CSA Community

Meet The Member: Amanda

Meet CSA Member Amanda

Member Since 2023

I want to introduce you to Amanda. She has spent most of her life in cities but has had a lot of fun living in the more rural setting of her central Oregon small town. The sunshine of the high desert is a big reason why she settled there.

As an employee at a local TV station, she gets to handle lots of behind-the-scenes work. While it wasn’t the job she initially applied for at the station, her skills make her great at it.

In her free time, she loves to kayak, do light hiking, spend time outside, and cook. Amanda loves CSAs and they have given her the ability to take care of her health in powerful ways. She loves to share her health journey in hopes it can help someone else.

CSA Share Pick-Up Location

Bend


Type Of Membership

10# share with lamb add-on


The Driving Forces Behind Joining A CSA

After moving to southeastern Washington from southern California, Amanda found herself in a very large agricultural community. CSAs were everywhere. She had a few friends who were members and she thought they were really cool.

Amanda started having some health issues and was eventually diagnosed with lupus. After learning more about her diagnosis and the impacts on her body, she discovered lupus is largely gut-based.

She tried to go all organic but was having a hard time finding truly organic foods at the store, as there are a lot of triggers and sensitivities with lupus.

She decided it would be better to try and get her vegetables and meat directly from a farm especially because she was so leary of grocery store meat.

“Grocery store meat tastes terrible and is full of unknown things. Once I figured out there were meat CSAs, I was all kinds of excited.”
— Amanda


Finding Double F Ranch

Amanda had started the process of researching meat CSAs. She found Double F Ranch and really loved their story. It set them apart from the other meat CSAs that she found. She decided to contact Katia and join.

Putting Her Health First

Amanda shared that what she eats is the number one thing that affects her lupus. While she doesn’t have an allergy to anything, she does have a lot of sensitivities. Even minor pesticides or anything coming into contact with them can cause a flare-up.

It has taken her years to get her health back to a point where she is able to manage it solely through her diet. This is where the CSAs play a huge role.

Local agriculture helps a lot. I am getting the good bugs and bacteria that come from healthy soil which makes a huge difference as well.

With meat, any antibiotics the animals are eating, you're eating too, or whatever they're getting injected with, you're consuming. The cleaner, the better.

I've also been medication free for a year and a half and it is entirely balanced by diet, exercise and stress management. It was not easy but I'm really happy to be here. 

Amanda was also told that she had a gluten sensitivity. However, she discovered that whole wheat flour that is not enriched doesn’t cause her issues. She is so happy to have access to the ranch whole wheat flour and uses it to make sourdough bread.

Favorite Cuts

Her favorite cut is the whole chicken. She breaks out her massive air fryer for the task and claims it comes out like a grocery store rotisserie chicken. Afterward, she uses her Instant Pot to make chicken stock.

It is important to Amanda that nothing goes to waste. She is a pro at literally using the whole chicken. After removing the meat and making the stock, she will keep pressure-cooking the chicken bones until they are soft. She grinds them up and makes food for her dog.

She also loves the lamb stew meat. Her boyfriend came over for dinner one St. Patrick’s Day in which she had made lamb stew. Everything tasted so good and the meat was falling apart. He had never had lamb before and was quick to ask when she was going to cook it again!

Another stand-out meal was barbacoa which Amanda made from a large beef roast. She loved that it provided leftovers for them during the week.

Recipe Inspiration

If there is one food site that Amanda loves, it is The Kitchn. She gets their regular newsletter with recipes.

She also utilizes her “ridiculously organized” Pinterest board for saving recipes.

When she finds herself with a new cut of meat and is stumped on what to make with it, she Googles it. Amanda jokes that when she meal plans, she tells everyone to be quiet while she consults “The Google”.

  • This is also her go-to tip for newer members. She recommends that you just get on Google and start researching ideas for how to cook a new cut.

Looking Forward

Amanda looks forward to her future in the CSA and all its nourishment!

“I look forward to a freezer full of delicious meat.

For a long time, I was an inadvertent vegetarian because meat was expensive and didn’t taste good.

Now we get it weekly or more, and my people are happy!”
— Amanda

Final Thoughts

Amanda shared she is usually one of the last people around as the CSA pick-up closes and loves that time to chat with Nathan and Katia.

