A tasty, healthy fundraiser I'd like to see succeed

 

Readers may remember that in 2023, I wrote about an outfit called Steadfast Provisions, which produces some of the best-quality pemmican I've ever had the pleasure of eating.  I said at the time:

I've been so impressed by pemmican's effect on my own health that I wanted to share some of the results in advance, as it were.  For two weeks, excluding the weekend between, I ate no other solid food at all besides minimal quantities of pemmican.  I found I didn't need much of it at all to satisfy me, along with liquids such as water, black coffee and tea, bouillon, and occasionally some bone broth.  I've used it as part of an intensive weight-loss fasting diet, and the pemmican more than made up (nutritionally speaking) for the "regular" foods that I was no longer eating.  (Yes, I'm checking that through blood tests, which are an integral part of such a strenuous diet for obvious health and safety reasons.)

Steadfast Provisions makes pemmican in one-meal-size 750-calorie bars (in seasoned, unseasoned and "simply salted" flavors) and bricks containing enough nutrition for one person for three days or more (in seasoned and "simply salted" flavors).  I bought the latter, simply salted, because it was the only item available in their online store at the time (they sell out their production runs very quickly, to a dedicated customer base).  As noted above, it appears expensive at $97 per brick;  but when one works out the amount of fresh meat involved, the price is far more justifiable.  At over two pounds in weight, one brick of pemmican contains over ten pounds of lean fresh meat;  then there's the cost and time involved in drying, crushing, preparing and packaging it.  On a pound-per-dollar basis, that's a very reasonable price, IMHO.

On its own, the "simply salted" version of pemmican doesn't taste particularly appetizing, in my opinion (although it's not at all unpleasant - just bland;  the seasoned version might add more flavor).  However, if one cuts a slice and then spreads a little honey on it, or even a fruit preserve, it becomes far more palatable.  (I note that Native American tribes used to eat pemmican with wild honey.). Also, when combined with beef bouillon or bone broth, pemmican adds a huge dose of protein to the drink.  That's mainly how I've been using it.  As part of my liquid fasting diet, I've occasionally used Campbell's Beef Consommé, which has minimal calories and/or carbohydrates but a lot of flavor.  Chopping a small amount of pemmican into it is a great way to increase its food value.

There's more at the link, including the usefulness of pemmican in an emergency or travel situation.  It's amazingly useful stuff, and lasts a long time.  (We've just opened a pemmican brick that's sat in a storage cupboard for two years.  Tastes and looks just fine.)

I recently tried to re-order some pemmican, only to learn that Steadfast Provisions is busy setting up a brand-new commercial kitchen with all the necessary hardware to expand their production.  They're running a KickStarter to fund the new building, and are offering some significant discounts (up to 20%) on their products for those sponsoring it.  They're already well along with the project, and will resume production in their new premises within a couple of months.

I'd love to see them succeed with their fund-raiser.  This is a small company in a remote part of the country, producing a food that's almost unique (at least when done properly, as they do), that offers measurable health benefits and many uses.  (I'm here to tell you from my own experience, it really helps with keto and carnivore diets, and weight loss.)  If you, like me, are trying to follow such diets, and/or would like to help a small business that (IMHO) deserves to succeed, please click over to the KickStarter and contribute what you can.  I've already made my pledge there.

Thanks in advance.

Peter