Sports bras and Cows oh my

I know the title probably made you go... wawah??? Don't worry it will make sense... and no I'm not calling myself a cow. The day started with a nice run down to fisherman's warf and back. I stopped at the hotel front desk and asked for a running map. The guys must have thought I looked more hardcore than I really am since he immediately started telling me about this great 14 mile run down to the golden gate bridge and back... excuse me?? 14 miles... HA ummm yeah... got any around the 4 mile mark?? I had called down to ask the outside temp... I think they were a bit off... since a half mile into my run my long sleeve shirt was tied around my waste and I was only wearing shorts and a sports bra... yeah if you were one of the people wearing a winter coat as this "cold weather proof" Rochestarian jogged by half naked... yeah sorry about that! I got more than a few "what's wrong with that girl looks..."

Having coffee with Chrystal and Amir from the Duo Dishes

A quick shower and a power bar later I was off for coffee and "snacks" I think I ate a pound of grapes... most of the breakfast treats were already demolished... good thing I ate that power bar! After the caffeine fix they let us loose on the farmers market. So many cool things to look at, and of course I had to pick up a pair of cute earrings from a local vendor!

I got to meet Lisa from the Snack Snoop too!

Next is the cow part... my veggies and vegan, you are excused now... because I'm guessing you aren't going to want to hear about the sustainability farm to table talk I went to... it's ok, you can come back to see more tasty chow from the tasting pavillion, my demo!! and the outstanding in the field dinner! :D

OK for those of you who are left :) I went to a really interesting talk about raising cattle in an outdoor grass fed way. It was really eye opening I have to say. The talk was by the head chef of Americano (Paul Arenstam) and Brian from Hearst Ranch.

Paul looking chef chic & Brian looking very cowboy chic

Some interesting facts I learned

• It costs 3 times as much to raise a grass fed cow than a grain fed cow
• Grass fed cows have a smaller carbon footprint... grass grows on its own, whereas fossil fuel is needed to process the grain and then ship it.
• It takes a grain fed cow 13 months to get to be 1300 lbs. WOW. (was anyone else feeling like they were growing this fast this weekend with all the chow?)
  
• It takes a grass fed cow 18-24 months to reach a max around 1100.

Hearst treats their cows so they aren't in a constant state of fear... They wean the baby cows by moving them to another field, so they can still come up to the fence and see mom, but are slowly separated. This is not the case in most grain based ranches. Brain also explained that less stress = more tender meat... seriously I had a meatball made with their meat... tenderest thing I've ever had. AMAZING It makes sense when you think about it, when i'm stressed all my muscles are crazy tense and hard... yeah... so don't try to eat me... i'm stressed :D


He also explained things in a way that the cows are familiar with humans being around and part of their life, so when it's time to meet their maker... they aren't scared out of their minds (true or not... up to you).

Hearst is also starting a new CSA style take on meat. It's a really interesting concept. You basically buy a cow... or 1/2 a cow... or an 1/8 of a cow (40 lbs) and you pay one price per pound and they send you all different cuts of meat. No paying one price for tenderloin and another for ground meat. It's all vacuum sealed so you can easily freeze it. This sounds like a great idea if you have a few friends or family who like red meat. It helps the ranches and it gives you a better price overall for everything. Interested in ordering some delicious beef? Good news...

Brain wanted to thank foodbuzz and said to spread the word... so order now and put "Foodbuzz" in the coupon code box to get 30% off and free shipping!!

Learn more about the cattle shares here. Or buy your 1/8th of a cow here. I really wish John ate red meat... since 40 lbs for one person is going to be a bit much... LOL I need to ask around to see if anyone wants to go in on an 1/8 of a cow with me... anyone in Rochester interested??

OK up next is the tasting pavilion and my natures pride baking debut!! Then it's on to Outstanding in the Field dinner!!! YUMMMM Stay tuned!