Saturday, June 28, 2008

Day #3...BEEFY!



Ever wonder what $500 worth of 100% organic, grass-fed beef looks like? C'mon, you know you're curious...

Before I show you, there's a back story.

A little over a year ago we joined a local produce co-op here in Arizona. This has been a great way for us to save some money while exposing our family to some fresh fruit and veggies I might not ordinarily pick up at the supermarket. The biweekly produce baskets have been good, but it's the bulk purchases I live for!

In the past 5 months, I have made out like a bandit on things like spices and rice. I purchased nine different varieties of rice (a total of over 50 lbs.) for $20. We have rice coming out of our noses! Have you ever heard of "red heirloom rice" before? I have it! Feel like a little 100% wild rice? I can hook you up! My family is becoming a bunch of rice snobs. No Uncle Ben's allowed in this house.

Well, back to the beef...

Today I picked up a quarter cow. That's right, one-fourth of an entire cow! These are free-range, all grass-fed cattle. No being shoved onto a grain lot for the last few weeks of its life, no hormones or antibiotics. Just happy, smiling, skipping, dancing moo-cows living peacefully in the meadows of Wickenburg, Arizona right up until their last moments before becoming steak. I like to imagine the beef in my freezer recently looked like this:


If you're a meat-eater, there are many benefits to eating grass-fed beef. I don't claim to be an expert on the subject, but you can certainly learn about it for yourself on websites like eatwild.com.

The co-op I mentioned occasionally does bulk purchases of beef. I got to choose my cow and went to pick up the finished beef today. We ended up with over 145 pounds of fresh beef, packed and labeled and ready for my freezer! That's less that $3.50 per pound for premium beef, everything from ground beef to filet mignon. I'm so excited!

Now, I've dragged this on long enough. Here's what $500 worth of premium beef looks like:



I'll be honest. My family will never go through all this beef before it goes bad. We love our steaks and roasts, and Kevin has that whole man thing going with his grill, but we have to be practical. So, we are splitting this haul of flesh with our dear friends and fellow carnivores Jenni and Frank.

I'm already imagining the possibilities.

Did I mention I'm going to lose 25 pounds by the time I'm done with my 100 days of blogging?

1 comment:

michelle rasor said...

I am so glad to find this blog of yours... very cool. good luck on your 25 lbs, my goal will be to lose my 25 by your 100 days, too! :) 37 is not quite as easy baby fat losing age at 27... and i too did bountiful basket, but for a few weeks our produce was not so hot, but your kinda inspiring me to try it out again! let's chat soon!