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A cow of a different color….
….or, “you can’t tell your Whopper without a dna test”. http://tampa.cbslocal.com/2013/02/01/burger-king-to-dna-test-its-beef-after-food-processor-used-horse-meat/ We’ve said several times that repeated studies show the most dangerous things you can consume are hamburgers and chicken. Studies also show that the top sellers in fast food restaurants, meaning in the country, are……
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Comparison shopping….
Our son-in-law Curt sends a picture of the grass fed beef case at the Central Market in Dallas. We found the prices, let’s say, “impressive”. Of course, there are all those wealthy oil men out in Texas. We followed (in parentheses) with the Thistle Hill price, assuming any individual cuts were available. Filet Mignon 31.99 (22.00) NY Strip 18.99 (16.00) Sirloin steak 11.99 (10.00) Burger 6.99 ( 4.50) No, this isn’t laying the groundwork for a price increase. Certainly, one reason prices for grass fed meat are higher than conventional cuts at the market, or on line, is that not only does it take more time to raise a grass fed animal (increasing the cost) but grass…
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They’re trying to kill us…
…a new study offers something of a surprise: you’re more likely to wind up with food poisoning by eating leafy green vegetables than anything else. We’re assuming that’s because so much of the greens we eat are imported from countries where oversight is not as stringent as here. Not surprising is that, while food poisoning due to vegetables is certainly serious, food poisoning that kills you most often comes from chicken. That we knew. All the negative publicity centers on beef recalls but more people die from eating contaminated chicken. Twenty per cent of the deaths are blamed on chicken; just four per cent on beef. And, of course, grass…
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Sign up for Thistle Hill beef….
This note from a neighbor and customer reminds me that we haven’t invited you to try Thistle Hill beef for yourself: We had DELICIOUS (Thistle Hill) t-bone steaks last night…cooked rare! Emphasis is the writer’s. In the past few years, we’ve been unable to keep up with the demand but we have been setting aside some animals to remedy the problem. Right now we expect to double our production in late Spring. Meanwhile, we have just put another Devon in for processing. And if you’d like to add your name to our mailing list so you can place an order, just send an email to info@thistlehill.net. For those of you impatient…
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The chemical arms race…
…. was going to call this post “GMO Roundup” (pun intended). But it really is chemical warfare right on the farmlands of the United States. It all started with Monsanto developing a powerful herbicide, “Roundup”. The trouble was, Roundup not only killed weeds, it killed the corn. Not to worry, then Monsanto developed Roundup-resistant seeds and today most of the major crops come from those seeds—corn, soybeans, sugar beets—in all, about 165-million acres of GMO crops. But then a new crop developed: weeds; weeds that were resistant to Roundup. Again, Monsanto was ready with the answer: more powerful Roundup. And of course, what happened was the weeds kept up with…
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The apocalyptic threat….
It’s already happening, of course; that is, antibiotic-resistant diseases. And it is a major reason why Thistle Hill never feeds its animals, cows or pigs, antibiotics. But it’s routinely added to the feed most people use with their herds….that and the fact that most of the grains used in animal feed are genetically-modified. In England, their chief public health officer is warning that there’s a perfect storm brewing: not only are the bugs getting tougher, research on newer, stronger antibiotics has just about stopped. http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2013/jan/23/antibiotic-resistant-diseases-apocalyptic-threat A side note, growing out of the recent series here on labeling: many meat suppliers claim that they do not use antibiotics or drugs on…
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It’s all right here….
….your assigned reading for tonight is the following article by Dr. Joseph Mercola. He reports on the finding that Americans have the poorest health of any of the other industrialized nations. Now, of course, our government finds that that is good reason to have more government. But Dr. Mercola thinks otherwise….he says that basically, the problem is the government. I urge you to read this: http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2013/01/23/united-states-health-ranking.aspx
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What’s in a name – 3
….our friend Jim Yancey of Cooney Creek Farm chimes in with some related information about misleading labels. These things apparently have been around for awhile but I have never focused on them. We “googled” and can vouch for the authenticity of at least these items, starting with the Jolly Green Giant….I mean, what could be more American than the Jolly Green Giant? “Green Giant frozen vegetables are from China. Never buy the grocery store garlic unless it is clearly marked from USA or Canada; the other stuff is grown in people poop (even worse than chicken poop). China is the largest producer of garlic in the world. Buy only local honey, most honey is shipped in…
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What’s in a name – 2
…continuing our rant about labeling (See What’s in a Name below)… Our daughter, Carolyn, is a cancer surgeon in Texas though her career has moved more and more to nutrition and integrative medicine. She is now the director of the Baylor Medical Center integrative medicine department and it was in that role she was interviewed on a Dallas radio program the other day. Naturally, she was singing the benefits of grass fed beef and was surprised when one of the callers to the program said he was a grass fed beef farmer and at that very moment was delivering meat to one of his customers. Almost seemed like a plant,…
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What’s in a name….
….as consumers have become more health-conscious, the nation’s food producers have responded. But not the way you may think. Instead of making their products better, they’ve changed their labeling to make it seem better. And the USDA, FDA and the rest of the government from the White House down have been their willing accomplices. What we used to call “the natural food” sector, until Big Ag co-opted that term, too, is only an infinitesimal part of the total picture. But it’s existence at any level is apparently considered a threat that the Big Guys and the Government (including our Virginia state government, by the way) are determined to stamp out.…