MODERN HOMESTEAD
- Beef Suet to Make Your Own Tallow -
Regular price $24.00Five Marys Beef Suet - RENDER READY to make your own Beef Tallow at home! We promise, it's easy and we give you directions.
Available in 2 different sizes (1 pound of suet makes about 1-2 cups of tallow)
- 2 lb package
- 4 lb package
HOW TO RENDER
For TALLOW for cooking - render and strain 1-2 times is recommended.
For TALLOW for hand salve or skin care - render and strain 3+ times, then whip with an immersion blender!
Store in a glass jar in the fridge.
Our Process
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Start with a package of Five Marys Pasture Raised Natural Beef Tallow and "wet render" it in a large cast-iron pot on very low heat. Add 2 inches of water to the pot and a tablespoon of salt for every pound of fat. Strain out the meaty bits as they arise in the pot.
- A slow cooker also works - use the same method as above. It takes a little longer but uses such low heat that it is very unlikely that you will overheat the suet. (If too high of heat is used, the tallow may have more of a toasted/cooked flavor and the tallow could darken in color.)
- Slowly simmer the suet, allow it to liquefy. Don’t allow it to hard boil, just a slow simmer. Once most of the fat has rendered into a yellowish liquid separated from the meaty pieces, take the pot from the heat and strain through a fine mesh.
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Let it cool on counter or in fridge, remove fat disk and scrape the bits from the bottom of the disk if there are any.
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Render the fat again for about 4+ hours. Add water and salt to wet render again - as it simmers the bubbles are the water evaporating and the salt holds on to any impurities. You can also "dry render" without water and salt if it looks and smells "clean" already.
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Let it cool again, remove fat disk and scrape the bits from the bottom of the pot.
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Melt everything in a large pot and add in jojoba oil (4:1 tallow to oil ratio) or your favorite oil.
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Add in your favorite essential oil (we love lavender!)
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Let it cool.
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Whip with beaters while it is mostly solid (our favorite part!)
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Add it to the jar and label :)
BLOG POST ALL ABOUT TALLOW : https://fivemarys.com/blog/2024/2/21/benefits-of-tallow
* if you would like to inquire about purchasing a larger amount please email info@fivemarys.com
Finished photo and recipe inspiration can be found at https://thethingswellmake.com/how-to-make-beef-tallow/
Customer Reviews
Best product!
As always…. Perfect!
The best suet we have ever rendered here on our farm. We started with 32.1oz of suet and after 3 renderings we had 29.9oz of tallow!!! It was super clean on the first rendering, great stuff. Thank y’all for providing it to us.
its great , my daughter has been making it and she loves it!
This suet makes good tallow with very little waste. I use the tallow everyday and am pleased with it. The only complaint I have is the price of the suet, I do wish it was cheaper.
Five Marys FAQs
Why is the name “Five Marys”?
Five Marys Farms was named by Brian, for his Five Marys. His wife, Mary and their four daughters - MaryFrances or "Francie" is 16, MaryMarjorie or "Maisie" is 14, MaryJane or "JJ" is 13 and MaryTeresa or "Tessa" is 11. They are all named Mary after strong and memorable grandmothers and aunts on both sides of the family and each carries the middle name of that grandmother or great aunt.
Five Marys is truly a family operation honoring the roots in California agriculture on both sides of the family, the younger Marys are 7th generation Californians with ancestors dating back to 1851 at the time of the Gold Rush. Brian’s father Tom was an active farmer and advocate for California agriculture and the Heffernans are proud to be carrying on a family legacy in the industry - and paving their own way too.
Why does your meat taste so good?
We work hard to raise a quality product from start to finish. That begins with great genetics in our animals for things like rib-eye size and marbling. We make sure to feed our animals a high quality feed for their entire life. We finish our beef with alfalfa and steam-flaked barley for an extended finish time of 180 days on finish feed. We also dry-age the whole carcass 14-28 days which is longer than the industry standard or the more common “wet age” and THIS dry-aging process gives a premium flavor and tenderness in every bite - right down to the ground beef. Extra care, attention and inputs mean better products for our family and our customers! HERE is a blog post with more info about how we raise and why our meat tastes so good!
Where are you located?
We are located in Siskiyou County - at the top of the state of California, almost to the Oregon border, where our Cattlewomen boast “top beef, from the top of our state, to the top of your plate.” Brian and Mary are both California natives, the girls are 7th generation to the state! Brian grew up in Imperial County and Tehama County with roots in agriculture and Mary was born and raised in Menlo Park, CA - better known today as “Silicon Valley” where she and Brian met, started their family and worked before deciding to change paths and leave the busy life there for 1800 acres of wide open spaces in Silicon Valley.
Where can I find out more about your story?
We share our daily life on Instagram right here. Mary also wrote an ebook about their decision to move to the ranch, including their story, and how things changed when they did. It’s called “They Can Do It. What I Learned About Parenting by Moving to the Country.” and you can download it to read on any device HERE.
Are you organic?
We are not ‘certified’ organic, but we practice all-natural practices in everything we do. We believe when our customers can have full transparency in our operation, can know and trust us as their source for high-quality, all-natural meats - that means more than a certification sticker on a package and avoids the red tape and extra cost to the consumer associated with certification.
What does “organically-minded” mean?
When you are not certified organic, legally you can not use the word organic.
We are 100% mindful to practice and produce all-natural products. We raise what we believe is the best product to feed our own children and share it with our customers.
Are you GMO-free? Are your animals fed corn or soy?
Yes, all of our livestock feed on the ranch is 100% GMO-free. We do not feed any soy to our cattle, hogs or sheep. We do not feed corn to our cattle or sheep, sometimes of the year our hogs might get feed mixed with corn.
Has your meat been treated with antibiotics?
Never. The meat we sell through Five Marys brand is always 100% antibiotic free from day one. We administer therapeutic antibiotics to animals on the ranch if they are needed for life saving situations or illness, but those animals are “red tagged” and pulled from our meat program. We still find other creative outlets for them after the proper and safe withdrawl period like local families or friends who understand the history of the animal. Animals given antibiotics in their lifetime are perfectly safe to eat after the standard withdrawl period - but we choose to have a clear designation for our customers that all meat sold from Five Marys is 100% free of any lifetime antibiotics.
Is your meat hormone free?
Yes, ALWAYS. Our meat is 100% free of any kind of growth hormones or any added hormones.
Is the meat all from animals from your ranch?
We raise the majority of the animals we harvest for our meat program on our ranch. Our neighbor directly connected and next to our ranch helps to raise some of our pork with us year round. A farm about an hour north in Oregon raised lamb with us to fill the gaps since we only have lamb about half the year (our lamb is usually harvested Nov-April and their lamb May-October.) We calve in the fall each year and raise those steers and some heifers for our meat program, and provide the cattle for the second half of the year by buying weaned calves from our brother-in-law on Oregon or our friends in Northern California who both raise very high quality cattle to the same standards we do.
Shipping FAQ’s
Where do you ship your meats?
We ship our meats, snack sticks, bones and bone broth to all 50 states Monday-Wednesdays every week of the year! Meats are packed on dry ice pellets (will be sublimated by the time you get your box) in custom made insulated liners.
Do you ship meats to Canada? Will you ever?
We do not ship to Canada. Canadian customs is not reliable to keep perishable orders moving through and boxes often get held up in customs for too long to make it feasible to ship frozen product. We do ship all other products besides meats, bones and bone broth to Canada though!
Do you ship non-meat items internationally?
We are not able to ship our meats to addresses outside of the US. We are able to ship other products like sheep pelts, M5 gear, books, prints, hats, etc. If you want to place an international order please email info@fivemarys.com to receive a shipping quote.
Can you ship to Hawaii & Alaska?
We sure can! It's a little more expensive to get it there but we ship overnight to both states.
What is The Return Policy?
We have a strict no returns and no refunds policy since most of our products are perishable and can not easily be shipped back and forth and we can not accept frozen products back for resale. If you need to return a sweatshirt or apparel, we will exchange for a different size if the customer pays shipping to send the original back to us. This does NOT apply for meats - all meats are NO returns or refunds, no exceptions.
ANIMAL FAQ’S
What breeds are your animals?
Black Angus Cattle : Black Angus produce a premium quality beef and we are proud of our herd with great genetics for superior marbling, flavor and consistency.
Berkshire Heritage Pigs: Berkshire pigs produce one of the best meat qualities - an optimal fat and marbling and are a great heritage breed. Some pigs are bred to be extra lean now - and others can be too fatty. Berkshires are a great in between with what our customers frequently tell us is the best pork they’ve ever tasted!
Navajo Churro Lambs: The "Chef's Choice" for a wonderful flavor and consistency every time, Navajo Churro's are a hearty breed that love our mountain climate. We have a blog post about our sheep HERE
What do you feed your pigs? Do you feed the pigs scraps?
We feed our pigs a carefully mixed ration of protein and minerals according to their age or stage of life. Our gestating mothers get one ration, nursing mothers get another, weaned piglets another and grower pigs their own. We avoid scraps for our pigs since it’s hard to control what might be in the scraps or how that food was raised.
Is your beef grass-fed?
Our cattle live on pastures or hill country at Five Marys year round and eat our local and ranch raised pasture grasses and alfalfa. We finish our cattle on a thoughtfully balanced ration of alfalfa, grain hay and steam-flaked barley for the best possible quality in marbling and taste. We believe grass-fed and grass-and-barley finish, with an extended finishing time of at least 180 days is the optimal way to raise our beef for consistent, excellent quality and flavor with all the benefits of a grass-fed lifestyle. We never feed corn, GMOs and all of our meat is 100% free from antibiotics, growth-hormones and ionophores.
Are your lambs grass-fed?
Yes, our Navajo Churro lambs and sheep eat only our pasture grasses and alfalfa.
Do you sell chicken or eggs? Turkeys?
No - we don’t raise poultry and will not in the future. If you are looking for quality raised chicken or turkey to ship to your doorstep like Five Marys, we recommend:
See our M5 DIRECTORY for other farms raising chicken!HARVESTING FAQ’S
Do you harvest humanely?
Yes. We are invested in making sure every stage of the process of raising and harvesting our animals is done thoughtfully and with the utmost care and attention to the well being of the animal. Our harvesting or slaughtering process is done under USDA inspection and we work hard to make sure the animals experience the least amount of stress and are slaughtered in the most humane way. This is obviously important because it’s the right thing to do, but it can also affect the quality of the meat (stress before harvest is not good for quality) so it’s important to everyone involved that animals are harvested humanely every single time.
How are animals are handled during processing?
At Five Marys, we are focused on raising our animals as humanely and ethically as possible their entire lives, this starts at birth and continues every day they graze the grasses and soak up the mountain air and sunshine on the ranch in Siskiyou County. We take the same concern for the harvesting process. We work hard to make sure animals experience the least amount of stress possible and are harvested thoughtfully and humanely, all under USDA supervision and care.
What does dry-aging do?
Beef that is dry-aged has an exceptional flavor and tenderness. It requires extra time, commitment and cost - but it is worth it in the end result of a perfect steak or incredibly delicious ground beef. Pork or lamb can be eaten soon after slaughter, but that is not the case with beef. Beef benefits from aging to promote tenderness and enhance flavor. Soon after slaughter, most beef sold in the US is split into large pieces called primals, vacuum sealed, and boxed up for transport, where it “wet-ages” during transit to grocery stores, meat distributors, and similar locations. When it arrives it is ultimately cut into steaks, roasts, and other familiar cuts for the consumer. Ground beef is often packaged and shipped without the benefit of any aging at all. In contrast, dry-aging beef involves hanging it in just above freezing temperatures in a humidity controlled room with ample air flow, for at least 14 days - we prefer 21-28 days for optimal tenderness and to impart a unique taste and delicate consistency to the meat.
Dry-aging is a craft tradition that used to be the norm, but it is slowly being replaced in favor of expediency and efficiency. However, Brian and I firmly believe that dry-aging creates the best possible beef. We don’t cut any steaks or grind any beef until the entire carcass is well aged, usually for 14 to 28 days after harvest. Purely grass-fed meat doesn’t always benefit from dry aging as it is often too lean without much marbling, but because we finish our cattle on barley which gives a great marbling, dry-aging is an optimal way to create a premium product for our customer.
How do you choose which animals go to harvest for meat? Are they all born on the ranch?
Our breeding mothers never go into our meat program. They stay breeders on the ranch as long as they are able and sometimes longer. Our breeding males (bulls, boards and rams) are also not put into our meat program. Older animals who have bred or birthed young are not as desirable as meat animals for most cuts. The animals born on our ranch every year are our market animals that we harvest for meats. We keep about 20% of these animals most years as breeders to replace older breeders who age out of reproducing. We buy new males for breeding from high quality genetic stock every few years to avoid line breeding and to ensure genetic diversity.
Are all your animals born on the ranch?
We raise most of our animals from start to finish, but sometimes will add animals from other trusted ranches (like our brother-in-law’s all-natural, Oregon ranching operation - or our neighbors next to the ranch raise some of our pork on their pastures) as we expand and grow our herd. Most are born here and live out their lives on the ranch.
What is the fat ratio in your ground beef?
Every animal is slightly different, but we aim for between 85/15 and 80/20 for our ground beef. We love the flavor of good, clean fat in our ground and we think you will too!
Visting FAQ’s
Can we visit the ranch for a tour?
We open the ranch occasionally for special events like Farm Dinners and weekend retreats for customers and friends to allow them to experience ranch life and get closer to where their food comes from. We announce these events in our Friends & Family email newsletter when they are released. Other than those times, we run a “lean” operation and besides our family of 6 - have just 1-2 extra ranch hands on some days - so we are very busy taking great care of our animals and getting our excellent meats to our customers!
Brian, Mary and the girls are busy taking care of the animals, the ranch and finding time together as a family so they are not able to accommodate any sort of ranch tours or visits! But you are welcome to drive by the ranch on the public highway (Eastside Rd) and take it all in from the road (please don't stop to block traffic, try to see animals or disrupt daily operations) The Heffs stop by the Burgerhouse often and love to say hello and meet visitors from all over though!
But while we can not give ranch tours - we love to have guests from far and wide come to visit Fort Jones to experience all that there is to offer in the area and the Five Marys brand at our restaurant or Ranch Store!
Can we shop at the Ranch Store?
YES! You can shop all of our meats and M5 gear and dry goods at Five Marys Ranch Store (normal business hours) or in the front of the restaurant, Five Marys Burgerhouse, just two doors down (restaurant hours :)
If you’d like to order locally, choose Fort Jones Pickup and email us to let us know when you will be by to pick up at the Ranch Store or the Burgerhouse, we’ll get it ready for you!
Where can we stay?
There are a variety of AirBnb's in Fort Jones to accommodate smaller groups or 1-night stays. The Etna Motel is another great option just 9 miles down the road in the town of Etna. "Camp Five Marys" experience and tents are not available for stays, but make sure you are on our mailing list to find out about any upcoming Farm Dinners or Camp Retreats!
There is also a great RV Park in Etna called The Mountain Village or one in Yreka called Yreka RV Park.
We do not rent out our camp area, the bunkhouse, or any other facilities on the ranch and do not allow visitors on the ranch at any time.
What is there to do?
The Fort Jones Museum is a gem of a spot with great local history and lots of opportunities to learn more about Northern California. It is located on the same block as Five Marys Burgerhouse and Farm Store.
Mountain Healing Spa is a great spot for some relaxation with soaking tubs and massages available in the town of Etna.
Callahan's Mountain Lodge just north in Ashland, Oregon is a hidden gem of a resort to stay in summer or cozy up in winter with live music every night.
There are also lots of great attractions nearby like Crater Lake, the town of Ashland Oregon, summer camps, hikes and more.
Where can we eat?
Five Marys Burgerhouse is open Monday-Saturday 11am-8/9pm right downtown Fort Jones and offers our dry-aged beef, pork and lamb in a delicious lunch and dinner menu served 6 days a week. Our Bourbon Bacon Burger or Cowboy Blues Burgers are customer favorites, and make sure to have an M5 Sidecar or pick up a bottle of Five Marys Whiskey or Bourbon!
How do I travel there?
The closest airport is Medford Oregon (MFR) which is serviced by Alaksa and United airlines. It's easy to rent a car from there and drive 1.5 hours south to Fort Jones. Sacramento Airport, serviced by most airlines as well as Southwest, is 4 hours south.
There is also a private small private airport just 2 miles from Fort Jones called Scott Valley Airfield A30 - if you fly in for lunch or dinner let us know and we can arrange a pick up!
We hope you'll enjoy a visit to Fort Jones to enjoy all it has to offer and experience Five Marys through the Burgerhouse and Farm Store!
HOW TO RECYCLE / REUSE YOUR BOX!
We so appreciate being able to reuse our custom insulated liners again and again! Your box and liner can be used as a travel cooler or recycled at your local recycling center - or return it back to us to use again.
OPTION 1 : The Post Office (USPS)
You can send a box back through the post office using the “Media Mail Rate” (It will take 8-10 days via snail mail but that is okay with us!) Simply place a used book inside (It has to be a book not a magazine - we will donate this to our local community), remove any notes and dry ice bag from inside the box, cover up the dry ice and perishable stickers and take to your local post office to mail back to us for $4-$6. You can also send Priority Mail or “Retail Ground”.
send to : Five Marys 6732 Eastside Rd Fort Jones CA 96032.
Once you’ve sent 10 boxes back via USPS at your cost, we would love to reward you with $100 in credit on your next order! Just email us after 10 returns for your code info@fivemarys.com
OPTION 2: UPS
We can provide a UPS return label to leave the box(es) on your porch for pick up or you can take them to a UPS shipping center. The UPS label costs us a little more than the price of the liner, so we require that you save 2-4 of the boxes of the same size to stack and tape together as one box (since they are so light empty) before you ship them back. The liners are the most valuable part of the box, so you can also pack one liner inside a second box/liner and recycle the first cardboard box. Email info@fivemarys.com to print a return UPS label!
These ship to our Farm Store at 11903 Main Street Fort Jones, CA 96032. Since we cover the shipping cost on this option, it is the only one that doesn’t qualify for a shopping credit, thanks for understanding!
OPTION 3 : DROP OFF!
If you live in the SF Bay Area you can drop off boxes at Mary’s parents house at 931 Menlo Oaks Drive in Menlo Park, CA. They are right near the Bay Rd exit off Highway 101 and you can leave boxes on the front porch or behind the house (down the cul-de-sac) by the back gate or garage doors.
OR if you are traveling by Five Marys Burgerhouse on Main Street in Fort Jones, CA - you can always stop in for a meal and drop your boxes off there!
If you’ve dropped off 10 boxes at either location, we would love to reward you with $100 in credit on your next order! Just email us after 10 returns for your code info@fivemarys.com
OPTION 4 : SHARE WITH OTHER BEEF SHIPPERS!
Coming Soon - we hope to have drop-spots all over the US at other farms/ranches and storefronts where you can drop boxes locally for other ranchers in the M5 Entrepreneurs group to re-use! We will have a reward system set up (ie $5 off coupon for that farm) since they’ll get to use the box again for their shipments. Stay tuned!
Our Family - The Heffernans
Mary and Brian Heffernan always dreamed of moving to the country to ranch and raise “free-range kids” in the dirt and sunshine. They both have deep agriculture roots and a passion for small town, small business and family-centered food. So when the opportunity to purchase the historic Sharps Gulch Ranch came along in 2013, Mary and Brian knew they'd found their land. With eyes on a new adventure and California soil in their souls, they took their four spunky girls to Siskiyou county.
We are Five Marys Farms - after Mary and our four daughters all named Mary after grandmothers and aunts on both sides of the family. MaryFrances or "Francie" is 12, MaryMarjorie or "Maisie" is 11, MaryJane or "JJ" is 9 and MaryTeresa or "Tessa" is 7.
Those are the FIVE MARYS proud to be working the ranch everyday keeping up with the leader of our pack, Heff.
Before we moved to the ranch we had small businesses and restaurants and we spent a lot of our time sourcing really good quality ingredients for our menu.
In the quest for super high quality meats, raised ethically but with great flavor, we did a ton of research with our chefs to know exactly what we wanted for our customers.
+ We wanted superior quality beef with a great story behind it.
+ We wanted a grass-fed lifestyle with a barley finish and an extended dry-age.
+ We wanted to know the animals were raised right and harvested humanely.
We searched high and low in small farms and couldn’t find anyone who could do this on a large enough scale to supply what we needed.
So we decided to do it ourselves.
We originally thought we'd just go up on the weekends and hire a ranch manager commuting back to our businesses in the city during the week, but we quickly realized we couldn't do both of these things well.
It didn't take us long do decide to totally change paths and jump into ranching full time. This meant selling our businesses and leaving our beautiful home we’d worked so hard for, Brian leaving his busy law practice and moving away from a land of opportunity and the only livelihood we knew.
We knew we had to find a new model and create a business from scratch to sustain our livelihood, so we started from square one.
When we started selling the meat we'd worked hard to raise, we would personally deliver to customers and then we started “farm stands” (our own version of farmers markets). They were a great way to kick start our sales and grow our business early, but we knew that wasn’t sustainable for us because we wanted to be on the ranch, not traveling all of the time to sell our meat.
The answer seemed to lie in shipping our meats directly to customers - and finding customers who appreciate high-quality, well-raised meats.
Shipping meat is no easy task, it took well over a year to navigate - but with lots of trial and error and learning from many mistakes - we have a tried-and-true system to sell, pack and ship meat directly to customers all over the US.
We use social media to share our story and sell our product and in four years we've grown to reach over 8,000 customers all over the country and we ship over 10,000 pounds of meat every month right from our ranch in rural California.
Using Social Media to Grow Our Brand...
Thanks to sharing our story on social media, we have received national attention over the past few years - with features in Oprah Magazine, Parents Magazine, Enjoy, Eating Well, Flea Market Style, GEV magazine and Real Simple.
We were also named "Best Farm" in America by Paleo Magazine in 2018!
All of this is because social media allows us to share our day-to-day life. To share our story and help tell the story of agriculture in today's world.
Follow along with us on Instagram as we share our day-to-day lives on the ranch!
Mary and Brian believe that good things take time, from restoring old ranch homes to raising cattle.
There simply are no short cuts.
