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I occasionally buy meat direct from our local organic farmer. It is pricey. The breakfast sausage and bacon are definitely worth the price. The chicken is not - too tough even after brining. The turkeys are very good after brining, but they are often too small for a big Thanksgiving feast. The chuck roast makes the best pot roast I've ever had! I don't bother with the more expensive cuts like steaks and chops.

WOW! Both "Global Warming" and "organic food" are VERY touchy subjects, capable of igniting a lot of very HEATED conversation (kinda like politics, religion, and NYC's DOH).

Personally, I think that "organic" food is pure hype and marketing. A lot of people have reportedly gotten very wealthy hawking "organic" food. Case in point, is the grocery chain Whole Foods (whose stock dropped nearly 40 percent last year when their customers deserted them in droves).

Where I live, many of the supermarkets sport an "organic" produce section where the produce is priced two to three times the normal price. When I read the labels on some of these expensive produce items, they indicated that the country of origin was Mexico, Honduras, Ecuador, etc.

Now I love my neighbors in Latin America, but I REALLY question the "controls" and "inspections" that the Latin American governments exert over their "organic" producers (farmers, etc.).

I suppose if spending more money, often a LOT MORE money, on something labeled "organic" makes you feel better . . . then go for it. But for me, I just do not buy into the hype.

As far as meat goes, I consider myself a bit of an expert on beef, steaks in particular. I have eaten a few of the "organic raised" beef cuts, and I simply cannot tell any difference between them and regular USDA "Choice" cuts from the butcher shop.

Also, I have relatives in Brenham, Texas, who are in the beef producing business (they prefer to be called ranchers). They laugh about what they call the "yuppie" generation and the "chic" associated with purchasing organic beef vs. traditional "butcher shop" beef.

They also find the hype concerning "Angus" beef to be very humorous (although they keep their humor under wraps since they raise Angus, among other breeds).

Now, if you talk grass-fed beef versus grain-fed beef, I will be the first to admit that there is a difference. Personally, I have tried and have rejected "grass fed" beef. Indeed, I cannot foresee ever purchasing it again.

Probably a lot of talk here that is not at helpful to your query, but for me, "farm-direct-organic-raised" meat only helps the bottom line of the producer at the expense of the consumer who has good intentions.

Josh, you might want to talk to the farmers and get more information about the meat to understand why it's more expensive. You say it's organic. Are the animals grass-fed or corn-fed? Are they fairly free range or confined to feed lots? Are the ranchers part of the Certified Humane Raised & Handled movement? And what kind of cattle are being used? Is it some kind of heritage breed or a common breed? 60 percent of beef cattle are of the Angus, Hereford or Simmental breeds. Any/all of these factors contribute to the price of your meat.

Of course, it boils down to your values and the taste. If you're concerned about eating local and supporting local farmers (which presumably you are as you joined a CSA), it might be worth paying the extra money, knowing it's supporting the farmer directly. But if it doesn't taste great, even an interest in saving small farms might not be enough to justify doing it.

In answer to your question, I buy almost all my meat direct from the farmer at my local greenmarket here in NYC. It is more expensive, and as such, I don't eat a whole lot of meat. But when I do, I want to know where it came from and what kind of life it had.

Funny, for some reason I totally wasn't thinking about pork, but beef. I find pork is the one I most notice the difference with, because commercial pork is just awful and dry and has no flavor or yummy fat.

Well, before signing off, I have to ask Adam:

Is it just me, or is it someone else?

What is the problem with posting comments on the site?

Can you "fix" my latest post . . . format-wise?

Hmmm....I don't know what to think of all this. I buy meat from a local butcher who buys meat from some dude in Iowa. Butcher claims no hormones, no antibiotics, but its not labelled "organic" I take his word for it, but who knows. HIs prices are a little higher than supermarket prices, but I support him because I support small local business.

It seems that as I become more conscious about my food, I have even more complicated decisions to make - local or nonlocal? organic or non? support small business or lg supermarket chain?