Steve & I have decided to purchase a side of beef (amazing since I used to be a vegetarian). We believe in supporting local agriculture, so we found a farm in Bucks County that sells Certified Organic Grass Fed Beef.
George & Clair Lankas
Sunny Slope Farm
New Hope, PA
Here are the details on our purchase:
- You purchase a side of beef by its hanging weight, which is how much it weighs before being aged or butchered. An average steer weighs 600-700 lbs, so a side is approximately 300-350 lbs. This year, Sunny Slope Farm is charging $3.50 per lb hanging weight so a side of beef will run about $1050.
- Beef has an approximate loss of 20-30% during the aging and butchering process, so based on a 300 lb side you will have about 225 lbs of meat.
- All of the beef at Sunny Slope Farm is aged for 2 weeks before being custom butchered.
- Steers hit market weight in early fall, and go to slaughter in October. With 2 weeks for aging and 1 week for butchering & processing of the steer orders are received in early to mid-November.
- You choose the cuts you want from the side of beef. For example, you can have a standing rib roast, bone-in rib eye steaks, or boneless Delmonico steaks or a combination all from the same section of the animal. You choose what you want.
- All of your beef is double wrapped, labeled & frozen by the butcher.
- A $50 deposit is required on all orders, and they are almost out of steers for this year. The only downside is that they only accept cash, checks, & money orders - no credit cards.
Considering the price of organic beef at markets like Whole Foods, this is a great value. We are looking forward to our purchase. Now to see if it is possible to get sick of beef over the course of 2010!