Her overall experience in the CSA has been positive.

“I like knowing where my food comes from. The CSA meat makes me feel good and I recommend it to people all the time.”
— Amanda


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

Meet The Members: Taylor & Tyler

Meet CSA Members Taylor And Tyler

Members Since 2020

Say hello to Tyler and Taylor! Taylor worked previously as a veterinarian technician and now works for a pet medical insurance company. Tyler manages the customer service team for the Oregon lottery. In recent years, their jobs have allowed them to work from home full time. They love how working from home has given them the flexibility to care for their son and spend time making tasty meals.

Tyler loves to bake, and Taylor loves to eat his creations. Both enjoy spending time outdoors and engaging in various hobbies. Taylor and Tyler are joyful consumers of local food. Whether they are carefully crafting a meal at home for a weeknight dinner or entertaining friends, they love the experience of making, eating, and sharing food.

CSA Share Pick-Up Location

Bend

Type Of Membership

10# share with lamb upgrade

Incorporating Local Food Into Their Lives

Taylor and Tyler have been members of a vegetable CSA and were familiar with the CSA model. At the time there were looking for a better way to support the local farming community and expose themselves to vegetables that they may not look for or buy at the grocery store.

As a veggie CSA member, they were forced to use up whatever they had in their share, and it helped them grow in their creativity and love for cooking. Aiming to make the best with what they had was a motivation that pushes them as cooks even now.

When Taylor first met Tyler she was a vegetarian. When Tyler’s father passed away it got Taylor thinking about past experiences at the dinner table with family. She started contemplating about eating meat again. She thought about if this is good for me, brings others joy, and brings me joy, maybe I should try it. Soon after she started mixing meat back into their normal diet.

Over time as they grew in their understanding of local food, they had a desire to also purchase local meat. They came across the Double F Ranch CSA and joined the waitlist for a bit before becoming full members.

The CSA Difference

After joining the CSA they were super excited to be supporting a farm where the animals lived happy lives and were not crammed together like on industrial farms.

I think that everything in life is about balance. I love to eat. It's a source of joy for me and in my everyday life. So, if what I'm eating brings me joy, that's wonderful. Even better if it’s good for my body. With the CSA, it brings me joy to know that the animals that I'm consuming were happy. I feel like you can taste that in the food that we eat, that they lived good lives, and you know they were treated respectfully when it came time for them to serve their greater purpose. -Taylor

They immediately tasted the difference between the CSA meat and supermarket meat.

“Everything tastes so clean. Every time we are having dinner at a family members house, and they are serving supermarket meat, it’s noticeably different. ”
— Taylor & Tyler

The CSA difference means having a connection to the people who grow your food.

“We have been super happy with the connection we’ve been able to make to our farmers.

Seriously, big shout out to the farmers. They are just wonderful people and wonderful at what they do. They provide a singular service and a great experience for us. ”
— Taylor

How The CSA Changed Mealtime

Taylor and Tyler find they have to focus on planning their meals more thoroughly. They live outside of town and since they both work from home, they have to be strategic about when they go to the store.

They love having the meat in the freezer and use it to build their weekly menu. Supermarket meat is no longer an option for them, they just don’t buy it. So the challenge is creating a meal plan that is now centered around what they have available to them.

It also means that their son is growing up only eating Double F Ranch meat and that is really special for both of them.

Both find the benefits of working at home together allow them to do meal prep throughout the day on breaks. They aren’t spending time commuting and it frees up more time for working in the kitchen.

Top Reasons We Love The CSA

In no particular order they quickly listed:

  • The handmade soap and other add-ons

  • The variety of the CSA meat

  • Quality of the meat

Although Taylor loves all the Double F Ranch soap, she really enjoys peppermint or the grubby gardener bars. Other add-ons such as the whole wheat flour are a big perk. They love making bread and pizza dough with it.

“We just get a variety that is hard to find outside of going to a butcher shop.

We end up trying things that normally we wouldn’t. ”
— Tyler

Favorite Meals And Cuts

Taylor thinks you just can’t beat when Tyler cooks a filet mignon. When they get that cut, they squirrel it away for time when they feel a little bit fancy.

