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Liza de Guia

Liza de Guia

Posted: February 23, 2011 04:50 PM

Meet Edwin Tuccio, a bison farmer on North Quarter Farm in Riverhead, Long Island. He's been raising bison for over 30 years, joining a small movement of passionate farmers to help bring the breed back to healthy numbers across the country. Right now, it's good to be a bison farmer. There's a growing demand for the meat, prices have doubled, and there's a lot more interest in the food community, something Ed attributes to the changing American diet. Not only are more people concerned with eating healthier, but they are becoming more adventurous about their food, and his bison meat, considered "an exotic" under state and federal law, presents a perfect option for many reasons.

I, personally, was touched by Ed's story and his connection to the animals (something I think you'll feel while watching the video). Being a former president of the National Bison Foundation, he's eager to teach you all he can about the bison's rich, yet devastating history and why it's important to support small farmers like him to help grow the industry. Like he says, this is a true American product, a product worth supporting, the meat is just so tasty you'll ask yourself, "why haven't I tried this before?"

Now, I've had bison a few times in my life, and I walked away after polishing off a bison burger and tasting a bison T-bone at Tweed's thinking, "Why don't I eat this more often?" Well, I hope this gets you interested in adding what could be "the meat of the future" to your diet. At North Quarter Farm, they harvest the animals year-round for Ed's restaurant in Riverhead. So, enjoy this story about the rise of bison farming, and if you're near Long Island, don't forget to come out to Tweeds to experience the bison meat!

**P.S. - A quick note from the farmer, never ever order your bison meat well-done. It would bring a tear to Edwin's eye for you to waste his meat that way.

Thanks for watching food. curated. We celebrate the lives of farmers and food artisans to connect you to good food. Happy eating!

 

Follow Liza de Guia on Twitter: www.twitter.com/SkeeterNYC

Meet Edwin Tuccio, a bison farmer on North Quarter Farm in Riverhead, Long Island. He's been raising bison for over 30 years, joining a small movement of passionate farmers to help bring the breed bac...
Meet Edwin Tuccio, a bison farmer on North Quarter Farm in Riverhead, Long Island. He's been raising bison for over 30 years, joining a small movement of passionate farmers to help bring the breed bac...
 
 
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HUFFPOST SUPER USER
Steamboater
Forget hope. Agitate.
01:16 AM on 03/30/2011
I had buffalo meat once years ago and it's very tough. You have to cook it on a low heat and for a long time to get it tender. Stil, I could never make it a staple. There's just too much history of decimating buffalo and I just wouldn't buy it. I'm no vegetarian; I like a good roast beef once in a while but mainly eat poultry and fish as a main course.
HUFFPOST SUPER USER
b525
05:56 PM on 03/29/2011
Go to the Wikipedia site called "Buffalo Commons" it's about a proposal to take some of our now barren far western lands and re-introduce the buffalo. Which is one of the few large species that can live there sustainably.
01:18 AM on 03/23/2011
Eventually they'll be all crippled and lame, diseased and mis bred and debilitated like most of the CAFO victims.
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HUFFPOST SUPER USER
freddychef
Tue,4 Nov '14 Dems take House! & Majority Senate!!
03:33 AM on 02/28/2011
Bison are among the most dangerous animals encountered by visitors to the various U.S. and Canadian national parks, and will attack humans if provoked. They appear slow because of their lethargic movements but can easily outrun humans—they have been observed running as fast as 35 miles per hour (56 km/h). Between 1978 and 1992, nearly five times as many people in Yellowstone National Park were killed or injured by bison as by bears (12 by bears, 56 by bison). Bison are also more agile than one might expect, given their size and body structure.
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HUFFPOST BLOGGER
skeeternyc
Chief Storyteller, food. curated.
09:44 AM on 02/28/2011
The farmer who I filmed this piece with told me to "never trust a bison".
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HUFFPOST SUPER USER
Stephen G Ford
Not sure WHAT this is for
02:02 PM on 03/30/2011
I live in rural Nebraska... a guy I know goes to a lot of farm auctions... one of his neighbors got a bison at one... he didn't seem to REALIZE however that regular CATTLE fencing REALLY doesn't impress them... (They'll just walk RIGHT THROUGH IT! *GRIN* (He didn't have the Bison for very long)
HUFFPOST SUPER USER
wendynyc
Climate Change is Real!
09:58 AM on 02/26/2011
Eeeewwwwwww.......veggies and grains are best!
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HUFFPOST SUPER USER
freddychef
Tue,4 Nov '14 Dems take House! & Majority Senate!!
03:29 AM on 02/28/2011
why post here?

expecting people to slam you silly post?

is it sadism or masicist?
never knew the difference.
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HUFFPOST COMMUNITY MODERATOR
EastTraveler
Just a guy who always wants to hear the truth...
08:55 AM on 02/26/2011
Getting real hard to consume anything with a face... I know that this is part of the food chain but maybe I'm getting soft the older I get...
brokerthanu
all acts of love and pleasure are my rituals
03:35 PM on 02/25/2011
What this article doesn't mention is that these "bison" are hybrids and therefore not a "true American breed". Some m o r o n in the 1800s decided to cross-breed our bison with cattle. The result looks like bison but acts like cows.

