Where to buy grass fed beef or farm specific beef in LA?

[whiteonricecouple]

We're looking to buy good grass fed beef in LA . Or better yet, we want to visit some local beef farmers in the Southern California area. We know of Frank Fitzptric of 5 Bar beef, but want to find more. Any other suggestions?

[windinthewillows1]

I am a huge advocate of grass-fed meats-beef, bison, lamb. The best source for finding a supplier is www.eatwild.com. She has a directory organized by state. Great resource.

[Das Ubergeek]

Well, since this is open again, I'll throw Da-Le Ranch out there. From Temecula. Obviously it is not processed in Temecula (for those who don't know, there are only a handful of beef processors, and you are not permitted to buy beef not processed at a certified plant, so even locally raised beef may have Kingsburg, Merced or Yreka addresses on the label).

I buy it alternate weekends at the SoCo Farmers Market in Costa Mesa.

[Bruce Kerr]

Last year we discovered the grass fed Piedmontese beef at Marcondas Meats in the original farmers market (3rd & Fairfax) and now that is the only beef we eat. They have a full selection of cuts, professional butchers and great, helpful service.

[JudiAU]

Since this thread is active again I thought I would point out that grass fed beef is seasonal and thus pretty hard to find fresh right now, as it should be. Those tasty cows are still growing right now.

[linus]

'tis true. bought some grass fed Novy's beef from a farmer's market last week, and it was frozen.
tasty, though.

[SIMIHOUND]

Everything I have gotten from Novy beef has been frozen. The ranch is way up North and the cattle are processed in Roseville Oregon. I can't imagine how they could distribute fresh meat all over the state.
http://novyranches.com/

[jadekarrde]

Lindy & Grundy is a great source for meat.

[cheuimay]

Also, the first day that I went, Whole Foods had a sale on 100% Grass Fed Hamburger for $4.95 a pound, normally (I think) $8.00 a lb. It was delicious, now I wish I had bought more. The second time I went, there was a sale on grass fed cheese. $5.99 a lb, also delicious. The organic pastured chicken, was $4.65 a lb, cheapest around, but I felt it was tasteless. Maybe it's the way I'm cooking it. Also I saw that the package date was the day that I went, so I assumed that it would be fresh, but discovered later that that was only the date Whole food put a packaged date on it, not the date that it was slaughtered at the farm, so it could have been several days, maybe even a week old. Pretty deceptive. When I called to complain, they suggested that I call Mary's and ask them to put a pack date on their original package. Can you believe it??

[PattyC]

I've been buying pastured chickens from Rainbow Ranch Farms and they're delicious.

[cheuimay]

I've been having a lot of teeth problems lately and ended up getting a book called CURE TOOTH DECAY, which poses the theory that tooth decay is cause by nutritional deficiencies. It made sense to me so I started stocking up on things recommended to rebuild my enamel, which happens to be found in pastured and grass fed animals. In doing so, I did a lot of research on the cost of eating this way. Sprouts was the least expensive, but didn't carry grass fed liver, bone marrow, pastured chickens, or pastured eggs and I have to agree that the grass fed beef items are tasteless. I don't think that they are dry aged enough. The first time I lucked out and got a cross rib roast that, for some reason had a very tender section, which I cut out and saute. It was delicious, because it was marinated and I did have to adjust the seasoning several times. May be the way to deal with it is to marinate it overnight first before sauteing. The biggest surprise was finding out that Whole Foods was $1 to $2 a pound less than any vendor at the farmer's market selling grass fed organic and pastured eggs, chicken, beef liver and marrow bones.

[susans]

I know this is an old thread, but since someone has restarted it: I saw a grass fed beef stand at the Woodland Hills Kaiser Hospital Thursday farmer's market last week. I did not have time to stop and look closely, so can't say what brand it is.

[SIMIHOUND]

Susan, It was from Novy Ranch. The owner is a longtime well respected veterinarian from Simi Valley. Lowell Novy spent his youth in stockyards and bought a cattle ranch near the Nevada border in the 1970's. I have tried the meat and I love it.
http://novyranches.com/

[nikkihwood]

+1. Everything we've tried from Novy is outstanding. The ground beef is usually on special at the various farmers markets, and is not that much more expensive than in the markets.

[susans]

Thanks to both of you. Next time I'm bring my mother to Kaiser WH on a Thursday, I'll stop and buy something from him.

[mbh65]

There is also a stand at the Pasadena Farmer's Market on Saturdays selling grass fed beef, but I haven't tried it, though it is getting good reviews from 'Hounds.