Since joining the CSA, they have started the tradition of using a Double F Ranch whole chicken on Thanksgiving.

When they got lamb shanks in thier share they were super excited. They had been waiting for it for a while. Tyler braised them with red wine, garlic, rosemary and it was amazing. It was one of his favorite meals so far.

Their toddler son also loves all the meat he can munch on. He eats a lot of the CSA eggs. When he was six months old they started baby led weaning. It has been a great approach for their family to introduce new foods. Having the CSA means he gets to try new things all the time.


Mealtime Inspiration

When Taylor and Tyler are thinking about what to cook they lean heavily on the different cultural and regional cuisines that they prefer the most. These include dishes from India, Mexico, and Asian fusion.

We will see the ground pork and think, that needs to be larb. We see something and it immediately sparks inspiration. -Taylor

Other times they will look at specific food blogs or recipes from specific chefs. Tyler has a cooking superpower; he is really good and making something from nothing. He can scan the pantry and come up with a fantastic meal.

Tyler finds a lot of inspiration from meals he eats at restaurants. After eating at a really great place, he will try and recreate the dish at home.

Final Thoughts

Taylor graciously shared a sweet memory of when they first introduced their son to Katia and Nathan.

Feels like not that long ago we went to our first CSA pickup after we had [our son], and introduced him to everybody. Katia was so sweet in saying that's one of her favorite things about the CSA. It’s seeing all the CSA kids and watching them grow up, and feeling like she has a small but important part in them becoming the little people that they are by feeding them. I think that's really beautiful.

Tyler just loves the CSA and reiterated that appreciation.

“We have just been extremely happy with the decision to go with Double F Ranch. It’s been an amazing experience.

I can’t imagine going back to eating the way we were prior to the CSA.

It is a great fit for us and our family. We couldn’t be happier.”
— Tyler



Thank you, Taylor and Tyler, for sharing about experience with us! -Rachel



Meet The Members: Linda & Jerry

Meet CSA Members Linda & Jerry

Members since 2010

I want to introduce you to Linda and Jerry, two of the Double F Ranch CSA founding members. Linda and Jerry made their way to the west coast from the Midwest in their 20s. Life eventually brought them to Portland and they have been here ever since.

Jerry and Linda are now enjoying retirement and all that it brings.

CSA Pick-Up Location

Portland



Type Of Share

10# with lamb add-on

Founding Members

When the CSA was first starting, word of mouth was the only advertising. Linda knew Nathan’s uncle, Chuck, who hosts the pickup at his house. Turns out Linda and Jerry lived in the same house back in the 70s! He asked Linda if they would be interested in joining and they gave it a shot.

Over time they felt like they received enough meat that they could share with another family. So they invited foodie neighbors Mark and Sara to the CSA pickup. They thought it was a great fit too and both households have been alternating pickups every other month for several years.

Understanding Farm Life

Linda and Jerry are no strangers to farm life. Jerry grew up on a farm in Michigan. He can relate to the demand of farm life and how much work it is for Nathan and Katia to rn the CSA, the farm and have a family.

Linda’s father is from western Canada, and he grew up on a farm. In the summers she would visit the farm with all of the family and has fond memories of helping out and rounding up cattle. These early experiences really piqued her interest in the CSA and going to visit the ranch in Central Oregon made an impact.

“Going to the farm was the excitement of my childhood. Then to see Nathan and Katia’s ranch, it felt like western Canada.

Here is a young family just doing something they love in Oregon. It felt like the right thing to do for us and on so many levels. We were just intrigued. We wanted to be supportive.”
— Linda

How The CSA Adds Value To Their Lives

Jerry really loves the social aspect of the CSA and misses getting to mingle. He particularly loves the molasses cookies Nathan’s mother bakes up for winter CSA pickup days (she knows they are his favorite). The people of the CSA are what makes it amazing.

“It’s such a wonderful group of people and such nice energy. It’s so easy to belong.”
— Linda

Linda is grateful for the grass-finished beef and the health benefits it provides. She just loves getting fresh-ground, whole-wheat flour and has started baking bread again. It adds a nuttiness to her baked goods that she can’t get from store-bought whole wheat.

This in turn reminds her again of her childhood and being on the farm with all the bounty it provides.

