At the ripe old age of 34, I’ve already been on record saying that I feel like I’ve “missed the golden times” of some things. Like when the majority of cars had manual transmissions, commercial air travel was a glamorous experience, and a speakeasy was actually a hidden door with a password and not some chic bar with $20 cocktails. I also wish I could have experienced the days of fresh milk deliveries in clinking glass bottles and when every neighborhood had a quality bakery and butcher shop. Luckily for us, we do have a great option for quality local meats right in our backyard at Blood Farm in Groton.
A seven-generation abattoir, Blood Farm was established in 1847 and was granted one of the first licenses in Massachusetts to operate as such. Their primary mission is to serve as a slaughterhouse for the local farming community, but they also have a small retail shop adjoining the processing facility that is open to the public. When I moved to Harvard, I was already looking for a better way to source my meats and feel fortunate to have found Blood Farm. Local meats at competitive pricing is what I was looking for, and they deliver on all aspects of that.
When you arrive at Blood Farm, you might do a double take and ask yourself if you’re at the right place—there’s only a small street sign and an unassuming big red building. Once you find a spot to park along the building and exit your vehicle, the distinct aromas of smokehouse goodness will hit your nose, and you’ll know you are in the right place. The retail shop is a small operation consisting of one register, a rack of branded merchandise, a large window that offers a view into the processing room, and four refrigerator cases. These cases are packed with almost everything you could want. I’ve always been blown away by the variety of cuts offered of beef, chicken, pork, and lamb—everything from your classic cuts of New York strips and pork chops to homemade sausages, kielbasa, bacon, roasts, and marinated wings or tips. They also have many cuts that you just don’t see in most grocery stores anymore, like bone-in Delmonicos or tri-tips.
My favorite Blood Farm memory is from my very first visit. I was staring at the coolers, glassy eyed and salivating, when one of the employees came up behind me and politely said, “I just cut some fresh T-bones if you’re interested in one of those.” It was like an angelic host had descended from the heavens during my moment of perplexity with the answer that I had been searching for. With an ear-to-ear smile on my face, I grabbed two from the stack she was carrying and managed to articulate a soft, “Oh my goodness, thank you.” Speaking of the staff, as you would expect, they are incredibly knowledgeable. Don’t be afraid to ask about the difference between cuts or about cooking preparations.
One thing to be very clear about is that Blood Farm is not a butcher shop. If you’ve ever been to Savenor’s Market in Boston or Butcher Boy Market in North Andover, with their large meat counters and specialty groceries, this is not that. You’re also not going to find any high-end prime beef or dry-aged steaks here for a special occasion. This is the place to get quality meats at quality prices for your everyday needs. When I’m able to, I’ll go to Blood to buy in bulk for the freezer, and my last haul included ground beef, ground pork, and a 4-pound top round roast that I ended up cutting into individual steaks. To give you a sense of the pricing, the ground beef was $6.99 per pound, the ground pork was $4.79, and the top round roast was $7.32. Everything that I’ve bought from Blood Farm over the past three years has been flavorful and fresh, and has always left me feeling like I got my money’s worth. Check out their website for a complete list of offerings and pricing if you need to create a shopping list before you go.
Next time you’re preparing for a holiday meal, a Patriots watch party, or just your weekly grocery shopping, I encourage you to make the trip out to Blood Farm. Not only are you supporting a legacy local family business, but your stomach and your wallet will thank you as well.
Greg Schneider is a dedicated home cook, former bartender, and a devoted patron of area restaurants. He currently blogs about local breweries at The Hotter Upper.
