EcoFriendly Foods

Got Big Weekend Plans? We Do!

This weekend, EcoFriendly Foods will be in New York City for two special promotional events. On Sunday, October 5th, we will be serving up "Obama Burgers" at the 34th Annual 'Atlantic Antic Street Festival' in Brooklyn. Our founders, Bev and Janelle Eggleston have teamed up with chefs Robert Barry and Rick King to create a tasty blend of our pastured raised pork and our 100% grass-fed beef. This will give festival goers a unique opportunity to sample the high quality meat products that EcoFriendly distributes to top restaurants in the Washington, DC and NYC metro areas. Our stand will also include a selection of the absolutely fabulous gelatos from Dolcezza Artisinal Gelatos located in Washington, DC.

Then on Monday the 6th, EcoFriendly Foods will co-host a special conversational dinner at Savoy with author Betty Fussell. Betty's new book, 'Raising Steaks, The Life and Times of American Beef' will be the starting point of a conversation about the beef industry in the US. Betty will offer her insights on the history and role of beef in American culture, while Bev and Janelle will offer their real world experiences in bringing grass-fed, alternative meat products into the market place. And to make a great evening even better, Peter Hoffman and his team will be preparing some of EcoFriendy Foods' 100% grass-fed, dry-aged beef as part of this special event menu.

Grassfed Beef

The EcoFriendly Approach
Producers from EcoFriendly Foods raise grassfed beef. This is more significant than it sounds. It means that our cattle are fed fresh pasture forage and hay exclusively. The reason we can eliminate grain from our animals' diet is simple: managed grazing. What is managed grazing? Another good question. It's a sophisticated system of observing pasture growth and appropriately timing the density and duration of each grazing. In English, that translates "keep the paddocks small and move the cows a lot."

The fact is, most cattle are raised in huge paddocks and moved rarely. This allows the pasture no rest period for the grass to regrow. This makes the nutrition of the grass very poor and so the cattle must be fed grain to "grow out." The theory of managed grazing is, "If you take care of your pasture, it will take care of your herd." So, by managing our grass, we can raise a healthy, fat, nutritious cow with no grain. But what's the problem with grain?

Some Facts About Cows
Well, cattle are ruminants, which means they have multi-compartment digestion. They were designed to eat low-protein, high-fiber forage. Grain is high-protein, low-fiber (compared to grasses), and it is very hard on a cow’s system to digest. A grain-based diet will break down the cilia in a cow’s intestines (making it impossible to fully digest grass ever again), and raise her digestive pH level so that many strains of E. coli, including O157:H7, can thrive.

Grass, on the other hand, is what cattle and other ruminants were designed to eat. Grass and cattle work symbiotically under rotational grazing: forages are stimulated, the soil is fertilized, and the cattle are fed, all without the use of chemicals, fertilizers, or equipment (except for hay equipment, of course). This reduces labor, overhead, and petroleum; i.e., it’s good business and it’s good for the environment. It’s humane, because it allows a cow to be a cow. A cow is happiest when she isn’t forced to eat like a hog, or a human, or a garbage disposal. Feeding byproducts to cattle is how BSE, better known as "Mad Cow Disease," became the problem it is. Feeding cattle grain is how E. coli became the problem it is. And, lastly, a cow that eats fertile, managed grass tastes much better than even choice grain-fed beef. It’s not always as tender, but it has a rich, hearty flavor that leaves you satisfied.

Our beef is completely free of antibiotics and hormones, and now you know why: because cows that get to be cows grow strong and fat, and they don’t get sick! They don’t need drugs. All our animals are raised to these standards. That’s sustainable agriculture.