415046 Mon Jun 25 15:51:07 -0700 2007 39 1 San Francisco Bay Area 0 2693026 I heard a story on the radio this morning about a meat CSA in the Boston area (Stillman Farms - http://www.stillmansfarm.com/meatcsa.html). Does anyone know if something like this exists in the bay area? the peninsula in particular? Thanks! Mon Jun 25 15:51:07 -0700 2007 67893 jcarlile 1 2693070 Sounds like a great idea, although the price per pound is a little high (compared to what I pay for sustainable/organic meat at the butcher). My friends and I go in on a lamb every year from a local CSA, and it's wonderful -- the best lamb I've ever eaten (just cooked some yesterday, as a matter of fact). They sell by the half or whole lamb, and depending on yield after butchering, it works out to about $4.50/lb. I know you can buy beef that way as well, but I don't know of anyone using the model they're using at the farm you linked. Mon Jun 25 16:04:27 -0700 2007 2693026 10159 Ruth Lafler 2 2693159 There actually is one here - we get a box about once a week. The prices are a bit high but the meat is excellent and well worth it. http://groups.google.com/group/bamcsa/ Mon Jun 25 16:29:02 -0700 2007 2693070 91018 teresalynne 3 2693179 Sorry! I miswrote- once a MONTH. Mon Jun 25 16:33:17 -0700 2007 2693159 91018 teresalynne 4 2693237 Another friend of mine is a member of that meat CSA, and they report great great meat out of it. Mon Jun 25 16:48:50 -0700 2007 2693179 13525 JasmineG 3 2693250 That's similar, but from what I can see without joining the group, it's a co-op buying group, not a farm or group of farms that provides a "box" type service to consumers. Mon Jun 25 16:53:47 -0700 2007 2693159 10159 Ruth Lafler 4 2693330 Actually, from what the people that I know who have joined have said, it is a group of farms who provide a box service to consumers once a month. Mon Jun 25 17:12:51 -0700 2007 2693250 13525 JasmineG 5 2694074 To "subscribe" you have to join the group, and the group is run by the buyers, not the farmers: "The Bay Area Meat CSA (BAMCSA), a project of Slow Food Berkeley, is made up of over 100 consumers ...." That's a buying co-op. Mon Jun 25 21:09:26 -0700 2007 2693330 10159 Ruth Lafler 1 2693213 May I ask, why are you specifically interested in obtaining meat directly through a CSA? Are you looking for low prices? Connection with a rancher? Sustainable and natural ranching practices? Ease of pick-up? I ask, because there are excellent ranchers who sell meat directly through local farmers' markets and butcher shops. Prather Ranch is the best of the bunch, but there are others. I find that this is the easiest way for a reliable supply of high quality meat, and I don't end up with a freezer full of chuck. Mon Jun 25 16:42:21 -0700 2007 2693026 10793 Morton the Mousse 2 2693246 I've never had a decent piece of meat from Prather -- everything has been tough and I don't care for the flavor (part of that is that I'm not used to the taste of grassfed beef, but I didn't like the pork I bought from them, either). What have you bought from them that has been good? Mon Jun 25 16:51:43 -0700 2007 2693213 10159 Ruth Lafler 3 2694013 Beef cheeks. Mon Jun 25 20:43:52 -0700 2007 2693246 44059 daveena 3 2694086 Wow - I'm shocked and you are the first person I've heard complain of Prather meat... I cooked up some of the short ribs a week or so ago and everyone raved they were the most flavorful and tender they have ever tasted! Mon Jun 25 21:14:15 -0700 2007 2693246 16933 Carrie 218 3 2694224 I've just recently started buying their meat regularly, but so far I've loved the oxtails, rib eye, and the sirloin (for crudo). I have only tried the Prather beef (not the Vitelloni, pork, lamb or buffalo). I'm sure I'll try many more cuts over the next few months. I agree with you that much of the local grass finished beef is too tough to grill as a steak or chop. However, Prather beef is not grass finished. The steers are pasture raised and finished on a mix of grains (not unlike the Niman and Creekstone beef you will find at Baron's meats; though Prather doesn't finish with corn). Between the grain finish and 21 days of aging, Prather beef is firm but stil yielding, well marbled with fat, and a joy to eat. It has a deep earthly flavor, the mustiness of a good aging, and hints of spring grass that come out when you eat it raw. Frankly, I think a lot of corn fed beef is soft and mushy, with a one-dimensional taste