Is a Butcher better than the Supermarket?


 
Hmm. I had to google that. Never really thought about it. Here's one thing I found:

"Corn seed is actually a vegetable, a grain, and a fruit.
Corn seed is a vegetable because it is harvested for eating. (Usually sweet corn when grain is harvested at the milk stage.)
Corn seed is a grain because it is a dry seed of a grass species. (Usually field corn when harvested after the grain is relatively dry.)
Corn seed is a fruit because that is the botanical definition.
More details follow.
Corn (Zea mays) is sometimes called a vegetable grain. Corn is a monocotyledon with only one seed leaf like grasses. The easily identified "grains" (or cereal plants/grasses) such as wheat, oats, and barley are also monocots. A grain is defined as the harvested dry seeds or fruit of a cereal grass, or the term can refer to the cereal grasses collectively.
Field corn that is harvested when the seeds are dry would thus be considered a grain. Sweet corn when harvested before maturity is usually considered a vegetable. It is grown to be eaten fresh as a tender vegetable rather than as a dried grain suitable for grinding into flour or meal. A vegetable is defined as a plant cultivated for an edible part or parts such as roots, stems, leaves, flowers, or seeds/fruit.
If you want to be very precise, all cereal grains could be called vegetables, but by convention we separate the cereal grains from the rest of the "vegetables" such as peas, lettuce, potatoes, cabbage, etc."



In our area I believe they use feed grade barley. I will have to ask next time I'm in the butcher shop.
 
Originally posted by Mark B:
Hmm. I had to google that. Never really thought about it. Here's one thing I found:

"Corn seed is actually a vegetable, a grain, and a fruit.
Corn seed is a vegetable because it is harvested for eating. (Usually sweet corn when grain is harvested at the milk stage.)
Corn seed is a grain because it is a dry seed of a grass species. (Usually field corn when harvested after the grain is relatively dry.)
Corn seed is a fruit because that is the botanical definition.
More details follow.
Corn (Zea mays) is sometimes called a vegetable grain. Corn is a monocotyledon with only one seed leaf like grasses. The easily identified "grains" (or cereal plants/grasses) such as wheat, oats, and barley are also monocots. A grain is defined as the harvested dry seeds or fruit of a cereal grass, or the term can refer to the cereal grasses collectively.
Field corn that is harvested when the seeds are dry would thus be considered a grain. Sweet corn when harvested before maturity is usually considered a vegetable. It is grown to be eaten fresh as a tender vegetable rather than as a dried grain suitable for grinding into flour or meal. A vegetable is defined as a plant cultivated for an edible part or parts such as roots, stems, leaves, flowers, or seeds/fruit.
If you want to be very precise, all cereal grains could be called vegetables, but by convention we separate the cereal grains from the rest of the "vegetables" such as peas, lettuce, potatoes, cabbage, etc."



In our area I believe they use feed grade barley. I will have to ask next time I'm in the butcher shop.
Click to expand...

Thanks for that info, Mark.

That reminds me of something I read about tomatoes. They are similarly muddled in their classification. Like, botanically they are a fruit, but the 1800's the Supreme Court (yes, THAT Supreme Court) actually LEGALLY ruled it a vegetable because people "they were usually eaten as a main course instead of being eaten as a dessert." (wiki)

Apparently, at the time imported veggies were taxed but not fruit. Crazy huh?
 
Mark I wonder if you've tried wine fed beef. The company raising it is from the Okanagan so not sure if it's made it to your area. I've never seen it in the east.
 
Hi Bob - I actually had never heard of them.

First corn as a grain and now wine fed beef. I better get my head out of the sand.
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It does sound interesting and I might try it if I run across it.
 
A comment was made regarding ""fresh" meat. Higher quality beef is typically aged for 21 days before it even hits the restaurant. Dry aged even longer. Aging really breaks down the tissue for a more tender steak.
 
Originally posted by Rick Boisjolie:
A comment was made regarding ""fresh" meat. Higher quality beef is typically aged for 21 days before it even hits the restaurant. Dry aged even longer. Aging really breaks down the tissue for a more tender steak.
Click to expand...

I think that would be true when the meat is properly aged, whether wet or dry. The local grocery chain is going cut and grind the meat, and throw it in styrofoam containers.
 
So, in general it appears that there is no real right or wrong answer. Essentially, it depends upon what is in your area and wether you have access to it or not (in the case of suppliers who normally sell to restraunts, etc.)

However, if you have a local, "old-fashioned" butcher shop (or, for that matter, a good meat department within a local grocery store) it's USUALLY worth a few tries.

(I'm conducting a Steak experiement this week - picked-up some PRIME NY Strips from a reputable, small local grocer, and going to compare with some good CHOICE strips from the grocer through the block. I'm planning to take some pics for a change, so stay tuned!....)
 
Down where i am at we pretty much get Florida raised cattle. It does not taste as good as the beef from say Ohio or out west. It all depends on what it eats as to what it tastes like. Many people won't eat raccoon cause it eats garbage therefore tastes like garbage. Most of the meat I get is from Publix which is not bad and they have actual butchers. If I did'nt work night shift I could goto Pizano's and get really good meat. Also I avoid the meat guys that drive up and down the street with a freezer in their pickup truck.
 
Down where i am at we pretty much get Florida raised cattle.
Click to expand...
If you're buying beef at Publix - or Winn Dixie, Walmart, and nearly any other Florida chain - it is not Florida beef. It comes from the Midwest.
 
I have a butcher near me and I do not use him exclusively but I try to get most of my meat there because I do not trust supermarkets. Wally world steaks are enhanced! Also they use that air inflated packaging that keeps meat RED looking longer! YUK!
My butcher always has pork butt for 199 a pound , boneless and tied! So I stick with him....
 
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