The first being a butcher. You would think you could find a good, old fashion, cut-in-front-of-you butcher just about anywhere in North Carolina, which is known for its whole hog barbeque. (I really miss Plow Boys!) Well, guess what... WNC is not 'that' part of the state. In fact, I've been reading that, until recently, it has been pretty difficult to even find a uniformly celebrated barbeque restaurant. I am guessing part of this is due to the fact that the "best" barbeque is usually homemade here. But equally responsible would be the fact that WNC is part of the Appalachian region, which has a very different history with meat. (Go see Dennis at Vance Birthplace)
The second thing I've been on the lookout for is a Community Supported Agriculture subscription (CSA). For those of you new to it, you pay a subscription fee at the beginning of the growing season to a local farm and they provide a box a week of fresh produce; whatever is in season that week. Great concept! I don't even have to think about shopping AND Mike has to at least try a few new veggies every week.
So, while searching the internet for the CSA's in my area, I found one that also provided beef and pork, in package orders. Cane Creek beef is a byproduct of their dairy operation (young males born from their Holstein dairy cows), lean, veggie fed, & without hormones or antibiotics. I don't get the advantage of cut-in-front-of-me, but I do get a good variety of vacuum sealed fresh meat I keep in my freezer till I need it. And I know exactly where it came from and how fresh it is.
After getting Mike's car serviced near the Asheville airport, I realized I was pretty close to Cane Creek Valley Farm and could check it out as a potential CSA. On a whim, I decided to call and see if I could get a pack of meat while I was there. (Mike finally found a grill and it was arriving any day. FYI: Barbeque is the method of very slow cooking on a low heat, where grilling is quick cooking on high heat. And when cooking outside, you are having a 'cookout'.)
Jeremy answered the phone from the field he was working. He very nicely asked if he could call me back, as he had to call in to see if there was a package ready for me. When I got the call back a few minutes later, he said they would put one together, ready in 40 minutes. The farm takes cash or check, so I had just enough time to find a no fee ATM (or face my accountant's wrath) and find my way to the farm (street signs can be hard to come by out here). Amanda made up my Package #1, which comes with 2 - 14oz. Rib-Eye Steaks, 2 - 5oz. Filet Mignon Steaks, 2 - 12oz. T-bone Steaks, 1 - 8oz. Flat Iron Steak, 2 – 2.25lb Chuck Roast, & 8 - 1lb packs Ground Beef (90/10).
The Cane Creek Beef Package #1
The family was very nice and invited me to drive through the back side of the farm and see the dairy buildings, as well as the fields they were preparing. It was really exciting to see the farm and think about having your food come out of that soil. Especially after this winter of bad weather and lots of South American imported, tasteless produce. (Though it did save us from having to eat meat and potatoes all winter).
The Cane Creek Valley Farm April fields, getting ready for planting.
As for the meat, we started off with the hamburger, using it first for taco night then for hamburger night. Both times, we were impressed. We even bought comparative store brand for burgers and compared them. The Cane Creek hamburger is a lean 90/10 blend, but has a great combination of juiciness, flavor and melted fat. It in no way seemed dry or tasteless, where the store brand did both. I'm not a hamburger fan, but this gets my vote. I think the estimated price from the package total makes it an excellent buy.
Tonight we tried some steaks. I was going to wait to add this review, because as I was cooking the steaks on our new grill AND trying to watch Em AND folding laundry, I realized I probably ruined them with my inattention. But... they were so good! I don't know if it is just because it was my first steak in almost a year, but the juices were perfect, the fat was present, but well marbled and you still had a full flavor beef.
Cane Creek Beef is 14 day aged and each steer is processed individually, so all my meat came from one cow. You can see the rest of their process on their web site.
I had a filet and Mike had a ribeye. I seasoned them with sea salt and pepper only. I can't wait to try one of the roasts. I plan to buy some rub from Spice & Tea Exchange of Asheville for the occasion.
I bought mine from the source at the Cane Creek Valley Farm, in Fletcher, NC.
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