So, we just bought a quarter cow: 110 lbs of USDA Grade A certified organic

[smoogatz]

grass-fed, locally grown beef, nestled in the basement freezer. Steaks tonight, I think. Yum.

This is actually part of my gradual stock-up plan, just in case we run into spot food shortages or weird hyper-inflation, or both. I don't think it's practical to prepare for long-term chaos, really (what are the odds of a total societal meltdown, even under Bush?), but if things go wonky for a month, say, we're pretty well set. Except for green veggies. And bourbon.

[grannie4peace]

1. smart move !!!

[trotsky]

2. We buy the same kind of package from a farmer up in NW Minnesota.

Delicious beef - you will never find better.

Here's who I buy from:
http://www.lborganicbeef.com/

[Beausoir]

47. That's up in my neck of the woods. Is the beef really good?

Like the steaks...are they good and flavorful?

I just found an organic poultry farmer in Pequot Lakes that's a great source, too.

[trotsky]

56. I am not exaggerating in the least to say that it is the best beef I've ever tasted.

In fact, I guess I have a complaint, because now I am completely spoiled. I can't order steaks in restaurants anymore, because I will be disappointed. Try this guy's stuff, you will love it. The 1/4-cow package is perfect if you have the freezer space.

[Beausoir]

60. OK. I've bookmarked the website and I am going to give it a try.

I have a large family and we have 3 freezers so we can buy in bulk.

I will let you know how the steaks are! Should take at least a few weeks to get into 'em.

Thanks for the info.

I grew up over in the Red River Valley. Good and decent and honest farmers over there.

[Odin2005]

65. Hey, I know those guys!

My dad bought meat from those guys a few times and I buy individual cuts once in a while when I go to the Cash Wise grocery store here in Moorhead. REALLY good stuff, especially their roasts! I also like to cut up the meat into small chunks and use it in beef stew.

[Ian David]

3. I plan to eat my Republican neighbors. So I don't have to waste our canned goods. n/t

[old mark]

6. I hope you have had your shots.

You have no idea where they have been.

mark

[TooRaLoo]

7. Ew!

Don't you know that Republicans are injected with hate hormones? They'll be all sinew-y and stuff, and you'll sprout 'roids. *shudder*

[sarcasmo]

8. Thanks for the laugh.

[BlueJazz]

4. Hallelujah !! ......I'll be at your house @6:00 ...um...I like mine Medium.

...2 lbs will be plenty.
I'll bring some Ice Cream, Malt and cream for Milk-Shakes.
...and a few Vegetables.

[dixiegrrrrl]

5. what are the odds of a total societal meltdown, even under Bush?

Hey, I have faith in the lil feller.
If anyone can create the meltdown, he can.
Good track record in the FUBAR dept. so far, don't ya think?

[melody]

17. It's fairly easy even for His Royal Idiocy -- he'll just send in the stormtroopers

I think Uncle Dick can help with that. lol

[sarcasmo]

9. If I may ask, how much a pound was your cow?

[smoogatz]

11. It was a tad on the pricey side this time around.

A bit over $4.50/lb., and that's for everything from suet and soup-bones to steaks, tenderloins and roasts. Last time we did it (a couple of years ago, iirc) it was closer to $4.00.

[sarcasmo]

13. How many steaks does that 500 dollars equate too?

[garlicmilkshake]

15. A good steak is priceless.

[smoogatz]

19. I'm not sure how many lbs of steaks there are: but it's a LOT.

Enough that you actually get a little bit sick of steak because you've got to eat them before they've been in the freezer too long. Most of what you get is steaks, big roasts, ground beef and stew meat--all of it delicious. You overpay for the cheaper cuts and get a deal on the good stuff; I'm guessing pound for pound we pay a good bit less than we would at the supermarket for organic beef, if we could even buy it at any of our local supermarkets, which we can't.

[sarcasmo]

24. Freezer burn would be my concern.

[smoogatz]

26. Well, it's all pretty well packaged. But yeah--you don't want it in there

more than a year. We gave a good bit away last time. And had lots of dinner parties!

[sarcasmo]

28. Good for you. Is a year about as long as it will keep?

[smoogatz]

30. Generally speaking, you don't want to eat meat that's been frozen

more than a year. It just doesn't taste very good after that. According to the USDA it never actually "goes bad" if it stays frozen, but it'll sort of taste like freezer if it's in there too long.

[WindRiverMan]

46. A good vacuum sealer is priceless in those situations

We usually split a moose between two people, usually get around 300lbs of meat each. I just have them butcher it, and do the packaging myself with a vacuum sealer. It will keep for at least 18 months that way. I also put up lots and lots of salmon and halibut that way. It is not quite as good as fresh caught, but it is still better than anything "flash frozen" you get in a grocery store.

[EOTE]

29. I'd never get sick of steak.

So, how does this package arrive? Is it all in saran wrap or something similar? Sounds like it could be pretty cost efficient. Do you get a good amount of tenderloin? Any info you could provide would be appreciated. I think I might like to try this some time.

