I want to introduce you to Marielle. She is a newer member to the CSA but is in no way a newbie to local food. Her personal and work history reflect the kind of thoughtful, intentional, and locally minded person she is.

Intertwined with a rich personal history of local food connections and a work history focused on food health initiatives, Marielle has a unique perspective and insights into what it means to support local food systems.

I will start our Meet the Member Intro in her own words:

I've had a very long-standing interest in food. I grew up both in the United States and in France. My mom was French. We learned to eat with the seasons and with whatever was available at the market. There was a big emphasis on eating well and sourcing your food correctly.
I moved back to the states after living in France, and that continued to be an emphasis for me. I lived in Portland for about 20 years and there I got to really connect with local food because there's such an emphasis on that in the valley.
Six years ago, I moved to Bend, and I was very interested in local food. I was switching careers from being a laboratory scientist, to connecting with the food system. I actually did some work with the High Desert Food and Farm Alliance (HDFFA). I started to do work with the Veggie Rx* program here in Central Oregon.
I joined the Bend Farmers Market* Board. I continue to remain interested in local food, food access and quality of food. It’s a really big part of the person I am. I cook a lot. I am still very connected with that world.

Joined

2021

Location

Bend

Type of Share

#10 with lamb upgrade

Connecting with Double F Ranch Meat CSA

Marielle was searching for a way to source her meat locally. Originally Marielle came across the Double F Ranch Meat CSA on the HDFFA local food directory. Other members have mentioned finding the CSA on this directory too. It is a valuable resource to those in Central Oregon who are looking to support the local food system.

She was interested in the CSA model in lieu of other options like purchasing a quarter cow which would have required a chest freezer. The idea of having 10 pounds of meat a month with variety was ideal and perfect for her family of two.

The Double F Ranch Meat CSA stood out because of the reputation HDFFA already had in local agriculture.

““I felt first of all that there’s some trust there in having that connection with an organization that is really focused on local food and really supporting the food system.””

HDFFA’s mission has always been to

“Support a healthy and thriving food and farm network in Central Oregon through education, collaboration, and inclusion. We believe that everyone deserves good food. We define good food as affordable, nutritious and culturally appropriate food that is easily accessible and sustainably produced in Central Oregon.”

Double F Ranch supports this vision. As HDFFA partners, Nathan and Katia follow the business pledge to uphold those practices, Katia also advocates for local producers as a member of the agricultural advisory committee, and serves as mentor in the Growing Together Mentorship Program* for new farmers and ranchers.

Transition Into The CSA

Joining the CSA was a seamless process. Marielle cooks the majority of the meals in her household. While her spouse doesn’t mind eating the same things over and over, Marielle likes a diverse range of foods. The CSA provides the opportunity to try new meals, cuts, and the ability to mix and match every month.

“What I love about the CSA is it’s super practical for the end-user. Honestly, I think they’re doing a lot of work upfront to make it as easy as possible for the end-user, and I really appreciate that.”

Marielle finds the CSA to be consistent with the way her and her spouse live their lives.

Blending A Scientific Background With A Passion For Food And Health

Marielle is a scientist, an immunologist, by training. Six years ago when she left Portland, she closed down her lab and was looking to retool her career in Bend. She was very passionate about food and although she loved cooking, she did not want to make it a career. She dove deeper into the ways she could use her scientific background alongside her passion for food and health.

She contacted HDFFA and found they were interested in starting to connect with healthcare through the Veggie RX program. In a Veggie RX program, vouchers are typically issued to patients who are food insecure and have a diet modifiable disease. This removes barriers that enable participants to access to fresh produce.

Marielle became involved as an independent contractor with writing grants and helping to develop the Veggie Rx program in Bend. Eventually she became the evaluator for the program, creating the metrics to determine how effective the program was. For four years she ran the research study.

During that time the program grew to Prineville and in collaboration with the VA. The research study found that the majority of program participants felt the Veggie Rx program was effective in helping them improve their health. On average, participants increased their fresh produce intake by over 1 cup per day and they experienced less food insecurity.

Unfortunately that program has come to an end. Scaling up and making a food program sustainable requires a systematic approach built on layers of support across a community. Helping to increase healthy food access requires a locally minded, ingrained food philosophy within communities.

Food Is Medicine

As Marielle talked about her work with the Veggie RX program, she mentioned her philosophy that “food is medicine” and I asked her to expand a bit more on this. As she stated,

I'm a biologist by training and so as a result I really tend to think of us as creatures of the land. Our needs are met by having the most healthy and sustainable practices.
So food is medicine for me isn't just about:
“I’m gonna go ahead and buy this broccoli at the grocery store.”
No, it starts way earlier. It starts with how the food is grown and the soil that the food is grown in. How we're treating the land, then how we're growing the food, and then eating that food.
Food is medicine is really about eating whole foods that are not processed, foods that come from the land and animals. Animals that are raised or grazed on farms in a way that sustains its healthy ecosystem. The animals that are grown in those places are also contributing to the quality of the soil rather than destroying the soil.
Food is medicine really is a big picture thing for me.
Every time we eat is an opportunity to sustain ourselves. It gives you the ability to function at your peak. So if we're putting unhealthy food into our body, we're not running at capacity physically, mentally, emotionally, spiritually.
Food as medicine for me, is about maintaining that whole ecosystem and really feeling good about what you're putting into your body, feeling engaged in the world, and in my life and in my body.
I need to fuel properly. A lot of that is eating what comes from the earth. As a result of being omnivores, we eat both veggies and meat. If those are grown in the best way possible, they have the highest nutritional capacity and they help sustain us.

Prioritizing Local Agriculture

I personally found it interesting to hear Marielle’s experience of local food in France. She shared that there is a very strong emphasis on food, the quality of the food, and food access. Most every day you shop for your food and farmers markets are plentiful, carrying everything you would need for a full meal.

There is also a big focus on eating seasonally with some food items only grown in certain areas of France. This strong network of local agriculture thrives and benefits the consumer, the land, and the food system.

Each step of the way, from her time in France, to her time working as a scientist, to her work with HDFFA, Marielle’s food philosophy has only been strengthened.

“If you’re really interested in maintaining the health of your food system, farm direct is the way to go. Because then the farmer or the rancher or whoever the producer is gets all of the profits. There’s not a middle person.

This is really important because that money goes back into their pockets so that they can maintain this really healthy food production process.”

In prioritizing local agriculture, Marielle has found it is very grounding and inspiring.

“I personally go to the farmers market for inspiration because I just love to see what’s new, and I get so excited with what I can cook.

Even when I was at my peak of working like a madwoman, I still would go to the market because it was such a balm. It’s like, wow, back to the earth. This is stuff that really sustains me.

It inspires me to stay cooking at home, and so whether that comes through your CSA or through your fresh food at the market, it’s inspirational.””

Final Thoughts

“I’m very new to the CSA, but I feel like Nathan and Katia are really looking out for us as consumers. I’m very happy to support them because they support us as eaters and also in the way that they’re careful.

I think they are super thoughtful about how they’re putting this together. I mean, honestly, I haven’t seen another model like this. It’s very special. They’re listening to people. I think it’s a great system.””

Marielle, thank you for sharing your CSA experience with us! -Rachel