profile, but beef is often a matter of personal preference. Mon Jun 25 22:41:03 -0700 2007 2693246 10793 Morton the Mousse 2 2695784 Besides anticipating delicious meat and supporting local ranchers with sustainable practices, the main reason I want to obtain meat through a CSA is that I cook more adventurously when I give up some of the control of the ingredients I have on hand each week. I really enjoy my Mariquita Farms vegetable share, and think that having a similiar situation for meat would be great. BAMCSA looks very interesting. Thanks to Bonnie for organizing it! Also, are there any favorite sellers at peninsula farmer's markets / butchers (Palo Alto/Mt View/Menlo Park/Los Altos specifically)? Tue Jun 26 10:54:43 -0700 2007 2693213 67893 jcarlile 1 2693342 Here's a sfgate story about "going to the source" for meat from last September.... http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2006/09/20/FDG7LL5N221.DTL Mon Jun 25 17:15:41 -0700 2007 2693026 10252 larochelle 1 2693929 Ted at Highland Hills Farms (sells at Berkeley Farmers Markets) has been talking about starting a meat CSA. Haven't heard details yet, but he's had a sign up sheet at his stand (Saturday and Thursday markets) for a few weeks now. Mon Jun 25 20:05:58 -0700 2007 2693026 10410 Celery 2 2694137 Hi all -- my name is Bonnie, I started the Bay Area Meat CSA here because none of the local meat farmers had one (meat CSAs are pretty rare around the U.S., too). Unfortunately, there are a lot of logistical and regulatory challenges associated with meats that veggie boxes don't have to deal with, and yes, the meat is expensive because the ranchers' costs around here are expensive, too (real estate for pasture, much more labor intensive, longer time to market = more feed costs, very little infrastructure for slaughter etc). BAMCSA is now sponsored by Slow Food Berkeley, and our ultimate goal is to help every farmer around here who wants to set up their own CSA, as that would be ideal. But in the meantime, we offer a monthly-ish box of mixed meats from Marin Sun Farms (sells at Ferry Plaza), Black Sheep Farms (Mendocino County), Soul Food Farms (supplies eggs and chickens to Chez Panisse), and Clark Summit Farm (sells only off the farm), with three different weights for various family sizes. You can find out more about it at our wiki: http://bamcsa.pbwiki.com/ -- email me if it doesn't answer your questions (dairyqueen AT ethicurean.com). Mon Jun 25 21:38:45 -0700 2007 2693929 18486 DairyQueen 2 2695907 I haven't been happy with most of what I've bought from Highland Hills. I think the problem's more with the butchering than the meat. Tue Jun 26 11:21:47 -0700 2007 2693929 11369 Robert Lauriston 3 2696151 Right on, Robert. Ted's meat has a fantastic flavor, but the butchering work is shoddy at best. Plus, the meat is often frozen and never dry aged, so the beef in particular is very tough. I feel for Ted, because he's fighting the good fight, but it's a hard world for small ranchers. The lack of good butchering facilities is one of the biggest challenges for small, organic meat producers today. The one cut of Highland Hills meat I've been consistently pleased with is the goat. I think that the small size of the animal makes butchering easier. He usually sells it all in one day, so I've never seen it frozen. The flavor of his goat is incredible. The lamb is more hit and miss, though I have had some luck with it. I'm not so fond of the beef and pork. Tue Jun 26 12:16:19 -0700 2007 2695907 10793 Morton the Mousse 1 2866448 Boccalone's doing that. One or twice a month for $29 or $49, pickup at Incanto. http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/08/15/FD52RHOAH.DTL Tue Aug 21 11:40:56 -0700 2007 2693026 11369 Robert Lauriston 2 2866527 I signed up but never heard back - has anyone else? Tue Aug 21 11:54:37 -0700 2007 2866448 16933 Carrie 218 3 2869372 I signed up as well and have not heard back. Wed Aug 22 08:49:03 -0700 2007 2866527 10658 Atomica 4 2869701 ditto. Wed Aug 22 10:05:24 -0700 2007 2869372 10793 Morton the Mousse 5 2885397 I just got a response from Boccalone, but it got shunted to the spam box (hmm. Salumi in the spam box . . . there's a joke in there somewhere). I almost missed it. Perhaps other responses have had a similar fate? Here's what it said: "Thanks for your kind note about Boccalone. As you can probably imagine, we have had our hands extremely full these