Advice For CSA Members

When I asked Linda and Jerry about advice for new members, they weren’t sure anyone in the CSA would need the advice! But they did offer these insights.

  • Take it nice and slow with the grass-finished beef. Don’t cook it on high heat.

  • Katia is so easy to work with and genuinely wants to help. If you need help with something, then talk with her!

“Katia pays attention to people’s needs and is constantly figuring out how to make even the littlest things better.”
— Linda

All Time Favorites

Linda and Jerry have seen it all. They have had every cut that has ever been offered in the CSA. There are no surprises when it comes to picking up their share.

Over the years though they have developed a preference for some of their favorite cuts.

  • Jerry, hands down, prefers the pork, all of it! He loves making roasts.

  • Other cuts they love include the beef and lamb stew meat.

Linda loves getting the chicken in their share. She shared that several years ago she inquired if they could purchase more chicken separately. Katia explained that unfortunately, she didn’t have the resources to do that.

The CSA is a delicate balance between

  • the number of animals raised

  • the number of families fed

  • and what the land can support

Doing too much of one thing could shift the balance and negatively impact the quality of the meat, the personalized attention given to each member or the health and sustainability of the land.

This prompted Linda to read more about the topic. As she began to understand the importance of this agricultural balance, she made peace with not having as much chicken in her share. She decided that she could have less meat-centric meals and use other cuts to supplement.


Mealtime Inspiration

Linda really enjoys the recipe ideas that Katia sends out. She draws on her own cooking experience for creating tasty meals in the kitchen most of the time.

It helps a lot that they have friends who are also CSA members. They share ideas on what worked well for different cuts and Linda will take the feedback and find recipes to help cook up their share.

For special occasions, they frequent the New York Times cooking site.


Final Thoughts

They see how the CSA has evolved over time and what Nathan and Katia are bringing to it in the form of community building. It has really impacted their CSA experience.

Linda really loves how Katia includes opportunities to financially support other farmers. In addition, before Katia made her aware, she did not yet know about the PDX Free Fridge program. Afterwards, she started noticing them on her walks in the community.

“The community building is just so lovely.

It’s one thing to have good food and we are lucky to have good food. We are even more lucky to have the community and the connection that goes beyond.

It feeds your soul, and it helps rebalance us in so many ways.
”
— Linda



Thank you, Linda and Jerry, for sharing your CSA experience with us! -Rachel

Meet The Members: Emily & Matt

Meet CSA Members Emily And Matt

Members Since 2022

I want to introduce you to Matt and Emily. They are fairly new to the CSA, having joined in the last 6 months. Emily is an engineer working in environmental services and Matt works in business development for a data analytics company.

Both work from home and enjoy the outdoors in their free time. They love to ride bikes around Portland, generally to a brewery or to get food! They are big foodies and really saw their cooking improve as they found themselves at home more during the pandemic.

Emily and Matt have brought their adventurous spirit and curiosity to their cooking. Their motivation and commitment make them great additions to our CSA community!

CSA Share Pick-Up Location

Portland

Type Of Membership

10# Standard Share

How The CSA Found Them

Emily and Matt had friends who were members of the CSA. When those friends moved to New Zealand, they asked if Emily and Matt wanted to adopt their CSA share for the remainder of the season. They jumped at the opportunity and when the season ended, happily signed up for another round.

“I didn’t proactively seek out the CSA but loved it once it came to us.

We were like, “Oh my gosh, why weren’t we doing this before?””
— Emily

A Seamless Transition

Even though they were thrust into the CSA quickly, they didn’t experience any hurdles or challenges in the transition. Emily and Matt were able to purchase a chest freezer from their friends before they took over the share. There was no concern then about where they would store the meat.

There have been a few times where they weren’t able to pick up their share but they found it convenient to talk with Katia and set up a pick-up for the following month.

The transition to learning to cook with what was in the freezer was more helpful than expected. It gave them an opportunity to think more about what they would make.

Everything To Love About The CSA

Emily and Matt love that being a part of the CSA supports local food and helps the environment.

