Lamb Farm Visit

Article By

Eddy Basch

 

 

 

 

 

Meet Our New Providers of Pasture Raised Kosher Lamb

 

Meet the newest members of our Tiferet Family of Providers – brothers Andrew and Mike who have been farmers since the 1980’s breeding and raising their pasture raised lamb all year long and not just seasonally as most farmers do.

 

In the summer months, their lambs graze lush green pastures on their 500 acre farm situated in the Eastern Townships of Quebec – an area, that is perfectly suited to their craft. In fact, these brothers grow all of their own hay and corn necessary to feed their herd of 500 plus sheep. In addition, they carry out all the breeding and other segregating functions necessary to produce this wonderful lamb all within a single self-contained farming operation. The Smith brothers control the entire process from start to finish ensuring the quality of lamb they seek to bring to market.

 

 

We were privileged to visit their farm and get a personalized tour of their full operation and learn all the ins and outs of producing pasture raised lamb. We were given a full tour of the nursery, where mother sheep and baby lambs are kept segregated for a full month before being released into the open barns with the other babies and mothers while they are still nursing.

 

 

 We were shown how pregnant sheep are kept apart from the other sheep until the birthing of their babies and how flocks are kept apart and grazed separately based on age.  Furthermore, every lamb is tagged at birth to keep a strict pedigree for traceability purposes.

Brothers Andrew and Mike showed us their extensive fields of grass for hay and non GMO corn which serve as food during the winter months. Did you know that a female sheep can breed for ten years plus, and can give birth to one or up to three baby lambs at a time?

 

 

 

 Unlike other producers, these lambs are brought to market at 4 to 6 months old which as Andrew explained, is the perfect time to balance size versus taste.  Many farmers, in their quest to produce more weight, will wait up to 13 months (which is the limit as to where the lambs still possess their baby teeth) to bring them to market, but as Andrew explained, at that point, the taste is too strong for most people who are looking for lamb, not mutton.

 

Speaking with the brothers Smith made me realize just how devoted they where to their craft and their openness and pride in sharing their accomplishments made me realize that their work is a labour of love and frankly, the results speak for themselves. Our family has simply never tasted a better lamb than what these brothers produce and based on the feedback of our customer/friends they are all in agreement with us.

Scientific Analysis Finds Tiferet Pasture Raised Beef to be Superior to Most Meats Sold in the Canadian Market

Beef steaks with rosemary and spices

We have a great news: If you are buying our beef, here is more proof that our beef is exceptionally healthy for you.

 

Here is why:

 

After the media buzz, earlier this year, about omega 6 and omega 3 acid ratio’s in conventional meat vs. grass fed meat, we decided to put our beef to the test.

 

We contacted Dr. Richard P. Bazinet a Nutrition Science professor from the University of Toronto, and asked him to run a test on our meat, to which he happily agreed.

 

After sending him a sample of our steak, here is the result of his analysis:

 

“Eddy, The omega-6 to omega-3 ratio (Linoleic to alpha-linolenic acid) of your product is 2.7. This is a “very good score” from our end. Clearly these animals are on pasture and not getting grain.”

What does this mean?

Dr. Bazinet further explained:

 

“If the cow was consuming organic corn, it would not look like this.   I suspect these cows pretty much never had grain. The ratio I gave you is the major omega-6, linolenic acid to the major omega-3, alpha-linolenic acid. In commodity beef, I often find the ratio to be about 30:1, whereas you were 2.7:1, 11 times lower. While controversial, a lot of people suggest we should eat around 5:1, but the current Canadian diet is much higher. Your product fits right in.”

 

Allow me explain where we fit in the overall picture

Out of 30 plus samples of the grass fed meat that Dr. Bazint analyzed, (they used the same cut) our meat ended up in third place. This means that many organic meats have a higher omega 6 to omega 3 ratio and therefore our omega 6 to omega 3 profile is among the best.

 

Conventional beef has a ratio of 30 to 1 omega 6 to omega 3. This is because of heavy grain consumption, mainly corn and this would probably be genetically modified corn (GMO) unless otherwise specified. We scored 2.7 to 1 which is a very healthy ratio.

Why is this important?

