Buying and Storing Meat without Plastic
![turkey[1]](http://myplasticfreelife.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/turkey1.jpg)
For four long years, I ate only a vegetarian diet, and the only meat I bought was for our cats (who are obligate carnivores.)  In fact, I wrote a very reasoned and heartfelt blog post about why I decided to become a vegetarian.  But while my heart and mind loved the idea of being a vegetarian, my body didn’t.
Two years ago, I started doing accounting for a family-owned, local, sustainable Bay Area meat and restaurant company.  For the first six months, I remained a vegetarian, despite being surrounded by meat.  And when I say “meat,” I mean whole animal carcasses brought in from local farms to be processed by the skilled butchers at our company.  Somehow, seeing the actual animals and knowing where they came from made it easier to consider eating meat again.  And one night at work, exhausted and hungry, I went ahead and ate some organic, pastured, heritage turkey leftover from the holidays.  And I noticed that I actually felt better physically than I had in a long time.  So, I crossed over to the grass-fed meat-eaters side and have not looked back.
I’m not interested in arguing
On this blog, I aim to inspire people to make changes by giving them information and alternatives for reducing plastic in their lives. Â I do not do it by judging their personal choices or scolding them for the plastic they do use. Â Therefore, I expect the same consideration from the commenters on this blog. Â If you want to argue about whether anyone should eat meat or not, please take it to a forum dedicated to that topic. Â This blog is about avoiding plastic. Â And with that said, here’s a way I have found to avoid plastic packaging around meat!
Life Without Plastic’s Airtight Stainless Containers
Life Without Plastic, which is a sponsor of this blog, has designed some awesome containers that are great in the refrigerator, freezer, and even the oven! Â I have written about storing bread in these containers, and cheese, and frozen veggies. Â Nowadays, I also take them with me to the butcher counter to buy all kinds of meat. Â Most butcher scales have the ability to tare the container so that you only pay for the contents and not the weight of the container itself.
I bring the big container home and portion out the meat into single serving sizes in smaller stainless steel containers that will stack in my freezer.
Recently, I discovered that a whole, pastured chicken will fit inside one of these containers, too. Â And the butchers in my neighborhood have no problem putting my meat or chicken in my container. Â They just slap a sticker on it. Â (Yes, the sticker is plasticky. Â No, I can’t avoid it.)
The beauty of this container is that it’s all metal — no plastic or silicone of any kind — so I can put the chicken straight into the oven in the same container.
And then I can store the cooked chicken in the same container in the refrigerator.
And when the carcass is picked clean, I can use it to make broth and keep the chickeny goodness going for as long as possible. Â I’m also experimenting with spatchcocking the chicken to save the raw backbone for even more nutritious broth (since the rest of the bones have had much of the nutrients roasted out of them.)
My next post will continue with the theme of broth… like what to do when you need it and don’t have any.  (Don’t reach for a can!)  I also have a beef jerky post I’ve been meaning to write since Burning Man last year.  Stay tuned.
on the plastic- free journey too what size container is this on the website that will fit a whole chicken?
So, we have done something similar for the last year. Brought our own containers to Whole Foods and they put the meat in without plastic. We just looked into getting a meat share from a local farm and they said that all of the meat is in vacuum sealed packages per USDA regulations. So it got me thinking that every piece of meat we eat is originally in plastic. Any thoughts?
THANK YOU!!! I’m trying so hard to balance trying to minimize my waste and avoid plastic with being a heavy meat eater (I do keto for health reasons and even eating more than a little onion in a dish messes up my ketosis. I live on animal products.)
Money is tight, and meat is pricey anyway, so I go for meat on sale, and now I’m getting frustrated at not being able to dispose of the packaging.
These containers do look awesome. One idea I had was silicone zip bags. I want a set of these anyway. I would have to talk nice to the butcher (and no manager special meat ðŸ™). Slap the sticker on the bag. Voila.
I’ll be hitting a very promising farmers market in a couple of days, so that may be an option. I’m also determined to direct some of my savings from ditching disposable napkins, feminine products, and toilet paper toward better meat. I’m going to look again at finding grassfed resources online. Etc.
I’ll get there. Animal products are tough just by their very nature.
I’m trying to meet my own needs within the means that I have without trashing the environment. I feel if everyone does what they can, that’s huge. You don’t have to be perfect.
