Lets talk about meat

i just buy whatever is in the regular grocery store.  if it's on sale i will buy the "organic" chicken, and when i remember to get my act together i go to the farmers market and buy the local/grassfed/fancy/expensive stuff, but for the most part, i just buy whatever.

fish i am far more discerning about, but living on the chesapeake bay i have access to tons of fresh seafood markets.  this is more of a personal "ick" factor on how hard it is to keep fish fresh, tasty, and not fishy than a local-vore political statement.

i just don't care that much about my meat quality and i honestly have seen little to prove that i should be spending the extra money on this stuff.

1/2 side of beef per year, ribs and bacon as needed, salmon and scallops.  Beef and pork from a farmer we know, salmon from a friend in Alaska (usually sent smoked, but we get a ton of it), and scallops (LOTS of scallops) from a local seafood market that gets them in fresh.  The scallops are the only "meat" source we get from a store.

We LOVE to cook and eat!  Meals are the only time we can all get together in a day....and we don't waste the time.

Vegan (mostly). I eat meat around once a month, and its usually at a restaurant.

Meat is bad for you, eat more bananas

Vegetarian, if I must eat meat because we're out and there are no veggie options I choose fish prepared as simply as possible.  

You've seen my crew eat.....try telling them they are only getting fruits and vegetables (which they enjoy also).....there will be no peace at the table.

Buying our meat from farmers we know, who raise their cattle without all the antibiotics, etc, is MUCH cheaper than the meat you buy at the store.  We actually do it because the meat is lean and cheaper, not more expensive.  The only up front expense is for a freezer big enough to hold it....after that we are buying really good beef at a couple bucks a lb. cheaper than you are.

give griff 10 bananas and I bet he's full

if i had a chest freezer and could buy a side of beef, i'm sure it would make sense.  i have a small house, no garage, and therefore that's not practical for me.  i COULD buy all from local farmers and antibiotic free and whatever, but i just choose to spend my time in other ways than running around local farms buying meat/eggs/whatever.  when they bring it to the market all packaged and ready to go it's more convenient and therefore way more expensive, and honestly at that price point, not worth it.

I don't blame you....we don't really care about the "grass fed, antibiotic free" deal either.....with the chow hounds we're raising we care about cheaper. LOL  It's a bonus that cheaper in this case happens to be "better".....certainly better tasting.

IF we get venison (one of my daughters may kill a deer this year, I don't hunt them anymore) I usually take care of it with the help of someone who has a good grinder for ground venison. 

For the beef sides we use a butcher that the farmer recommends......it has been different butchers and I think it pretty much depends on the relationship between the farmer and butchers, at least that's how we handle it.  I think the farmer gets ab reak on his own needs if he sends customers to the butcher, etc.  It's a pretty simple process.....you get to choose how you want it cut.... which steaks, roasts, how much ground beef you want, what size packages, fat content, how many steaks to a package, how thick for the steaks, weight of roasts, blah,blah,blah.  It's about a 1/2 hour phone conversation.  When we go to pick it up it's all packaged and frozen.

I'm mostly pescatarian, but I have a soft spot for pork chops.  I am lucky to have a number of great co-ops to shop at, who buy meat from local farms.    I am always thrilled to see names of farms I recognize on the menus at restaurants in the area too.   I really live in foodie heaven.    Going to the co-op is a treat and I also pick up other unusual things I can't get at Trader Joe's or the local grocery story in my town. 

Other than fish, which I am pretty selective about, I get the majority of beef, chicken and pork from the regular grocery store meat counter.  I also don't buy organic fruits & veggies.  

Yep, same here except we also get our fish from the grocery store... actually, we pretty much buy all of our meat products from Costco.  And we don't care at all if it's organic, grass-fed, or whatever.  If the price is right, we'll buy it.  

Actually, Costco carries some great meats/fish.  I'm always impressed with the quality on the times we've had to pick something up there.