Group purchase - join up with me? [sustainable meat]

Hi

Is there anyone who is interested in going in on buying some bulk amount of sustainably and humanely raised pork or beef (lamb, goat, etc) or a combo with me? I know some of you have done this, but I'm really not sure I can buy a whole animal and have it work for my small household. It may be too late in the year, (as we saw in the feeder pig thread). If we can organize for the next time slot where it makes sense, that could work too.

Voice your thoughts...

I'd definitely be interested depending upon the details. I really don't have the freezer real estate for a whole or even 1/2 animal so going in on one is a much better option for me.

I'd certainly be interested. Keep me posted.

You may want to consider Arnold Farms. I recently got the 30lb of pork package from them, which is equivalent to 1/4 hog. It fits in the bottom drawer of my side by side, so it doesn't require too much room. Quality has been excellent.

They have similar package for beef. I was able to pick mine up from their regular delivery stop near Western/Fullerton.

http://www.arnoldsfarm.com/af/index.htm

Jamie

Thanks for the pointer, Jamie!

We have been doing a lot of smoking lately and have been going through a lot of meat product. We would be interested in a sustainable source.

We would be interested and just got an extra refrigerator off Craigslist for such purpose.

Not my first choice but I have bought pigs a couple times in recent years. If you are interested we take the pig from farm to freezer in a day and it is certainly interesting. Tradition for a lot of people around the world is to process the animals in fall so there are farms all over that will have weekend rendering parties through November. It is quite a sight to see a dozen pigs or more in varying states of undress (excuse the pun) at 7 am with a small group of people, most times from other countries, around each animal using specific regional or cultural methods for process.

I believe the costs are about 60 to 85 cents per lb and the animals get up to 400 lbs.

last year we covered the animal with burning straw for a good while which helped in removal of the hair and indeed imparted a little Smokey flavor as my wife's European great grandmother insisted it would. The great grandmother by the way did not want to join the group of boys while we were getting the pig but she took over once we came home. She was the best butcher and sausage maker out of us all - by a good lot too.