Every day you have less reason not to give yourself away. — Wendell Berry
Many of our clients and friends — who epitomize for us the meaning of writer and farmer Berry’s words — have been kind enough to send us their greetings and thoughts about our grass-raised beef. We offer them here as independent testimony to what we offer at High Hope Farm.
– Johnny and Deb Wray
Testimonials
“The beef is excellent. We’ve sampled ground, minute steak, and chuck roast. All were very tasty! We ended up with quite a bit of ground this time so I offered some of it to a friend. They took 20 packs off my hands and his grown son reports that it’s ‘the best burger he’s ever had.'”
– Beth“Things are wonderful. The beef is amazing! I can’t believe the difference. I will find it hard to go back or try anything else now. I appreciate all the help in making this an absolutely seamless and easy process! It was wonderful meeting your wife and seeing the farm. My girlfriend and I could feel all the love poured into it. Many thanks!”
– McKenzie“The beef is GREAT. We just ate a second one of our roasts for lunch. So tender — the kids ate it up. My birthday was this week, and I wanted my husband to grill some of our new boneless rib eyes — I finished the last of it with breakfast this morning. They were excellent!! We’re very pleased!! Thank you for checking! I cannot think of anything I’d want improved. The beef is excellent. Thank you!!”
– Amanda“Johnny, the meat is delicious as usual. Wally always does a great job with the cuts too. Thank you for giving us the opportunity to eat healthy local beef!”
– Beth Thompson“Actually, I meant to write and tell you that we are loving the meat. I don’t know if the cow is a different breed, or maybe the grass was different this year! HA! But, we thought the steaks were the best we’ve had!”
Thanks so much,
– Marilyn Easley“Hi there! We love the beef! We grilled ribeyes last weekend, and they were the best! We got them cut thicker this time, and I’m sure that helped, but we think this beef tastes even better than the one we bought from you before. We’ve enjoyed all the other beef we’ve been eating, too. ”
– Amanda Criss“Hey Johnny! Thank you so much for checking in! We grilled steaks Saturday and Sunday nights and they were delicious! So good! We are very happy with everything!”
– Crystal Barnhill“Johnny,
We have used some of our ground beef and it was wonderful but for me the real test was the sirloins. Out of 3 or 4 quarter beef shares I’ve had in the past few years from various farmers, I’ve never been happy with the steaks. They just haven’t been thick enough or tasty. But WOW these were the best steaks I’ve had, even in comparison to the cuts from the gourmet butcher up here. I even over-cooked them and I could still tell the quality difference.
Mr. Sansing could not have been more enjoyable to work with. He cut the steaks much thicker upon my request and was just a pleasure to talk to. Everything was packaged neatly and labeled clearly. So thankful to have access to quality meat. On those harder days as a farmer, please remember how much we appreciate what you do and how you do it. We are so thankful for operations like yours.
Our love and best wishes for a good summer season on the farm!”
Best,
-Alison Doyle, Oxford, MS
“We’ve been buying from High Hope for several years now and are always so pleased with the meat and the service.”
-Mary Beth Ketchum, Starkville, MS“Just bought 1/4 beef from High Hope Farm this spring…..never really ate grass fed beef before….best beef I’ve tasted and healthy to boot!!”
-Kathy Kaufenberg, Memphis, TN“I have been buying from High Hope Farm for over a year now. Saw the grocery store version on sale sometime back, so grabbed a few pounds since we were getting low on our stock. We didn’t realize how spoiled we were until I made burgers out of the grocery store kind and no one would eat them. High Hope Farm’s meat is the best.”
-Nicole Pattee Gladden, Oxford, MS“A big thanks to Johnny Wray and High Hope Farm. We just tried the first package of beef that we got from him and it was great. I love the way he raises them, much better than what you get at the store.”
-Mike and Barbara Lee, Memphis, TN“Man!! I was just thinking about you this week…we cooked steaks at Kim’s last week-end and they were a huge success!!! Also, I made stuffed grape leaves and they were fabulous. And we had a cook-out and my brother, Walker, who has lived in France most of his adult life, said, ‘That is the best hamburger that I have ever had! What kind of meat was that??'”
-Greer Smith, Greenville, MS“You have spoiled us. We can never go back to store bought meat. I just cooked one of the roasts overnight in the crockpot. It was falling apart tender and very delicious.”
Thanks again and God Bless,
Beth Thompson and family, Starkville, MS“The beef is awesome! I love it so much more than the store stuff. It definitely tastes better and is very tender . I’ll be ready to do another order when the new year comes around so please keep me on the mailing list.”
Thanks,
Andy Lewis, Starkville, MS“We are thrilled to have made a connection with your farm; there’s something very compelling and wholesome about knowing exactly where your food comes from. We appreciate that you put so much of yourself into working your farm and producing top quality beef for locals.”
-Wick and Di Wickham, Starkville, MS
The Wickhams send the following recipe for roast beef:
Bring the roast to room temp, sprinkle a bit of kosher salt and grind some fresh black pepper, then sear it quickly in a cast iron. Once it has a nice sear on all sides, we slather it with a paste of herbs and garlic from our garden and a splash of olive oil. Run it in a 425-degree oven until it achieves desired doneness. We like it on the rare side of medium rare. Wonderful meal; the flavors just explode with freshness — and love!
“We’ve thoroughly enjoyed our beef from High Hope Farm. It’s lean and healthy, yet the texture and taste are superior to the beef we used to buy at the store. We’re sold on it.”
-Lloyd & Sally Gray, Tupelo, MS“THIS is what beef is supposed to taste like! The flavor and tenderness of each of the cuts of meat far exceed that of any cut of ‘grocery store’ beef.”
-Carly Cummings, Starkville, MS“Ordering our grass-fed beef from High Hope Farm has always been such an easy, affordable, and yummy process. Their customer service is fantastic and they are always so accommodating and helpful! They not only take good care of their customers, but their cows as well. I doubt we’ll ever buy beef from anywhere else again.”
-Alisha Landry, Starkville, MS
Alisha recommends the following Philly Cheesesteak recipe for weekend lunches: http://www.cookthetv.com/2013/03/09/philly-cheese-steak-recipe-inspired-by-rachael-ray/
“Tender, delicious, healthy — and we’ve been fortunate to have spent time at High Hope, witnessing for ourselves the natural way the steers are raised, and the green grasses they consume. It provides the core of a ‘caveman’ diet without having to be cavemen and cavewomen!”
-Deborah Clubb and David Wayne Brown, Memphis, TN
The Clubb-Browns have sent this recipe for baked minute steaks:
Lightly salt (with sea salt) the steaks and then dust in brown flour. Brown both sides in olive oil. Move to a casserole dish of a size fitting the steaks. Sautee enough chopped celery, onion and fresh tomato to lightly cover the steaks. Add a minced garlic toe. Cover with a cup of beef broth and bake for one hour at 350 degrees.
Good with potatoes or your favorite noodles (neither of which is on the paleo diet), or whatever fresh vegetables you have on hand.
I dislike the thought that some animal has been made miserable to feed me. If I am going to eat meat, I want it to be from an animal that has lived a pleasant, uncrowded life outdoors, on bountiful pasture, with good water nearby and trees for shade. — Wendell Berry, from What Are People For?