[maudies5]

Someone was selling grass fed beef at the Pico/Cloverfield Santa Monica Farmers Mkt yesterday (Saturday).

[Wolfgang]

I tried grass fed beef for the first time last night. They were boneless 100% grass fed, organic rib-eyes from Sommers purchased at Sprouts in Culver City. These were from Uruguay. We grilled them over an oak fire. I did not like the steak at all. It was soft but incredibly chewy and tough. It was still pink in the middle so I doubt that it was overcooked. It wasn't dry. After reading all of the precautions about overcooking grass fed meat, I was determined to error on the undercooked side. The flavour was musky bordering on gamey. I couldn't add enough salt to make it enjoyable. I'm hopeful that a braised shortrib or a ground chuck burger will be more to my liking.
Anyway, I'm still going to try other grass fed cuts in other preparations but I don't see a reason to try a steak again any time soon. I just don't see any reason to eat steak if this is what it's going to taste like.

[vinosnob]

I'd chalk up your lackluster experience to a mediocre product and possibly the way you prepared the steak. Even if it's pink, if your grill source is too hot, the meat will dry out.

Low heat is essential and I recommend letting the steak rest for at least 10 min. after coming off of the grill and don't season until you plate it. Last, try and find beef that is dry aged,; that's always a sign of better quality.

As for where to buy, there are lots of options for 100% grass fed beef, but in my experience, the quality is very hot or miss.

I haven't liked anything from markets (WF, TJ's, Gelsons).

The best product I've found has been online buying direct from small ranchers.

Check out:

www.hatcreekgrown.com (ranch in CA

)

http://www.alderspring.com/ (ranch in ID

)

http://www.tallgrassbeef.com/ (ranches in KS)

[PattyC]

I buy from Hat Creek Grown too and love their beef. I've tried grass fed beef from WF and didn't like it.

[vinosnob]

Agree, Hat Creek is awesome stuff!

And agreed, WF is no bueno at all.

Quality -wise, it's a toss up between Hat Creek and Alder Spring, but I've been leaning towards the former because they're based in CA and I feel better about the local purchase.

[PattyC]

I try to source as local as possible too. I buy all of my other meats from Rainbow Ranch but they don't dry age their beef.

[mbh65]

Harmony Farms in La Crescenta. There is also a bison stand at the Hollywood Farmer's Market. Although I like Organic Pastures and buy milk at their Glendale depot every Saturday, I have had hit and miss experiences with the meat. The soup bones are great, a lot of meat on the bones and they make a great soup. Tried the t-bones and they were cut PAPER thin, so thin that with cooking them for 2 minutes they were tough as shoe leather. When I asked them about cutting it thicker, they said they had no control over what the butcher does. Their beef liver is very good though.

-----
Harmony Farms
2824 Foothill Blvd, La Crescenta, CA

[vinosnob]

I've never found anything worthy in the LA area; I order direct from this ranch. Haven't found anything better...

www.alderspring.com

[ns1]

Do you just buy and freeze or...?

What's the general strategy here for buying beef online lol; it's never even crossed my mind.

[vinosnob]

Yes, the cuts of beef that I select arrive individually packed (in dry ice) and go straight into my freezer; I order around 20lbs of meat.

For the particular ranch I buy from, the biggest caveat is since it's a small family operation the inventory can vary; right now it's pretty low, but you can email the owners and they'll let you know when the next round of beef is ready for sale.

It can also be expensive if you only buy premium cuts (filet, rib-eye, etc.), but I buy less expensive cuts (short ribs, ground beef, brisket, skirt steak, etc.) and the total cost comes to under $10/lb which I think is reasonable considering it's all organic, 100% grass-fed and (most importantly) dry-aged beef. Tastes incredible too!

I used to order from Open Space; the prices were much cheaper, but they don't dry-age the beef (most purveyors don't) and the quality was inconsistent.

Whole Foods recently started stocking Eel River Ranch beef; I've never had it, but I know you can buy from them directly and it's probably cheaper than paying the hefty mark up at Whole Paycheck.

[maudies5]

I guess I could be considered a heathen on this particular thread, Ate grass-fed beef in Argentina and didn't like it all that much.
Felt a bit flush recently and ordered some more Prime Beef from www.lobels.com
What great beef! Seriously expensive.

[vinosnob]

I love the taste of corn-fed dry aged beef too, but I only eat it on special occasions. It's just too unhealthy to eat it as often as I eat grass-fed.

[carter]

Whole Foods carried it a while back and I bought a package of ground beef just to try it out. Virtually tasteless, as in a non-taste.
Once cooked, it had no more flavor.
Bring me some flavor, asap.

