Sourcing Proteins

Just to clarify, proteins can be found in a range of foods, including green veggies like spinach, beans, tofu, lentils, quinoa, and nuts. This is how vegans get their proteins. While this may be the topic of a future post, I have never experimented with veganism and have only managed a vegetarian diet for a few days before the smell of bacon became too much to resist. In this post I am solely interested in animal-based proteins like meat, eggs, milk, and cheese. I will leave seafood for a future post as well.

 

Grocery Stores

Grocery stores like Whole Foods are great, because they will tell you exactly where your meats and dairy products come from. However, for those of us not blessed with a Whole Foods right around the corner, we have to make do with our generic grocery store. A few things to watch for when buying meat: local, organic, grass-fed and hormone-free. The organic certification requires that the meat be hormone free, but don't be fooled by labels that say "all natural." "Natural" unlike "organic" is not a term that is regulated, so producers slap it on there as a marketing tool. This is true for all labels, not just meats.

For eggs, look for organic. Organic is much more controlled, and means that "the laying hens must have access to the outdoors and cannot be raised in cages. Organic egg producers cannot use antibiotics except during an infectious outbreak. Only natural molting can occur within the flock; forced molting is not allowed. Organic certification also requires maintenance of basic animal welfare standards." (Wikipedia: Organic Egg Production). However, organic does not mean local.

Cage-free is a term that is not as strictly controlled and it really only means that the chickens are kept outside of a cage, but may still be crowded into a dark barn in multiple stories. Free-range is also a term that is only partially regulated, it can mean anything from the chickens spending a few minutes outside per day to the chickens spending all day outside.

For milk and cheese, organic is also the best thing to look for. Again, this does not mean that those products are local.

Butcher Shops

Have a local butcher? Talk to them about where they source their meat from. It may or may not be local, and it may or may not be organic or grass-fed, but you won't know until you ask. Chances are good that it is at least local.

Farmer's Markets, Farm Stands

If you live in an area with a thriving farmer's market, you may be in luck. The closest farmer's market to us has several local farmers that will bring meat and dairy products to the market. Speak with your local farmers and learn how they keep their animals. It may be stereotypical, but I tend to trust the Menonites and Amish most to treat their animals humanely, but a trip out to the farm to see how the animals are kept may be in order, if you are really concerned. Small farmers also have a harder time justifying the cost of the organic seal, so there's a chance that their animals are grown organically or are at least grass-fed, so talking to them is usually the best bet. You may even be able to find some of the less popular meats, like bison.

 

Cow Shares

Do you want to make your own cheeses or butter? In some states it is illegal to buy raw milk in grocery stores or even straight from a farmer. One way to get around this is to purchase a share in a dairy cow. These arrangements are usually made through a local farmer and give you access to the products of the cow directly.

Another form of cow sharing is for meat cattle. Again arrangements usually happen through a local farmer or via online sign-ups, and they deliver 1/8 to a full cow's worth of meat at butchering time. In this case, it is definitely a good idea to go visit the farm and potentially even the animal you will be getting your meat from, just to make sure that the animal is properly cared for and is grass-fed. My in-laws have been getting a 1/4 share for a few years now, and stock the meat in their chest freezer. It's some of the best meat you will find, even frozen.



You can also find other meat shares online, including lamb, pig, and chickens; but generally these are local programs, so do an online search to see if you can find something in your area, or talk to the farmers at your local farmer's market.

Hunting

I have never hunted before, so I'm not an expert on this by any stretch of the imagination. However, if you are not gun shy and don't have a problem killing your own meat, more power to you. I don't believe in hunting for trophies or pelts, but if you're killing animals for meat, especially those that are overpopulated, I say go for it. If you are interested in starting up, make sure you know your hunting seasons, permitting requirements, gun v. bow, safety equipment, etc. Also, be sure you take someone along who knows how to butcher the animal correctly, or find a local butcher who may be willing to take apart the animal for you. Some people also set snares or traps, but I know even less about that aspect of hunting.



