If you are a customer of ours, there’s a really great chance that you care about sustainability and ethical consumption when it comes to the food that you are choosing to put into your body and on your family’s plates. We put so much emphasis on this in our every day lives when it comes to single use plastics, paying attention to our water usage, recycling and composting. Our food waste shouldn’t be any different - which is why we originally started our Farm to Face line to utilize beef and pork fat for lotions, soaps, and balms.
Through our body care line, we were able to significantly cut back on the amount of animal waste that comes off of our farm. But did you know that we don’t stop there? Organ meats are readily available for purchase at our farm as well. They are jam packed with vitamins and minerals that traditional (still nutritious) muscle meats just don’t have on a pound to pound comparison. By incorporating organ meats into our diets, we are not just cutting down on ‘waste’ product, but we are also giving our bodies a high dose of nutrients for a much more affordable cost.
If you’re looking to boost your iron intake, beef or chicken liver from the farm store could potentially be a great option for you. The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s FoodData Central did a study where they compared 4 ounces of chicken liver to 4 ounces of beef tenderloin and found that the chicken liver had a little less than FIVE TIMES the amount of iron as the beef tenderloin did. Such a small portion could make a huge impact on your diet and health goals.
Are you taking a supplement for magnesium, selenium, iron or zinc? Organ meat provides those essential minerals and more. We so often hear the advice of ‘don’t forget to eat your fruits and vegetables’ but never do we hear ‘don’t forget to eat your organ meats!’ This isn’t a new concept, as it dates back to our hunter-gatherer ancestors, but it certainly seems to be a forgotten one.
So which organ meats can you find in our store? Here’s a few and what benefits could potentially come along with them:
Beef Heart - a lean piece of meat that contains high levels of folate, iron, zinc & selenium, as well as vitamins B2, B6 and B12. It can be fried, slow cooked, grilled or thrown in a stew.
Beef Liver - often called a superfood and ‘nature’s vitamin,’ beef liver is rich in vitamin A folic acid, iron, chromium, copper, vitamin B12 and zinc. It’s know to help increase hemoglobin levels in blood and was one of the earliest treatments for anemia before the pharmaceutical industry became more mainstream. Pan fry it, grind & mix with traditional ground beef, or freeze it in bite size cubes to throw into your smoothies and shakes.
Beef Tongue - is that even an organ? It depends who you ask - BUT, it is one of the most desired pieces of beef in many different cultures. It’s higher in fat and therefore very tender and delicious. If you are a fan of street tacos, there’s a great chance that you’ve consumed beef tongue in your adventures.
Chicken Liver - one single chicken liver contains more than 3x the amount of vitamin B12 that you need each day. B12 is needed for the healthy function of your brain and nervous system and eating chicken liver is such an easy way to make sure that you’re hitting that daily goal. They’re a nutritional powerhouse and many of our consumers enjoy them as pate or in a stir fry skillet meal.
Chicken Hearts - low in calories and high in protein! Just like beef hearts, they are packed with essential vitamins and nutrients. They’re a tender meat and a Brazilian, Israeli, Indian & Chinese delicacy. Some fry them, sauté them or even grill them.
Chicken Gizzards- packed with vitamins that are known to help breakdown proteins and covert them into amino acids - which are great for lean muscle development.
Chicken Feet - not what we would necessarily think of as an ‘organ’ but an easy way to add calcium, trace minerals and collagen to your diet in a way that is easily absorbed by the body. These nutrients are required for good joint movement and pain management. They are the secret ingredient to a perfect bone broth!
You may be thinking, all of this sounds great, but I just don’t think that I can do it. That’s totally fine! Humans aren’t the only ones who can benefit from eating more organ meats. Dogs & cats love them as treats or mixed into their food as well.
Stop into our farm store, which is open 5 days a week, to learn more about the different offal that we have available and how to easily incorporate it into your daily, weekly, or even monthly routine. Get creative and sustainable in the kitchen with us here at Hidden Creek!