We commit to consistently provide the finest quality meats only from animals we raise as a family on our ranch directly and hassle-free to your family's doorstep anywhere in the US.
After years in the restaurant business we had a lot of trials cooking with different meats from small farms to bigger names. We appreciate that consistency matters and that extra effort, like well packaged products and a 21 to 28-day dry aging and old world butchery practices (one animal at a time), is required for the most amazing flavor and tenderness. Above all, constant and unwavering care is required every single day of an animal's life to achieve a premium cut of meat. We go that extra mile.
Order our beef, lamb or pork by the individual cut, try one of our sampler assortments or get a customized box regularly with our Farm Club membership. Our ordering process is easy and your product will ship and arrive quickly and without hassle. No minimums or subscriptions are required and we ship anywhere in the country.
We are now the primary meat source for hundreds of families throughout the country and they will tell you our products are consistently fantastic and delivery is quick, easy and predictable.
We hope you will taste and appreciate the difference as well - you won't be disappointed!
Oh, and to answer your first question about us - yes, there really are five Marys. Five Marys Farms is named for the five girls in our family, all named Mary! Our four girls (ages 6-11) are all named after grandmothers and aunts on both sides carrying on a long standing family tradition of strong women named Mary.
We hope you’ll SHOP Five Marys meats or join us for a Five Marys experience!
OUR OPERATION
Our livestock spend their days on our Siskiyou county ranch, roaming freely and munching wild, Californian grasses. The ranching methods and beliefs we use, from grazing rotations to slaughter, preserve and protect the land we live on and respect the animals we raise from birth until their "one bad day" sacrificing for the food on our plates.
As far as certifications go, we believe in actions, not labels. Our products reflect our beliefs in respecting our animals, raising them with the utmost care and comfort and in feeding our customers only what we feed our family - the highest quality meats raised as naturally and humanely as possible.
We are raising Black Angus cattle, Navajo-Churro sheep, Berkshire hogs and a wide variety of laying hens.
Everyday is an adventure here on the ranch!
WHY FIVE MARYS?
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We believe in selling only the finest meat and the finest meat comes from animals and land that are well cared for.
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There are no shortcuts.
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We are a small family ranch and together as a family we vigilantly care for each of our animals.
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Our Black Angus cattle, Navajo Churro lambs and Berkshire heritage pigs spend their lives on our green pastures and hills rich in minerals and with plenty of sunshine and fresh Northern California mountain air.
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You can experience the difference in the taste of our beef, lamb and pork.
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Our meat is never treated with antibiotics or hormones.
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We are organically minded and GMO free.
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Our beef is finished on pasture grass and steam-flaked GMO-free barley.
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Our animals are processed at a first class USDA process, cut and wrap facility and each cut has complete traceability to our animals.
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Our ground beef and steaks are all dry aged for 14-28 days for tenderness and flavor you won't find many places other than the premier steakhouses.
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We strive to bring the finest meat to your table, as well as the real story behind it, so you know just where your food comes from.
OUR LAND
the history of our agricultural background & sharps gulch ranch
The land we live on is rich in family farming history and we are proud to continue that legacy through hard work, storytelling and the restoration of the ranch’s two homes, a large victorian and a 19th century creamery-turned house. We both come from a long lines of agriculture families, so we are grateful and excited to see these California roots grow into a story of our own.
- Mary and Brian Heffernan
We are very proud to be back in agriculture, just as our ancestors were, on our own family farm to continue our Californian history on Siskiyou County soil. Our daughters are 7th generation Californians who we hope to raise with a love and respect of the land where we live.
OUR MISSION
We are the Heffernan Family and are proud to be stewards of the land at Sharps Gulch Ranch. With farming in our blood from generations past, we are raising livestock and our children as natural as we can in the California sunshine.
We like doing things the hard way.
We believe in muddy boots, calloused hands and nurturing our land and livestock through dedication and hard work.
We believe that healthy animals live in big spaces with lots of sunshine, and don’t need extra hormones, chemicals or antibiotics.
We believe that food should tell a story, and are thrilled to share ours with you.
Five Marys Tallow Lotion
Regular price $42.00Our new tallow lotion blends the deep, nourishing moisture of our cleanest beef tallow. Whipped to a silky, spreadable texture, it melts into your skin to replenish and protect—without any greasy feel. Making it the perfect everyday lotion for hands, face, and body. - 8 oz bottles
Peppermint & Pink Clay: Distilled Water, Castor Oil, Beef Tallow, Stearic Acid, Emulsifying Wax, Vegetable Glycerin, Peppermint Essential Oil, French Pink Clay Powder, Optiphen
Sweet Orange & Bergamot: Distilled Water, Castor Oil, Beef Tallow, Stearic Acid, Emulsifying Wax, Vegetable Glycerin, Optiphen, Sweet Orange & Bergamot Essential Oils
Magnesium Infused Lavender & Chamomile: Distilled Water, Castor Oil, M5 Beef Tallow, Magnesium Chloride, Stearic Acid, Emulsifying Wax, Vegetable Glycerin, Natural Preservative Optiphen, Lavender and Chamomile Essential Oils
Five Marys FAQs
Why is the name “Five Marys”?
Five Marys Farms was named by Brian, for his Five Marys. His wife, Mary and their four daughters - MaryFrances or "Francie" is 16, MaryMarjorie or "Maisie" is 14, MaryJane or "JJ" is 13 and MaryTeresa or "Tessa" is 11. They are all named Mary after strong and memorable grandmothers and aunts on both sides of the family and each carries the middle name of that grandmother or great aunt.
Five Marys is truly a family operation honoring the roots in California agriculture on both sides of the family, the younger Marys are 7th generation Californians with ancestors dating back to 1851 at the time of the Gold Rush. Brian’s father Tom was an active farmer and advocate for California agriculture and the Heffernans are proud to be carrying on a family legacy in the industry - and paving their own way too.
Why does your meat taste so good?
We work hard to raise a quality product from start to finish. That begins with great genetics in our animals for things like rib-eye size and marbling. We make sure to feed our animals a high quality feed for their entire life. We finish our beef with alfalfa and steam-flaked barley for an extended finish time of 180 days on finish feed. We also dry-age the whole carcass 14-28 days which is longer than the industry standard or the more common “wet age” and THIS dry-aging process gives a premium flavor and tenderness in every bite - right down to the ground beef. Extra care, attention and inputs mean better products for our family and our customers! HERE is a blog post with more info about how we raise and why our meat tastes so good!
Where are you located?
We are located in Siskiyou County - at the top of the state of California, almost to the Oregon border, where our Cattlewomen boast “top beef, from the top of our state, to the top of your plate.” Brian and Mary are both California natives, the girls are 7th generation to the state! Brian grew up in Imperial County and Tehama County with roots in agriculture and Mary was born and raised in Menlo Park, CA - better known today as “Silicon Valley” where she and Brian met, started their family and worked before deciding to change paths and leave the busy life there for 1800 acres of wide open spaces in Silicon Valley.
Where can I find out more about your story?
We share our daily life on Instagram right here. Mary also wrote an ebook about their decision to move to the ranch, including their story, and how things changed when they did. It’s called “They Can Do It. What I Learned About Parenting by Moving to the Country.” and you can download it to read on any device HERE.
Are you organic?
We are not ‘certified’ organic, but we practice all-natural practices in everything we do. We believe when our customers can have full transparency in our operation, can know and trust us as their source for high-quality, all-natural meats - that means more than a certification sticker on a package and avoids the red tape and extra cost to the consumer associated with certification.
What does “organically-minded” mean?
When you are not certified organic, legally you can not use the word organic.
We are 100% mindful to practice and produce all-natural products. We raise what we believe is the best product to feed our own children and share it with our customers.
Are you GMO-free? Are your animals fed corn or soy?
Yes, all of our livestock feed on the ranch is 100% GMO-free. We do not feed any soy to our cattle, hogs or sheep. We do not feed corn to our cattle or sheep, sometimes of the year our hogs might get feed mixed with corn.
Has your meat been treated with antibiotics?
Never. The meat we sell through Five Marys brand is always 100% antibiotic free from day one. We administer therapeutic antibiotics to animals on the ranch if they are needed for life saving situations or illness, but those animals are “red tagged” and pulled from our meat program. We still find other creative outlets for them after the proper and safe withdrawl period like local families or friends who understand the history of the animal. Animals given antibiotics in their lifetime are perfectly safe to eat after the standard withdrawl period - but we choose to have a clear designation for our customers that all meat sold from Five Marys is 100% free of any lifetime antibiotics.
Is your meat hormone free?
Yes, ALWAYS. Our meat is 100% free of any kind of growth hormones or any added hormones.
Is the meat all from animals from your ranch?
We raise the majority of the animals we harvest for our meat program on our ranch. Our neighbor directly connected and next to our ranch helps to raise some of our pork with us year round. A farm about an hour north in Oregon raised lamb with us to fill the gaps since we only have lamb about half the year (our lamb is usually harvested Nov-April and their lamb May-October.) We calve in the fall each year and raise those steers and some heifers for our meat program, and provide the cattle for the second half of the year by buying weaned calves from our brother-in-law on Oregon or our friends in Northern California who both raise very high quality cattle to the same standards we do.
Shipping FAQ’s
Where do you ship your meats?
We ship our meats, snack sticks, bones and bone broth to all 50 states Monday-Wednesdays every week of the year! Meats are packed on dry ice pellets (will be sublimated by the time you get your box) in custom made insulated liners.
Do you ship meats to Canada? Will you ever?
We do not ship to Canada. Canadian customs is not reliable to keep perishable orders moving through and boxes often get held up in customs for too long to make it feasible to ship frozen product. We do ship all other products besides meats, bones and bone broth to Canada though!
Do you ship non-meat items internationally?
We are not able to ship our meats to addresses outside of the US. We are able to ship other products like sheep pelts, M5 gear, books, prints, hats, etc. If you want to place an international order please email info@fivemarys.com to receive a shipping quote.
Can you ship to Hawaii & Alaska?
We sure can! It's a little more expensive to get it there but we ship overnight to both states.
What is The Return Policy?
We have a strict no returns and no refunds policy since most of our products are perishable and can not easily be shipped back and forth and we can not accept frozen products back for resale. If you need to return a sweatshirt or apparel, we will exchange for a different size if the customer pays shipping to send the original back to us. This does NOT apply for meats - all meats are NO returns or refunds, no exceptions.
ANIMAL FAQ’S
What breeds are your animals?
Black Angus Cattle : Black Angus produce a premium quality beef and we are proud of our herd with great genetics for superior marbling, flavor and consistency.
Berkshire Heritage Pigs: Berkshire pigs produce one of the best meat qualities - an optimal fat and marbling and are a great heritage breed. Some pigs are bred to be extra lean now - and others can be too fatty. Berkshires are a great in between with what our customers frequently tell us is the best pork they’ve ever tasted!
Navajo Churro Lambs: The "Chef's Choice" for a wonderful flavor and consistency every time, Navajo Churro's are a hearty breed that love our mountain climate. We have a blog post about our sheep HERE
What do you feed your pigs? Do you feed the pigs scraps?
We feed our pigs a carefully mixed ration of protein and minerals according to their age or stage of life. Our gestating mothers get one ration, nursing mothers get another, weaned piglets another and grower pigs their own. We avoid scraps for our pigs since it’s hard to control what might be in the scraps or how that food was raised.
Is your beef grass-fed?
Our cattle live on pastures or hill country at Five Marys year round and eat our local and ranch raised pasture grasses and alfalfa. We finish our cattle on a thoughtfully balanced ration of alfalfa, grain hay and steam-flaked barley for the best possible quality in marbling and taste. We believe grass-fed and grass-and-barley finish, with an extended finishing time of at least 180 days is the optimal way to raise our beef for consistent, excellent quality and flavor with all the benefits of a grass-fed lifestyle. We never feed corn, GMOs and all of our meat is 100% free from antibiotics, growth-hormones and ionophores.
Are your lambs grass-fed?
Yes, our Navajo Churro lambs and sheep eat only our pasture grasses and alfalfa.
Do you sell chicken or eggs? Turkeys?
No - we don’t raise poultry and will not in the future. If you are looking for quality raised chicken or turkey to ship to your doorstep like Five Marys, we recommend:
See our M5 DIRECTORY for other farms raising chicken!HARVESTING FAQ’S
Do you harvest humanely?
Yes. We are invested in making sure every stage of the process of raising and harvesting our animals is done thoughtfully and with the utmost care and attention to the well being of the animal. Our harvesting or slaughtering process is done under USDA inspection and we work hard to make sure the animals experience the least amount of stress and are slaughtered in the most humane way. This is obviously important because it’s the right thing to do, but it can also affect the quality of the meat (stress before harvest is not good for quality) so it’s important to everyone involved that animals are harvested humanely every single time.
How are animals are handled during processing?
At Five Marys, we are focused on raising our animals as humanely and ethically as possible their entire lives, this starts at birth and continues every day they graze the grasses and soak up the mountain air and sunshine on the ranch in Siskiyou County. We take the same concern for the harvesting process. We work hard to make sure animals experience the least amount of stress possible and are harvested thoughtfully and humanely, all under USDA supervision and care.
What does dry-aging do?
Beef that is dry-aged has an exceptional flavor and tenderness. It requires extra time, commitment and cost - but it is worth it in the end result of a perfect steak or incredibly delicious ground beef. Pork or lamb can be eaten soon after slaughter, but that is not the case with beef. Beef benefits from aging to promote tenderness and enhance flavor. Soon after slaughter, most beef sold in the US is split into large pieces called primals, vacuum sealed, and boxed up for transport, where it “wet-ages” during transit to grocery stores, meat distributors, and similar locations. When it arrives it is ultimately cut into steaks, roasts, and other familiar cuts for the consumer. Ground beef is often packaged and shipped without the benefit of any aging at all. In contrast, dry-aging beef involves hanging it in just above freezing temperatures in a humidity controlled room with ample air flow, for at least 14 days - we prefer 21-28 days for optimal tenderness and to impart a unique taste and delicate consistency to the meat.
Dry-aging is a craft tradition that used to be the norm, but it is slowly being replaced in favor of expediency and efficiency. However, Brian and I firmly believe that dry-aging creates the best possible beef. We don’t cut any steaks or grind any beef until the entire carcass is well aged, usually for 14 to 28 days after harvest. Purely grass-fed meat doesn’t always benefit from dry aging as it is often too lean without much marbling, but because we finish our cattle on barley which gives a great marbling, dry-aging is an optimal way to create a premium product for our customer.
How do you choose which animals go to harvest for meat? Are they all born on the ranch?
Our breeding mothers never go into our meat program. They stay breeders on the ranch as long as they are able and sometimes longer. Our breeding males (bulls, boards and rams) are also not put into our meat program. Older animals who have bred or birthed young are not as desirable as meat animals for most cuts. The animals born on our ranch every year are our market animals that we harvest for meats. We keep about 20% of these animals most years as breeders to replace older breeders who age out of reproducing. We buy new males for breeding from high quality genetic stock every few years to avoid line breeding and to ensure genetic diversity.
Are all your animals born on the ranch?
We raise most of our animals from start to finish, but sometimes will add animals from other trusted ranches (like our brother-in-law’s all-natural, Oregon ranching operation - or our neighbors next to the ranch raise some of our pork on their pastures) as we expand and grow our herd. Most are born here and live out their lives on the ranch.
What is the fat ratio in your ground beef?
Every animal is slightly different, but we aim for between 85/15 and 80/20 for our ground beef. We love the flavor of good, clean fat in our ground and we think you will too!
Visting FAQ’s
Can we visit the ranch for a tour?
We open the ranch occasionally for special events like Farm Dinners and weekend retreats for customers and friends to allow them to experience ranch life and get closer to where their food comes from. We announce these events in our Friends & Family email newsletter when they are released. Other than those times, we run a “lean” operation and besides our family of 6 - have just 1-2 extra ranch hands on some days - so we are very busy taking great care of our animals and getting our excellent meats to our customers!
Brian, Mary and the girls are busy taking care of the animals, the ranch and finding time together as a family so they are not able to accommodate any sort of ranch tours or visits! But you are welcome to drive by the ranch on the public highway (Eastside Rd) and take it all in from the road (please don't stop to block traffic, try to see animals or disrupt daily operations) The Heffs stop by the Burgerhouse often and love to say hello and meet visitors from all over though!
But while we can not give ranch tours - we love to have guests from far and wide come to visit Fort Jones to experience all that there is to offer in the area and the Five Marys brand at our restaurant or Ranch Store!
Can we shop at the Ranch Store?
YES! You can shop all of our meats and M5 gear and dry goods at Five Marys Ranch Store (normal business hours) or in the front of the restaurant, Five Marys Burgerhouse, just two doors down (restaurant hours :)
If you’d like to order locally, choose Fort Jones Pickup and email us to let us know when you will be by to pick up at the Ranch Store or the Burgerhouse, we’ll get it ready for you!
Where can we stay?
There are a variety of AirBnb's in Fort Jones to accommodate smaller groups or 1-night stays. The Etna Motel is another great option just 9 miles down the road in the town of Etna. "Camp Five Marys" experience and tents are not available for stays, but make sure you are on our mailing list to find out about any upcoming Farm Dinners or Camp Retreats!
There is also a great RV Park in Etna called The Mountain Village or one in Yreka called Yreka RV Park.
We do not rent out our camp area, the bunkhouse, or any other facilities on the ranch and do not allow visitors on the ranch at any time.
What is there to do?
The Fort Jones Museum is a gem of a spot with great local history and lots of opportunities to learn more about Northern California. It is located on the same block as Five Marys Burgerhouse and Farm Store.
Mountain Healing Spa is a great spot for some relaxation with soaking tubs and massages available in the town of Etna.
Callahan's Mountain Lodge just north in Ashland, Oregon is a hidden gem of a resort to stay in summer or cozy up in winter with live music every night.
There are also lots of great attractions nearby like Crater Lake, the town of Ashland Oregon, summer camps, hikes and more.
Where can we eat?
Five Marys Burgerhouse is open Monday-Saturday 11am-8/9pm right downtown Fort Jones and offers our dry-aged beef, pork and lamb in a delicious lunch and dinner menu served 6 days a week. Our Bourbon Bacon Burger or Cowboy Blues Burgers are customer favorites, and make sure to have an M5 Sidecar or pick up a bottle of Five Marys Whiskey or Bourbon!
How do I travel there?
The closest airport is Medford Oregon (MFR) which is serviced by Alaksa and United airlines. It's easy to rent a car from there and drive 1.5 hours south to Fort Jones. Sacramento Airport, serviced by most airlines as well as Southwest, is 4 hours south.
There is also a private small private airport just 2 miles from Fort Jones called Scott Valley Airfield A30 - if you fly in for lunch or dinner let us know and we can arrange a pick up!
We hope you'll enjoy a visit to Fort Jones to enjoy all it has to offer and experience Five Marys through the Burgerhouse and Farm Store!
HOW TO RECYCLE / REUSE YOUR BOX!
We so appreciate being able to reuse our custom insulated liners again and again! Your box and liner can be used as a travel cooler or recycled at your local recycling center - or return it back to us to use again.
OPTION 1 : The Post Office (USPS)
You can send a box back through the post office using the “Media Mail Rate” (It will take 8-10 days via snail mail but that is okay with us!) Simply place a used book inside (It has to be a book not a magazine - we will donate this to our local community), remove any notes and dry ice bag from inside the box, cover up the dry ice and perishable stickers and take to your local post office to mail back to us for $4-$6. You can also send Priority Mail or “Retail Ground”.
send to : Five Marys 6732 Eastside Rd Fort Jones CA 96032.
Once you’ve sent 10 boxes back via USPS at your cost, we would love to reward you with $100 in credit on your next order! Just email us after 10 returns for your code info@fivemarys.com
OPTION 2: UPS
We can provide a UPS return label to leave the box(es) on your porch for pick up or you can take them to a UPS shipping center. The UPS label costs us a little more than the price of the liner, so we require that you save 2-4 of the boxes of the same size to stack and tape together as one box (since they are so light empty) before you ship them back. The liners are the most valuable part of the box, so you can also pack one liner inside a second box/liner and recycle the first cardboard box. Email info@fivemarys.com to print a return UPS label!
These ship to our Farm Store at 11903 Main Street Fort Jones, CA 96032. Since we cover the shipping cost on this option, it is the only one that doesn’t qualify for a shopping credit, thanks for understanding!
OPTION 3 : DROP OFF!
If you live in the SF Bay Area you can drop off boxes at Mary’s parents house at 931 Menlo Oaks Drive in Menlo Park, CA. They are right near the Bay Rd exit off Highway 101 and you can leave boxes on the front porch or behind the house (down the cul-de-sac) by the back gate or garage doors.
OR if you are traveling by Five Marys Burgerhouse on Main Street in Fort Jones, CA - you can always stop in for a meal and drop your boxes off there!
If you’ve dropped off 10 boxes at either location, we would love to reward you with $100 in credit on your next order! Just email us after 10 returns for your code info@fivemarys.com
OPTION 4 : SHARE WITH OTHER BEEF SHIPPERS!
Coming Soon - we hope to have drop-spots all over the US at other farms/ranches and storefronts where you can drop boxes locally for other ranchers in the M5 Entrepreneurs group to re-use! We will have a reward system set up (ie $5 off coupon for that farm) since they’ll get to use the box again for their shipments. Stay tuned!
Our Family - The Heffernans
Mary and Brian Heffernan always dreamed of moving to the country to ranch and raise “free-range kids” in the dirt and sunshine. They both have deep agriculture roots and a passion for small town, small business and family-centered food. So when the opportunity to purchase the historic Sharps Gulch Ranch came along in 2013, Mary and Brian knew they'd found their land. With eyes on a new adventure and California soil in their souls, they took their four spunky girls to Siskiyou county.
We are Five Marys Farms - after Mary and our four daughters all named Mary after grandmothers and aunts on both sides of the family. MaryFrances or "Francie" is 12, MaryMarjorie or "Maisie" is 11, MaryJane or "JJ" is 9 and MaryTeresa or "Tessa" is 7.
Those are the FIVE MARYS proud to be working the ranch everyday keeping up with the leader of our pack, Heff.
Before we moved to the ranch we had small businesses and restaurants and we spent a lot of our time sourcing really good quality ingredients for our menu.
