Anyone else remember Mr. Rogers Neighborhood and the “how people made things,” segments? Fred and Mr. McFeely narrating, me snacking on a PB&J with the crusts cut off, the jazz piano twinkling in the background, as folks hypnotically pressed trumpet after trumpet, inflated countless toy balls, or cut tofu into buoyant cubes. Soon after Y2K, Mr. Rogers and his popular segments were gone. The “offshoring” movement was well underway.
Read MoreA couple of weeks ago, I interviewed White Oak Pastures’ Will Harris, and got things straight from the horse’s (or dare I say steer’s) mouth. You can learn more about Will and his beautiful Georgian regenerative farm in last week’s post, but suffice it to say, he’s got plenty of grass-fed street cred. The largest grass-finished beef rancher in the country, Will is also one of the...
Read MoreWill Harris, of WhiteOak Pastures, knows this reality firsthand. His ranch is in Bluffton, Georgia—population 100—one of the poorest counties in one of the poorest states in the Union. As Will likes to say, 15 years ago, all you could buy in Bluffton was a postage stamp.
The cause was a collapse of the small family-owned farm that predominated this part of Georgia.
Read MoreWith everything going on for the holidays, sometimes we forget that Thanksgiving is all about being with family and reflecting on what we are thankful for.
At ECB, we’re a big family made up of butchers, ranchers, farmers, restaurateurs, small business owners, and changemakers. So, I thought it would be fun to ask our family to share what they are thankful for this holiday season.
Read MoreJust in time for Turkey Day, I thought I’d highlight some of the top tips from the last several weeks of turkey talk.
1. Turkey Wranglers: My favorite bit of Turkey Americana has to be the Gobbler Gaucho of the 19th century. The job of the Turkey Drover, as they were known back in the day, was to herd sometimes thousands of birds across America’s Great Plains and get them to market.
Read MoreSo many people are intimidated by cooking the Thanksgiving bird. There are probably more Turkey roasting recipes than there are embarrassing Thanksgiving dinner stories. At the height of the season, we get more calls asking for cooked turkeys, than for anything else. When we tell guests that we only sell raw, you can hear the dread in their voices as reality sinks in.
Read MoreAfter hours of wandering the desert of streaming content, the RPG smartphone games, teenybopper Disney shows, and the umpteenth Adventuring the Wild! The Legend of Zelda Zebra Gamer Gameplay Video, I called a timeout. My brain, and more importantly, the cerebral cortex of my offspring, needed a breath of restorative, intelligent, and thought provoking fresh air.
Read MoreWhy would anyone stuff anything into an animal in the first place? What compelled us to get creative with the cavity? Was it some primordial anal-retentive gene to fill every nook and cranny; or a Neolithic cultic ritual, its significance long since forgotten? Whatever the reason, humans have been busy stuffing animals—especially poultry—full of all kinds...
Read MoreThere are so many buzzwords when it comes to rating meat. “Pastured,” “free range,” “humane,” “organic.” It can feel overwhelming to the shopper, and more often than not, can be misleading. That’s why Electric City Butcher and our farmers tend to lean on certifying organizations like the Global Animal Partnership–also known as GAP—to help straighten things out.
Read MoreIt turns out that the answer to the great Turkey Mystery is both simple, and complex; truthful, and full of lies; steeped in history, and intentionally fabricated. In other words…entirely American.
The earliest accounts of turkey eating date back way before the pilgrims broke bread with the Wampanoag at Plymouth Rock. The fossil record shows that turkeys originated in North America about five million years ago.
Read MoreEighteen thousand acres of wetlands, native grasslands, old growth Oak forest, walnut groves, and ancient grain and bean fields are shaped by the meanderings of rivers, creeks, and undulating canals and levies that ripple through the property. This is Rancho Llano Seco. The ranch is so old, granted in 1841, that it was originally measured in leagues (four square leagues to be exact).
Read MoreHere I sit on my 30th day of Whole30 eating my last Model Meals dinner, (ironically it’s Thai Drunken Noodle). Surprisingly, 30 days of no grains, legumes, dairy or alcohol was not nearly as difficult as I thought it would be. I seldom thought I was giving up something. That doesn’t mean I didn’t feel hungry, but for the most part, hunger appeared just before my next meal, and a light snack of nuts or fruit seemed to make it go away.
Read MoreOur shop caters to people concerned about the food they put in their bodies, and the meat that they use in their favorite meals. So it was only a matter of time before that loveable sausage link, the American Hot Dog, was added to the conversation. What’s with all these “uncured” hot dogs at our “whole”some grocery stores? It’s not surprising I get this question a lot. In fact, we kind of have an obsession with hot dogs in the US.
Read MoreI was warned by a Whole30 veteran that day nine would be traumatic. Basically, no amount of food made him feel satisfied. He couldn’t get off the couch. He was snapping at everyone, and only some pasta, a beer, or a cookie was gonna make him happy. For me, that irrationality came on day seven. I was zombie-like at the dinner table. Everyone sounded like Charlie Brown’s parents.
Read MoreI don’t know about you guys, but turning 40 threw me a big curve ball. My entire life, I’ve been a physically active guy, but never a gym rat. I’d much rather backpack through California’s Gold Country than show up at Gold’s Gym. However, after 40 trips around the Sun, and with three young kids in tow, the back country workout regime has been a little less practical and less frequent.
Read MoreAt the most basic level, sin taxes do discourage behavior. Despite Libertarian complaints, taxation is a powerful tool, and when applied to things like cigarettes and beer, it has had measurable effect. But sin taxes also tend to be regressive in nature. That mean s they disproportionately affect lower income groups.
Read More“The truth is, there is (a lot of) beef out there that is bad for the environment,” says Loren. “Grain-fed beef transported halfway across the country has a big carbon footprint. But that doesn’t have to be the case. Grass-fed beef that is raised responsibly, finished on local forage, and processed and sold locally, actually reduces carbon footprint.”
Read MoreAmericans love their food labels: “natural,” “cage-free,” “fresh.” On one stunning occasion in my local grocery store, I read the label, “gluten free” on the side of a whole chicken. Trust me, every chicken, regardless of how it’s raised, is gluten-free.
But there is one label that I think a lot of butchers dread having to respond to: “Nitrate-free.” Or is it, “nitrite-free?”
Read MoreIn 2015, in a corner shop of an up and coming neighborhood, sits a shiny and clean well-appointed whole animal butcher shop, run by a small team of hardworking folks trying to bring quality and technique to artisanal butchery. The animals are locally sourced, and the shop’s European-inspired charcuterie is known throughout the region.
Read MoreThere are so many ways to find good ingredients in the South of France, whether in the village street markets, roadside produce stands, the Carefour hypermarche, or the ubiquitous backyard orchard or garden. Our weekly menu remains varied and seasonal including, lamb, beef, duck, chicken, and veal (all raised within miles of home, or at most 150 miles).
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