Anywho--I set off to check out the Old Town Scottsdale Farmer's Market this morning--abbreviated by me as OTSFM and it was quite interesting and lovely. I could have stayed for hours because I found it to be like a healthier version of Costco with friendly, young people offering samples of their own prized concoctions, instead of old people with hair nets. I didn't have that amazingly large shopping cart that Costco offers, so I sampled here and there and was envious of the people who remembered to bring their reuseable shopping bags (huge brainfart Bree!). Next time, I'm thinking I'll be more prepared for the awesomeness.
I had one goal in mind on my excursion to the OTSFM--to find some grass-fed beef! I wandered the market and found that there were three different ones. I talked to one beef-selling cowboy and he wasn't too exciting or helpful but I did gather a price list from him and learned that this particular ranch will deliver the meat to my door. He said, "I'll bring it to ya anywhere in the valley on up to Prescott." So I understand that to mean that he would deliver most places. This family owned enterprise is called JH Grass Fed Beef and can be found at http://www.jhgrassfed.com/. I took his pricelist and tipped my conductor's hat in his direction before continuing my parade around the market.
After that I was wandering, admittedly quite aimlessly, when I just about ran face first into a basket of granola held by a lovely old lady. She saw my paper and pricelist and whispered to me that she really enjoyed buying her beef from Circle Key Farms. She pointed me in their direction and it was all I could do not to bust out into a sprint to get there.
After some serious crown weaving, I walked up to the Circle Key stand (Phone # 520-450-1016) and they had pictures of their cute little cow and goat friends--(they sell eggs too). My demeanor must have been inquisitive because the lady proceeded to explain to me how they feed their little four-legged friends alfalfa and raise them by hand on pastures of grass that they grow themselves. They don't treat the grass with any pesticides and don't fatten up their cows with grain or hormones. (This doesn't mean that JH Farm guy does these things--but this lady wooed me with her explanation).
I asked a few questions and took a look at the pricelist and I got to meet the man behind the meat! The cowboy! This dude was real, 100% grass-fed cowboy! He was gruff, and tough with callused hands at least 1/4 inch thick. I'm sure he probably drives one of those Diesel Ford F150s and would scoff at my eco-friendly Prius with a toughness that would scare a bull. He's probably never heard of Beyonce or the Black Eyed Peas, but I bet if I brought up Elvis we would be buds. Nonetheless, he reminded me a lot of my grandpa in character and gruffness so I listened up!
He told me he raises the cows himself, feeds them from his own land and sells only the best! By the looks of this tough old cowboy, he wasn't lying! He has earned every wrinkle on his forehead and every dollar in his pocket. He said, "What can I getcha?" and "I'd be happy to sell you by the 1/4 and by the 1/2 (of a cow)...just don't go gettin' all 'steak happy' on me and you'll get it all for a better price. You know what you want?" So I thought about it and thought some more--"what does one do with 1/4 or 1/2 a cow?" and "Can you fit 1/4 cow in a Prius?" I also thought, "Uhhhh, I don't even know what half these cuts of meat are--holy crap I need to learn more about meat, NOW!"
By the way, I'm not sure I could fit 1/2 or a 1/4 of a cow in my Prius or my apartment, let alone my freezer, so I opted for the next best choice and bought a Top Sirloin steak and some ground beef. These were safe options in my mind. I figured I needed to sample this beautiful meat before purchasing THE COW.
So, tomorrow I'm gonna have some steak--I'll let ya know how it goes. But I wanted to pass along this info to other Paleo/Primal enthusiasts because by cutting out the middle man (like Whole Foods and Sprouts) you can save a lot of money on grass-fed beef products and put your money into the local market.
Click here if you would like to learn more about the benefits of grass-fed beef from Mark's Daily Apple.
Cheers to Life! --Bree
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