“The sad reality is that it now ranges from 20 to 50:1 for most Americans. They are getting far too many omega-6 fats,”-1

 

Western diets are deficient in omega-3 fatty acids, and have excessive amounts of omega-6 fatty acids. Excessive amounts of omega-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) and a very high omega-6/omega-3 ratio, as is found in today’s Western diets, promote the pathogenesis of many diseases, including cardiovascular disease, cancer, and inflammatory and autoimmune diseases, whereas increased levels of omega-3 PUFA (a low omega-6/omega-3 ratio) exert suppressive effects. “-2

A small difference in the ratio has large implications. For example:

 

“In the secondary prevention of cardiovascular disease, a ratio of 4/1 was associated with a 70% decrease in total mortality.

 

A ratio of 2.5/1 reduced rectal cell proliferation in patients with colorectal cancer, whereas a ratio of 4/1 with the same amount of omega-3 PUFA had no effect.

 

The lower omega-6/omega-3 ratio in women with breast cancer was associated with decreased risk.

 

A ratio of 2-3/1 suppressed inflammation in patients with rheumatoid arthritis, and

a ratio of 5/1 had a beneficial effect on patients with asthma,

 

..,whereas a ratio of 10/1 had adverse consequences.

 

These studies indicate that the optimal ratio may vary with the disease under consideration. …

 

A lower ratio of omega-6/omega-3 fatty acids is more desirable in reducing the risk of many of the chronic diseases of high prevalence in Western societies, “ – PMID 12442909 [PubMed – indexed for MEDLINE]-2

 

If you are interested to learn more, here is a 20 minutes long interview that Richard Bazinet did on healthy fats.   http://drgregwells.com/be-better/podcast-40-all-about-fat-with-dr-richard-bazinet-part-1/

 

What About the Taste?

 

If you are afraid that  grass fed beef won’t taste as good, here are some testimonials:

 

“I loved the beef.  Was waiting to try the steak.   It was wonderful and the brisked was superb. Thanks.”  – Liddy

 

 

“We are really enjoying the beef! I am very appreciative that Tiferet offers this product.” – Sara

 

 

 

“Hi Tania

Here is a pic of the brisket I served on Shabbat. It was quite spectacular one of our guests said it was the best meat she had ever eaten. I braised it for 9 hours at 300. Finished under the broiler with an internal temp of 210F. It was fork tender and very tasty. … Put me down for another brisket ….
Thanks a bunch..” – Bruce  (Toronto, ON)

 

 

“Hi
I wanted to let you know that tonight out family ate from the order I made for the first time. We had the beef brochette on the BBQ and everyone loved it!  I didn’t tell them it was any different but they commented on their own – what kind of meat is this?  It’s amazing! .”- Galya  (Toronto, ON)

 

 

“Dear Tania,

Shavua Tov! Just wanted you to know that we tried the meat for the first time this Shabbat and it was AMAZING! Thank you so much!” – Shira (Toronto, ON)

 

 

“The  Swiss steak was qualitatively amazing – I had it for supper!

Thanks- I will be ordering more –that is for sure.” – Esti  (Ottawa, ON)

 

 

 “Had the ground beef last night.  Was great!” – Stephen  (Montreal, QC)

 

 

“Tania – we tried the stewing meat and a steak last night.  Here’s a photo of the family dinner – the meat was universally loved by all.
Again, thank you for providing this product and service.”- Shimmy  (Toronto, ON)

 

 

 “Hi Tania,

My entire family was very impressed with the quality of the meat…we also made a chicken…all was great. Thanks again.” – Shimmy  (Toronto, ON)

 

 

“I’d like to order about 10 pounds of  beef spare ribs. We had some and they were great. Also, the whole chickens were excellent.” – Karen (Toronto, ON)

 

 

 “The beef was great! All the other families really enjoyed it too!  I look forward to placing another order.” – Rob  (Calgary, Alberta)

 

 

You can read more testimonials here: https://tiferetorganic.com/about-us/testimonials/

 

 Sources:

1 http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2012/01/12/aha-position-on-omega-6-fats.aspx

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/m/pubmed/12442909/

Nurturing Body & Soul

 

By MONIQUEB MON, NOV 15 2010 GREEN LIFE

 

 

Osteopath’s search for poultry that is both kosher and organic leads to a new business

 

(Eddy Basch prepares an organic kosher chicken at his home. Gazette photo: Peter McCabe)

By Michelle Lalonde, The Gazette

About a decade ago, Montrealer Eddy Basch decided to start eating only organically grown foods.

