EMERYVILLE, Calif. (August 10, 2010) – Whole Foods Market (wholefoodsmarket.com), the leading organic foods supermarket, is now offering super-local, organic grass-fed and grass-finished beef at its Marin, Napa and Sonoma stores.
“Whole Foods Market is excited to be able to supply our North Bay stores with the highest quality, locally-sourced organic, grass-fed and grass-finished beef available.” said Dan Neuerburg, meat coordinator for Whole Foods Market, Northern California.
Panorama Meats, a long-time Whole Foods Market regional supplier of organic, grass-fed and grass-finished beef, now exclusively provides Whole Foods Market North Bay stores with beef locally raised in Marin, Napa and Sonoma counties. North Bay stores include Mill Valley/Miller Avenue, Mill Valley/Blithedale, San Rafael, Novato, Petaluma, Santa Rosa/Yulupa, Santa Rosa/Coddingtown (opening on September 22), Sebastopol, Sonoma and Napa.
Whole Foods Market’s recently-opened Mill Valley/Blithedale store was the first store in the region to carry the super-local beef, which is raised at Lunny Ranch in Inverness and Diamond W Ranch in Petaluma and is also processed super-locally in Merced.
Facts about organic, grass-fed beef:
- Supplier is Panorama Meats (www.panoramameats.com).
- 100 percent grass-fed and grass-finished beef programs require a commitment to the land; ranchers must carefully manage their natural resources. Most grass-fed ranchers are independent, selling beef from their own property, or belong to a small, locally-focused producer group.
- Beef cattle are born with the ability to convert grasses, legumes and herbaceous plants into protein. Meat from animals that spend their lives grazing has a more favorable ratio of omega-3 to omega-6 fatty acids. In addition because grass-fed cattle are typically leaner than cattle that are fed grain, almost all cuts have less fat than grain-feed beef.
- 100 percent grass-fed and grass-finished beef has a distinct, vibrant flavor.
General Cooking tips:
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Grass Fed:
- Since it’s leaner than grain-fed beef, grass-fed beef usually takes about 30 percent less time to cook. Test with a meat thermometer.
- When using grass-fed beef in favorite recipes, lower the cooking temperature of the oven by about 25°F. The cooking time will stay about the same.
- When cooking on the grill, let the flames burn down more than normal for other meat.
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All Beef:
- Don’t start with cold beef straight from the refrigerator. Starting ice cold can result in poorly cooked meat, so let the meat warm to almost room temperature.
- Always use tongs, never a fork, to turn the beef. Piercing causes precious juices to be lost.
- Remember to let the meat rest to allow the juices to redistribute before slicing.
- If you are using a meat thermometer, a rare steak will register 135°F, medium-rare to medium will register between 145°F and 155°F.
- Thaw the meat in the refrigerator. Don't defrost it in a microwave oven.
All meat sold at Whole Foods Market must meet the company’s strict quality standards, which require that animals are raised on a vegetarian diet without being administered antibiotics or added growth hormones. In addition, all producers must meet specific and rigorous animal welfare standards that apply to all stages of an animal’s life and environment.
More information can be found online at wholefoodsmarket.com and recipes can be found online at www.wholefoodsmarket.com/recipes.
