04 June 2008

I received the chance to walk around the Iowa City CSA Fair when I was volunteering there at the Local Foods Connection booth more than a month ago. I was most interested in finding a local source for eggs and chicken meat, but when I found the booth for Grass Run Farm I was instantly hooked. I've been avoiding nearly all meat products since November 2007. My reasoning is that too many Americans eat meat in huge quantities. The production of that meat consumes much more resources than vegetables and other food products. Therefore, I can reduce the total amount of meat consumed in my house by cutting meat out of my diet, and reducing it in children's diet. Aaron was on board, and he too started eating the vegetarian and vegan meals I prepared.

As a complement to that idea, I also started planning my garden (look for updates on my garden tomorrow or later in the week) with the eventual goal of getting at least 70% of our food from our own backyard.

As soon as I noticed the booth for Grass Run Farm, I visited it. Through talking with Kristine and Ryan, I learned that each piece of beef coming from Grass Run Farms was pasture-raised and one hundred percent grass-fed. The pork is also pasture-raised.

While I still have not visited the farm itself, I do believe that the way in which Kristine and Ryan are raising their animals coincides with my own beliefs on the way a farm should run. I, of course, reserve the right to change my opinion at any time based upon new information about their set-up or farming and agriculture in general.

Best of all? We ordered a CSA share a little over a month ago, and we love it. It tastes wonderful, and it is an easy way to determine how much meat we should eat. Simply - I only eat the meat that comes from our CSA share. May's share included 3 pounds of ground 100% grass-fed beef, 1 pound maple sausage, 1 pound Grandpa Restuccia's Italian Sausage, 1 package round steak (tenderized), 1 pacakge sirloin tip steak (tenderized), and 1 100% grass-finished beef roast (which made an amazing sauerbraten). It was around ten pounds. Now, ten pounds divided by four people divided by 30 days? That's definitely reduced meat consumption for our household.

Labels: environment