OT - All Organic Eaters Where are You Buying Your Meats?

aukerns08

Since having our son last year my wife and I both have been doing a lot of research on food and diet, for ourselves and for our son.  As a result of the research and since our son is no longer on baby food we made the decision to start transitioning to an all organic diet.  Finding organic vegetables is pretty easy, meat is a little tougher unless your diet is all chicken based.  I found some organic pork loin this weekend at our Super Target of all places and it was decently priced and tasted great.  The more I look around the more I find, I'm just having a difficult time finding beef and the larger cuts of meat like pork butt and brisket for BBQ.  On beef even places like SRF don't claim to be organic, so we might just need to look at beef differently and look for no hormones and antibiotics added.  Where are the all organic eaters finding pork and beef?

Eggcelsior

I'm lucky to have Wegmans, which carries organic beef, pork, chicken, and seafood. I also have a few farms in the area that do organic grassfed beef and one that does berkshire hogs(hogs are free-roaming so they can't guarantee that everything is organic that they forage for). That is going to be your best bet. Check out a site like slowfoodusa.com to find farms in your area for this kind of stuff. 

aukerns08

@Eggcelsior Thanks, we moved further out from the Wegmans so we don't get there as often as we used to and I kind of forgot about it, Harris Teeter is where we shop usually because it's closest but it's hit or miss.  I guess we'll make special trips to Wegmans.  I don't remember having luck there with the bigger cuts either when we were closer.  I think you're in Frederick, MD right?  If so we're actually not that far from each other, basically just across the river, the farms you use might be good options for me as well.  I'll check out that website also. 

Acn

Eggcelsior has some great suggestions.  Definitely check for local producers and talk to them; at one of the farmer's markets here there are a couple of meat stalls who raise their animals organically, but don't have the time or extra income to actually go through the USDA certification process.

If that doesn't work, then you may have to prioritize - regular antibiotic and hormone therapy would be a no-go, but grazing on fertilized pastureland is something you can live with, etc.

Eggcelsior

Ruth Ann's Garden Beef out of Woodsboro, MD. They have their steer processed at Wagner's in Mt Airy. It's all freezer beef.

Hedgeapple Farm in Buckeystown, MD - They do grass-fed Angus and have a storefront for individual cuts.

Rocklands Farm near Poolesville, MD has Berkshire, Red Wattle, and Tamworth hogs. They also do pastured beef and actual free-range chicken. Everything is processed at Hamiltons in Hagerstown.

Hemps Meat's in Jefferson, MD has their own farm and offers grass-finished and grain-finished beef. No hormones or Antibiotics.

I get my milk from South mountain Creamery in Middletown, MD. This is important to us with our kids because we can go there to show them where the milk they drink comes from. Plus, it's much, much better than what we get in the store and is about the same price as organic. They also offer meat and eggs. Everything can be delivered if you fall in their delivery area.


Finding nice examples of "bbq-style" meats is harder(Brisket is typically ground up and the butts are often cut into smaller pieces) at these places so I'd recommend going through a butcher like Hemps or Wagners. Trueth's in Oella, MD is excellent but they would be a haul for you(outside Baltimore).

There are many more places in Frederick County as well as Washington County. What I listed are places that I have actually had and can recommend.

Grillin_beers

My wife's family has a farm.  All of their meat is grass fed free range organic.  We are lucky and get a freezer full every year. 

4Runner

Snake River Farms....just take out a second mortgage and you will be covered.  

DoubleEgger

My buddy and his family are organic and he's picking up half a cow this week....

Dredger

For anyone in upstate SC, I highly recommend Satterfield Farms in Taylors SC. Grass fed beef and pork. They are at the Travelers Rest Farmers Market on Saturdays and also have a store. He'll get any cut of meat that you want. Congrats on your decision to go organic, aukerns08.