Would you buy the whole cow?

[kyuuei]

I mean, literally, a whole or half cow.

Does anyone here buy their meat in bulk from farmers? If you ever have, would you recommend it? Or was it more of a pain in the ass than buying farmer market meat as needed?

 

[prplchknz]

If I had a stand alone freezer and the money yes.

 

[ndovjtjcaqidthi]

I know people who do this.

Pretty sure they would recommend.

 

[gromit]

If I had a stand alone freezer and the money yes.

Same here (and also if I ate meat haha)

 

[prplchknz]

Same here (and also if I ate meat haha)

you could give it to me

 

[wolfy]

My dad used to do that. If you have the freezer space I suppose it is a good idea.

 

[gromit]

you could give it to me

Excellent point my friend

 

[prplchknz]

Excellent point my friend

my points are always excellent

most of the time

most of the time meaning barely ever

 

[Mal12345]

I mean, literally, a whole or half cow.

Does anyone here buy their meat in bulk from farmers? If you ever have, would you recommend it? Or was it more of a pain in the ass than buying farmer market meat as needed?

For a pet cow, yes.

 

[ceecee]

I mean, literally, a whole or half cow.

Does anyone here buy their meat in bulk from farmers? If you ever have, would you recommend it? Or was it more of a pain in the ass than buying farmer market meat as needed?

We do. First off, you need a freezer for it. We have an upright and chest freezer. The chest is 25 cu ft and we fill it. Here are some pros and cons;

Pros
MUCH cheaper than retail. I believe we paid between $2.50 and $3/lb
Excellent grass and corn/grain fed beef. We bought from a local farm so we knew what cow we were getting.
Farmers in this business will have a reputable butcher but you can always choose your own. Some are mobile too, which is cool.
Not a pain in the ass at all. It's commercially frozen for you and the packages are labeled. For instance, I like ground beef in square, 1lb packages, wrapped in freezer paper vs the plastic bags. They do it the way I want and stamp the packages Ground Beef.

Cons
You're buying hanging weight and that could mean a lot of waste, depending on what cuts you eat.
If you have not tried grass fed beef, I suggest you do before investing. Not everyone likes this and the beef we get is only partially grass fed because of that.
They slaughter all the time but the best ones we have had are in the spring.
Really consider what cuts you use. Sometimes people are kind of disappointed. You may want to look into a Co-Op or CSA before you make the jump.

 

[Lexicon]

I mean, literally, a whole or half cow.

Does anyone here buy their meat in bulk from farmers? If you ever have, would you recommend it? Or was it more of a pain in the ass than buying farmer market meat as needed?

My mom did this for a long time, buying from a local farm. She said it tasted better and was cheaper in the long run. It'd last like, the whole year.
You do need a whole separate freezer for it, but yeah, it's worthwhile for the lower cost and convenience if you eat beef. Definitely know what cuts you like and which you don't, though.

 

[kyuuei]

Currently we have a freezer, but my father keeps shoving other stuff in there instead of eating it down -_- .. I was thinking about this as a potential option for us in the near future.

 

[ceecee]

Currently we have a freezer, but my father keeps shoving other stuff in there instead of eating it down -_- .. I was thinking about this as a potential option for us in the near future.

It's a good option. We are considering a pig in the fall. I currently get chickens and meat from a local co-op. This is a great way to do it and support local farming. I order from the website and pick up on whatever day they schedule. I volunteer on pickup days when I can too.

 

[kyuuei]

It's a good option. We are considering a pig in the fall. I currently get chickens and meat from a local co-op. This is a great way to do it and support local farming. I order from the website and pick up on whatever day they schedule. I volunteer on pickup days when I can too.

There's a really great co-op here in the Houston area but it's only fruits and vegetables, as the owner is 80/10/10. I just found a small market up the road that sells discount veggies and fruits and beef and eggs, so I think I'm going to ask them about chickens.

 

[PeaceBaby]

I grew up on a farm and we filled our own freezers in addition to my Dad selling sides of beef, pork and lamb to many friends and family. I would suggest striking up a relationship with a local farmer who has a good reputation aligned with any personal values on the life of the animals that you feel is important. A fully pastured beef will be far more lean than you might expect. Some grain in the feed will naturally up the fat content of the meat.

Alternately, you could purchase a steer and have it raised by a farmer of your choosing. Then, once it reaches slaughter weight, make arrangements with the abbatoir yourself. You'll need a large freezer, as ceecee pointed out, and you get to choose the cuts, sizes of roasts, how much to make into ground beef etc.

Since I grew up living like this, it seems pretty natural and it is certainly economical. You do, however, get some variability in taste from each animal. Even if you're not happy, you then still have to find ways of cooking to help it be more palatable to you.

 

[Fluffywolf]

My father had red deer for quite some time and when one of the younger stags turned out to be Testosterone 2000, killed a hind and injured another, he bought a big freezer and had him slaughtered.

Cost wise, that was a lot of cheap grade A meat we had the pleasure of indulging in for quite some time. Plus, red deer meat is soooooo good. Cows don't compare.

 

[Zarathustra]

Plus, red deer meat is soooooooo good. Cows don't compare.

Says the wolf