Resolution #5: Eat. Meat. Love.

Every other Wednesday, I walk home just a step quicker because I know there is a little gift waiting outside my front door. I lug the unassuming but familiar brown box into my kitchen and pull out all of the contents. Depending upon the season, I find vibrant Satsuma mandarins, tender Spring greens, just-pulled-out-of-the-dirt potatoes, or fragrant heirloom tomatoes. And there’s always a letter from the farmer, Thad, telling me the story behind all of these fresh fruits and vegetables. Getting my CSA box from Farm Fresh to You feels like a little celebration!

Since I’ve enjoyed my produce box so much over the past year and a half, I figure it’s time to invest a little further – which is why I’m resolving to join a meat CSA this year. Meat CSAs work similarly to a produce CSA, except that you have to commit to a certain amount of meat ahead of time so the farmer can raise enough animals accordingly. Also, they usually deliver less frequently, which makes sense. I’m not sure I need a 15 pound box o’ meat every week anyway!

There are only a handful in the Bay Area that I found:

• Marin Sun Farms: Probably the most popular meat CSA in the city, it offers 13 pickup locations throughout the Bay Area. You can select one of 11 packages that range from $30 to $180 a month, or design your own. All of the meat is raised in Marin or Sonoma county and guaranteed to be free of antibiotics.

• Sonona County Meat Buying Club: For between $65 to $180 a month, you can order 7 to 25 pounds of meat that has been raised by one of 13 local meat producers. They require a minimum 3-month order and offer chicken, beef, lamb and pork. There are several pick-up locations outside of San Francisco.
• Clark Summit Meat Club: Sadly, this CSA is totally booked. They aren’t accepting any new members at the moment, but it sounds like they are trying to expand and accomodate more. If you are lucky enough to get a spot, you can expect chicken, beef, and pork raised in the coastal foothills of northwest Marin.
• Bay Area Meat CSA: This site helps you network with neighbors to buy “shares” of whole animals; they don’t actually procure and deliver the meat. Whether you are looking to buy 10 or 100 pounds of meat, you can find somebody to help split the cost and share the logistical details. This would be great for two families looking to share a whole cow or for somebody interested in specific types of meat, like goat or duck.

Tagged as: Bay Area Meat Club, beef, chicken, Clark Summit Meat Club, CSA, farm, lamb, Marin Sun Farms, meat, resolution, Sonoma Country Meat Buying Club