Well, our whole family is slowly gearing up for the arrival of our new cowboy. The cowboss and Luke aka our top ranch hand/oldest son are so excited for another cowboy helper to be joining our crew. Peanut and I are ready to “mother” this little boy. Excitement all around us.
Needless to say, I also want to be ready when he comes. I need to have meals ready as I’m not planning to cook any five star dinners during the first weeks, but I want my family to have a tasty meal each night. Our 1/4 beef will be in the freezer by the end of September! Just enough time for me to cook and freeze our meals.
Fall is the time of the year to buy beef in bulk from local ranches like ours. Why fall? Why is beef a seasonal item like peaches? Easy answer.. you want to buy beef when the animal just came off green grass and they are in their prime condition. Beef in February? Not so good.. Cows don’t gain weight during winter months as they are only fed hay. Nothing beats luscious green grass. Same as peaches, you know that August peaches taste the best, winter peaches are available, but the flavor and nutrients are just lacking.
Why buy in bulk? You save time, money and introduce your family to new cuts that are not typically available at the grocery stores. Easy math = We sell our 1/4 beef (100 lbs) for $710, which is $7.10 per pound. Each 1/4 includes steaks, ground beef and roasts about 1/3 of each. $7.10 per pound for grassfed, grass finished local beef? How much did you spend the last time you have bought T-Bone Steak? I bet it was not $7.10 per pound! I have seen prices that are at least three times as much at the stores with no guarantee that you are truly getting grassfed/grass finished beef. Many stores import beef from South America. We also sell smaller options, check out our 3T Ranch website. Why buy in bulk? I make less trips to the grocery store. I can usually whip up a pretty good dinner as long as I have some kind of protein in the fridge or freezer. Steak salad, steak fajitas, grilled steak, beef stew.. endless possibilities. Not sure what to cook or need an inspiration? Check out our 3T Ranch Blog.
Why local? Make friends with your local ranchers and farmers. Here at the 3T we are happy to show you our operations, how we raise our cows, what we feed them, etc. You may learn a thing or two that you didn’t know about cows. I know I’m biased, but ranching is pretty interesting. It is not just about handsome cowboys riding into the sunset and stylish cowboy boots. Ranching is tough, but rewarding work. Our cowboss will talk your ear off about his cows, but I would think that is a great sign that he knows what he is doing, proud of his product and truly a guarantee that you are getting what is being sold to you.
Why Best Value? I don’t know about you, but I want to feed my family the best we can afford. I shop smarter, not harder. I’m going to give you another example. Each year, we buy peaches from The PeachFork in Palisade. I buy four big boxes. I use the peaches for jams, homemade ice cream, freeze them for delicious cobblers, bars in the winter time and my guys gobble up at least one box just for snacks. Why do I buy from them? I know them, I trust them, I talk to them and I know that they are passionate about their farm. Bonus? The peaches are the best, flavor, size, price.. You just can’t beat that. So, next time you are buying two steaks or two peaches at the store, ask yourself a question. Are you shopping smarter or are you shopping harder? How many times have you gone to the store to buy meat? Was it $7.10/per pound? I’m sure enjoying my quiet time as I get ready to make peach jam and make room in my freezer for my beef. I have everything I need at home for a full year. I have supported local, got the best value and my family will have plenty of healthy meals.