VEAL, the meat from calves, is shunned by many people because they believe the calves are raised inhumanely, confined to crates, unable to nurse, fed “milk replacer” instead of their mother’s milk, and become close to anemic because they get no hay to chew. In conventional farms, this malnourished condition is the point, because there’s a market for the pallid white veal that results. This kind of veal is called “special fed” by the industry. It is to be shunned by people who care about animal welfare. Not all conventional veal is raised by such cruel methods, however.
But organic veal is being raised humanely. The calves are turned out to pasture with their mothers so they can suckle her and nibble a little grass, too. This produces a pinker meat, but a meat that still has the qualities of good veal: a subtle flavor, and lots of juicy gelatin that results from the collagen in the meat dissolving in liquid during cooking, which makes veal perfect for creating the sauce bases of classic French cuisine.
Producers of humanely raised veal are generally small scale, and many are associated with dairy farming, running what’s called a cow-calf operation. To continue lactating, a dairy cow must calve once a year. Much veal comes from male calves born from dairy cow mothers.
WHAT TO LOOK FOR
Organic veal is pink, not white, from calves raised naturally and humanely. (Milk-fed calves, whether conventional or organic, are not anemic, therefore their flesh is pink, not white.) Organic veal will most likely be labeled as such—but ask your butcher. If the veal is organic, the calf is guaranteed by law to be raised in a humane way.
If you can’t find organic veal, some suppliers ship.
RESOURCES
http://www.meadowraisedmeats.com Meadow Raised Meats
Shipping their meat frozen to New York, Vermont, New Hampshire, northeast Pennsylvania, and the western half of Massachusetts.
P.O. Box 103, East Meredith, New York 13757
(315) 829-5437
http://www.valleyfarmers.com
Hudson Valley Farmers Co-op
A farmers cooperative of producer-members who are committed to a “grass-based,” ecological agriculture, humane animal management, and high-quality, clean meats.
P.O. Box 38, Stanfordville, New York 12581
(845) 868-1826
http://www.vtqualitymeats.com
Vermont Quality Meats
A cooperative representing thirty-eight small
family farms, predominantly in Vermont, that raise premium-quality lamb, goat, pork, veal, venison, rabbit, chicken, free-range turkey, and gamebirds.
P. ....read more
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