HOW OFTEN DO YOU SHOP RANCH FOODS DIRECT?: Whenever I’m out of meat and need some!

HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN A CUSTOMER?: For the last three years or so

FAVORITE ITEMS: I really like the chicken and the ground beef. Interestingly I was vegetarian for 20 years, so I don’t know the meat cuts all that well, but I like to go in and get their help finding something to use for various meals. Any of the beef, pork or chicken, I like it all.

ON THE SHOPPING EXPERIENCE: It’s great to learn something new and feel like I’m feeding my family food that is healthy and ethically raised, which is really, really important to me, and to know I’m supporting the local economy. It makes me feel good about my purchases. I feel like a lot of times I don’t know what I’m getting. This way I feel like I’m doing something good for everybody across the board.

ON WHY SHE KEEPS COMING BACK: I heard Mike Callicrate speak at Ivywild School when we watched the film about Kirk Hanna and the Hanna Ranch. I really appreciated his point that even when you’re buying organic or free-range meat you’re still not certain where it’s coming from. I feel like with Ranch Foods Direct it’s a company I can trust. I know exactly what we are getting.

ON SEEKING OUT CALLICRATE BEEF IN PREPARED MEALS: It’s huge to me. I’m a meat snob in that when I go out to a restaurant, I always order vegetarian unless I know the meat is ethically raised, with no antibiotics or hormones.

FAVORITE LATE FALL DISHES: I love pulled pork, which I make in the crockpot, and pot roast. My favorite right now is a brat recipe, also for the crockpot. It has brown sugar and apples, sauerkraut, onion, a little dried mustard and beer.