As an osteopath who embraces a holistic approach to health and well-being, Basch was becoming more and more convinced that many of the aches and pains he was treating in his Outremont office, as well as chronic illnesses, could be prevented through healthy eating and physical fitness.

”Most of the people I see are really out of shape and not aware how much what they are eating affects them. People seem to think that eating well means controlling calories and they forget about quality,” he said.

Basch had always been physically active and interested in environmental issues. Turning away from processed foods and embracing organics was something that just made sense to him, especially after his two children came along.

Switching to organic vegetables was no problem, especially since Basch loves to garden and grows as much of his own food as he can on a plot of land he owns in the Laurentians.

But the hunt for organic meat was more challenging, since Basch and his family are Jewish and eat only kosher foods.

Under Jewish dietary law, certain animals may not be eaten at all, but those birds and animals that can be eaten must be killed in a certain way. Kosher slaughter is not done by machines (as is the case at most industrial farms), but by a “shochet,” a person who is specially trained to slaughter animals in as humane a manner as possible.

Aside from the slaughter method, kosher organic chickens are raised just like other organic poultry. This means the birds spend time outside every day hunting and pecking, they are not given growth hormones or antibiotics (except to treat illness), and they are fed grain that is organically grown, not grain that has been genetically modified or treated with pesticides or chemical fertilizers.

Industrially produced chickens, on the other hand, are generally raised in windowless buildings, crammed into small cages, exposed to artificial light and given drugs to make them grow faster and prevent disease in this unhealthy environment.

Not wanting to choose between organic and kosher, Basch decided to take matters into his own hands. “I knew we could get kosher organic poultry from the states, but that was not a practical solution, so I decided I would make it myself,” he said.

So in 2002, Basch approached the owners of Marvid Poultry Inc., a kosher slaughterhouse in Montreal North and then went to visit several certified organic farmers in the eastern townships. They made a deal. Basch would arrange for transportation of live, organically raised chickens and turkeys to Marvid Poultry, where they would be slaughtered in a kosher manner and packaged under Basch’s new brand name, “Tiferet Organics.”.

”I just went on a hunch that there were other people like me, educated professionals who adhered to kosher dietary laws and were looking for organic foods. I gambled, and it has paid off.”

Though Basch declined to say how many clients he has, he says his business is growing steadily.

Basch and his wife, Tania, now run the business from their Cote des Neiges home, attracting customers mainly through word of mouth and their website.They sell their kosher organic chicken and turkey at a half-dozen groceries and health food stores in Montreal, as well as a few outlets in Ottawa and Toronto.

But many clients prefer their home delivery service, Basch said, because even with the delivery cost, they save on the retail mark-up.

The price for kosher organic poultry is, of course, considerably higher than conventional chicken and turkey. A whole chicken is $12.63 per kilogram ($5.73 per pound) and a boneless skinless chicken breast is $30 per kilogram ($14 per pound). Yup, that’s pricey, but presumably Basch’s customers would rather eat organic, cruelty-free meat less often, than the cheaper, less tasty, less healthy meats offered at most grocery stores every day.

Although most of Basch’s clients are looking for kosher poultry for religious reasons, he expects to gradually broaden his client base to non-Jewish customers who like the idea of a more humane killing method.

Kosher slaughterhouses, he explained, “use a surgical scalpel to cut into the neck of the animal in such a way that the animal doesn’t feel anything … so it is a far more humane way of doing it. These guys are very smooth, so they don’t panic the animal. If the animals panic, they release adrenalin, which affects the quality of the meat and the taste. That’s why many people claim that kosher meat tastes better,” Basch says.

Tiferet Organic products are certified by Ecocert Canada, an organization that conducts on-site inspections to ensure production rules for organic agricultural products are respected. But Basch says the Kosher inspection process at Marvid is probably even more thorough.

”Each animal is inspected for flaws in the viscera, by inspectors who have been trained just in that, and if there are defects, which could indicate some illness, those animals are disqualified, so they cannot be declared kosher,” he noted.

For Basch, it all comes down to respecting our bodies and what we put in them. And if supporting local, organic farmers can also help protect the environment, all the better, he says.

mlalonde@montrealgazette.com

 

 

 

© 2008 Canwest Publishing Inc. All rights reserved. Unauthorized distribution, transmission or republication strictly prohibited.

