If you have food allergies it's important to know what you are getting when you purchase...food. It would be awful if you spent your hard-earned money on something that you can't enjoy because it contains something that makes you ill, or worse it puts you in the hospital or...This weekend I was on the Farm Direct Minnesota page and the topic of meat markets and organic practices came up. From the conversation in the comments, I learned that Central Minnesota might have some of the most accommodating meat markets/butcher shops in the state!

The post on the Farm Direct Minnesota page dealt with asking for state options for a butcher/meat market that "honors grass-fed organic practices" and what I learned from the comments I probably should have been charged for as the information was worth its weight in bacon.

What were the practices that the poster was looking for?

The person was looking for a processor that didn't use dextrose, but rather natural sugars and also didn't use nitrates and pink curing salt. In place of those two things the person posting was looking for a place that used celery salt and dye free curing salt.

What local places were mentioned?

What was also great to see in the comments is that many meat markets/butcher shops here in Central Minnesota were mentioned as options for places that this person could call, and see if they would be able to work with this person and their processing needs.

So what local shops were mentioned?

McDonald's Meats in Clear Lake, Quality Meats in Foley, A-Star Services in Hillman, as well as someone mentioned a place in Braham.

Of course in Foley there is also Grand Champion Meats, that might also be an option for what this person is looking for.

In general if you are looking for something special concerning your processing needs you'll want to call and ask about whether or not they can accomodate your special needs. You might be surprised to find out just how many businesses will stop to listen, and see if they can help, but it all starts by asking. (pro-tip don't be a jerk when you call to ask)

What to look for in a wild game processor?

AllRecipes.com has a great read on what you might want to be looking for when choosing a wild game processor, but some things to think about are ease of drop off, variety of recipes, and storage costs.

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Where do you go for your processing needs?