A behind-the-scenes look from our farm's Customer Spotlight Writer!

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July 20, 2022

I never imagined ever writing for a regenerative farm but it certainly has been a blessing promoting a business where I strongly believe in the mission to glorify God by helping busy, informed consumers gain access to safe and ethical foods they can eat with confidence. Foods that heal our bodies and heal our land are very important to me.

There are a plethora of reasons why I appreciate eating the meat raised by this loving family and today I want to share with you a little behind-the-scenes insight as to what it's like working with The Maker's Meadow and the Filbrun Family.

Normally I conduct the interviews for our Customer Spotlights but today I hand the reins over to John who will ask the questions.

John: Tell us Jana - What do you like most about working for our farm?

Jana: Every time you, your sister and I meet, it is an honor to begin and end our meetings with prayer. To pray for the direction of this company, for each other and our families and especially to pray for our customers is really something I appreciate above all else. It sets the tone that we can trust whatever lies ahead and know that the Lord is going to lead us in the right direction.

I also have so enjoyed getting to know our customers and your family!

You all bring a different perspective to the jobs you do. You run a very lean operation evidenced by your hard work and yet I don't hear you complain. It is clear how much you truly love and have a passion for regenerative farming.

My favorite time of year is when you conduct farm tours. You light up like a candle John when you talk about regenerative farming and the benefits of following the cycle of nature designed by God. I learn something new every time I take a tour of the farm. It amazes me to see how many nutrients derive from a diverse meadow and to know that it all can be passed down to us when we consume the meats!

John: How has eating meat from The Maker's Meadow changed the way you cook?

Jana: I have purchased organic, grassfed meats from the store for many years and was willing to pay more but I never knew the farmer nor the farm from which it was raised. My relationship as a Maker's Meadow customer marks the first time in my life that I actually know the farmers and have visited the farm from where my food was raised!! I thought eating lamb from Australia and New Zealand was pretty authentic even though sometimes the smell of the lamb or grassfed ground beef or steak was a little off.

Once we tried the ground beef and the lamb chops from your farm, there was never any going back! The taste was rich yet mild and not gamey at all. I was under the impression that grassfed lamb or beef was just that - always gamey tasting until The MAKER'S MEADOW LAMB and BEEF PROVED OTHERWISE!!

Another revelation is that great tasting meat does not have to be seasoned much at all. The flavor is so good that it really speaks for itself! A little salt, pepper and maybe a little olive oil (depending upon the meat) allows the flavor of the meat to stand out.

I recently slow-roasted The Maker's Meadow Chicken Thighs uncovered in the oven at 250 degrees for a couple of hours. I just added a little sea salt, garlic powder, a little fresh herb like oregano or rosemary and a little olive oil. I love how the thighs come with the skin on them. Honestly, after it came out of the oven, we licked the platter clean and wished we had more. It was the best roasted chicken I have eaten in a long time!!

This is a picture of my husband Mark and me as we celebrated our 26th wedding anniversary this June and we like to go on date nights every week or stay home and cook up a good meal. Mark is terrific at grilling the perfect steak and The Maker's Meadow's Ribeyes and N ew York Strips are better than any I've eaten at a restaurant! If anyone dares to think that grassfed meat is significantly leaner than grain-fed beef, I say the proof is in the pudding (or at least in the fat!) Have you seen the layer of healthy FAT on The Maker's Meadow steaks and on the beef short ribs? Whoaaa! Look at all that great fat!

Also, the fat on the steak is flavorful and clean enough that, yes, I will actually eat the fat knowing it's not filled with toxins that store-bought steaks would contain. I will even purchase fat pieces to add to my simmering bone broth!

And what a terrific advantage you've given us all by adding sustainably sourced wild seafood to our online store! We really enjoy grilled or baked salmon and my son and I enjoy the Royal Red Patagonian Shrimp with butter, garlic, lemon and fresh basil or topped with homemade pesto sauce served over noodles.

John: Have you tried anything new since you've become our customer?

Jana: My family and I like to be adventurous eaters! We have a 20-year old daughter Jillian who is studying pre-med in college and a 16-year old son Mitchell who also enjoys learning and playing the piano. Both really love our home-cooked meals and have a palate for a variety of dishes including Indian, Vietnamese, Italian, Mediterranean, Lebanese, Mexican, etc. We love experimenting and trying new recipes from around the world!

This year I made Pork Liver for the first time by cooking it in a cast-iron skillet with onions, red pepper, salt, pepper, green onions and rosemary. It was so mild and wonderful. Now I realize that if anyone wants to try liver for the first time, I would highly recommend mild-tasting Pork Liver (though I know we tend to sell out of liver quickly). The fact that the farm's pork is soy-free finished is truly a treat coming from someone who struggles with a severe soy allergy!!

