For context, I’m trying to go farm to table as much as I possibly can. This Ozark Mountain soil doesn’t give you much, but those Amish can squeeze just about anything out of it. There’s an Amish retail store about 25 miles this way that has seasonal produce, baked goods, dry goods, and this & that. I asked the guy working the register if they planned to sell meat, and he politely said “not at this time.” That was over a year ago and I haven’t been in there since. There’s also an Amish store about 25 miles that way, same menu, no meat or dairy.
At a guess I’d say they would eschew getting tangled up into licensing and inspection issues with the English, as they call us. Anyway, here’s my quandary: if I asked the person working the counter, politely, if they’d consider butchering and selling some animals on a contractual basis. As in, I pay him now, he takes down my name, I come back on August 20th, when my chickens and beef and pork have been slaughtered and some homemade sausage and cheeses made, etc. Would that be horribly rude? Would I come off looking like a narc? (Although I’m not aware of any law in Missouri that would prohibit private food sales between two individuals.)
The issue is probably less about coming off “looking like a narc” than that you are just not a part of their community. The Amish sell produce and dry goods in order to purchase the things they can’t make or produce for themselves and aren’t generally interested in profit for profit’s sake. Also, assuming these are Amish and not Mennonites, they don’t use refrigeration or automobiles so butchering animals is done preparatory to cooking or salting meat with no way to preserve or transport something like a side of beef.
That being said, you are in ag country and there are doubtless small herders who would be most willing to raise and sell cattle, hog, and chicken for a nice markup as a private sale. I wouldn’t consume raw (unpasteurized) dairy unless you are cooking with it but I suspect there are local dairies that can provide you with all the fresh milk, butter, and cheese that you’re willing to buy. Try tolling feed stores and local farmers markets and you can find someone who, while not Amish, can probably meet your needs.
Do they pasteurize their milk? In some states it is illegal to sell un-pasteurized milk and things made from it. As usual, laws differ depending on what state so check where you live to be sure (willing to bet they are aware of laws where they live and will not sell it if it is not allowed).
The selling of raw milk, farmer-to-customer, is perfectly legal here in Missouri. I would of course pasteurize it – if I bought it, that is. Mrs. Homie has drawn the line at milk; it has to be store-bought.
I had a coworker who had a hobby farm, with some livestock mostly for his kids to take to 4-H. He had several Muslims come out to the farm, where they would kill a lamb according to Halal rules. He found it intriguing, but he said it was nice to have another opportunity to earn more money for his farm. Like @Stranger_On_A_Train, I’d ask local farmers, because money talks.
A friend of mine used to raise goats, and he got much interest from halal butchers in nearby St. Louis. But the logistics never worked out; St. Louis is too far away to make it economical for the butcher to come to my friend’s farm. And my friend is not a Muslim, and found it impolitic to simply pretend to be a Muslim so he could slaughter the goats halal-y himself.
Selling unapproved but popular product of any kind is probably something I would only do with a trusted friend or at least someone with an existing customer relationship. Not because I think you’re a narc but because there’s no upside. I don’t need to sell my in-demand gray & black market goods to strangers so why bother and take on whatever risk may exist. Say you break a tooth on some buckshot in a burger and come back looking for compensation.
I’m reminded of an old friend of mine who was really into fireworks. They’re illegal here and he really enjoyed being the secret underground fireworks guy, very hushed stuff.
Just want to point out that this is not universally true. “Amish” encompasses a wide-range of practices. Old Order Amish are most likely to abstain from using modern technology.
Even so, if Jebediah slaughters the animal at noon, spend noon - 3pm butchering it and bagging it and what have you, I pick it up at 430, and it’s in my fridge by 530, I don’t see a problem.
I’m not sure which Amish you’re talking about but the Amish who live around here are some of the richest land owners around and are DEFINITELY interested in profit for profit’s sake. They don’t like outsiders but are happy to take their cash for produce, meat, livestock, and construction.
UPDATE: So a couple of days ago I was at the Amish produce stand to the west of me, wherein I hadn’t set foot in a year. It was largely the same although now they have goat, sheep, and cow milk for sale in Mason jars kept in coolers with ice. I could see some commercial refrigerators being built into a wall but they seem not to be in a hurry to put food in there (the place has been open for over two years now).
Anyway, more to the point, it seems that the Steelville Amish, in one specific way at least, think like I do. Which is to say: they’re offering to slaughter and sell chickens and turkeys on a contract basis.
I asked the guy how much notice he needed, and he said 2-3 days. Longer for turkey, obviously, and I told him I would definitely be talking to him closer to Thanksgiving as regards the turkey. A friend of mine in Toledo gets hers from an Amish farm and she says the taste difference from frozen store bought turkey is beyond description.
