ARCADIAN Pastures!

I just got back from picking up my rabbit! I got the farmer’s name wrong: they are Arcadian Pastures, not American Pastures!

I took the biggest one they had at $19.40 for all 6.5 lbs of it! At $2.97 a pound I think it’s a great deal for pasture raised meat. Most of the time I spend a good deal more than that per pound of flesh at the market. It’s not unusual for me to spend $24 on a 2.5 lb chicken, or a pound or two of beef.

I will try not to be a lecturer in these posts - but I assume that if you are reading the GMR you may already be aware of impact of eating locally on our environment and our health and are working towards that kind of relationship.

It’s true that meat at the Greenmarket is more expensive - but to me, it’s less expensive. Less expensive in fuel, evironmental waste, and most of all: cruelty.

For me, the benefits (especially in my health) of meat eating outweigh the negatives - but neither do I want to aid and abet cruelty to animals more than I need to maintain my health. I have worked out a compromise: I eat meat - but I only buy pasture raised and fed animals from small farmers, and I try to eat less of it than your average American. I also try and use it ALL up - bones go into stock, skin gets eaten, the whole nine yards.

I’m looking forward to our rabbit. He, or she, will be lovingly braised with yellow oyster mushrooms, spring onions, and fresh tarragon, and served alongside this season’s finest roasted asparagus. We’ll make sure to thank him for his life, and the farmer who brough him to our table.

Tags: eat local, meat, philosophy