ORGAN MEAT: GREAT FOR YOU & YOUR PET
If you shop local and patronize small farms, odds are you’re someone who prioritizes sustainability and ethical consumption.
While there are so many amazing ways to incorporate these values into your life, one thing people don’t talk about quite as frequently is eating organ meat. Although organ meat used to be a common part of people’s meals, over time it lost popularity in the standard American diet.
But here at VFF, we love organ meat! We believe one of the best ways to honor the animals we raise is to make use of the full animal. Chicken bones and feet go into our broths, and the shelves at our farm store are stocked with chicken liver, hearts, necks, and more. Nothing goes to waste.
HEALTH BENEFITS OF ORGAN MEAT
In addition to being more sustainable, eating organ meat comes with a whole lot of health benefits. Foods like livers, kidneys, and hearts are packed full of important nutrients like iron, vitamin B, magnesium, and zinc. While regular muscle meat contains many of these nutrients as well, organ meat contains them in much higher quantities. Many of these nutrients play roles in improving immune system health and increasing energy–especially important during the cold winter months!
It’s worth noting that organ meats contain higher levels of cholesterol than muscle meat. This isn’t a significant issue for much of the population, but people at risk of heart disease may prefer to stick with leaner meats.
PAMPER YOUR PETS
Humans aren’t the only ones who can benefit from eating more organ meat! Dogs and cats in particular love it both as part of their regular diet and as a healthy treat.
Our two family pets really enjoy organ meat mixed into their dry food and/or as treats. Yeti, our Bernese Mountain dog LOVES single frozen hearts that are easy to prepare! Simply partially thaw the package of chicken hearts and refreeze them individually on a baking sheet. Once they are totally frozen, pop them into a bag and store them in the freezer.
If your pet enjoys organ meats (also known as offal) that you’ve purchased from our farm store, tag us and share on social media, we love seeing what your four-legged friends are up to!
LOCAL PET FOOD
Feed your pets the good stuff!
RECIPE FOR LIVER PET TREATS
Preheat oven to 325
Thaw and slice liver into 1-inch wide strips
Place parchment paper on a baking sheet and lay liver strips on it in a single layer
Bake for one hour
Let cool and then break into desired sizes
Store in fridge or freezer
Can also be dehydrated at 145 for 24 hours to make them shelf stable
SHOP FOR LOCAL ORGAN MEATS
Stop by the farm store to grab some pasture-raised chicken or grass-fed beef organs! Our store staff is alway happy to answer any questions you might have about these products. If you get creative in the kitchen, we always love to see what you make! Tag us on Instagram @vernonfamilyfarm and Facebook.
By Tegan Watson, VFF farm store employee