Why eating organic food is better for you and the planet

 

Unlike conventional farming, organic food production does not rely on hormones, antibiotics, growth promoters, synthetic herbicides and pesticides. Organic farmers employ soil management techniques that enrich the soil with organic matter and limit soil erosion, techniques that are not as destructive to the environment. The end result is a food product that is healthier and more nutritious for your family to consume because it is free of dangerous chemicals and is grown in a nutrient rich soil.

 

Is organic food more expensive?

 

The sticker price of most conventional food may be less expensive than its organic alternative but the actual cost of the food to society and the environment is far greater.

 

Take poultry production as an example. If soya is used in the feed, chances are that it is a genetically modified organism. In addition, chemical substances such as synthetic herbicides, pesticides and fertilizers are used in producing the poultry feed which in turn pollutes the environment. The costs of detoxifying soil from these pollutants as well as reclaiming the soil from erosion are not factored into the consumer price tag. However, the clean up is a real cost to society because it will have to be done. Residues of hormones and antibiotics in the poultry itself have potential serious health consequences that are borne by society in the form of radically increasing health-care costs. In addition, poultry farmers may get subsidies from federal and provincial government agencies to keep prices competitive.

 

There are no hidden costs associated with the production of organic food and there are no government subsidies aimed at defraying the costs of production. The sticker price reflects the actual cost of production.

 

So, is organic food expensive? The short answer is ‘yes’. But the cost of conventional food also has its price. All things considered, perhaps conventional foods are becoming too costly for ourselves our families and the environment. And perhaps, this is one of the reasons why organic food is the fastest growing sector of the food market. More and more people are choosing organic and voting with their wallets.

 

 

Is Eating Kosher Organic Worth It?

 

When we compare the prices of conventional foods to those of organic foods, many people are left wondering if eating organic is worth the higher price. So why then are so many individuals switching to organic?

 

The answer may be found in examining the ways in which organic foods are produced. For example, organic poultry are produced without hormones, antibiotics or any growth promoters. These Chickens are fed non-genetically modified organic grains that have not been spayed with synthetic herbicides or pesticides. In addition, the poultry are Free Range, meaning they live in open barns and never in cages. Weather permitting they are given access to the outdoors as well. No artificial lighting cycles are imposed upon them to increase the amount of feeding, and the chickens are awake by day and asleep by night.

Given these factors many people find the price tag of an organic chicken worth it. Knowing that these creatures are given the best possible feed and a better life before they become our food, is considered by many to be worth the extra cost.

 

The Kosher Aspect

The kosher slaughter adds yet another dimension to this subject. Aside from the potential health benefits of eating organic food, many individuals who eat organic do so for ethical reasons as well. As described above, organic poultry are raised in a more humane manner and this is important to many organic consumers.

 

The kosher slaughter is always done by hand and never mechanically. The Mashgeach (Kosher Slaughterer), is a highly trained individual and very experienced in his trade. He has to comply with numerous details of his work with exacting care. It takes two individuals to slaughter a chicken. One person holds the bird and the other uses a razor like blade to precisely cut the neck in an exacting place and fashion.

 

Having witnessed this form of slaughter many times, it seems more like a submission than a violent struggle. The birds are not panicked and do not seem to suffer. Any deviation from the protocol demanded of his trade renders the animal unfit to consume. Additionally the viscera of each bird is individually inspected for blemishes or other such signs and if any are found, the animal is rejected and not consumed.

 

One can argue that not only is this a more humane slaughter than the conventional one, but it is also a more selective process, achieving a higher standard of quality as well. These factors I believe are appealing to the ‘ethically minded’ organic food consumer and in the final analysis argues in favor of spending the extra dollars on kosher organic poultry.

 

Eddy Basch DO

 

 

 

GMO Study, Corn, How It Effects You and Your Children and What To Do About It

Bad News: GMO Study, Corn and … The Worst News: How It Effects You and Your Children

 

 If you are already eating organic food and think that GMO (Genetically Modified Organisms) don’t affect you, it very likely does affect your day-care or school age children.  Plus, it still affects those in your family who don’t eat organic.   Please forward this article to your friends and relatives.

