MEET CSA MEMBER HEATHER
I am privileged to introduce you to Heather. Heather, her husband, two kids, and Rosie the dog live in beautiful Southeast Portland. Heather’s agricultural background runs deep, having grown up on a dairy farm in Saskatchewan, Canada.
During her time in British Columbia for college, she met her wonderful husband who was from Portland. After graduation, she had many life paths before her, and ultimately decided to pursue marketing for her career and fulfill the desire to live in the big city. So, 15 years ago she began her life in Oregon.
Heather and her family are strongly committed to supporting local farmers not only through the Double F Ranch Meat CSA but also through a local vegetable CSA. The family enjoys cooking together and are masters of meal planning and prepping.
Join Date
2015
CSA Pickup Location
Portland pick-up site
Share Type
10# with lamb
In Search of Quality
When you grow up on a farm there are certain aspects to which you become accustomed. Particularly, seeing up close and personal how your food is grown or raised. How then do you maintain that connection when you are no longer living on a farm? Community Supported Agriculture bridges the gap, and the CSA model is what Heather found herself searching for after moving to Portland.
“I grew up on a farm and I would always have really high-quality ranch meat and when I moved to the city and started buying stuff at the grocery store, it just wasn’t at all what I was used to tasting from when I was growing up. I was really looking for some sort of option that could help me still connect to that part of my life even though I lived in the city. ”
Connecting With Double F Ranch
Heather first heard about the CSA through her boss at work. They shared a strong interest in cooking and spent time discussing what they were making at home. Tales of the meat her boss was putting on the smoker and cooking up prompted the question, “Where do you get your meat?”
From that point there was no hesitation about joining Double F Ranch Meat CSA.
Meat Club
Stretching back to when Heather first joined the CSA, there was a running joke between Heather, her boss and other coworkers who had also joined:
“Are you going to Meat Club?”
The Meat Club moniker became synonymous with Heather darting out a little early from work once a month to pick up her CSA share and to enjoy the pre-covid social time with drinks and appetizers.
In a funny stroke of happenstance, Heather saw one of her former coworkers at a gathering recently in which she was greeted with, “I am in your Meat Club now!”
Honoring Her Agricultural Roots
Supporting a multi-generational farm just made sense to Heather. Her deep connection to farming and her understanding of the rigorous life of farmers is why she has such a strong respect for the hard work that Nathan and Katia do in order to run the farm.
“There was a point in time where my parents sat me and my siblings down and asked, “Do you want to take over the farm?”
Nobody said yes because we knew how incredibly hard it is.
So, for someone my age to have said yes to that same question, I really respect that.
”
She has passed on that knowledge and understanding to her own family through involvement in the CSA. Including her kids in the conversation about where their meat comes from and who their farmer is.
“Katia started to feed just me and my husband.
She fed my kids when they were still in the womb.
Now she teaches our kids.
It is important to feel that connection and not feel bad about explaining where meat comes from to the kids. I can say definitively these animals had an amazing life and they were always cared for.”
Spreading The Word
She is an outspoken advocate for the CSA and is directly responsible for many members joining throughout the years. She is encouraging and resourceful, using word of mouth to bring others to “Meat Club”. She finds ways to connect with friends in the CSA, sharing tips and brainstorming meal plans with various cuts.
Heather has noticed that when people join her family for dinner, they always comment on the quality of the meat and she is quick to tell them where it came from.
“If there’s anyone that comes for dinner, they always comment, why does this taste so good? Even if we have someone over for tacos, they say this is really good. Where did you get the meat? Well, from the Club!”
A Family That Cooks Together
If you have ever seen the beef liver or heart in the CSA Online Store, and wondered, “Who is buying this?” Well, Heather buys it when her parents are visiting. One of the joys of having CSA meat is that Heather gets to share it with her parents as a way of remembering childhood when her family would use the whole cow.
Her parents, like Heather, understand what quality meat tastes like. They rave about how good the CSA meat is and relish in hearing about Double F Ranch.
In keeping with tradition, Heather is passing on her cooking knowledge to her children and her family is actively involved in preparing and cooking meals together.
Food Prep Master
Heather and her husband are busy working professionals who value their food but also their family time. She has stated that, “I always feel like I am constantly working towards dinner being cooked in 15 minutes.” Especially on busy workdays. In order to accomplish this, she has become a well-organized and creative meal planner.
Heather sets aside time once a month after the CSA pick-up to prepare and freeze meals for the month. Some of her go to staple freezer meals are:
Taco meat with veggies added to help bulk it up
Spaghetti meat and sauce
Meatballs
Sausage Gravy
Meatloaf
Meat pies
Smoked whole chicken with the meat parceled out
One of her families’ favorite cuts is Pork Chops which they prepare one of two ways:
Slow cooked until the meat falls apart
Hoard several packages and then put them on the smoker.
Heather uses a vegetable meal kit service to help with meal planning and finds it to be a great addition to her kitchen. Prep the veggies the night before, add in some chopped, smoked pork chops, sausage, or prepared chicken and the meal is not only quick and efficient but filling and enjoyable.
Heather believes having a Food Saver vacuum sealer is a must have for meal prep and freezing.
Final Thoughts
The CSA experience has brought value and purpose to her family and cooking. She believes in the potential for the CSA to do the same for other families. So when posed with the question, “Who do you think would be a good fit for the Double F Ranch CSA? She responded:
“Going back to the family thing, people who want to be able to teach their kids how to cook, where food comes from, and the importance of knowing where your food comes from and making conscious decisions. ”
Heather looks forward to the day when we can get back to more “Meat Club” activities like visiting, enjoying the appetizer spread, and drinks with one another.
Heather will continue to be a strong supporter of the CSA for years to come.
“I just love it. I couldn’t see us ever quitting [the CSA]. I don’t know where else I would go or what else I would do.”
Thank you, Heather, for sharing your CSA experience and wisdom with us! -Rachel