grass fed beef

Washington Winery Gets Into The Beef Business

The owners of the acclaimed Leonetti Cellar winery in Washington have announced plans to get into the cattle business. Although wine and beef may sound like completely opposite pursuits Chris Figgins, CEO and winemaker for Leonetti Cellar, says "The whole idea is contrary to modern beef production. We're taking the estate winery model and applying it to beef."

Figgins purchased a ranch in the Wallowa Valley with his father four years ago in order to raise Scottish Highland Cattle, which have longer hair and tend to be leaner than other breeds. The cattle are grass fed on certified organic fields without the use of hormones and will be harvested humanely. In another connection to the wine business, Figgins plans to feed the cattle pomace, which is the skin, pulp and other solid remains left after wine grapes are crushed. The meat will be available via mailing list beginning this fall through the Lostine Cattle Company website.

Tags: beef, grass fed beef, leonetti cellar, lostline cattle company, organic, washington, wine, winery

Tasting the La Cense Beef

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Dining

I'll confess, I'm not much of a meat-eater, in fact, I was vegetarian for years. So when the folks from La Cense Beef offered to have me try out there product I wasn't as overjoyed as some might be. Nevertheless when I do eat meat, I do want it to be worth the experience so I decided to check it out. La Cense went one step further, offering me the help of a cook, the charming Sylvia Reiman of Lets Get Cookin. Sylvia and I took over a friend's kitchen for an afternoon of delicious meat eating.

Sylvia came prepared with a ribeye steak, a filet and four thick burgers. Everything was vaccum-packed and Sylvia reported that it the products had come packed in a heavy cooler with dry ice and were frozen solid when she got them.

Why does grass-fed beef matter? For cows, grass is natural food. Cows that are raised for beef are often fed corn and soy with added hormones to help them grow faster. Grass is low in starch and high in protein whereas corn and soy have high carbohydrates and low fiber. Meat from grass-fed cows has more vitamin A and E making it a better choice for those who want to be healthy but still eat meat because it offers more nutritional benefits.

Gallery: La Cense Beef