Thanksgiving is right around the corner and that only means one thing. Food. And lots of it. From turkey to mashed potatoes and gravy to your grandmother's pecan pie; Thanksgiving is the time of the year to completely indulge oneself in a schmorgesborg of food.
Often lost in this time of feasting with friends and family however, is the source of where your food is coming from. Most of the meat bought in grocery stores and eaten on Thanksgiving is factory farmed, where the animals are treated inhumanely and the quality of life is low. As such, we are highlighting a list of farms that promote free-range, cruelty free and humanely raised animals. We just can't stand the thought of our furry friends not playing in the sunshine!
See, don't they look cute with sunglasses?
Each of these farms takes care of every animal they raise with love and kindness. They are fed only the best ingredients and are ensured the best quality of life. You can feel good about feeding your family only the best, organic, natural and happy and humanely treated animals from these farms.
Skagit River Ranch
The
Skagit River Ranch family owned farm is located an hour and a half north of Seattle and stresses farming organically in harmony with the environment. We love that it is located along the beautiful Skagit River and is among the alluring surroundings of Skagit Valley. The farm raises organic Wagyu beef, chicken, pork, turkey and eggs. Their products can be found in Seattle at Ballards Farmers Market, West Corner Farmers Market and Central Co-op.
Primal Pastures
We've just come across this farm located just outside of our home base of San Diego just up north in Temecula.
Primal Pastures launched in 2012 with a mission to create an all natural habitat for their many awesome animals. Their chickens truly are free range as they roam around on a spacious grassy area that is rotated twice weekly to allow the grass to recover and give the chickens fresh food to feed. Recently Primal Pastures bought a whole flock of pasture raised lambs and are on their way to becoming the top producers of organic lamb in southern California.
Marin Sun Farms
Marin Sun Farms is one of our favorites up in Northern California as it is located in the breathtaking Point Reyes area along the Pacific coast. Marin Sun Farms's wide range of products include on beef, poultry and egg producti
on and aims to provide pasture-raised food to families throughout the Bay Area. Their goal is to participate in creating a more sustainable food model and inspire an agrarian culture that conserves our landscapes, supports the health of its inhabitants and restores the vitality of a region that has thrived for hundreds of years. They are certainly doing their best to make sure the folks up north are doing their best to support naturally-raised, happy animals.
Flying B Bar Ranch
The
Flying B Bar Ranch is owned by a single family in Colorado, the Buchanans, and aim to provide their cattle with the most natural life possible. True to their mission, the steers never get growth hormones or steroids and are free to roam the abundant land found at the ranch. The ranch also contains an immense amount of natural wildlife including badgers, deer, coyotes and even bald eagles!
Nick Ranch
Nick Ranch has been around since 1918 and is closing in on the century mark! As a matter of fact, it was the first livestock producer in San Luis Obispo to become certified organic, pretty impressive right? This Central California staple raises their cows to be 100% grass fed and grass finished, ensuring a natural healthy life.
Mary's Turkeys
Free-range, happy, and healthy turkeys
Mary's Turkeys has been family owned and operated since 1954, practicing the art of animal husbandry. Their turkeys are free range, grass-fed, gluten free, and contain no pesticides, hormones or antibiotics. They are raised on healthful grains and are allowed to roam throughout the day in an area 4 times larger than normal commercial areas. Mary's Turkeys delivers these well cared-for turkeys to hundreds of stores nation wide, so make sure to look for their brand!
BN Ranch to Table
BN Ranch to Table is committed to raising animals in harmony with the season, and following the highest standards for humane animal treatment. BN believes
delicious grass raised meats are an invaluable part of a healthy diet, and raising animals on grass creates food that is more nutrient dense and contains healthier fats. BN delivers these well cared-for turkeys to hundreds of stores nation wide, so make sure to look for their brand!
Find a Store in Your Area
Stores such as
Natural Grocer's,
Whole Foods,
Nature's Pharm,
Red Apron Butcher,
Border Springs Farm,
Leaping Water Farms online store,
Nicky USA,
Avedano's,
Ingles,
Schnucks, and more sell free-range and organic meat and dairy.
Labels to Look For
Have a great Thanksgiving everyone. We hope your food comes from happy and health animals this and every season!
Questions or comments? We'd love to hear them in the comment box below!
.jpg)
.jpg)
