Rocky Mountain Organic Meats - Review & Giveaway (ENDED 2/6/12)

For my entire life, my cousins have been cattle ranchers in South Dakota.  During my childhood, that meant a steady supply of high quality, fresh beef on our dinner table almost every night.  This was during the 70s and 80s, at a time before use of hormones and antibiotics to spur growth had begun to creep in. Unfortunately, that is no longer the case with most cattle producers.

When Rod Morrison of Rocky Mountain Organic Meats offered me the opportunity to try out their products, I jumped at the chance.  And he made me do my homework on organic meat!

Rocky Mountain Organic Meats offers the finest Certified Organic grass-fed beef and grass-fed lamb. All of their meats are 100% grass-fed and grass-finished and come from the best cattle and sheep country the Rocky Mountains have to offer. Their livestock is raised the old-fashioned way; no steroids or growth hormones, no antibiotics and no grain. Their only additives are clean water, lush grasses and fresh air resulting in lean and delicious organic grass-fed beef and lamb.

Some interesting things I learned 

• I used to wonder when I'd see meat labeled "natural" in a grocery store, if it was similar to "organic"?   People often wrongly assume this, but they are NOT the same.   There is no verification system required for using the word natural - in other words, it doesn't mean much at all.  Not so with organic ... if it has this label, it has adhered to strict government guidelines:

• Only the USDA Organic seal means the product is certified organic.   Seeing it means these stringent standards have been adhered to:

• Born and raised on certified organic pasture
• Never receive antibiotics
• Never receive growth-promoting hormones
• Are fed only certified organic grains and grasses
• Must have unrestricted outdoor access

• Rocky Mountain Organic Meat livestock is 100% grass fed, which results in the leanest possible meat.  It also results in fantastic flavor!
• Raising your livestock organically greatly increases the quality of the animal's life.  The USDA's National Organic Program specifies living conditions - including access to the outside, direct sunlight, fresh air, and freedom of movement for all livestock.  They have to be pasture based, actively grazing on a daily basis.

Confinement?  What's that?

Why is it better for the environment?

There are many, widely acknowledged benefits of organic farming.

Farmers who grow organic produce and meat don't use conventional methods to fertilize, control weeds or prevent livestock disease. Organic farming systems rely on ecologically based practices.  For example, rather than using chemical weedkillers, organic farmers may conduct more sophisticated crop rotations and spread mulch or manure to keep weeds at bay.
 

Organic farming practices are designed to benefit the environment by reducing pollution and conserving water and soil quality.

Open range

Organic farms do not release synthetic pesticides into the environment, some of which have the potential to harm local wildlife.  They are better than conventional farms at sustaining diverse ecosystems - populations of plants and insects, as well as animals.  And when calculated either per unit area or per unit of yield, organic farms use less energy and produce less waste, such as packaging materials for chemicals.

If your family is in a position to do so - choosing to support farms that caretake the environment and the animals they raise in an ethical manner is certainly a positive way to spend your food dollar.

So how did it taste?

Honesty dictates that I reveal it was not myself, but rather my husband, who cooked with the Rocky Mountain Organic Meat ground beef that we tried out.  I got home late from work that night, and he does more than his fair share of the cooking 'round our homestead!

Interestingly, while the burgers were still on the grill he came inside and commented to me, "That is really nice meat!  It doesn't have that wierd, slimy feel to it.  No funny smells, like other hamburger often does.  It looks great."

Remember the comment I started out with, that I was raised on high quality, rancher cousin beef?  I'm pleased to report this was probably the best tasting hamburger I've ever tried.

One of my other favorite products is the Honey Peppered Beef Jerky.  I like my jerky tender, versus dry tree bark-like - and this was perfect.  A hint of sweet.  A hint of dried red pepper.  Pure delicious!

Take the Rocky Mountain Organic Meat taste test challenge of their grass-fed beef vs. industrial beef - I guarantee you won't be disappointed.

Where you can learn more

Conventionally grown produce generally costs less, but is organic food safer or more nutritious? Get the facts before you shop.  Here is a link to one of the articles I enjoyed when doing my research, if you are interested in learning more.

Top 10 Eco Friendly Reasons to Buy Organic Meat & Dairy

Where you can purchase

You can order Rocky Mountain Organic Meats online, and have them ship right to your door!   Their packaging is more than sufficient - your meat comes frozen and freshly vacuum sealed, tightly contained in a foam cooler, packed along a bag of dry ice.

ACT FAST - On Sale Now!

If you order before Jan 31, 2012 - London Broil is 50% off!  I sampled this as well, in a broccoli beef stirfry.  It was so flavorful, it almost didn't need any sauce or seasoning!

Organic grass fed London Broil

The Giveaway

My biggest and best giveaway yet!

Rod Morrison of Rocky Mountain Organic Meats has generously offered to ship to one of my winning readers 7 pounds of Certified Organic Ground Beef - because it is "Nature's Best Gift"!  And because I said "pretty please" ... he will also be including a package of my favorite Honey Pepper Jerky!

Disclaimer/Warning:  The only hitch, is that he asked me to warn you if you win, you "will never be able to swallow the cheap ground beef ever again".  Ouch.  It's true.

I was provided some samples of Rocky Mountain Organic Meats at no charge, for my review, but the opinions expressed are my own.

* Additional references used:

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/organic-food/NU00255

http://www.ams.usda.gov/AMSv1.0/getfile?dDocName=STELPRDC5082653

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Organic_beef

http://www.treehugger.com/green-food/organic-food-healthier-for-you-and-the-planet.html

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