How to Buy a Quarter of a Beef
Buying a quarter of beef can be an economical way to feed your family for several months. Purchased from the right farmer or distributor, it's also a way to avoid potentially deadly food-related illnesses. Does this Spark an idea?
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Buy Local
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The best source of healthy, fresh beef generally will be a local farmer. The cows won't have traveled far to slaughter, so the meat is less likely to be exposed to bacteria and other contaminants. Farmers also are generally happy to sell to local customers because profit margins are higher. If you don't know a farmer, you can find one through your local county agricultural extension agent.
Butchers
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The meat in a local butcher's shop isn't likely to be as fresh or cheap as the meat coming directly from a farmer. A butcher's shop will give you a little more discretion in what to buy, though. A quarter of beef generally will be a little less than 100 pounds of meat. You can usually ask a butcher for a selection of cuts, ranging from stew meat and ground beef to steak and roasts.
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Freezing
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Be sure to have a large freezer ready for the beef. For every 35 pounds of beef, you'll need roughly one cubic foot of freezer space.
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References
- Photo Credit cow image by John Hofboer from Fotolia.com