 

Bad News

 

September 17, 2012 European newspapers exploded with a new study.

Statements like ….

Shocking findings in new GMO study: Rats fed lifetime of GM corn grow horrifying tumors, 70% of females die early *

“The animals on the GM diet suffered mammary tumors, as well as severe liver and kidney damage. The researchers said 50 percent of males and 70 percent of females died prematurely,…” *

Cancer row over GM foods, as study says, it did THIS to rats… and can cause organ damage and early death in humans *

This was the first ever study to examine the lifetime effects of eating GMOs. This study has been deemed “the most thorough research ever published into the health effects of GM food crops and the herbicide Roundup on rats.” *

*See sources at the end of this post.

Plus, the articles included pictures of the mice  with tumors as large as one half of their bodies.  If you want to see the pictures, here are the links:  http://www.thegrocer.co.uk  and  http://www.dailymail.co.uk

 

When We Talk About GMO Most of Us Relate It to CORN

 

… and there are good reasons for this.

Most if not all corn grown in the US and Canada is genetically modified (GMO), unless the corn is Certified Organic.  Most of it is used as a sweetener in our everyday foods and beverages.  It is far cheaper and sweeter than sugar alone.  The demand for corn syrup is growing exponentially.

 

Worst News: How It Effects You and Your Family

Unfortunately GM corn is made into High Fructose Corn Syrup, (HFCS). It is also called glucose-fructose syrup , glucose/fructose, Glucose-Fructose syrup high-fructose maize syrup  or just corn syrup.    This is the most commonly used food and beverage sweetener in the US and Canada.

 

Corn Syrup is in Most of Your Food

 

Corn syrup is added to: breads, baked goods, breakfast cereals, granola and breakfast bars, lunch meats, soups, yogurts, candies, chocolates, ice-cream, condiments and many, many more foods and drinks.**

 

And it Huge Contributor to Our Growing Waistline

 

Did you know that soda sweetened with HFCS is so calorie rich that New York Mayer Micheal Bloomberg and the New York City Board of Heath are pushing to limit the size of these sugary drinks sold in New York due to widespread obesity problems that take the lives of 6000 New Yorkers each year? (You can the details here)

OK, you only eat organic food, but…

 

Do You Know What Your Children are Eating at their Day-Care or School?

 

You guessed it, the same old processed foods full of corn syrup.  Because it’s cheap and widely available.  If you ask your day-care, why they use HFCS sweetened foods? They will say, “because children like it.”  Can they learn to like something else? Absolutely!

 

What Can We Do About This?  How Can We Avoid Corn Syrup in our Food?

 

The Answer is simple:

1)  Choose organic food over conventional. (Best Case Scenario)

 

2)  At the very least, avoid processed foods and stop buying food containing corn Syrup (just read the ingredients).

There is a list of NON GMO products you can access here: http://www.nongmoproject.org/

 

 

 

 

 

 

3)  Make sure you provide your children’s lunch, not the school cafeteria. OR, if the school Principal and Director are open and willing to listen, TALK TO THEM you may change more than one life for the better.

 

OK, We Are Not Mice and Our Life-Span is Longer Than 2 Years, But Do YOU REALLY Want To Take Chances With Your Life?  What About The Lives of Your Developing Children???

 

If you are already eating organic food and think that GMO (Genetically Modified Organisms) don’t affect you, it very likely does affect your day-care or school age children.  Plus, it still affects those in your family who don’t eat organic.   Please forward this article to your friends and relatives.

 

SOURCES:

* http://www.thegrocer.co.uk/topics/technology-and-supply-chain/monsanto-weedkiller-and-gm-maize-in-shocking-cancer-study/232603.article

*  http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2205509/Cancer-row-GM-foods-French-study-claims-did-THIS-rats–cause-organ-damage-early-death-humans.html?openGraphAuthor=%2Fhome%2Fsearch.html%3Fs%3D%26authornamef%3DSean%2BPoulter

** http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High-fructose_corn_syrup

The abstract of the study

http://www.biolsci.org/v05p0706.htm

 

