YEAR OF THE COW: How 420 Pounds of Beef Built a Better Life for One American Family - Hardcover

-A high-octane, thinking-man's account of one guy's quest to find meaning in life by cooking a grass-fed steer. The food descriptions and recipes could tempt even a vegan to order steak. You'll never look at feedlot meat the same way.- --Steven Raichlen, author of the Barbecue! Bible cookbook series and host of PBS's Primal Grill -A lively, informative, sometimes-intimate tale from his family's adventure eating a freezer full of beef over two years of culinary and lifestyle changes.... The author braises his book in his family's values [and] Stone's revealing set pieces are warm, winning and welcome. Readers will feel like guests in their home, privy to private fears and joys as well as gastronomic triumphs and catastrophes.- --Kirkus Reviews -Stone is at his best when he tells his own story with an affable, matter-of-fact style that is humorous and touching. His story is fun to consume and easy to digest.- --Publishers Weekly -Year of the Cow, achieves a kind of literary umami, the savory 'fifth taste' celebrated in Japan-a book that is more than the sum of its primals.- --The Charleston Post & Courier -A winsome, endearing, and revealing story, Stone's nose-to-tail experience with a whole beef in his kitchen makes the daunting seem like can-do fun.... Epiphanies occur in unexpected places, but each one expresses the connections, responsibilities, and opportunities all of us share with food and the land. A truly enjoyable read.- --Joel Salatin, farmer profiled in Food, Inc. and The Omnivore's Dilemma and author of Folks, This Ain't Normal: A Farmer's Advice for Happier Hens, Healthier People, and a Better World -This book tells how one cow purchased from a thoughtful farmer and then lovingly prepared and eaten by an exuberant amateur chef and his young family transformed their lives and could transform yours (even if you never buy a cow). Year of the Cow will help new legions of eaters discover how their food choices impact their health and why it's so important to understand where the food on their tables comes from and how it was produced. Anyone only slightly interested in such things won't be disappointed. Stone's tale of transformation is spiced with good humor, telling anecdotes, and a highly engaging narrative. Share it with those you care about.- --Allan Savory, founder of The Savory Institute, winner of the 2010 Buckminster Fuller Challenge, and author of The Grazing Revolution: A Radical Plan to Save the Earth -Stone's valiant attempt to get a little control over what he eats, and thus, what he is, is inspired- --Los Angeles magazine "A high-octane, thinking-man's account of one guy's quest to find meaning in life by cooking a grass-fed steer. The food descriptions and recipes could tempt even a vegan to order steak. You'll never look at feedlot meat the same way." --Steven Raichlen, author of the Barbecue! Bible cookbook series and host of PBS's Primal Grill "A lively, informative, sometimes-intimate tale from his family's adventure eating a freezer full of beef over two years of culinary and lifestyle changes.... The author braises his book in his family's values [and] Stone's revealing set pieces are warm, winning and welcome. Readers will feel like guests in their home, privy to private fears and joys as well as gastronomic triumphs and catastrophes." --Kirkus Reviews "Stone is at his best when he tells his own story with an affable, matter-of-fact style that is humorous and touching. His story is fun to consume and easy to digest." --Publishers Weekly "Year of the Cow, achieves a kind of literary umami, the savory 'fifth taste' celebrated in Japan-a book that is more than the sum of its primals." --The Charleston Post & Courier "A winsome, endearing, and revealing story, Stone's nose-to-tail experience with a whole beef in his kitchen makes the daunting seem like can-do fun.... Epiphanies occur in unexpected places, but each one expresses the connections, responsibilities, and opportunities all of us share with food and the land. A truly enjoyable read." --Joel Salatin, farmer profiled in Food, Inc. and The Omnivore's Dilemma and author of Folks, This Ain't Normal: A Farmer's Advice for Happier Hens, Healthier People, and a Better World "This book tells how one cow purchased from a thoughtful farmer and then lovingly prepared and eaten by an exuberant amateur chef and his young family transformed their lives and could transform yours (even if you never buy a cow). Year of the Cow will help new legions of eaters discover how their food choices impact their health and why it's so important to understand where the food on their tables comes from and how it was produced. Anyone only slightly interested in such things won't be disappointed. Stone's tale of transformation is spiced with good humor, telling anecdotes, and a highly engaging narrative. Share it with those you care about." --Allan Savory, founder of The Savory Institute, winner of the 2010 Buckminster Fuller Challenge, and author of The Grazing Revolution: A Radical Plan to Save the Earth "Stone's valiant attempt to get a little control over what he eats, and thus, what he is, is inspired" --Los Angeles magazine A high-octane, thinking-man's account of one guy's quest to find meaning in life by cooking a grass-fed steer. The food descriptions and recipes could tempt "even "a vegan to order steak. You'll never look at feedlot meat the same way. "Steven Raichlen, author of the Barbecue! Bible cookbook series and host of PBS's Primal Grill" A lively, informative, sometimes-intimate