Tips for Eating Healthy Meat
Editor's note: We asked Jay Porter, founder of The Linkery in San Diego, to recommend sources for healthy meat in his area. The Linkery was named as one of the 100 best farm-to-table restaurants in America by Gourmet Magazine. If you have tips for where to get healthy meat in your area, email us at localmeat@gmail.com and we will feature them in a follow-up post.
by Jay Porter
With Food, Inc. capturing the attention of many Americans, many folks are starting to wonder where they can buy food, particularly meat, that isn't from the industrial system. TakePart graciously asked me to help direct those of us in San Diego to some sources for good meat.
First, my requirements:
* To me, the only beef, lamb or goat worth eating is raised on a diet of grass by an independent farmer. Ideally the animals would eat nothing but live, fresh pasture but dry Southern California summer means farmers often have to swap in hay they grew in the wet season. Either way, as long as they're eating grass and they don't live in a feedlot, that's cool.
* The best chicken is also raised outdoors, on pasture, in an integrated independent farm. Those are just becoming available now in San Diego, and it might be a few months until everyone has access to them. (In the meantime, when you see chicken that is both "free-range" and organic, it definitely is better than typical industrial chicken.)
* For pigs, who prefer a varied diet, the best situation is animals raised outdoors on a family farm, with plenty of room and no need for antibiotics to keep them healthy.
And, the options (those I know about, anyway):
RAW MEAT
* For local, pastured beef, Homegrown Meats in La Jolla is the place.
* For pastured chickens, you'll find Curtis Womach at the Hillcrest Farmers Market every Sunday.
* For sustainably raised heritage pork, Eden Farms pork is the best available in San Diego, and you can get it at Iowa Meat Farms and Seisel's Meats.
CURED MEAT
* <shameless self promotion> North Park Meat Co., inside The Linkery, cures pastured goat, beef and lamb from different California farms, and heritage pigs sustainably raised outdoors by family farmers in California and Iowa. </shameless self promotion>.
* Knight Salumi Co. cures pork from Niman Ranch, a co-operative of Iowa farms that use methods which are much preferable to standard factory practices. You'll find them at the Hillcrest Farmers Market on Sundays, and at other farmers markets in town.
RESTAURANTS
* Sea Rocket Bistro serves pastured chicken and local pastured lamb
* BurgerLounge serves burgers from pastured beef from farms in California and the Midwest
* All the beef, goat, and lamb at The Linkery (I know, I know) is pastured; plus we have outdoor-raised heritage pork from independent farms in California and Iowa. Pastured chickens are coming soon.
* Alchemy serves grass-fed beef from Estancia in South America.
There are probably are other purveyors I don't know about, but we are grateful for even these few. They make it possible to eat well in San Diego and still eat some meat every now and then!
Don't forget to email us your tips!
- Categories: Environment
Great post on staying healthy. Eating healthy meat is very important between a healthy meal and a very unhealthy meal. I would especially consider Steaks from my client La Cense Beef, as it is organic and much healthier than traditionally produced steak.
Our family has a small hobby farm where we are raising beef cattle on pasture. When we tell other cattle ranchers that we are working on making our farm organic, the reaction ranges from derisive chuckles to lectures on how stupid it is to waste your money trying to go organic when chemical fertilizers are so much cheaper and more effective.
We really wanted to raise our own steer to feed our family but so far we can't bring ourselves to do it. Even though we are beef ranchers, we are moving more and more toward vegetarianism every day and we buy mostly local and/or organic produce.
Any suggestions for east coasters? Like NY?
Whole Foods opened a new store in Paramus, N.J., and carries a wide selection of drug- and hormone-free chicken, pork, beef, lamb and so forth. On one visit, I saw 100% grass-raised beef from Skillman, N.J. It's just one of the farms in the Garden State that are raising cows, goats, lamb, pigs and other animals as naturally as possible. Two are Bobolink Dairy in Sussex County and Valley Shepherd Creamery in Long Valley. The ShopRite and Stop & Shop supermarket chains in North Jersey also carry a store-brand of chicken that is fed a vegetarian diet and raised without antibiotics.
I have been discussing similar issues in my blog. Please take a look and share:
http://doyoureallyknowwhatyoureeating.blogspot.com/
I've been to a few farms in Illinois to buy meat. I thought it was funny that it was like a drug deal. I was sitting in their living rooms, handing over large sums of cash to get grass-fed, pastured animal meat, like it was some underground operation. How..... revealing...
Also, for all you vegetarians out in San Diego, The Linkery does absolutely amazing veggie dishes. You must go there, today, and eat.
How true, In fact a normal farm chicken is fed with so much of antibiotics that each bite can be canserous.
You will find some more healthy eating tips at http://www.friendly-tips.com/