Where to Find Natural, Grass-fed Beef at Local Farms and Restaurants

Hemlock Hill Farm in Cortlandt Manor NY

Pasture-raised Meats at Hemlock Hill Farm

One of the oldest family-owned working farms in Westchester County, Hemlock Hill Farm, located in Cortlandt Manor, specializes in all-natural, hormone-free, antibiotic-free meats. The farm’s cows, chicken, geese, goats and lambs are pasture-raised, and its pigs are grain-fed.

Hemlock Hill’s farm store is open seven days a week year-round. It offers fresh and frozen beef, chicken, pork and lamb, as well as other farm products including Italian sausages, smoked bacon, eggs, cheese, yogurt, milk, ice cream and honey. The farm also grows and sells seasonal vegetables.

Hemlock Hill Farm is located at 500 Croton Ave., Cortlandt Manor, NY. Store hours are 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Monday through Saturday, and 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sunday. For more info, call 914.737.2810 or visit HemlockHillFarm.com.

Grass-Fed Beef Chili on the Menu in Mahopac

Grass-fed Beef Chilli at Brooklyn Cafe & Organic Kitchen in Mahopac NY

At the Brooklyn Café & Organic Kitchen in Mahopac, NY, owner Sandra Marinelli turns healthy food into comfort food, using fresh organic ingredients prepared with love. Consider her grass-fed beef chili: perfect for a cold March day, it’s served with sour crème, cheddar cheese, onions and a toasted ciabatta roll. A seasonal favorite, this menu item may go away in the spring, Marinelli says, so catch it now.

Other winter dishes include the organic grilled chicken wrap, organic warm beets and apple salad, the all-natural filet mignon panini and the organic egg white omelet. It also offers gluten-free breads and menu options, such as its organic Tuscan quinoa bowl.

Brooklyn Café & Organic Kitchen is located at 562 Rte. 6, Mahopac, NY. It is open for breakfast and lunch. See BrooklynOrganicKitchen.com for days and hours. For more info, call 845.628.7772.

Grass-fed Burgers Hartsdale

All natural burger at BareBurger Hartsdale NY

Looking for a huge variety of yummy, healthy, natural beef burgers? Head to Bareburger in Hartsdale, NY, where grass-fed organic beef burgers are always on the menu. Other burger options includes: bison, elk, wild boar and turkey, as well as vegan and gluten-free options.

Shown here to the right: Elk burger with duck bacon, melted Gouda, spicy pickles, jalapeños, lettuce, habenaro mayo on a brioche bun at Bareburger Hartsdale. Thanks to Good Eats with Average Joe for the picture.

Info: 914.949.2900. 265-N-Central-Ave.Bareburger.com.

Pastoral Life on Harvest Moon Pastures

by Christine Covino

Harvest Moon Farm and Orchard might be located on Hardscrabble Road, but life on this family farm is anything but hardscrabble for the cows that graze its rolling pastureland.

Located in North Salem, Harvest Moon produces grass-fed beef year-round from cows raised right on the farm. While it is not certified organic yet, Harvest Moon practices organic and natural farming methods.

The animals live very peaceful lives—they’re outside, free to graze, 365 days a year. During the colder months they eat hay the family has harvested from its own fields. They drink water from the same well system that provides drinking water to the homes and retail store on the property, and they do not get any grain or other supplements except for a salt lick and an occasional apple as a treat in the fall.

Scottish Highland at Harvest Moon Farm in Somers NY

The farm keeps two separate herds, Scottish Highlands and Red Devons, the latter of which are a new addition and won’t be ready for a year or so. The Highland beef, which is currently in stock at the farm’s country store, is extremely lean—there’s almost no “bad” or saturated fat, given the animals’ diet. Beef that is 100 percent grass-fed is loaded with nutrients, especially omega-3 fatty acids, and it has fewer calories than conventionally raised meat, making it a much healthier option.

The Highland cows at Harvest Moon live for two or three years before slaughter—ample time for them to develop and grow on a natural schedule. In fact, the cows live at least twice as long as their conventionally raised, mass-produced counterparts, as they are allowed to mature without the use of growth hormones, antibiotics and fatty grain to speed up the process.

Inevitably, naturally raised beef is more expensive than mass-produced beef. The corn that factory farms use as animal feed costs less than grass, and the sheer amount of land required to give the herd a constant grass supply is staggering when compared to the cramped, unsanitary feedlot quarters of conventional beef cattle. So given their cows’ longer lifespans, more expensive feed and greater land usage, small, family-owned farms like Harvest Moon spend a great deal more money raising them. That’s why grass-fed beef has a higher price point when it goes to market.

Harvest Moon sells grass-fed beef throughout the year at its country store, which will be open every Saturday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. through March 19 and then seven days a week, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Soon the farm will be selling 2016 shares of bulk beef and pork, all raised on site. Those interested can call or email the farm for more information.

Harvest Moon Farm & Orchard is located at 130 Hardscrabble Rd., North Salem, NY. For more info, call 914.485.1210 or visit HarvestMoonFarmAndOrchard.com.