EST. 2011 BY LIZ RUEVEN
Grow and Behold Pastured Meats Plus Naf’s Famous BBQ Chicken Wings

Grow and Behold Pastured Meats Plus Naf’s Famous BBQ Chicken Wings

Father’s Day is upon us and we’re heating up the BBQ.  Whatcha putting on the grill?

Where did your meat come from?

 Do you really know?

While kosher meat and chicken have become more widely available in supermarkets,  pause and ask yourself if you apply the same high standards that you do when shopping for the most local, sustainable veggies and fruit?

And, it is NOT EASY to find those standards in Kosher beef and chicken. Thank goodness for Grow and Behold.

Grow and Behold was founded two years ago by Anna and Naftali Hanau. They met at Adamah,a Jewish environmental farming program in northwestern CT.

Naf was the greenhouse manager, and went on to work at a small family farm nearby while Anna was the farm manager there for two years.  Together, they developed a deep understanding for organic growing practices and its connection to Jewish text and responsibility.

Grow and Behold provides premium glatt kosher meat (Star K), poultry (OU) and other select sausage, pastrami and beef “bacon” products they have developed recipes for.

They source from several small, family owned farms in PA., NJ. and MD.

Their concerns are stated clearly in their mission statement. They “adhere to the strictest standards of kashrut (kosher), animal welfare, worker treatment and sustainable agriculture.”

If you are sourcing from CSA’s or shopping your farmers’ markets,  you already know the thrill and confidence you have when you know your farmer.  Naf personally visits these family owned farms and their processing centers.

In the spirit of that model, Naf and Anna respond quickly to e-mails and phone calls when customers have questions about their product. While  customers place orders on line,  they will respond to any and all questions ranging from which product to buy, to pricing, to cooking recommendations.

I have been ordering meat, chicken, turkey and now, sausages, from Grow and Behold for a couple of years now. For those in my neck o’ the woods, there is a buying club in Stamford, CT and other parts of the USA.  They also ship affordably via Fedex (on dry ice) right to your door.

I can assure you that the goods arrive in perfect condition and stay super cold due to impeccable packing standards.

A couple of weeks ago I was stocking up on a load of chicken and steaks in anticipation of summer house guests arriving. I was notified by FEDEX that my Grow and Behold package was due on a particular day but felt panicked when I realized that it was pretty warm out and that I wouldn’t be home to pull in the package until eight hours after it arrived. I called Naf, who assured me that the package was packed tightly and abundantly with enough ice to keep the goods safe.

He was right. And I was thrilled.

While I was won over initially, by Grow and Behold’s commitment to proper animal welfare, fair payment to farmers and workers, sustainable and responsible land (water and waste management), concern for distance from farm to table, there are two things that sealed the deal for me.

First, it’s all in the flavor. The chicken tastes fresh,clean and is odorless.  If you have ever doubted the freshness of package of chicken as you wondered about the “use by” date, and then reeled from the odor as you unwrapped the package, you know what I am talking about.

The meat has a distinctively rich, sumptuous flavor and texture that results from animals eating grass and roaming freely (yes, they benefit from better muscle tone from exercise, just like we do).

Connect the dots and you may love Naf and Anna’s sentiments as much as I do:

“We’ve been blessed with spending years on organic farms, where watching food grow reminds us daily of the miracle of creation. We invite you to savor the exquisite taste of pasture-raised meats and celebrate the land and people that bring them to your plate.”

Enjoy Naf’s easy recipe for this great BBQ sauce this Father’s Day or anytime.

9 Comments

    • My sentiments precisely. With the blogosphere hot with questions about Hebrew National, I encourage all kosher keepers to order from Grow and Behold, where strict kosher standards and animal welfare, worker welfare, environment and finally flavor, are their focus . They are available by e-mail and phone, too, so feel free to contact them with questions. ENJOY!

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  2. Liz – This is a great post. I truly believe that you must have a great butcher. The quality of meat in a supermarket (kosher or not) is never as good as the man (or woman) that lives by the quality of meat that he sells. If only everyone would think about this more, and shop at a butcher, we would eat better, be healthier, and support a trade that is special and important to our society. Thanks for sharing.

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SIDE DISH
Photo by Jerri Graham Photography

Hi. I’m Liz and I welcome you to Kosher Like Me.

When I’m not caressing fruits and veggies at my local farmers’ market you’ll likely find me chatting with like-minded eaters, probing the scene in NYC or seeking inspiration in my spice cabinet. Life outside of this blog is all about my family, tasty travel adventures and power walks deep in the CT woods or along the shore.

Please brew a fragrant cup of tea, grab a nosh and stay a while.