No, this isn’t an entry about what fine young cannibals we are here in rural Maine. We’re having roast goat for dinner and it’s going to be yummy.
(…time passes…)
We’re done with dinner and it was quite yummy.
We try to support the local farmers in the area as much as we can. Over the summer we purchase all of our produce and meat from local farmer’s markets in Kingfield, Farmington and Waterville. About 90% of what we eat over the summer months is grown locally.
Buying from farmer’s markets has introduced us to some great food that you simply can’t find in the grocery stores around here. One of those items is goat meat. Goat is delicious and heatlthy. Worldwide goat accounts for about 60% of all meat consumption. I’d be surprised if it’s 2% of the U.S. consumption of meat.
Nutrition information about goat meat from the United States Department of Agriculture shows a 3-oz. serving of cooked goat meat has 122 calories, 2.6 grams of fat, 23 grams protein and 63.8 milligrams of cholesterol. The same size serving of chicken has 162 calories, 6.3 grams fat, 25 grams protein and 76 milligrams of cholesterol. A similar sized portion of beef has 305 calories, 26 grams of protein, 21 grams of fat and 88 mg of cholesterol. Similar servings of pork have even higher calorie, fat and cholesterol counts.
Beyond the health benefits we simply enjoy eating locally sourced food. We personally know all of the farmers that grow our food and have been to many of their farms. When we buy local we support the local economy and indirectly lower our overall Carbon Footprint because the food doesn’t have to be trucked hundreds and hundreds of miles before it gets to our kitchen.
Additionally, all of the produce and meat we buy locally is grown in an organic fashion. Most of it isn’t labeled “organic” because of the record keeping and aggravation involved with obtaining and maintaining such certifications. We don’t mind. It’s still great food and it’s often less expensive than the comparable organic products in the health food section of the local big box grocery chains.
If you’re even slightly curious about buying locally produced food please check out Local Harvest to find the farms in your area.