Thanks for the reply!

Wow, big decision.  Very cool, seems like you are looking from all angles.

Most hotels will supply mini-fridges if you request them.  How do you do with plant fats?  These would seem to be a lot more accessible on the road.  I have been looking into road-tripping lately so I have been thinking about all this too.  Things like avocados, raw eggs, raw nut butter, cold-pressed coconut/olive oil, sardine tins, all have pretty decent shelf-life.  I mean ultimately you really need the fridge.  Also consider bringing along a juicer or a
"nutribullet" with you on your trips.

I don't do great with plant foods. Even before turning raw I've always been primarily carnivorous without thinking about it.

I mean, is it like you go away then come home and repeat?  Or away for extended periods?

I won't be back home for months at a time. Essentially, I'll be in a new town every week on average. A really busy schedule, staying in a hotel with no car of my own and no real way to source quality organic foods. I could be in some random town with no organic meat for miles.

I think if it's for extended periods it would be worth taking a day or 2 and finding all the good quality organic grocery stores/farmers in your area.  Most of these have web-sites or contact info.  Check eatwild.com  These have a good listing for local farmers.  I think it can be done, it just is all about prior preparation. 

There definitely might be a way, I just haven't quite figured it out yet. At a certain point, I don't know if I want to add this extra stressor to a busy schedule.

I like the idea of adapting to avocados, and maybe looking into some nut butters. Good thoughts here.

So I just got this giant cow thyroid - 1 lb. I've gotten thyroids in the past and they've been small and I've eaten small slivers at a time. But now I have this big thing and my question is:

1) Are cow thyroids really big, or is this a thyroid encased in a large fatty membrane?

2) I don't want this to go to waste, but if its not safe to eat that much thyroid then I'll probably have to dispose of it at one point or another.

OK, so I'm gonna get a small mixed batch going and see what happens. But if anything is off, I will certainly keep in mind what you said cherimoya_kid.

Thanks for both of your replies!

Hey guys, hope you're all doing well.

I wanted to start a discussion about fats!

The most delicious grass-fed fats I've eaten:

Yellow, buttery bison & beef back fat -- melts in your mouth and probably hovers between 60/40 sat/unsat to 40/60 sat/unsat.
Deep yellow bison suet -- a little more dense but still soft and creamy. More saturated than back fat but nowhere near the dry, waxy suet I've had from many grass-fed sources.
Soft, pink beef fat -- very similar to pork fat
Pink bison, beef and lamb marrow -- very soft and creamy and definitely more unsaturated than saturated
Soft, white lamb trimmings, back fat -- somewhere between hard lamb fat and soft pork fat. Probably about 50/50 saturated/unsaturated.
Pork trimmings - Soft, opaque and definitely more unsaturated.
Pork suet - Soft, a little more dense -- I'd say 50/50 sat/unsat again.
Deep yellow bison tongue fat

On the other end of the spectrum -- harder fats. I am totally cool eating them and I appreciate any fats I can get my hands on but there seems to be a clear difference between these and the ones I listed above.
Dry, waxy suet/Crumbly, dry marrow/dry trimmings -- bison, beef and lamb. Clearly very saturated and with less moisture. I seem to digest this fine but I feel slower than on the fats I've listed above. I've more often gotten my hands on this variety of fat -- even from wonderful grass-fed sources. I must re-iterate that I am totally fine with these fats, but they aren't quite as appealing as the softer fats.

Now, I've noticed that Pork never ever gets to the same dry level as ruminants. And since I've found the ratios in Pork or super-high quality grass-fed ruminants to agree with me more, well...why are ruminants preferred over pork? I'm talking about an ideal situation where all animals are treated well and fed their natural diet.

When ruminants aren't in an absolutely pristine environment, their fat becomes more dry and harder to digest (in my eyes). When Pork is fed garbage, their fat still retains an agreeable consistency.

Any theories as to why this is? Is it possible that healthy pigs are an equal if not more ideal food source than ruminants?

Hey thanks for the input! I will definitely be careful with the adrenal. That is great advice.

If I get around to those other glands I will definitely report back. In the meantime, I'll have to stick to the typical sweetbreads!

Hey all!

I consume water kefir in addition to my raw meat, fat and organs. There are some weeks where all I will consume is raw meat, fat and organs -- along with about a liter of water kefir and some plain water. Sometimes, when my raw fat reserves dry up I'm forced to consume fruit but I always feel considerably less energetic after doing this.