The best thing to do to bring back the bison is to stop the slaughter of the few remaining pure-breed American bison that are left. To that end The Buffalo Field Campaign works hard and could use your support.

www.buffalofieldcampaign.org
02:29 AM on 02/27/2011
Thank you, that's what I was thinking...this isn't going to "preserve" the buffalo at all. At best, we'd end up with some sad, distorted, domesticated version of buffalo, like the other farm animals today (especially factory farmed turkeys, which are so ridiculously inbred they physically can't reproduce on their own).
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HUFFPOST SUPER USER
hagagaga
You can't take the sky from me.
05:04 PM on 02/27/2011
Two of the major bison herds are pure. The rest all have cattle DNA.
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TexasTreader
Fluffy, the yard dog
11:46 AM on 02/25/2011
Our local Bass Pro Shop serves bison burgers. I get one every time I go. "Tatonka!"
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04:09 PM on 02/24/2011
lol... the bison are small in number... so his conclusion... lets eat more bison meat... the overlooked contradiction of this article is hilarious.
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HUFFPOST SUPER USER
jumbotron16
a slight improvement over jumbotron15
08:53 PM on 02/24/2011
More demand for bison meat means more people breeding bison, which means an increase in the total number of bison. There's no contradiction.
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HUFFPOST BLOGGER
skeeternyc
Chief Storyteller, food. curated.
09:47 AM on 02/28/2011
Exactly. The same goes with most heritage breeds of animals like mangalitsa pigs.
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05:33 PM on 02/28/2011
for consumption not in the wild, big difference... genius
09:26 PM on 02/24/2011
Raising Bison for meat is precisely what has saved the population.
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10:29 PM on 02/24/2011
and the irony continues...
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idelwind
Helplessly Hoping
02:45 PM on 02/24/2011
The ribeyes are fantastic!
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VA Jill
I'm not perfect and neither are you
01:35 PM on 02/24/2011
Bison burgers are wonderful. So is any other part of the bison I've eaten so far. Unfortunately, bison burger has gone up $2 per lb. in the last few months. I hope it will become more available and less expensive as more people raise bison. I've also had beefalo (from a bison/cow cross) and it was equally yummy but is even less available.
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HUFFPOST SUPER USER
gneep
if it wasn't always the same, it'd be different
05:10 PM on 02/25/2011
there is nothing like a good Bison burger.....yum yum......
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HUFFPOST BLOGGER
skeeternyc
Chief Storyteller, food. curated.
09:49 AM on 02/28/2011
Funny you mention beefalo. I would love to film a follow-up story on beefalo. Thanks for commenting. It was great to film this story.
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HUFFPOST SUPER USER
Marie Perkins
01:10 PM on 02/24/2011
Here's an idea. How about letting the bison LIVE as well as all the other animals that you people slaughter.
09:28 PM on 02/24/2011
We slaughter billions of animals a year for the demand of meat. That number only exists because of farming. So promoting bison for meat is actually an excellent way to increase the population.
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10:32 PM on 02/24/2011
whose 'demand' for meat.. because upwards of 40% of food is wasted in the US... demand for a profit. ok I agree, but don't kid yourself thinking this is going to save or feed some poor family.
remember this is 'exotic' prices well out of most ppl grocery budgets.
12:31 PM on 02/24/2011
We have lots of Bison products up here. Pretty tasty.
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HUFFPOST SUPER USER
plazma
Never Mind The GOPocks
12:30 PM on 02/24/2011
There is a great Bison farm here in Michigan that is in the thumb area... I quite like the taste of it.. just not the cheapest to get. Hopefully if this becomes more accepted, the prices can come down a bit.
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HUFFPOST SUPER USER
PapaPac
Not Democrat or Republican I'm American
11:25 AM on 02/24/2011
I've only had a Bison burger once and it was good but after reading all these comments I really want to find a nice big Bison Ribeye to throw on the grill. I'm really hungry now!!!
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fredvh
Just a small town Iowa guy
12:31 PM on 02/24/2011
i have had many.
awsome.
i occasoinally get them shipped to me.
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HUFFPOST BLOGGER
skeeternyc
Chief Storyteller, food. curated.
09:51 AM on 02/28/2011
The bison t-bone I tried after filming the story was AMAZING. Definitely leaner, but such a clean, lovely, grassy taste. The meat flavor also changes with the seasons. I'd love to try this meat in the summer when the bison are on a different diet.