Eating animals doesn’t mean I don’t care about animals or environmental concerns. I do. Deeply. I obsess over recycling and getting my trash down as much as possible. It will probably never fit in a pint jar, but it doesn’t have to be pounds and pounds. I asked for a 4Ocean bracelet for my birthday…
If you’re an animal product eater, take heart. Even if you just ditch a bunch of plastic in other areas, you’re doing SOMETHING.
Hello. I know this post was a few years ago but I’m posting in hopes of getting a response if possible. Thank you for your post. I’ve been a vegan/vegetarian previously but am now more of a flexitarian eating very little meat. But now I am a farmer who is increasingly producing and raising her own food. We will be getting into raising pastured, humanely-raised poultry for meat for ourselves and to sell. The meat will be sold frozen and we will of course be required to wrap it. However, I am not aware of any requirements in my state to use plastic. So, I have struggled searching the internet to find a solution for plastic-free wrapping of poultry meats that are sold. Something that is sustainable and plastic free and freezable and will keep away freezer burn. I think the butcher paper has plastic in it. Anyone aware of a compostable freezer paper? How would I wrap it tightly enough to eliminate air? I would love any suggestions or ideas. I want my farm to be as plastic-free as possible.
Hi! I’m day two into researching plastic-free stuff. So this could be wrong. But parchment paper?? Or beeswax paper?? Is that a thing? Anyway, as I said, I’m a noob.
You cant use beeswax paper with meat
what about aluminum foil? is it possible?
How do you dispose of any used raw meat/fat? I usually wrap it up tight in plastic bags and throw it away, but I don’t know what to do if I can’t use plastic bags!
Do you have municipal compost where you live? If you do, they should take meats and fats. I keep my compost in the freezer in a paper bag. It prevents is from stinking up the house, and makes for easier trips to the compost bin. If you don’t have municipal compost, maybe consider something like a bokashi compost, which you can put meat into and do in a small living space. There is some expense in the initial setup, but the cost would definitely be offset once you start producing soil. If none of this would work for you, maybe keep a container in the freezer for meat/fat scraps. Line the bottom with a couple of layers of paper, fill it with your scraps through the week, then empty it into the trash when you take it out.
This is awesome, I’ve been looking for what to do about my frozen meats or frozen meals I make. Definitely looking into this!
Do the store labels peel off the metal containers easily? I have problems with dexterity and really can’t labor over label removal. TIA!
It really depends on the label. Some of them don’t peel off easily, but you can leave them on and put the next label on top.
A year late… But you can ask if they can give you the sticker then hang place it on your shopping cart until you reach the register. That way your container will have no sticker to peel off :)
It was so great that you were once a vegetarian, disappointing to see such a great thing come to an end. You were perhaps feeling that way because you were lacking essential vitamins and amino acids that come from meat – this is the single most common mistake for vegans/vegetarians. A person with the correct nutritional knowledge can survive and certainly thrive off one of these diets. Although the beef you buy is pastured, it doesn’t mean that in those last seconds of the cows’ life, before it was slaughtered, weren’t filled with pain and horror. Being vegetarian is the right thing to do and I would suggest seeing a dietician, or someone who knows what they are talking about when it comes to diet. Nothing good comes from meat. Besides from that, this was an exceptionally innovative and impressive post so I thank you greatly for that. Please consider your choices.
Wow, i can’t get over how incredibly self righteous you sound. The author blatantly said in this article that the subject of vegetarianism was not up for debate or discussion; yet you has to ride on down here on your high horse with your guilt trip.
This may of already been addressed but I didn’t see it…. Any help would be appreciated, thanks!
My partner likes to buy meat in bulk to make work weeks easier. He is hesitant to try these methods because he feels it can result in wasted/freezer burnt meats. I am trying to move us away from the Ziploc bags we reuse to package them.
Considering freezing in containers, but doesn’t the air trapped inside the container affect the freezing quality? Also, does anyone have a butcher paper they recommend? Do you find it resists freezer burn?
I would like to know anyone’s advice on this as well. We hunt deer and process the meat ourselves. We generally use ziploc bags to store and freeze the meat. Not only would steel or glass containers have an issue of trapped air, but also with the amount of meat we get at once it would be extremely expensive and take up way too much space to use them. I have the same problem with freezing vegetables from our garden.
We have just wrapped well in wax paper, then butcher paper and then tape. We don’t have a problem with freezer burn.
