# What caused my fresh grass-fed beef to taste & smell so ‘off’ this time?



## Tommy B (Jun 2, 2020)

So I post this question as a consumer, reaching out to those of you who'd likely know the ins & outs of these things quite well. This relates to an expensive order I made from a local farm, that’s highly reviewed online by the few who know about it, and they check all the boxes for my standards in terms of their beef being a) 100% grass-fed & finished and b) certified organic. The owners seem like fantastic people from my interactions with them, and I can tell they’re quite knowledgable about the industry, and share many of the same views on nutrition and the benefits of grass-fed beef as I do.

Today I defrosted some striploin steaks I bought as part of my large order. Prior to putting them on the BBQ, I could tell they had quite a noticeable scent to them. I don’t know if “gamey” accurately describes what it was, or “barnyard-y” — but something just seemed off about the smell overall. I cooked them anyway, but that ‘off’ smell came out in the taste. Unfortunately I couldn’t finish it. I was frustrated and confused.

I’ve ordered & eaten organic, 100% grass-fed/finished steaks before while in another city (aka from other farms), yet there was no taste or smell issue for me.

These striploin steaks + the rest of my order were also *very, very fresh and delivered to the farm by the butcher just a day before I went.* I remember when I bought meat from this farm last year as well, that the butcher or slaughter date noted on the sticker was just 2 weeks prior. So really fresh stuff. If anything, I thought that the closer you are to the slaughter date of the animal, the more mild/lack of taste the beef will have? So what’s with this noticeable smell & taste I’m picking up this time around? Also, last year I made tartare from this same farm’s cut of tenderloin, and I know for sure I wouldn’t have eaten it if the smell was what I’m noticing now.

It’s also not exclusive to the striploin steaks I tried today, because I began defrosting some of the rib steaks from the same batch, and it seems like they have the same smell & could turn out tasting the same. 

What would you speculate the potential issue is? Could it be the breed of cow? The 'freshness' of the steak? Whether it was dry-aged or not? (I'm going to ask them, but if I had to guess I don't think it is).


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## Shawn B (Feb 12, 2020)

Not sure this is it or will help. Right now meat lockers in my area are scheduling a full year out!!! This means that the ideal aging of 14-21 days is lucky to get 10. 
Animal stress can play a huge part also, an animal that has been in a 8 hour panic attack cant taste the same as one that never knew whats up


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## Alice In TX/MO (May 10, 2002)

Contact the seller. He needs to know. It is possible that the processor had a refrigeration issue or switched animals.


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## GTX63 (Dec 13, 2016)

If the seller is a legitimate operation, reputation is a big deal. You should give them a call, or better yet, return some of the meat for them to see/smell/taste first hand.
I believe our local processor is booked thru May of 2021.


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## 101pigs (Sep 18, 2018)

Tommy B said:


> So I post this question as a consumer, reaching out to those of you who'd likely know the ins & outs of these things quite well. This relates to an expensive order I made from a local farm, that’s highly reviewed online by the few who know about it, and they check all the boxes for my standards in terms of their beef being a) 100% grass-fed & finished and b) certified organic. The owners seem like fantastic people from my interactions with them, and I can tell they’re quite knowledgable about the industry, and share many of the same views on nutrition and the benefits of grass-fed beef as I do.
> 
> Today I defrosted some striploin steaks I bought as part of my large order. Prior to putting them on the BBQ, I could tell they had quite a noticeable scent to them. I don’t know if “gamey” accurately describes what it was, or “barnyard-y” — but something just seemed off about the smell overall. I cooked them anyway, but that ‘off’ smell came out in the taste. Unfortunately I couldn’t finish it. I was frustrated and confused.
> 
> ...


May be a processor problem. Also could be what the animal had to eat. Sometimes wild plants will grow in a field and the Animal will eat it and some plants will taint the meat with an off odor. If they eat Onions it can taint the meat. You could also have the meat tested to see what the problem is.


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## Fishindude (May 19, 2015)

I'd be asking them to replace your order with something that tastes good.
The whole "grass fed, organic" label is largely a big rip off scheme to start with. 

You bought overpriced crummy meat.


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## dmm1976 (Oct 29, 2013)

Fishindude said:


> I'd be asking them to replace your order with something that tastes good.
> The whole "grass fed, organic" label is largely a big rip off scheme to start with.
> 
> You bought overpriced crummy meat.


I suspect this. And im a layperson when it comes to this stuff. But so many thing the benefit is so incrementally small or not even measureable its not worth the price. Being honest, i dont really notice a difference in taste between my own vegetables and store bought. It makes me feel good to grow it though. And it hasnt been in the paws of dozens of humans.