“We appreciate the farmers. You know who you’re supporting, and you know there’s quality of what you’re getting as a locally sourced food. ”
— Matt

Emily admits that the thought of their carbon footprint weighs on her but vegetarianism to help offset her impact didn’t work for her. But having local, sustainably raised meat allows her to feel more conscious about the choices they make that impact their health and the environment.

There is also so much meat to choose from in the CSA. Whether it is using My Choice selections to customize your share or purchasing extras each month in the online store, they find there are many ways to mix meal time up. It is also why they find themselves looking through the Swap Cooler at pick-up!

“I like the variety more than just one specific cut. ”
— Matt

A Way To Live Out Shared Values

Being a part of the CSA gives members so many tangible opportunities to live out their values. It is important for Emily and Matt to find time to connect after spending all day at work.

“We like cooking these meals together. We split cooking 50/50.

We both work remotely still. We are at home all the time. But it’s nice to meet in the kitchen at the end of the day to make a meal together. ”
— Emily

Emily grew up in Portland and feels like the culture really emphasizes a connection with nature and the environment. Becoming a member of a CSA was just a natural progression of these deeply held beliefs and early experiences.

For Matt he thinks a lot about how globalization has impacted our ability to access local food through our grocery stores. He looks at the CSA as a way to live seasonally with agriculture.

“I like living seasonally and as different things come available. What’s available when it should be available. I think it’s a really cool aspect.

It’s really nice to support local people that are doing something quite amazing. ”
— Matt

Best Cuts And Meals

Emily really enjoyed cooking the whole chicken as a part of a Sunday night dinner, roasting the chicken and all the sides.

One of the first meals they made with their CSA meat was Shepard’s pie with ground beef. It was hearty and exactly what they needed after being sick!

They love the breakfast sausages, bacon, pork chops, pepperoni sticks, and the fresh eggs!

Emily and Matt still feel like they are in a learning phase of the CSA. They are still exploring the best recipes for each cut and the different ways to cook the cuts.

Mealtime Inspiration

Emily and Matt’s go to inspiration for mealtime is the New York Times Cooking app. Emily also references her collection of cookbooks for everything from main dishes to sides.

She recommends Melissa Clarks’, Dinner: Changing The Game. This cookbook is what taught Emily how to roast a chicken.

Another cookbook she recommends for side dishes is Diann Fisher’s, Smitten Kitchen Keepers.

Looking Forward

Emily and Matt look forward to continual growth as they explore new cuts.

Emily’s admits that sometimes it can be a bit daunting and intimidating as a newer member. Her hope is that she will grow in her confidence and abilities.

As Matt looks to the future, he wants to continue building his confidence as well with the hope that his cooking will develop into more of a skill.

Seeing the larger pork and beef roasts gets Matt excited about smoking meats on his Traeger grill.

Final Thoughts

“The main thing is that we happened into this and just couldn’t be happier with this opportunity.

We have learned a lot. We have developed a bit more of a ritual and positive feelings around cooking, doing that together, and it’s not a chore.”
— Emily & Matt



Thank you, Emily and Matt, for sharing your experience with us! -Rachel

Meet The Members: Brandon & Amelia

Meet CSA members Brandon and Amelia

Members since 2022

I want to introduce you to Brandon and Amelia!

Both are water industry professionals. Brandon’s work focuses on data and technology or digital transformation work. While Amelia’s focuses on engineering and restoration. Her work focuses on restoring green spaces back to their natural and original state to help improve water quality and manage runoff in urban areas.

They are recent homeowners, love gardening, and foraging for mushrooms. Thier care and concern for the environment and support of local food led them to the CSA. The CSA model embodies their values and fits their lifestyle!

CSA Share Pick-Up Location

Portland


Type Of Membership

10# share with lamb add-on


Helping To Building A Resilient Local Food System

Brandon is the president of the board for a food co-op in Hillsboro where he is actively working to grow it. How co-ops are run and the maturity of them vary widely from town to town. It takes a lot of time and grassroots work to set them up and help them grow. He is regularly working on how to better manage relationships with community members and producers.

One of the driving forces for Brandon is the desire to create a better working food system that really benefits producers and helps them have larger access to customers. In turn benefiting the farmer and exposing more people to local agriculture.

“I would love to see more focus around a cooperative model for producers where they could bring their products to market in a standard way for the community to access those products.”
— Brandon

Why A Meat CSA?

