Steerage

Finally! In about 3 more weeks we'll be getting our share (1/10) of a pasture raised organic steer.

We do this about every 18 months to 2 years. Not as often as I'd like, but coordinating the purchase among the group of us busy women is not easy. LOTS of props to Suz, who does the organization! w00t! What a woman!

Splitting a steer, or half a steer, really brings the price down to the same price we'd pay for the same beef - factory farm raised, not organic - in a supermarket. But I do buy the factory farmed supermarket meat between our bulk purchases. Because I'm cheap, and money is tight.

This is our first purchase from this farm and using this slaughterhouse. We were dissatisfied with the previous farm and the last steer - which was tough as nails.

I'd love to split a hog or goat or lamb, but that hasn't worked out yet. Maybe someday.

So we're working on eating out of the freezer for the next 3 weeks to make room from the beefiness. I'll be making stored bones and veggie scraps into stock, making stock into soup, turning sale price meat into meals, etc. I started this in ernest a few days ago, tho' - and since I make meals army-sized, we won't be needing anything out of the freezer again for days, I have so much in leftovers in the fridge. Well, I'll take one container of lentil soup out for lunches tomorrow, but that's it until Thursday.

The slaughterhouse we'll be picking up the beef at this time has far better hours than the previous one. Usually we DC area folks would drive out to the Hagarstown area Friday night, have a slumber party at Suz's house, then drag our sorry butts out to pick up the beef before the place closed at 8:30 am. This time I think I can sleep at home, then go up to Suz or even meet them all at the slaughter house for pickup. Then back to Suz's for the first 'even distribution' of meat .... followed by trading cuts we aren't as fond of for cuts we like more. THAT is a hoot.

How many of y'all are into either organic/pastured meats or bulk buying? I kind of figure that the preppers reading are doing more bulk buying and the pagans are getting more organics, but it could well be all of y'all!

Frondly, Fern