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## dmm1976 (Oct 29, 2013)

I fully support buying local though.


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## Ziptie (May 16, 2013)

I would chalk it up to stress or you didn't get your beef back.


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## Tommy B (Jun 2, 2020)

Fishindude said:


> I'd be asking them to replace your order with something that tastes good.
> The whole "grass fed, organic" label is largely a big rip off scheme to start with.
> 
> You bought overpriced crummy meat.


Not according to my & plenty of others' research, but that's not what this is about.

For what it's worth, what I paid is on-par with, or lesser priced, than many prominent local farms who sell grain-fed. So I didn't overpay in that regard.


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## barnbilder (Jul 1, 2005)

The stress thing is way overblown. Having had game animals that were harvested with a single shot, caught unawares compared to animals that were harvested after being chased by a pack of hounds most of the day. Also farm animals harvested in the most humane circumstances possible, those harvested when things didn't go as planned, and those that were downright mercy killings after unfortunate circumstances in which an attempt to harvest meat was carried out in spite of those circumstances. Never been able to tell a difference. In fact, some of the extremely stressed animals have been some of the best tasting. Sped up the aging process was my theory.

That brings us to a huge factor in meat quality, and that is aging. The more the aging, the more tender and better flavor. Another huge factor is diet. Probably the biggest factor is growth plane. You catch an animal that is in the process of losing weight, it's going to be tough and taste bad. If it is actively gaining, it is going to taste better. A lot of grass fed beef operations find themselves in situations where the animals are stressed because they are running out of pasture, and they are losing fat. Cattle don't typically reach harvest weight in a single growing season. Pasture quality when a particular animal is harvested is going to play a huge part in customer satisfaction and customer retention. Lush spring grass that is mostly water and late winter hay is not going to promote the active gaining, nutritionally unstressed condition that promotes consistent quality. Neither is late summer drought. The cattle industry has been aware of these challenges for quite some time, and this is why commercially produced beef is grass fed and grain finished.


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## oregon woodsmok (Dec 19, 2010)

Call the seller and see if they will take the meat back.

No, fresher is not better. Beef needs to hang and age or it will taste and smell "green". Aging is an art form and some butchers do it well and some butchers save money by cutting corners.

Sometimes you can get a "high bright" flavor in females if they are butchered at exactly the wrong time in their hormone cycle. I suspect this is a bit rare to happen because I don't ever hear allot of complaining about it.

Sometimes you get off flavors because the steer was eat the wrong feed. What they eat affects the flavor.

I'm going to guess it was either what the animal was eating or it is an aging and butchering problem.


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## Tommy B (Jun 2, 2020)

oregon woodsmok said:


> Call the seller and see if they will take the meat back.
> 
> No, fresher is not better. Beef needs to hang and age or it will taste and smell "green". Aging is an art form and some butchers do it well and some butchers save money by cutting corners.
> 
> ...


If this is potentially the factor, I just realized I have a chuck roast from the same farm, but purchased a year ago (is that too long for being frozen?) -- If I defrost that and the taste/smell seems "normal" aka what I'm used to for 100% grass-fed & finished, then perhaps that would be a fair test to carry out? Or would it being frozen for so long have an impact? (it's not vacuum sealed though, it's in butcher paper)


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## Alice In TX/MO (May 10, 2002)

I think that's a good test.


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## altair (Jul 23, 2011)

I'm hooked. Keep us posted!


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## Hiro (Feb 14, 2016)

In this segment of the world, if you take livestock straight off pasture to processing from mid-fall to late-spring, you get preseasoned meat...onion/garlic flavored...and strong. You can still have grass fed/finished successfully, but if you have them out in pasture with wild onions/garlic (which they will seek out), you need to feed them out for 3 or 4 days on hay before processing and limit or eliminate their access to pasture.

I get the pasture raised that is what we do. But, finishing them out on grain gives a much more reliable end product from my experience.


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## 355946 (Mar 23, 2013)

I am just sending you some sympathy. I would be worried that it would be an awkward conversation with the ranchers, although necessary for your sake and theirs. I buy pasture-raised but not officially organic beef from a local ranch every year - so far it’s been wonderful. They have a lot of money, time, energy invested in each animal, as well as having to trust the butcher to not screw it up. Good luck and I would also appreciate knowing the outcome.


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## thesedays (Feb 25, 2011)

barnbilder said:


> In fact, some of the extremely stressed animals have been some of the best tasting.