past few months getting Boccalone built and up and running. We have just now gotten around to answering the several hundred email messages that have been submitted to our website the past few weeks." There is going to be an open house to taste their wares, but since I don't know if they intend to extend invitations to the general public or only to those who have expressed interest, I won't post the details here. Mon Aug 27 09:17:50 -0700 2007 2869701 23560 Pistou 6 2885641 Hmmmm... I don't use a Spam filter and I still have received no response. Mon Aug 27 10:19:42 -0700 2007 2885397 16933 Carrie 218 7 2886461 Ditto. I do not use a spam filter and have not received a response. I sent them another note. Mon Aug 27 13:17:14 -0700 2007 2885641 10658 Atomica 8 2888074 This is wacky. I told a good friend about the Boccalone CSA, and SHE got a response (which she forwarded to me), but I still have not heard from them. Mon Aug 27 21:06:55 -0700 2007 2886461 10658 Atomica 6 2885911 I received the same response, but also a note explaining that their East Bay CSA will start later. Wish I could go to the open house, but I'll be in North Carolina that weekend. Once school starts I travel for work most weekends, so my Fatted Calf option will disappear. I was hoping this would fill the void, but without an East Bay option, I'll be out of luck (at least for a while). I don't suppose there's anyone out there who works in the City but lives in Oakland/Berkeley who'd be willing to pick up in SF for me (assuming you're picking up for yourself anyway)? Please contact me at lexdevilATmindspringDOTcom (rather than on this board). Mon Aug 27 11:13:18 -0700 2007 2885397 17723 lexdevil 6 2886131 When did you get the email? I check my spam before emptying, and I didn't see anything. Want to be sure that I don't miss that Open House. Mon Aug 27 12:01:25 -0700 2007 2885397 10793 Morton the Mousse 7 2886184 Last night around 9:00 PM. Mon Aug 27 12:13:15 -0700 2007 2886131 17723 lexdevil 8 2886510 Sometime last night/early this morning. Mon Aug 27 13:26:38 -0700 2007 2886184 23560 Pistou 2 2949135 Adding a link: Mon Sep 17 12:02:06 -0700 2007 2866448 11369 Robert Lauriston 1 2867601 I signed up for the Slow Food Monthly Meat group and got my first delivery last week -- http://groups.google.com/group/bamcsa The quality seems good and the experience is pretty fun. We're going to continue it for another 3 months to see how we like it over time and what amount to get. Tue Aug 21 16:35:14 -0700 2007 2693026 10252 larochelle 2 2868921 No, I was curious if anyone who has signed up for the Incanto CSA has had a response yet... Wed Aug 22 06:31:59 -0700 2007 2867601 16933 Carrie 218 3 2869879 Uh, note that I was responding to the original OP with an update, not you. See how my reply is indented on the same level as Lauriston's post, not Atomica's? Wed Aug 22 10:39:09 -0700 2007 2868921 10252 larochelle 1 2949778 As an added to the report, I went to their website directly to sign up for the The Boar and their "Sign Me Up" link only refreshes the page - it does not link through to actually provide payment information. Mon Sep 17 14:30:28 -0700 2007 2693026 16933 Carrie 218 2 2951061 The "Sign Me Up" link from the home page brings you to the page with sign-up info: http://boccalone.biz/newsletter.php Mon Sep 17 21:28:27 -0700 2007 2949778 128159 meatmaven 2 2951653 The "sign me up" function is to sign up for the newletter and email list called "The Salumi Society." The CSA is a different deal that you enroll in. They had a form to fill out at the tasting on Saturday and told me they'll be updating the website soon to include the ability to manage your CSA. For now, try contacting them by phone. Tue Sep 18 07:36:05 -0700 2007 2949778 15083 sgwood415 3 2953554 Just to be very clear "The Salumi Society is not a Meat CSA (direct purchase of meat from the farmer/rancher). The Salumi Society merely is the direct purchase of meat products from the producers, its like going to Schwartz Sausage and buying there instead of Safeway - admittedly Boccalone is much fancier, smaller production and you have to order in advance. Tue Sep 18 15:04:17 -0700 2007 2951653 10252 larochelle 4 2953631 Good point lacrochelle. I was using the CSA term a little too loosely there. To be more accurate, the Boccalone monthly meat box is "modeled after farm CSAs" as stated online by them. Tue Sep 18 15:23:10 -0700 2007 2953554 15083 sgwood415