The quality and taste of meat has everything to do with how the animal is grazed and what they eat. At GrassRoots Meats, this week’s featured Pagosa Farmer’s Market vendor, all their animals are grass raised and finished so the meats have high nutritional value and are low in saturated fats. Additionally, their beef is hung and dry-aged for 10-14 days, a process that gives the meat a delicious flavor rich in texture and tenderness.
For over 20 years, GrassRoots Meats has used strict animal husbandry guidelines that focus on the humane treatment of animals raised in a healthy environment where they are allowed to mature naturally. According to owner Lisa Hammer, no hormones or grain are used. The animals graze on lush green grasses and move freely throughout the mountain pastures. For their lamb, pork and poultry, Lisa and her husband Garrett have partnered with the finest producers who share the same passion for raising animals in a natural and humane way.
GrassRoots offers 100% grass-fed beef, 100% grass-fed lamb, all natural pork and organic chicken. The free range, organic chickens from their producing partner are humanely raised and fed a healthy diet of organic non GMO grains with no animal by-products, and are never given growth hormones or antibiotics. There are no synthetic chemicals used, including fertilizer, pesticides, antibiotics, or food additives, and no genetically modified grains or irradiation. Their supplemental feed is comprised of corn and soy, with the balance being vitamins and minerals.
The grass fed lamb is raised in the San Luis Valley and is unrivaled in quality, reinforcing the notion that Colorado lamb is some of the best in the world. GrassRoots Meats is now three generations deep and Lisa’s sons Kyler and Teeg also raise some of the pigs that provide meat to the community.
Visit GrassRoots Meats this Saturday and learn more about how they raise and finish their beef. The Pagosa Farmers Market is open every Saturday from 9am-1pm at the Tennyson Sculpture Garden and Park on Lewis Street. In addition to the delicious meats offered by GrassRoots Meats, the Market also offers locally grown produce, mushrooms, baked goods, honey, lavender products and on-of-a-kind handmade crafts.
SNAP cards are welcome and the Market is the only place in Pagosa Springs that offers SNAP recipients $20 of Double Up Bucks for the first $20 card purchase, doubling purchasing power to $40. Information on the Pagosa Farmers Market is available by calling 970-264-5232.