I have heard that in cultures torture their meat animals before slaughter for this very reason. 

I second letting the butcher know about this.


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## oregon woodsmok (Dec 19, 2010)

Tommy B said:


> .......... I have a chuck roast from the same farm, but purchased a year ago (is that too long for being frozen?) --(it's not vacuum sealed though, it's in butcher paper)


Meat correctly wrapped in butcher paper and stored in a low temperature deep freeze without a defrost cycle will be good for years. I've eaten elk that was 6 years in the freezer and in perfect condition. In a refrigerator freezer with a defrost cycle, that meat will not be as good as it was.

The fridge freezer doesn't get cold enough and the defrost cycle isn't good for your meat storage.


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## genebo (Sep 12, 2004)

Every type of grass that the animal eats lends its own flavor to the beef. Every spring there is a lot of wild onions and garlic to be found in the fields. Alfalfa is also known to lend an off-flavor to beef. Beef from cattle harvested while eating these plants will have a distinct flavor. Same as if a milk cow was eating them and gives strong off-flavored milk. It is my guess that your beef came straight off of the fields to slaughter when the strong-flavored grasses were lush.


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## Gravytrain (Mar 2, 2013)

I direct market high quality beef (both grass and grain finished) and pork to customers from Michigan to Washington D.C.. Several of the theories posted above are possible: Processing or refrigeration issues, carcass switched, and poor pasture forage are certainly plausible. It would take a fair amount of consumed wild onion or other weeds to affect the taste to that degree and you'd think the rancher would be aware of pasture infestations. The rancher could also be lousy at choosing which animals are ready for processing, but the timing bothers me. You say that the "off-tasting" beef isn't from last year, which indicates this butcher date was recently? I don't know where in Canada you are, but it's too early to butcher grass finished beef in PA, as there just hasn't been high quality pasture for long enough for a steer to finish properly. I'd be ticked if a rancher tried to sell me winter butchered "grass finished" beef...probably at a premium.

If an animal was processed in April or May they would have just come off hay or haylage and that certainly isn't the type of feed that would lend itself to quality beef, but it could explain an off taste. It is imperative that grass finished beef be butchered on the highest quality forage which means late June to late July and then mid September to late October around here. I consider 3-4 months of grazing a minimum before processing grass finished. 

To be honest, you have to know what you are doing to consistently provide high quality grass finished beef. It takes fantastic pasture forage, the right kind of genetics for efficient feed conversion, an eye for when the animal is finished and most of all patience...it takes time to finish well on grass...usually 2 1/2 to 3 years.

Regardless, if you were my customer I would want to know. I would want to know that my customer isn't satisfied. I would want to know if it was a processor issue. I would want to know if I had a forage issue. I would think he would know you can't finish properly in the winter, but maybe not. You'll find out pretty quick if he's a stand up guy or not.


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## haypoint (Oct 4, 2006)

Is it possible that the meat you got before was sold as grass finished but really grain finished and tasted good, but this farm really did finish on grass and you got that awful grass finished gammy taste?


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## TedH71 (Jan 19, 2003)

I've had grass fed beef. Superior taste compared to grocery store beef in my opinion. Also have to remember to cook it lightly or quickly compared to grain fed beef because it's lean beef.


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## muleskinner2 (Oct 7, 2007)

There are only three things it could be. How the meat was handled, what the critter was eating, or how it was cooked.


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## Wellbuilt (Dec 25, 2020)

Bottom line if you are in happy take the order back ? 
No brainer , I guess you could have a few friend over to sample it . 
But I would not except it
I had my farmer grow me a beef one year 
And it was supposed to be super high Yield 
Lo fat organic beef . 
The stuff stunk and was dry when it was cooked. 
I started cooking it to just warm and we could eat it but it was not great . 
The farmer was a friend so I told him but did not ask to return it .


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## barnbilder (Jul 1, 2005)

I have never tasted grass fed beef that was as good as properly grain finished beef when I have butchered my own. The grass fed tastes just like summer deer, has the same off flavor. I have had beef sold as grass fed and have enough experience to know when someone is telling a fib.


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## RJ2019 (Aug 27, 2019)

barnbilder said:


> I have never tasted grass fed beef that was as good as properly grain finished beef when I have butchered my own. The grass fed tastes just like summer deer, has the same off flavor. I have had beef sold as grass fed and have enough experience to know when someone is telling a fib.


