Reviews for: Cedar Valley Sustainable Farm

I have been enjoying meat and eggs from Cedar Valley for a number of years now. I found them in an effort to reduce the hormones and antibiotics in my diet of grocery store based meat items. I never anticipated it tasting so much better. I've been a life long hater of pork chops and hams. Until now. I love it when I get pork chops in my share - it's my favorite offering. The chickens actually taste like chicken. The eggs always have the most beautiful colored yolks. Highly recommended!

We have been a member of the CSA for Cedar Valley Sustainable Farm for a number of years now ever since Beth graciously attended a Sustainability Fair my company was holding. I have to say we've always been delighted with our monthly share - the quality of the meats are far superior to what you'd buy at the supermarket - chicken with actual flavor! And it's great to know where it's coming from and that the animals were well looked after. Plus we get to support a great local farm and family!

I have been a CSA member for years now and love it. It is wonderful to taste natural meat that has so much flavor people ask your for the recipe, even though all you added was salt and pepper. I have so much more respect for meat now that I know the family that works so hard to create it. I use every little bit. Nothing goes to waste and we savor all of the flavors. I couldn't never go back to grocery store meat. CVSF has permanently changed the way my family eats, for the better.

The eggs from CVSF are amazing - golden orange yolks and jus delicious. Our friends and family can't stop talking about them. We often share, since the two of us can't eat 2 dozen eggs in a month, but it's fun to share the wealth.

The meats have been excellent. You do have to be ready for chicken with less meat than those jumbo monsters at the grocery store, and that isn't tenderized to a sponge-like consistency. So, it's a bit more chewy, but the flavor is incomparable. Just divine. We also loved the chops, ground meats, steaks, and beef stew meat. And receiving items like ham hocks, flank steak, and pork shoulder inspire us to be more creative, so we've discovered some neat new soups, Mexican dishes, and quiche recipes (to use up all those eggs!).

This is our first CSA and we have been very happy with Cedar Valley. The eggs are great; one of my daughters refused to eat eggs any way except hard boiled (and then only ate the whites) but she loves these ones scrambled on the first try.

The chickens are smaller then you would get from the grocery store (I assume due to the way they are raised), but they are very flavorful when cooked and aren't salty or tasteless at all, something that I do find with grocery store chickens.

The pork chops are the best I've ever had the beef is also top-notch.

The share sizes are larger than I expected and, while not a bargain, are very good value for the amount you get. Depending on how many people eat the share, you may need to supplement on the eggs but unless you eat meat every night you should need minimal outside meat buying for 2 adults.

If you are considering a meat CSA, I highly recommend Cedar Valley. Beth and Jody are very accommodating and helpful and the food is great

I was apprehensive at first about paying the 3 month share up front for untasted meat, but am so glad I took the "risk". The first meal was a whole roasted chicken - and it actually tasted like chicken - not what i was used to before. Everything that followed was wonderful tasting, and nice to cook with. I just purchased a side og pork and a 1/4 of the milk and meadow beef, and will post on the bulk purchase later - but I will miss those eggs in the monthly share!

We got a quarter of a cow from Cedar Valley a few weeks ago and have loved the meat. We've made steaks, bolognese sauce, tacos and a beef ragu from the meat so far and it's all been great. The flavor is so much better than what you get from the grocery stores. The only problem we've had is stopping ourselves from eating beef every night.

We just joined Cedar Valley's meat CSA last week and got our first share on Saturday.

I definitely feel like I got my money's worth, and we've already eaten two of the products: a package of ground beef and a whole chicken. We ate both of them relatively unadulterated and un-dressed so we could get a taste for the meat, and they were both delicious.

Communication and transactions were fast and friendly, and I'm recommending Cedar Valley to all of my friends!

We bought a three month share to try it out. It was a great experience. At first we would giggle about how different the meat looked from what we were used to getting from the supermarket, but now I wouldn't have it any other way. It is plenty of meat for our family. We have two toddlers and do not eat meat every single day so we always had meat carrying over from the last month. The eggs....ah the eggs. The yolks were the most beautiful yellow I have ever seen on an egg. We didn't have the chance to renew and the eggs are the thing I look forward to most when we get to get another share! Thank you for a great experience and I look forward to purchasing another share in the near future!

One of my New Year's resolutions was to join a CSA and in general, eat more organics. I picked up my shipment this month and have already been won over by the sheer quality and taste of this delicious meat. The ground beef made the best burger ever. Now, going into the supermarket, I'm having a hard time even thinking of buying commercial meats. I'm sold. Thanks Cedar Valley......many blessings for continued success.

