What it looks like to get beef in bulk directly from a rancher

Our Most Recent Beef Delivery

I know that many here read my posts not necessarily out of desire to do what I do, but instead out of curiosity of what something looks like in someone else's life. Since I know many have not bought meat regularly from a rancher, I thought I'd show you what it looks like for us. 

What this post is not:

This is not an endorsement or sales pitch for the rancher that I contract with, nor is it a pitch to get you to buy your meat from a rancher or small farmer. 

What this post is: 

Showing you what we receive in each order, and how the arrangement works for our family

I was sick last week. Right in the middle of my sneezing fits, sore throat and fatigue, my beef delivery arrived. Like a big girl, I put on some real shoes (but still in my pjs and robe) and dragged the box from the kitchen door to the garage. I then sorted, listed, and marked each individual packet of beef before freezing.

Some points about how this works for us

• I signed up for the least often delivery but with still the lowest price per pound, which is once every 3 months. The rancher appreciates that I'm a regular customer, and he can count on me to purchase a set dollar amount/weight amount on a regular basis.
• The rancher decides what goes into each delivery. There's a good balance of cuts each time. And it's a set amount of weight for every delivery, 30 pounds.
• Our arrangement can be flexible. I can temporarily suspend deliveries, if our family becomes deluged with beef and needs to catch up. I can also request specific cuts or grind. For example, if our family really enjoyed a lot of ground beef, I could specify X-pounds of ground every delivery. Or, if I wanted additional roasts, steaks, or briskets for specific times, I can put in a request for that. Otherwise, I leave it up to the rancher to choose what I will receive. Within that framework, I know that I will never receive any organ meats or too many bony cuts.
• The meat is packed directly out of their freezer and arrives at my house still frozen solid. It's packed in a styrofoam cooler with dry ice. 
• The box is shipped to me. I don't pick it up.
• Each cut of meat is wrapped in butcher's paper, with no plastic, and is clearly marked with what type of cut it is.
• The cuts vary a little each delivery. Sometimes I receive more steaks, other times more roasts.

What we got this past week (totaling about 30 pounds)

• 1 large heal roast
• 1 arm roast
• 1 large rump roast
• 4 sirloin tip steaks
• 2 sirloin steaks
• 2 rib steaks
• 1 porterhouse steak
• 1 New York steak
• 1 large skirt steak
• 1 package fajita meat (about 1 pound)
• 2 packages stew meat (about 1 pound each)
• 9 packages ground beef (about 1 pound each)

In previous deliveries we've received briskets, filets, short ribs,English roasts, and kabob meat in place of some of what we received this time. 

Thirty pounds may sound like a lot of beef. We're a household of 4 adults. As we receive 30 pounds every 3 months, that works out to 10 pounds per month, or 2.5 pounds per adult per month, which is about 2/3 pound per adult per week. But that would only be if we ate all of the beef. We don't. We also share some of the beef with our son and daughter-in-law and other guests. So I guess we each consume closer to about 1/2 pound of beef (meat, bones, and fat) per week. 

How I handle and manage each delivery of beef

• I itemize our delivery on a pad of paper as I unpack the cooler. I consult this list regularly as I plan meals.
• I mark each packet with an initial for the month (in this case a "D" for December) and the year. This way I can ensure I'm using up the oldest packages first.
• Although I have four different freezer spaces, I store all of the meat in just one of those spaces. So after itemizing and marking the packets, I put them all away, still frozen, into the 0 degree F stand alone freezer. By keeping it all together, I can quickly see how we're doing on meat throughout the period, and we don't "lose" any meat in one of the other freezers.

Leftover styrofoam coolers

I'm not thrilled to be amassing styrofoam coolers. But I have been putting them to good use. When we cleaned out the deep freeze this summer, I packed all of the freezer's contents into these coolers to keep it all cold/frozen. I also used one cooler to make my fall floral displays for the wall pockets by the front door, cutting down one cooler to fit the planters, then poking floral picks into the styrofoam slabs. This coming spring, I'll put some of them out on a free pile. I'm sure someone can find good use for clean, good condition coolers. I will hold onto a couple of coolers for my own use, though.

My thoughts on our choice

I'm pleased to be doing a part in keeping a small independent rancher in business as he works to support his family. The quality of the meat is higher than what I was buying in the grocery store. It simply smells better when cooking, and the taste is better. It's more expensive, but that is the tradeoff for making this sort of choice.

So, that's what buying beef in bulk looks like for my family.

Have you ever bought beef directly from a rancher? What was your experience?

Cute Way to Gift a Pair of Socks

We gift simple items like mittens and socks to friends, family, and their kids. Both mittens and socks make inexpensive gifts. A couple of years ago I posted how I turned pairs of mittens and chocolate bars into cute snowmen.

This year I'm turning pairs of socks into cute little "cupcakes." The cupcakes were simple to make, requiring no real skill. I had everything I needed on hand, and they came together quickly. What more could I ask for, right?

What I used:

For each sock cupcake:

• 1 pair of crew length socks (no show would also work, knee highs could be too thick once rolled)
• 1 rubber band
• 1 white paper coffee cup
• scissors, both paper scissors and pinking shears (for the cup's edge)
• a toothpick
• a red pom pom (for a cherry on top)
• hot glue
• ribbon for the cup

optional

• cellophane wrap
• twist tie

How I made them

1-I cut about 1-inch from the top of the coffee cup, then zig-zagged the edge with the pinking shears.

2-I laid the socks out, overlapping the long edge of one onto the other by about 1/4-inch. I then rolled the socks up slightly at an angle to produce a swirl effect. 

3-I used the rubber band to secure the socks, adjusting the swirls as needed. I then popped the pair into the trimmed cup.

4-I made a dot of hot glue on the pom pom and poked a toothpick into it as far as I could get it. I then trimmed the pointy end off the toothpick so it wouldn't damage the socks. 

I poked the pom pom toothpick into the center of the swirl of socks.

5-I added a ribbon bow to the paper cup to make it festive for the occasion, securing the back of the ribbon onto the cup with hot glue.

The gift is basically done at this point. For presentation, I also wrapped my "cupcakes" in cellophane, securing with a gold twist tie. We save cellophane from other gifts and wrappings, so I always have a few pieces on hand. I wrapped the cupcake in a long rectangular piece of cellophane, up and around on both front and back, taping it in place on the backside while the "cupcake" laid on its front.

So easy. Yet it makes a pair of socks as a gift look actually fun!