As a longtime advocate for local food production and through the work on the food co-op, Brandon and Amelia, were keenly aware of what kind of local food was available to them. They participate in a vegetable CSA and wanted a direct meat source as well.

Their overall preference was to have high quality meat from a source they could trust. Understanding the practices involved in raising the animals and keeping production local was really important to them.

As they searched around, they found Double F Ranch. The subscription model was really appealing. The variety of options that Katia and Nathan are able to provide was a bonus too.

“The variety keeps it new and fresh. It allows me to explore with different recipes and different cuts. ”
— Brandon
“The CSA is a great value for my money when looking at semi bulk buying versus a whole cow. ”
— Amelia

In The Beginning

As Amelia and Brandon began their membership in the CSA they have had a few challenges here and there that they have successfully navigated. One of those challenges was making sure before each pick-up they stayed consistent with using up the meat before the next month came along. Once they figured out storage and how to rotate the meat, they found it to be seamless.

Larger cuts were more than enough for two people, so they started thinking about inviting friends over to share it with.

There have been a few times where they have had to ask a friend to pick up their share. They appreciate the opportunity to expose friends and neighbors to the CSA model by asking them to pick up the CSA share.

How The CSA Is Adding Value To Meal Time

On top of all the variety and opportunity the Double F Ranch meat CSA provides, Brandon and Amelia find that it simplifies the decision-making process around meal planning.

“I have a set number of cuts that I’m working with, which adds constraint, and is a good thing.

Experimenting with different cuts is a fun little mental exercise as well. It is a nice way to kind of push your own boundaries. ”
— Brandon & Amelia

Favorite Cuts, Meals and Swap & Trade Delight

Off the top of their heads, both love the pork cuts. Particularly the pork stew meat. Last summer Amelia and Brandon grew tomatillos in their garden and had an abundance of them to make tomatillo salsa.

Brandon put the pork stew meat in the crock pot over night with some of the salsa and it has become one of their favorite meals.

One important offering at CSA pick-up is the swap cooler. Brandon makes it a habit to check it out at each pick up.

The swap cooler is great. You get some extra wild card excitement - what's going to be in the swap cooler? I feel like we usually swap ground beef for something a little bit wackier. I'm like the proverbial kid in the candy store with the swap cooler. I open it up and dig all the way through it.

Brandon loves it when he finds a whole chicken in the swap cooler!

  • They spatchcock and oven roast the whole chickens. Sometimes Brandon will break down the chicken into separate parts and use the leftovers for making stock for soup.

Another cut that is a highlight for their household is the chicken wings!

Brandon and Amelia love being adventurous with their meals. Brandon says the cut he enjoys the most that is on the less common side, is beef flap. (This unfortunately named steak cut is quite the CSA darling for those in the know!)

Amelia shared that once when they cooked the beef flap, they invited friends over to enjoy it.

 It was fun to have people over, especially when you have a big chunk of meat that's more than a portion for just two people. Then you can teach other people about what beef flap is.

Tips & Tricks For New Members

Both Brandon and Amelia really recommend just jumping into the CSA. Key to being successful is making sure you have enough freezer space, developing a rotation strategy for your meat, and being adventurous!

“Challenge yourself a little bit. Don’t be afraid of cuts that you haven’t heard of before.

I think the main thing is understanding what cut performs well with what type of cooking method.
”
— Brandon

Both love all the helpful advice and recipe guidance available to members. The example recipes and suggestions go a long way in helping them embrace the variety and the model of the CSA. They suggest new members take advantage of these resources and have fun!

Final Thoughts

“I appreciate the free temporary tattoos that are often at the checkout table. It’s just nice to have that little fun community, and personal interaction that you don’t often get. ”
— Amelia
“One of my best memories from a pickup party was maybe late summer. Someone in the group brought this really old wine, from the 70s, that they shared from their cellar.

It was a really unique experience, and they were just like, today’s the day.

It was a very heavy, very old, and it had a bunch of sediment in the bottom. But it was so fun. You get to meet fellow food enthusiasts. It doesn’t even have to be meat related.
”
— Brandon


Thank you to Brandon and Amelia, for taking time to share your experience! -Rachel