“Leigh will teach you how to raise animals, butcher them, and cook and cure their meat. Even better, she explains what it means and why it matters.” ―Mark Essig, author of Lesser Beasts Nutrition, environmental impact, ethics, sustainability―it seems like there’s no end to the food factors we must consider. At the center of the dietary storm is animal-based agriculture. Was your beef factory farmed or pasture-raised? Did your chicken free range, or was it raised in a battery cage? Have you, in short, met your meat? Most efforts to unravel the complexities of the production and consumption of animals tend to pit meat eaters and vegetarians against each other. In this second edition of The Ethical Meat Handbook , Meredith Leigh argues that by assuming responsibility for the food on our fork and the route by which it gets there, animals can be an optimal source of food, fiber, and environmental management. This new edition covers: Integrating animals into your garden or homestead - Step-by-step color photos for beef, pork, lamb, and poultry butchery - 100+ recipes for whole-animal cooking - Culinary highlights: preparing difficult cuts, sauces, and extras - Charcuterie, including history, general science, principles, and tooling up - The economics and parameters for responsible meat production Eating diversely may be the most revolutionary action we can take to ensure the sustainability of our food system. The Ethical Meat Handbook, 2nd Edition challenges us to take a hard look at our dietary choices, increase self-reliance, and enjoy delicious food that benefits our health and our planet. “A powerful, positive book about a powerful, positive alternative, engaging us in shaping a new food and agriculture narrative.” ―Jean-Martin Fortier, author of The Market Gardener AWARDS GOLD
2021 IACP Cookbook Awards - Food Issues & Matters - GOLD
2020 The Spring Harvest: Gourmand World Cookbook Awards - Meat USA - BRONZE
2021 Living Now Book Awards - Cookbooks: Ethnic / Holiday "Meredith Leigh is, in her own words, "a lifelong pilgrim for food," but not just any food. She is a pilgrim for living food, real food, and food produced within intricately balanced natural systems, which, Leigh gently and elegantly reminds us, we can either live peacefully and humbly within or fight tooth and nail against. This book is for anyone looking to become an active, thoughtful participant in an intricate and always changing living system of food, community, and deliciousness." — Camas Davis, executive director of the Good Meat Project, founder of the Portland Meat Collective "Community. Vitality. Deliciousness. The Ethical Meat Handbook is more than a dive into butchering, it's a look into our ecosystem and taking back our planet through good food and through mindful sourcing and eating in our day to day lives. Meredith Leigh has a visionary approach towards ethical slaughter, whole animal utilization, and being aware of the world around you. This book is an essential read for meat eaters, and non-meat eaters alike, as it is a head first dive into our agricultural system that sheds light on the age-old importance of raising, and eating, healthy and sustainable livestock." — William S. Dissen, executive chef and owner of The Market Place Restaurant, Haymaker Restaurant, and Billy D's Fried Chicken "This book is practical, yes, but it's also deeply personal. Meredith Leigh will teach you how to raise animals, butcher them, and cook and cure their meat. Even better, she explains what it means and why it matters, and her passion is infectious. After reading this book, I longed to smell the deep funk of the barn, to feel the squish of mud beneath my chore boots, to heft a butcher knife in my hand." — Mark Essig, author of Lesser Beasts: A Snout-to-Tail History of the Humble Pig "Meredith Leigh is an unassuming superhero of the meat supply chain. She has taken a subject so often presented in the extreme ... either in the toughness of the butcher or the evilness of the industry to begin with and presented the nuance of real life while pulling no punches; delivering on every single point. In the tale of the life, death, and consumption of the animal to sustain us, Leigh alternates between the role of hands on expert, social and environmental activist, and inspired poet. Apply Leigh's comprehensive research and practical knowledge to your food choices ... then apply her style of living, learning, and teaching to whatever you do next." — Joshua Lewin, chef and owner of Juliet and Peregrine "For the growing number of people looking to eat better meat, this book is invaluable: deeply thoughtful while accessible and pragmatic. It asks the right questions and answers them brilliantly." — Nicolette Hahn Niman, author of Defending Beef and Righteous Porkchop . " The Ethical Meat Handbook is an inspirational must-read for anyone who eats food. Meredith Leigh champions for the respectful and ethical treatment of animals and those who