How To Reduce Carcinogens in Your BBQ Meat

Steak on flaming grill

Did you hear about the dangers of grilling your meats?  But how many of us can really give up their BBQ when the weather turns nice?  Probably very few.  In fact, I recently had a conversation with my mother’s cardiologist, who is considered to be one of the top specialists in the city.  When I asked him if he ever got tempted by grass fed organic steak on the BBQ (I know his family eats organic), he said, that he eats a BBQ steak once in a while, and added: “You’ve got to live” with a wink.
My children love barbecued meats and I even grill our meat in the winter on our outdoor BBQ. Here are my tips to reduce the formation of harmful chemicals in your meat, poultry or fish:

 

Marinate, Marinate, Marinate

Marinating your meats can reduce polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and heterocyclic amines (HCAs) by up to 92%. 1 Both PAHs and HCAs are known carcinogens.
Beer, wine, olive oil with lemon and spices, garlic and onion can reduce the levels of both the above substances from 25 to 90%. Light and non alcoholic beer is less effective whereas dark beer and red wine can reduce these harmful substances by up to 87 to 90% respectively.  2
A combination of olive oil, lemon juice and garlic can also lower HCA levels in grilled chicken by as much as 90 percent. 1
Some sources even suggest consuming red wine and beer with your grilled meat.

 

Time Matters

There longer you marinate your meat, the greater it  seems to reduce the formation of these harmful substances.   The minimum suggested time being 1 hour, when you are in a rush.  Otherwise 6, 8, 12 or more hours seems to be the best amount of time for marination.

 

Spice Blends Can be Used for Marinating or Add Them to Your Minced Meat

Caribbean, Southwest and Herb mixes also significantly decrease HCAs 3 :
Marination with a Caribbean mixture decreased the total HCA content by as much as 88 percent.
Ingredients of a Caribbean mix include:  Dried thyme,  garlic powder, cinnamon, ground coriander, ground ginger, cayenne pepper, ground allspice, ground nutmeg, salt and pepper.
Marination with a Herb mix decreased HCAs by as much as 72 percent.
Ingredients of a Herb mix include: Dry or fresh sage, thyme, marjoram, rosemary, garlic and salt and pepper.
Also marination with a Southwest blend decreased HCAs by as much as 57 percent.
Ingredients of a Southwest mix include: chili powder, paprika, cayenne, cumin, coriander ground, granulated garlic and onion, salt and pepper.

 

  Bottom Line

You can easily create your own marinade and rub.  Just combine your favorite herbs and spices, add olive oil, lemon juice or apple cider vinegar or water, onion, garlic and you are done.

 

Here Are a Few Other Ingredients That Work Well:

 

Cherries, prunes, apples, blueberries, turmeric, onions and garlic, mustard, paprika, cloves, etc. 4

 

Frying and Roasting is No Better

Grilling is not an exception, every time you cook your meats at the high temperature, it forms the same unhealthy compounds. 5
“Bake, roast, or stir-fry. Grilling and barbecuing generate the most heat, so they produce the most HCAs. Next comes pan-frying and broiling. Instead, try baking, roasting, or stir-frying. And, if you pan-fry, We recommend lowering the temperature on the stove as the best way to reduce the amount of HCAs, says Knize. Cutting the frying temperature of ground beef from 480[degrees] to 390[degrees], for example, eliminates around 80 percent of the HCAs.”  6

 

Have Antioxidant Rich Food With Your Meat

 Fresh salad and vegetables are good to mitigate the grilling.  Spinach and cruciferous varieties such as cabbage, kale, Brussels sprouts are also highly recommended.  So are the fermented foods, such as sour krout and of course an occasional beer or a glass of red wine.

 

Add Some Super Spices

“Spices and herbs with the highest antioxidant capacity. These ‘Super Spices’ are: cinnamon, oregano, red pepper, ginger, rosemary, thyme, and yellow curry. Did you know that just a half teaspoon of dried oregano packs about the same antioxidant power as a quarter cup of almonds or almost four cups of fresh spinach?” 7
Add plenty of onion, garlic and spices, to your salad or vegetables.  Teas, fruits and berries are also a good source of antioxidants.

 

Grilling Veggies is OK

When grilling vegetables these harmful compounds don’t seem to form.  But it is recommended to grill your vegetables first, before the meat.

 

Other Helpful Suggestions

Some suggest cooking your meats and fish on a cedar plank.  A cedar plank also adds an incredible flavour.
Clean your grill well before using.
When possible remove fat or skin before grilling.