The meats from Cedar Valley are delicious. In fact, the other day I picked up some conventionally, mass-produced chicken and served it to my family. The reactions... "Why is this so spongy? Is this pork?" and no one finished theirs. We've gotten spoiled by the taste of meats as nature intended for them to taste. The eggs are fantastic too. The bright yellow/orange yolks make the pancakes I've made with some of them look like something Martha Stewart would make to celebrate the fall harvest. We've just signed up for another share, and will continue to do so.

I love getting my meat CSA from Cedar Valley every month. It is so important to me to know that the meat I eat was raised in a humane, sustainable way. The quality is excellent and I find that the variety (some value added products like hamburger patties, brats, and sausage and some basic cuts and whole chickens) works very well. I split the share with my boyfriend and it works out nicely; we like having meat to share at cook outs and having a nice variety in the freezer. He is a chef and has cooked with meat from many different local farmers and has nothing but good things to say about quality-- especially the chickens!

So I accidentially turned on channel 7's 190north show one Sunday evening and they were talking about sustainable farms. This was truely my lucky day, we had made steaks earlier that day, and they tasted like cardboard...So I began my quest to find farm raised beef/chicken and eggs......I would really love to find dairy too, but who knows?!! Anyways, I called and talked to Beth about the variety and how it all works, bing bang boom, I sent in my check and I have already made my first roast chicken (of my life) and it was Fantastic. The EGGS.....its kinda funny, thats the color healthy eggs are supposed to be.........who knew..........and super tastey. I made spaghetti cabonara and practially licked the pot the sauce was so tastey!!!!! Keep up the good work Osmunds! We are so happy we are part of your farming community!!

We have been getting shares from Cedar Valley for about a year now, and it has changed us forever. We can't even enjoy a meal out anymore because it doesn't taste like food compared to what we have at home. It's been so exciting every month to open our share and start picking out recipes for what we have. We have baked chicken on sunday nights and it's always juicy and tender. The steak is truly the best steak I have ever eaten, and I've eaten at plenty of famous steakhouses. The pork chops are my favorite. They're so good on their own they don't require any seasoning but a crumble of rosemary. And the eggs... I could go on about the eggs! Paired with their ham steak or bacon, you have a breakfast fit for a king! Everything they give us gets an A+, even hot dogs!

We bought a three month subscription and enjoyed the sausage, beef and eggs. The chicken was pretty tough and different from what we are used to. If we marinated it and put it on the grill it was fine. It was interesting to receive a different type of meat than we are used to every month and satisfying that we were receiving a locally raised product.

Growing up, all of our meat and eggs came from my grandparents' small farm. At the time it wasn't the trendy thing to do, but provided quality low priced meat for a family on a very tight budget. I was thrilled to find Cedar Valley-we've had two months of their meat CSA and I couldn't be happier. Our first meal from the CSA meat-bacon and eggs. My foodie husband said their eggs are the best he has ever had-I'll go ahead and say they're as good as my grandmother's :) The meat is wonderful, fabulous, tastes like real beef and pork. The flavor is wonderful, it's a really good deal if you shop for meat at places like Paulina and Whole Foods (and the qualilty is MUCH better), it's healthy and supports local small farmers like my grandparents. OH, and Beth and Jody are wonderful people. This month, I realized we needed to change our pick up day-they were very understanding and accommodating. We'll be with this CSA for a long time!

We recently started purchasing shares from Cedar Valley because of their farming techniques. I expected the taste of their products to be similar to the high quality meats and eggs you'd find at Whole Foods. I was wrong in the best possible way.

The eggs are truly the best I've ever tasted - by a long shot! The stuff you find at grocery stores (I'm talking the $5 a dozen - free range variety) can't hold a candle to Cedar Valley's bright orange yolked, full of flavor beauties. Just unbelievable!

The meats, especially the bacon, are superior as well.

Plus, their prices are so reasonable considering the quality and the taste - it's such a no-brainer to do business with this family.

For the price, why not try a 3 month share?

Not only does Cedar Valley consistently supply the tastiest meat we've ever tasted (down to the simplest ground beef), but they provide wonderful and cheery service again and again. Proof once again that establishing solid connections with real people who care about us and our food is always better than getting nutrients from faceless, anonymous agribusinesses that remain unreachable and unaccountable.

Oh but back to the meat, simply delicious. And we're provided nice recipes and suggestions for cooking/serving and interesting information about where it came from, challenges and triumphs. Just a great deal and I can't recommend Cedar Valley highly enough!

My wife and I have been getting meat and egg shares for several months now and have been pleased with every one of them. We've visited the farm and met the Osmund clan. Not only do I feel good about supporting a very deserving local family run business, but I also know that I am eating more healthfully and impacting the environment less.