Also I am so thankful to learn some of your mom's recipes! (I love this picture of your youngest brother Jay hugging on your mom as she cooks!)

Rebecca is such a natural in the kitchen! She cooks from the heart without any real recipes (she just knows what to do!) She also knows so much about herbs and healthy foods - I want to learn so much from her!! And she is a terrific conversationalist. When I stop by the farm, she and I can talk for hours!

A while back we asked your mom to walk us through how to make bone broth, and now I use her turkey bone broth recipe every time I make a chicken or beef bone broth! Her recipe is a keeper!

Your mom taught me that ROASTING is the key to great flavor followed by boiling the bones or carcass. Of course, I must also mention that part of my adventurous spirit means that I like using chicken feet in my stock to add extra gelatin! And then I will send my friends this picture of the feet cooking in the pot... just for fun. :)

Honestly, having bone broth on hand (frozen in wide mouth mason jars) is a true gift because when I hear that a friend is sick or has Covid, upon approval, I will often leave several jars of frozen broth at their door.

John: Any other favorite farm experiences you'd like to share?

Jana: When you invited me to attend "Acres" - a Regenerative Agriculture Conference in Cincinnati with you and Mary this past winter, I was so excited to attend and was really taken back by the number of experts in the field who are paving the way to help return land back to its uncompromised roots. We are so fortunate to have a farm as close as yours that not only believes in regenerative farming but goes the extra mile to utilize organic farming practices. It is my hope that The Maker's Meadow will be here for many years to come as you all are such a blessing in so many ways to our community. We and the land are better off because of you.

I should also add that when it comes time for farm tours, I take delight in tasting the garden herb tea that your sisters and mom make from scratch with your garden herbs and honey. Always such a special treat!

Lastly, I am in awe of the pictures that your sisters capture in the meadow. I never tire of seeing God's beauty!

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Chaos Subdued: Life on the Farm

