You don’t have to drive miles out of your way to find top quality, organic chicken
When I was young, a trip to New York’s Chinatown left some indelible impressions.
One of them was the chicken carcasses hanging in butcher shop windows. From feet to beak, entire birds were on display.
Like most of us, I’d rather put some distance between the concept of an actual bird and the chicken meat we find in grocery stores. But a lot of unpleasant things can happen between bird and grocery product. Like…processors douse birds in chlorine and antimicrobial chemicals.
You know. Things like that.
If you live near rural farmlands, you might be able to find farmers who raise chickens organically. But times have changed. You no longer have to drive miles out of your way to find top quality chicken.
Consumers today are more aware of factory farm horrors. So a lot of independent food producers are thriving like never before. These small companies include Bell & Evans, Mary’s Chicken, Organic Prairie, Rainbow Ranch Farms, and others.
Some of these are sold at chains like Wegman’s, Whole Foods, and Fresh Market. Others are available online.
It’s good to know you can still find plenty of chickens that have never seen the inside of a factory or been bathed in chlorine.
Sources:
“Letting the Fox Guard the Henhouse — Literally” Randy Rabinowitz, OMB Watch, 4/6/12, ombwatch.org