In the quest for super high quality meats, raised ethically but with great flavor, we did a ton of research with our chefs to know exactly what we wanted for our customers.
+ We wanted superior quality beef with a great story behind it.
+ We wanted a grass-fed lifestyle with a barley finish and an extended dry-age.
+ We wanted to know the animals were raised right and harvested humanely.
We searched high and low in small farms and couldn’t find anyone who could do this on a large enough scale to supply what we needed.
So we decided to do it ourselves.
We originally thought we'd just go up on the weekends and hire a ranch manager commuting back to our businesses in the city during the week, but we quickly realized we couldn't do both of these things well.
It didn't take us long do decide to totally change paths and jump into ranching full time. This meant selling our businesses and leaving our beautiful home we’d worked so hard for, Brian leaving his busy law practice and moving away from a land of opportunity and the only livelihood we knew.
We knew we had to find a new model and create a business from scratch to sustain our livelihood, so we started from square one.
When we started selling the meat we'd worked hard to raise, we would personally deliver to customers and then we started “farm stands” (our own version of farmers markets). They were a great way to kick start our sales and grow our business early, but we knew that wasn’t sustainable for us because we wanted to be on the ranch, not traveling all of the time to sell our meat.
The answer seemed to lie in shipping our meats directly to customers - and finding customers who appreciate high-quality, well-raised meats.
Shipping meat is no easy task, it took well over a year to navigate - but with lots of trial and error and learning from many mistakes - we have a tried-and-true system to sell, pack and ship meat directly to customers all over the US.
We use social media to share our story and sell our product and in four years we've grown to reach over 8,000 customers all over the country and we ship over 10,000 pounds of meat every month right from our ranch in rural California.
Using Social Media to Grow Our Brand...
Thanks to sharing our story on social media, we have received national attention over the past few years - with features in Oprah Magazine, Parents Magazine, Enjoy, Eating Well, Flea Market Style, GEV magazine and Real Simple.
We were also named "Best Farm" in America by Paleo Magazine in 2018!
All of this is because social media allows us to share our day-to-day life. To share our story and help tell the story of agriculture in today's world.
Follow along with us on Instagram as we share our day-to-day lives on the ranch!
Mary and Brian believe that good things take time, from restoring old ranch homes to raising cattle.
There simply are no short cuts.
We commit to consistently provide the finest quality meats only from animals we raise as a family on our ranch directly and hassle-free to your family's doorstep anywhere in the US.
After years in the restaurant business we had a lot of trials cooking with different meats from small farms to bigger names. We appreciate that consistency matters and that extra effort, like well packaged products and a 21 to 28-day dry aging and old world butchery practices (one animal at a time), is required for the most amazing flavor and tenderness. Above all, constant and unwavering care is required every single day of an animal's life to achieve a premium cut of meat. We go that extra mile.
Order our beef, lamb or pork by the individual cut, try one of our sampler assortments or get a customized box regularly with our Farm Club membership. Our ordering process is easy and your product will ship and arrive quickly and without hassle. No minimums or subscriptions are required and we ship anywhere in the country.
We are now the primary meat source for hundreds of families throughout the country and they will tell you our products are consistently fantastic and delivery is quick, easy and predictable.
We hope you will taste and appreciate the difference as well - you won't be disappointed!
Oh, and to answer your first question about us - yes, there really are five Marys. Five Marys Farms is named for the five girls in our family, all named Mary! Our four girls (ages 6-11) are all named after grandmothers and aunts on both sides carrying on a long standing family tradition of strong women named Mary.
We hope you’ll SHOP Five Marys meats or join us for a Five Marys experience!
OUR OPERATION
Our livestock spend their days on our Siskiyou county ranch, roaming freely and munching wild, Californian grasses. The ranching methods and beliefs we use, from grazing rotations to slaughter, preserve and protect the land we live on and respect the animals we raise from birth until their "one bad day" sacrificing for the food on our plates.
As far as certifications go, we believe in actions, not labels. Our products reflect our beliefs in respecting our animals, raising them with the utmost care and comfort and in feeding our customers only what we feed our family - the highest quality meats raised as naturally and humanely as possible.
We are raising Black Angus cattle, Navajo-Churro sheep, Berkshire hogs and a wide variety of laying hens.
Everyday is an adventure here on the ranch!
WHY FIVE MARYS?
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We believe in selling only the finest meat and the finest meat comes from animals and land that are well cared for.
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There are no shortcuts.
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We are a small family ranch and together as a family we vigilantly care for each of our animals.
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Our Black Angus cattle, Navajo Churro lambs and Berkshire heritage pigs spend their lives on our green pastures and hills rich in minerals and with plenty of sunshine and fresh Northern California mountain air.
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You can experience the difference in the taste of our beef, lamb and pork.
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Our meat is never treated with antibiotics or hormones.
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We are organically minded and GMO free.
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Our beef is finished on pasture grass and steam-flaked GMO-free barley.
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Our animals are processed at a first class USDA process, cut and wrap facility and each cut has complete traceability to our animals.
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Our ground beef and steaks are all dry aged for 14-28 days for tenderness and flavor you won't find many places other than the premier steakhouses.
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We strive to bring the finest meat to your table, as well as the real story behind it, so you know just where your food comes from.
OUR LAND
the history of our agricultural background & sharps gulch ranch
The land we live on is rich in family farming history and we are proud to continue that legacy through hard work, storytelling and the restoration of the ranch’s two homes, a large victorian and a 19th century creamery-turned house. We both come from a long lines of agriculture families, so we are grateful and excited to see these California roots grow into a story of our own.
- Mary and Brian Heffernan
We are very proud to be back in agriculture, just as our ancestors were, on our own family farm to continue our Californian history on Siskiyou County soil. Our daughters are 7th generation Californians who we hope to raise with a love and respect of the land where we live.
OUR MISSION
We are the Heffernan Family and are proud to be stewards of the land at Sharps Gulch Ranch. With farming in our blood from generations past, we are raising livestock and our children as natural as we can in the California sunshine.
We like doing things the hard way.
We believe in muddy boots, calloused hands and nurturing our land and livestock through dedication and hard work.
We believe that healthy animals live in big spaces with lots of sunshine, and don’t need extra hormones, chemicals or antibiotics.
We believe that food should tell a story, and are thrilled to share ours with you.
Magnesium Enriched Sleep Tallow Cream
Regular price Sale price $42.00Five Marys Tallow : Magnesium Enriched Sleep Cream
Five Marys All-Natural Tallow Cream! - a skincare super power that's been used for centuries! The main ingredient is our well-raised, clean, nutrient-rich, nourishing, anti-microbial TALLOW! This amazing ingredient is "bioavailable" since it's an animal protein and not from plants making it super compatible with our skin's natural structure.
Calming | Restorative | Sleep-Enhancing
Ease into a restful night with our Magnesium Sleep Tallow, made with clean, ranch-raised beef suet and naturally calming ingredients.
Our pure tallow blend is infused with magnesium flakes and blended with castor oil, frankincense, lavender, and chamomile—all selected for their gentle support in winding down before sleep. Designed to be used at bedtime, this balm can be applied to the chest, feet, and/or shoulders as part of your nightly routine.
Packaged in our signature blue jars as a balm (not whipped - more of a balm) available in 2 oz and 4 oz sizes.
Highlights:
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Infused with magnesium to support evening relaxation
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Softly scented with essential oils for a calming nighttime feel
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Made with clean, simple ingredients and no synthetic additives
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Non-greasy and easy to apply before bed
Use nightly as part of a calming wind-down routine. A small amount goes a long way.
Why Magnesium for Sleep?
Supports Deep Sleep – Magnesium plays a key role in relaxing the nervous system, helping to calm the body and mind for a more restful night’s sleep.
Eases Muscle Tension – Helps soothe tired, achy muscles and reduce nighttime restlessness.
Promotes Relaxation – Magnesium naturally lowers cortisol (the stress hormone), helping to relieve stress and promote feelings of calm and tranquility.
Absorbs Through the Skin – Unlike oral supplements, topical magnesium bypasses the digestive system, allowing for fast, effective absorption where your body needs it most.
How to Use:
Apply a small amount to clean, dry skin, preferably before bed. Gently massage into legs, feet, shoulders, or any areas of tension to enhance relaxation and promote a restful night’s sleep.
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Nighttime Ritual – Apply to feet and legs before bed for a soothing, sleep-enhancing effect.
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Post-Workout Recovery – Helps relieve muscle soreness and tension after exercise.
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Stress Relief – Massage onto shoulders and neck to release tension from a long day.
- Daily Relaxation – Use anytime you need a moment of calm and grounding.
What kind of magnesium? We use genuine Zechstein Magnesium Chloride
Source:
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Harvested from the ancient Zechstein seabed, deep beneath the Netherlands
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Considered one of the purest natural magnesium chloride sources in the world
Form:
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Magnesium chloride flakes or oil (ideal for topical use)
Benefits:
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Highly bioavailable through the skin (transdermal absorption)
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Excellent for topical relaxation, muscle recovery, and sleep support
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Very low in heavy metals or contaminants due to the depth of the Zechstein source
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Widely regarded as the gold standard in clean, natural magnesium for skincare products
Best For:
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Topical applications like creams, balms, sprays, and soaks
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Wellness products emphasizing purity, transparency, and clean sourcing
Natural Product Appeal:
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Appeals to consumers seeking non-synthetic, minimally processed ingredients
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Allows you to confidently market your product as pure and naturally sourced
How Do I Store It?
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Keep in a cool, dry place for up to a year.
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Store in a dark cabinet to protect the integrity of the ingredients.
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Do not refrigerate—this cream is best kept at room temperature for optimal texture and absorption.
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Because this is an all-natural product, we recommend a patch test before use to check for sensitivities.
Jar Net Weight:
The size refers to the jar and liquid measurement, rather than the product’s exact weight.
Please Note:
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These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. If you have concerns about specific ingredients or allergies, please consult your healthcare professional before use.
First time trying this product. Love it!
Been putting it on my legs and feet before bed, such a nice relaxing feel
great stuff
I’ve only used this for two nights so far, but it is AMAZING. I rub it on the soles of my feet at night and then wear socks. I have slept so deeply and soundly; it’s been wild. Plus my feet are so soft now! HIGHLY recommended from a tired mama of four littles.
I use this product every night, my skin feels wonderful each morning.
I’d tried other epsom salt creams and they don’t work as good as this does to help me sleep! It’s hard to sleep in these menopause years, I’ve tried a ton of different things and adding this has been one of the few that’s really helped! Thank you!
Five Marys FAQs
Why is the name “Five Marys”?
Five Marys Farms was named by Brian, for his Five Marys. His wife, Mary and their four daughters - MaryFrances or "Francie" is 16, MaryMarjorie or "Maisie" is 14, MaryJane or "JJ" is 13 and MaryTeresa or "Tessa" is 11. They are all named Mary after strong and memorable grandmothers and aunts on both sides of the family and each carries the middle name of that grandmother or great aunt.
Five Marys is truly a family operation honoring the roots in California agriculture on both sides of the family, the younger Marys are 7th generation Californians with ancestors dating back to 1851 at the time of the Gold Rush. Brian’s father Tom was an active farmer and advocate for California agriculture and the Heffernans are proud to be carrying on a family legacy in the industry - and paving their own way too.
Why does your meat taste so good?
We work hard to raise a quality product from start to finish. That begins with great genetics in our animals for things like rib-eye size and marbling. We make sure to feed our animals a high quality feed for their entire life. We finish our beef with alfalfa and steam-flaked barley for an extended finish time of 180 days on finish feed. We also dry-age the whole carcass 14-28 days which is longer than the industry standard or the more common “wet age” and THIS dry-aging process gives a premium flavor and tenderness in every bite - right down to the ground beef. Extra care, attention and inputs mean better products for our family and our customers! HERE is a blog post with more info about how we raise and why our meat tastes so good!
Where are you located?
We are located in Siskiyou County - at the top of the state of California, almost to the Oregon border, where our Cattlewomen boast “top beef, from the top of our state, to the top of your plate.” Brian and Mary are both California natives, the girls are 7th generation to the state! Brian grew up in Imperial County and Tehama County with roots in agriculture and Mary was born and raised in Menlo Park, CA - better known today as “Silicon Valley” where she and Brian met, started their family and worked before deciding to change paths and leave the busy life there for 1800 acres of wide open spaces in Silicon Valley.
Where can I find out more about your story?
We share our daily life on Instagram right here. Mary also wrote an ebook about their decision to move to the ranch, including their story, and how things changed when they did. It’s called “They Can Do It. What I Learned About Parenting by Moving to the Country.” and you can download it to read on any device HERE.
Are you organic?
We are not ‘certified’ organic, but we practice all-natural practices in everything we do. We believe when our customers can have full transparency in our operation, can know and trust us as their source for high-quality, all-natural meats - that means more than a certification sticker on a package and avoids the red tape and extra cost to the consumer associated with certification.
What does “organically-minded” mean?
When you are not certified organic, legally you can not use the word organic.
We are 100% mindful to practice and produce all-natural products. We raise what we believe is the best product to feed our own children and share it with our customers.
Are you GMO-free? Are your animals fed corn or soy?
Yes, all of our livestock feed on the ranch is 100% GMO-free. We do not feed any soy to our cattle, hogs or sheep. We do not feed corn to our cattle or sheep, sometimes of the year our hogs might get feed mixed with corn.
Has your meat been treated with antibiotics?
Never. The meat we sell through Five Marys brand is always 100% antibiotic free from day one. We administer therapeutic antibiotics to animals on the ranch if they are needed for life saving situations or illness, but those animals are “red tagged” and pulled from our meat program. We still find other creative outlets for them after the proper and safe withdrawl period like local families or friends who understand the history of the animal. Animals given antibiotics in their lifetime are perfectly safe to eat after the standard withdrawl period - but we choose to have a clear designation for our customers that all meat sold from Five Marys is 100% free of any lifetime antibiotics.
Is your meat hormone free?
Yes, ALWAYS. Our meat is 100% free of any kind of growth hormones or any added hormones.
Is the meat all from animals from your ranch?
We raise the majority of the animals we harvest for our meat program on our ranch. Our neighbor directly connected and next to our ranch helps to raise some of our pork with us year round. A farm about an hour north in Oregon raised lamb with us to fill the gaps since we only have lamb about half the year (our lamb is usually harvested Nov-April and their lamb May-October.) We calve in the fall each year and raise those steers and some heifers for our meat program, and provide the cattle for the second half of the year by buying weaned calves from our brother-in-law on Oregon or our friends in Northern California who both raise very high quality cattle to the same standards we do.
Shipping FAQ’s
Where do you ship your meats?
We ship our meats, snack sticks, bones and bone broth to all 50 states Monday-Wednesdays every week of the year! Meats are packed on dry ice pellets (will be sublimated by the time you get your box) in custom made insulated liners.
Do you ship meats to Canada? Will you ever?
We do not ship to Canada. Canadian customs is not reliable to keep perishable orders moving through and boxes often get held up in customs for too long to make it feasible to ship frozen product. We do ship all other products besides meats, bones and bone broth to Canada though!
Do you ship non-meat items internationally?
We are not able to ship our meats to addresses outside of the US. We are able to ship other products like sheep pelts, M5 gear, books, prints, hats, etc. If you want to place an international order please email info@fivemarys.com to receive a shipping quote.
Can you ship to Hawaii & Alaska?
We sure can! It's a little more expensive to get it there but we ship overnight to both states.
What is The Return Policy?
We have a strict no returns and no refunds policy since most of our products are perishable and can not easily be shipped back and forth and we can not accept frozen products back for resale. If you need to return a sweatshirt or apparel, we will exchange for a different size if the customer pays shipping to send the original back to us. This does NOT apply for meats - all meats are NO returns or refunds, no exceptions.
ANIMAL FAQ’S
What breeds are your animals?
Black Angus Cattle : Black Angus produce a premium quality beef and we are proud of our herd with great genetics for superior marbling, flavor and consistency.
Berkshire Heritage Pigs: Berkshire pigs produce one of the best meat qualities - an optimal fat and marbling and are a great heritage breed. Some pigs are bred to be extra lean now - and others can be too fatty. Berkshires are a great in between with what our customers frequently tell us is the best pork they’ve ever tasted!
Navajo Churro Lambs: The "Chef's Choice" for a wonderful flavor and consistency every time, Navajo Churro's are a hearty breed that love our mountain climate. We have a blog post about our sheep HERE
What do you feed your pigs? Do you feed the pigs scraps?
We feed our pigs a carefully mixed ration of protein and minerals according to their age or stage of life. Our gestating mothers get one ration, nursing mothers get another, weaned piglets another and grower pigs their own. We avoid scraps for our pigs since it’s hard to control what might be in the scraps or how that food was raised.
Is your beef grass-fed?
Our cattle live on pastures or hill country at Five Marys year round and eat our local and ranch raised pasture grasses and alfalfa. We finish our cattle on a thoughtfully balanced ration of alfalfa, grain hay and steam-flaked barley for the best possible quality in marbling and taste. We believe grass-fed and grass-and-barley finish, with an extended finishing time of at least 180 days is the optimal way to raise our beef for consistent, excellent quality and flavor with all the benefits of a grass-fed lifestyle. We never feed corn, GMOs and all of our meat is 100% free from antibiotics, growth-hormones and ionophores.
Are your lambs grass-fed?
Yes, our Navajo Churro lambs and sheep eat only our pasture grasses and alfalfa.
Do you sell chicken or eggs? Turkeys?
No - we don’t raise poultry and will not in the future. If you are looking for quality raised chicken or turkey to ship to your doorstep like Five Marys, we recommend:
See our M5 DIRECTORY for other farms raising chicken!HARVESTING FAQ’S
Do you harvest humanely?
Yes. We are invested in making sure every stage of the process of raising and harvesting our animals is done thoughtfully and with the utmost care and attention to the well being of the animal. Our harvesting or slaughtering process is done under USDA inspection and we work hard to make sure the animals experience the least amount of stress and are slaughtered in the most humane way. This is obviously important because it’s the right thing to do, but it can also affect the quality of the meat (stress before harvest is not good for quality) so it’s important to everyone involved that animals are harvested humanely every single time.
How are animals are handled during processing?
At Five Marys, we are focused on raising our animals as humanely and ethically as possible their entire lives, this starts at birth and continues every day they graze the grasses and soak up the mountain air and sunshine on the ranch in Siskiyou County. We take the same concern for the harvesting process. We work hard to make sure animals experience the least amount of stress possible and are harvested thoughtfully and humanely, all under USDA supervision and care.
What does dry-aging do?
Beef that is dry-aged has an exceptional flavor and tenderness. It requires extra time, commitment and cost - but it is worth it in the end result of a perfect steak or incredibly delicious ground beef. Pork or lamb can be eaten soon after slaughter, but that is not the case with beef. Beef benefits from aging to promote tenderness and enhance flavor. Soon after slaughter, most beef sold in the US is split into large pieces called primals, vacuum sealed, and boxed up for transport, where it “wet-ages” during transit to grocery stores, meat distributors, and similar locations. When it arrives it is ultimately cut into steaks, roasts, and other familiar cuts for the consumer. Ground beef is often packaged and shipped without the benefit of any aging at all. In contrast, dry-aging beef involves hanging it in just above freezing temperatures in a humidity controlled room with ample air flow, for at least 14 days - we prefer 21-28 days for optimal tenderness and to impart a unique taste and delicate consistency to the meat.
Dry-aging is a craft tradition that used to be the norm, but it is slowly being replaced in favor of expediency and efficiency. However, Brian and I firmly believe that dry-aging creates the best possible beef. We don’t cut any steaks or grind any beef until the entire carcass is well aged, usually for 14 to 28 days after harvest. Purely grass-fed meat doesn’t always benefit from dry aging as it is often too lean without much marbling, but because we finish our cattle on barley which gives a great marbling, dry-aging is an optimal way to create a premium product for our customer.
How do you choose which animals go to harvest for meat? Are they all born on the ranch?
Our breeding mothers never go into our meat program. They stay breeders on the ranch as long as they are able and sometimes longer. Our breeding males (bulls, boards and rams) are also not put into our meat program. Older animals who have bred or birthed young are not as desirable as meat animals for most cuts. The animals born on our ranch every year are our market animals that we harvest for meats. We keep about 20% of these animals most years as breeders to replace older breeders who age out of reproducing. We buy new males for breeding from high quality genetic stock every few years to avoid line breeding and to ensure genetic diversity.
Are all your animals born on the ranch?
We raise most of our animals from start to finish, but sometimes will add animals from other trusted ranches (like our brother-in-law’s all-natural, Oregon ranching operation - or our neighbors next to the ranch raise some of our pork on their pastures) as we expand and grow our herd. Most are born here and live out their lives on the ranch.
What is the fat ratio in your ground beef?
Every animal is slightly different, but we aim for between 85/15 and 80/20 for our ground beef. We love the flavor of good, clean fat in our ground and we think you will too!
Visting FAQ’s
Can we visit the ranch for a tour?
We open the ranch occasionally for special events like Farm Dinners and weekend retreats for customers and friends to allow them to experience ranch life and get closer to where their food comes from. We announce these events in our Friends & Family email newsletter when they are released. Other than those times, we run a “lean” operation and besides our family of 6 - have just 1-2 extra ranch hands on some days - so we are very busy taking great care of our animals and getting our excellent meats to our customers!
Brian, Mary and the girls are busy taking care of the animals, the ranch and finding time together as a family so they are not able to accommodate any sort of ranch tours or visits! But you are welcome to drive by the ranch on the public highway (Eastside Rd) and take it all in from the road (please don't stop to block traffic, try to see animals or disrupt daily operations) The Heffs stop by the Burgerhouse often and love to say hello and meet visitors from all over though!
But while we can not give ranch tours - we love to have guests from far and wide come to visit Fort Jones to experience all that there is to offer in the area and the Five Marys brand at our restaurant or Ranch Store!
Can we shop at the Ranch Store?
YES! You can shop all of our meats and M5 gear and dry goods at Five Marys Ranch Store (normal business hours) or in the front of the restaurant, Five Marys Burgerhouse, just two doors down (restaurant hours :)
If you’d like to order locally, choose Fort Jones Pickup and email us to let us know when you will be by to pick up at the Ranch Store or the Burgerhouse, we’ll get it ready for you!
