What: Mac’s Local Buys one year anniversary bash.

When: Sunday April 14, 2013 1-4pm.

Where: Urban Chestnut Brewing Company- 3229 Washington Ave St. Louis, MO 63103.

Why:  Help us celebrate one amazing year of being alive.  Enter your name in our drawing for a chance to win Mac’s Local Buys T-shirts and a grand prize of a Mac’s Local Buys Sample Box.

RSVP: to our facebook event page here. Or just show up!

URBAN CHESTNUT BREWING COMPANY is an unconventional-minded yet tradition-oriented brewer of craft beer. We like to call our unique brewing philosophy Beer Divergency—a ‘new world meets old world’ brewing approach wherein UCBC contributes to the ‘revolution’ of craft beer with artisanal creations of modern American beers, and pays ‘reverence’ to the heritage of beer with classically-crafted offerings of timeless European beer styles.

Mac’s Local Buys is excited to introduce our 2013 Grocery Bag. This bi-weekly food subscription will be filled with veggies from Three River Community Farm, Mac’s Local Buys premium pastured proteins, farm fresh eggs, locally baked breads, honey, jams, jellies, pastas and so much more. This is an amazing opportunity to experience some of Saint Louis’ finest local goodness without the hassle of running all over town to get it. Shares are limited and sign up starts now. Check out all the details here. MLBGroceryBag-2

Just a reminder that this Thurs Dec 27th, I will be headed to Houston’s Homegrown to pickup fresh chickens. I will be back late in the afternoon/early evening. If you would like me to bring you back some chickens, just let me know at macslocalbuys@gmail.com how many. We’ll meet up at my house that evening.

Pork. Few things going on.

1)We have a January 28th harvest date at Swiss for up to 5 hogs.

2) Kluesner’s Farm is going to grind up another whole sow into ground pork (bulk and links). See prices below.

3) MLB is going to primal out another hog. I have avail: 1/2 belly, whole or 1/2 loin, both shoulders, both hams, picnics, all offal, and jowls/heads.

4) MLB has “shares” of whole hogs also available. Get some of everything. $175 share deposit.

5) Lastly. Easter Hams!!! Red Wattle Easter Hams! We are now taking a limited amount of orders for Easter Hams.

Regarding pigs, Kluesner’s Farm has Red Wattles available. If you would like to get in on a MLB share of a hog buy let me know. Or if you are interested in just a fresh primal section, we have those available as well (see below). I also have a farm, Carson Hills that has some Black Hogs available as well. They are bit less on the hook than the Wattles (160lbs) but every bit as flavorful.

And lastly, I am picking up chickens, likely for the last time this year on Nov 6th. I will also be picking up some pastured lamb at the same time, from Paul Houston’s HomeGrown on this buy. Available are lamb roasts, ground beef, chops (center and sirloin) and whole leg. This is not MLB buying a whole lamb, Paul just raises a few and periodically has some extra lamb meat. I haven’t tried it yet but I hear its delicious.

One thing to add, after the first of the year the price of both cows, pigs, lambs, and chickens is likely going to be going higher, thanks to the summer’s drought and subsequent decrease in the supply of corn, soy beans, alfalfa, and other items that are used as supplements to the pastured diets. Chances are high we will have another hog buy before the year is up but no guarantee delivery will take place before then.

Look forward to hearing back.

Available Primal Sections

Loin1 Mac
Loin2
Belly1 Mac
Belly2 Nick Otte
Rib1 Mac
Rib2 Nick Otte
Butt1 Evan Benn
Butt2
Ham1 Nick Otte
Ham2
Picnic1
Picnic2
Jowl1 Evan Benn
Jowl2
Offal
Back Fat

*note belly1, belly2, loin1, loin2 refers to half of the entire belly/loin.

This evening at Washington University in Simon Hall, May Auditorium they are showing a free screening of Graham Meriwether’s new documentary American Meat.

The show rolls out at 6pm with a short panel discussion following the 82 min film. If you happen to arrive early, check out the Simon Hall Courtyard for some smoked Rain Crow Ranch beef brisket courtesy of Executive Chef John Griffiths and the Washington University Dining Services Team. Panelists include Executive Chef John Griffiths, President of Rain Crow Ranch Peter Whisnant and Ray Massey PhD professor at University of Missouri at Columbia Agriculture and Applied Economics and Commercial Agriculture Program.

