When Josh McClary was a little boy, he saw his great-grandparents grow and preserve much of their food. “They were Depression survivors, and that mindset stayed with them for life,” he says.
Even though his great-grandparents didn’t have the chance to pass down specific farming knowledge or skills to their young great-grandson, Josh learned valuable lessons that guided his life to where he is today: “Farmer Josh,” growing and making food for his family and the community.
“Watching my Mammy and Pappy stay so connected to their food – even when they no longer had financial concerns – taught me that there’s a wisdom in growing your own food that goes beyond money. It’s about something deeper.”
In fact, Josh says, knowing where your food comes from and what it contains is an important aspect of maintaining good health in today’s world. That’s how Josh’s business, Considerate Meals, was born.
“I started Considerate Meals because I saw a glaring problem with our global food system. From seed to grocery store, the system is designed to feed us cheaply and conveniently, but at a devastating cost to our personal health and, in return, the biosphere that we share with one another,” Josh says.
“Chronic illnesses like diabetes, high blood pressure and mental health issues are rampant, and I believe much of this stems from the food we consume,” he says.
Most people are born healthy, he says, “but as we navigate this system, we’re slowly being poisoned by overly processed, addictive and nutrient-poor foods. This leads to a life dependent on pills to manage the very illnesses our food has caused. It’s a vicious cycle.”
Creation of Considerate Meals
To help combat health problems caused by unhealthy food, Josh went back to the farm where his ancestors had lived to produce nutritious food that feeds the body, mind and soul.
“If we’re surviving the food we eat by relying on medication, then we’re clearly doing food wrong,” he says. “I wanted to break this cycle by reimagining how food is grown, prepared and delivered.”
Considerate Meals, Josh says, is his way “of taking the meal apart and putting it back together – simply, efficiently and thoughtfully. From seed to final product, I’ve created a system that delivers frozen, ready-to-heat meals for the busy people of Earth who deserve better fast food options.”
He chose to name his new business Considerate Meals because “it reflects the need to think deeply about our choices and to consider better options… My meals are designed to provide the mind, body and soul with the vitamins, protein and sustenance they need, all from ingredients that are grown well and are good for you.”
Giving new life to Consideration Farm
To help grow the ingredients needed for his Considerate Meals, Josh turned to the family farm in Unionville celebrating its 200th birthday this year. “My great-grandfather’s great-grandparents migrated here from Tennessee in 1825 to homestead,” he says.
Consideration Farm now sits on about 5 acres of the original homestead, which once spanned a few hundred acres. “My pole barn sits on the exact spot where my family built the original log cabin back in 1825,” Josh says.
“Over time, the logs from that cabin were repurposed to build a barn, which has since been taken down,” he says. “Those same logs were then used to construct the log cabin that now stands at Chitwood Cemetery, located just behind my property line.”
Although he didn’t grow up on the farm, it was always a big part of his life, Josh says. “When I was young, my great-grandfather owned the entire 320-acre farm. My grandfather built the house I live in now so he could care for his parents. My mother lives across the road on her own piece of land.”
As children, Josh and his older brother and sister spent many happy days visiting their great-grandparents and playing on the farm. “Back then, my great-grandparents raised all sorts of livestock, but after they passed away in the early 1980s, the family stopped farming altogether,”
The farm went quiet for a few years until Josh moved to the property and started farming his own food. For his Considerate Meals, Josh also purchases food ingredients from Stranger’s Hill Organics – where he is farm manager – as well as from other businesses such as Fischer Farms Natural Foods, Azure Standard Distribution, Rhodes Farms and What Chefs Want.
Considerate Burritos become popular choice
Working at One World KitchenShare, Josh has been making simple farm meals such as Considerate Burritos. Made with onions, garlic, peppers, organic pinto beans, organic black beans, cheese, pastured pork, cilantro and organic barley, the burritos are packaged and delivered for fast meals that taste good and are good for you.
The burrito idea came from preparing food for his own family with recipes from home. “It got me thinking: What if I could make a burrito for the community? A burrito that was not only affordable but also better for the world and for them, packed with local and organic ingredients whenever possible.”
The tasty burritos offer choices such as the Breakfast Considerate Burrito, the Standard Vegetarian Considerate Burrito, the Roxie Chorizo Burrito and even a burrito in a jar.
“This way, if someone doesn’t want a flour tortilla – a perfectly legitimate request – we provide them with the filling in a jar,” Josh says. “This can be used to make a taco with a corn tortilla, eaten with chips or enjoyed in a bowl.”
As for the Roxie Chorizo Burrito, Josh says that was named after his daughter because he saw children eating so much highly processed, low-nutrition foods that he wanted a better option for kids. Approved by Roxie, this burrito is great for kids or adults alike.
Future plans
In the future, Josh hopes to branch out and make available more food choices for the community as well as to continue building a direct delivery service for customers.
One of the best parts about owning and operating Considerate Meals is “delivering food to happy customers who love what I’m offering. I love meeting them face-to-face and knowing that I’m giving them food that I feed to my own children,” Josh says.
“And Roxie comes with me on deliveries a lot,” he adds. “We have a great time hanging out and delivering burritos to happy customers.”
Considerate Meals is more than just a business, Josh says. “It’s a commitment to the past, present and future of food. It’s about providing burritos and other meals that nourish, heal and sustain because we all deserve good food. My mission is to deliver it.”
For more information: Contact Considerate Meals at www.considerateburrito.com
Where to buy Considerate Meals: Meals can be ordered at the website for home delivery or purchased at Bethel Lane Farm Stop in Unionville.
Reach Jackie Finch at [email protected].
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