Been 'on' BTD for about 15 years, with some mindless detours, but now having health issues that I hope to correct... so finally got a SWAMI.

Can't believe that turkey is not a superfood and that ostrich is!  

So my question - anybody here have ANY experience with ostrich meat? I have found an online source from a co-operative of farms in Iowa, USA. But it is expensive and while it appears to be pastured, I can't tell what they put on their pastures if anything... does not say 'organic', just pastured.

Chicken is a black dot so I was thinking of quitting it for the time being. And I can still have turkey which is neutral. The other neutral I get is emu... again probably not easy to get.  

Thoughts? Experiences? Would love some input...  

delicious ......tastes like steak, without the fat


braising might be best cooked or in the crock pot....renders it soft

recipes for ostrich, but you'll have to adapt them to your own bloodtype or genotype needs:

http://www.pokanoket.com/recipes.htm#TOP

Here are more cooking tips...

http://www.ostrich.ca/cooking/index.htm
Ostrich Meat

Thanks, Lola, for the links... I'll check 'em out!

Quoted from veggiequeen

Chicken is a black dot so I was thinking of quitting it for the time being. And I can still have turkey which is neutral. The other neutral I get is emu... again probably not easy to get.   Thoughts? Experiences? Would love some input...  

Wow! You are limited. Chicken is a neutral for me, but it may as well be an avoid. It makes me feel awful for three days if I eat even a small serving of it. If you haven't already done so, I would find out my secretor status if I were you. It certainly turned things around for me. Some people guess theirs really well, but I didn't have a clue. I thought I was a secretor!

I have found frozen Ostrich meet in a variety of natural food stores.

Cheapest is usually ground ostrich starting at $6 something per pound and going up from there.

Steaks & other cuts are more.

Most of the stores I shopped at claimed "Organic", occasionally not mentioned.

If you have Whole Foods where you are, some stores carry ostrich, but not all. If you like the flavor of beef, you will probably like ostrich. To me it is like a very lean beef - almost like a tenderloin, so it requires a careful cooking time.

Quoted from chrissyA

If you have Whole Foods where you are, some stores carry ostrich, but not all. If you like the flavor of beef, you will probably like ostrich. To me it is like a very lean beef - almost like a tenderloin, so it requires a careful cooking time.

Call around and head to the nearest store with Ostrich. Sorry you are so limited - sheesh. But it's  nice to hear that it tastes like beef.

Thanks everyone!

Well, I'm off to do a bit of research on availability etc... will report back when I find out something. Thinking I'd better re-measure and do the secretor test though, before I make too many adjustments. May fiddle around with SWAMI and see if anything variable will make turkey a bene... (I know, I know... I'm having a hard time accepting it!    )

Quoted from veggiequeen

Thanks everyone!

Well, I'm off to do a bit of research on availability etc... will report back when I find out something. Thinking I'd better re-measure and do the secretor test though, before I make too many adjustments. May fiddle around with SWAMI and see if anything variable will make turkey a bene... (I know, I know... I'm having a hard time accepting it!    )

Someone suggested recently that it might be better not to try to address ALL our health problems at once - just take a few at a time. Makes sense to me. You might even find that you get turkey back.

Veggiequeen,
I don't know if this will help but...
The Ostrich ranch ( fun to visit!) in my desert community sells to Whole foods, and some star restaurants. They also provide ostrich and emu to our local butcher. One of our finest restaurants serves this ranches ostrich on their menu...my DH loves it! He had it in Ireland and it was much darker and heavier tasting. I've eaten this restaurants ostrich prepared as a tenderloin and it is "meaty" and tasty.
The last time I checked the price at the butcher it was about $7.00 per pound.
PM me if you would like more info..cost/shipping, etc.

I find Ostrich to be very tasty but aside from that it does raise another question in my mind.  I wonder what the people who raise Ostrich feed their stock.  Wild caught vs. farm raised fish, grass finished vs. feed lot beef, etc.  Has anyone on this forum done any research?  

Quoted from DenverFoodie

I find Ostrich to be very tasty but aside from that it does raise another question in my mind.  I wonder what the people who raise Ostrich feed their stock.  Wild caught vs. farm raised fish, grass finished vs. feed lot beef, etc.  Has anyone on this forum done any research?  

