As we spread the word about the amazing foods that we will offer at The Meat Market, I am reminded that many people don’t have a direct experience in their past of shopping at a butcher shop, or of the assistance that a butcher can offer them in terms of meal planning, cooking instruction, and even shopping within a budget. For these people, the advantages of such an amenity are mysterious, and they may even have arguments against the necessity of such a shop in the era of the supermarket. I will use the next few postings to attempt to explain the whys and offer another perspective against the why nots.

Ten Promises

1.  PROVENANCE: We will know exactly where our meat comes from and be proud to tell you all about the farm, the animals raised, and the farmers who raise them.

2. AGING: We will know how long the meat has been hung, and be happy to hang it longer for you if you ask.

3. COUNSEL: We will advise you on the right cuts for particular dishes, and give you as much assistance as you desire in the preparation of those dishes. We will help you select cuts and offer cooking instruction to match any budget.

4. TASTE: We will encourage sampling and prepare a small taste of the meat you are purchasing so you can taste what you are bringing home.

5. SOURCING: We will order special things for you, and do custom preparations with some notice, so that you can create the dishes you long for.

6. SERVICE: We will prepare the cuts of meat to your specifications, and grind meat to order.

7. PACKAGING: We will not pre-pack our meat, and advise you how to store it once you get it home.

8.  ARTISANAL: We will make a variety of our own fresh sausage and cured meats. We will have a brine tub, and a smoker.

9. CULINARY: We will make a variety of stocks, stews, and demi glace, as well as ready to cook meals such as pot-pies and soups for when you are too busy to cook.

10. HOSPITALITY: We will create a friendly, clean, and welcoming environment with happy professionals ready to assist you.

(the list is modified from the very helpful list in The River Cottage’s Meat Book, by Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall)

Shopping for food should be a wonderful experience. The Meat Market will be a meeting place, a place of discussion, of wonderful aromas, and of tasting. We seek to reconnect people to their food through flavor, texture, and sense of place that eating perfectly raised, properly aged, and expertly cut meat makes possible.

getting the smoker ready

Jeremy stoked the fire with cherry from our woods. The weather was very hospitable, a pale blue sky looked benevolently from above as he put the Narragansett turkey in his very home-made smoker at about 1PM, and continued to allow it to smoke until it reached an internal temperature of 160 degrees. When he brought the bird in, the kitchen filled with the rich smokey aroma as we admired its mahogany skin.

My baguettes will be sliced as the base for the turkey meat, and smeared with fresh mayonnaise, and topped with cranberry relish with bosc pears, raisins, a little jalepeno pepper and lime juice.

pork sausage with fennel and peppers, served with just-baked Rye and mustard.

The documentary project attempts to answer questions regarding sustainability as we humans increase our consciousness about how our food animals are raised: how do we balance the ethical and health implications that arise when we try to grow large amounts of cheap protein, and what is the actual cost of the practices that have evolved to meet that demand ? We believe that the answer comes with a compromise: if we eat less volume but better quality protein we will gain tastier more satisfying meats, improved health, and get to support the earth’s environment and the rural communities from which our food is produced.

We hope to see you tonight so we can share these wonderful tastes, and get you ready for the feast on Thursday!
Happy Thanksgiving!

The reasons for utilizing the whole animal are easy to grasp: Less waste, additional flavors, cost efficiency.

Philosophy: the animal comes with all their parts, so out of respect for the creature, we should find use for as much of it as we can, which historically is exactly what happened. Currently, only about 30-40% of the animal is used as ‘choice’ cuts, and sold at typical supermarket butchers, with the rest of the animal essentially thrown away. This represents a tremendous waste of nutrition, that if reduced will greatly decrease the number of animals needed to meet consumer demand, which has many environmental advantages. (http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn16573-eating-less-meat-could-cut-climate-costs.html)

Gastronomic experience: flavors and textures exist beyond the ‘prime cuts’ which can stand alone as the star of a dish, or of course shine as supporting characters for the final result (bones being an obvious example.)  There is a treasure trove of food traditions which informs us about how to go about preserving, preparing, and cooking all of an animal’s parts.

Beef Bones for Stocks, Braises, and Stews.

Pig’s Feet

Cost considerations: the finest quality animals, which we believe are locally raised and fed a natural diet, are cared for by farmers on relatively small farms where they are able to graze or forage (edified by Sean Stanton of North Plain Farm.) This requires more space and hands-on care than conventional industrial farms utilize, naturally there are additional costs inherent in raising animals in this way. Customers of the Meat Market should not be concerned that these costs will prevent them from eating this high quality product on a regular basis. Knowledge of how to use the less expensive secondary cuts, organ meats, and other often forgotten bits allows the conscious consumer to enjoy these fine animals more often. Jeremy’s culinary background will be your resource for creating delicious meals of the finest quality ingredients every day, so that purchasing local pasture raised meats is not reserved for special occasions.

From the rich tastes of the charcuterie we make by hand at The Meat Market with heritage pigs raised in Sheffield, to the small batch hard cider made from apples we harvest in New Marlborough and press by hand at Southfield Spirits, and the grass fed and pasture raised cattle, pigs, lambs and poultry we purchase from our dedicated local farmers like Lila Berle and Dominic Palumbo and cut to order for our customers—food truly from the land, food hand grown by sustainable practices, is central to our cultural heritage and to our vision.

These days, with the steady stream of stories in print and on television about “local food” and “sustainable agriculture,” there is no doubt a seismic change is taking place in the way Americans think about what they eat. It’s as if what was old is now new again, but with a heightened appreciation of why it is so important. We are proud to be part of this great tradition.