LOCAL FAMILY FARM–Erica, Paul and Amber Mollet; Brandyn and Meghan Fadler; Fred and Kathleen Salger; and Nathan and Patty Salger run Salger’s Livestock and Salger’s Ostrich Products in Red Bud. Photo by Nathan Lambrecht/©Journal Communications.
By Kim Hill
Illinois Farm Bureau Partners
Salger’s Ostrich Products offers a red meat alternative, meeting a need within growing market demand.
When people are encouraged to try an unfamiliar meat, the person offering the new protein often says, “It tastes just like chicken.” But Paul Mollet won’t ever say that. He chuckles when he’s asked if ostrich meat tastes like chicken because after all, ostriches are birds.
“Ostrich is closer to beef than any other protein in taste and texture,” said Paul, who runs Salger’s Ostrich Products near Red Bud with his wife, Erica. “You cook it like beef, and it’s very similar to a lean beef, except it is lower in fat.”
For more on Salger’s, please see this week’s print edition.