softcrunchymom

When we used to live in Denver I would buy 1/16 of a buffalo every few months to keep our freezer stocked with healthy grass fed meat.  In Portland, Buffalo are a little more scarce and they take their food a little more seriously.  I found a farmer who just happened to have slaughtered a pig the day I contacted her that she promptly put my name on.  Just 1/2 since I don’t have a chest freezer in my garage (yet).  Buying an animal from a farmer is complicated and can be overwhelming the first time you do it so I put together this little guide to help you out.

First-check out eatwild.com to find some farmers in your area that have similar views about food, browse their websites and find a good fit.  Contact the farmer to ask when they will have the animals ready and what deposit they need.  Also make sure you ask about the care of the animals if that isn’t listed on the website.  For the pig I just purchased I have pictures of the field piggy frolicked in and even the protein ratio of the feed.  If no corn or soy is in their diet is important to you now is the time to speak up.  Another good question to ask is what is their conversion rate, usually you pay for the animal based on their hanging weight, or the weight at the butchers when they have been hung (intestines, etc taken out), the conversion rate tells you from the hanging weight how much you get to take home and actually eat.

Second-once you have completed the ‘dating’ process and found your winning animal, you will have to call in your cut instructions to the butcher.  Let them know you have never done this before and they will walk you through it, but I found it helpful to have a butcher diagram up on google as we talked through everything.  Since I purchased a pig I was asked if I wanted my ham and bacon cured and then I had to specify nitrate/nitrite free.  Make sure you ask questions, after all you are spending a lot of money and you will be eating this animal for quite a few months so you want to make sure it is done right.  You also will need to specify if you want your cuts trimmed or if you want the fat left on, I like the moisture fat wrapped meat brings so I leave my untrimmed, but it’s totally up to you.  Lastly you will want to specify if you want bones and/or lard, in my case I want both, this also increases the percentage of meat you will take home and if you will use them-you paid for them-why not?

Hope this helps you purchase your own local happy animals, if you have any questions just let me know-I’ve spent hours researching and would love to share what I’ve learned!