Meatsourcing

I'd like to preface this post by saying that I am not an expert on high-quality, pastured meats or where to find them in central Illinois. And I have not, by any means, researched all the options and pricing, so I encourage you to do so.

Surprisingly, I am frequently asked where we purchase our meat and eggs. My goal with this post is to share the names of the farms where we have recently purchased locally-raised, organic, and pastured meats and eggs.

So, here it is...

Beef
Our most recent purchase of 1/4 beef came from R & K Beef. They are located in Pike County, IL, and their products are grass-fed and free of hormones and antibiotics. So far, we've sampled the sirloin, ribeye, t-bone, and burger. Each cut has been extremely tender, and the difference in taste over grocery store beef is phenomenal. It's how beef is supposed to taste! You can find out more at the R & K Beef website or find R & K Beef on Facebook.

Pork
R & K Beef also sells pork products, but we haven't tried them yet. Currently, we get our pork products from Oak Tree Organics in Ashland, IL. They frequently finish their pigs on apples, which gives the meat a wonderful flavor. They have a year-round online market with convenient weekly delivery locations in Jacksonville and Springfield. For more information and to sign up for the online market, you can find Oak Tree Organics on Facebook.

Chicken
Recently, Oak Tree Organics began raising broilers as a trial run. We haven't yet received our order, but we should be getting it in the next week or so. Prior to placing our order with Oak Tree Organics, we purchased chickens from Bear Creek Farm & Ranch. They're located in Palmer, IL, their prices are very competitive, and their chickens can be purchased fresh, frozen, cut up, whole, or by individual cut, depending on availability. You can find Bear Creek Farm & Ranch on Facebook.

Eggs
We buy wonderfully orange-yolked, delicious eggs from either Oak Tree Organics or Bear Creek Farm & Ranch. See the links above for more information.

Do you have any farms to add to list? How about sources of other meat products?

Mangia bene!