Kosher processing in New England

[whitejerabias]

I have this secret fantasy of bringing sustainable, eco- raised, kosher meats to the Pioneer Valley. Despite the abundance of hippies and Kosher Jews in this area, there is no source for good, healthful kosher meats. Where do you get your kosher meats slaughtered and how do you make the extra cost come out worthwhile?

 

[navasima]

To be Kosher, they must be slaughtered by a "shochet". This person does not have to be a Rabbi, just somebody certified in Kosher butchering. You should be able to find one through nearby synagogues. Good Luck!!

 

[ScottyHOMEy]

I don't know of a place to suggest. The idea of checking with someone in the Kosher community seems like a good one. A Google on "shochet" and some geographic condition might turn up something.

As for the worthwhile . . . Many of us raise our own birds for the improvement in quality of meat and eggs over what the supermarkets offer. Some even save money doing so. Those who don't often still find the better quality well worth the marginal increase in cost over the commercial goods.

My own feeling about Kosher is similar. All manner of reasons to eat Kosher meats. For many, there are the obvious requirements of their faith. Others not observant of those strictures believe that Kosher slaughter is more humane, and choose it for reasons of conscience. Still others (like myself) tend to believe Kosher meat is a superior product over the Tysons and Perdues of the world -- and that's just poultry. Quite apart from the Kosher packing houses, the years I spent in NYC, any Kosher beef I found (usually in a smaller butcher shop) was simply better meat. Some of that might have been due to the carcasses coming from a smaller operation that might have been able to take more care or shown more interest in aging and other factors that contribute to end quality, but the requirements of Kosher slaughter and butchering, I believe, make a difference for the better on the front end of the process.

Any one of those three considerations would, within reason, make the increased cost or effort worthwhile to me. YMMV

 

[whitejerabias]

Thanks Scotty! That is great info. Personally, I do not keep kosher, but my best friends do and we've been trying so hard to find them a local source for grass fed, free ranged meats. To no avail. The are a part of a NY co-op and have meats shipped to them on dry ice. I spoke to a local farmer who has chickens, pigs and just started having cow butchered (obviously not regarding the pigs). He had looked into having his animals slaughtered by a shochet and found the cost to be much higher than non kosher processing. And they would not process the back half of the cow. Nor would another slaughterhouse accept just the back half for processing. He said it was $1000 just for the day and then however slaughterhouses are paid beyond that. But anyway... hopefully some day I will be able to give my friends a hand raised kosher chicken.

 

[wyoDreamer]

I was working with a farmer that had two "rooms" for people to slaughter the animals that they purchased from him. If I recall right, he had dairy cows, beef steers, pigs, and chickens. And he was looking at getting into sheep also. This, along with raising grains and hay. It was a nice set-up for someone who couldn't raise their own to come and buy an animal and butcher it themselves. He had done alot of research before opeing the butchering rooms so everything was set-up legal and what-not. he was able to sell live animals, but not processed meat so this was his alternative.

One room was "kosher" and the other one was for just anybody who wanted could rent it to butcher the animals they bought from him right there. You weren't allowed to bring any thing onto his place to butcher - like deer or your own steer or chickens or anything like that. He was carefull of bio-security in his barns.

The group of local jews would come all togehter on a weekend, rent the "Kosher Room" and butcher a bunch of steers all at once. They would bring a "SHOCHET" (didn't know what they were called, thank you!) with them so they would leave with farm-fresh, Kosher meat. That room had strict restrictions for anyone else that wanted to rent it for butchering - but I don't remember what they were. I think he would take the back half of the animal for himself and his family so there was no waste.

He found the entire procedure very facinating and felt he was doing the community a favor by giving them a place to do this. I have to agree with that. It didn't hurt that this was also another way to bring needed revenue onto the farm.

 

[whitejerabias]

wyoDreamer, that is an ingenious idea!