Crockpot (Was: Crackpot!)

[susanmcgee48176]

> > 
> > 
> > bboyminn:
> > 
> > Supermarket meat is a necessity  for a bachelor like
> > me,
> > but the quality sucks. When beef hits the frying pan
> > and
> > you are overwhelmed by the smell of vitamins
> > cooking, you
> > can be pretty sure that cow was raised in a factory.
> > 
> > Tyson Foods, I think is the worst. Nearly all their
> > cows,
> > pigs, and chickens come from factory/confinement
> > farms. 
> > These animals are raised in tight confinement and
> > are 
> > force feed massive quantities of vitamins and
> > antibiotic
> > just so they can survive their environment.
> > 
> > Hormel is a little better. My brother likes their
> > beef
> > because it doesn't give off the strong vitamin smell
> > when he cooks it. Hormel has good pork too. In fact
> > one of the largest pork processing plants and SPAM 
> > canning plants is only a few miles from here.
> > 
> Sheryll: 
> 
> It's been a long time since I bought beef at a
> supermarket, hence my question. I hadn't realised that
> it would be so obvious to the consumer that the beef
> was factory raised, to the point of being able to tell
> by smell when cooking. 
> 
> Our beef in the supermarket is pretty generically
> marked, no company markings on the packaging, so it's
> hard for us to tell exactly where the beef is coming
> from (I'm in Ontario).
> 
> bboyminn:
> > So, what's my point. You need to make sure who ever
> > butchers your cow or pig gets them from a /normal/
> > farmer and not from a meat factory, or you really 
> > haven't gained anything from it. Well, the price is
> > probably pretty nice, and having hamburger ground up
> > out of beef steak instead of beef scraps is pretty
> > nice.
> > But in terms of the quality of the meat, nothing
> > beats
> > non-factory raised animals. 
> > 
> > Note, I say 'non-factory' because you don't have to
> > go
> > as far as organic meat. Animals raise in a
> > traditional
> > blend of grazing and feeding are OK. 
> > 
> > If you want the best though, and can afford it,
> > natural 
> > beef is pretty good. This isn't certified organic,
> > but
> > it is graze feed, low stressed animals, that are
> > only 
> > treated with 'medications' for specific problems.
> > So,
> > for the most part, they are vitamin and antibiotic
> > free.
> > They are also much leaner than standard corn fed
> > cattle.
> > 
> > Omaha Steaks, Creekstone Farms, La Cense Beef
> > (Montana)
> > are all good suppliers, but again they are NOT
> > cheap.
> > A quick search of the Internet for 'Natual Beef'
> > will
> > yield many sources.
> > 


We are very lucky in our county here in Northern California to have 
grass fed, mostly organic, cattle who graze happily....

The taste is SO much better than the other stuff, it's incredible....

We also have our own creamery, and lots and lots of wonderful veggies 
that never see the inside of a plastic bag...

Susan