I learned recently that organic vegetables are not necessarily pesticide or chemical free and organic beef does not always mean grass fed. When the USDA adopted the term organic a few years ago they “re-tooled the word to mean that dozens of chemicals may be used on a farm and still be considered “organic” in what local farmers can only describe as a marketing ploy. Farms like John Crow in Groton MA, still true to the original organic movement, have adopted Joel Salatin’s phrase “beyond organic” to describe what they do – raise livestock and poultry, and grow vegetables naturally without antibiotics, hormones, or pesticides.
John Crow is a pasture-based farm, meaning they raise grass fed cattle and sheep alongside pastured pork and poultry. Animals are tended by hand, and roam free – eating and behaving as they would in their natural environment. The result is meat and poultry that not only tastes better than the mass-produced commercial product, but also is much healthier.
John Crow products can be purchased at several local farmers markets including SOWA and the Prudential Center in Boston. They also supply the Main Street Café in Groton, Enzo restaurant in Newburyport, and the pork for the Boston food truck Mei Mei’s street kitchen.
Consumers may participate in one of their CSA (community supported agriculture) programs and receive regular direct shipments of their products (available for pickup at several convenient locations or through a home delivery service in select areas). CSA options include meat (beef, lamb, pork, and chicken), poultry (chicken, and eggs) and seasonal vegetables for six or twelve months as well as baby grill (grillable meats delivered weekly during the summer) and holiday (meats to compliment seven holiday meals) programs. In 2013 they will be launching a new CSA called a season in farming, where for the first time members will be able to visit the farm and participate in the raising of their own dedicated animals or work the field and pick their own.
John Crow will be participating in the Boston Local Food Festival for the second time this year and they are very excited to interact with consumers directly, a surprisingly rare opportunity. They are looking forward to educating consumers on the farm and their methods, philosophies, and practices. They will be prepared with plenty of brochures, samples and CSA sign up forms, and may even offer discounted introductory rate for brand new CSA sign-ons at the festival, so stop by their booth and check them out!
This post was written by Kerrie Urban of Urban Foodie Finds, go check her out!