Backyard farming

Before considering this option, make sure you know what your local policies are. Some cities and suburbs allow you to keep meat or egg hens in your backyard (although they may have separate restrictions on roosters) or rabbit hutches. Some backyard farmers even keep goats, sheep, or pigs, again depending on local policies. Quail, pheasants, ducks, geese, and other small fowl are also options. Local policies can range from the type and number of animals, to requirements for how far shelters (coops, hutches, etc.) must be built from the property lines. Even if there are no specific laws, make sure to keep the noise, odors, and flies from annoying your neighbors. My grandmother used to raise hares in hutches for meat in the middle of the city, and a colleague has egg laying hens in her backyard. For more information on backyard farming, a great article can be found here.

Sourcing Produce - Local and Organic

The ingredients you use to make your food are the most important thing. This is true both at home and at a restaurant. You can have the best chefs working for you, but if your ingredients are sub-par, it's just not going to be as good. It's kind of like starting with a sound foundation when building a house. This is not to say that your dish will turn out perfect if you use good ingredients: you can still screw up the recipe, burn it, or plate it in one big soggy mess.

When buying produce, my big two watch words are organic and local. Organic products are USDA certified and should have a little label on the packaging somewhere. They are produced using methods that do not involve modern synthetic inputs such as synthetic pesticides and chemical fertilizers. Organic foods are not processed using irradiation, industrial solvents, or chemical food additives. However, in the United States, these may include genetically modified organisms (GMO's).

The term "local" used in conjuction with food is not regulated like the term "organic." However, it generally refers to food that has been grown in a radius of about 100 miles. The best source for local produce is a farmer's market. The benefits of locally grown foods are legion. However, to me the most important reasons are taste (they haven't been artifically ripened and were usually picked within the last 24 hours), less fossil fuels burned to ship them to my table, and the money I spend stays in the local economy.

Usually you will have to settle for one or the other, since not all organic produce is local and not all local produce is organic. In some cases the farmers at your farmer's market may actually grow their produce in line with organic practices, but just don't have the money to pay for the USDA certification. It always helps to talk to the guys and gals manning the booths and maybe even take a trip out to a farm.

Another source for local foods is a CSA (community-supported agriculture) subscription with a local farm. You can find these by going online and searching for CSA memberships in your vicinity. CSA members or subscribers pay at the onset of the growing season for a share of the anticipated harvest; once harvesting begins, they receive weekly shares of vegetables and fruit, in a vegetable box scheme, and also sometimes herbs, cut flowers, honey, eggs, dairy products and meat. Some CSA's deliver straight to your door step, others deliver to a set spot in your city, others require that you come pick up your share at the farm. Some farms will also allow you to go and pick your own produce, especially at the end of the season when they are trying to clear their fields.

And of course, what better way to get fruits and veggies than by growing your own. Not only do you have control over the kind of soil you purchase, but you also know exactly what kinds of pesticides and what kinds of fertilizer you use. The best fertilizer is compost (either from your own compost heap/barrel or bought in bags) and instead of using pesticides use some diatamous earth around the outside of your beds to stop grounded pests as well as a combination of crop rotation, close monitoring to spot issues immediately, and companion planting (i.e. planting marigolds near tomatoes to keep aphids away). There are many websites and books on the subject of growing safe veggies, herbs, and fruits in your own backyard.

The amount of labor involved depends on the types of produce you decide to plant given the amount of time you think you will be able to put into maintaining the garden. You also don't need a huge backyard, many people make do with planters on windowsills and balconies. Climbing plants like squashes and cucumbers can also be grown in pots and then trained up a wall. Things like mint, should be grown in pots, if you don't want it to take over your whole yard. The time and effort will be well worth it when you are serving cucumber salad or mashed potatoes made from produce picked in your own garden.

Welcome

Welcome to Anna and Eric's Food Blog. Just a little bit about ourselves:

We both think of ourselves as Foodies. What that means is that we appreciate the finer aspects of food. We're not afraid to step outside of our comfort zone to try new things. And most of all, it means we love good food.

This is partially a requirement for Eric, since he's a chef by profession. For me, it's more of an enjoyment thing, but as the wife of chef it's almost a necessity.

Here we will discuss our home cooking adventures and dining experiences. We will share recipes and cooking tips and generally annoy you with our food knowledge. Bon appetit!