Better Health Series: Hickory Nut Gap Meat CSA

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to particpate in a local CSA? I have and this year I decided to try it. We have one local steak left from our purchase from Warren Wilson Farm. Thank goodness, we got an email from Hickory Nut Gap Farm informing us of our pickup date and contents. We chose a 10 pound box from now until November. It costs us $80 per month. Normally, a CSA requires you to pay up front, but I inquired about making monthly payments and guess what? It worked. I can’t guarantee this will work for you, but it’s worth a shot if you are on a budget like we are. My husband gets paid once a month and we’re frugral with our meat money if you know what I mean. I’m excited to try this CSA for six months and report what I’m freezer cooking.

I made freezer breakfast burritos for camping and vacation with local sausage last time. My daughter is looking forward to this. We consumed six of these from Warren Wilson Farms over the past four months. It was delicious with only five ingredients. Local pork and some herbs and spices you can see. I’m anxious to see if I can taste the difference in the two. One thing I did notice when we consumed local sausage was the difference in the sodium intake. When I eat two slices of store-bought turkey bacon on “breakfast for dinner” nights, I’m so thirsty for hours after. The local sausage didn’t cause me to thirst after. I only got one boo-hoo, maybe next month.

Check out my freezer cooking recipes with photos from our last local meat purchase here. I made cooked taco meat, southwest freezer rub, roast beef sandwiches, grilled cheese steak sandwiches and more.

This is the email I received from the Hickory Nut Gap CSA:

This month the 10 lb box contains:
  • Pork Ribs and Beef Short Ribs
  • Skirt, Tri Tip, and Filet Mignon Steaks
  • Ground Beef
  • Breakfast Sausage
  • Chorizo
  • London Broil
The 15 lb box contains:
  • Pork Ribs and Short Ribs
  • Skirt, Filet Mignon, and Flat Iron Steaks
  • 2 Pack of Ground Beef
  • Breakfast Sausage
  • Buncombe Bratwurst
  • Chuck Roast
  • London Broil
  • Stew Meat
Check out this excellent recipe for short ribs created one of Hickory Nut Gaps past interns, who happens to be an amazing chef.
A tip for cooking your London Broil: Do not overcook it! Broil it for a few minutes flipping it over once. Slice the steak thinly against the grain and serve. I usually just add salt and pepper as a dry rub and it turns out great!
An idea for the chuck roast: Put it in the crock pot in the morning with some barbeque sauce, when you get home from work take a fork and shred it… barbequed beef easy as a can be!

Would you like to participate in a a local meat CSA, too? Check out your local suppliers and shoot them an email with your questions and ask if you could do monthly installments if needed. Hey, it’s worth a try!

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