I'm wondering -- does drinking the water kefir mess with my low-carb diet? Before fermentation, there's about 60g of sugar and I assume there's about 12g left after 36-48 hours of fermentation. I feel great when I drink it and don't intend to stop -- but I love hearing the opinions and insights of the people on this board! BUT if the water kefir could mess with me through an unforseen future issue, I am very willing to make a change.

Would love to hear all your thoughts. Thanks!

Hey all! Hope you're all doing great. I only posted here a couple times many months ago, but let me say -- the responses I received were a huge help. And just perusing this forum has given me such a positive outlook. Thank you to everyone on here!

So, I've been doing the raw meat thing for almost a year. I love it unabashedly. I've been buying fresh meat in bulk and storing it in my refrigerator uncovered. It takes on a wonderful aged flavor. Makes for a great daily meal of meat, organs and fat!

I also drink water kefir, which has been a wonderful complement to the meat.

I've dabbled in high meat, but never committed to it permanently. Now, I've got a question -- is it possible to start a batch of high meat in a mason jar, but covered with a paper towel fastened by a rubber band? I know the traditional method is an air-tight seal, but this is my thought process: high meat used to be made by placing meat in tied up stomachs. My theory is that the pores allowed for some oxygen flow -- especially if hung outside. I thought perhaps the paper towel would emulate this. Then again, it's possible that the meat won't get high. But I'm certainly going to experiment. And I'd say burying meat in the ground is definitely on my list of high meat methods to try out next!

Let me know what you guys think about this idea. Thanks!

Thanks to everyone for the in-depth responses and warm welcome!

Hello Beyonder!

Have you already checked sites like eatwild.com? If there really are not any in the immediate area, there are online vendors, NorthStar Bison and Slankers, that will mail it to your door.

Correct, eatwild has shown very little in the way of farms in my area.  But I am willing to make the trek.  I have ordered from NorthStar Bison and Slankers and enjoyed both of their offerings.  But I want to support local farming and I prefer to get things fresh rather than frozen and sealed in plastic.  Of course, I may end up with that option if need be.

Freezing meat has little effect on nutrient values, but some have said that the meat does not "age" well if it is frozen. I haven't tried this for myself so I'm not sure.

Well, hopefully by freezing the meat for no longer than a few weeks, there won't be much effect.

The only thing I have been fermenting is cabbage. It's not hard to do. You can cut into strips, salt it, put it in a jar, and squeeze the liquid out until it is over all the cabbage. It's takes about a week. You have to keep pushing down it from time to time. I would assume you could do this with other vegetables.

Cool, I can't wait to try it!

*First of all, this really belongs in the Welcome Committee Forum. I'll move it there now*.

Sorry!

As for the other points:-

a) Well, you could save yourself some trouble and have the grassfed meats delivered to your door. I know some farms sometimes have reduced delivery costs if the target address is within <20 miles of a farm.

Unfortunately I am much further than that from the closest farm.  I have looked at eatwild.com and also through google and other avenues.

The storage of 1 whole, raw lamb is either going to have to be done via getting the farmer to cut it all up beforehand into smaller slices and then dehydrating it, or by cutting it up and then freezing it. IMO, I view dehydration as actually a bit worse than freezing as that lowers water-content of the meats. Plus, freezing doesn't do that much damage. It doesn't kill off the bacteria, just slowing them down temporarily inactivating them. Freezing does rupture the cell-membranes so it is always a good idea to eat the raw meat as soon as it's thawed as otherwise nutrients are lost - sticking it back in to refreeze is not a good idea, which is why lots of separate meat-cuts should be frozen, rather than 1 whole large carcass at once.

My plan was definitely to have separate meat cuts, so it is good to have some confirmation.  And I will the ask the farm not to dehydrate the meat or drain the blood.  One of my biggest supermarket (even Whole Foods) pet peeves is meat that has been drained of blood. 

I am hoping to coordinate a pick-up time at the farm so I can store the meats and freeze them myself.  Is it better to freeze meats in a vacuum-sealed package, or to put them in pyrex or other freezable containers?

b) I would strongly advise against eating "high-meats" when you are sharing with others. It really offends people big time.

If you are near the country, it might be possible to store some "high-meats" in the outdoors underground. Otherwise, wait until you have a flat of your own or have some little-used cellar/basement below your flats, where you can secretly store such high-meat. I use concentrated toothpaste of some sort and soap, so issues re "high-meat" or fresh, raw meat or whatever don't come up.

So I guess "high meat" will have to wait

c) No idea re lacto-fermenting fruit/veg, as I have never felt the need. But it sounds like someone should make a sticky topic re the subject.

Cool!  Well, I figure if the bacteria in "high meat" can help digest meat, so can the bacteria in fermented plant material.

Thanks again guys and I'm glad to be here!