Meet May: Our Customer Spotlight for the Month of May!

May Bustillos with her dog Sissy

As a nurse, May Bustillos has a big heart for the community.

You'll often find her caring ways making an impact outside the weekly tasks of nursing.

"I value family time, hard work, and the love of God." May shares, "I really enjoy outreach ministries at my church and doing neighborhood cleanup and beautification projects."

When May wanted to start incorporating local farm meat products and goods into her diet, she found The Maker's Meadow on the Internet and placed her first order back in June 2021.

She recalls the first time she tried meat from our farm, "I found it to be incredibly tasty and flavorful even with minimal seasoning."

May enjoys experimenting with different recipes and international cuisines. Some of her signature dishes include Moroccan Lamb Tagine, Beef Bolognese, Instant Pot Jamaican Style Beef Stew, and Beef Bacon Lardon.  

As a seasoned cook, May shares some pointers, especially for those who may be switching over to grass-fed meats, "Try making your favorite dish with the meat and see if you taste a difference."

Life as a nurse keeps May on the go but she has learned which meats are the quickest to cook up and are ideal for her busy schedule.

"My go-to is the ground beef because it's the most versatile and has convenient packaging for busy weeknights."

She adds, "I like to order beef bacon because it is such a great supplement to pork bacon."

She recently purchased 1/2 lamb bundle & really wants to try beef oxtail and lamb liver!

When it comes to buying locally-raised grass-fed meats, May says she values "Buying local, supporting small business, getting to know your farmer, eating nutrient-dense food, investing in my health, and making food dishes that impress my family."

While time is limited these days for May, she also enjoys trying new restaurants and doing fun exercise activities like Zumba.

One of her biggest take aways from becoming a Maker's Meadow customer is actually two-fold, "Not only do I get to build a customer based relationship with them, but I have also had an opportunity to try other food companies from The Maker's Meadow recommendations."

As for cooking up really great dishes, May has found what really works! She says that flavor comes from the source and buying meat from The Maker's Meadow has enhanced her cooking.

"I've tried cooking in the past but was never confident and it would always be a hit or miss when it came to flavor. When I started researching and learning more about how different ingredients are used and learning things like flavor profiles, I sought out cooking books from cooks/chefs who had interesting things to share.

But I have found the biggest influence on recipe flavor to be quality ingredients such as The Maker's Meadow meat products all the way to milling my own flour as needed - total game changer."

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