Where's the Beef?

Are you a beef eater?  Even if you are, if you're like many Americans, you are eating less beef than you did previously.

Maybe you're trying to eat healthier by cutting back on red meats--and eating chicken, bison or going vegtarian.  It could be that you're simply trying to cut back on the amount that you pay for food.

Prices of beef have been rising for a number of reasons.  The price of raising the livestock--fuel, shipping, etc--has been rising, just as it has for all of us.  I've written previously how the drought in Texas and other cattle-raising areas has created terrible conditions for the grazing cattle.  And that, in turn, has caused prices to go up.

You can get statistics about the decline in beef consumption and more information about what beef producers are doing to survive this downturn in this article from Reuters.

Of cousre, if you're going to spend good money for beef, why not make it local (from such places as Haring Brothers or Tussock Sedge Farm)?  It's healthier, tastier and helps out the local economy (sorry, Texas). 

Middletown Grange Fair

On Saturday, we made our first visit to the Middletown Grange Fair.  We had a really good time. 

The main reason we went was so animal-crazy Jake could see the many farm animals that were being shown.  And there were a lot of them.  Bunnies and guinea pigs, cows and goats, sheep and chickens, alpacas and hogs.  The most impressive to me were the massive Belgian draft horses and oxen.  Man, those things are amazing creatures.

This horse weighs 2200 lbs and has a head as big as Jake.

Food-wise, we saw things past, present and future.

From the past, the fruits and vegetables that were being judged.  They'd been sitting out on tables for days, so most of them were definitely past their prime.  I did notice that our friend Tricia Borneman from Blooming Glen Farm won a blue ribbon for her basket of farm goodies.  Congratulations, Tricia!

The award-winning display by Tricia Borneman of Blooming Glen Farm.

Food Present was our lunch.  Some tasty burgers sold by the Plumsteadville Grange (meat from Haring Brothers), fruit smoothies, good greasy fair fries and Italian ice and ice cream.  There were plenty of other things to pig out on, but we showed restraint.

MB & Jake shoveling it in.

Speaking of pigging out, that brings me to Food Future:  Lots of animals that may have their future on a plate near you.  Hey, there was one pen with 3 pigs in it named Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner.  I'm just reporting what I saw.

Mmm...bacon....

The fair was a lot of fun and, if the amount of traffic was any indication, a lot of other people think so, too.  We'll be back!