I found this about storing in metal containers as well as other mediums. Hope it helps!! https://www.treehugger.com/green-food/how-freeze-food-without-plastic.html
Hi. This is great advice. I am participating in Plastic Free July and we are taking it seriously to find plastic free alternatives to our everyday lives. Great read.
Thanks much!
I tried to do this at the Minneapolis, MN co-op where I buy my groceries and they told me they couldn’t use my container because of store policy. I e-mailed them about it and I was told the state doesn’t allow it and they even gave me the link to the state’s ordinance. Has anyone had experience with this kind of law and what they have done about it?
Thanks
It doesn’t make sense since you you’re going to cook it before you eat it. Does the regulation specifically mention raw meat?
I have come up against this also in NH, even with meat shares from local farms: meat is shrink wrapped in plastic in a controlled atmosphere as a matter of USDA policy. There is so far no way for me to buy meat without plastic. It’s
disappointing. I am thinking of following up with the USDA about sustainability.
Please do follow up. You would not be the first person to contact them about plastic packaging. They need to hear from as many voices as possible!
Its state by state. We just had an open comment period about this part of the food safety law in WA state, so I let them know my thoughts! Usually smaller businesses (butcher vs chain supermarket) are more likely to be okay with using your container because they are more trained/experienced/educated in the realities.
I just tried this at my local Redwood City, CA Whole Foods and was told that I could not use my own container because I might steal the meat!! I was flabbergasted by this response and had a few words with the store manager on my way out. I have no idea what the rules are in California, but I’m pretty sure it has nothing to do with food theft!
Awesome idea! I love how you used the metal container from storage all the way through to cooking and then back to storage. Time saving, less water waste. Very efficient!
I’d love one of those airtight containers but they cost US$90 each. I’d love some affordable ways to store meat thatdon’t involve plastic.
exactly! i can not justify on my budget purchasing a $100 container. in order to keep shopping in bulk and on sale as i do, i would need at least 4-6. that just is not realistic and very discouraging. there needs to be more affordable alternatives.
The best alternative is butcher paper and string just like they did when I was a child. It worked then will work now.
Also, I am trying to eliminate tin foil, since this isn’t biodegradable. UGH. Don’t know what to do? What the heck did my grandmother use?
Since ‘tin foil’ is actually made of aluminum and aluminum is highly recyclable, I don’t feel too bad about giving it a rinse and putting it in the recycling bin. I wouldn’t use it in place of a lide while baking or in some other situation that there was an easy reusuable substitute, but in the grand scheme of things, it is fairly sustainable.
Question: I bought butcher paper so I could wrap meat for the freezer, but I am now finding out that you need to use plastic wrap first, then the paper. That defeats the purpose for me, which is getting rid of all plastic, even plastic wrap. Any tips?
I don’t used plastic wrap I just wrap in the butcher paper
I just learned that the butcher paper from Whole Foods (and most butcher paper) is lined with a thin layer of plastic and is not compostable or recyclable.
Hello. I see a glass container in your refrigerator, the square one with glass lid .I would like to have one of those but I don’t know where to buy it and also the other two glass bottles. Finally I found how to freeze meat without plastic. Thank you in advance
Hi. The square container is an Anchor Hocking bake and store container. I got mine at The Container Store, but I don’t think they carry them anymore. There are used ones on Amazon: https://amzn.to/2jKOjAJ
And here’s one that looks similar, although I can’t vouch for the quality: https://amzn.to/2zbBRga
The bottles came with my Penguin soda maker, but you can buy them separately: https://amzn.to/2mRsPUa
I like to cut meat in pieces and freeze it , i put four pieces in plastic wrap. So how can I freeze it without plastic and take as many pieces I want to cook. If i cut and i put it all in one container i was thinking it will get stick and hard to separte from each other when needed. Thanks
Waxed paper is great for this – it’s what’s used in a lot of commercially packaged items. HTH! :)
Great idea but we can`t recycle wax paper
Place on a cookie sheet, freeze solid and then place into a container.
Hello.
I saw your blog and I eat meat but I am very keen to stop using plastic packaging as I believe this is a big problem. I was wondering where you get your containers for meat so that my mum and I can stop buying meat with plastic packaging.
Cheers
Hi. Click the Life Without Plastic link in the post. That will take you to the page with the containers.
I ordered over $300 of metal containers. Remember the company is in Canada, so you there is a conversion rate from dollars to Canadian dollars. Mine was $80 more.
Hi there!