Reduce the Cooking Time and Temperature

You can lightly BBQ your meat, then finish it in a stew or the oven at a lower temperature.    It will still retain some it’s smoky flavor.
Some people suggest pre-cooking your meat in a microwave oven for a minute or two before grilling.
Grill your meat away from a direct flame.  Just pile your coals on one side of the BBQ and place your meat on the other side.
If possible, cut your meat into smaller pieces before grilling, it will reduce the cooking time.
You can also use heavy gauge aluminum foil that into which you have punched a grid of small holes and place it onto the grill.  Cook your meat on this aluminum foil. This also works great for burgers.
Flip your meat frequently.

 

Avoid Burning Your Meat

Black or dark brown parts are considered to be the worst.

 

Natural Charcoal

Also, we only use natural hardwood charcoal for our BBQ, not gas or briquettes.  Charcoal is not only a healthy alternative, it also provides superior tasting meat, especially if you add some small, dry grape vine branches or cherry/apple tree wood chips to your charcoal.

 

THE MOST IMPORTANT

What you grill is the most important, of course. 🙂  But I don’t need to tell you that, as an organic consumer, you already know this.

 

AND

As my husband, who is a physiology graduate, always says “If you eat well 85 – 90% of the time you are OK to cheat once in a while. Your body is a intelligent organism capable of self regulation and healing, if you treat it well, it can and it will detoxify itself.”
By eating well he means organic food 90% of the time, plenty of raw fruits and vegetables and homemade juices, raw nuts and seeds every day, fermented foods like home made sauerkraut or homemade natto. (We have a fantastic source of natto, kosher organic and very mild tasting. Please email me if you want my contact.)
By cheating he means homemade organic pastries or cake, dark good quality chocolate and grass feed organic streak,  organic chicken barbecued on charcoal, and organic chicken or beef burgers on the grill… you get the picture.

 

We Would Like to Hear From YOU.

If you have any comments or suggestions, please post them below.
Sources:
The Free Library: New Study Shows Marinating Meat May Help Prevent Cancer

Journal of Agricalture and Food Chemistry 

http://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/jf801837s
PubMed .org
 The Free Library: Well-Done Research
 National Cancer Institute
The Free Library: Feeling the heat: are overcooked meat and poultry dangerous?
The Free Library: Study Finds Spice-Rich Marinades Can Reduce Harmful Compounds When Grilling.
http://preventcancer.aicr.org/site/News2?abbr=pr_&page=NewsArticle&id=13394&news_iv_ctrl=1102

 

Finally Healthy Hotdogs

 

 

 

“Finally healthy hot dogs” this was the reaction of one Rabbi, when we told him about our kosher organic hot dogs.

 

 

 

Ingredients

 
Our hot dogs  have few ingredients that are organic and healthy. The hot dogs are lean, low in salt and made from top quality ingredients:
 
Organic kosher chicken
Organic potato starch
Water
Organic spices
Himalayan pink salt
 

It Was a Long Road

 
This was a long time coming and it took us countless hours to finally source all of the right ingredients with all of the right Hechshers. 
 
We had numerous conversations with the VAAD to get acceptable kosher ingredients.  Some spices were OK whole, but not ground. Certain Hechshers were OK for some ingredients but not for others.
 
Some ingredients were organic with good Hechshers, but were only sold in bulk, eg., one skid at a time.
 
For example, our organic potato starch comes from Europe they gave me their US distributor who shipped to our depot in New York State.  The smallest amount available was 10 times what we needed. 
 
Our spices also came from a US spice distributor who shipped them to our US depot. These ingredients were simply not available in Canada.
 
It was a long road as you can imagine, but here we are, introducing our first batch of organic hot dogs. 
 

How They Are Packaged?

 
Each package contains 4 hot dogs, is vacuum sealed and frozen.
 
 

What is The Price?

 
Hot dogs are $8.99 per package however we are making an introductory offer at $5.99 per package.  
 

Is There a Special Way of Cooking Them?

 
When you look at the hot dogs you will notice that they look skinny.  But if you boil them for 5 minutes or less, you will see they will puff up and will look like normal hot dogs.  We also tested our hot dogs on the BBQ and it worked well.
 
