Getting Da Meat: Buying Locally Raised Organic Grassfed Beef from Beech Meadow Farm

Last Saturday, I stood in a narrow alley with five other strangers. I felt as though I was living an episode of the Sopranos. Our breath puffed out in little clouds of white around our faces as we stamped our feet in the fresh snow to keep warm. We glanced around at each other, exchanging awkward smiles, until I broke the silence.



"Is this your first time?"



A trendy looking young man nodded wordlessly, his gloved hands rubbing the worn sleeves of his soft leather jacket.



I smiled back. "Me too. All feels a little cloak and dagger, doesn't it?"



A man to my right smiled through his close cut salt and pepper beard before easing my nerves. "I've been buying from them for a while now. I'm getting a full quarter today. You're going to love it."



I gazed at him with admiration, "a full quarter! Wow! That is serious! Whatever will you do with all that meat?"



He laughed and answered easily, "oh don't worry, we'll eat it all without a doubt. It's great stuff. You're going to be glad you came."



At that point, our chit chat was interrupted by the man we'd all been waiting for: Michael, the Beach Meadow Farm contact. Michael is the son of the owners of Beach Meadow Farm who raise organic grassfed Heritage Angus cattle and poultry in rural Ohio. He was friendly and outgoing, fit and dapper, banishing any stereotypes I was forming about gruff butcher types.



Michael emerged from his German Village townhouse, and quickly started distributing white shopping bags full of meat that had been pre-ordered by the waiting customers. The quarter steer ended up being much more manageable than I had imagined: just two large cardboard boxes and a couple of plastic bags. And the cost for such high quality meat? Just $5 a pound for the ground beef.



As the meat changed hands, Michael exchanged pleasantries with the customers he knew. It was apparent that this was much more than a commercial transaction, clear that everyone in the alley that day shared a common commitment to high quality ingredients and healthy living.



Soon I was back in my waiting minivan, clutching my four pounds of ground beef to my chest. Steve looked at me, smiling and said, "Do you have Da Meat?" I beamed at him from ear to ear, clutching the fruit of our not so insignificant effort of packing up the kids to trek into Columbus on such a snowy day.



That night, we tested the meat out with some tough customers by making burgers for the kids. The smell alone as they cooked on the range was something special. And when I bit into one of the patties, the taste was really exciting. It just tasted meatier, cleaner... just a better burger. Bella, my meat afficionado, said, "This isn't a regular burger. This is a steak burger!"



In six weeks, I'll be back in the alley. This time I'll be in the know, walking away with a full quarter.