eating seasonally - only locally grown food - Page 2

[Koalamom]

Dh helped the local organic farmer process about 100 turkeys this year in exchange for one turkey.  If it weren't for that we would have gone without a turkey.

[sanguine_speed]

Originally Posted by bluebirdmama1 

Dh helped the local organic farmer process about 100 turkeys this year in exchange for one turkey.  If it weren't for that we would have gone without a turkey.

That's a wonderful opportunity!

[wemoon]

Originally Posted by laohaire 

I absolutely consider preserving the local harvest to be local eating, absolutely.

And I also agree that there are different traditional ways of eating, including eating just (or mostly) meat in winter. I personally do consider meat to be a fall and winter food.

I also hear ya on the turkey. We spent $90 on our Thanksgiving turkey. I can hear everybody in my head telling me I'm crazy, but we stand firm on what meat we're ok buying (no factory meat). We could have easily gone without turkey at all (we always used to go without before we found this source) but at $3.75 a pound, this bird was the cheapest good meat we could buy! I consider it a good deal, kind of a bulk purchase of 24 pounds of meat. We're still eating it, actually (I'm thawing portions from the freezer by now of course). Turkey pot pie... yummmmmm.

Oofta! $3.75/#! I was able to get a local turkey here for $2.79/#. I wonder what kind of difference there is in pricing in different regions. I'm in the midwest. Chicken goes for about the same for me. Ground beef is $5/#.

[laohaire]

Northeast.

$3.75/lb - turkey

$5.00/lb - chicken

$4.00/lb - stew hen (overpriced, imho - I think $3 would be fair)

$5.50/lb - ground beef, stew beef

$6.00-$12.00 - other cuts of beef, I think filet mignon being the most expensive

Even bones are $6/lb. Imagine the supermarket selling beef bones for $6/lb? Whoa.

$6.00-$9.00 - cuts of pork

$6.00-+ - cuts of lamb

And, honestly, those are the cheapest prices I've found. And not because there's not many sources. I don't know the other prices as well because naturally I've picked farms and stuck with them, but I've seen $7/lb for ground beef, for example.

The turkey is pastured but not heritage. It's a broad-breasted. You pay $6/lb for a heritage turkey. Also, someone around here will sell you a wild turkey (hunted) for $12/lb. Whoa!

So... we don't eat much meat. Months will go by without us buying any. Though when bacon comes in, I splurge :) We're still eating our Thanskgiving turkey, in fact I'm making a pot pie right now.

[redvlagrl]

Originally Posted by Alyantavid 

Mulberries are very hard to harvest, imo.  We have 2 trees and they produce a ton of fruit but it's hard to pick. 

Next year try putting a large sheet under the tree and shaking it hard. Do this every few days. it's not foolproof but better than wasting.

[wemoon]

laohaire - Most of the other prices seem similar, although I don't buy pork cuts, only pork sausage and that is only $3/#. It is amazing how much higher poultry is in your area though!

[cristeen]

Here, buying by the piece (vs a whole/half cow), ground is $5.99/lb.  Buffalo, lamb, pork I believe are all $6.99/lb for ground.  Any other cuts just go up from there.  Chicken is only available whole, and I believe it's $5/lb.  Even tongue went from being $2/lb a couple years ago to now it's something like $9/lb because of demand.  I can get pig skin for $2.99 lb, and that's a steal.  I can get unrendered beef suet for the same.  For both you have to buy large quantities though (30# on the pig, 15# on the cow).  Bacon is $9/12 oz, and sausage is $7/lb, IIRC. 

To give you an idea, I just picked up a 3 bone prime rib (standing rib roast) for New Years dinner.   The one we cooked 2 years ago only fed 4/5 adults at that size.  Cost me about $150.

Our grocery budget was out of control just because of the cost of meat.  But I just joined a meat CSA, first pick up was last weekend, and so far I'm happy with it.  I got 24# of chicken, turkey, beef, lamb and goat (no pork this month for some reason) for ~$200 (under $8/lb).  Everything from ground beef to porterhouse steaks, lamb shoulder roasts, rack of goat, a whole chicken and a turkey leg/breast combo.  I was spending twice that each month buying weekly... so we'll see how it looks at the end of the month. 

[meemee]

ugh it makes me sooo mad that the farm subsidies go towards the 'bad' food and the small farmers are the actual price of food we really should be paying. 

it scares me to think what happens if the farm subsidies are taken away. is it going to be like the ex USSR when bread hit the roof once there was no subsidies.

[Alyantavid]

Originally Posted by redvlagrl 

Originally Posted by Alyantavid 

Mulberries are very hard to harvest, imo.  We have 2 trees and they produce a ton of fruit but it's hard to pick. 

Next year try putting a large sheet under the tree and shaking it hard. Do this every few days. it's not foolproof but better than wasting.

That's what we've done.  They're a pain though.  Thankfully most of the berries fall in the pasture, but part of my lawn in purple all summer.  

Originally Posted by laohaire 

Northeast.

$3.75/lb - turkey

$5.00/lb - chicken

$4.00/lb - stew hen (overpriced, imho - I think $3 would be fair)

$5.50/lb - ground beef, stew beef

$6.00-$12.00 - other cuts of beef, I think filet mignon being the most expensive

Even bones are $6/lb. Imagine the supermarket selling beef bones for $6/lb? Whoa.

$6.00-$9.00 - cuts of pork

$6.00-+ - cuts of lamb

And, honestly, those are the cheapest prices I've found. And not because there's not many sources. I don't know the other prices as well because naturally I've picked farms and stuck with them, but I've seen $7/lb for ground beef, for example.