Thanks so much for writing this post! It’s my first time on your blog and this was a great place for me to start. I have ALWAYS hated plastic. Even as a child (which wasn’t that long ago, I’m only 22). I use Pyrex for storage instead of Tupperware, I use a reuseable glass water cup (that I won’t leave a room or the house without), and use mostly compostable or recycled paper goods. My husband & I use lunchskins reuseable sandwich pouches and compostable snack bags to put in our home compost! I have been finding new ways to cut out plastic here & there, but this really will change things for me! We’re frequent purchasers of whole turkey breasts from our local free-range turkey farm and bacon, steaks and roasts from Whole Foods. But those metal containers would certainly cut down on our waste! I’ll have to see if our turkey farm would maybe skip the packaging once every week for our turkey breast!
Thanks a bunch for sharing!
Good luck with the turkey farm. Please let us know how it goes!
I like to roast meat on a bed of veggies. Can I do this and then freeze the whole thing (raw chicken and veg) and then throw it in the oven when I am ready?
I’m not an expert, but this seems unwise to me. The meat and the veggies will thaw at different rates and need different amounts of cooking time. I would freeze them separately and thaw them separately. BTW, the last time I took my container to Whole Foods, they would not combine poultry and beef in the same container for a similar reason: they require different cooking temperatures and time.
How do you avoid freezer burn on the meat? Looks like a great way to do it if you don’t have too much dead space in the containers.
I think because the containers are airtight, the meat doesn’t get freezer burned. In fact, I just opened a container that had been in the freezer for about 4 months, and the meat was fine. But also, the container was pretty full — there wasn’t much room in there.
Oh my gosh thank you!!!! I’ve been wondering how to store meat!! I’m not much of a meat eater but my SO is so I’ve been stumped on how to store it plastic free
What brand/size is that great big container?? It’s amazing, and I’d love one!
There are three stores in our area that sell well-treated and well-raised animal products and I’ve asked at all 3 about bringing in my own containers for buying meat and none of them will allow that. Can you tell me (us) how to go about going plastic-free when it’s not supported by local markets? Thanks!
Thank you! This is so helpful!
I’m still trying to figure out how to get around local meat packaging laws since the farmers we get our meat from are not legally allowed to give us meat that is not wrapped. I’ve prioritized buying from friends/my community over zero waste but I’m working on the plastic part of it too!
Fortunately, fish and game are unwrapped!
Thanks Beth! My main interest is learning to use little to no plastic, and by your sharing your favorite buys and tips, I can keep baby-stepping. I sincerely appreciate every bit of help you throw my way.
What size fits a whole chicken? I see pictures and need to know which one to purchase. thanks, Merle
Hi Beth, thanks for all your wonderful advice about reducing plastic use in our lives. Knowing that it harms all wildlife is enough for me to stop. I love the advice you have given for so long and I know your heart is in this for the long haul.
One fascinating cultural difference between our countries is that somehow the US marketing system persuaded everyone to stop using lids. Not so in my country, but cooking shows from the US even affected my country showing people pulling out screeds of plastic or tin foil to cover things. People thought that’s part of the recipe. Also some manufacturers started selling pans without lids, but luckily it hasn’t caught on as well, because kiwis are pretty frugal types mostly.
As a vegan I am into compassion and friendship, it is the key to saving our word. Sometimes not feeling ok on a vegetarian diet is because of increased milk consumption and I know that you can look up nutritionfacts.org just as well as I can. Whatever you dietary decision, you are making a huge difference in this world. Every time the email reminder comes through my inbox I am reminded to watch out for plastic things. Yesterday I refused a plastic spoon, sounds silly but t isn’t is it. Bless you very much!
While I am (almost) vegan, none of the three other adults in my household are, and I’ve been wanting a way to buy them the meat they desire (pasture-raised is my requirement!) without plastic packaging. A plasticky label is better than a polystyrene tray wrapped in plastic wrap with a plastic-lined absorbent pad beneath!
I love the look of your stainless steel storage containers & they are on my “Buy Soon” list! Thanks for a great blog (veg or not)!
But this blog isn’t about avoiding plastic. Yes, that it the outcome but your wonderful book and your blog have done a great job of stating why to avoid plastic, and that is for the environment. That’s what it’s really about; your blog just explains the how-to part of it.