Where can we stay?
There are a variety of AirBnb's in Fort Jones to accommodate smaller groups or 1-night stays. The Etna Motel is another great option just 9 miles down the road in the town of Etna. "Camp Five Marys" experience and tents are not available for stays, but make sure you are on our mailing list to find out about any upcoming Farm Dinners or Camp Retreats!
There is also a great RV Park in Etna called The Mountain Village or one in Yreka called Yreka RV Park.
We do not rent out our camp area, the bunkhouse, or any other facilities on the ranch and do not allow visitors on the ranch at any time.
What is there to do?
The Fort Jones Museum is a gem of a spot with great local history and lots of opportunities to learn more about Northern California. It is located on the same block as Five Marys Burgerhouse and Farm Store.
Mountain Healing Spa is a great spot for some relaxation with soaking tubs and massages available in the town of Etna.
Callahan's Mountain Lodge just north in Ashland, Oregon is a hidden gem of a resort to stay in summer or cozy up in winter with live music every night.
There are also lots of great attractions nearby like Crater Lake, the town of Ashland Oregon, summer camps, hikes and more.
Where can we eat?
Five Marys Burgerhouse is open Monday-Saturday 11am-8/9pm right downtown Fort Jones and offers our dry-aged beef, pork and lamb in a delicious lunch and dinner menu served 6 days a week. Our Bourbon Bacon Burger or Cowboy Blues Burgers are customer favorites, and make sure to have an M5 Sidecar or pick up a bottle of Five Marys Whiskey or Bourbon!
How do I travel there?
The closest airport is Medford Oregon (MFR) which is serviced by Alaksa and United airlines. It's easy to rent a car from there and drive 1.5 hours south to Fort Jones. Sacramento Airport, serviced by most airlines as well as Southwest, is 4 hours south.
There is also a private small private airport just 2 miles from Fort Jones called Scott Valley Airfield A30 - if you fly in for lunch or dinner let us know and we can arrange a pick up!
We hope you'll enjoy a visit to Fort Jones to enjoy all it has to offer and experience Five Marys through the Burgerhouse and Farm Store!
HOW TO RECYCLE / REUSE YOUR BOX!
We so appreciate being able to reuse our custom insulated liners again and again! Your box and liner can be used as a travel cooler or recycled at your local recycling center - or return it back to us to use again.
OPTION 1 : The Post Office (USPS)
You can send a box back through the post office using the “Media Mail Rate” (It will take 8-10 days via snail mail but that is okay with us!) Simply place a used book inside (It has to be a book not a magazine - we will donate this to our local community), remove any notes and dry ice bag from inside the box, cover up the dry ice and perishable stickers and take to your local post office to mail back to us for $4-$6. You can also send Priority Mail or “Retail Ground”.
send to : Five Marys 6732 Eastside Rd Fort Jones CA 96032.
Once you’ve sent 10 boxes back via USPS at your cost, we would love to reward you with $100 in credit on your next order! Just email us after 10 returns for your code info@fivemarys.com
OPTION 2: UPS
We can provide a UPS return label to leave the box(es) on your porch for pick up or you can take them to a UPS shipping center. The UPS label costs us a little more than the price of the liner, so we require that you save 2-4 of the boxes of the same size to stack and tape together as one box (since they are so light empty) before you ship them back. The liners are the most valuable part of the box, so you can also pack one liner inside a second box/liner and recycle the first cardboard box. Email info@fivemarys.com to print a return UPS label!
These ship to our Farm Store at 11903 Main Street Fort Jones, CA 96032. Since we cover the shipping cost on this option, it is the only one that doesn’t qualify for a shopping credit, thanks for understanding!
OPTION 3 : DROP OFF!
If you live in the SF Bay Area you can drop off boxes at Mary’s parents house at 931 Menlo Oaks Drive in Menlo Park, CA. They are right near the Bay Rd exit off Highway 101 and you can leave boxes on the front porch or behind the house (down the cul-de-sac) by the back gate or garage doors.
OR if you are traveling by Five Marys Burgerhouse on Main Street in Fort Jones, CA - you can always stop in for a meal and drop your boxes off there!
If you’ve dropped off 10 boxes at either location, we would love to reward you with $100 in credit on your next order! Just email us after 10 returns for your code info@fivemarys.com
OPTION 4 : SHARE WITH OTHER BEEF SHIPPERS!
Coming Soon - we hope to have drop-spots all over the US at other farms/ranches and storefronts where you can drop boxes locally for other ranchers in the M5 Entrepreneurs group to re-use! We will have a reward system set up (ie $5 off coupon for that farm) since they’ll get to use the box again for their shipments. Stay tuned!
Our Family - The Heffernans
Mary and Brian Heffernan always dreamed of moving to the country to ranch and raise “free-range kids” in the dirt and sunshine. They both have deep agriculture roots and a passion for small town, small business and family-centered food. So when the opportunity to purchase the historic Sharps Gulch Ranch came along in 2013, Mary and Brian knew they'd found their land. With eyes on a new adventure and California soil in their souls, they took their four spunky girls to Siskiyou county.
We are Five Marys Farms - after Mary and our four daughters all named Mary after grandmothers and aunts on both sides of the family. MaryFrances or "Francie" is 12, MaryMarjorie or "Maisie" is 11, MaryJane or "JJ" is 9 and MaryTeresa or "Tessa" is 7.
Those are the FIVE MARYS proud to be working the ranch everyday keeping up with the leader of our pack, Heff.
Before we moved to the ranch we had small businesses and restaurants and we spent a lot of our time sourcing really good quality ingredients for our menu.
In the quest for super high quality meats, raised ethically but with great flavor, we did a ton of research with our chefs to know exactly what we wanted for our customers.
+ We wanted superior quality beef with a great story behind it.
+ We wanted a grass-fed lifestyle with a barley finish and an extended dry-age.
+ We wanted to know the animals were raised right and harvested humanely.
We searched high and low in small farms and couldn’t find anyone who could do this on a large enough scale to supply what we needed.
So we decided to do it ourselves.
We originally thought we'd just go up on the weekends and hire a ranch manager commuting back to our businesses in the city during the week, but we quickly realized we couldn't do both of these things well.
It didn't take us long do decide to totally change paths and jump into ranching full time. This meant selling our businesses and leaving our beautiful home we’d worked so hard for, Brian leaving his busy law practice and moving away from a land of opportunity and the only livelihood we knew.
We knew we had to find a new model and create a business from scratch to sustain our livelihood, so we started from square one.
When we started selling the meat we'd worked hard to raise, we would personally deliver to customers and then we started “farm stands” (our own version of farmers markets). They were a great way to kick start our sales and grow our business early, but we knew that wasn’t sustainable for us because we wanted to be on the ranch, not traveling all of the time to sell our meat.
The answer seemed to lie in shipping our meats directly to customers - and finding customers who appreciate high-quality, well-raised meats.
Shipping meat is no easy task, it took well over a year to navigate - but with lots of trial and error and learning from many mistakes - we have a tried-and-true system to sell, pack and ship meat directly to customers all over the US.
We use social media to share our story and sell our product and in four years we've grown to reach over 8,000 customers all over the country and we ship over 10,000 pounds of meat every month right from our ranch in rural California.
Using Social Media to Grow Our Brand...
Thanks to sharing our story on social media, we have received national attention over the past few years - with features in Oprah Magazine, Parents Magazine, Enjoy, Eating Well, Flea Market Style, GEV magazine and Real Simple.
We were also named "Best Farm" in America by Paleo Magazine in 2018!
All of this is because social media allows us to share our day-to-day life. To share our story and help tell the story of agriculture in today's world.
Follow along with us on Instagram as we share our day-to-day lives on the ranch!
Mary and Brian believe that good things take time, from restoring old ranch homes to raising cattle.
There simply are no short cuts.
We commit to consistently provide the finest quality meats only from animals we raise as a family on our ranch directly and hassle-free to your family's doorstep anywhere in the US.
After years in the restaurant business we had a lot of trials cooking with different meats from small farms to bigger names. We appreciate that consistency matters and that extra effort, like well packaged products and a 21 to 28-day dry aging and old world butchery practices (one animal at a time), is required for the most amazing flavor and tenderness. Above all, constant and unwavering care is required every single day of an animal's life to achieve a premium cut of meat. We go that extra mile.
Order our beef, lamb or pork by the individual cut, try one of our sampler assortments or get a customized box regularly with our Farm Club membership. Our ordering process is easy and your product will ship and arrive quickly and without hassle. No minimums or subscriptions are required and we ship anywhere in the country.
We are now the primary meat source for hundreds of families throughout the country and they will tell you our products are consistently fantastic and delivery is quick, easy and predictable.
We hope you will taste and appreciate the difference as well - you won't be disappointed!
Oh, and to answer your first question about us - yes, there really are five Marys. Five Marys Farms is named for the five girls in our family, all named Mary! Our four girls (ages 6-11) are all named after grandmothers and aunts on both sides carrying on a long standing family tradition of strong women named Mary.
We hope you’ll SHOP Five Marys meats or join us for a Five Marys experience!
OUR OPERATION
Our livestock spend their days on our Siskiyou county ranch, roaming freely and munching wild, Californian grasses. The ranching methods and beliefs we use, from grazing rotations to slaughter, preserve and protect the land we live on and respect the animals we raise from birth until their "one bad day" sacrificing for the food on our plates.
As far as certifications go, we believe in actions, not labels. Our products reflect our beliefs in respecting our animals, raising them with the utmost care and comfort and in feeding our customers only what we feed our family - the highest quality meats raised as naturally and humanely as possible.
We are raising Black Angus cattle, Navajo-Churro sheep, Berkshire hogs and a wide variety of laying hens.
Everyday is an adventure here on the ranch!
WHY FIVE MARYS?
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We believe in selling only the finest meat and the finest meat comes from animals and land that are well cared for.
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There are no shortcuts.
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We are a small family ranch and together as a family we vigilantly care for each of our animals.
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Our Black Angus cattle, Navajo Churro lambs and Berkshire heritage pigs spend their lives on our green pastures and hills rich in minerals and with plenty of sunshine and fresh Northern California mountain air.
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You can experience the difference in the taste of our beef, lamb and pork.
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Our meat is never treated with antibiotics or hormones.
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We are organically minded and GMO free.
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Our beef is finished on pasture grass and steam-flaked GMO-free barley.
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Our animals are processed at a first class USDA process, cut and wrap facility and each cut has complete traceability to our animals.
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Our ground beef and steaks are all dry aged for 14-28 days for tenderness and flavor you won't find many places other than the premier steakhouses.
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We strive to bring the finest meat to your table, as well as the real story behind it, so you know just where your food comes from.
OUR LAND
the history of our agricultural background & sharps gulch ranch
The land we live on is rich in family farming history and we are proud to continue that legacy through hard work, storytelling and the restoration of the ranch’s two homes, a large victorian and a 19th century creamery-turned house. We both come from a long lines of agriculture families, so we are grateful and excited to see these California roots grow into a story of our own.
- Mary and Brian Heffernan
We are very proud to be back in agriculture, just as our ancestors were, on our own family farm to continue our Californian history on Siskiyou County soil. Our daughters are 7th generation Californians who we hope to raise with a love and respect of the land where we live.
OUR MISSION
We are the Heffernan Family and are proud to be stewards of the land at Sharps Gulch Ranch. With farming in our blood from generations past, we are raising livestock and our children as natural as we can in the California sunshine.
We like doing things the hard way.
We believe in muddy boots, calloused hands and nurturing our land and livestock through dedication and hard work.
We believe that healthy animals live in big spaces with lots of sunshine, and don’t need extra hormones, chemicals or antibiotics.
We believe that food should tell a story, and are thrilled to share ours with you.
Pure Tallow : Unscented
Regular price $28.00Five Marys Tallow : Unscented
All-Natural | Deeply Moisturizing | Perfect for All Ages
For those who want pure, simple, and effective skincare, Five Marys Pure Unscented Tallow is the perfect choice. Made with just two all-natural ingredients—ranch-raised beef tallow and castor oil—this deeply hydrating, fragrance-free balm is ideal for sensitive skin, babies, and those avoiding essential oils or fragrances.
With zero synthetic additives, essential oils, or preservatives, this gentle formula soothes, protects, and hydrates without clogging pores, making it a versatile moisturizer for the whole family.
Ingredients: Beef Tallow, Castor Oil (that's it!)
Why Choose Pure Unscented Tallow?
- 100% Natural & Chemical-Free – Free from fragrances, fillers, and preservatives, making it safe for even the most sensitive skin.
- Deep Hydration Without Greasiness – Absorbs quickly, leaving skin soft, smooth, and nourished.
- Won’t Clog Pores – Non-comedogenic and perfect for acne-prone or sensitive skin.
- Soothes & Strengthens the Skin Barrier – Helps lock in moisture, repair damage, and restore balance.
- Multipurpose & Family-Friendly – Safe for all ages, including babies, and can be used as a face moisturizer, body balm, baby lotion, or healing salve.
Key Ingredients & Their Benefits:
Ranch-Raised Beef Tallow – The ultimate skin superfood, tallow mimics the natural oils in human skin, delivering deep hydration, restoring elasticity, and reducing fine lines.
Castor Oil – A powerful humectant that draws moisture into the skin, helping to plump fine lines and support collagen and elastin production. It also has natural anti-inflammatory properties that soothe irritation and redness.
How to Use:
Apply a small amount to clean, dry skin and massage gently. A little goes a long way!
- Face Moisturizer – Balances and hydrates dry, oily, or sensitive skin.
- Body Balm – Soothes dry, rough, or irritated skin.
- Baby Lotion – Gentle enough for newborn skin, great for diaper rash or dry patches.
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Healing Salve – Helps restore cracked or damaged skin.
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After-Shave Balm – Reduces razor irritation and hydrates skin.
How Do I Store It?
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Tallow is shelf-stable but should be kept in a cool, dry place.
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Store in a dark cabinet to extend freshness for up to a year or more.
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Do not refrigerate—tallow hardens when cold but melts effortlessly at room temperature.
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Because this is an all-natural product, we recommend a patch test before use to check for sensitivities.
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Gritty Tallow? If it experiences extreme temperature changes - the tallow and carrier oils can separate. It’s still just fine to use! Either warm up between your fingers to melt before applying - or you can melt the whole jar on low heat in a double broiler or microwave, let cool to soft and whip again or use unwhipped!
Jar Net Weight:
Please note that our whipped tallow is light and airy, meaning there will be some airspace in the jar. The size refers to the jar and liquid measurement, rather than the product’s exact weight.
Please Note:
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These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
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This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.
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If you have concerns about specific ingredients or allergies, please consult your healthcare professional before use.
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All sales are final—items are not eligible for returns. Any refunds will be issued as store credit.
Great for quick moisture when allergies flare up
No scents for irritation
This feels so good on my eczema prone skin. I’m looking forward to seeing the long term effects
It is wonderful.
We love the tallow. Thank you so much!
I know it's "unscented" but there is a slight smell.
Great!
Five Marys FAQs
Why is the name “Five Marys”?
Five Marys Farms was named by Brian, for his Five Marys. His wife, Mary and their four daughters - MaryFrances or "Francie" is 16, MaryMarjorie or "Maisie" is 14, MaryJane or "JJ" is 13 and MaryTeresa or "Tessa" is 11. They are all named Mary after strong and memorable grandmothers and aunts on both sides of the family and each carries the middle name of that grandmother or great aunt.
Five Marys is truly a family operation honoring the roots in California agriculture on both sides of the family, the younger Marys are 7th generation Californians with ancestors dating back to 1851 at the time of the Gold Rush. Brian’s father Tom was an active farmer and advocate for California agriculture and the Heffernans are proud to be carrying on a family legacy in the industry - and paving their own way too.
Why does your meat taste so good?
We work hard to raise a quality product from start to finish. That begins with great genetics in our animals for things like rib-eye size and marbling. We make sure to feed our animals a high quality feed for their entire life. We finish our beef with alfalfa and steam-flaked barley for an extended finish time of 180 days on finish feed. We also dry-age the whole carcass 14-28 days which is longer than the industry standard or the more common “wet age” and THIS dry-aging process gives a premium flavor and tenderness in every bite - right down to the ground beef. Extra care, attention and inputs mean better products for our family and our customers! HERE is a blog post with more info about how we raise and why our meat tastes so good!
Where are you located?
We are located in Siskiyou County - at the top of the state of California, almost to the Oregon border, where our Cattlewomen boast “top beef, from the top of our state, to the top of your plate.” Brian and Mary are both California natives, the girls are 7th generation to the state! Brian grew up in Imperial County and Tehama County with roots in agriculture and Mary was born and raised in Menlo Park, CA - better known today as “Silicon Valley” where she and Brian met, started their family and worked before deciding to change paths and leave the busy life there for 1800 acres of wide open spaces in Silicon Valley.
Where can I find out more about your story?
We share our daily life on Instagram right here. Mary also wrote an ebook about their decision to move to the ranch, including their story, and how things changed when they did. It’s called “They Can Do It. What I Learned About Parenting by Moving to the Country.” and you can download it to read on any device HERE.
Are you organic?
We are not ‘certified’ organic, but we practice all-natural practices in everything we do. We believe when our customers can have full transparency in our operation, can know and trust us as their source for high-quality, all-natural meats - that means more than a certification sticker on a package and avoids the red tape and extra cost to the consumer associated with certification.
What does “organically-minded” mean?
When you are not certified organic, legally you can not use the word organic.
We are 100% mindful to practice and produce all-natural products. We raise what we believe is the best product to feed our own children and share it with our customers.
Are you GMO-free? Are your animals fed corn or soy?
Yes, all of our livestock feed on the ranch is 100% GMO-free. We do not feed any soy to our cattle, hogs or sheep. We do not feed corn to our cattle or sheep, sometimes of the year our hogs might get feed mixed with corn.
Has your meat been treated with antibiotics?
Never. The meat we sell through Five Marys brand is always 100% antibiotic free from day one. We administer therapeutic antibiotics to animals on the ranch if they are needed for life saving situations or illness, but those animals are “red tagged” and pulled from our meat program. We still find other creative outlets for them after the proper and safe withdrawl period like local families or friends who understand the history of the animal. Animals given antibiotics in their lifetime are perfectly safe to eat after the standard withdrawl period - but we choose to have a clear designation for our customers that all meat sold from Five Marys is 100% free of any lifetime antibiotics.
Is your meat hormone free?
Yes, ALWAYS. Our meat is 100% free of any kind of growth hormones or any added hormones.
Is the meat all from animals from your ranch?
We raise the majority of the animals we harvest for our meat program on our ranch. Our neighbor directly connected and next to our ranch helps to raise some of our pork with us year round. A farm about an hour north in Oregon raised lamb with us to fill the gaps since we only have lamb about half the year (our lamb is usually harvested Nov-April and their lamb May-October.) We calve in the fall each year and raise those steers and some heifers for our meat program, and provide the cattle for the second half of the year by buying weaned calves from our brother-in-law on Oregon or our friends in Northern California who both raise very high quality cattle to the same standards we do.
Shipping FAQ’s
Where do you ship your meats?
We ship our meats, snack sticks, bones and bone broth to all 50 states Monday-Wednesdays every week of the year! Meats are packed on dry ice pellets (will be sublimated by the time you get your box) in custom made insulated liners.
Do you ship meats to Canada? Will you ever?
We do not ship to Canada. Canadian customs is not reliable to keep perishable orders moving through and boxes often get held up in customs for too long to make it feasible to ship frozen product. We do ship all other products besides meats, bones and bone broth to Canada though!
Do you ship non-meat items internationally?
We are not able to ship our meats to addresses outside of the US. We are able to ship other products like sheep pelts, M5 gear, books, prints, hats, etc. If you want to place an international order please email info@fivemarys.com to receive a shipping quote.
Can you ship to Hawaii & Alaska?
We sure can! It's a little more expensive to get it there but we ship overnight to both states.
What is The Return Policy?
We have a strict no returns and no refunds policy since most of our products are perishable and can not easily be shipped back and forth and we can not accept frozen products back for resale. If you need to return a sweatshirt or apparel, we will exchange for a different size if the customer pays shipping to send the original back to us. This does NOT apply for meats - all meats are NO returns or refunds, no exceptions.
ANIMAL FAQ’S
What breeds are your animals?
Black Angus Cattle : Black Angus produce a premium quality beef and we are proud of our herd with great genetics for superior marbling, flavor and consistency.
Berkshire Heritage Pigs: Berkshire pigs produce one of the best meat qualities - an optimal fat and marbling and are a great heritage breed. Some pigs are bred to be extra lean now - and others can be too fatty. Berkshires are a great in between with what our customers frequently tell us is the best pork they’ve ever tasted!
Navajo Churro Lambs: The "Chef's Choice" for a wonderful flavor and consistency every time, Navajo Churro's are a hearty breed that love our mountain climate. We have a blog post about our sheep HERE
What do you feed your pigs? Do you feed the pigs scraps?
We feed our pigs a carefully mixed ration of protein and minerals according to their age or stage of life. Our gestating mothers get one ration, nursing mothers get another, weaned piglets another and grower pigs their own. We avoid scraps for our pigs since it’s hard to control what might be in the scraps or how that food was raised.
Is your beef grass-fed?
Our cattle live on pastures or hill country at Five Marys year round and eat our local and ranch raised pasture grasses and alfalfa. We finish our cattle on a thoughtfully balanced ration of alfalfa, grain hay and steam-flaked barley for the best possible quality in marbling and taste. We believe grass-fed and grass-and-barley finish, with an extended finishing time of at least 180 days is the optimal way to raise our beef for consistent, excellent quality and flavor with all the benefits of a grass-fed lifestyle. We never feed corn, GMOs and all of our meat is 100% free from antibiotics, growth-hormones and ionophores.
Are your lambs grass-fed?
Yes, our Navajo Churro lambs and sheep eat only our pasture grasses and alfalfa.
Do you sell chicken or eggs? Turkeys?
No - we don’t raise poultry and will not in the future. If you are looking for quality raised chicken or turkey to ship to your doorstep like Five Marys, we recommend:
See our M5 DIRECTORY for other farms raising chicken!HARVESTING FAQ’S
Do you harvest humanely?