[smoogatz]

31. We go and pick it up at the farmer's market.

They also offer to deliver at no charge, but we prefer to save them the trouble. We usually order a couple of months in advance. You get a quarter beef, which is an even mix of front and rear quarter cuts. It's all double-wrapped in freezer paper and bagged (and frozen solid); we re-bag it in plastic before it goes into the freezer. Not sure of the weight on the tenderloin, but it's a good chunk.

[KaryninMiami]

10. Imagine- if you give up eating animals, you can stock up on even more supplies-

Imagine how much more you could store and it would not need to be refridgerated! Plus you'd be helping our planet and of course, also helping the animals. Even just cutting back on meat consumption by 50% would make a huge difference in global warming (and help feed many more humans).

Just a suggestion from someone who for many reasons, gave up eating meat over 15 years ago.

[smoogatz]

12. Cows want us to eat them.

You can see it in their big, soulful eyes. Besides, if they didn't want to be eaten, they wouldn't taste so good.

Just kidding! I actually think you're right about helping the planet, so I plan to eat as many cows as I possibly can as part of my global cow eradication initiative.

But seriously--these are pretty low impact animals. Grass-fed, locally raised, everything handled as humanely as possible. I've been to the farm, I know the people who raise them. They're good folks.

[garlicmilkshake]

14. Meanwhile, we are working on keeping the deer population in check.

[smoogatz]

22. Good for you.

We're planning to put out cracked corn for 'em this winter, just for the scenic effect (and just in case things get really crazy). We had a couple of wild turkey hens in our yard last week, too. Turkey. Yum.

[EFerrari]

16. LOL!

[Dems4me]

64. My mom and dad had cows..bought -sold-them- Then they had a change of heart & now

they have 15 BIG overgrown pets. They all have names,collars and bells!
They say their going to keep them till they get old and die! Hahahaaa

[csziggy]

18. What will you do if power and fuel are unavailable?

We had stocked our freezer pretty thoroughly for the winter - meats, vegetables, even "fresh" herbs. All summer, every time there was a good buy on the food we like, I'd buy two or three - one to use immediately and the rest for the freezer. Then Fay came along. No power for five days. By the time some friends offered the use of their generator when they got power, everything was partially thawed and we donated it to the local homeless shelter. We lost about $400-500 worth of food.

We've thought about getting our own generator, but then we see things like the gas shortages after Gustav and Ike came through. People were having problems getting fuel for their cars and the idea of trying to store enough fuel for even a small generator to keep it going for weeks is just not practical for us. We have the room, but I cannot lift a five gallon can of gas or diesel to refuel a small generator. A large generator is just stupid IMO.

We were hoping to save up for a solar photovoltaic system, but the way the economy is, that will probably not happen anytime soon. One acquaintance has panels for her house and never lost power at all. She was even running her air conditioner in the steamy aftermath of Fay.

Just sayin' - it could be a problem!

[smoogatz]

20. Fire up the grill and invite the neighbors.

Seriously--what could you do? You can't plan for everything.

[smoogatz]

25. Another point:

If there's no power/fuel in the winter-time, we're screwed anyway. No way to heat our big old barn of a house without natural gas (we almost went with a geothermal retrofit, but the guy wasn't all that confident it would actually keep the place warm!). We'd have to go stay with the in-laws in SoCal if that happened. Assuming we could get ourselves out there, that is.

[csziggy]

59. Yes, if things go really, really bad there are no options

We live in Florida - our house is built to catch breezes in the summer, but since I am phobic about open flames, we have no fireplace and no way to heat it in the winter. But our house is extremely well insulated so the temperature took days to get really warm and it was the humidity that made it really nasty. I grew up with no AC so we could have dealt with that

We have no way to cook without electricity, though we can always gather wood and make a cook fire if it got down to it. My dear husband would have to learn to cook, since I would not want to deal with it.

[leftchick]

21. bad for your digestive system and pancreas

and very sad for the poor cow. There are many other excellent sources of protein other than mammals. But I am sure you already know that.

[smoogatz]

23. Cows are delicious.

And not very smart. They deserve to be eaten. Besides, who'd to take care of all the geriatric cows that would be wandering around if nobody ate them? You?

[leftchick]

33. as a matter of fact yes

I rescue abused farm animals. And for you information, many farm animals are smarter than a lot of people and posters I have come across. Enjoy the blood.

[smoogatz]

36. We call it "juice"

and you can't make gravy without it. Enjoy your leaves!

[comrade snarky]

52. There's no righteousness like self righteousness is there?

And there's no better way to marginalize a push to get Americans eating less meat than condescending attitudes like yours.

Nice work.

<edited for tpyo>

[smoogatz]

27. And another thing:

If you guys weren't such inveterate scolds you'd thank me for not buying factory-farmed beef, and you'd understand that by buying local organic I'm actually helping the planet and helping a family-run organic farm stay in business. The same people who raised my cow also raise a wide variety of organic grain and veggie crops; it's a high-risk venture for them, and they're not ever going to get rich doing it. If you like your organic veggies, then you should want to help support the people who grow them.

[SammyWinstonJack]

32. ...

I would buy some, but we don't eat a lot of beef. Hardly any at all really.

