Meet CSA Member Vikki

Member since 2022

Vikki and her husband have been living in Portland now for 17 years. It is home in every way. Vikki is a pastor at a church in town and her husband works in property management and real estate. They have two elementary age boys.

Vikki is new to the CSA. She joined back in May 2022. Her family loves going to the Portland farmers market and trying new foods. They are all adventurous eaters!

CSA Pick Up Location

Portland

Type Of Membership

20# share

Supporting Local Farms Together

Vikki lives very close to the Portland farmer’s market. It is a mainstay in her family and a place for exploration.

It is one of the ways that they include the kids in meal planning.

Hopping On The Waitlist

Vikki’s experiences at the farmer’s market gave her insight into the local meat scene. Over time, the idea of a meat CSA was more appealing to Vikki and her spouse because they wanted to support one specific farm.

She began searching online with specifics in mind such as a meat CSA that had multiple proteins and had a drop off in Portland. Double F Ranch popped up with several other farms. She put herself on the waitlist not knowing when she might get in. In May, Katia contacted her to invite her family to join us the CSA!

Best Part Of Joining A Meat CSA

Before moving to Portland, Vikki did not know about CSAs. When she lived in California, the farmers markets were open year-round. One of the benefits of being in the CSA and shopping locally is learning more about eating sustainably and seasonally.

I had to learn a lot about sustainable farming, seasonality and being thoughtful about my food. Like where to support farms and what's the best way to do that responsibly.

Vikki also enjoys how each month’s share is a surprise. It has become a part of her meal planning.

Vikki mentioned though above all, the taste of the CSA meat is what really stands out.

Sharing The CSA Experience

Vikki has found lots of occasions to share about her CSA experience. She wrote a blog post for PDX Parent about finding the CSA and has brought it up in her circle. She has found that there is a lot of interest surrounding a meat CSA because:

• The pandemic and meat shortages helped people think a bit more about their meat source.

• It helped people think about the labor behind the meat.

• It brought up questions, like, who am I really supporting?

She recommends to people to get on a waitlist and try to get into a CSA. The benefits are numerous.

Busy Raising Adventurous Eaters

Vikki and her family love trying new foods. Vikki shared she was born in Hong Kong and eating every part of the animal was completely normal growing up. There was never any part of an animal that she ate where she was unsure of it or felt squeamish. Fast forward to today, and her early experiences now influence her parenting style and the way Vikki and her husband raise their boys.

Vikki actively finds ways to get her children involved with the food they eat. Whether it’s their regular trip to the farmers market or having them pick a meal to cook each week or getting them in the kitchen to help, she finds a way to include them.

As a family they really enjoyed watching cooking shows together. Her boys took the judging to heart and began their own critiques of food in the kitchen. When Vikki found herself saying, “Hey, I’m not in the competition here, OK? So cool it with the criticism!” they dialed back the cooking shows. It’s still a great way for the kids to see different styles of cooking and foods.

She really appreciates how there’s so much more information available about foods from other cultures. With a laugh, she recalled that she didn’t eat much Mexican food until she got to college. “They served tortillas on the side and I was like, I have NO idea what to do with that. Oh my, do I roll the food up? Make a taco? Do I eat it like bread?”

Kids nowadays, even if they're not traveling, have so much more access to seeing different kinds of food. When my kids are reading books or seeing a show, they ask “what is this, what is a churro?”. Then it's an opportunity for us to try and cook it and see if you like it.

Meal Planning Help

One of the ways Vikki meal plans is by using the Pepper Plate app. She uses it to store her recipes, build a shopping list, and if she wants to double a recipe it adjusts the ingredients. She spends time once a week planning.

Having a plan and making sure everything she needs for a meal is stocked in the kitchen really helps at meal time.

Favorite Cuts

Vikki is all about those chops, pork and lamb chops to be exact!

The pork chop was the first cut her family cooked. They prepared it while camping and decided it was the best pork chop ever, even with just a little salt and pepper seasoning.

She also really loves the whole chickens. Recently she spatchcocked and grilled her whole chicken. It tasted amazing. She found it super handy to have on hand throughout the week to take meat off and make meals.

Looking Forward

Vikki is ready for all the Fall cooler weather so she can start cooking more slow and low meals. She is excited to start braising! She received a brisket in her share a few months ago but without a smoker or desire to turn on the oven in the hot summer months, it’s just been hanging out in the freezer waiting for cooler weather.

Thank you so much Vikki for sharing your CSA experience with us! -Rachel