Yes. We are invested in making sure every stage of the process of raising and harvesting our animals is done thoughtfully and with the utmost care and attention to the well being of the animal. Our harvesting or slaughtering process is done under USDA inspection and we work hard to make sure the animals experience the least amount of stress and are slaughtered in the most humane way. This is obviously important because it’s the right thing to do, but it can also affect the quality of the meat (stress before harvest is not good for quality) so it’s important to everyone involved that animals are harvested humanely every single time.
How are animals are handled during processing?
At Five Marys, we are focused on raising our animals as humanely and ethically as possible their entire lives, this starts at birth and continues every day they graze the grasses and soak up the mountain air and sunshine on the ranch in Siskiyou County. We take the same concern for the harvesting process. We work hard to make sure animals experience the least amount of stress possible and are harvested thoughtfully and humanely, all under USDA supervision and care.
What does dry-aging do?
Beef that is dry-aged has an exceptional flavor and tenderness. It requires extra time, commitment and cost - but it is worth it in the end result of a perfect steak or incredibly delicious ground beef. Pork or lamb can be eaten soon after slaughter, but that is not the case with beef. Beef benefits from aging to promote tenderness and enhance flavor. Soon after slaughter, most beef sold in the US is split into large pieces called primals, vacuum sealed, and boxed up for transport, where it “wet-ages” during transit to grocery stores, meat distributors, and similar locations. When it arrives it is ultimately cut into steaks, roasts, and other familiar cuts for the consumer. Ground beef is often packaged and shipped without the benefit of any aging at all. In contrast, dry-aging beef involves hanging it in just above freezing temperatures in a humidity controlled room with ample air flow, for at least 14 days - we prefer 21-28 days for optimal tenderness and to impart a unique taste and delicate consistency to the meat.
Dry-aging is a craft tradition that used to be the norm, but it is slowly being replaced in favor of expediency and efficiency. However, Brian and I firmly believe that dry-aging creates the best possible beef. We don’t cut any steaks or grind any beef until the entire carcass is well aged, usually for 14 to 28 days after harvest. Purely grass-fed meat doesn’t always benefit from dry aging as it is often too lean without much marbling, but because we finish our cattle on barley which gives a great marbling, dry-aging is an optimal way to create a premium product for our customer.
How do you choose which animals go to harvest for meat? Are they all born on the ranch?
Our breeding mothers never go into our meat program. They stay breeders on the ranch as long as they are able and sometimes longer. Our breeding males (bulls, boards and rams) are also not put into our meat program. Older animals who have bred or birthed young are not as desirable as meat animals for most cuts. The animals born on our ranch every year are our market animals that we harvest for meats. We keep about 20% of these animals most years as breeders to replace older breeders who age out of reproducing. We buy new males for breeding from high quality genetic stock every few years to avoid line breeding and to ensure genetic diversity.
Are all your animals born on the ranch?
We raise most of our animals from start to finish, but sometimes will add animals from other trusted ranches (like our brother-in-law’s all-natural, Oregon ranching operation - or our neighbors next to the ranch raise some of our pork on their pastures) as we expand and grow our herd. Most are born here and live out their lives on the ranch.
What is the fat ratio in your ground beef?
Every animal is slightly different, but we aim for between 85/15 and 80/20 for our ground beef. We love the flavor of good, clean fat in our ground and we think you will too!
Visting FAQ’s
Can we visit the ranch for a tour?
We open the ranch occasionally for special events like Farm Dinners and weekend retreats for customers and friends to allow them to experience ranch life and get closer to where their food comes from. We announce these events in our Friends & Family email newsletter when they are released. Other than those times, we run a “lean” operation and besides our family of 6 - have just 1-2 extra ranch hands on some days - so we are very busy taking great care of our animals and getting our excellent meats to our customers!
Brian, Mary and the girls are busy taking care of the animals, the ranch and finding time together as a family so they are not able to accommodate any sort of ranch tours or visits! But you are welcome to drive by the ranch on the public highway (Eastside Rd) and take it all in from the road (please don't stop to block traffic, try to see animals or disrupt daily operations) The Heffs stop by the Burgerhouse often and love to say hello and meet visitors from all over though!
But while we can not give ranch tours - we love to have guests from far and wide come to visit Fort Jones to experience all that there is to offer in the area and the Five Marys brand at our restaurant or Ranch Store!
Can we shop at the Ranch Store?
YES! You can shop all of our meats and M5 gear and dry goods at Five Marys Ranch Store (normal business hours) or in the front of the restaurant, Five Marys Burgerhouse, just two doors down (restaurant hours :)
If you’d like to order locally, choose Fort Jones Pickup and email us to let us know when you will be by to pick up at the Ranch Store or the Burgerhouse, we’ll get it ready for you!
Where can we stay?
There are a variety of AirBnb's in Fort Jones to accommodate smaller groups or 1-night stays. The Etna Motel is another great option just 9 miles down the road in the town of Etna. "Camp Five Marys" experience and tents are not available for stays, but make sure you are on our mailing list to find out about any upcoming Farm Dinners or Camp Retreats!
There is also a great RV Park in Etna called The Mountain Village or one in Yreka called Yreka RV Park.
We do not rent out our camp area, the bunkhouse, or any other facilities on the ranch and do not allow visitors on the ranch at any time.
What is there to do?
The Fort Jones Museum is a gem of a spot with great local history and lots of opportunities to learn more about Northern California. It is located on the same block as Five Marys Burgerhouse and Farm Store.
Mountain Healing Spa is a great spot for some relaxation with soaking tubs and massages available in the town of Etna.
Callahan's Mountain Lodge just north in Ashland, Oregon is a hidden gem of a resort to stay in summer or cozy up in winter with live music every night.
There are also lots of great attractions nearby like Crater Lake, the town of Ashland Oregon, summer camps, hikes and more.
Where can we eat?
Five Marys Burgerhouse is open Monday-Saturday 11am-8/9pm right downtown Fort Jones and offers our dry-aged beef, pork and lamb in a delicious lunch and dinner menu served 6 days a week. Our Bourbon Bacon Burger or Cowboy Blues Burgers are customer favorites, and make sure to have an M5 Sidecar or pick up a bottle of Five Marys Whiskey or Bourbon!
How do I travel there?
The closest airport is Medford Oregon (MFR) which is serviced by Alaksa and United airlines. It's easy to rent a car from there and drive 1.5 hours south to Fort Jones. Sacramento Airport, serviced by most airlines as well as Southwest, is 4 hours south.
There is also a private small private airport just 2 miles from Fort Jones called Scott Valley Airfield A30 - if you fly in for lunch or dinner let us know and we can arrange a pick up!
We hope you'll enjoy a visit to Fort Jones to enjoy all it has to offer and experience Five Marys through the Burgerhouse and Farm Store!
HOW TO RECYCLE / REUSE YOUR BOX!
We so appreciate being able to reuse our custom insulated liners again and again! Your box and liner can be used as a travel cooler or recycled at your local recycling center - or return it back to us to use again.
OPTION 1 : The Post Office (USPS)
You can send a box back through the post office using the “Media Mail Rate” (It will take 8-10 days via snail mail but that is okay with us!) Simply place a used book inside (It has to be a book not a magazine - we will donate this to our local community), remove any notes and dry ice bag from inside the box, cover up the dry ice and perishable stickers and take to your local post office to mail back to us for $4-$6. You can also send Priority Mail or “Retail Ground”.
send to : Five Marys 6732 Eastside Rd Fort Jones CA 96032.
Once you’ve sent 10 boxes back via USPS at your cost, we would love to reward you with $100 in credit on your next order! Just email us after 10 returns for your code info@fivemarys.com
OPTION 2: UPS
We can provide a UPS return label to leave the box(es) on your porch for pick up or you can take them to a UPS shipping center. The UPS label costs us a little more than the price of the liner, so we require that you save 2-4 of the boxes of the same size to stack and tape together as one box (since they are so light empty) before you ship them back. The liners are the most valuable part of the box, so you can also pack one liner inside a second box/liner and recycle the first cardboard box. Email info@fivemarys.com to print a return UPS label!
These ship to our Farm Store at 11903 Main Street Fort Jones, CA 96032. Since we cover the shipping cost on this option, it is the only one that doesn’t qualify for a shopping credit, thanks for understanding!
OPTION 3 : DROP OFF!
If you live in the SF Bay Area you can drop off boxes at Mary’s parents house at 931 Menlo Oaks Drive in Menlo Park, CA. They are right near the Bay Rd exit off Highway 101 and you can leave boxes on the front porch or behind the house (down the cul-de-sac) by the back gate or garage doors.
OR if you are traveling by Five Marys Burgerhouse on Main Street in Fort Jones, CA - you can always stop in for a meal and drop your boxes off there!
If you’ve dropped off 10 boxes at either location, we would love to reward you with $100 in credit on your next order! Just email us after 10 returns for your code info@fivemarys.com
OPTION 4 : SHARE WITH OTHER BEEF SHIPPERS!
Coming Soon - we hope to have drop-spots all over the US at other farms/ranches and storefronts where you can drop boxes locally for other ranchers in the M5 Entrepreneurs group to re-use! We will have a reward system set up (ie $5 off coupon for that farm) since they’ll get to use the box again for their shipments. Stay tuned!
Our Family - The Heffernans
Mary and Brian Heffernan always dreamed of moving to the country to ranch and raise “free-range kids” in the dirt and sunshine. They both have deep agriculture roots and a passion for small town, small business and family-centered food. So when the opportunity to purchase the historic Sharps Gulch Ranch came along in 2013, Mary and Brian knew they'd found their land. With eyes on a new adventure and California soil in their souls, they took their four spunky girls to Siskiyou county.
We are Five Marys Farms - after Mary and our four daughters all named Mary after grandmothers and aunts on both sides of the family. MaryFrances or "Francie" is 12, MaryMarjorie or "Maisie" is 11, MaryJane or "JJ" is 9 and MaryTeresa or "Tessa" is 7.
Those are the FIVE MARYS proud to be working the ranch everyday keeping up with the leader of our pack, Heff.
Before we moved to the ranch we had small businesses and restaurants and we spent a lot of our time sourcing really good quality ingredients for our menu.
In the quest for super high quality meats, raised ethically but with great flavor, we did a ton of research with our chefs to know exactly what we wanted for our customers.
+ We wanted superior quality beef with a great story behind it.
+ We wanted a grass-fed lifestyle with a barley finish and an extended dry-age.
+ We wanted to know the animals were raised right and harvested humanely.
We searched high and low in small farms and couldn’t find anyone who could do this on a large enough scale to supply what we needed.
So we decided to do it ourselves.
We originally thought we'd just go up on the weekends and hire a ranch manager commuting back to our businesses in the city during the week, but we quickly realized we couldn't do both of these things well.
It didn't take us long do decide to totally change paths and jump into ranching full time. This meant selling our businesses and leaving our beautiful home we’d worked so hard for, Brian leaving his busy law practice and moving away from a land of opportunity and the only livelihood we knew.
We knew we had to find a new model and create a business from scratch to sustain our livelihood, so we started from square one.
When we started selling the meat we'd worked hard to raise, we would personally deliver to customers and then we started “farm stands” (our own version of farmers markets). They were a great way to kick start our sales and grow our business early, but we knew that wasn’t sustainable for us because we wanted to be on the ranch, not traveling all of the time to sell our meat.
The answer seemed to lie in shipping our meats directly to customers - and finding customers who appreciate high-quality, well-raised meats.
Shipping meat is no easy task, it took well over a year to navigate - but with lots of trial and error and learning from many mistakes - we have a tried-and-true system to sell, pack and ship meat directly to customers all over the US.
We use social media to share our story and sell our product and in four years we've grown to reach over 8,000 customers all over the country and we ship over 10,000 pounds of meat every month right from our ranch in rural California.
Using Social Media to Grow Our Brand...
Thanks to sharing our story on social media, we have received national attention over the past few years - with features in Oprah Magazine, Parents Magazine, Enjoy, Eating Well, Flea Market Style, GEV magazine and Real Simple.
We were also named "Best Farm" in America by Paleo Magazine in 2018!
All of this is because social media allows us to share our day-to-day life. To share our story and help tell the story of agriculture in today's world.
Follow along with us on Instagram as we share our day-to-day lives on the ranch!
Mary and Brian believe that good things take time, from restoring old ranch homes to raising cattle.
There simply are no short cuts.
We commit to consistently provide the finest quality meats only from animals we raise as a family on our ranch directly and hassle-free to your family's doorstep anywhere in the US.
After years in the restaurant business we had a lot of trials cooking with different meats from small farms to bigger names. We appreciate that consistency matters and that extra effort, like well packaged products and a 21 to 28-day dry aging and old world butchery practices (one animal at a time), is required for the most amazing flavor and tenderness. Above all, constant and unwavering care is required every single day of an animal's life to achieve a premium cut of meat. We go that extra mile.
Order our beef, lamb or pork by the individual cut, try one of our sampler assortments or get a customized box regularly with our Farm Club membership. Our ordering process is easy and your product will ship and arrive quickly and without hassle. No minimums or subscriptions are required and we ship anywhere in the country.
We are now the primary meat source for hundreds of families throughout the country and they will tell you our products are consistently fantastic and delivery is quick, easy and predictable.
We hope you will taste and appreciate the difference as well - you won't be disappointed!
Oh, and to answer your first question about us - yes, there really are five Marys. Five Marys Farms is named for the five girls in our family, all named Mary! Our four girls (ages 6-11) are all named after grandmothers and aunts on both sides carrying on a long standing family tradition of strong women named Mary.
We hope you’ll SHOP Five Marys meats or join us for a Five Marys experience!
OUR OPERATION
Our livestock spend their days on our Siskiyou county ranch, roaming freely and munching wild, Californian grasses. The ranching methods and beliefs we use, from grazing rotations to slaughter, preserve and protect the land we live on and respect the animals we raise from birth until their "one bad day" sacrificing for the food on our plates.
As far as certifications go, we believe in actions, not labels. Our products reflect our beliefs in respecting our animals, raising them with the utmost care and comfort and in feeding our customers only what we feed our family - the highest quality meats raised as naturally and humanely as possible.
We are raising Black Angus cattle, Navajo-Churro sheep, Berkshire hogs and a wide variety of laying hens.
Everyday is an adventure here on the ranch!
WHY FIVE MARYS?
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We believe in selling only the finest meat and the finest meat comes from animals and land that are well cared for.
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There are no shortcuts.
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We are a small family ranch and together as a family we vigilantly care for each of our animals.
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Our Black Angus cattle, Navajo Churro lambs and Berkshire heritage pigs spend their lives on our green pastures and hills rich in minerals and with plenty of sunshine and fresh Northern California mountain air.
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You can experience the difference in the taste of our beef, lamb and pork.
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Our meat is never treated with antibiotics or hormones.
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We are organically minded and GMO free.
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Our beef is finished on pasture grass and steam-flaked GMO-free barley.
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Our animals are processed at a first class USDA process, cut and wrap facility and each cut has complete traceability to our animals.
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Our ground beef and steaks are all dry aged for 14-28 days for tenderness and flavor you won't find many places other than the premier steakhouses.
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We strive to bring the finest meat to your table, as well as the real story behind it, so you know just where your food comes from.
OUR LAND
the history of our agricultural background & sharps gulch ranch
The land we live on is rich in family farming history and we are proud to continue that legacy through hard work, storytelling and the restoration of the ranch’s two homes, a large victorian and a 19th century creamery-turned house. We both come from a long lines of agriculture families, so we are grateful and excited to see these California roots grow into a story of our own.
- Mary and Brian Heffernan
We are very proud to be back in agriculture, just as our ancestors were, on our own family farm to continue our Californian history on Siskiyou County soil. Our daughters are 7th generation Californians who we hope to raise with a love and respect of the land where we live.
OUR MISSION
We are the Heffernan Family and are proud to be stewards of the land at Sharps Gulch Ranch. With farming in our blood from generations past, we are raising livestock and our children as natural as we can in the California sunshine.
We like doing things the hard way.
We believe in muddy boots, calloused hands and nurturing our land and livestock through dedication and hard work.
We believe that healthy animals live in big spaces with lots of sunshine, and don’t need extra hormones, chemicals or antibiotics.
We believe that food should tell a story, and are thrilled to share ours with you.
Face Tallow : Castor & Frankincense
Regular price $32.00Five Marys Tallow with Frankincense & Castor Oil
Some call this one... "Botox in a Bottle!" and it's an all-natural anti-aging cream!
Age-Defying | Hydrating | Skin-Firming
Unlock the power of nature’s most bioavailable moisturizer with Five Marys Pure Tallow Anti-Aging Cream—a luxurious, deeply hydrating formula crafted from all-natural, ranch-raised beef tallow, castor oil, and pure frankincense essential oil. This nutrient-dense, skin-firming cream works with your skin’s natural chemistry to restore elasticity, reduce fine lines, and enhance radiance without synthetic fillers or harsh chemicals.
Ingredients: Beef Tallow, Castor Oil, Frankincense
Why Tallow for Anti-Aging?
Tallow has been a time-honored beauty secret for centuries due to its unique similarity to human skin lipids. This makes it incredibly absorbable and nourishing, delivering essential vitamins and fatty acids deep into the skin for optimal hydration, elasticity, and repair. Unlike plant-based oils, tallow is highly bioavailable, meaning your skin can fully absorb and utilize its age-defying nutrients.
Anti-Aging Benefits of Tallow Cream:
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Firms & Tightens Skin – Supports collagen production and helps reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles.
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Deep Hydration Without Clogging Pores – Locks in moisture while keeping skin breathable and non-greasy.
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Boosts Skin Elasticity – Strengthens the skin’s natural barrier, preventing sagging and dryness.
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Evens Skin Tone & Texture – Reduces redness, smooths rough patches, and helps fade discoloration.
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Powerful Antioxidant Protection – Rich in Vitamins A, D, E, and K, which help fight free radicals and protect against premature aging.
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Nourishes & Repairs Skin at a Cellular Level – Tallow’s unique fatty acid profile deeply replenishes dry, mature, and depleted skin.
- Gentle & Effective for All Skin Types – Ideal for aging, dry, and sensitive skin—no synthetic fillers, only pure, potent ingredients.
Key Ingredients & Their Benefits:
Ranch-Raised Beef Tallow – The ultimate skin superfood, tallow mimics the natural oils in human skin, delivering deep hydration, restoring elasticity, and reducing fine lines.
Castor Oil – A powerful humectant that draws moisture into the skin, helping to plump fine lines and support collagen and elastin production. It also has natural anti-inflammatory properties that soothe irritation and redness.
Frankincense Essential Oil – An anti-aging powerhouse known for boosting skin regeneration, tightening pores, and reducing wrinkles. It also promotes skin cell turnover, helping to maintain a firm, youthful glow.
How to Use:
Apply a small amount to clean, dry skin and massage in gently. A little goes a long way!
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Face Moisturizer – Smooth onto face and neck for daily hydration and skin renewal
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Nighttime Repair Balm – Apply before bed for intense overnight rejuvenation
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Neck & Décolletage Treatment – Helps tighten and tone delicate skin areas prone to aging
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Under-Eye Nourishment – Dab lightly under the eyes to reduce puffiness and fine lines
- Hand & Body Cream – Deeply moisturizes dry skin, leaving it silky soft and youthful.
How Do I Store It?
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Tallow is shelf-stable but should be stored in a cool, dry place.
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Keep in a dark cabinet to extend freshness for up to a year.
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Do not refrigerate—tallow hardens when cold but melts effortlessly at room temperature.
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Because this is an all-natural product, we recommend a patch test before use to check for sensitivities.
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Gritty Tallow? If it experiences extreme temperature changes - the tallow and carrier oils can separate. It’s still just fine to use! Either warm up between your fingers to melt before applying - or you can melt the whole jar on low heat in a double broiler or microwave, let cool to soft and whip again or use unwhipped!
Jar Net Weight:
Please note that our whipped tallow is light and airy, meaning there will be some airspace in the jar. The size refers to the jar and liquid measurement, rather than the product’s exact weight.
Please Note:
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These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. If you have concerns about specific ingredients or allergies, please consult your healthcare professional before use.
Five Marys FAQs
Why is the name “Five Marys”?
Five Marys Farms was named by Brian, for his Five Marys. His wife, Mary and their four daughters - MaryFrances or "Francie" is 16, MaryMarjorie or "Maisie" is 14, MaryJane or "JJ" is 13 and MaryTeresa or "Tessa" is 11. They are all named Mary after strong and memorable grandmothers and aunts on both sides of the family and each carries the middle name of that grandmother or great aunt.
Five Marys is truly a family operation honoring the roots in California agriculture on both sides of the family, the younger Marys are 7th generation Californians with ancestors dating back to 1851 at the time of the Gold Rush. Brian’s father Tom was an active farmer and advocate for California agriculture and the Heffernans are proud to be carrying on a family legacy in the industry - and paving their own way too.
Why does your meat taste so good?
We work hard to raise a quality product from start to finish. That begins with great genetics in our animals for things like rib-eye size and marbling. We make sure to feed our animals a high quality feed for their entire life. We finish our beef with alfalfa and steam-flaked barley for an extended finish time of 180 days on finish feed. We also dry-age the whole carcass 14-28 days which is longer than the industry standard or the more common “wet age” and THIS dry-aging process gives a premium flavor and tenderness in every bite - right down to the ground beef. Extra care, attention and inputs mean better products for our family and our customers! HERE is a blog post with more info about how we raise and why our meat tastes so good!
Where are you located?
We are located in Siskiyou County - at the top of the state of California, almost to the Oregon border, where our Cattlewomen boast “top beef, from the top of our state, to the top of your plate.” Brian and Mary are both California natives, the girls are 7th generation to the state! Brian grew up in Imperial County and Tehama County with roots in agriculture and Mary was born and raised in Menlo Park, CA - better known today as “Silicon Valley” where she and Brian met, started their family and worked before deciding to change paths and leave the busy life there for 1800 acres of wide open spaces in Silicon Valley.
Where can I find out more about your story?
We share our daily life on Instagram right here. Mary also wrote an ebook about their decision to move to the ranch, including their story, and how things changed when they did. It’s called “They Can Do It. What I Learned About Parenting by Moving to the Country.” and you can download it to read on any device HERE.
