"Bulk" Organic Beef - where to get quality stuff?

[erikistired]

Originally posted by: SarcasticDwarf
btw, "bulk" for beef is at least 1/4 of the animal.

everyone on this forum knows that bulk means about the size of an alternator. don't try to fool us!

 

[evident]

just raise and kill the cow yourself duh

 

[TallBill]

Originally posted by: SarcasticDwarf
Ask around at the co-op. There are also various organic websites that list all the producers in each area.

btw, "bulk" for beef is at least 1/4 of the animal.

That website sells 1/8, 1/4, 1/2 of a cow.

 

[waffleironhead]

organic consumers website

1) head here
2)enter zip code
3)contact farmer
4)buy "bulk"
5)win

 

[Descartes]

Asking about organics on ATOT is a bad idea in general. There's more ignorance about the topic than there is help, imo.

That said, I'd do what waffleironhead suggested. Most towns I've lived in usually have a collection of co-ops, local farms or brokers that can get the product you want. I've known people to just buy the entire cow, but that might be more than you want.

Also, I wouldn't limit it to organics certification only. Many farmers employ much of the same methods but are simply too small to afford the certification or perhaps have a few areas that don't meet the standards. You can often get a large discount by going to them, and you still get a better product than you otherwise would.

 

[abaez]

Costco has the 3 individual packs of organic beef about one pound cubes for $12? They are also "alternator" sized. Really good for a single person too just cook one up and save half of it for a next meal.

 

[Bryophyte]

Originally posted by: abaez
Costco has the 3 individual packs of organic beef about one pound cubes for $12? They are also "alternator" sized. Really good for a single person too just cook one up and save half of it for a next meal.

That's what I was going to recommend. It's really good.

 

[SunnyD]

Originally posted by: waffleironhead
organic consumers website

1) head here
2)enter zip code
3)contact farmer
4)buy "bulk"
5)win

You rock! My wife is now in possession of the link!

Originally posted by: Descartes
Asking about organics on ATOT is a bad idea in general. There's more ignorance about the topic than there is help, imo.

That said, I'd do what waffleironhead suggested. Most towns I've lived in usually have a collection of co-ops, local farms or brokers that can get the product you want. I've known people to just buy the entire cow, but that might be more than you want.

Also, I wouldn't limit it to organics certification only. Many farmers employ much of the same methods but are simply too small to afford the certification or perhaps have a few areas that don't meet the standards. You can often get a large discount by going to them, and you still get a better product than you otherwise would.

Indeed, I think our chicken isn't certified organic, but it's human-grade and raised organic.

 

[hiromizu]

Buy bulk, you'll start eating in bulk. I doubt you'll see any real savings.

 

[Pocatello]

What's up with the "bulk" stuffs?

 

[yuppiejr]

Originally posted by: SunnyD
Looking for maybe 20 pounds mixed, probably like 7-10 ground and the rest steaks and roasts.

And FoBoT - a couple of the online shops I've found have organic grass-fed ... for example, a 36lb mix, with shipping it comes out to less than $1.00/lb. That's cheaper than the NON-organic meats at the local grocery store. So no, it's not for the elite rich. I've been getting organic free-range boneless chicken breasts for about $1.50/lb. You try to do that at a grocery store. It's when you go all out and get every single thing organic that it becomes expensive. I constantly am at odds with my wife about that, and she does the best she can to get only what she has to in organic.

I buy all of my beef and pork farm direct and can tell you that 36 pounds is NOT bulk in any way shape or form. A typical processed quarter beef carcass yields somewhere in the neighborhood of 125-175 pounds of steaks + ground while a half hog is 100-125 pounds. Either quantity is about the minimum most farmers I've purchased from will deal in and price as "bulk."

I usually end up paying about 10% over what the farmer is paid per pound at market and adding in the cost of butchering & processing I usually end up in the $2.50 - $3.50 per pound range. Shipping isn't a factor since I make the trip out and haul it back in ice packed coolers when I'm visiting in-laws anyway.

 

[legoman666]

Originally posted by: Pocatello
What's up with the "bulk" stuffs?

http://forums.anandtech.com/me...=1803934&enterthread=y

 

[OdiN]

Maybe check with your local butcher?