The turkey is pastured but not heritage. It's a broad-breasted. You pay $6/lb for a heritage turkey. Also, someone around here will sell you a wild turkey (hunted) for $12/lb. Whoa!

So... we don't eat much meat. Months will go by without us buying any. Though when bacon comes in, I splurge :) We're still eating our Thanskgiving turkey, in fact I'm making a pot pie right now.

Prices here are a bit cheaper, but not much.  I'm just glad we're able to mostly raise our own and have a good source for chicken.  Turkey is the one I'm struggling with, but we're just going without for now. 

[wemoon]

Originally Posted by meemee 

ugh it makes me sooo mad that the farm subsidies go towards the 'bad' food and the small farmers are the actual price of food we really should be paying. 

it scares me to think what happens if the farm subsidies are taken away. is it going to be like the ex USSR when bread hit the roof once there was no subsidies.

I have to make sure when I'm at the grocery store to just not look at prices of subsidized, feedlot meat.

[goldenwillow]

We have been doing this for 7 years now and never looked back.  We have relied on a local farm for our Winter crops this year since ours didn't pan out so well, unfortunately. 

I always hear that eating locally is so expensive, which it is....  however, I find that eating other ways is more expensive in the long run... health wise.  I feel like crap eating crap food.  That is how we get past the financial side of it.  It is not worth it to me to save a few bucks and buy less than.  I will not eat any meat from a mainstream, traditional grocery store.  I am really a snob when it comes to the food I eat.  Can't stand how I feel and how it tastes if it isn't from our trusted suppliers. 

One tidbit to help out with the $$$ aspect.  At our meat co op, we just ask if there is anything that is getting old in the freezer or if there was an abundance of some cuts, etc.... there always seems to be something.  Last week they had short ribs for a buck a piece (usually like $6) and we used the bones for stock.. on my oven now! 

I also think making your own grub is key.  We stay away from processed foods as much as possible. 

[Magelet]

We definitely eat almost entirely seasonally (The occasional avocado and banana comes in year round, but that's about it) We eat locally when we can afford it, and maybe 50% of our produce is local, as is our meat and eggs, and another 30% is in state.  We can't afford to just eat locally.

We are blessed to live in a place where things grow year round, (As compared to where DP comes from, which is pretty much greenhouse/hothouse growing, stored veggies, canned veggies, or maybe kale that can handle being covered in snow and freezing temps in the winter).  The biggest things we love is that the food tastes so much better and it is SO much less expensive.  and who wants a mealy watery tomato in winter anyways?  I love eating seasonally, and even from a purely taste perspective, would never consider not eating seasonally. (though I admit, there would probably be more california flown in avocados and such in winter in colorado, because there is very little that grows in the winter.  but storage crops are quite tasty in the winter.)

[sanguine_speed]

My turkey is $8 per pound.

Originally Posted by wemoon 

Originally Posted by laohaire 

I absolutely consider preserving the local harvest to be local eating, absolutely.

And I also agree that there are different traditional ways of eating, including eating just (or mostly) meat in winter. I personally do consider meat to be a fall and winter food.

I also hear ya on the turkey. We spent $90 on our Thanksgiving turkey. I can hear everybody in my head telling me I'm crazy, but we stand firm on what meat we're ok buying (no factory meat). We could have easily gone without turkey at all (we always used to go without before we found this source) but at $3.75 a pound, this bird was the cheapest good meat we could buy! I consider it a good deal, kind of a bulk purchase of 24 pounds of meat. We're still eating it, actually (I'm thawing portions from the freezer by now of course). Turkey pot pie... yummmmmm.

Oofta! $3.75/#! I was able to get a local turkey here for $2.79/#. I wonder what kind of difference there is in pricing in different regions. I'm in the midwest. Chicken goes for about the same for me. Ground beef is $5/#.

[meemee]

yup yup i am sooo hooked on eating seasonally now. 

i am just blown away by the diversity of food that is introducing to our diet.

for instance i was soo limited in my thinking governed by grocery store.

for instance my 'bulking' came from potatoes before seasonal eating. now i rarely eat potatoes.  

nowadays it comes from sqashes. in the last few years most of my squashes have been dessert. and a tiny variety of summer squash as side dishes.

nowadays i used lots of different kinds of squashes. in just the last month i have learnt how to experiment with ten different kinds of squashes and figure out what spicing goes with what. for instance ginger is an awesome secret ingredient with butternut squash. acorn squash is pretty yummy stuffed. 

the other day i went over to my vietnamese friends house and we made spring rolls. the first half hour we went and collected all these different leaves. 

that's my next step. creating more variety in my leaf diet. or focusing on food that's not sold like mustard greens (never seen them anywhere in the market)...

[armidasawan]

In the summer I ate all local veggies. I did an internship at a local organic farm and got "paid" in vegetables. At the end of the summerni bought a half a goat so have been feasting from that since. My eggs, milk and butter are almost always local. I'm looking forward to having a farm in the near future where I will be able to grow my own veggies, grains, and beans, raise my own birds for meat and eggs, and goats for meat and dairy. At that point I hope to be nearly 100% local ( minus the coconut oil, olive oil, and avocados).

and so i wonder. do we have to have veggies 365 days of the year. could we survive on meat or grains and some veggies the winter months and then go back to huge amount of veggies. i am also looking at that seasonal aspect of food. 

From what I understand the Inuit live on a diet that consists almost entirely of meat, since agriculture is hard to do in the arctic. They do some foraging for seaweed and other naturally available vegetation, but this is a small portion of their diet. They eat mostly marine mammals like seal, whales, and walruses, as well as land mammals that are found in their surroundings like polar bears and caribou. Most of their meat is eaten raw and rarely ever cooked this preserves all of the vitamins found in the meats including vitamin c and d. They also eat high amounts of animal fats.