You could graze a corn or oat field and technically that counts as grassfed. Just food for thought


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## Gravytrain (Mar 2, 2013)

RJ2019 said:


> You could graze a corn or oat field and technically that counts as grassfed. Just food for thought


Not in good conscience. If the corn or oats are grazed before grain is produced then technically you are correct. If a producer needs to feed corn or oats or rye or wheat pre-dough stage to their finishing cattle because their pastures are not productive enough to produce quality grass finished beef, they shouldn't be marketing grass finished beef IMHO. Since I produce both grassfed/finished and grain finished, I have a fairly unique perspective. 

I don't have a dog in the fight, except I get amused by grass finished naysayers. Over the years, I've had dozens of grain finished customers convert to my grass finished beef after trying it (I sample both). I have only had one customer convert to grain from grass, despite my grass finished beef costing 50% more than the grain. My own personal preference is highly marbled grass finished heifer, but I typically take whatever is left over after satisfying my customers' orders. Even my grain finished cattle get as much lush forage as they can eat daily and then their tanks are topped off with their grain ration in the evening. So, even though they are grain finished, they do not have the watered down bland taste that feedlot beef has.


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## RJ2019 (Aug 27, 2019)

Gravytrain said:


> Not in good conscience. If the corn or oats are grazed before grain is produced then technically you are correct. If a producer needs to feed corn or oats or rye or wheat pre-dough stage to their finishing cattle because their pastures are not productive enough to produce quality grass finished beef, they shouldn't be marketing grass finished beef IMHO. Since I produce both grassfed/finished and grain finished, I have a fairly unique perspective.
> 
> I don't have a dog in the fight, except I get amused by grass finished naysayers. Over the years, I've had dozens of grain finished customers convert to my grass finished beef after trying it (I sample both). I have only had one customer convert to grain from grass, despite my grass finished beef costing 50% more than the grain. My own personal preference is highly marbled grass finished heifer, but I typically take whatever is left over after satisfying my customers' orders. Even my grain finished cattle get as much lush forage as they can eat daily and then their tanks are topped off with their grain ration in the evening. So, even though they are grain finished, they do not have the watered down bland taste that feedlot beef has.


I wasn't talking about in good conscience. Grass fed producers can and do implement it. It isn't agianst the rules, grain plants are grasses, even corn is classified as a grass. I'm heartened to know that you don't do it, but like the free range chicken scam, The technicalities of grassfed meat should be known to consumers.


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## Digitalis (Aug 20, 2021)

Any resolution on this?

Aging is important and should be done at processing, but if it wasn't you can do it yourself. Put a couple steaks in the fridge and try them after a week or two and see if that helps.


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## RJ2019 (Aug 27, 2019)

Incidental consumption of seeds from grain or cereal grain naturally attached to herbage, forage, and browse is only permitted in an un-harvested crop that complies with 3.2.11

https://www.google.com/url?q=[URL]h...8QFnoECAsQAg&usg=AOvVaw2YJ6tZx4NGm5ILBSoGOlWe[/URL]


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## Gravytrain (Mar 2, 2013)

RJ2019 said:


> I wasn't talking about in good conscience. Grass fed producers can and do implement it. It isn't agianst the rules, grain plants are grasses, even corn is classified as a grass. I'm heartened to know that you don't do it, but like the free range chicken scam, The technicalities of grassfed meat should be known to consumers.


Lol...there aren't any rules...that's my point. The AGA is nothing more than a group or club. They have no legal standing and their rules are arbitrary...about 10 minutes ago they allowed soy and peanut hulls as appropriate feed for "AGA certified grassfed". There aren't any guidelines other than ones in good conscience. You and I could start the NAGA or North American Grassfed Association and create our own standards and charge members dues, but it wouldn't carry any more teeth than the AGA. This is why I don't belong to any of these organizations. Instead I invite my customers to my operation to see for themselves how their animals are raised and fed. Many of them take me up on this invitation.


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## RJ2019 (Aug 27, 2019)

Gravytrain said:


> Lol...there aren't any rules...that's my point. The AGA is nothing more than a group or club. They have no legal standing and their rules are arbitrary...about 10 minutes ago they allowed soy and peanut hulls as appropriate feed for "AGA certified grassfed". There aren't any guidelines other than ones in good conscience. You and I could start the NAGA or North American Grassfed Association and create our own standards and charge members dues, but it wouldn't carry any more teeth than the AGA. This is why I don't belong to any of these organizations. Instead I invite my customers to my operation to see for themselves how their animals are raised and fed. Many of them take me up on this invitation.


