Let’s talk about meat.

Meat can make people squirm — even meat-eaters. It’s talking about it, thinking through that the meat was once alive, that can make even the most stoic meat eaters a bit uncomfortable. It’s an important topic to think about as moral and ethical eaters — one that is too easy to ignore when the meat comes cut and wrapped politely in cellophane in the refrigerator case at the supermarket.

At the turn of the last century, 41 percent of the American workforce was employed in agriculture. In the year 2000, that number had dropped to 1.9 percent. As people migrated to the cities for jobs and industry, farming became concentrated in the hands of a very few. Economies of scale further transformed farms into factories and the animals that once grazed to grow fat became confined to small spaces, fed grains they weren’t used to, and were given antibiotics to protect them from the diseases that prevailed in such cramped quarters.

As a result, meat became easily available and people began eating higher on the food chain. Consumers became accustomed to more meat at more meals; some say the American palate became accustomed to meat with less flavor. Heart disease and obesity began to rise.

There are economic, environmental, health, class and gastronomic issues in play every time you nonchalantly throw a pack of boneless, skinless chicken breasts into your grocery cart.

I don’t mean to be judgemental. I’m not a vegetarian nor do I advocate vegetarianism. I’m pleased with my omnivorous status, and frankly, I love the taste of meat too much to ever give it up. My life would be less flavorful without thick-cut pork chops or rare steak or crispy fried chicken.

My compromise is to eat meat that is raised in accordance with my environmental, health, taste and ethical goals, even if it means paying more for it and eating it less often. Which brings me to Eco-Friendly Foods.

The people at Eco-Friendly Foods (http://www.ecofriendly.com/) have a regular stand at the Dupont market, but for many months, I have to admit, I avoided it. The cost just seemed prohibitive.

It remained prohibitive until I started thinking about the meat I eat, and asking tough questions. I knew that I was tiptoe-ing around the ethics of factory farmed meats. I’d lived in Iowa just long enough to know that there are some serious and smelly consequences to industrial hog farming. I knew that I was willing to pay a bit extra for my vegetables if they were farmed organically, produced locally, tasted brighter and if I knew that money was going directly into the hands of the farmers themselves. Why shouldn’t I apply the same standards to my meat?

Eco-Friendly Foods is an easy way to ensure all of those things. They provide the butchering and packaging to a small group of farmers whose standards for raising meat adhere to their very strict rules. Their beef is all grass-fed; the cows don’t require growth hormones or antibiotics. Their chickens are put to pasture where they can eat grasses and insects and as a result have less fat, more flavor and are higher in nutrients. They let their hogs forage the way they were meant to.

The meat does cost more, but it’s a price that reflects the true cost of meat. The cost does keep me from eating meat at every meal, and I’ve been forced to supplement my proteins with more beans, lentils, quinoa, seafood or dairy - a small and delicious sacrifice. Eating lower on the food chain with the occasional fantastic steak is healthier and tastier than eating mediocre chicken pieces at every meal. Plus, I know that the farmers and their farms are getting a fair wage for sustainable work.

Pay a visit to the good people at Eco-Friendly Foods next Sunday. Talk to them about their standards and their products. Learn about how and who raises your meat. Then buy a big piece of grass-fed beef and make an ethical, sustainable and incredibly delicious pot roast.

Slow-Cooked Pot Roast

• 1 1/2 lbs of grass-fed beef brisket or roast
• 5 cloves of garlic, halved
• 2 Tbsp vegable oil
• 1 c. stock (I used lamb, because it was in the freezer. Beef stock is probably best, but any stock will do. If you don’t have stock, you could use red wine or even water)
• 4 sprigs thyme
• Salt and pepper to taste

Prepare the meat by piercing it with a sharp paring knife in 10 places. Poke the slivered garlic into the slits in the meat. Salt and pepper both sides of the meat.

Heat the oil in a pan until it is smoking hot. Sear the meat in the oil until it has a dark, caramelized crust, about three or four minutes on each side. Remove the meat and place it in the slow cooker. Turn off the heat on the pan, and then add the stock, scraping up all the brown bits that may be sticking to the pan. Pour the stock over the meat. Place the thyme over the meat, put the lid on the slow cooker, and cook on low 6 to 8 hours, according to directions of your Crock-Pot.

Serve with sweet potato fries and a glass of burgundy, and enjoy the chewy, rich and savory flavor of really good red meat.