The prices are quite reasonable, especially taking into consideration the work that the Osmunds put into getting the meat processed and delivered every month.

We had our Cedar Valley turkey for Thanksgiving, and even with minimal seasoning it was without a doubt the juiciest and most flavorful turkey I've eaten before.

We look forward to the email updates about the state of the farm and Beth and Jody's participation in food policy activism. Even more than that, we look forward to our shipment each month.

If you have any doubts, give it a try for three months and I guarantee you'll love it.

I don't have a long time to write a review as I am off to pick up my share in a few minutes. Simply put, anything these guys do is top notch. Our family has been with them almost since the beginning when they had vegetable shares. Of all of the many reasons why we keep coming back (not the least of which is that they are good folks promoting earth-friendly agriculture), one I'd like to mention right now is that the FLAVOR of everything they produce is the best I've ever tasted. Not just better than grocery store the because it is fresh and local and all that, but just top notch across the board.

I buy local and small farm and organic whenever I can, and also grow some stuff, so I've done my comparing. I just wish they still did veggies too.

So, if you like to cook with quality ingredients, get your meat from Cedar Valley.

We have had two months worth of meat from this CSA and are about to pick up our third. We will definitely be renewing. This is my first CSA experience and I really liked the fact that we could sign up short term to try it out. It has been a great experience. The month's share is actually more than we would regularly eat in a month, so VERY good value for money. All the meat has been excellent, and the value-added meats like bratwurst and hot dogs are especially delicious and much better than anything we've found in the stores.

We used to order local meat when we lived in the farmlands of Ohio when I was a kid. I used to look forward to those familiar white paper-wrapped packages in the freezer.

Fast forward 30 years and I live in with my own family in Chicago. I used to groan when I would cruise the meat department at any local grocery store. Either the meat was really sub-par or the prices were ridiculously high. I missed the white packages in my freezer that made cooking for dinner so easy.

Enter...Cedar Valley. Through our local church (ResCov), we signed up for a meat/egg share and haven't looked back. Oh delight! So easy! So delicious! The poultry, the beef, the pork, the sausage, the (incredibly awesome) eggs! Took me right back to my childhood and quality eats.

It's been fun getting the newsletter with the recipes and swapping more recipes with folks in my community who are getting the same local food that we are. The whole experience has been extremely positive and rewarding.

My husband and I are going into our fourth month with Cedar Valley Sustainable Farm and we are very happy with the decision to do their CSA. Everything is great. We love the variety and the eggs are very good too. We started out by trying a 3 month subscription to see how we'd like it and I just sent a check to renew for six months. I also like the summer pick up at the Logan Square Farmer's Market which has been very convenient.

We have been receiving a meat share from Cedar Valley since June. We are extremely happy with our decision. Beth and Jody are great folks and really care about what they do, and it comes across in the quality of the meat. The variety and quality is unsurpassed by ANYTHING you can get in a grocery store. We love the pork chops we get...simply wonderful.

We recommend that anyone in the Chicagoland area looking for locally raised and humanely farmed me give Cedar Valley Sustainable a try.

Justin and Meggon Mae Thornburgh-- Chicago

I signed up for a 3 month share and will sign up fo longer. All of the meat has been wonderful. It is fun to get different meats that I might not pick up at the grocery store.

The eggs and bacon have made our breakfasts more enjoyable.

I can't wait for my Turkey this Thanksgiving!

- Kelley

I had joined a veggie CSA program last summer and really enjoyed the experience of picking up, washing, preparing and eating the fresh, local produce. This past fall, through my produce farmer, I met Jody and Beth. This summer I signed up for a three month program of the meat-share pick-up and it's been so much fun! And at first I was surprised at how different (good!) the food looked and tasted! The egg yolks were so yellow/orange I actually took a digital photo and emailed it to Beth asking if that's what the eggs were supposed to look like?! (I can't believe how long I had eaten eggs that were pale in color....it's a bit scary....)

Working with Beth and Jody has been a real joy. I love the monthly emails that keep me posted on what is happening on the farm. And my spirit feels good knowing that these animals were farmed responsibly and that I'm supporting two wonderful farmers who really care about the food they are selling as much as they care about the people they are selling it to.

I enjoyed the experience so much that I have signed up for another 3 months and I look forward to a long relationship with Cedar Valley Farm.

In as much as they thank me for buying their meat, I thank them for changing how I view and eat food.

Thank you, Olivia

My husband and I wanted to start eating more local, and stumbled upon Cedar Valley. Boy, we were in luck. We signed up for the three month shared meat program.