And while this is not a judgement, nor arguing – for not every disagreement is an argument, just hopeful discussion, I too will live without fear and leave this comment even though I’ve been told not to. Clearly you already know that the single best thing we can do for the environment lies in what we eat and you understand the hypocrisy of doing otherwise.
I’m not writing this to judge you, to scold you, but to mention a couple of resources that I highly recommend. One being ‘The China Study’ by Dr. T. Colin Campbell and another great book being ‘Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease’ because many people try a vegetarian or vegan diet and don’t really know how best to approach it and thus have some results that could have been avoided. In reading those, and there are others I’d recommend, I want to say that it is good for your body. It is the best thing for your body and their compelling research is definitely worth a read. I realize, having read this post in full, that it your mind is set. However, in the case that it’s not I highly recommend those reads and I only recommend them because I want to see people healthy who I feel are doing great work for the planet.
I do struggle, like others who do leave comments and try their best in how to word the comment because food is a very touchy subject, with the hypocrisy that environmentalists display in what they chose to eat. I struggle so very much because I’m young (31) and my future is at risk because of the decisions we all make day in and day out. I’m down right terrified that I won’t have a promising future because of simple changes we can all make, food being one of them. And I only have to say something to offer some help, some insight you may not have, just as you are doing today because this blog isn’t just a how-to but a place to have discussions and make more informed decisions.
I thank you for your time in reading this.
Most Sincerely,
Aubrey
I highly recommend that you read through Denise Minger’s long and careful analysis for the China Study: https://deniseminger.com/the-china-study/.
It’s not a hard fact that vegetarianism/veganism is best for health (it’s not, though it depends on the person) or the environment. Both are easily contestable and require delving into more nuanced stuff.
Thanks for keeping it respectful though!
I went vegetarian in college for almost a year and felt terrible. I remember upping my egg and cheese consumption to add “flavor” and “protein” to my diet. My digestion was poor, I felt tired, my skin broke out, and I was even turned away for blood donation because I became anemic. I started eating meat again and thought I felt better because my symptoms improved but they didn’t completely go away. Last year, I decided to do a 30-day plant-based vegan challenge, and to my surprise I felt great! My acne and digestive issues went away, and I had a lot more energy. I went back to eating meat during the holidays, felt crappy again, so I went vegan again after the holidays ended. I feel great again, and I am never going back.
I think vegetarianism didn’t work for me, and may not work for others, because dairy and/or eggs are still problematic. For example, when I was anemic, my doctor told me to take iron supplements, but told me not to take them with calcium because calcium inhibits iron absorption. Guess what has lots of calcium in it? Dairy products. So my increase in dairy consumption may have made me anemic. Also, dairy, even organic dairy, still contains hormones, which I think may have caused my acne.
Anyway, I just wanted to share my experience. If anyone has tried vegetarianism and it didn’t work for you, I hope you consider doing a 30-day plant-based vegan challenge. It’s just for 30 days. :-D
Yes, it’s clear this blog is for the environment. I agree with everything brave Aubrey has to say. But we don’t all share the same values. Avoiding being responsible for suffering if I can help it is top on my list, and I can help it–no eating or misusing animals. Global warming will change how all of us eat, and if you are on the fence about the question, now is the time to lean in to your compassion and sanity. You may like the taste of meat, you may think you need it nutritionally, you may think animals don’t suffer if they are killed in a humane way (!!) but eating meat is not sustainable, period. We need to change. We all know this, deep inside. We think there is time to be better later, but now is the time.
Our ancestors have eaten meat for tens of thousands of years (hunters/gatherers), and our bodies are designed to do the same. What they are not designed to do is digest the inferior quality meats offered at the local grocery store. Pastured, grass-fed meat is healthy. Just wish it was easier to find.
Cheers to you! Thank you for sharing your experience and helping those of us who do eat meat figure out how to avoid plastic when buying and storing it. I will never scold anyone who chooses to be vegetarian, and all my friends who are vegetarians extend the same courtesy to me.
Brilliant, Beth! Thank you!
THANK YOU!!! These containers look amazing, and I am so relieved to hear people getting real about moderate, responsible meat consumption.
B12 is in meat. Calcium helps the body use it. Yay, Beth!
Thanks for the post and the great ideas. I’m impressed this container can go from freezer to oven to *stove.*
Do you have tips for removing the store label from the lids? Do the lids get gummy from trying to remove the labels?
Hi Jenny. Just to clarify — I don’t ever put it on the stove. I do store it in the refrigerator.
