Cowpooling
A reader sent this in from WordSpy:
Cowpooling pp. Purchasing a whole cow or side of beef from a local farmer and sharing the cost among multiple families. [Blend of cow and carpooling.]
It struck me as an old tactic that may make a comeback. 1920’s grocery prices show round steak at $.36/lb. which struck me as pricey given that the average salary in 1926 was $1313.00. No doubt that families did pool their resources or traded crops, goods and services…but I bet they weren’t using the term carpooling! (For the record, the cost of a car in 1926 was $350.00)
I recall in the 1980’s, door-to-door salesman that tried to sell my mother a freezer full of beef. Thankfully, my mother had grown up on a farm in Ohio and was familiar with the farmer’s co-op prices and recognized the deal for what it was… a load of bull.
So how do you find a source of bulk meat? Ask friends, ask a local butcher, Google or lookup local cattle farms. Some farms already have meatclubs or co-ops that you can become a member of. If not, the farm or ranch may know of other families looking to go in on a side of beef or the whole cow.
Comment by canoer on 11 June 2008:
I’d have to buy a freezer. And pay the light bill to run it. And had to buy other stuff in bulk to fill it up. And I’d never get around to eating some of the meat and leftovers before the freezer burn ruins it. Some of us just can’t plan meals that far ahead (must be the same reason I don’t usually clip and sort coupons).
Then there were the ten pounds of steaks and roasts we bought from a rancher acquaintance a few years ago. It was all grass feed stuff from their pasture. They must have had a lousy grade of grass or you just have to develop a taste for it - after eating cows that were finished on corn all my life, I didn’t much like the grass feed stuff.
Growing up in the rural south, I actually got a bull as a wedding present decades ago. Didn’t eat him either. Guess I’ll stick with the two butcher shops I frequent for the occasional treat of fillet.
Comment by Sylvia on 12 June 2008:
Cowpooling makes sense if you already have the freezer storage, consume plenty of meat and regularly plan ahead (to thaw out what you need).
It can be economical but that’s not to say shopping the sale pages can’t equal the savings.
As for corn v. grass fed, I prefer grass fed. It has L-Carnitine which American diets are severely lacking.
Comment by canoer on 12 June 2008:
I do get the organic grass fed stuff when I splurge at our local food coop or butcher shop, but more so because there are no added hormones or antibiotics. Even then I gravitate to the American Kobe selections.
Comment by Beef lover on 15 June 2008:
I’ve read that grass fed beef is an acquired taste. I’ve not had it that I know of.
I HAVE had what was called “American Kobe” and I didn’t get the hype. I’ve had just as good beef in a top steak house without that fancy of a price tag (ouch).
Comment by ManicMom on 17 June 2008:
Living in the wilds of Ohio, we have several local family-run butcher shops where the meat is cut fresh daily. One place always has coupons in the monthly penny-saver for up to $50 off for bundles over $250. They recently started posting a $5 coupon to “cover the cost of gas” to get you to the shop. The prices are higher than what you see at the grocery chains, but when you ask to have some fresh ground beef, you can WATCH it go thru the grinder and see exactly what is going into it.
Unfortunately, due to personal health reasons, my family has cut way back on the red meat consumption. So, I’m not buying it much these days.