Are you organic?
We are not ‘certified’ organic, but we practice all-natural practices in everything we do. We believe when our customers can have full transparency in our operation, can know and trust us as their source for high-quality, all-natural meats - that means more than a certification sticker on a package and avoids the red tape and extra cost to the consumer associated with certification.
What does “organically-minded” mean?
When you are not certified organic, legally you can not use the word organic.
We are 100% mindful to practice and produce all-natural products. We raise what we believe is the best product to feed our own children and share it with our customers.
Are you GMO-free? Are your animals fed corn or soy?
Yes, all of our livestock feed on the ranch is 100% GMO-free. We do not feed any soy to our cattle, hogs or sheep. We do not feed corn to our cattle or sheep, sometimes of the year our hogs might get feed mixed with corn.
Has your meat been treated with antibiotics?
Never. The meat we sell through Five Marys brand is always 100% antibiotic free from day one. We administer therapeutic antibiotics to animals on the ranch if they are needed for life saving situations or illness, but those animals are “red tagged” and pulled from our meat program. We still find other creative outlets for them after the proper and safe withdrawl period like local families or friends who understand the history of the animal. Animals given antibiotics in their lifetime are perfectly safe to eat after the standard withdrawl period - but we choose to have a clear designation for our customers that all meat sold from Five Marys is 100% free of any lifetime antibiotics.
Is your meat hormone free?
Yes, ALWAYS. Our meat is 100% free of any kind of growth hormones or any added hormones.
Is the meat all from animals from your ranch?
We raise the majority of the animals we harvest for our meat program on our ranch. Our neighbor directly connected and next to our ranch helps to raise some of our pork with us year round. A farm about an hour north in Oregon raised lamb with us to fill the gaps since we only have lamb about half the year (our lamb is usually harvested Nov-April and their lamb May-October.) We calve in the fall each year and raise those steers and some heifers for our meat program, and provide the cattle for the second half of the year by buying weaned calves from our brother-in-law on Oregon or our friends in Northern California who both raise very high quality cattle to the same standards we do.
Shipping FAQ’s
Where do you ship your meats?
We ship our meats, snack sticks, bones and bone broth to all 50 states Monday-Wednesdays every week of the year! Meats are packed on dry ice pellets (will be sublimated by the time you get your box) in custom made insulated liners.
Do you ship meats to Canada? Will you ever?
We do not ship to Canada. Canadian customs is not reliable to keep perishable orders moving through and boxes often get held up in customs for too long to make it feasible to ship frozen product. We do ship all other products besides meats, bones and bone broth to Canada though!
Do you ship non-meat items internationally?
We are not able to ship our meats to addresses outside of the US. We are able to ship other products like sheep pelts, M5 gear, books, prints, hats, etc. If you want to place an international order please email info@fivemarys.com to receive a shipping quote.
Can you ship to Hawaii & Alaska?
We sure can! It's a little more expensive to get it there but we ship overnight to both states.
What is The Return Policy?
We have a strict no returns and no refunds policy since most of our products are perishable and can not easily be shipped back and forth and we can not accept frozen products back for resale. If you need to return a sweatshirt or apparel, we will exchange for a different size if the customer pays shipping to send the original back to us. This does NOT apply for meats - all meats are NO returns or refunds, no exceptions.
ANIMAL FAQ’S
What breeds are your animals?
Black Angus Cattle : Black Angus produce a premium quality beef and we are proud of our herd with great genetics for superior marbling, flavor and consistency.
Berkshire Heritage Pigs: Berkshire pigs produce one of the best meat qualities - an optimal fat and marbling and are a great heritage breed. Some pigs are bred to be extra lean now - and others can be too fatty. Berkshires are a great in between with what our customers frequently tell us is the best pork they’ve ever tasted!
Navajo Churro Lambs: The "Chef's Choice" for a wonderful flavor and consistency every time, Navajo Churro's are a hearty breed that love our mountain climate. We have a blog post about our sheep HERE
What do you feed your pigs? Do you feed the pigs scraps?
We feed our pigs a carefully mixed ration of protein and minerals according to their age or stage of life. Our gestating mothers get one ration, nursing mothers get another, weaned piglets another and grower pigs their own. We avoid scraps for our pigs since it’s hard to control what might be in the scraps or how that food was raised.
Is your beef grass-fed?
Our cattle live on pastures or hill country at Five Marys year round and eat our local and ranch raised pasture grasses and alfalfa. We finish our cattle on a thoughtfully balanced ration of alfalfa, grain hay and steam-flaked barley for the best possible quality in marbling and taste. We believe grass-fed and grass-and-barley finish, with an extended finishing time of at least 180 days is the optimal way to raise our beef for consistent, excellent quality and flavor with all the benefits of a grass-fed lifestyle. We never feed corn, GMOs and all of our meat is 100% free from antibiotics, growth-hormones and ionophores.
Are your lambs grass-fed?
Yes, our Navajo Churro lambs and sheep eat only our pasture grasses and alfalfa.
Do you sell chicken or eggs? Turkeys?
No - we don’t raise poultry and will not in the future. If you are looking for quality raised chicken or turkey to ship to your doorstep like Five Marys, we recommend:
See our M5 DIRECTORY for other farms raising chicken!HARVESTING FAQ’S
Do you harvest humanely?
Yes. We are invested in making sure every stage of the process of raising and harvesting our animals is done thoughtfully and with the utmost care and attention to the well being of the animal. Our harvesting or slaughtering process is done under USDA inspection and we work hard to make sure the animals experience the least amount of stress and are slaughtered in the most humane way. This is obviously important because it’s the right thing to do, but it can also affect the quality of the meat (stress before harvest is not good for quality) so it’s important to everyone involved that animals are harvested humanely every single time.
How are animals are handled during processing?
At Five Marys, we are focused on raising our animals as humanely and ethically as possible their entire lives, this starts at birth and continues every day they graze the grasses and soak up the mountain air and sunshine on the ranch in Siskiyou County. We take the same concern for the harvesting process. We work hard to make sure animals experience the least amount of stress possible and are harvested thoughtfully and humanely, all under USDA supervision and care.
What does dry-aging do?
Beef that is dry-aged has an exceptional flavor and tenderness. It requires extra time, commitment and cost - but it is worth it in the end result of a perfect steak or incredibly delicious ground beef. Pork or lamb can be eaten soon after slaughter, but that is not the case with beef. Beef benefits from aging to promote tenderness and enhance flavor. Soon after slaughter, most beef sold in the US is split into large pieces called primals, vacuum sealed, and boxed up for transport, where it “wet-ages” during transit to grocery stores, meat distributors, and similar locations. When it arrives it is ultimately cut into steaks, roasts, and other familiar cuts for the consumer. Ground beef is often packaged and shipped without the benefit of any aging at all. In contrast, dry-aging beef involves hanging it in just above freezing temperatures in a humidity controlled room with ample air flow, for at least 14 days - we prefer 21-28 days for optimal tenderness and to impart a unique taste and delicate consistency to the meat.
Dry-aging is a craft tradition that used to be the norm, but it is slowly being replaced in favor of expediency and efficiency. However, Brian and I firmly believe that dry-aging creates the best possible beef. We don’t cut any steaks or grind any beef until the entire carcass is well aged, usually for 14 to 28 days after harvest. Purely grass-fed meat doesn’t always benefit from dry aging as it is often too lean without much marbling, but because we finish our cattle on barley which gives a great marbling, dry-aging is an optimal way to create a premium product for our customer.
How do you choose which animals go to harvest for meat? Are they all born on the ranch?
Our breeding mothers never go into our meat program. They stay breeders on the ranch as long as they are able and sometimes longer. Our breeding males (bulls, boards and rams) are also not put into our meat program. Older animals who have bred or birthed young are not as desirable as meat animals for most cuts. The animals born on our ranch every year are our market animals that we harvest for meats. We keep about 20% of these animals most years as breeders to replace older breeders who age out of reproducing. We buy new males for breeding from high quality genetic stock every few years to avoid line breeding and to ensure genetic diversity.
Are all your animals born on the ranch?
We raise most of our animals from start to finish, but sometimes will add animals from other trusted ranches (like our brother-in-law’s all-natural, Oregon ranching operation - or our neighbors next to the ranch raise some of our pork on their pastures) as we expand and grow our herd. Most are born here and live out their lives on the ranch.
What is the fat ratio in your ground beef?
Every animal is slightly different, but we aim for between 85/15 and 80/20 for our ground beef. We love the flavor of good, clean fat in our ground and we think you will too!
Visting FAQ’s
Can we visit the ranch for a tour?
We open the ranch occasionally for special events like Farm Dinners and weekend retreats for customers and friends to allow them to experience ranch life and get closer to where their food comes from. We announce these events in our Friends & Family email newsletter when they are released. Other than those times, we run a “lean” operation and besides our family of 6 - have just 1-2 extra ranch hands on some days - so we are very busy taking great care of our animals and getting our excellent meats to our customers!
Brian, Mary and the girls are busy taking care of the animals, the ranch and finding time together as a family so they are not able to accommodate any sort of ranch tours or visits! But you are welcome to drive by the ranch on the public highway (Eastside Rd) and take it all in from the road (please don't stop to block traffic, try to see animals or disrupt daily operations) The Heffs stop by the Burgerhouse often and love to say hello and meet visitors from all over though!
But while we can not give ranch tours - we love to have guests from far and wide come to visit Fort Jones to experience all that there is to offer in the area and the Five Marys brand at our restaurant or Ranch Store!
Can we shop at the Ranch Store?
YES! You can shop all of our meats and M5 gear and dry goods at Five Marys Ranch Store (normal business hours) or in the front of the restaurant, Five Marys Burgerhouse, just two doors down (restaurant hours :)
If you’d like to order locally, choose Fort Jones Pickup and email us to let us know when you will be by to pick up at the Ranch Store or the Burgerhouse, we’ll get it ready for you!
Where can we stay?
There are a variety of AirBnb's in Fort Jones to accommodate smaller groups or 1-night stays. The Etna Motel is another great option just 9 miles down the road in the town of Etna. "Camp Five Marys" experience and tents are not available for stays, but make sure you are on our mailing list to find out about any upcoming Farm Dinners or Camp Retreats!
There is also a great RV Park in Etna called The Mountain Village or one in Yreka called Yreka RV Park.
We do not rent out our camp area, the bunkhouse, or any other facilities on the ranch and do not allow visitors on the ranch at any time.
What is there to do?
The Fort Jones Museum is a gem of a spot with great local history and lots of opportunities to learn more about Northern California. It is located on the same block as Five Marys Burgerhouse and Farm Store.
Mountain Healing Spa is a great spot for some relaxation with soaking tubs and massages available in the town of Etna.
Callahan's Mountain Lodge just north in Ashland, Oregon is a hidden gem of a resort to stay in summer or cozy up in winter with live music every night.
There are also lots of great attractions nearby like Crater Lake, the town of Ashland Oregon, summer camps, hikes and more.
Where can we eat?
Five Marys Burgerhouse is open Monday-Saturday 11am-8/9pm right downtown Fort Jones and offers our dry-aged beef, pork and lamb in a delicious lunch and dinner menu served 6 days a week. Our Bourbon Bacon Burger or Cowboy Blues Burgers are customer favorites, and make sure to have an M5 Sidecar or pick up a bottle of Five Marys Whiskey or Bourbon!
How do I travel there?
The closest airport is Medford Oregon (MFR) which is serviced by Alaksa and United airlines. It's easy to rent a car from there and drive 1.5 hours south to Fort Jones. Sacramento Airport, serviced by most airlines as well as Southwest, is 4 hours south.
There is also a private small private airport just 2 miles from Fort Jones called Scott Valley Airfield A30 - if you fly in for lunch or dinner let us know and we can arrange a pick up!
We hope you'll enjoy a visit to Fort Jones to enjoy all it has to offer and experience Five Marys through the Burgerhouse and Farm Store!
HOW TO RECYCLE / REUSE YOUR BOX!
We so appreciate being able to reuse our custom insulated liners again and again! Your box and liner can be used as a travel cooler or recycled at your local recycling center - or return it back to us to use again.
OPTION 1 : The Post Office (USPS)
You can send a box back through the post office using the “Media Mail Rate” (It will take 8-10 days via snail mail but that is okay with us!) Simply place a used book inside (It has to be a book not a magazine - we will donate this to our local community), remove any notes and dry ice bag from inside the box, cover up the dry ice and perishable stickers and take to your local post office to mail back to us for $4-$6. You can also send Priority Mail or “Retail Ground”.
send to : Five Marys 6732 Eastside Rd Fort Jones CA 96032.
Once you’ve sent 10 boxes back via USPS at your cost, we would love to reward you with $100 in credit on your next order! Just email us after 10 returns for your code info@fivemarys.com
OPTION 2: UPS
We can provide a UPS return label to leave the box(es) on your porch for pick up or you can take them to a UPS shipping center. The UPS label costs us a little more than the price of the liner, so we require that you save 2-4 of the boxes of the same size to stack and tape together as one box (since they are so light empty) before you ship them back. The liners are the most valuable part of the box, so you can also pack one liner inside a second box/liner and recycle the first cardboard box. Email info@fivemarys.com to print a return UPS label!
These ship to our Farm Store at 11903 Main Street Fort Jones, CA 96032. Since we cover the shipping cost on this option, it is the only one that doesn’t qualify for a shopping credit, thanks for understanding!
OPTION 3 : DROP OFF!
If you live in the SF Bay Area you can drop off boxes at Mary’s parents house at 931 Menlo Oaks Drive in Menlo Park, CA. They are right near the Bay Rd exit off Highway 101 and you can leave boxes on the front porch or behind the house (down the cul-de-sac) by the back gate or garage doors.
OR if you are traveling by Five Marys Burgerhouse on Main Street in Fort Jones, CA - you can always stop in for a meal and drop your boxes off there!
If you’ve dropped off 10 boxes at either location, we would love to reward you with $100 in credit on your next order! Just email us after 10 returns for your code info@fivemarys.com
OPTION 4 : SHARE WITH OTHER BEEF SHIPPERS!
Coming Soon - we hope to have drop-spots all over the US at other farms/ranches and storefronts where you can drop boxes locally for other ranchers in the M5 Entrepreneurs group to re-use! We will have a reward system set up (ie $5 off coupon for that farm) since they’ll get to use the box again for their shipments. Stay tuned!
Our Family - The Heffernans
Mary and Brian Heffernan always dreamed of moving to the country to ranch and raise “free-range kids” in the dirt and sunshine. They both have deep agriculture roots and a passion for small town, small business and family-centered food. So when the opportunity to purchase the historic Sharps Gulch Ranch came along in 2013, Mary and Brian knew they'd found their land. With eyes on a new adventure and California soil in their souls, they took their four spunky girls to Siskiyou county.
We are Five Marys Farms - after Mary and our four daughters all named Mary after grandmothers and aunts on both sides of the family. MaryFrances or "Francie" is 12, MaryMarjorie or "Maisie" is 11, MaryJane or "JJ" is 9 and MaryTeresa or "Tessa" is 7.
Those are the FIVE MARYS proud to be working the ranch everyday keeping up with the leader of our pack, Heff.
Before we moved to the ranch we had small businesses and restaurants and we spent a lot of our time sourcing really good quality ingredients for our menu.
In the quest for super high quality meats, raised ethically but with great flavor, we did a ton of research with our chefs to know exactly what we wanted for our customers.
+ We wanted superior quality beef with a great story behind it.
+ We wanted a grass-fed lifestyle with a barley finish and an extended dry-age.
+ We wanted to know the animals were raised right and harvested humanely.
We searched high and low in small farms and couldn’t find anyone who could do this on a large enough scale to supply what we needed.
So we decided to do it ourselves.
We originally thought we'd just go up on the weekends and hire a ranch manager commuting back to our businesses in the city during the week, but we quickly realized we couldn't do both of these things well.
It didn't take us long do decide to totally change paths and jump into ranching full time. This meant selling our businesses and leaving our beautiful home we’d worked so hard for, Brian leaving his busy law practice and moving away from a land of opportunity and the only livelihood we knew.
We knew we had to find a new model and create a business from scratch to sustain our livelihood, so we started from square one.
When we started selling the meat we'd worked hard to raise, we would personally deliver to customers and then we started “farm stands” (our own version of farmers markets). They were a great way to kick start our sales and grow our business early, but we knew that wasn’t sustainable for us because we wanted to be on the ranch, not traveling all of the time to sell our meat.
The answer seemed to lie in shipping our meats directly to customers - and finding customers who appreciate high-quality, well-raised meats.
Shipping meat is no easy task, it took well over a year to navigate - but with lots of trial and error and learning from many mistakes - we have a tried-and-true system to sell, pack and ship meat directly to customers all over the US.
We use social media to share our story and sell our product and in four years we've grown to reach over 8,000 customers all over the country and we ship over 10,000 pounds of meat every month right from our ranch in rural California.
Using Social Media to Grow Our Brand...
Thanks to sharing our story on social media, we have received national attention over the past few years - with features in Oprah Magazine, Parents Magazine, Enjoy, Eating Well, Flea Market Style, GEV magazine and Real Simple.
We were also named "Best Farm" in America by Paleo Magazine in 2018!
All of this is because social media allows us to share our day-to-day life. To share our story and help tell the story of agriculture in today's world.
Follow along with us on Instagram as we share our day-to-day lives on the ranch!
Mary and Brian believe that good things take time, from restoring old ranch homes to raising cattle.
There simply are no short cuts.
We commit to consistently provide the finest quality meats only from animals we raise as a family on our ranch directly and hassle-free to your family's doorstep anywhere in the US.
After years in the restaurant business we had a lot of trials cooking with different meats from small farms to bigger names. We appreciate that consistency matters and that extra effort, like well packaged products and a 21 to 28-day dry aging and old world butchery practices (one animal at a time), is required for the most amazing flavor and tenderness. Above all, constant and unwavering care is required every single day of an animal's life to achieve a premium cut of meat. We go that extra mile.
Order our beef, lamb or pork by the individual cut, try one of our sampler assortments or get a customized box regularly with our Farm Club membership. Our ordering process is easy and your product will ship and arrive quickly and without hassle. No minimums or subscriptions are required and we ship anywhere in the country.
We are now the primary meat source for hundreds of families throughout the country and they will tell you our products are consistently fantastic and delivery is quick, easy and predictable.
We hope you will taste and appreciate the difference as well - you won't be disappointed!
Oh, and to answer your first question about us - yes, there really are five Marys. Five Marys Farms is named for the five girls in our family, all named Mary! Our four girls (ages 6-11) are all named after grandmothers and aunts on both sides carrying on a long standing family tradition of strong women named Mary.
We hope you’ll SHOP Five Marys meats or join us for a Five Marys experience!
OUR OPERATION
Our livestock spend their days on our Siskiyou county ranch, roaming freely and munching wild, Californian grasses. The ranching methods and beliefs we use, from grazing rotations to slaughter, preserve and protect the land we live on and respect the animals we raise from birth until their "one bad day" sacrificing for the food on our plates.
As far as certifications go, we believe in actions, not labels. Our products reflect our beliefs in respecting our animals, raising them with the utmost care and comfort and in feeding our customers only what we feed our family - the highest quality meats raised as naturally and humanely as possible.
We are raising Black Angus cattle, Navajo-Churro sheep, Berkshire hogs and a wide variety of laying hens.
Everyday is an adventure here on the ranch!
WHY FIVE MARYS?
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We believe in selling only the finest meat and the finest meat comes from animals and land that are well cared for.
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There are no shortcuts.
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We are a small family ranch and together as a family we vigilantly care for each of our animals.
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Our Black Angus cattle, Navajo Churro lambs and Berkshire heritage pigs spend their lives on our green pastures and hills rich in minerals and with plenty of sunshine and fresh Northern California mountain air.
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You can experience the difference in the taste of our beef, lamb and pork.
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Our meat is never treated with antibiotics or hormones.
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We are organically minded and GMO free.
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Our beef is finished on pasture grass and steam-flaked GMO-free barley.
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Our animals are processed at a first class USDA process, cut and wrap facility and each cut has complete traceability to our animals.
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Our ground beef and steaks are all dry aged for 14-28 days for tenderness and flavor you won't find many places other than the premier steakhouses.
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We strive to bring the finest meat to your table, as well as the real story behind it, so you know just where your food comes from.
OUR LAND
the history of our agricultural background & sharps gulch ranch
The land we live on is rich in family farming history and we are proud to continue that legacy through hard work, storytelling and the restoration of the ranch’s two homes, a large victorian and a 19th century creamery-turned house. We both come from a long lines of agriculture families, so we are grateful and excited to see these California roots grow into a story of our own.
- Mary and Brian Heffernan
We are very proud to be back in agriculture, just as our ancestors were, on our own family farm to continue our Californian history on Siskiyou County soil. Our daughters are 7th generation Californians who we hope to raise with a love and respect of the land where we live.
OUR MISSION
We are the Heffernan Family and are proud to be stewards of the land at Sharps Gulch Ranch. With farming in our blood from generations past, we are raising livestock and our children as natural as we can in the California sunshine.
We like doing things the hard way.
We believe in muddy boots, calloused hands and nurturing our land and livestock through dedication and hard work.
We believe that healthy animals live in big spaces with lots of sunshine, and don’t need extra hormones, chemicals or antibiotics.
We believe that food should tell a story, and are thrilled to share ours with you.
Face Tallow : Jasmine Rose Swirl
Regular price $28.00Five Marys All-Natural Tallow Cream! - a skincare super power that's been used for centuries! The main ingredient is our well-raised, clean, nutrient-rich, nourishing, anti-microbial TALLOW! This amazing ingredient is "bioavailable" since it's an animal protein and not from plants making it super compatible with our skin's natural structure.
Jasmine Rose Swirl Tallow – All-Natural Hydration for Glowing Skin
Why Summer Shipping Costs Are Higher for Tallow Products
During the warmer summer months, we take extra precautions when shipping our whipped tallow products to ensure they arrive in perfect condition. Tallow is a natural, temperature-sensitive product that can melt or soften during transit if exposed to high heat. To protect its quality and texture, we often use insulated packaging and cold packs—especially for longer or warmer routes.
