Frustrations of obtaining good raw fat

[PaleoKyle]

I have been on the zero carb carnivore diet for about 3 months now and it has been soooooo hard to get good raw fat (I should mention all my food is eaten raw). I just got off the phone with another farmer who had no clue what suet was, and when I told him what it was he said he would ask the butcher, but that he usually gets laughed at for these requests.(last month I asked for blood, so he was a little hesitant to begin with.) It really is a shame, he has 2 healthy grass fed organic cows at the butcher and all those healthy fats, glands, and what not will all go to waste due to ignorance. I have a sheep farmer who I spoke to and had to email the details of what suet is, so maybe this weekend when I see him I will get some, altough he usually charges $12/lb. for anything besides muscle...and that is a lot for suet. Then another farmer I spoke with said that suet was not found in grass fed cows and when I said I had other sources he said that the cows must be getting grains.

This is what I currently have:
Each week I get about 10-15 lbs of marrow bones
Each month I get about 12 lbs of ground beef from cows on pasture for 6 years (it is very fatty)
I also have unlimited supply of high quality fresh raw butter. The thing is though that I want to eliminate all dairy and would prefer to get suet instead.

I know that slankers and us wellness has suet, but at this time I can't order on line to be delivered. I also like to buy my stuff locally, if I can.

Does anyone else have these troubles? What do you think about using raw butter on this diet?

[xylothrill]

I see you're in New York City. Anyone here from New York who can help out? Also, there is a list of grass-fed farms somewhere. I'm sure Tyler has posted it before. I'll try to find it.

Craig

[Satya]

Try this from the WAPF:

http://www.westonaprice.org/localchapters/index.html#ny
New York City Chapter: Claudia Keel, info@wprice-nyc.org , and Brigitta
Jansen (347) 968-0248, brigitta@wprice-nyc.org , www.wprice-nyc.org

They should be able to direct you to local people who sell all types of grass-fed, pasture-raised animal foods, including fats.

[PaleoKyle]

Hi Craig,
I am actually dealing with 9 different farmers in the area for my meat. I know for sure in 2 months that I can get a little suet from one of them. He makes tallow and said he would save me some. I am really trying to get a steady source. Maybe I can figure a way to get a slankers order. I just wanted to point out my frustration and see if anyone else felt the same. I really want to cut the dairy. What is your opinion of having butter on zero carb? Before going zero carb I consumed copious amounts of raw dairy...I'm talking quarts of sour cream and heavy cream daily with other dairy products and straight milk.

Satya:
"Try this from the WAPF:

http://www.westonaprice.org/localchapters/index.html#ny
New York City Chapter: Claudia Keel, info@wprice-nyc.org , and Brigitta
Jansen (347) 968-0248, brigitta@wprice-nyc.org , www.wprice-nyc.org"

Thanks for the links. I am a member of the WAPF. I have sourced many farms, but when it comes to things like fat and obscure organs/adrenals...even blood it is a chore to get the farmers to get them, because nobody wants them. The butchers are a problem as well because they will not only laugh at the farmer for requesting these items, they simply won't do it.

[TylerDurden]

I truly sympathise with you as I've had similiar problems in the past. What would be best is if you could find a local farmer who does his own slaughtering - they do exist.  A farmer who just has the abattoir do it all, will have no control over anything and the abattoir people will be too limited to be able to change their inflexible routine(and won't care about the customer).

I'm surprised that US farmers wouldn't know what suet is - even UK farmers who haven't a clue about what adrenals are, do know what suet is. The trouble is that most farmers tend to slaughter their cattle too soon (2-3 years after birth), partly due to stupid government regulations and their desire to make a profit, and grassfed cattle need more time to build up enough fat.  You could substitute the suet with ox-/beef-tongue which is very high in fat(50-60%?) though not as high as suet. As regards tallow, that is rendered(ie cooked) suet so is not ideal, but if there are no other sources ....

Raw butter is better than other kinds of raw dairy, in that short-term effects are much less common. But people do frequently report minor to major symptoms from it, in the long-term.

Check out www.eatwild.com and search the site under "New York" to find some farms listed for that region.

