Good Meat: The Complete Guide to Sourcing and Cooking Sustainable Meat

Krasner at Beta Verde

In early December, Deborah Krasner breezed into our kitchen and our lives as effortlessly as swishing olive oil into a marinade. A James Beard award-winning cookbook author, Krasner came to North Carolina in early December to promote her latest book, GOOD MEAT: The Complete Guide to Sourcing and Cooking Sustainable Meat. Hot off the press, GOOD MEAT is a 2010 top ten cookbook and unbeatable in its description of all the diverse offerings typically forgotten in livestock animals!

Deborah Krasner and Chef Mark Elliott

Within hours of arriving from Vermont, Krasner cooked up a few dishes from GOOD MEAT for friends of Beta Verde. As we ate, she spoke passionately about how this book concept had found her, about purchasing the whole animal and learning how to use ALL of it, and her stocked freezer of her own sheep and chickens waiting for her on her return. Krasner shares her experience and knowledge with abandon, generously heaping her message on any and all. Krasner’s book is written for the home cook and her research confirms the benefits of grass-fed meat and sustainable practice for both health and environment. The photos are to drool for...

Signing a book for SEEDS founder, Brenda Brodie

Now, back to the whirl wind tour! Beta Verde, occasional booking agent, enjoyed working with Random House and Slow Food USA to book GOOD MEAT events in the area. In short order, Krasner was booked at Whole Foods In Winston-Salem, Fly Leaf Books in Chapel Hill, NYTimes fave Parker and Otis in Durham, and Elliott's in Pinehurst. Krasner was also a featured speaker at the Carolina Farm Stewardship Sustainable Agriculture Conference in Winston-Salem. Side note... CFSA puts on an unbeatable conference each year with its range of speakers, workshops and incredible food, all sourced from regional farms-many attending the conference. Amongst 50 other local providers throughout the conference, BV's jams could be found on the breakfast bar.

At Stauber Farm during the CFSA Conference

Shout outs to Whole Foods in Winston-Salem for hosting a sell-out book signing, complete with samples from the cookbook and Elliott's in Pinehurst for Mark Elliott's nimble demo and delish treats.

No doubt... we look forward to the return of our new friend, Deborah Krasner!