Because of these added materials and the need for faster, more temperature-controlled shipping, our costs increase during the summer season. We’ve adjusted our shipping rates slightly to help cover these seasonal expenses and continue to deliver the high-quality tallow you expect from us.
Thank you for understanding and supporting small ranch-made products!
Gentle | Nourishing | Perfect for All Ages
Introducing Jasmine Rose Swirl Tallow, a fun, luxurious, and all-natural moisturizer designed for all skin types, but especially great for teen skin! Handcrafted with ranch-raised tallow, rosehip oil, jasmine essential oil, and natural mica powder, this unique pink and white swirl cream delivers deep hydration while remaining lightweight, non-greasy, and non-comedogenic (won’t clog pores!).
With zero chemicals, synthetic fillers, or petroleum-based ingredients, this gentle formula balances skin, reduces redness, and promotes a naturally healthy glow—making it the perfect first moisturizer for teens or a beautiful self-care treat for all ages.
Why It’s Perfect for Teens & All Ages:
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100% Natural & Chemical-Free – No synthetic ingredients, just pure skin-loving goodness.
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Won’t Clog Pores – Non-comedogenic, making it safe for breakout-prone or sensitive skin.
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Balances & Hydrates – Perfect for oily, dry, or combination skin, helping maintain a healthy, glowing complexion.
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Light & Fun – The pink and white swirl adds a playful touch, making it a great gift or a fun skincare step.
- Soothing & Calming – Helps reduce redness, irritation, and uneven skin tone, perfect for changing teenage skin.
Star Ingredients & Their Benefits:
Ranch-Raised Beef Tallow – A time-tested skincare powerhouse, tallow closely mimics our skin’s natural oils, making it ultra-absorbable. It deeply hydrates, protects, and strengthens the skin barrier for long-lasting moisture and a soft, smooth feel.
Rosehip Oil – Known as "nature’s retinol", rosehip oil is rich in Vitamin A & C, helping to fade scars, even out skin tone, and promote a clear, bright complexion. Its natural fatty acids support youthful, glowing skin without irritation.
Jasmine Essential Oil – A luxurious botanical that soothes and hydrates while providing a delicate, uplifting floral scent. It’s also known to help reduce breakouts and balance oil production, making it an ideal ingredient for teenage and sensitive skin.
Natural Mica Powder – Adds a beautiful pink and white swirl, making this tallow cream fun, unique, and gift-worthy—while remaining 100% natural and safe for skin!
How to Use:
Apply a small amount to clean, dry skin. A little goes a long way!
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Daily Moisturizer – Hydrates the face and body, leaving skin soft and smooth.
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Soothing Spot Treatment – Helps reduce redness, dryness, or irritation.
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Lightweight Makeup Base – Smoothes skin and preps for a natural glow.
- Fun & Unique Gift – The pink and white swirl makes it a perfect, aesthetic skincare gift for teens and young skincare lovers!
How Do I Store It?
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Tallow is shelf-stable but should be stored in a cool, dry place.
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Keep in a dark cabinet to extend freshness for up to a year.
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Do not refrigerate—tallow hardens when cold but melts effortlessly at room temperature.
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Because this is an all-natural product, we recommend a patch test before use to check for sensitivities.
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Gritty Tallow? If it experiences extreme temperature changes - the tallow and carrier oils can separate. It’s still just fine to use! Either warm up between your fingers to melt before applying - or you can melt the whole jar on low heat in a double broiler or microwave, let cool to soft and whip again or use unwhipped!
Jar Net Weight:
Please note that our whipped tallow is light and airy, meaning there will be some airspace in the jar. The size refers to the jar and liquid measurement, rather than the product’s exact weight.
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Please Note:
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These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. If you have concerns about specific ingredients or allergies, please consult your healthcare professional before use.
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Five Marys FAQs
Why is the name “Five Marys”?
Five Marys Farms was named by Brian, for his Five Marys. His wife, Mary and their four daughters - MaryFrances or "Francie" is 16, MaryMarjorie or "Maisie" is 14, MaryJane or "JJ" is 13 and MaryTeresa or "Tessa" is 11. They are all named Mary after strong and memorable grandmothers and aunts on both sides of the family and each carries the middle name of that grandmother or great aunt.
Five Marys is truly a family operation honoring the roots in California agriculture on both sides of the family, the younger Marys are 7th generation Californians with ancestors dating back to 1851 at the time of the Gold Rush. Brian’s father Tom was an active farmer and advocate for California agriculture and the Heffernans are proud to be carrying on a family legacy in the industry - and paving their own way too.
Why does your meat taste so good?
We work hard to raise a quality product from start to finish. That begins with great genetics in our animals for things like rib-eye size and marbling. We make sure to feed our animals a high quality feed for their entire life. We finish our beef with alfalfa and steam-flaked barley for an extended finish time of 180 days on finish feed. We also dry-age the whole carcass 14-28 days which is longer than the industry standard or the more common “wet age” and THIS dry-aging process gives a premium flavor and tenderness in every bite - right down to the ground beef. Extra care, attention and inputs mean better products for our family and our customers! HERE is a blog post with more info about how we raise and why our meat tastes so good!
Where are you located?
We are located in Siskiyou County - at the top of the state of California, almost to the Oregon border, where our Cattlewomen boast “top beef, from the top of our state, to the top of your plate.” Brian and Mary are both California natives, the girls are 7th generation to the state! Brian grew up in Imperial County and Tehama County with roots in agriculture and Mary was born and raised in Menlo Park, CA - better known today as “Silicon Valley” where she and Brian met, started their family and worked before deciding to change paths and leave the busy life there for 1800 acres of wide open spaces in Silicon Valley.
Where can I find out more about your story?
We share our daily life on Instagram right here. Mary also wrote an ebook about their decision to move to the ranch, including their story, and how things changed when they did. It’s called “They Can Do It. What I Learned About Parenting by Moving to the Country.” and you can download it to read on any device HERE.
Are you organic?
We are not ‘certified’ organic, but we practice all-natural practices in everything we do. We believe when our customers can have full transparency in our operation, can know and trust us as their source for high-quality, all-natural meats - that means more than a certification sticker on a package and avoids the red tape and extra cost to the consumer associated with certification.
What does “organically-minded” mean?
When you are not certified organic, legally you can not use the word organic.
We are 100% mindful to practice and produce all-natural products. We raise what we believe is the best product to feed our own children and share it with our customers.
Are you GMO-free? Are your animals fed corn or soy?
Yes, all of our livestock feed on the ranch is 100% GMO-free. We do not feed any soy to our cattle, hogs or sheep. We do not feed corn to our cattle or sheep, sometimes of the year our hogs might get feed mixed with corn.
Has your meat been treated with antibiotics?
Never. The meat we sell through Five Marys brand is always 100% antibiotic free from day one. We administer therapeutic antibiotics to animals on the ranch if they are needed for life saving situations or illness, but those animals are “red tagged” and pulled from our meat program. We still find other creative outlets for them after the proper and safe withdrawl period like local families or friends who understand the history of the animal. Animals given antibiotics in their lifetime are perfectly safe to eat after the standard withdrawl period - but we choose to have a clear designation for our customers that all meat sold from Five Marys is 100% free of any lifetime antibiotics.
Is your meat hormone free?
Yes, ALWAYS. Our meat is 100% free of any kind of growth hormones or any added hormones.
Is the meat all from animals from your ranch?
We raise the majority of the animals we harvest for our meat program on our ranch. Our neighbor directly connected and next to our ranch helps to raise some of our pork with us year round. A farm about an hour north in Oregon raised lamb with us to fill the gaps since we only have lamb about half the year (our lamb is usually harvested Nov-April and their lamb May-October.) We calve in the fall each year and raise those steers and some heifers for our meat program, and provide the cattle for the second half of the year by buying weaned calves from our brother-in-law on Oregon or our friends in Northern California who both raise very high quality cattle to the same standards we do.
Shipping FAQ’s
Where do you ship your meats?
We ship our meats, snack sticks, bones and bone broth to all 50 states Monday-Wednesdays every week of the year! Meats are packed on dry ice pellets (will be sublimated by the time you get your box) in custom made insulated liners.
Do you ship meats to Canada? Will you ever?
We do not ship to Canada. Canadian customs is not reliable to keep perishable orders moving through and boxes often get held up in customs for too long to make it feasible to ship frozen product. We do ship all other products besides meats, bones and bone broth to Canada though!
Do you ship non-meat items internationally?
We are not able to ship our meats to addresses outside of the US. We are able to ship other products like sheep pelts, M5 gear, books, prints, hats, etc. If you want to place an international order please email info@fivemarys.com to receive a shipping quote.
Can you ship to Hawaii & Alaska?
We sure can! It's a little more expensive to get it there but we ship overnight to both states.
What is The Return Policy?
We have a strict no returns and no refunds policy since most of our products are perishable and can not easily be shipped back and forth and we can not accept frozen products back for resale. If you need to return a sweatshirt or apparel, we will exchange for a different size if the customer pays shipping to send the original back to us. This does NOT apply for meats - all meats are NO returns or refunds, no exceptions.
ANIMAL FAQ’S
What breeds are your animals?
Black Angus Cattle : Black Angus produce a premium quality beef and we are proud of our herd with great genetics for superior marbling, flavor and consistency.
Berkshire Heritage Pigs: Berkshire pigs produce one of the best meat qualities - an optimal fat and marbling and are a great heritage breed. Some pigs are bred to be extra lean now - and others can be too fatty. Berkshires are a great in between with what our customers frequently tell us is the best pork they’ve ever tasted!
Navajo Churro Lambs: The "Chef's Choice" for a wonderful flavor and consistency every time, Navajo Churro's are a hearty breed that love our mountain climate. We have a blog post about our sheep HERE
What do you feed your pigs? Do you feed the pigs scraps?
We feed our pigs a carefully mixed ration of protein and minerals according to their age or stage of life. Our gestating mothers get one ration, nursing mothers get another, weaned piglets another and grower pigs their own. We avoid scraps for our pigs since it’s hard to control what might be in the scraps or how that food was raised.
Is your beef grass-fed?
Our cattle live on pastures or hill country at Five Marys year round and eat our local and ranch raised pasture grasses and alfalfa. We finish our cattle on a thoughtfully balanced ration of alfalfa, grain hay and steam-flaked barley for the best possible quality in marbling and taste. We believe grass-fed and grass-and-barley finish, with an extended finishing time of at least 180 days is the optimal way to raise our beef for consistent, excellent quality and flavor with all the benefits of a grass-fed lifestyle. We never feed corn, GMOs and all of our meat is 100% free from antibiotics, growth-hormones and ionophores.
Are your lambs grass-fed?
Yes, our Navajo Churro lambs and sheep eat only our pasture grasses and alfalfa.
Do you sell chicken or eggs? Turkeys?
No - we don’t raise poultry and will not in the future. If you are looking for quality raised chicken or turkey to ship to your doorstep like Five Marys, we recommend:
See our M5 DIRECTORY for other farms raising chicken!HARVESTING FAQ’S
Do you harvest humanely?
Yes. We are invested in making sure every stage of the process of raising and harvesting our animals is done thoughtfully and with the utmost care and attention to the well being of the animal. Our harvesting or slaughtering process is done under USDA inspection and we work hard to make sure the animals experience the least amount of stress and are slaughtered in the most humane way. This is obviously important because it’s the right thing to do, but it can also affect the quality of the meat (stress before harvest is not good for quality) so it’s important to everyone involved that animals are harvested humanely every single time.
How are animals are handled during processing?
At Five Marys, we are focused on raising our animals as humanely and ethically as possible their entire lives, this starts at birth and continues every day they graze the grasses and soak up the mountain air and sunshine on the ranch in Siskiyou County. We take the same concern for the harvesting process. We work hard to make sure animals experience the least amount of stress possible and are harvested thoughtfully and humanely, all under USDA supervision and care.
What does dry-aging do?
Beef that is dry-aged has an exceptional flavor and tenderness. It requires extra time, commitment and cost - but it is worth it in the end result of a perfect steak or incredibly delicious ground beef. Pork or lamb can be eaten soon after slaughter, but that is not the case with beef. Beef benefits from aging to promote tenderness and enhance flavor. Soon after slaughter, most beef sold in the US is split into large pieces called primals, vacuum sealed, and boxed up for transport, where it “wet-ages” during transit to grocery stores, meat distributors, and similar locations. When it arrives it is ultimately cut into steaks, roasts, and other familiar cuts for the consumer. Ground beef is often packaged and shipped without the benefit of any aging at all. In contrast, dry-aging beef involves hanging it in just above freezing temperatures in a humidity controlled room with ample air flow, for at least 14 days - we prefer 21-28 days for optimal tenderness and to impart a unique taste and delicate consistency to the meat.
Dry-aging is a craft tradition that used to be the norm, but it is slowly being replaced in favor of expediency and efficiency. However, Brian and I firmly believe that dry-aging creates the best possible beef. We don’t cut any steaks or grind any beef until the entire carcass is well aged, usually for 14 to 28 days after harvest. Purely grass-fed meat doesn’t always benefit from dry aging as it is often too lean without much marbling, but because we finish our cattle on barley which gives a great marbling, dry-aging is an optimal way to create a premium product for our customer.
How do you choose which animals go to harvest for meat? Are they all born on the ranch?
Our breeding mothers never go into our meat program. They stay breeders on the ranch as long as they are able and sometimes longer. Our breeding males (bulls, boards and rams) are also not put into our meat program. Older animals who have bred or birthed young are not as desirable as meat animals for most cuts. The animals born on our ranch every year are our market animals that we harvest for meats. We keep about 20% of these animals most years as breeders to replace older breeders who age out of reproducing. We buy new males for breeding from high quality genetic stock every few years to avoid line breeding and to ensure genetic diversity.
Are all your animals born on the ranch?
We raise most of our animals from start to finish, but sometimes will add animals from other trusted ranches (like our brother-in-law’s all-natural, Oregon ranching operation - or our neighbors next to the ranch raise some of our pork on their pastures) as we expand and grow our herd. Most are born here and live out their lives on the ranch.
What is the fat ratio in your ground beef?
Every animal is slightly different, but we aim for between 85/15 and 80/20 for our ground beef. We love the flavor of good, clean fat in our ground and we think you will too!
Visting FAQ’s
Can we visit the ranch for a tour?
We open the ranch occasionally for special events like Farm Dinners and weekend retreats for customers and friends to allow them to experience ranch life and get closer to where their food comes from. We announce these events in our Friends & Family email newsletter when they are released. Other than those times, we run a “lean” operation and besides our family of 6 - have just 1-2 extra ranch hands on some days - so we are very busy taking great care of our animals and getting our excellent meats to our customers!
Brian, Mary and the girls are busy taking care of the animals, the ranch and finding time together as a family so they are not able to accommodate any sort of ranch tours or visits! But you are welcome to drive by the ranch on the public highway (Eastside Rd) and take it all in from the road (please don't stop to block traffic, try to see animals or disrupt daily operations) The Heffs stop by the Burgerhouse often and love to say hello and meet visitors from all over though!
But while we can not give ranch tours - we love to have guests from far and wide come to visit Fort Jones to experience all that there is to offer in the area and the Five Marys brand at our restaurant or Ranch Store!
Can we shop at the Ranch Store?
YES! You can shop all of our meats and M5 gear and dry goods at Five Marys Ranch Store (normal business hours) or in the front of the restaurant, Five Marys Burgerhouse, just two doors down (restaurant hours :)
If you’d like to order locally, choose Fort Jones Pickup and email us to let us know when you will be by to pick up at the Ranch Store or the Burgerhouse, we’ll get it ready for you!
Where can we stay?
There are a variety of AirBnb's in Fort Jones to accommodate smaller groups or 1-night stays. The Etna Motel is another great option just 9 miles down the road in the town of Etna. "Camp Five Marys" experience and tents are not available for stays, but make sure you are on our mailing list to find out about any upcoming Farm Dinners or Camp Retreats!
There is also a great RV Park in Etna called The Mountain Village or one in Yreka called Yreka RV Park.
We do not rent out our camp area, the bunkhouse, or any other facilities on the ranch and do not allow visitors on the ranch at any time.
What is there to do?
The Fort Jones Museum is a gem of a spot with great local history and lots of opportunities to learn more about Northern California. It is located on the same block as Five Marys Burgerhouse and Farm Store.
Mountain Healing Spa is a great spot for some relaxation with soaking tubs and massages available in the town of Etna.
Callahan's Mountain Lodge just north in Ashland, Oregon is a hidden gem of a resort to stay in summer or cozy up in winter with live music every night.
There are also lots of great attractions nearby like Crater Lake, the town of Ashland Oregon, summer camps, hikes and more.
Where can we eat?
Five Marys Burgerhouse is open Monday-Saturday 11am-8/9pm right downtown Fort Jones and offers our dry-aged beef, pork and lamb in a delicious lunch and dinner menu served 6 days a week. Our Bourbon Bacon Burger or Cowboy Blues Burgers are customer favorites, and make sure to have an M5 Sidecar or pick up a bottle of Five Marys Whiskey or Bourbon!
How do I travel there?
The closest airport is Medford Oregon (MFR) which is serviced by Alaksa and United airlines. It's easy to rent a car from there and drive 1.5 hours south to Fort Jones. Sacramento Airport, serviced by most airlines as well as Southwest, is 4 hours south.
There is also a private small private airport just 2 miles from Fort Jones called Scott Valley Airfield A30 - if you fly in for lunch or dinner let us know and we can arrange a pick up!
We hope you'll enjoy a visit to Fort Jones to enjoy all it has to offer and experience Five Marys through the Burgerhouse and Farm Store!
HOW TO RECYCLE / REUSE YOUR BOX!
We so appreciate being able to reuse our custom insulated liners again and again! Your box and liner can be used as a travel cooler or recycled at your local recycling center - or return it back to us to use again.
OPTION 1 : The Post Office (USPS)
You can send a box back through the post office using the “Media Mail Rate” (It will take 8-10 days via snail mail but that is okay with us!) Simply place a used book inside (It has to be a book not a magazine - we will donate this to our local community), remove any notes and dry ice bag from inside the box, cover up the dry ice and perishable stickers and take to your local post office to mail back to us for $4-$6. You can also send Priority Mail or “Retail Ground”.
send to : Five Marys 6732 Eastside Rd Fort Jones CA 96032.
Once you’ve sent 10 boxes back via USPS at your cost, we would love to reward you with $100 in credit on your next order! Just email us after 10 returns for your code info@fivemarys.com
OPTION 2: UPS
We can provide a UPS return label to leave the box(es) on your porch for pick up or you can take them to a UPS shipping center. The UPS label costs us a little more than the price of the liner, so we require that you save 2-4 of the boxes of the same size to stack and tape together as one box (since they are so light empty) before you ship them back. The liners are the most valuable part of the box, so you can also pack one liner inside a second box/liner and recycle the first cardboard box. Email info@fivemarys.com to print a return UPS label!
These ship to our Farm Store at 11903 Main Street Fort Jones, CA 96032. Since we cover the shipping cost on this option, it is the only one that doesn’t qualify for a shopping credit, thanks for understanding!
OPTION 3 : DROP OFF!
If you live in the SF Bay Area you can drop off boxes at Mary’s parents house at 931 Menlo Oaks Drive in Menlo Park, CA. They are right near the Bay Rd exit off Highway 101 and you can leave boxes on the front porch or behind the house (down the cul-de-sac) by the back gate or garage doors.
OR if you are traveling by Five Marys Burgerhouse on Main Street in Fort Jones, CA - you can always stop in for a meal and drop your boxes off there!
If you’ve dropped off 10 boxes at either location, we would love to reward you with $100 in credit on your next order! Just email us after 10 returns for your code info@fivemarys.com
OPTION 4 : SHARE WITH OTHER BEEF SHIPPERS!
Coming Soon - we hope to have drop-spots all over the US at other farms/ranches and storefronts where you can drop boxes locally for other ranchers in the M5 Entrepreneurs group to re-use! We will have a reward system set up (ie $5 off coupon for that farm) since they’ll get to use the box again for their shipments. Stay tuned!
Our Family - The Heffernans
Mary and Brian Heffernan always dreamed of moving to the country to ranch and raise “free-range kids” in the dirt and sunshine. They both have deep agriculture roots and a passion for small town, small business and family-centered food. So when the opportunity to purchase the historic Sharps Gulch Ranch came along in 2013, Mary and Brian knew they'd found their land. With eyes on a new adventure and California soil in their souls, they took their four spunky girls to Siskiyou county.
We are Five Marys Farms - after Mary and our four daughters all named Mary after grandmothers and aunts on both sides of the family. MaryFrances or "Francie" is 12, MaryMarjorie or "Maisie" is 11, MaryJane or "JJ" is 9 and MaryTeresa or "Tessa" is 7.
Those are the FIVE MARYS proud to be working the ranch everyday keeping up with the leader of our pack, Heff.
Before we moved to the ranch we had small businesses and restaurants and we spent a lot of our time sourcing really good quality ingredients for our menu.
In the quest for super high quality meats, raised ethically but with great flavor, we did a ton of research with our chefs to know exactly what we wanted for our customers.
+ We wanted superior quality beef with a great story behind it.
+ We wanted a grass-fed lifestyle with a barley finish and an extended dry-age.
+ We wanted to know the animals were raised right and harvested humanely.
We searched high and low in small farms and couldn’t find anyone who could do this on a large enough scale to supply what we needed.
So we decided to do it ourselves.
We originally thought we'd just go up on the weekends and hire a ranch manager commuting back to our businesses in the city during the week, but we quickly realized we couldn't do both of these things well.
It didn't take us long do decide to totally change paths and jump into ranching full time. This meant selling our businesses and leaving our beautiful home we’d worked so hard for, Brian leaving his busy law practice and moving away from a land of opportunity and the only livelihood we knew.
We knew we had to find a new model and create a business from scratch to sustain our livelihood, so we started from square one.
When we started selling the meat we'd worked hard to raise, we would personally deliver to customers and then we started “farm stands” (our own version of farmers markets). They were a great way to kick start our sales and grow our business early, but we knew that wasn’t sustainable for us because we wanted to be on the ranch, not traveling all of the time to sell our meat.
The answer seemed to lie in shipping our meats directly to customers - and finding customers who appreciate high-quality, well-raised meats.