In short, I definitely don't recommend zero-carb for anyone who doesn't have a cast-iron guarantee from one or more farms as regards regular delivery of high-quality grassfed meat with enough quality fats. So, I would suggest going back to zero-carb only when you're in a position to order from Slanker's or NorthStar Bison(US wellness seems to hvae acquired a bad reputation from other US RPDers, so I don't recommend it).

[PaleoKyle]

Thanks for the info! What was suprising to me is that one farmer I get fresh kidneys and fresh sweetbreads(both thymus and pancreas) did not know what suet was...go figure. That is a good idea about finding a farmer who does his own butchering. It is a never ending quest to search for good meat.

As for us wellness meats I do not think I would order from them. I have read the negative stuff about them. A year ago I was in a Coop that had their beef...I was not impressed.

[PaleoKyle]

I am happy to say that today I found a steady suet source. It is pastured lamb suet. The only down side is that it is $12 a pound, which seems high for suet......although $20/lb is better than butter A few other farmers can get me a pound of suet here and there for $2-3 a pound. I will keep searching though for another steady, cheaper, source.

I am so sick of butter that today I got $20 lbs of marrow bones to hold me over until my suet comes(next week)

I can also get unrendered pork fat from a farmer. What is the take on pork fat? I would not use it as a main fat source and these pigs are heritage, pastured, and organic.

[TylerDurden]

It doesn't really matter if it's from pork or whatever  as long as it's organic and more importantly pastured.

[boxcarguy07]

off topic, but woah nice haircut!

[wodgina]

Took me a year to find a good and very reliable source of suet. I kind of had to train them in a way as they were not used to making an order for suet. In the beginning I bought a freezer to store the suet because I wanted to stock up and didn't know how reliable they were but they have become very reliable (through my training!)

Now I keep my order the same every week as I do not want to lose this excellent supplier, so I never annoy them by asking for different things or complain when very occasionally things go pear shaped, I'm very polite on the phone and pick my order up at the same time every week...If I lose this supplier I have no back up.

It's funny how people prefer certain fats, I prefer suet, Tyler marrow, some prefer butter and some even like coconut.

[MiracleMan]

Man, what are some good sources for people on the raw paleo diet here in NY?    it seems you're doing well

[PaleoKyle]

if you are in the city, there are many farmers who bring their stuff in. I use about 10 different farmers. Do you go to farmers markets? I find whole foods to be worthless. I use them for occasional seafood, and even that I prefer to get at the market. What is your diet like?

[MiracleMan]

well right now i go to the farmers market in union square for raw fruits/veggies/meats..but it is pretty expensive.  im also looking for a source for raw dairy, especially raw milk...and thats not going well  (


im just starting this diet, so its still all over the place.  i eat everything raw, and would love to get my hands on livers and other organs.

[PaleoKyle]

Yes, The union square market is WAY WAY over priced. Send me an email and I will hook you up with raw dairy.

[MiracleMan]

sent!  do you have an instant messenger of some kind?

[Sully]

well right now i go to the farmers market in union square for raw fruits/veggies/meats..but it is pretty expensive.  im also looking for a source for raw dairy, especially raw milk...and thats not going well  (


im just starting this diet, so its still all over the place.  i eat everything raw, and would love to get my hands on livers and other organs.

I see a few raw goat and cow cheeses at a local co-op. if they can sell that...why not butter or milk?!!!

[boxcarguy07]

They sell organic raw cheese at my local health food store... but not only is it beyond pricey, it says nothing about whether the cows were grass fed, so it's safe to assume they weren't

[Raw Kyle]

I see a few raw goat and cow cheeses at a local co-op. if they can sell that...why not butter or milk?!!!

The only raw animal product you can sell outside of Pennsylvania or California legally is cheese. I believe it has to be heavily salted too.

[Sully]

The only raw animal product you can sell outside of Pennsylvania or California legally is cheese. I believe it has to be heavily salted too.

probably with refined bleached salt too..

[MiracleMan]

union square has like 2 little organic stands with nothing to sell

[PaleoKyle]

union square has like 2 little organic stands with nothing to sell

It really is sad the way that market is run. It is also sad that Whole Foods is right across the street.

If you can get to Brooklyn the farmers markets are cheaper with organic food as well.

I feel that most the farmers there (not all) really just run a business not a farm...the business is farming, but they really are missing the point. They are probably the same local farmers selling out to WF. People have told me that they would rather just go across the street to WF since they are cheaper. :