Everything was delicious and actually supplied food for over a month. My personal favorite is the pork and bacon. This past month we received hamburgers and hot dogs. They are now on the top of the favorite list. I am looking forward to the turkeys this fall. The eggs are so fresh, nothing like store bought.

Jody and Beth are great to work with and very flexible with pick ups. We toured the farm in June and was very pleased to see the animals happy and roaming. It is great to see their kids working with chores and taking pride in their work. I look forward to picking up my next months meat share!

I am very satisfied with the food and process of Cedar Valley. The prices are great too. All of this, and I can support my local community!

I decided to research the availability of natural grass fed and pastured meat in the Chicago land area, and came upon Cedar Valley Farm. Not wanting to keep contributing to the industrial machine from which our supermarket meat comes from I decided to try a 3 month share. Best decision I've made all year. The food is great, I get different cuts each month, and it is both better tasting and better for you nutritionally. (research the levels of Omega 3 fatty acids between pastured animals and feedlot animals) It is nice to know where your food comes form and that the animals are treated well, and not given any additives or drugs. Beth and Jody seem like very nice people and after getting a tour of the farm I was doubly sold on the concept. Its kind of odd that we as a society search far and wide for the best contractor for our house or mechanic for our cars, but don't really pay any attention as to where our food comes form. Now I know exactly where my food is coming from and its nice to get fresh, local and quality meat. After 3 months I'm back for more, its been a delicious ride so far.

I would highly recommend trying the CSA route for your meats, not only are you supporting local farmers and helping the environment, you are getting a great, natural, low-stress, more healthy and delicious product, and you have the ability to inspect the conditions in which it is raised yourself.

Slavek

After sampling Cedar Valley's beef, we signed up for a 3 month CSA. It seems like the logical, green, and just plain right way to get the best local beef, pork, poultry and eggs.

Oh, those eggs! Wow! Took me back fifty years to my girlhood when eggs had real taste and rich yellow yolks.

Beth and Jody are ahead of the curve, and we can only wish them the success they deserve.

Rich and Phyllis Natanek

My wife and I first met Beth and Jody Osmund at the farmer's market in Logan Square; we were first drawn in by the bacon, which was incredible. We soon found out that the Osmunds were offering a CSA share, and we immediately signed up.

And we've never been happier! Everything we've gotten, from chicken to beef stew meat, has been tasty and easy to cook. We signed up for a three month share, and every month we eagerly await our delivery. We've gotten chicken, bacon, pork shoulder, hamburger, sausage, ham, eggs, pork chops, filet mignon....I could go on and on, but every time we get a different mix of meats, and every time it's a delight to see what we get.

When we go shopping at the grocery store, it's so much easier; we just have to get things to go along with our meat. And I'll let you in on a secret: if you start with top-notch ingredients, you can be forgiven for not being the world's best chef. I've overcooked a pork chop or two, and even the seemingly overcooked stuff turns out great.

My wife and I had the great privilege of visiting Cedar Valley Farm in late April this year, and had an amazing time. We got a tour of the farm, we got to see the fenced-off areas for pigs and cows, we got to see the beautiful pasture where the chickens are raised, and we got to see that the animals are treated kindly and with respect, like they wouldÂ?ve been at a farm hundred years ago. There arenÂ?t any pens or concrete floors, all the animals roam around in areas fenced off roughly by electric wire, and they all seemed perfectly content.

IÂ?ve tried to be an informed citizen about my food; my wife and I have read the books and articles about the modern industrial farming process, and if itÂ?s not downright creepy, itÂ?s at least worrisome. But our drive to Cedar Valley Farm was reassuring in so many ways. Everything was clean, the pastures were lush and green, and all the animals were treated with respect.

After our visit to the farm, I emailed pictures of our visit to friends of mine, who live in various places around the country. Within two days, based on my praise, five of them had signed up for CSAÂ?s in their own cities. A good product is its own best advertising.

And at bottom, thereÂ?s something very reassuring about shaking the hands of the people who provide you your food.

Plus, this is all without mentioning the TASTE. Everything weÂ?ve gotten, whether beef, chicken or pork, has been juicy and tender and absolutely amazing. We look forward every month to see what new present we get in our meat share, and weÂ?re never disappointed. My wife and I will be members of the Cedar Valley Farm CSA as long as itÂ?s offered.

This past winter, becoming interested in locally grown, pastured beef, pork and chicken, we purchased two cuts of grass-fed beef from Cedar Valley Sustainable.

We were extremely pleased with the quality! We are not big beef eaters, either, but the quality of the products far surpassed anything raised in a feed lot!

As a result, we will be seriously considering CSA with this farm this year.

Phyllis Natanek