We stopped at an ostrich ranch several years ago.  They pastured the ostriches and supplemented with hay.  At that time, that particular farm didn't use any grain.

An ostrich ranch co-op that I found that is in Iowa says they are free range. But still begs the question... do they put anything on the pasture? or supplement with feed that has chemicals?

Another ranch in North Carolina says "Our birds graze on grasses and we feed natural grains and hays that are free from hormones and chemical additives." I read somewhere that ostrich are not susceptible to the types of diseases that afflict chickens and do not require antibiotics anyway.

Found another place that says it is organic, but only sells high-end filets for the gourmet market and they seem to be out of ostrich right now, and likely I wouldn't be able to afford it anyway. Even the website looks 'RICH'!

And another ranch says "We raise our ostrich on our own farm in Andover, New Jersey. Our feed program is based on organic alfalfa and corn, with no antibiotics or growth hormones ever, ever used.  An all-natural product!  These birds are free roaming until they are 10 to 14 months old, producing the most tender and delicious meat available.  Our ostrich has won numerous culinary awards for "outstanding quality." Pack of 3-5.3 oz patties costs $12.99. You don't want to know how much the steaks, filets, and roasts cost!              

And apparently the word is... don't cook above medium rare for best flavor and tenderness...

cajun's news about the ranch in CA sounds better... but wonder if it is still $7/lb. Would probably cost a fortune to ship to Illinois...  

So, yes, probably corn fed... though perhaps organic corn in some cases... just checked my SWAMI and corn is a black dot but maybe far enough removed that ostrich would be ok? or the benefits of ostrich would outweigh the corn-fed issue?... or better still would be wild ostrich from Australia if they are not corn-fed, but what if they feed them millet which is toxin for me?... or some other grain that is even worse for me than corn?... or... or...

ok, forget it... I'll just eat more fish!                

Quoted from ABJoe

We stopped at an ostrich ranch several years ago.  They pastured the ostriches and supplemented with hay.  At that time, that particular farm didn't use any grain.

Do you remember the name of the ranch and where it is?
Wonder if they sell online???

Quoted from veggiequeen

ok, forget it... I'll just eat more fish!

Love the conclusion

Quoted from Possum

Love the conclusion

Me too... Fish ~ nature's TRULY FAST FOOD!  

But the pollution in our oceans does give me a bit of pause for thought...  

Which means I'm back to tofu (which I LOVE)... and we don't want to get started on THAT!!!  

Quoted from veggiequeen

Do you remember the name of the ranch and where it is?
Wonder if they sell online???

A quick search told me that they have changed to (essentially) a petting zoo and store.  Here is their website:  
http://www.ostrichlandusa.com/index-2.html

Quoted from ABJoe

A quick search told me that they have changed to (essentially) a petting zoo and store.  

But the do still sell the meat.

Quoted Text

Ostrich Jerky — The secret’s out! Ostrich meat makes the best jerky ever. Hint: Double your order. You’ll wish you bought more once you give this tasty treat a try.

Fresh ostrich and emu eggs — Each delicious ostrich egg is equivalent in size to 18-24 chicken eggs! The contents of each emu egg are the equivalent of 10-12 chicken eggs!

Frozen ostrich meat — Don’t wait to discover this low-fat, low cholesterol meat. It has an amazing flavor similar to lean beef. It is high in calcium, protein and iron.

...

To learn more about any item or to place an order, please give us a call at (805) 686-9696.

Quoted from C_sharp

But the do still sell the meat.

In the text somewhere, they said that the meat in their store is from other farms...

I also thought I read that the meat was sold for pick-up at the store...


Here is the link to the AOA farm list...
http://www.ostriches.org/meatsupply.html

I loooove ostrich. Had an ostrich burger in Utah when I was there 12 years ago.

Yum yum yum!!!

The link provided by Joe...
The ranch across the desert valley from me is OK Corral ostrich farm, Doug Osborne
owner. They used to be located in my town but when "growth" happened the homeowners complained about smell (the wind comes from the southwest and the homes were built upwind....but the farm was there way before "growth"  ) so the ranch moved to the outskirts of our town, closer to my home. It was featured on TV's "Dirtiest Jobs" but since has relocated to its present area.