I had the great pleasure of helping to process our very first Fat Chance Farm-raised beef this January! Compared to raising chickens, raising beef is an exercise in patience. Did you know that cows have a 9 month gestation period? Then add on a year and a half to two years to finally get the glorious grass-fed beef we've been waiting for!
While most of the beef is now spoken for, I have about 80 to 100lbs remaining that I would love to get on your plates (not to mention out of my freezer ;). Shares as small as 20lbs or 1/16th of a cow, if you prefer to think in fractions, are available.
Our beef is 100% grass-fed and finished and free of antibiotics and hormones. I raise a mixture of Devon and Devon cross cattle, Devons being a heritage breed that has a long history in Vermont. Have you ever looked closely at the Vermont flag? The cow depicted is a Devon! I raise Devons because they are well adapted to Vermont's cold winters and they thrive on a 100% grass diet. I also graze my cattle rotationally, which means they never spend more than 3 days in a row on a single piece of pasture during the summer. This promotes pasture health and animal health as well as encouraging the growth of grasses that store carbon in the soil.
If you join our farm email list I will be sure to provide plenty of our favorite beef recipes over the coming months to help inspire you!
How much freezer space do you need? 1 cubic foot of freezer space generally holds about 40-50lbs of meat, so a 1/16 share (20lbs) doesn't even need a dedicated freezer, even an 1/8th (40lbs) could fit in the average home freezer if it was at least half empty.
What do you get? To reflect the proportions of cuts on a side of beef, our beef shares contain half ground beef (can substitute some stew beef, if you prefer) with the other half being a mix of roasts or cube steak (cube steak is sliced from the tougher cuts of meats and put through a "cuber" which flattens it so it can be cooked quickly in a pan), steaks (T-bone and Porterhouse), and/or short ribs.
How much does it cost? Our beef shares are $8.50/lb, so $170 for 1/16th (20lbs), $340 for 1/8th (40lbs), etc.
Contact me if you're interested in some beef! I am picking meat up from the processor on Monday, February 3rd and will be out delivering shares in the Morrisville area that afternoon and evening. I will also be available to deliver on other days in the coming weeks.
Thanks for reading! I look forward to providing some delicious grass-fed beef for you and your family!