Working on a farm with many animals was never something I dreamed of doing. The idea of this kind of work as my consistent vocation never even crossed my mind. I had been around farm livestock and poultry in a small way growing up, but that was about the extent of my experience. I considered myself more of a carpenter, having done that for most of my short working life. And then there’s the aspect of living in Ohio. That wasn’t on my radar either, having grown up entirely in the western United States. Carpenter. Wilderness man. These were key parts of my identity. Sasquatch, or Yeti, is one of my nicknames. Mountain man was another title I picked up after moving here. Apparently, I stand out considerably now that I’ve been removed from my native habitat. The names mostly came from my appearance, but when my friends here discovered my deep love of the wilderness and hiking through it, those names made even more sense to them. Adjusting to a New Reality Ohio was very hard for me to adjust to. I moved here at the end of September 2023 because I had hit some impasses in my life and needed a change. I was acquainted with John and a few others here in Ohio, so that’s why I chose this area. I moved in with John and another friend and decided to work for John as well. I figured it would be a good short-term job as I adjusted to a new culture. In my first month working for him, John shared that he wanted me to take over management of the farm. I didn’t fully understand it at the time, but John was extremely busy. He needed someone to relieve his load, not just another farmhand. That was fine with me, though I really wasn’t sure what that would entail. But I plunged in the best I knew how. The Commitment and the Conflict Most of you know John at some level, but working for him and living with him was a total immersion experience. Every relationship has a honeymoon period, and this one was no different. What stood out to me about working on a farm is the high level of adaptability required just to get through a week. Farm work is a daily venture into repetitious chaos. It was nothing like construction, where you build step by systematic step. After about a month of living in Ohio, I remember one day venting to the Lord. He answered, “You are used to living only according to your preferences. I am teaching you to be flexible.” That hit home—and it silenced me, at least temporarily. Still, chaos was the word I used often to describe life on the farm. Growing Through Difficulty When I started work in early October, we had chickens and turkeys in addition to the cows and sheep. We also rented some fields from a local farmer to graze the cover crops he’d planted that fall. Putting up thousands of feet of temporary fencing was a good experience. During that first month, Austin, one of my coworkers, asked me if I enjoyed farming and if I wanted to do it for the rest of my life. I struggled to answer. It was hard to admit that I hated the job, because that begged the question: “Then why are you here?” The answer was that I had committed to work for John for six months, and keeping my word mattered to me. The tension between commitment and desire was tough. I hadn’t realized it was okay to get out of my comfort zone for a time, even if I didn’t love what I was doing. Austin helped me see that every detour and side road adds to the bigger picture of gaining experience and discovering direction. I didn’t appreciate that conversation at the time—but as the months passed, I came to value it deeply. Jaima Enters the Scene Winter was the season for maintenance. I preferred being outdoors, so it was tough being cooped up in the shop for hours, trying to troubleshoot complex electrical issues on the truck. In those frustrating moments, I realized how far outside my element I truly was. I had spent six years in construction and felt confident in that work. This was totally different. I remembered my school days, where I excelled with ease. Now, I was faced with challenges that left me feeling humiliated—and angry. I wasn’t used to struggling, and I hated that I couldn’t “ace” this job. Amidst all this, Jaima Hess joined us for a week around Christmas. She had helped John earlier that year and came back to lend a hand. I didn’t think much of it at the time. She needed work and was a friend of John’s cousin. But John—“Juani,” as we affectionately called him—was clearly scheming something. The Love Story Unfolds One evening, John called and asked if Jaima and Keri (his cousin) could join us for supper. Four guys living together and two single ladies coming over—sure, why not? But none of us were prepared for what happened that night. After supper, we gathered for prayer, as was our custom. When Jaima’s turn came, she prayed boldly, “Lord, send these men wives that wow, not business partners.” Boom. We all looked around like, “Did she just say that?” Weeks later, John confessed his feelings for Jaima. Chaos was beginning to spiral in his heart. It brought a light-hearted energy to our workdays. He called Jaima often, usually on speaker, and we’d join in to tease him as she giggled on the other end. John basked in the attention like a man drinking lemonade on a hot day. Summer Projects and Spiritual Reflections Spring brought a flurry of activity: brooding baby chicks, rotating cows onto fresh pasture, and clearing brush on new rented land for fencing. Chainsaws, skid steers, and excavators made it fun—even if progress was slow. In June, John went to Washington to visit Jaima. He forgot his phone at the airport, which made him hard to reach, but Jaima was suddenly more reachable than ever. A couple days before he flew back, he got his phone back. When I called with a work question, he said, “I’m going to ask Jaima to marry me this afternoon. Pray for me.” I grinned. I figured the answer was already sealed. Later that summer, we finished the Lexington road fencing project and moved the cows and sheep. Watching livestock improve the soil by trampling, grazing, and fertilizing fascinated me. It also mirrored how God works in our lives—allowing uncomfortable things to uproot and refine us so that something better can grow. Farm Management and Personal Growth September was disorganized. I was gone for the entire month, some help left, and John’s wedding was rapidly approaching. John and Jaima married the first Saturday of October, and it was beautiful. I stayed behind to manage the farm while they honeymooned. With 1,200 chickens, a couple hundred turkeys, and all the cows and sheep to care for, it was slightly stressful. But I needed that pressure. It grew me as both a worker and a manager. John left us access to his house, which we cleaned and prepared for their return. I even dabbled in interior decorating—contact John if you’d like to hire me. (Kidding... mostly.) Reflections on Animals and Daily Chores Farming still wasn’t “my thing,” but a year in, I’d stuck it out—and been deeply rewarded. I’d gained a brother and forged a relationship through fire. (Some of that fire was my own stubbornness.) How would I sum up farm life? Chickens: hot pens, lots of poop, and bending down to feed the little tanks. Turkeys: slightly better—more mobile and hardy, but still poop machines. Sheep and cows: enjoyable to watch. Lambs are playful; cows are majestic. Callie, our old dairy cow, was sweet and mellow. Our Highland cows, though, remained skittish despite our best efforts. Watching them eat thistle and ragweed was oddly satisfying. Sheep are rebels. They’d escape often and test our patience, despite being herd animals. Gentle treatment was essential. Cows typically respected fences, though they did break out once when a fence was knocked down. In that moment, they gave even the sheep a run for their money in the rebellion department. Conclusion: Chaos Transformed Daily chores could get frustrating—especially when things didn’t go to plan. But packing online meat orders helped me reconnect with the “why” behind it all. The freezer full of vacuum-sealed, pasture-raised meat reminded me of the delicious meals those animals would become: sizzling steak, grilled drumsticks, juicy burgers. Even lamb heart and pancreas turned out to be surprisingly flavorful! Each order reminded me of our customers and their stories—why they sought healthy, local meat. It gave the work purpose. Farming also meant growing a relationship with John. We frustrated each other to no end, but we also blessed and sharpened each other. It was chaos—sometimes for days, sometimes for weeks. But through it, God was weaving something deeper. Last year wasn’t just a job—it was a transformative journey. And for John, it was a love story, too. That Jaima really did a number on him. As for the animals, they deserve the best care we can offer. Everyone who works on the farm has rough days, so it's important to hang in there and take care of them. As for me, I’ve learned that if I'm patient, chaos will unfold many surprises better than I dreamed were possible.

A behind-the-scenes look from our farm's Customer Spotlight Writer!

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