[smoogatz]

35. You know, we never buy it at the supermarket.

God knows what chemicals and drugs are in it these days--not to mention the shoddy processing, bacteria and risk of mad cow. We generally eat more buffalo than beef, which should tell you something about where we live. But this made sense partly because we're on this stocking-up drive and partly because we really like to support our local farms as much as we can. Besides, it really is delicious.

God--I'm starting to sound like an ad for the Beef Council or something.

[SammyWinstonJack]

38. I think you made a smart and informed choice.

[leftchick]

37. true enough

but you are still eating a sentient being, much like (I assume ) yourself.

[smoogatz]

39. Why do some vegetarians feel compelled to proselytize?

Seriously. What's up with that?

[Posteritatis]

42. Take one part assumed moral superiority over all who disagree and add the Internet. (nt)

[Name removed]

43. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[smoogatz]

45. There you go.

I've got no problem with vegetarians--some of my best friends, etc. But I dislike being guilt-tripped for being an omnivore.

[comrade snarky]

54. Very true

My sister was veg for about 20 years. I've done it myself for periods of time.

It's yet another example of my philosophy of man. There's always one jerk in every crowd.

[Name removed]

49. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[phusion]

34. I have about 15 pounds of elk in my freezer

the only problem I see with your plan is what if there is a power outage? Do you know how to preserve that meat when you don't have a freezer?

[smoogatz]

40. If it happens in the winter we put it out on the screen-porch

and pack it in coolers with snow/ice. Then we get in the car and drive to someplace warm 'til the juice comes back on. We should be through most of it by summer, so not an issue if it happens then.

[phusion]

41. cool!

I suppose you could air dry meat or "pickle" it somehow. Just wondering how people got by before there were freezers.

[smoogatz]

44. You hit it on the head, I think.

You ate fresh meat in the fall, at slaughtering time. The rest you smoked or ground into sausage or whatever: if you wanted something fresh, you killed it. Ever seen a real Smithfield ham after it's been in the cellar for a few months? You cut away the mold and gack and eat the good part on the inside. That's how everybody ate, back in the day.

[A HERETIC I AM]

51. Salt.

Salting meat preserves it just fine. Ditto smoke.

[FedUpWithIt All]

62. All types of meat can be home canned. Canned meat is great for most use.

Soups, stews, casseroles...works great. Lasts a really long time and no issue with power shortages.

[ThomWV]

48. In the end I doubt that you will find this a satisfying thing to have done

We've done that a couple of times, buying a quarter or a half, or getting together with neighbors and raising a beef for slaughter and then splitting it. In the end you find yourself with a lot of cuts you aren't familiar with cooking, and living in constant terror of freezer burn. If I was going to do it today I'd take the good steaks out of it and have every ounce of the rest ground into hamburger. Oh, and that grass fed beef tends to taste strong and chew about the same. Its best in the end to put a few sacks of grain through them before they meet their maker.

[smoogatz]

57. You'd be wrong about that.

This is the second quarter we've bought: first one was great! No issues w/ freezer burn, and certainly no trouble w/ cuts "we weren't familiar with." It's cow: pretty straightforward stuff--season it right and don't overcook it and it all tastes good (they don't include any guts, innards or gonads with these packages unless you request them). I actually prefer the taste of grass-fed beef over grain-fed, though range-fed cow does tend to get a bit more exercise than lot-fed cow, so you have to cook it right.

[old mark]

50. We started doing something similar last month -

We bought alarge amount of various types of meat from a butcher at our local farmers market for the freezer. This was in late August, we still have some left, and we are going to do it again in a week or so.
We like having a lot of groceries on hand, for economic reasons as well as "just in case" reasons.

This seems to be a good idea so far.
Several years ago, we butchered a deer on the patio, filled two freezers, had delicious meat for a year.

I will go hunting for deer again this year, more to enjoy the woods than anything else, but who knows.

mark

[A HERETIC I AM]

53. My mom and Dad used to do the same thing when I was little.

There were 6 of us, so they would by an entire side at a time.

I remember going to the butcher like twice a year to pick up the 200+ pounds of beef. It seems to me it was like a co-op butcher out in the country that served a number of the farms in the area. We lived in suburban Washington DC then. Montgomery County, outside Gaithersburg.

[Beausoir]

61. Yes, mine too. We would buy a side at a time. And back in those days..it was GOOD beef.

Nowadays, there is so much lousy beef out there that you hate to chance it.

[spinbaby]

55. I spent $200 on meat the other day

Our local farmers market includes a lady who sells grass-fed Scottish highland beef and a guy who sells free-range pork. Both vendors are local, both have happy animals. Meat with minimal guilt.

Right this minute we have a fresh ham roast nestled in the crock pot with a big mess of kale, also from the farmers market.

[nemo137]

58. My family did that with lamb and goat growing up.

Chops, a few roasts, stewmeat and ground. You haven't lived until your winter menu includes goat chili and spicy lamb stew with tomatillos.

[madeline_con]

63. What if you lose power?

Better buy a 100 lb. bag of salt.

[Odin2005]

66. My parents get organic beef from the same place Trotsky does, very good stuff!

A hell of a lot better then the feed-lot crap.