I have a ‘guy’ who sells me my meat.

I haven’t always had a meat resource, but I am blessed to have a dear friend who facilitated my desire to source locally raised animals, so now I can happily say I have a local farmer who I can turn to when I need to stock my freezer full of meat.

Todd the Meat Guy (as I lovingly call him) is a sweet farmer one state over (about 40 minutes drive) who raises lambs, hogs and cattle with his family. I met him when my friend called and asked me if I wanted to go in on a half hog with her from a local farmer. There wasn’t a moments hesitation, as I had been searching around for a local source anyway.

When I first called ‘Todd the Meat Guy’ about my hog, he shared that his family is known for its lamb, but they were also starting to get serious in to raising grass fed beef cattle. Well, when life gives you lemons…

So, back to the present. This morning, driving home from church I get a call from Todd regarding this years order. You see, one year I forgot to call early enough in the fall and I missed out on my pork. As foodies the world around can agree, life without bacon is not a life worth living. I now am diligent to call EARLY every fall and get on the list.

So why would I post about local sourcing & meat prices on a blog called ‘Rockin the Mom Role’? Because I feel a good part of my job as the ‘mom’ is to get healthy and cost efficient food on my family’s table.

Might I pass on a few pearls of my wisdom?

Find your own “Todd the Meat Guy”. It’s really not as hard as you think. Just start talking to your friends, their friends, family, neighbors, co-workers, church, grandparents, ect. If you live in an urban area, you can talk to restaurants, who promote a locally grown menu, for their sources. Cooking stores often have names of local producers. Even eggs and chicken can be locally sourced. I have a friend through church who has hens in her yard. There honestly is no comparing those mass produced eggs with the eggs from her, lovingly cared for, hens raised in her backyard.

So, I’ll be pulling out of my freezer some grass fed, 97% lean, mighty tasty ground beef to make sloppy joes made from scratch. Maybe tomorrow will be pork chops, or lamb burgers. Instead of running to the grocery, I can shop in the comfort of my basement. And when I run low, its time to call Todd.

Todd & A Well Stocked Freezer