Check here for an article and more details.

I’m be heading down for my free brisket shortly. Hope to see you there.

I don’t even want to repeat the date of the last blog entry. Sad. But it’s not like I’ve been sitting around. Shit, we just spent two weeks up in Idaho and Montana, hanging out with some great friends, hiking, kayaking, sight seeing, hitting up farmer’s markets in both Coeur d’Alene, ID and Whitefish, MT, relaxing on Lake Coeur d’Alene and otherwise just enjoying life. And before that there was a midwest suite of Phish shows. It was a great run but now, as they say, the party is over.

And lets be honest, we’ve been moving a lot of proteins too. We started buying chickens this year from Paul Houston at Houston’s Homegrown in Loose Creek, MO as well as helping Matt Tiefenbrun at ButtonWood Farms move some of his chickens. Their pastured Cornish Crosses have been a big hit. You can find these birds in several of the better establishments around town – Niche, Farmhaus, Local Harvest, , Josh Galliano’s All Star Chicken and Fish pop up restaurant and not the least, the band Phish picked up some of these birds when they were in town! We’ve also moved a lot of Nick Kluesner’s Red Wattles this summer, which you can now find on the menus at The Crossing and Blood and Sand in Saint Louis. How cool is that? Both Jim Fiala and Chris Bork have spoken very highly of Nick’s Red Wattle hogs. And with 2″ of back fat, what’s not to like? As for beef, Rain Crow Ranch has been and will remain an absolute go to when it comes to a source for grass fed beef. Their cows are raised on organic pastures, they own their own processor and the product is off the charts delicious.

Now for the updates galore:

1) pork – Red. Wattle. Sucklings. I have 2 available that will be ready FRESH next week. They are 30lbs live about 20-25lbs hanging weight. Whole suckling pig, it will not be cut up. Nick Kluesner also has some “regular” Red Wattles that are basically ready. Let me know if you would like a share or 2 or 3 or 4. Send me just an email if you want a suckling. Send me an email and a check for $175/share to get in on a share. And one more thing, if you would like to get just a primal hunk of pork (belly, loin, butt, shoulder, jowl, whatever)….we’re doing that too.

2) chickens – I will be going to visit Houston’s Homegrown before Oct is up (don’t know the exact date yet). If you would like to get in on this buy, let me know how many chickens you want. Send me a check for $20 X #chickens to get in.

3) beef – Always taking orders for grass fed beef from Rain Crow Ranch. We have a couple people on board already. Send me a check for $300/share.

4) lambs! – I have been in touch with Carson Hills Farm who is raising a pastured, hairless breed of lamb (called Katahdin) and will have some ready in about 30 days. Send me an email and a check for $150/share, where 1 share = one half lamb, which is approximately 25lbs.

And that’s about that.

Enjoy your Weekend!

Chris McKenzie
4859 Milentz Avenue
Saint Louis, MO 63116

Also of note, the day before the last pickup Paul called me and told me he had some red and golden beets available and did I want any?  Well, let me tell you, these were some of the best beets I’d ever had.  I’m going to hit Paul up again before I go down to see what else he may have in store for us.

That’s all.

Looking forward to meeting the new folks and seeing everyone there!

If you have any interest in getting in on some of the awesomeness that is fresh, local, pastured chicken, just let me know how many you would like.  MLB is now taking orders for a May 29 or 30th pickup – date pending, from Houston’s Homegrown.  Our take is limited.  First come, first serve!

How frigging awesome for the small pig farmer from Marthasville, MO?  Acclaimed chef Mike Sheerin from Three Floyd Brewery & Restaurant in Muenster, Indiana chose a Kluesner’s Farm Red Wattle to use for the Cochon 555 competition stop up in Chicago last weekend.   For those that don’t know, this is a pretty big deal.  It’s an event that brings together 5 chefs, 5 wines and 5 hogs – a nose to tail cooking competition with 14 stops across the country.   It is an event that is absolutely revered by pork lovers.

Congratulations to Nick and Family!  What a great honor to be such an integral part of an awesome event.