Goo Gone, available at most hardware and even some grocery stores, is great at removing the adhesive after you rip or scrape the label off. It is citrus oil based & safe for your skin, and it works to get the sticky residue off almost anything. (Not expensive, either!)
Oh my gosh Beth, you beautiful women you! I’ve been looking for a storage solution for a whole chicken! Eureka, I will definitely put this container on my wish list. Yay! I purchase all of my meat in glass containers at my local butcher and I buy directly from local farmers when possible. I spend quite a bit of budget on good quality, humane raised, local meat and I’m proud of that. I don’t buy new shoes but I will spend lots of $$ on free range chickens and grassfed beef! :) I am not a vegan and will probably never be due to several food allergies and intolerances (I’m celiac so no gluten, soy intolerance, legume intolerance, etc.) I get some hate mail from people saying there’s “no point” to my trying to reduce my waste and help the environment because I eat meat, but I will continue to live my life in a careful, conscious way because I know I am making a difference. In my own life if nothing else.
~Meredith
http://www.MeredithTested.com
I’ve been a vegetarian twice, for a total of fifteen years, and I’m sorry I was. My health suffered from this. My hormone system broke down, which led to years of infertility and more. Another piont is that growing cereals on a big scale do a lot of damage to mother Earth. Being a farmer’s daughter I know first hand what the soil of a farm without any cattle turns into – basically a desert. What we need, besides getting rid of plastics, is a countryside of diversity and it take grass eaters to get that. Only with grass eaters can we move into a decent size farming…
Sorry, I know Mrs Terry didn’t want this discussion in her blog, but it is really interesting to notice what was kept secret for so long. Each of us must see with ur own eyes, not follow the current “correct” dogmas!
Hello, Mrs. Terry. I read your book and noticed you used these containers for your cats’ meat. Great to know they can be used for all kinds of things. I wanted to know which size of container you used for the whole chicken. I think that just one should do it for me when I head to NYC for school soon
Hi Paul. That container is the 2 liter size: https://www.lifewithoutplastic.com/store/airtight-rectangular-storage-container-2-l-0-53-gal.html?aff=106
Thanks very much, Mrs. Terry! I also wanted to say I liked the book so much and have told my friends. I am currently lending it to my neighbor. She is all-in on this sort of thing; she is part of a program where she replaced her own lawn with Iowa prairie grasses. It looks nice now, and it will only get better as it gets thicker. May God bless your work for our planet.
Thank you for posting this. I have often wondered how you got around this issue. I generally buy our meat in bulk, but it’s wrapped in a vacuum sealed plastic bag. I then cut it into serving sized pieces for the freezer. Instead of using freezer paper (which is plastic coated on one side :( ) these containers would solve that problem. I like that they can be used as roasting pans! The only problem is I’ve been turned away by grocery store managers for asking the sushi counter to put my sushi into a bento box (my own) and not their plastic trays. The store manager said it was against the law because they don’t know if my container is sterile!
Hey Judith,
I know that exact scenario. Calmly ask what law, and that you aren’t suggesting they compromise their entire display. This is no different than them putting it in their packaging and you immediately replacing it with your own. The sushi attendant must swith gloves between patrons, regardless of packaging, and in the event someone became ill, there would only be an inquiry if multiple, separate cases emerged. Also, be sweeter than honey about it; people really like to disregard anything they perceive coming from Angry/Emotional Women.
This is one b of my biggest plastic free challenges. No one nearby will allow meat to be purchased this way, at least not at a price I can afford. :( I thought about going vegetarian again, but for now it is a struggle.
By the way, I use these types of large stainless steel containers when I make massive amount of kimchi! It’s air tight so the smell doesn’t affect my fridge. I have several round ones and they are perfect for storing large amounts of food. I like the rectangular shapes though. Will have to look for those.
Isn’t it bad to ferment in metal?
Great post Beth! No one diet is perfect for everyone. So I’m totally with you on this one Beth. I, too, started eating meat after I felt unhealthy after being a vegan. I hear stories like this often. I buy grass fed meats from farmers market and from a farm 2 hours away and the meats are always frozen and vacuum sealed in plastic. I hope your solution was available though.
I so appreciate your honesty. I’m about to spill the beans on my blog, also, as I’m interested in agroecology. Just like you, I nee to eat meat, too. I have so many food sensitivities. I know that many will judge me because I write about the environment so much. I’m planning on purchasing one of these containers (above) soon. I’m limited in grocery store choices in my community, so you are way ahead of me. I’m aware of my environmental impact, and it makes me sad. I’ll be moving next year to a different town, where the choices in stores will allow me to purchase meat in a more ecologically friendly manner. I love your blog!
