Valley Livestock Marketing Cooperative
Types of Meat

We sell beef, pork, lamb and veal

Beef We use primarily English beef breeds with a heavy weighting towards Angus. Some of our animals will be pure bred Angus from fancy breeding stock. Others will be crosses of Hereford, Galloway, Belted Galloway, Devon, British Whites, a rare breed, and Murray Grays, a cross developed in Australia and now a breed with excellent beef characteristics.     Beef is available by the side or mixed quarter. A mixed quarter is a selection of cuts from every part of a side of beef. When you order a side or mixed quarter you can chose how you want your meat cut by giving us cutting instructions as part of your order.

You can order a half pig- about 80lbs. hanging weight, or you can order loin, rib and shoulder- about 30lbs.

Pork Pigs grown on our members' farms enjoy a life of leisure and plenty. They get to forage, they are offered a varied diet, they are pastured for at least part of the time, and they eat locally produced feeds. Our pigs are raised in small groups, one litter at a time. Our pigs are never housed in small cages where they cannot move around; they have access to the outdoors. Our pigs are raised by family farmers who are proud of what they do. Our pork tastes unlike commercial pork: it has flavor. Smoking adds flavor to hams, bacons, and shoulder roasts.

Lamb Our lamb growers are called shepherds, a time honored title signifying the ancient tradition of sheep raising. A shepherd lives with the flock, knows the individuals, knows their offspring, their breeding heritage, and can tell you about their history. Our lambs are grown for their meat qualities, which involves taste, texture and fat in the right places. Our shepherds have small flocks, typically 20-40 animals, so our supply is limited. We sell lamb either whole or, when we have larger lambs available in the fall and winter, by the half. The lambs are cut into roasts, or roasts and chops, according to your choice shown on the order form. Our lambs have been favored by a number of NY City restaurants who appreciate the difference between a grass-fed local lamb and the lamb supplied by huge producers who feed mostly grain.

Our lambs are either Spring Lambs, which are young and weigh about 25-20lbs. hanging wt., or are fully grown, and weigh about 55-65lbs. hanging wt.

Veal cuts are: 1. Breast, stew meat and shoulder roasts  2. Standing ribs, loin chops and rib chops 3. Roasts or veal steaks 4. Veal scallopine (thin slices) 5. Osso bucco (veal shank) 6. Veal liver

Veal Our veal is raised on the mother cow in pasture where both can freely roam and eat normal forages. Our veal is not white and anemic, but rather pink and healthy, containing all the natural vitamins and minerals that nature can provide. None of our animals are ever given hormones or artificial growth stimulants. Many of our veal calves are from beef breeds. They are, therefore, likely to taste unlike any veal you have ever tasted before. It is tender, tasty and healthy. Professional chefs love it.

Cooking Grass-Fed Meats

Our meat can be described as lean.  There is less visible fat.  And the fat is different from grain fed animals.  You don't have to cook it out.   It is better to cook our meat slowly, over a low heat.  (You can sear it first over a high heat, but then cook it slowly.)  Slow cooking keeps in the juices and flavor.  Fast cooking and high heat dries the meat.  Consider braising,  a slow cook with liquids.  We recommend keeping at least a pink color.  Rare is best, except for pork.  For pork, cook lightly, especially the pork chops.  You might try cooking in  a covered dish or earthenware pot, or wrapping in aluminum foil.   We work with many top chefs. Cooking  grass fed meat can be  a learning  experience.   One of our top chefs serves our veal raw, slightly warmed.  Start from that point of reference.

For more recipes, try www.slowfood.com