With all of the news lately, I’ve been thinking a lot about where our food comes from...and more specifically, where our meat comes from. There is so much in the news right now about the price of beef, imported meat, antibiotics and what is actually happening with the American meat industry. The more I read, the more unsettled I feel and the more I want to know.
This is a subject I’ve cared about for a long time, but when my children left home, it seemed to get farther away from my consciousness. I started a business and wasn’t cooking nearly as much as I once was. I do still care very much about where our food comes from, and lately I’ve realized how important it is that I come back to the passion I once had for the food we eat and supporting local farmers.
I’ve been going to our local farmers market whenever I can for years…actually more than ever this summer, but it’s not quite the same as having a true personal relationship with someone who produces our food.
When my daughters were young, I decided that I should start buying raw milk and was introduced to a small farmer not far from me. Her name is also Suzanne. We became friends, and as her child got older and she had more time, her farm expanded and I started buying not only her raw milk, but chicken as well.
The first time I ever bought our Thanksgiving turkey from her, they were running late and busier than expected and I actually watched them wring the turkey’s neck. That wasn’t the intention at all, and when I look back I have to laugh because I know they were so stressed about the whole thing but what were they to do?!
As time went on, her farm became more organized and I started being an unofficial distributor for her chicken. Friends and neighbors would place their orders, I would drive out to the farm and pick it all up, and then everyone would come to my house to get their food. That’s been a little while ago and I miss those days...and the amazing food I was getting as well as the little community of people we had created around this chicken!
And here’s a funny part of this story...I was a vegetarian for 18 years and it was actually her bacon that finally made me start eating meat again. Apparently, I had my limits...good bacon is hard to beat!
Eventually, as most things do, something changed and I stopped getting the chicken for everyone. I really don’t remember why, or even when. But…Suzanne and I remained friends. About four years ago we reconnected and I took my grandsons, Hudson and Graham, out to her farm to visit and see her cows. She had purchased a new piece of property and expanded her farm even more, although in the scheme of things, it’s still a very small operation.
My grandsons saw the cows and their calves and got to run around and experience farm life for themselves. We had a lovely lunch with Suzanne and her husband and it was such a nice day. My daughter, Lauren had been a little girl when my relationship with Suzanne began, and now I was bringing her children (my grandchildren) there. It felt like such a gift for them and for me.
Suzanne’s farm has grown over the years and so has what she offers. Today, I can buy beef, pork and chicken directly from her, and I’ve recently volunteered once again to help distribute farm shares in our area. They do everything right down to processing the meat and I learned yesterday that they’re about two months out for orders because they only process 6 or 7 animals a month. I’m willing to wait for sure!
I’ve also been buying our meat off and on from a local butcher for years, so this subject isn’t something I suddenly became interested in because I read a scary headline about the meat industry. But what’s happening right now has made me want to understand it better.
I think the problem is that as our society has become more industrialized, we have gotten away from our agrarian roots and most people have no idea where their food comes from or how they would grow it if they needed to.
How Did We Get So Far Away From Our Food?
Given my background and my experience buying meat locally, I have been conscious of the meat I buy at the grocery store. I read labels, I pay attention and I probably think about it more than most people do. But the truth is that most of us walk into the grocery store, buy what we need at a price we can afford and go on our way.
However, I think it’s important to know a little more.
I also realize that for many people, knowing exactly where their food comes from is probably the last thing on their minds. They have children to feed, jobs to go to and lives that are busy and, for some, increasingly hard. Food is expensive and sometimes it’s just about getting dinner on the table.
So...why does any of this matter?
