Jeremy at Almost Fit has recently written a series on pasture-raised chicken, and if you’ve ever had a question about the higher cost, the better nutrition, or the other reasons why you should buy pasture raised chicken – you’re about to be enlightened. Check out the links below:
Don’t you love this shot?
- Part 1: How to buy chicken without getting punched – boy, can I ever relate to the story in this post! (I talked a bit about it in a comment there.)
- Part 2: How to save money on chicken at the grocery store – Jeremy: “Not everyone has access to local farm-raised chicken, so in this article I’ll describe how to save money at the grocery store when you’re trying to make better choices.”
- Part 3: Demystifying chicken labels: From Organic to All Natural – this is a super informative post that covers it all: why pasture raised chicken is so much better for us nutritionally, along with the many other reasons why it’s a better way to spend your money. Also included is an easy-to-understand list of the best chicken choices, down to which chicken you should totally avoid.
- Part 4: The Ancient Chinese Secret to finding real food - 15 ways to find pasture-raised chicken.
- How to cook a WHOLE CHICKEN
- Where to find healthy meat
- Have you seen the Meatrix movies about conventionally raised meat? They’re entertaining and also really make you think about where you’re buying your food.
- Have you been to the Kitchen Kop Shop yet?
- Bored? Read about my “food conversion” story.
- Sad but true: time to think about healthy school lunch options.
(Many more topics along the right in the sidebar!)
{ 6 comments… read them below or add one }
What timing, Kelly! I’m just never happy about what the stores offer, even the “natural” and gourmet food stores (might be organic but it still is industrial). I pretty much knew all the stuff in the article series, but I think it was fantastic for those just learning that there is more to poultry than what the marketers want us to think.
Just today I placed an order for three heirloom breed chickens with a pasture-based chicken farm about two hours north of me. I’ll receive the chilled chickens via UPS Ground tomorrow.
I found this place on http://www.localharvest.org, one of the recommended info links in the last of the chicken article series. If we like the chickens, we may order regularly through their CSA. Another option she told me about, if I have friends who want to order, too, is to set up a co-op, with a discount and regular weekly orders.
And I know exactly what the article writer meant about buying chicken without getting punched. I’m sure my questions have annoyed some meat counter clerks (though the ones who are real butchers like that I can talk meat with them).
Okay – that guy is HILARIOUS! I love it!
I pay $2 a pound for my free range, certified organic chickens from my farm….. these are whole chickens. It’s very easy to roast a whole chicken, and it’s easier to cut it up when it’s roasted, then when it’s raw. I roast a chicken frequently, it’s the main way we eat chicken. I have several different “rubs” I put on it….. or sometimes I just roast it plain. Then, I de-bone the leftover meat to make enchiladas or chicken pie later in the week. I freeze the carcass and make up a huge pot of stock, which usually lasts for several meals (couple cups to cook rice in, the rest for a big pot of soup). So – when I look at my whole return for my $2/lb chicken…… it’s quite nice! If I buy boneless skinnless breasts at $1.97/lb at Sam’s (the yucky stuff), I get to use them ONCE.
Shauna
Shauna, you know how to stretch a chicken! Bingo!
Hi Kelly,
Thank you so much for sending folks over – I am glad that people are finding them useful. We just got our freezer yesterday in preparation for our delivery of 25 whole chickens from a local farm. All pasture-raised, and the same price as michigan mom2three – about $2.00 a pound.
Thank you again!
Great post! Thanks so much for this information. I just bought my first organic chicken yesterday so this info comes in handy.
Love your blog!
Anna, I’ve spoken to quite a few “real butchers” through the years, and I’d like to think I’m careful about how I ask things and my tone, etc., but I’ve only had maybe one out of them all who weren’t defensive and liked to “talk meat” as you say!
Shauna, that’s my favorite way to eat (and get the most out of) my chicken, too!
Jeremy, 25 chickens at once?! Youza, how many are you planning to eat a week?
Faith, thanks for reading – I appreciate (and need!) the feedback!
Kelly