actually make good on them.

But those prices are fucking nuts!

is one of the 5 richest counties in the U.S.

About 40 minutes outside of DC in Virginia's "horse country"

We don't live in that county.

These kinds of prices are no problem for most of that area's residents....

But for the rest of us poor slobs? Ain't gonna happen.

I lived in Arlington for years.

I understand your point, but that is still nuts, even by the inflated standards of the areas you reference.

you got it.

Yup.

Definitely nuts.

We've been going to visit an Alpaca Farm for nearly 10 years. Wonderful couple that owns the place.

http://www.alpacafullmoon.com/

My wife has bought alpaca yarn there and made scarves!

but a pretty 1/2 hour drive.

There are alpacas all over this place. lol.

On edit: They closed at the end of the year last year:

Alpaca Full Moon Farm closed its doors on December 31, 2012. As we have been saying around here, it was a "wonderful run!"

Ten full years of delightful, curious alpacas who stole the show each and every weekend by greeting many of our visitors at the fence line.

Ten full years of enjoying the many shoppers who found that perfect alpaca gift in our Full Moon Shop and shared their joy in knowing that it was just the most perfect present they could buy for themselves ... or someone else!

Ten full years of meeting new folks who became old friends, all different and wonderful people, sharing a grand passion for animals.

Ten years worth of Harvest and Holiday Open Houses. Ten years of close friends stepping up to the plate, giving us hours of their time, to help us get through those major events.

Ten years of the best that life could hold. Thank you all for joining us on this incredible journey.
~~Lee and John Lane~~

While we figure out what the next "wonderful run" might be, explore www.barreloak.com/, the enterprising winery and farm that purchased the majority of our alpacas. And enjoy the photographic goodbye created by Jim Remington (one of those farm visitors turned friend) at www.jwremingtonphoto.com/ - look for The Four Seasons, Fall, Time to Say Goodbye.

Have to make a trip down there one of these days!

So I took the 66 ...



Bake

I made the mistake of getting sucked into the gun wars in GD ... not doing that again!



Bake

They are just marketing tools to justify price gouging. I heard this from my dad who was thirty years in the "gourmet" produce industry. It's all a racket.

but my guess is the mark-ups aren't that much more after wholesalers and retailers take their cut at the supermarket.

Real food is not always inexpensive to produce. Especially limited production.

so there are no middlemen, so far as I know.

I do appreciate the costs involved, but surely, it can't be this much....

They must be doing something very special with those animals to justify the expense.

It could be similar with American Wagyu beef that's being raised in parts of the United States. It's very labor intensive and costly to produce well-marbled beef humanely. Snake River Farms in Oregon sells two petite fillet mignons for $80. It's not for everyone. Nor should it be.

In my neck of the woods we have many producers selling Cabernet Sauvignon for over $100 a bottle. These are small productions, from small vineyards, utilizing labor-intensive techniques and expensive equipment. It's very rare wine and very distinctive. And it's not for everyone either.

If the prices don't come down, they're not being arrogant.

it's a very very wealthy community.

So sure, they're fine where they are.

When my daughter was 9 or 10 and the family went to a restaurant for dinner, her absolutely favorite thing was a shrimp cocktail.

One evening about 30 years ago we dined at a relatively upscale spot and of course she wanted a shrimp cocktail.
I don't remember what the price was, but it was outrageous.
OK, we were in St. Louis and I know they don't grow a lot of shrimp around there, but the price was just WAY too high.

I told her she couldn't have one that night and explained why.
I was an airline pilot and making pretty good bucks.
(This was back in the olden days. )
I told her that we although could easily AFFORD to buy her the shrimp cocktail, at that price we were being ripped off big time.
Bless her heart, she understood what I was saying and why.
Not a pout.
She had the French onion soup.


I understand what you're telling us, but I just can't understand why people would pay prices like that.
No matter how wealthy they are.

in St. Louis: Shrimp, from the Gulf Coast is somehow more expensive than soup from France?

In my area(south east PA) I have a delivery service that sources produce, meats, milk, eggs, etc from local farms. The company that I have been dealing with is a little mom and pop and they are fantastic. You know exactly where everything you buy comes from.

I buy organic / no hormone / no antibiotic / meats from them, and have never had an issue. As a perk, I don't have to go to the store. Downside, if it ain't in season, you have to hit the grocery store and take your chances.

That said I noticed that you mentioned Arlington, VA. Now the company that I have delivering to my house does not deliver to you, however I did notice that Washington's Green Grocer does deliver to Arlington. They source meats from quite a few of the places that my meats come from. From them you could get Turkey breast at $8.90 a pound or whole chickens for $4.50 a pound, and that is delivered to your door.

Your delivery day would be on Wednesdays.

www.washingtonsgreengrocer.com, run by Lisa and Zeke.

but I'll definitely check them out.

Thanks!

makes no sense at all.

Those turkeys and chicken had better be the best in the world to justify such prices.

but that is "hanging weight" for a 400# beef side
of which maybe 200 # will be usable meat
but includes the bones ( cut and wrapped separately)
plus I have to pay an additional 131.00 for the butcher fee
so added up I am close to paying 10.00 a # for year's supply of organic lean beef.

but you know what?
A year's supply of beef from the store will cost more than that, and for less flavor, less quality.
And my beef farmer will deliver the wrapped meat from the butcher to me.

Another farm about 50.00 miles away sells organic pork, chops are 7.00 a pound.
I don't buy from him, but he makes a killing taking pork and chicken to an outdoor market in Pensacola.

I get organic, humanely raised meat for prices that are comparable or sometimes only slightly higher than those for supermarket meat.