Our hot dogs are lean, so if you eat them straight, you will notice that there is no fat in them.  But if you put them in a bun and dress them as normal hot dogs, you will hardly notice the difference.  My children gave our hot dogs 9 on 10.  Previously, they got an occasional hot dog or two in school, but by and large, they have been craving this food for a long time. 
 
There is a casing on the hot dogs that has to be removed prior to cooking.  Just rub the hot dog under cool running water and the casing will come off. 
 

Otherwise

 
If I think of other hot dog recipes, I will let you know.  If you have any questions or suggestions, they are most welcome.
 

 

Buy a Tiferet Gift Certificate

We are now offering gift certificates! 
 
Do you feel that someone you know can benefit from our products? Why not give them a gift certificate?
 
Whether it is for a birthday, wedding, anniversary, Rosh Hashana, Purim, Passover or just an appreciation or thank you gift, we can personalize one of our gift certificates, print it and mail it for you.  
 
You get to choose the amount, the type products (optional) and the recipient. We will happily take care of the rest.
 
One of our long-term customers has been buying more whole chicken than she needs and systematically gives them away.  She feels that they make great gifts to people who can appreciate it and to those who can benefit from it.  And she should know because this customer is a medical doctor, who has her practice in Montreal for many years. 
 
If you are at a loss as to what to give someone, try giving a unique gift, a ‘Tiferet Gift Certificate’ we are here for you.  
 
Please contact us via our Contact Us form.  
 
 
 
 
 

WHAT’S GREAT ABOUT GRASS-FED, GRASS FINISHED MEAT

by Stephen Foxman R.O.H.P., is a nutritionist/ naturopath

 The first time my wife and I tasted grass-fed, grass finished beef we both immediately reacted, “Wow!”.  It was like tasting meat for the first time.  Terrific mouth feel, delicious flavor and texture.  We also noticed that because it was so nutrient-rich, we were satisfied with almost half the quantity of meat we usually have as a serving….  and this continues to be our experience.  Once tried, you’ll be hooked and will find it difficult to go back to regular grain fed meat. 

 

 

Here are Some of the Many Benefits of Grass-Fed, Grass Finished Meat:

 

·        Taste – great flavor- unlike regular meat which has little flavor outside of the fat, grass-fed beef has less fat but more beefy flavor from the meat itself.

….and a variety of tastes – taste depends on many factors such as soil, grass, different plants eaten by the animal and the season.  This creates a rich palette of tastes for the consumer.

·        Free! – grass-fed meat is usually free of hormones, antibiotics and growth promoters – no pesticides or growth hormones to worry about gives one peace of mind.  

·        Economical – Yes, even though more than double the price of regular meat, grass-fed meat is so nutrient-rich and satisfying that one needs almost half portions of the equivalent in regular meat.  Besides the fact that overdoing protein quantity is an unhealthy practice as one only needs small portions of animal protein in the diet in order to obtain the health benefits –too much meat can be toxic to the body.  Even if it costs a little more in the end, there are so many healing properties to grass-fed meat that you’ll save on hospital, doctor, and pharmacy costs.  With a stronger immune system, less sick days too!

·        Less Shrinkage – unlike regular grain-fed meat which is full of water, grass-fed meat will shrink much less in cooking.  This means you’ll have more to eat, another way it is more economical.

·        Healthy Fats – fat from grass-fed meat contains CLA * and omega 3’s .   The healthiest long lived cultures had diets high in omega 3’s, usually from wild fish consumption or wild game meat.   Regular grain-fed meat is the opposite.  Animals are fed corn and soybeans which are high in omega 6’s.  Unlike omega 3’s which lessen inflammation and are cancer protective, meat high in omega 6’s contribute to inflammation, obesity, cancer and heart disease.

 

*CLA (CONJUGATED LINOLEIC ACID)HEALTH BENEFITS

 

·        Increases muscle mass while reducing fat

·        Increases metabolism

·        Normalizes thyroid function

·        Strengthens immune system

·        Reduces risk of cancer, heart disease, hyperthyroidism, diabetes

 To sum up, the natural way is always the best and the natural diet for animals is to graze on grass or pasture.   When we eat these animal foods with respect, appreciation and in the proper quantity we are getting optimum nutrition in an easily assimilable form.

 

Stephen Foxman R.O.H.P., is a nutritionist/ naturopath and has been working with and teaching healing diets for over 40 years.  He is available for consultations at: sfoxman@gmail.com