The Catalyst for Change
About a year and a half ago, I embarked on a mission to improve my health and took my husband along for the ride. Knowing that wherever the journey led me and whatever changes I was going to make, they had to be subtle and tasty or he wasn’t going to partake (my husband is the original junk food junkie). The common joke was how long would the restaurant food last in me after my last bite? Sometimes 45 minutes, most times 20 minutes, and occasionally 10 minutes. And there was no discrepancy between a take-out/fast food or sit-down restaurant. There was also no distinction whether I ate in my hometown, the county I lived in, or another. Then I began to notice all the local restaurants were receiving their ingredients like meat, produce, dry goods, etc., by the same company. I thought to myself, “ Huh? Maybe this could be the reason why we get sick?” So truthfully, I believe it didn’t matter where I ate because it was all coming from the same distribution company. And where does this distribution company get its products that they sell? Well, you would be surprised or maybe not. I was, and this company probably delivers to restaurants all over the state. Heck, I found out this company delivers all throughout the United States and brings products from all over the world. For me, I could only conclude that it was in fact the products being delivered by this company that were making me sick. It wasn’t until my husband started to get sick that he was completely on board with us eating at home all the time.
Challenges with Store-Bought and Subscription Meats
I began buying meat at my local grocery store(s). I mean, the meat has to be better from a grocery store, right? I say barely! Anyway, I had no choice, or so I thought. I was always looking for the deals. Mostly, we could afford ground beef, chicken. Sausage and bacon when it was on sale. For a good while (3 or 4 months), we both were feeling good. Then we were getting sick from sausage, then it was the beef roasts, and then the ground beef. We were taking medication just so we could eat without diarrhea, but still feeling sick. What was going on? I knew it wasn’t my cooking! I found and decided to order from a co-op company that exclusively dealt with small, local, and family farms. I particularly liked that the packaging contained a QR code that led me to the farm where my meat was sourced. And I must say anyone who answered the phone was friendly, knowledgeable, and had great customer service! However, at the end of the day, items I needed were sold out, and I no longer wanted to deal with the short supply and high demand issue.
I then went to a known subscription service, and that yielded mixed results: the first box was great, but the second had inconsistent quality, and sickness returned.
Research and Decision-Making
Determined to find a solution, I dove deeper into food sources. I remember thinking that a few years back, I had a customer that raised beef and would find people to share the cow. I contacted her, and while she no longer raised beef, she suggested that I look for a farm/ranch. After our conversation, I was on the internet learning everything I could about buying beef from a farm.
Within the next day, ranchers and farmers were showing up on my social media feeds (who would have thought 😆). I began to go to any rancher’s website that showed up on my social media. That started a frenzy of questions I needed to find out the answers! Who are these farmers? Where are their farms? Are they small or do they have thousands of acres? Are they truly a mom-and-pop? 1st-generation farmers or longer? How long have they been selling beef? What do they feed the cattle - are they grass- or grain-fed? And does that really matter? Are the cattle allowed to roam in a pasture or stuck inside having the grass and/ or grain trucked in to feed them? In what state are they located? Do they ship to my state? How much would shipping cost? What is the difference between 1/4, 1/2, and a whole share of beef? What cuts will I receive? How long will it last? I decided to talk with a handful of farmers/ranchers (still don’t know what they like to be called). Wow, what an education I got. And I tell you almost all called me back after working the ranch all day, and you could tell they were tired but happy to answer any question that I threw at them. Most were including a free freezer. Some only offered 1/2 or a whole share. All said that I would also receive organs, bones (for broth), and kidney fat for making tallow. I was getting so excited, like the night before my birthday!
The Ordering Experience
Well, I decided to buy a quarter share of beef with a free freezer. I liked the idea of having a freezer dedicated to beef. Although I could have ordered from any of the farmers I spoke with, it truly boiled down to 1. I just couldn’t gauge how long the beef would last, and I thought better to order on the short side and, if need be, order a 1/2 share next time around. 2. The price. The ranch I ordered from was, in fact, the least expensive. I believe that to be because the beef wasn’t their only income.
Delivery and Initial Impressions
The excitement grew as the freezer was on the way, and my husband had cleared a spot in the garage. Woo Hoo!!! Freezer delivered, and my husband had the freezer unboxed and plugged in - all ready to go. I was so excited! I will say that I was disappointed in the chest freezer. My disappointment has nothing to do with the farmer or the quality of the freezer. It was a chest freezer, and I realized that I would not be able to see what the variety of cuts was unless I pulled out everything, and that was not going to work for me! So, I pulled all frozen veggies and berries from my upright freezer and placed them in the chest freezer in great anticipation of the arrival of our 1/4 share of beef. A week later, our beef arrived. I was looking forward to organs, bones, and kidney fat. ‘Free bones and organs’ had been confirmed via the website and a phone conversation with the rancher. The kidney fat was a verbal agreement. I did not receive any bones, organs, or kidney fat. When I talked with the rancher, it wasn’t understood why I didn’t get the bones or organs. The explanation was that they were possibly shipped to another customer. The kidney fat was a verbal agreement. However, an agreement is an agreement. The explanation was that the processor must have needed it for the ground beef. I truly was disenchanted, so I reached out to a couple of homesteaders that I follow on social media, and the answer was the same…Bad processors. Not all processors are the same. So now I add to my question list: Who is your processor? And research the processor.
Taste
Our first meal was hamburgers seasoned simply with salt and pepper. When I opened up the package, the aroma transported me back to my childhood, and I can’t explain it, only that it was a good feeling. Crazy that I could have a good feeling over the smell of ground beef! The taste was phenomenal. I will never go back to store-bought beef. Ever!
Delivery Concerns
Because this was being shipped from another state and was shipped 2 days via FedEx, I had expected dry ice and freezer insulation (my experience with the co-op and the subscription service). This was not the case. A bunch of freezer packs were used. Part of the meat was thawed, but ice cold, and part of the meat was center frozen, and part of the meat was frozen. The order came in May, and the temperatures for that week were high 60’s, low 70’s. Concerned, but not devastated, as I knew everything was still good. Later, I found out that there wasn’t a dry ice company in the area where my meat was harvested. While I am still alive and kicking , I recommend confirming shipping schedules to avoid weekend delays. Also, if you live in an area that gets into the 90’s and up, make sure that you are home to accept delivery or consider ordering during more mild temperature months.
Disappointments
Freezer Type: Received a chest freezer instead of a stand-up. On me, not the rancher. Great quality freezer. I just like upright freezers. And it all worked out well.
Missing Items: No organs, bones, or kidney fat were included. Both website and phone confirmation were given.
Size consistency: Single variety steaks were not even close to the same size.
Final Thoughts
Despite some disappointments, we haven’t experienced any illness from the beef, and the taste remains outstanding. The cost was a bit of sticker shock on the surface. However, when I went and priced out what I received, the price began to fade away. Then I added in that I didn’t have to go to the store using my gas and time, and the cost faded even more, and the fact that I haven’t been sick since May of 2025, the once surface sticker shock is now priceless to me. What I will say is Buy Local and/or Buy Fresh. If you don’t have a local rancher/farmer, then do your research and talk with the ranchers. Ask them a lot of questions. This journey has taught me valuable lessons about sourcing quality meat and the importance of diligent research.
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