The Sonoma County Meat Buying Club is another Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) organization we belong to. But instead of getting vegetables, our subscription provides a monthly box of meat.

From farmers markets to retail stores, market channels are expanding for locally produced foods in response to booming demand; yet meats remain a challenge due to the infrastructure required for processing and marketing. Many Sonoma County residents would like to buy from local ranches that practice humane treatment and environmental stewardship. They also want to support Sonoma County’s ranching landscapes and heritage. The Sonoma County Meat Buying Club will provide this opportunity.

Here’s what a box looks like:

We get the “small” sized box, which is about seven pounds of beef and pork each month for $65 a month. There’s usually about five pounds of beef and two pounds of pork; some months, a chicken is included and the total box weight is more than seven pounds. And sometimes there are other types of meat, too. View this photo to see exactly what we’ve been getting over recent months…you’ll probably have to zoom in to see it.

Like our vegetable CSA, our meat CSA provides a newsletter and recipes in every box. Not picking the cuts to buy ourselves has turned out to be a benefit rather than a constraint. We enjoy getting new things to try…I would have never bought goat meat in the grocery store, but we were delighted to make a meal event out of it:

Almost all of the meat we eat comes from our monthly box. It’s a good size for two people, although we do have to be clever about leftovers to use the larger cuts. Grass-fed beef does need to be cooked a little differently (not as long) as industrial beef, and we’ve really enjoyed the taste of everything. If you’re an omnivore and enjoy some meat in your diet, this is a great alternative to growing your own!

Link: Sonoma County Meat Buying Club