That container looks really awesome. Although as a family we have been trying for years to become less and less-meat-atarians, I have found since my Celiac diagnosis (and elimination of gluten) that I do feel better when I eat meat. And my GI doctor told me to lay off the beans while my intestines heal! : ( But it has not escaped my notice that plastic is much more difficult to avoid when shopping for animal products (meat and cheese in particular). This is a fabulous solution for buying, storing, and preparing meat!
The only meat I could buy and bring my containers like you do is CAFO meat that I really don’t want to eat. I’m sadly buying packages in plastic from a family owned farm that raises pastured pork and grass fed beef. The taste is awesome, I know I’m not contributing to the torture of animals, it’s probably way better for the environment and is certainly for my health but I generate plastic waste like there is no tomorrow. (The packages are only 400g!) But even if I rack my brain, I don’t see a way around it. Some year ago, when I faced some similar dilemma, my first priority became to stay healthy and after that I think about the environment. I don’t know if it’s selfish but it has served me well over the years.
If you buy from this farm regularly and they know you, is it not worth asking if you could ring them, put your order in, and then pick it up in your containers without the packaging when it’s ready?
That’s a good solution for when I find a farm close to where I live, but this farm is 150km away. These type of farms are really rare around here but, hopefully, there will be some more in the future. I still haven’t found any way to buy pastured chicken or pastured eggs. I’ve never tasted either and I can’t wait to try it.
I tried giving up meat for about a year. Then when I was pregnant I started dreaming about brisket. I believe as long as animals are raised humanely it’s OK to eat meat. That said, my six year old has been a self proclaimed vegetarian for as long as he could speak. Maybe he was a chicken in a past life?
Good try but chicken are not vegetarian, they eat bugs and worms if they can. Not that I have anything against your son if he eat bugs and worms. ;o)
in fact, chickens will eat each other!
It’s great that your child is vegetarian. I think it’s easier for children to go vegetarian/vegan because they are less ingrained in culture and are able to respond to their aversion to killing more purely without the resistance that adults have after so many memories and years of eating animals.
Humane meat is impossible if you think about it. I understand there is less torture and suffering but it is suffering & captivity nonetheless and it is domination of animals with very high levels of intelligence, sometimes smarter than dogs (e.g. pigs, and cows are close in intelligence to dogs). There are videos that expose the conditions of animal farms sold to you as “Humane meat” that I think would change your mind. Your life is your life but I wanted to share my perspective as a vegan for 5 years and a vegetarian for 6 years before that, having all my health problems disappear after I made the switch to vegan.
I totally LOVE your one container does it all solution! From butcher to oven to fridge to broth. I too am a recovering vegetarian. I didn’t eat meat for over 20 years, but honestly, it was just really hard on my body. I think people are different and there isn’t necessarily one diet that works for everybody. CatMan has been happily vegetarian for over 40 years now (well, he eats milk, eggs and fish) but it totally works for him. For me, with my nut & seed allergies, and problems with soy and legumes – well I just got to the point where I was sick of feeling horrible all the time. The day I found myself salivating over a can of cat food, I knew something had to give. Honestly, I feel much better now that I’ve incorporated some meat back into my diet.
I look forward to your post on broth. I have to make mine from scratch because of allergies, so my tricks are to keep a container in the freezer to store up all of the veggie scraps & bones. I also freeze jars of random flavorful liquids to add to the mix – water from steaming veggies, liquid from deglazing roasting pans, even stuff like olive juice and the stuff I rinse out from the spaghetti sauce jars.
Also, if you do spatchcock the chicken and use the back for broth (which I highly recommend), be sure to brown it first – it makes a HUGE difference in the flavor. And if you add a splash of vinegar to the mix it helps release some of the nutrients from the bones. That’s the sum total of my broth making knowledge!
Thank you Beth! I’m so glad you decided to break from the fear of ridicule. My body was not happy eating a vegan diet either and it’s so important to listen to our bodies! Thank you for continuing to share your plastic free life hacks. You are such an inspiration – I’m not sure how anyone could manage to criticize! Thank you for the difference you make in this world!
Eat Right 4 Your Type
Dr. Peter J. D’ Adamo
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