Grass-fed beef or raw dairy???

1101 Views 21 Replies 14 Participants Last post by JaneS, Apr 10, 2006

FillingMyQuiver

Discussion Starter · Apr 8, 2006

Okay mamas, if you had to choose between the 2, which would it be?? I have a source for each, but right now, finances are tight. The raw milk is from a cow share. The upfront costs are kinda high, but we get 1gal every week. We don't go through a whole heck of a lot of milk (I use it for kefir, cereal, and DH's coffee). The grass-fed beef, I can get a 50lb box of burger for $3.75/lb and use my mom's freezer for storing. I'm not sure which to do. Right now, I can pick only one (DH says we'll look into the other later in the yr).

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tboroson

· #2 · Apr 8, 2006

Consumption being equal, I'd rank them equally. I'd evaluate how much of each you eat, perhaps by comparing estimated calories per week that you consume of each, and choose the one that you eat more of.

newcastlemama

· #3 · Apr 8, 2006

Can you sell some of the beef to your mom or someone and then also have the cowshare. That way you can get some of both....Maybe ask for the beef as your birthday gift??? I know it sounds wierd, but I always ask for practical gifts that are very important to me!

Plus, I if you can look into it later in the year then you willl probably eventually have both very soon.

Jennifer

kalisis

· #4 · Apr 8, 2006

If I had to choose one, I'd take the beef. That's an AMAZING price for grass-fed beef (it's antibiotic and hormone free too?).

Milk is easy to substitute for anyway - I make nut milk and that's all that DS and I drink. DH still likes the cow milk on his cereal, so he buys it for himself. But for me, I could use soy milk, oat milk, rice milk, any nut milk really and it all basically tastes the same.

The asking for it as a bday present is a good idea - that makes a lot of sense.

Panserbjorne

· #5 · Apr 8, 2006

I'd go with beef. If for no other reason than frozen beef will keep-raw milk won't. I personally don't do milk...but the beef seems like the better deal in terms of flexibility.

FillingMyQuiver

Discussion Starter · #6 · Apr 8, 2006

Thanks for the input mamas. To clarify, yes, the beef is hormone and antibiotic free. AND, it's from a pretty local farm.

I can't ask for one for my bday cuz my bday has passed

I was leaning towards the beef b/c of the price (it's usually 4.75/lb when bought at the farm, but they're running a special right now). I can always go on the waiting list for the cow share when we have the money, right?? Right.

Right now, we're eating ground turkey. The ground beef from the supermarket always scares me,

.

So, I'll tell DH that we're going w/ the beef. Now I just need to find a good source for chicken. We don't eat the whole chicken though

: We really only eat the breast, so while I can use the carcass for stock, the dark meat will go wasted.

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JaneS

· #7 · Apr 8, 2006

Raw dairy for the minerals and vitamins that beef doesn't have.

Gale Force

· #8 · Apr 8, 2006

That's like choosing between your children.

But I'd go with the beef. A gallon of milk a week does not strike me as a whole lot for a family. And I've been craving burgers.

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Gale Force

· #9 · Apr 8, 2006

But I change my vote entirely if your children drink milk but don't like beef.

FillingMyQuiver

Discussion Starter · #10 · Apr 8, 2006

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gale Force
That's like choosing between your children.

That's how I feel

DD is only 5mo and too little for milk, well cow's milk at least, she gets all the BM she wants

DS is 2, he doesn't really care for milk. If he sees DH or I drinking it (rare occasions), he'll ask for a sip, but if I try to give him some in a sippy cup, he turns it down

He also gets all the BM he wants

Honestly, we're really not milk people. I REALLY want both the raw dairy and the beef, but I'm thinking that for now we'll go w/ the beef. Then, when we scrape some more money together, we'll get the cow.

BTW~ the outlay for the raw milk is $80 one time fee for the share $40 for the glass bottles and plastic lids they use for just our share, $20/mo for care of the cow, and a $10/yr fee for misc. Does this seem reasonable for a gal/ week?? I've never had to price out raw milk before b/c this is the only farm doing it

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FillingMyQuiver

Discussion Starter · #11 · Apr 8, 2006

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gale Force
But I change my vote entirely if your children drink milk but don't like beef.

DS doesn't really eat any meat. Right now we eat quite a bit of chicken, turkey, and ground turkey. I'm willing to replace the ground turkey w/ ground beef as long as it's pastured. I don't think DS has really ever had ground beef

: Hmmm... I'm sure he won't have too much of a problem w/ it, and I'll get used to the change. DH is all for more red meat, he says

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JaneS

· #12 · Apr 8, 2006

Quote:

Originally Posted by Zack419
BTW~ the outlay for the raw milk is $80 one time fee for the share $40 for the glass bottles and plastic lids they use for just our share, $20/mo for care of the cow, and a $10/yr fee for misc. Does this seem reasonable for a gal/ week?? I've never had to price out raw milk before b/c this is the only farm doing it

So that works out to $5.19/gallon? Less than I'm paying. I don't even think you can get pasteurized organic milk for that.

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RAF

· #13 · Apr 9, 2006

I think you should go with the beef. You can substitute for the dairy pretty easily. We raise dairy goats and only use dairy seasonally, and we do fine healthwise. We buy grass finished beef from local farmers and just have dairy during the spring and summer months. We use coconut milk, and other nut milks in place of the dairy and it is fine with us. Anyway, I don't think people really need milk to be healthy, but those dairy goats are darn cute! lol

anamama

· #14 · Apr 9, 2006

The milk sounds comparable to what we paid for our one share in a CowShare program.

oh, and we don't eat beef so i'd go for the milk!

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Mirzam

· #15 · Apr 9, 2006

I'd go for the milk too. Organic pasteurized milk is no substitution for raw dairy. I can live without beef, so can my children. But not so milk.

momto l&a

· #16 · Apr 9, 2006

I'd go for the meat, one gallon a week is IMO nothing. We go through 2-4 gallons a week depending on what we are making such as yougurt.

We paid $2 lb for grass beef burger.

That sound too high IMO for a gallon of milk. Of course it depends on the area.

M&M-mom

· #17 · Apr 9, 2006

I can not say enough good things about raw milk. My daughter used to be miserably constipated. We used to have to put a diaper on her to have a BM and she would hug me and cry. From the day we swithced to raw milk, she has not had any digestive problems. It has been over a year.

newcastlemama

· #18 · Apr 9, 2006

$5.19 a gallon!!

It's $14.00 at the HFS here!!! I need to find a cow share!!!

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TiredX2

· #19 · Apr 9, 2006

Quote:

Originally Posted by M&M-mom
I can not say enough good things about raw milk. My daughter used to be miserably constipated. We used to have to put a diaper on her to have a BM and she would hug me and cry. From the day we swithced to raw milk, she has not had any digestive problems. It has been over a year.

Do you have any more info on this?

I have a friend who's son has had cronic constipation issues (he just turned 3 and has been weaned for almost two years, but this was true even before he was weaned) and would love some info to pass on.

TIA

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Ruthla

· #20 · Apr 9, 2006

You CAN freeze milk, but it's a bit of a hassle to get it each week and then freeze what you can't finish. It's also a large upfront cost, with only a gallon to start with.

With the meat, you get the huge amount at once, so even if you blow your entire grocery budget for a couple of weeks, you'll have something to eat!!

Based on what you've said about your relative milk and meat consumption, I'd suggest you go with the meat. I'd do the opposite because of what my family consumes.

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