VEAL CUTS
Lucas Farms Pasture Veal initial offering for early 2011 is very limited. We are testing the market for desireable cuts, but opted for "primal cuts," or the larger pieces a chef or butcher can customize (scroll down to see diagram below, center).
Veal has a long European tradition of fine foods associated with certain cuts. There are also American cuts and now there is growing interest in alternative cuts. Well, that means we're open to suggestions!
After aging for 10 days, these are cuts we began offering in early 2011:
whole tenderloin, avg. 2 lbs.
whole boneless strip loin, avg. 4.5 lbs.
whole boneless round roast, avg. 3 lbs.
bone on rib roast, avg. 10.5 lbs.
bone in shanks, 2 per pack
ground veal in 1 lb. packs
See the Veal cuts map below for reference.
Go to Sassafras Valley Farm for pictures and online sales.
If you are interested in veal halves or quarters, or certain cuts, please contact the farm at 573.229.4691, or e-mail me at the farm. I'd like to hear what you have to say.
We will have another supply of calves ready by June 2011.
Lucas Farms Pasture Veal
Lucas Farms has just begun to market Pasture Veal through a fine foods partner website, Sassafras Valley Farm. We already are what is called a "Cow-Calf" operation, so for early 2011, instead of selling our spring calves to be grown into beef-size animals, we are experimenting with a limited offering of fine Angus veal.
Calves are at weaning age (24 to 26 weeks old), at a relative size shown in the middle of the illustration below. At about 550 pounds, these calves usually go to a feedlot for feeding to about 1000 pounds -- the beef you usually see in the supermarket. A mature cow (far right) weighs about 1200 lbs., while a new-born calf (far left) is about 75 lbs., just for comparison.
Lucas Farms Pasture Veal is hormone and antibiotic free, just off pasture and mother's milk. We take great pride in the cruelty-free environment at the farm and take great care with every calf we raise.
CRUELTY-FREE VEAL
Much of the veal you see is actually from dairy animals, not bred for beef. Young bulls are removed from the dairy operation to be fed a milk formula until they reach a customary size for the veal market.
They're called "Bobs" because they're not useful for the dairy operation itself, only ancillary income as beef or veal. In the larger picture of the dairy business and the price of milk at the supermarket, Bobs help keep the price of milk down because they are another source of revenue for the dairyman. Not a bad thing from the business perspective.
On the other hand, since calves are not bred for beef quality, conventional veal does not have the flavor or tenderness of Lucas Farms Pasture Veal. The Black Angus breed, known for quality, produces a fine, dark pink veal. The flavor is stronger as well, bringing great depth and richness of taste to traditional veal recipes.
LUCAS FARMS, 5032 HIGHWAY 133, META, MISSOURI 65058 | © 2011