[korndog]

Gelson's just started carrying it. I think it's Novy Ranch beef.

[foodiemahoodie]

I've seen it at the butcher department at the top of Beverly Glen. I've seen it at Whole Foods too - but I'd call first.

And the Santa Monica Farmer's Market.

[PurpleTeeth]

Figueroa Produce
6312 N Figueroa St Los Angeles,
CA 90042-2733
[phone]

The stock Open Space meats

[Servorg]

http://www.eatwild.com/products/calif...

[JeMange]

Great link! So many places I want to try out. Yet another reason to love California - we need a few good reasons these days.

[michaelescher]

Can anyone tell me local places that sell either Bar 5 grass fed beef or other grass fed meat suppliers in the LA area? I got used to eating it when I was courting my ex-wife in Buenos Aires. From my experience it was vastly more flavorful than corn feed beef. Not only that but it is leaner, makes for a better life for the cow and is easier on the planet. I'd also like to find a local grass fed dairy producer but that might be asking too much.

[Bjartmarr]

Organic Pastures, which sells raw milk at various markets around town, also has a booth at the Santa Monica Farmer's Market where they sell milk and meat. Their cows are 100% pastured, grass fed. They're about as local as you're going to find in LA.

[lynneymay]

Sorry to say that Organic Pastures is not all grass fed. They get a ration of corn too approximately 4 pounds per cow per day, but it is organic.

[Bjartmarr]

Do you have a source for that? Their website claims that "Organic Pastures produces Grade A, 100% pasture grazed raw milk of super premium quality." ( http://organicpastures.com/about.html ). The guy at the Farmer's Market said that their beef is culls from their dairy herd; given the small volume of beef they sell it seems like a lot of trouble to specially feed their culls.

[lynneymay]

Their prices for grass fed beef were so low that I decided to call Organic Pastures and just ask them. The representative sent me an e-mail from Lizbeth Valdes at Organic Pastures explaining why their diet is not 100% grass fed. I'm sure they would confirm that if you called them. I'd love to get your input on this. I'm desperately trying to find a good source of local (So. Cal) , organic grass fed beef that isn't too expensive and doesn't require a minimum of 80 pounds or so per order. I'd be happy to send you the original e-mail, but here is a copy of it:

We are 100% pasture based, but not 100% grass fed. The difference is that our cows are always free to graze on green, certified organic pastures… but they also get a ration of alfalfa and corn too. Of course, all our feed is 100% organic… but we do feed some organic rolled corn. We feed 4 pounds per cow per day of rolled corn. That is SIGNIFICANTLY less than most dairies. However, we need to feed the corn to provide the cows with protein and energy that we are asking them to expend as they make 45 pounds of delicious raw milk every day. The corn really is essential to their body condition and milk production. We don’t give much, but we do give some.

As for GMO… the best we can do is buy certified organic rolled corn. As you know, Monsanto and bees that spread pollen are ensuring that all corn has some traces of GMO. However, buying certified organic really limits the GMO exposure. FYI, organic rolled corn costs $360 per ton and conventional is about $180. We are paying DOUBLE what conventional dairies pay for their corn for the vary reason that we want to ensure that our cows eat and produce GMO free product.

Lizbeth Valdes

Organic Pastures Dairy

7221 South Jameson Ave Fresno, Ca. 93706

Ph:559-846-9732 Fax: [phone]

[Bjartmarr]

Well, that answers that.

I don't have a problem with what they're feeding (they're still better than any other local dairy), but I wish they'd come right out and say so up front on their website. By using their website to give the impression that they're 100% grass-fed, it makes me think that they're trying to "pull a fast one", and makes me wonder what else they're doing that they're not telling us about.

Thanks for posting the email.

[lynneymay]

Yes. I agree. I actually started off sending customer service an e-mail asking the same question and didn't get a reply. So, I thought I would just call. Not sure if I will order any beef from them. Do you have any suggestions for 100% grassfed beef out of CA?

[JudiAU]

For what it is worth, if you talk to them at the farmer's market they are always clear about their feeding practices.

[gordo26]

I have never seen the beef at their booth at the SM Farmer's market - just the dairy products. I would imagine if they have it - its in the van and one must ask for it?

Speaking of the SM Farmer's market - across and nearby the OP booth is another farm that sells Grass Fed and Grass Finished beef. I usually buy ground chuck for burgers which always is good for $4.99 a pound. They also have pork, which I just bought and am going to try in the next few days.

[cheuimay]

Organic Pastures also have a hub that they use to sell ground beef with a mixture of organ meats in it along with bone marrow and other cuts, but now they no longer have the certification and can only sell ground beef.