Meet CSA Member Meg

Member since 2021

Meg and her family moved to the Bend area from Seattle to get more access to the outdoors and increase their quality of life. They have really enjoyed raising their kids in a smaller town and feel a stronger sense of community in Bend.

Meg is a trained physical therapist but has been working for a company that handles complex medical equipment. Her husband, Dan, works in the medical field. They have two little kids and two energetic Vizsla dogs, that keep them on their toes.

As a passionate local food supporter and adventurous eater, Meg and her family make a great addition to our CSA community.

CSA Share Pick-Up Location

Bend

Type of Membership

10# with lamb upgrade

A Commitment To Local And High-Quality Food

Over time Meg developed a growing sense that there is more to her food than what is on the label. She became more and more aware of the environmental impact of what she ate. She noticed that the food coming from the grocery store had lots of steps in processing that seemed unnecessary.

She and her spouse come from the Midwest. While there is a bigger focus on local food in the Northwest, that same local access is rare in the Midwest. There just isn’t the same pressure or emphasis to buy things that come from the community. She feels really lucky to have access to so much local food and the resources to purchase it.

Another important impact of buying local food meant that Meg could also have an impact on her health.

Finding The CSA

Before moving to Bend, Meg and her spouse lived for a year in their camper van. During those days they were mostly vegetarian because it was easier for their lifestyle. When they decided to start buying meat again they weren’t doing it very often but they were prioritizing higher quality meat. It meant more money out of their grocery budget but they were buying meat from local sources such as the butcher and fish stores.

After moving to Bend they wanted to maintain the same high-quality local food. They had been involved with a vegetable and flower CSA in the Seattle area and so began searching for another one in Bend.

Meg just happened upon the Double F Ranch Meat CSA during an internet search. She thought “this is awesome” and hopped on the waitlist.

Favorite Things About The CSA

There are many reasons to love our little CSA. Meg outlines a few of her favorite things.

At the top of the list is “convenience”.

I just love that those guys are willing to make the trek from the ranch to Bend so that I can just ride my bicycle to pick up my share. That's really awesome.

Next would be “quality” as a close second.

There has not been a cut that has come out of that tote bag yet that we haven't loved. It’s been really amazing to see all the things that Katia pulls off with the resources at her disposal.

Third would be the “community” aspect of the CSA.

I really appreciate the community that she's holding through the newsletters and the member profiles. 

I like reading them to see who else is like me, has these guiding philosophies, and wants to take part. It’s really cool to see all the different types of families and individuals that are sharing in this experience.

Adventurous Home Cooks

Meg and her husband have really enjoyed the time and freedom to experiment in the kitchen. It is something they love doing together. Dan is Vietnamese and has really found a love for both Vietnamese and pan-Asian cooking. He has gotten into making homemade ramen and noodles from scratch.

Having the CSA allows them to get a mixture of cuts that they would not normally have and some cuts they aren’t familiar with.

They have started smoking different CSA cuts and fish. They have smoked a brisket a few times now and had a lot of fun with the process.

Mealtime Is Family Time

Even though life has picked up with work and kids, they prioritize cooking meals together and end up spending more time in the kitchen.

Although their kiddos are still young and not as involved with the cooking part, they enjoy spending time in the kitchen with mom and dad. The family has a nice outdoor setup with a grill on a patio. When the weather is nice, they love spending time outside together making grilled pizzas.

Kitchen Inspiration

Meg finds inspiration in many different places. She looks at cookbooks, online internet searches, and cooking apps. The New York Times cooking app is her favorite.

She has a couple of cookbooks for various food genres that they love such as Mediterranean or Hispanic food.

They often look in the CSA bag to see what they have and then look online to find something interesting to cook. When they got beef short ribs in their share they were unsure how to prepare them. A quick search online and they were able to find a delightful ragu recipe that was perfect.

Looking Forward

Meg shared that as she looks to their future in the CSA, she hopes to learn more about the process of raising the animals and what it looks like on Katia and Nathan’s end. She wants to keep learning as much as possible about the food they eat.

As adventurous eaters she also looks forward to more cooking experiences with the help of Katia’s expansive knowledge and meat selection. She shared that her spouse wanted to make a traditional Vietnamese dish that consisted of fried skin-on pork belly. They had tried to order it from a local grocer but it came to them with no skin. So, she reached out to Katia.

She emailed me back and said that she had skin on pork belly in stock right now - it wasn’t a commonly requested cut. She put some extra in our share and we made our fun dish.

That’s exactly the kind of thing I appreciate. Learning more about the options from someone who is obviously an expert, because I didn't even know that people prepare things that way.

We were super grateful for her help in finding what we needed, and it was really cool. I look forward to those kinds of interactions.

Meg also looks forward to teaching her children more about what it means to eat and support local food. Her toddler is starting to get more interested when he sees the whole chicken come out of the freezer. Meg shared that he is starting to make the connection between the animals he reads about in his books and the food on his plate.

Final Thoughts

Meg’s final thoughts encompass her love and appreciation for the CSA.

I just want to express my gratitude. I've been very fortunate to have landed in a place where I have the resources to buy what they are offering.

I am so thankful that the service exists in such a convenient fashion. I would not have the bandwidth to go out of my way to do what I'm doing. Mostly because of all their hard work, I feel like it's a nearly zero-time commitment on my part. I just show up, pick up my things, and pay for them.

I would like to say thank you. I would like to just make it known that I am so, so grateful for the service that they offer. I can't imagine how much work it is. Especially now that I have kids and watching them parent and ring up customers with all of the orders. Just truly inspiring!

Thank you, Meg, for sharing your experience with us! -Rachel