There are buzzwords in our markets these days. “Grass fed” meats and “organic” vegetables command higher prices and are much sought-after by some consumers.

Well I am reading a very interesting book published in 1913 and Mr Horace Kephart mentions the grass fed beef of the Appalachian highlands. “Our Southern Highlanders” details Mr. Kephart’s adventures and education from time spent among the mountain people.

He says, “The truth is that mountain beef being fed nothing but grass and browse, with barely enough corn and roughage to keep the animal alive during the winter, is blue-fleshed, watery and rough.”

Now my grandpas always wanted to fatten up either a beef or hog, and they had their own personal ‘formula’ for the best tasting meat. For pork, Grandpa Livesay swore by straight corn. Daddy’s recipe for beef seems a little more complicated – ground corn and grain, feed them three times a day and all they’ll eat but don’t make them lick their feed box.

Fresh water is the common ingredient. You know that animals want to step in or muddy-up their water trough. Giving them fresh, clean water seems pretty logical to me.

All of these methods are geared toward nicely-flavored meat. So now I’d like to hear for y’uns – do you eat purely grass-fed beef? Do you find the flavor superior to traditionally, fattened stock? Or, have you experienced Mr. Kephart’s ‘watery and tough’ meat?

I’ll be sharing more thoughts from Our Southern Highlanders in the coming weeks.