Freezer Beef

We have a wonderful older neighbor who has raised beef for years.  Although he sold what he had last fall when his wife’s health declined, he missed caring for them.

So we weren’t surprised when he bought two new calves in the spring. 

His intention was to breed them.  However, he couldn’t locate a bull.  And, with the price of corn so high, he decided to take “the girls” in before winter.  

“The Girls.” That’s what his late wife always called their cows.  They were more like pets, than farm animals. :)

Anyway, knowing we have three growing boys to feed, he asked if we wanted to buy a side of beef!  Isn’t that nice?  Of course we said, “Yes!”  His beef is so much better than what you can get in a store.

One evening that week, our family walked down to help him prepare.  He needed to get some extra gates in place, which would help when it came time to load them up.   (I think he is somewhere around 80 years old!)  That’s him in the red cap and suspenders standing next to my husband.

I’m not sure if our little guy connected all the dots of what we were doing and why.   However, he soon lost interest in the animals, anyway.

While his brothers helped the men, he climbed up and down the gate.  :)

This past Sunday, my husband helped to load and haul the animals.  Each one weighed in at around 1300 lbs!  

That means that each one will probably give around 800 lbs of meat!  I was glad we had decided to split our half with another friend!

When all is said and done, I think we are going to end up paying between $1.90  and $2.00/lb.  We think that’s pretty good!  

And we truly appreciate the sacrifice these beautiful ladies have made to help feed our family!

Have you ever bought freezer beef?