Make it a Stress Free Holiday!

Tips for a Stress Free Holiday Season!

It’s that time of year again…Holiday Season!  Try out these tips to make your family and Holiday parties as stress free as possible:

 v Plan:

§  List out meal ideas in advance

§  Make grocery list and plan when to go

§  Prep food in advance to make preparing the dish a snap

§  Limit options to keep things simple!

§  Clean in advance:

§  Make appropriate schedule to avoid scrambling!

 v Delegate:

§  Don’t try to do it all yourself!

§  Ask other guests to bring a dish

§  Let someone be in charge of drinks and trash, important details that often get overlooked!

§  When someone offers to help, let them!

 v Prioritize:

§  Make a list of what’s important to you and your holiday and try to make that your focus

 v Set up decorations and table the week and night before

 v Have activities for kids ready in advance; coloring books, holiday puzzles and movies to avoid them getting ‘bored’

 v Keep an ‘attitude of gratitude’ and don’t sweat the small stuff so you can enjoy the time with friends and family!

We can help you relieve some stress by:

Letting us do the work for you!

Party trays, desserts, and main dishes can all be made to meet your needs!

Check out our brochures today for all of your options!

Meat Grading & Inspection

Meat Inspection = Safe and Wholesome Beef

The wholesomeness of the U.S. meat supply is ensured by meat inspection.  All meat that is sold must, by law, pass inspection.  Meat products are among the most highly regulated and supervised products in the food supply.  Everyone pays for meat inspection through taxes.

Meat Grading = Taste and Tenderness

Meat grading is administered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).  Beef quality grades indicate palatability characteristics such as tenderness, juiciness and flavor.  There are eight quality grades for beef which reflect the amount of marbling (fat within the lean), firmness, color and texture of the beef, and the maturity of the animal. 

Grading is optional and paid for by meat processors.  More than half of the beef available is graded. 

Generally, only three grades are identified and sold to restaurants and at retail:

Prime Cut Steak               Choice Cut Steak	Prime has the most marbling.  It usually is sold to restaurants, although some specialty meat markets and supermarkets may carry it.  –Poole’s Meat Market Does Sell!-
	Choice cuts tend to have a little less marbling, but enough to have quality flavor and tenderness.  Choice is the most widely available grade in the market. –Poole’s Meat Market Does Sell! Select Cut Steak
	Select has the least amount of marbling, making it leaner but often less juicy and flavorful than the other two grades. –Poole’s Meat Market Does Not Sell Select-

                                                                                                              http://www.beefitswhatsfordinner.com/beefqualitygrades.aspx

At Poole’s Meat Market, we only carry the high-end Choice and Prime Cuts--this ensures that you are getting the highest quality we can buy with the most flavor and tenderness!  

All of our Beef & Pork is from the USA and contains no fillers, binders or preservatives.  

Check out our Bundle Meat Packages on our website to stock your freezer today! 

Safe Summer Cooking Tips

Did you know that cooking food to its’ required minimum internal temperature is the only way to reduce the amount of bacteria in food items? The minimum temperature changes based on what item you are preparing; having an accurate thermometer keeps you and your family safe from harm!

Below are some common items with the correct temperatures to reach for at least 15 seconds:

Ground Beef, Pork & other ground meats:       155⁰ F

Steaks:                                                                     145⁰ F

Poultry:                                                                   165⁰ F

Fish:                                                                         145⁰ F

Pork, Veal & Lamb:                                              145⁰ F

Temperature can be reduced per request, example: ordering a Rare Steak

Temperature is just one factor for staying clear of foodborne illnesses. 

Other important factors include:   hand-washing, not cross-contaminating, using clean surfaces, cutting boards and utensils during preparation and properly covering and storing food after cooked. 

Keep these tips in mind to keep you, your friends and family safe this summer!

Frozen Fruit & Vegetable News

Frozen Fruit & Vegetable News

This is going to be a challenging year with the supply of frozen fruits. You can expect price increases and shortages.  The weather always plays a role in what happens to our Fruits and Vegetables and this year is no exception.  Because of the warm spring and late frost many farmers have lost their crops for this year.

We expect the following items to be short or not available until later in the season.  Of course, weather can change the harvest time forward or backwards depending upon how warm or cool the summer develops.  Listed below are approximate times and supply quantities.

Products:                                Current Status:             Expected New Pack Arrival:

Red Pie Cherries                    limited                   available first of July

Dark Sweet Cherries          none available     end July/first of Aug.

Blackberries                           very limited           first/mid/July

Black Raspberries                  available              first/mid of July

What's Causing Rising Beef Prices?

What’s causing Rising Beef Prices?

The price of beef has hit an all-time high and experts expect prices to rise even more throughout 2012 and possibly beyond. Multiple factors have influenced the rise in beef prices:

 v Last Summer’s Drought in Texas & Oklahoma:

~Almost a quarter of American cattle are raised in these states and the drought provided little pasture for cattle to graze and caused 4 million acres to be burnt in wildfires

~Farmers were forced to sell, not only their feeder cattle, but also the mamas to make ends meet. Selling moms means no young cattle to raise

~U.S. Beef exports are high and recovering the beef supply is not a quick fix due to gestation and time to grow; so supply will be lower for at least 18-24 months

 v Supply is low and demand is high!

~This textbook economic situation means prices rise~

 v Corn is High:

~Market cattle eat corn which helps create internal marbling for higher USDA grades.

~Corn prices have lowered slightly, but are still high because of demand for not only food but ethanol.

~Bottom line, it costs more to raise the cattle and costs are passed on to the consumers.

Poole’s Meat Market will continue to sell the highest quality we can get our hands on, Chairman’s Reserve, and offer Bundle Meat Packages to stock your freezer. Ask for a brochure today!