Deep Creek Ranch

Deep Creek Ranch is a local ranch dedicated to sustainable, humane ranching practices and specializes in beef and lamb products. The ranch is occasionally open to the public but you can find their products at several Central Florida Farmer’s Markets (Winter Park) and specialty groceries (Sustain Natural Market). We were lucky enough to head out to the ranch for Slow Food Orlando’s tour of Deep Creek complete with cooking demos, hayrides and best of all, food samples!
This is a family affair and we were able to meet and chat with owner David Strawn as well as Trish, Dale and Fran. We were taken on a too short tour of the ranch via hayride but that just gave us more time to eat! There were delicious cheeseburgers available– made with Deep Creek beef and Winter Park Dairy blue cheese. They also cooked up a delicious lamb burger with a wonderful Tzatziki sauce. These people really know their stuff and it only takes a moment of talking with them to realize this. They are very involved in the local food scene and are an advocate for Slow Food.
If you want fresh, tender meat without the guilt go to Deep Creek Ranch. Their prices are more expensive ($ 7.50/lb. for ground beef) than your basic beef but it really does taste better. We picked up some steaks and ground beef and lamb for later.

Last week, to jump start the Eat Local Event in Central Florida, I organized a tour at Deep Creek Ranch — a family owned and operated cattle ranch in De Leon Springs.
I wasn’t sure what to expect but our hostess Trish Strawn was warm, welcoming and extremely informative! She took our group on a leisurely hay ride through the different lush fields on property and explained the process of how their cattle is raised and harvested. We had the opportunity to see the condition that the lambs and cows lived in: almost completely free range and nothing short of what nature intended.
We also had the chance to purchase grass-​fed beef directly from the farm which was a real treat. Once I got home and cooked up some burgers I could tell there was a different between the beef sold in stores and the beef of Deep Creek Ranch. It’s absolutely delicious! There’s also a great page on their website that describes the purchasing process and how sharing the purchase with friends, family or neighbors can get you more bang for you buck.
Deep Creek Ranch meat can be found in certain co-​ops in Central Florida and even some restaurants! Buying from local farms can be pricey but the quality of the food surpasses those in the supermarkets and provide an invaluable service supporting our local businesses — I say if you can afford to buy on a regular basis, don’t give it a second thought!