was just a three-quarter acre property about half an hour away in New York. (On the drive there I came across a huge turtle on the road that had been run over by a car (click to view–not for the squeamish). Of course I had to take a picture. I’d never seen such a thing.

Back to the story. The property was three quarters of an acre managed by a couple who had free ranging chickens and a few fenced areas for crops. They were starting a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) where people pay an annual fee for a portion of the season’s produce. I stocked up on fresh eggs from chickens who roamed the property, many of which had names. Their natural diet was supplemented by organic grains. Look at the vibrant orange of the yokes!

What a pleasure to eat these rich eggs from happy chickens living like chickens instead of battery hens crammed together and forced into laying by manipulation of lighting. When I ate my first pasture-raised egg it tasted rich with a somewhat earthy tone that gently caressed the back of my palate.

Here are some pictures of the beautiful chickens on that property.

Rooster top-left and the rest are hens.

I Buy Three Chickens

The next farm I visited raised free range layers, meat chickens, hogs and cattle. The woman who met me was friendly and a pleasure to talk to. She showed me around the very large farm where I, a city girl, learned that cows have more than four teats.

I met the abominable Cornish Cross chickens, a hybrid that reaches a slaughter weight of four and one-half pounds by six weeks of age. They don’t move around much, preferring to just eat and sit in their own shit. They grow so fast that their bones and organs can’t catch up and begin failing if they live too long. These are the preferred (profitable) birds raised for meat because they grow so quickly, which keeps feed costs down. But they’re just dumb, and without humans to care for them, they would probably all perish.

…in June we had a spike of hot, humid weather. When I went out one afternoon to check on the birds, I found a number of Cornish—now right at broiler stage—either dead or seriously distressed with heat exhaustion. (I lost 22 of them over the next day or so.) Despite the fact they had been on that pasture more than two weeks, drinking from a float-operated waterer right outside their shade shelter, they sat on their butts inside the shelter and died rather than walk ten feet for a drink of water! –The Modern Homestead

I was visiting this farm to check out the pigs, because I wanted to order half of one. The pigs were healthy and happy and fenced off at the edge of a treed area of the farm. But they had rooted up almost all the plants in the area, so all their feed was supplemented.

Well, the whole point of buying a pasture-raised pig is to get one that has a moderately natural dietary, not feed brought in. The owner was planning on enlarging their foraging area, but too late for me. I did buy three chickens that were to be slaughtered this week. I pick them up tomorrow.

I Buy a Lamb and Half a Pig

The last farm I visited was on Ohio run by a couple very interested in the health and happiness of their animals and operating a sustainable method where they eventually hope they can control all the inputs. Their farm was exceptionally clean and organized, and I really enjoyed talking with these people. We have many of the same interests and a passion for healthy food and happy animals.

I met their sow and a boar they had recently acquired, both huge animals that were quite friendly. And then I met the piglets that had recently been separated from their mother. They had a large area in which to forage along with a small mudhole they used to cool themselves. Here’s one taking a mudbath.

The pigs receive a grain supplement along with whatever they dig up themselves. Looking at the lack of vegetation where the pigs had rooted through the dirt, I was surprised at how strong their noses are. They can really devastate an area, so they would have to be moved about for the land to recover.

The couple also had three lambs that they had been unable to sell, so I got a great deal on one. I paid $130, which was $65 for the lamb and $65 to cover the cost of butchering. I also put a deposit down on half a pig that I’ll be able to pick up in September. The couple gave me some pork chops to take home and try, and they were succulent. Here’s a picture of their pork chop next to one I bought at a local store. Can you guess which one was pasture-raised?

The chickens had free range of the farm, coming into the barn to lay their eggs in cozy little nesting boxes. I picked up a dozen eggs. The farmers are also raising turkeys that they move about the yard in a portable enclosure. They say the turkeys are the best of foragers and very curious and interested in people.

I’m so happy to know that the animals I will be eating will have been raised compassionately with their needs in mind. And the meat will be healthier for me than conventionally raised animals.

I have until September to pay for the pig. I have to pay for the lamb next week when it goes to slaughter. I have no idea how to cook it, so I’m going to have to search some blogs for recipes. Got any favorites?

When I get a video camera I intend to go back to these farms and interview the various farmers. But for now I can offer you a video I shot with my digital camera of their piglets. I hope you enjoy it!

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