Public service announcement: This is the time to buy suet, either from cattle that were recently slaughtered or from other ruminant animals that have not been fed grain. They have been on lush young grass for the last few months, so the fatty acid profile of their lipid tissue is as good as it's going to get (best Omega 3 : Omega 6 ratio you'll see all year). As the summer progresses, grasses will mature and head, making their leaves and stems more fibrous and less nourishing to cattle and other ruminants. These animals will also happen to eat the grass seeds that develop, which will push their fatty acid profiles to favor Omega 6 fatty acids, like grain-fed cattle's lipid tissue does.
I just scored about 8 pounds of luscious suet from a grass fed operation near my home in Burlington, VT. I bought one small pack last week to taste test to make sure it was good and not all dry and crumbly, and it was exquisite. The fat was moist, chewy, and satiating, so I emailed the woman right away and told her to save all that she had from that cattle for me. I picked it up earlier today at the farmers' market for $3 per pound. That's an amazing price when you think about it. Fat contains about 9 kcal per gram, which means that at a price of $3 per pound I'm paying about 7 cents per 100 kcals, or about $1.50 for every 2,000 kcals. That's so cheap! And for such high quality food!
The woman who sold me this fat will be sending another steer to slaughter in early July, and I asked her to save the fat from that animal for me too. Another grass farmer will also be saving me backfat and suet from a couple animals he's sending to slaughter mid-July. The warmer, rainy spring we've had in VT has made this an amazing year for grass farmers, although haying has been tricky because of all the moisture. I'm looking forward to stocking up on amazing quality fat, in addition to the many jars of bear fat I still have from last fall.