The world needs more people like you💜💜💜


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## Pony (Jan 6, 2003)

After reading through and "reacting" to posts in this thread, I realized that it's a year and a half old. LOL

BUT for the sake of sharing information...

Our neighbor to the south and across the road grazed his "grass fed cows" on scrub land. Perfect for goats and hair sheep, but not for quality beef.

The meat from his cows tasted like swamp buck. Absolutely nasty.


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## oregon woodsmok (Dec 19, 2010)

Grass fed beef can be really lovely, but it is expensive to raise good grass fed beef, so there are high odds that whatever you buy as grass fed could have been fed a lot better. I've driven past lush irrigated pasture where the cattle were so fat they looked like those old time lard hogs. I would bet that would be some good beef, although those cattle were not being raised as meat. They were registered cattle for producing registered breeding stock bulls.

Those lush irrigated pastures are expensive to maintain. If a farmer is trying to make a profit, he might very well be trying to feed the cattle something that doesn't cost as much. Less quality in the feed ends up with less quality in the beef.

If you are buying grass raised and grass finished, be very thorough in your research about the producer.

I've bought grass fed beef from the market that was so foul it was inedible and I've had a side of grass fed beef from a careful producer that was wonderful meat. it can go either way.


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## Danaus29 (Sep 12, 2005)

Chetyhosh said:


> I can give you my recipe for cooking beef in the oven, after which the smell will be amazing!


Don't be a tease. Please post your beef roast recipe.


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## Hiro (Feb 14, 2016)

Danaus29 said:


> Don't be a tease. Please post your beef roast recipe.


If the flag by his name is accurate, the last thing you want from him is cooking advice or dental care advice.


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## Danaus29 (Sep 12, 2005)

Hiro said:


> If the flag by his name is accurate, the last thing you want from him is cooking advice or dental care advice.


The UK? Just as long as the name of the dish doesn't include the word "spotted". 
But in all seriousness, I have seen some lovely dishes on British cooking shows. I am curious to know how the poster makes roast beef.


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## Hiro (Feb 14, 2016)

Danaus29 said:


> The UK? Just as long as the name of the dish doesn't include the word "spotted".
> But in all seriousness, I have seen some lovely dishes on British cooking shows. I am curious to know how the poster makes roast beef.


I hope what you wish for is forthcoming. My experience in that nation in the culinary experience was they should have just quit after strawberries and cream or fish and chips, but YMMV.


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## Danaus29 (Sep 12, 2005)

Just because I asked for a recipe doesn't mean I'll ever make it. How do you know if it's going to be bad if you haven't read the recipe.

Have you spent time in the UK? I haven't. Maybe some parts have worse food than others, just like the US.


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## Hiro (Feb 14, 2016)

Danaus29 said:


> Just because I asked for a recipe doesn't mean I'll ever make it. How do you know if it's going to be bad if you haven't read the recipe.
> 
> Have you spent time in the UK? I haven't. Maybe some parts have worse food than others, just like the US.


My apologies. I hope you get your recipe.


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## Danaus29 (Sep 12, 2005)

Hiro said:


> My apologies. I hope you get your recipe.


Seriously, have you spent much time in the UK? You've got me curious now. All those cooking shows make their food look so good that you want to reach through the tv and taste it. Does the common food really taste like .... ick?


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## oregon woodsmok (Dec 19, 2010)

Danaus29 said:


> ........Have you spent time in the UK? I haven't. Maybe some parts have worse food than others, just like the US.


I've lived for six years in the UK and I can tell you from experience, the UK is chock full of excellent cooks. Also some really excellent restaurants as long as you get away from the places intended for tourists.

There is every possible ingredient you could ever want available in the supermarkets and severeal really good foreign cuisines as well as British. You want some good curry? You can find it in Britain.


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## haypoint (Oct 4, 2006)

Grass fed beef tastes different. A number of years ago, I lived on venison. After 6 months, I had dinner guests, so I bought beef steaks and it smelled awful to me. But it was just that it is different. 
Real grass fed beef has to be lush amounts of grass to keep them growing. Just normal pastures will produce slow growing tough, tasteless beef. 

Many things in Homesteading are not the way we hope they are or how we imagine them to be. Grass finished beef is one of them. Free Range chickens sounds romantic, until the neighbor's dog tears into them. Farm Fresh eggs sounds great, until you realize that their holding a weeks supply of eggs and the grocery store eggs fell out of the hen less than 24 hours ago. Organic fruit and vegetables sounds healthy, until you learn its no fun losing a crop to insects, eating around the worms and that grocery store produce doesn't have any pesticides in it anyway.


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