tale from his family's adventure eating a freezer full of beef over two years of culinary and lifestyle changes . The author braises his book in his family's values [and] Stone's revealing set pieces are warm, winning and welcome. Readers will feel like guests in their home, privy to private fears and joys as well as gastronomic triumphs and catastrophes. "Kirkus Reviews" Stone is at his best when he tells his own story with an affable, matter-of-fact style that is humorous and touching. His story is fun to consume and easy to digest. "Publishers Weekly" "Year of the Cow, " achieves a kind of literary umami, the savory 'fifth taste' celebrated in Japan-a book that is more than the sum of its primals. "The Charleston Post & Courier" A winsome, endearing, and revealing story, Stone's nose-to-tail experience with a whole beef in his kitchen makes the daunting seem like can-do fun.... Epiphanies occur in unexpected places, but each one expresses the connections, responsibilities, and opportunities all of us share with food and the land. A truly enjoyable read. "Joel Salatin, farmer profiled in Food, Inc. and The Omnivore's Dilemma and author of Folks, This Ain't Normal: A Farmer's Advice for Happier Hens, Healthier People, and a Better World" This book tells how one cow purchased from a thoughtful farmer and then lovingly prepared and eaten by an exuberant amateur chef and his young family transformed their lives and could transform yours (even if you never buy a cow). "Year of the Cow" will help new legions of eaters discover how their food choices impact their health and why it's so important to understand where the food on their tables comes from and how it was produced. Anyone only slightly interested in such things won't be disappointed. Stone's tale of transformation is spiced with good humor, telling anecdotes, and a highly engaging narrative. Share it with those you care about. "Allan Savory, founder of The Savory Institute, winner of the 2010 Buckminster Fuller Challenge, and author of The Grazing Revolution: A Radical Plan to Save the Earth" Stone's valiant attempt to get a little control over what he eats, and thus, what he is, is inspired "Los Angeles magazine"" "A high-octane, thinking-man's account of one guy's quest to find meaning in life by cooking a grass-fed steer. The food descriptions and recipes could tempt "even "a vegan to order steak. You'll never look at feedlot meat the same way." ---Steven Raichlen, author of the "Barbecue! Bible" cookbook series and host of PBS's "Primal Grill" "A lively, informative, sometimes-intimate tale from his family's adventure eating a freezer full of beef over two years of culinary and lifestyle changes.... The author braises his book in his family's values [and] Stone's revealing set pieces are warm, winning and welcome. Readers will feel like guests in their home, privy to private fears and joys as well as gastronomic triumphs and catastrophes." --"Kirkus Reviews""A winsome, endearing, and revealing story, Stone's nose-to-tail experience with a whole beef in his kitchen makes the daunting seem like can-do fun.... Epiphanies occur in unexpected places, but each one expresses the connections, responsibilities, and opportunities all of us share with food and the land. A truly enjoyable read." --Joel Salatin, farmer profiled in "Food, Inc." and "The Omnivore's Dilemma "and author of "Folks, This Ain't Normal: A Farmer's Advice for Happier Hens, Healthier People, and a Better World." "This book tells how one cow purchased from a thoughtful farmer and then lovingly prepared and eaten by an exuberant amateur chef and his young family transformed their lives and could transform yours (even if you never buy a cow). "Year of the Cow" will help new legions of eaters discover how their food choices impact their health and why it's so important to understand where the food on their tables comes from and how it was produced. Anyone only slightly interested in such things won't be disappointed. Stone's tale of transformation is spiced with good humor, telling anecdotes, and a highly engaging narrative. Share it with those you care about." --Allan Savory, founder of The Savory Institute, winner of the 2010 Buckminster Fuller Challenge, and author of "The Grazing Revolution: A Radical Plan to Save the Earth"

After realizing he knew more about TVs than about the meat on his plate, award-winning TV producer and amateur chef Jared Stone purchased an entire grass-fed steer and resolved to make the best use of it that he possibly could. Year of the Cow follows the trials and tribulations of a home cook as he and his family try to form a more meaningful relationship with their food and the environment. From meeting the rancher who raised his cow to learning how to successfully pack a freezer with cow parts, Stone gets to know his steer and examines how previous generations ate, delving into the ways our ancestors prepared meals and the ethnography of cattle. Over the course of hundreds of nose-to-tail meals shared with friends and family, Stone works his way through his cow armed with a pioneering spirit and a good sense of humour. He becomes more mindful of his diet and bravely confronts challenges he never expected, like how to dry beef jerky without making your home smell like a smokehouse, and how to find deliciousness in the less-common cuts of cattle like the tongue and heart, sharing a recipe at the end of each chapter. By examining the food that fuels his life and pondering the ethics of meat eating, Stone finds the areas where his cooking philosophy overlaps with learning to live a life more fully.