Shipping meat is no easy task, it took well over a year to navigate - but with lots of trial and error and learning from many mistakes - we have a tried-and-true system to sell, pack and ship meat directly to customers all over the US.
We use social media to share our story and sell our product and in four years we've grown to reach over 8,000 customers all over the country and we ship over 10,000 pounds of meat every month right from our ranch in rural California.
Using Social Media to Grow Our Brand...
Thanks to sharing our story on social media, we have received national attention over the past few years - with features in Oprah Magazine, Parents Magazine, Enjoy, Eating Well, Flea Market Style, GEV magazine and Real Simple.
We were also named "Best Farm" in America by Paleo Magazine in 2018!
All of this is because social media allows us to share our day-to-day life. To share our story and help tell the story of agriculture in today's world.
Follow along with us on Instagram as we share our day-to-day lives on the ranch!
Mary and Brian believe that good things take time, from restoring old ranch homes to raising cattle.
There simply are no short cuts.
We commit to consistently provide the finest quality meats only from animals we raise as a family on our ranch directly and hassle-free to your family's doorstep anywhere in the US.
After years in the restaurant business we had a lot of trials cooking with different meats from small farms to bigger names. We appreciate that consistency matters and that extra effort, like well packaged products and a 21 to 28-day dry aging and old world butchery practices (one animal at a time), is required for the most amazing flavor and tenderness. Above all, constant and unwavering care is required every single day of an animal's life to achieve a premium cut of meat. We go that extra mile.
Order our beef, lamb or pork by the individual cut, try one of our sampler assortments or get a customized box regularly with our Farm Club membership. Our ordering process is easy and your product will ship and arrive quickly and without hassle. No minimums or subscriptions are required and we ship anywhere in the country.
We are now the primary meat source for hundreds of families throughout the country and they will tell you our products are consistently fantastic and delivery is quick, easy and predictable.
We hope you will taste and appreciate the difference as well - you won't be disappointed!
Oh, and to answer your first question about us - yes, there really are five Marys. Five Marys Farms is named for the five girls in our family, all named Mary! Our four girls (ages 6-11) are all named after grandmothers and aunts on both sides carrying on a long standing family tradition of strong women named Mary.
We hope you’ll SHOP Five Marys meats or join us for a Five Marys experience!
OUR OPERATION
Our livestock spend their days on our Siskiyou county ranch, roaming freely and munching wild, Californian grasses. The ranching methods and beliefs we use, from grazing rotations to slaughter, preserve and protect the land we live on and respect the animals we raise from birth until their "one bad day" sacrificing for the food on our plates.
As far as certifications go, we believe in actions, not labels. Our products reflect our beliefs in respecting our animals, raising them with the utmost care and comfort and in feeding our customers only what we feed our family - the highest quality meats raised as naturally and humanely as possible.
We are raising Black Angus cattle, Navajo-Churro sheep, Berkshire hogs and a wide variety of laying hens.
Everyday is an adventure here on the ranch!
WHY FIVE MARYS?
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We believe in selling only the finest meat and the finest meat comes from animals and land that are well cared for.
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There are no shortcuts.
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We are a small family ranch and together as a family we vigilantly care for each of our animals.
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Our Black Angus cattle, Navajo Churro lambs and Berkshire heritage pigs spend their lives on our green pastures and hills rich in minerals and with plenty of sunshine and fresh Northern California mountain air.
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You can experience the difference in the taste of our beef, lamb and pork.
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Our meat is never treated with antibiotics or hormones.
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We are organically minded and GMO free.
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Our beef is finished on pasture grass and steam-flaked GMO-free barley.
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Our animals are processed at a first class USDA process, cut and wrap facility and each cut has complete traceability to our animals.
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Our ground beef and steaks are all dry aged for 14-28 days for tenderness and flavor you won't find many places other than the premier steakhouses.
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We strive to bring the finest meat to your table, as well as the real story behind it, so you know just where your food comes from.
OUR LAND
the history of our agricultural background & sharps gulch ranch
The land we live on is rich in family farming history and we are proud to continue that legacy through hard work, storytelling and the restoration of the ranch’s two homes, a large victorian and a 19th century creamery-turned house. We both come from a long lines of agriculture families, so we are grateful and excited to see these California roots grow into a story of our own.
- Mary and Brian Heffernan
We are very proud to be back in agriculture, just as our ancestors were, on our own family farm to continue our Californian history on Siskiyou County soil. Our daughters are 7th generation Californians who we hope to raise with a love and respect of the land where we live.
OUR MISSION
We are the Heffernan Family and are proud to be stewards of the land at Sharps Gulch Ranch. With farming in our blood from generations past, we are raising livestock and our children as natural as we can in the California sunshine.
We like doing things the hard way.
We believe in muddy boots, calloused hands and nurturing our land and livestock through dedication and hard work.
We believe that healthy animals live in big spaces with lots of sunshine, and don’t need extra hormones, chemicals or antibiotics.
We believe that food should tell a story, and are thrilled to share ours with you.
Face Tallow : Lovely Lavender
Regular price $28.00Five Marys Whipped Tallow with Lavender
Deeply Nourishing | Soothing | Restorative
Experience the all-natural tallow skincare with Five Marys Lavender Tallow—a deeply hydrating, nutrient-rich cream handcrafted from ranch-raised beef tallow, jojoba oil, and pure lavender essential oil. This simple yet effective formula is designed to restore, protect, and balance your skin, offering a luxurious, all-natural alternative to synthetic moisturizers.
Ingredients: Beef Tallow, Jojoba Oil, Lavender Essential Oil
Why Tallow?
Tallow has been used for centuries as a natural skincare remedy because its composition closely mirrors the oils our skin naturally produces. This makes it highly bioavailable, meaning it absorbs seamlessly and nourishes the skin at a cellular level without clogging pores.
Benefits of Lavender Tallow:
- Intense Hydration – Locks in moisture and restores the skin’s natural lipid barrier, keeping skin soft, supple, and deeply nourished.
- Soothes & Calms Irritation – Helps relieve skin conditions such as eczema, rosacea, acne, and dryness.
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Anti-Aging Properties – Rich in Vitamin A (natural retinol), Vitamin E, and essential fatty acids, which support collagen production, smooth fine lines, and improve skin elasticity.
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Supports Skin Healing – Tallow contains natural anti-inflammatory compounds that can reduce redness, soothe irritation, and promote skin repair from minor cuts, burns, or blemishes.
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Strengthens the Skin Barrier – Its fatty acid composition is nearly identical to our skin’s natural sebum, making it highly effective at restoring balance—whether you have dry or oily skin.
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Protects Against Environmental Damage – Packed with antioxidants like Vitamin D, E, and K, which help shield skin from free radicals, UV exposure, and pollution.
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Non-Comedogenic & Fast Absorbing – Despite its rich texture, tallow melts effortlessly into the skin without leaving a greasy residue.
- Sustainably Sourced & Pure – Handcrafted in small batches using ranch-raised, high-quality tallow, responsibly sourced with zero waste in mind.
Key Ingredients & Their Benefits:
Ranch-Raised Beef Tallow – The star ingredient, tallow is a powerhouse of essential fatty acids, vitamins, and nutrients that support skin repair, hydration, and resilience.
Jojoba Oil – A lightweight, non-greasy oil that mimics the skin’s natural sebum, helping to balance oil production while delivering deep nourishment.
Lavender Essential Oil – Naturally antibacterial and anti-inflammatory, lavender promotes calm, relaxation, and skin healing while reducing redness and irritation.
How to Use:
A little goes a long way! Apply a small amount to clean, dry skin and massage in until absorbed. Use daily for long-lasting hydration and skin protection.
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Face & Body Moisturizer – Hydrates deeply and locks in moisture.
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Healing Balm – Helps soothe dry, cracked, or irritated skin (perfect for eczema, psoriasis, and sensitive skin).
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Nighttime Treatment – Massage onto hands, feet, or any dry areas before bed for overnight repair.
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Stretch Mark & Belly Balm – Ideal for growing baby bellies, stretch marks, and postpartum skin recovery.
- Soothing After-Sun Care – Perfect for sun-exposed skin to reduce redness and promote healing.
How Do I Store It?
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Tallow is shelf-stable but should be kept in a cool, dry place.
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Store in a dark cabinet to extend its freshness for up to a year.
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Avoid refrigeration—tallow hardens when cold but melts beautifully at room temperature.
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Because this is an all-natural product, we always recommend a patch test before use to ensure compatibility with your skin.
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Gritty Tallow? If it experiences extreme temperature changes - the tallow and carrier oils can separate. It’s still just fine to use! Either warm up between your fingers to melt before applying - or you can melt the whole jar on low heat in a double broiler or microwave, let cool to soft and whip again or use unwhipped!
Jar Net Weight:
Please note that our whipped tallow is light and airy, meaning there will be some airspace in the jar. The size refers to the jar and liquid measurement, rather than the product’s exact weight.
Please Note:
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These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. If you have concerns about specific ingredients or allergies, please consult your healthcare professional before use.
Five Marys FAQs
Why is the name “Five Marys”?
Five Marys Farms was named by Brian, for his Five Marys. His wife, Mary and their four daughters - MaryFrances or "Francie" is 16, MaryMarjorie or "Maisie" is 14, MaryJane or "JJ" is 13 and MaryTeresa or "Tessa" is 11. They are all named Mary after strong and memorable grandmothers and aunts on both sides of the family and each carries the middle name of that grandmother or great aunt.
Five Marys is truly a family operation honoring the roots in California agriculture on both sides of the family, the younger Marys are 7th generation Californians with ancestors dating back to 1851 at the time of the Gold Rush. Brian’s father Tom was an active farmer and advocate for California agriculture and the Heffernans are proud to be carrying on a family legacy in the industry - and paving their own way too.
Why does your meat taste so good?
We work hard to raise a quality product from start to finish. That begins with great genetics in our animals for things like rib-eye size and marbling. We make sure to feed our animals a high quality feed for their entire life. We finish our beef with alfalfa and steam-flaked barley for an extended finish time of 180 days on finish feed. We also dry-age the whole carcass 14-28 days which is longer than the industry standard or the more common “wet age” and THIS dry-aging process gives a premium flavor and tenderness in every bite - right down to the ground beef. Extra care, attention and inputs mean better products for our family and our customers! HERE is a blog post with more info about how we raise and why our meat tastes so good!
Where are you located?
We are located in Siskiyou County - at the top of the state of California, almost to the Oregon border, where our Cattlewomen boast “top beef, from the top of our state, to the top of your plate.” Brian and Mary are both California natives, the girls are 7th generation to the state! Brian grew up in Imperial County and Tehama County with roots in agriculture and Mary was born and raised in Menlo Park, CA - better known today as “Silicon Valley” where she and Brian met, started their family and worked before deciding to change paths and leave the busy life there for 1800 acres of wide open spaces in Silicon Valley.
Where can I find out more about your story?
We share our daily life on Instagram right here. Mary also wrote an ebook about their decision to move to the ranch, including their story, and how things changed when they did. It’s called “They Can Do It. What I Learned About Parenting by Moving to the Country.” and you can download it to read on any device HERE.
Are you organic?
We are not ‘certified’ organic, but we practice all-natural practices in everything we do. We believe when our customers can have full transparency in our operation, can know and trust us as their source for high-quality, all-natural meats - that means more than a certification sticker on a package and avoids the red tape and extra cost to the consumer associated with certification.
What does “organically-minded” mean?
When you are not certified organic, legally you can not use the word organic.
We are 100% mindful to practice and produce all-natural products. We raise what we believe is the best product to feed our own children and share it with our customers.
Are you GMO-free? Are your animals fed corn or soy?
Yes, all of our livestock feed on the ranch is 100% GMO-free. We do not feed any soy to our cattle, hogs or sheep. We do not feed corn to our cattle or sheep, sometimes of the year our hogs might get feed mixed with corn.
Has your meat been treated with antibiotics?
Never. The meat we sell through Five Marys brand is always 100% antibiotic free from day one. We administer therapeutic antibiotics to animals on the ranch if they are needed for life saving situations or illness, but those animals are “red tagged” and pulled from our meat program. We still find other creative outlets for them after the proper and safe withdrawl period like local families or friends who understand the history of the animal. Animals given antibiotics in their lifetime are perfectly safe to eat after the standard withdrawl period - but we choose to have a clear designation for our customers that all meat sold from Five Marys is 100% free of any lifetime antibiotics.
Is your meat hormone free?
Yes, ALWAYS. Our meat is 100% free of any kind of growth hormones or any added hormones.
Is the meat all from animals from your ranch?
We raise the majority of the animals we harvest for our meat program on our ranch. Our neighbor directly connected and next to our ranch helps to raise some of our pork with us year round. A farm about an hour north in Oregon raised lamb with us to fill the gaps since we only have lamb about half the year (our lamb is usually harvested Nov-April and their lamb May-October.) We calve in the fall each year and raise those steers and some heifers for our meat program, and provide the cattle for the second half of the year by buying weaned calves from our brother-in-law on Oregon or our friends in Northern California who both raise very high quality cattle to the same standards we do.
Shipping FAQ’s
Where do you ship your meats?
We ship our meats, snack sticks, bones and bone broth to all 50 states Monday-Wednesdays every week of the year! Meats are packed on dry ice pellets (will be sublimated by the time you get your box) in custom made insulated liners.
Do you ship meats to Canada? Will you ever?
We do not ship to Canada. Canadian customs is not reliable to keep perishable orders moving through and boxes often get held up in customs for too long to make it feasible to ship frozen product. We do ship all other products besides meats, bones and bone broth to Canada though!
Do you ship non-meat items internationally?
We are not able to ship our meats to addresses outside of the US. We are able to ship other products like sheep pelts, M5 gear, books, prints, hats, etc. If you want to place an international order please email info@fivemarys.com to receive a shipping quote.
Can you ship to Hawaii & Alaska?
We sure can! It's a little more expensive to get it there but we ship overnight to both states.
What is The Return Policy?
We have a strict no returns and no refunds policy since most of our products are perishable and can not easily be shipped back and forth and we can not accept frozen products back for resale. If you need to return a sweatshirt or apparel, we will exchange for a different size if the customer pays shipping to send the original back to us. This does NOT apply for meats - all meats are NO returns or refunds, no exceptions.
ANIMAL FAQ’S
What breeds are your animals?
Black Angus Cattle : Black Angus produce a premium quality beef and we are proud of our herd with great genetics for superior marbling, flavor and consistency.
Berkshire Heritage Pigs: Berkshire pigs produce one of the best meat qualities - an optimal fat and marbling and are a great heritage breed. Some pigs are bred to be extra lean now - and others can be too fatty. Berkshires are a great in between with what our customers frequently tell us is the best pork they’ve ever tasted!
Navajo Churro Lambs: The "Chef's Choice" for a wonderful flavor and consistency every time, Navajo Churro's are a hearty breed that love our mountain climate. We have a blog post about our sheep HERE
What do you feed your pigs? Do you feed the pigs scraps?
We feed our pigs a carefully mixed ration of protein and minerals according to their age or stage of life. Our gestating mothers get one ration, nursing mothers get another, weaned piglets another and grower pigs their own. We avoid scraps for our pigs since it’s hard to control what might be in the scraps or how that food was raised.
Is your beef grass-fed?
Our cattle live on pastures or hill country at Five Marys year round and eat our local and ranch raised pasture grasses and alfalfa. We finish our cattle on a thoughtfully balanced ration of alfalfa, grain hay and steam-flaked barley for the best possible quality in marbling and taste. We believe grass-fed and grass-and-barley finish, with an extended finishing time of at least 180 days is the optimal way to raise our beef for consistent, excellent quality and flavor with all the benefits of a grass-fed lifestyle. We never feed corn, GMOs and all of our meat is 100% free from antibiotics, growth-hormones and ionophores.
Are your lambs grass-fed?
Yes, our Navajo Churro lambs and sheep eat only our pasture grasses and alfalfa.
Do you sell chicken or eggs? Turkeys?
No - we don’t raise poultry and will not in the future. If you are looking for quality raised chicken or turkey to ship to your doorstep like Five Marys, we recommend:
See our M5 DIRECTORY for other farms raising chicken!HARVESTING FAQ’S
Do you harvest humanely?
Yes. We are invested in making sure every stage of the process of raising and harvesting our animals is done thoughtfully and with the utmost care and attention to the well being of the animal. Our harvesting or slaughtering process is done under USDA inspection and we work hard to make sure the animals experience the least amount of stress and are slaughtered in the most humane way. This is obviously important because it’s the right thing to do, but it can also affect the quality of the meat (stress before harvest is not good for quality) so it’s important to everyone involved that animals are harvested humanely every single time.
How are animals are handled during processing?
At Five Marys, we are focused on raising our animals as humanely and ethically as possible their entire lives, this starts at birth and continues every day they graze the grasses and soak up the mountain air and sunshine on the ranch in Siskiyou County. We take the same concern for the harvesting process. We work hard to make sure animals experience the least amount of stress possible and are harvested thoughtfully and humanely, all under USDA supervision and care.
What does dry-aging do?
Beef that is dry-aged has an exceptional flavor and tenderness. It requires extra time, commitment and cost - but it is worth it in the end result of a perfect steak or incredibly delicious ground beef. Pork or lamb can be eaten soon after slaughter, but that is not the case with beef. Beef benefits from aging to promote tenderness and enhance flavor. Soon after slaughter, most beef sold in the US is split into large pieces called primals, vacuum sealed, and boxed up for transport, where it “wet-ages” during transit to grocery stores, meat distributors, and similar locations. When it arrives it is ultimately cut into steaks, roasts, and other familiar cuts for the consumer. Ground beef is often packaged and shipped without the benefit of any aging at all. In contrast, dry-aging beef involves hanging it in just above freezing temperatures in a humidity controlled room with ample air flow, for at least 14 days - we prefer 21-28 days for optimal tenderness and to impart a unique taste and delicate consistency to the meat.
Dry-aging is a craft tradition that used to be the norm, but it is slowly being replaced in favor of expediency and efficiency. However, Brian and I firmly believe that dry-aging creates the best possible beef. We don’t cut any steaks or grind any beef until the entire carcass is well aged, usually for 14 to 28 days after harvest. Purely grass-fed meat doesn’t always benefit from dry aging as it is often too lean without much marbling, but because we finish our cattle on barley which gives a great marbling, dry-aging is an optimal way to create a premium product for our customer.
How do you choose which animals go to harvest for meat? Are they all born on the ranch?
Our breeding mothers never go into our meat program. They stay breeders on the ranch as long as they are able and sometimes longer. Our breeding males (bulls, boards and rams) are also not put into our meat program. Older animals who have bred or birthed young are not as desirable as meat animals for most cuts. The animals born on our ranch every year are our market animals that we harvest for meats. We keep about 20% of these animals most years as breeders to replace older breeders who age out of reproducing. We buy new males for breeding from high quality genetic stock every few years to avoid line breeding and to ensure genetic diversity.
Are all your animals born on the ranch?
We raise most of our animals from start to finish, but sometimes will add animals from other trusted ranches (like our brother-in-law’s all-natural, Oregon ranching operation - or our neighbors next to the ranch raise some of our pork on their pastures) as we expand and grow our herd. Most are born here and live out their lives on the ranch.
What is the fat ratio in your ground beef?
Every animal is slightly different, but we aim for between 85/15 and 80/20 for our ground beef. We love the flavor of good, clean fat in our ground and we think you will too!
Visting FAQ’s
Can we visit the ranch for a tour?
We open the ranch occasionally for special events like Farm Dinners and weekend retreats for customers and friends to allow them to experience ranch life and get closer to where their food comes from. We announce these events in our Friends & Family email newsletter when they are released. Other than those times, we run a “lean” operation and besides our family of 6 - have just 1-2 extra ranch hands on some days - so we are very busy taking great care of our animals and getting our excellent meats to our customers!
Brian, Mary and the girls are busy taking care of the animals, the ranch and finding time together as a family so they are not able to accommodate any sort of ranch tours or visits! But you are welcome to drive by the ranch on the public highway (Eastside Rd) and take it all in from the road (please don't stop to block traffic, try to see animals or disrupt daily operations) The Heffs stop by the Burgerhouse often and love to say hello and meet visitors from all over though!
But while we can not give ranch tours - we love to have guests from far and wide come to visit Fort Jones to experience all that there is to offer in the area and the Five Marys brand at our restaurant or Ranch Store!
Can we shop at the Ranch Store?
YES! You can shop all of our meats and M5 gear and dry goods at Five Marys Ranch Store (normal business hours) or in the front of the restaurant, Five Marys Burgerhouse, just two doors down (restaurant hours :)
If you’d like to order locally, choose Fort Jones Pickup and email us to let us know when you will be by to pick up at the Ranch Store or the Burgerhouse, we’ll get it ready for you!
Where can we stay?
There are a variety of AirBnb's in Fort Jones to accommodate smaller groups or 1-night stays. The Etna Motel is another great option just 9 miles down the road in the town of Etna. "Camp Five Marys" experience and tents are not available for stays, but make sure you are on our mailing list to find out about any upcoming Farm Dinners or Camp Retreats!
There is also a great RV Park in Etna called The Mountain Village or one in Yreka called Yreka RV Park.
We do not rent out our camp area, the bunkhouse, or any other facilities on the ranch and do not allow visitors on the ranch at any time.
What is there to do?
The Fort Jones Museum is a gem of a spot with great local history and lots of opportunities to learn more about Northern California. It is located on the same block as Five Marys Burgerhouse and Farm Store.
Mountain Healing Spa is a great spot for some relaxation with soaking tubs and massages available in the town of Etna.
Callahan's Mountain Lodge just north in Ashland, Oregon is a hidden gem of a resort to stay in summer or cozy up in winter with live music every night.
There are also lots of great attractions nearby like Crater Lake, the town of Ashland Oregon, summer camps, hikes and more.
Where can we eat?
Five Marys Burgerhouse is open Monday-Saturday 11am-8/9pm right downtown Fort Jones and offers our dry-aged beef, pork and lamb in a delicious lunch and dinner menu served 6 days a week. Our Bourbon Bacon Burger or Cowboy Blues Burgers are customer favorites, and make sure to have an M5 Sidecar or pick up a bottle of Five Marys Whiskey or Bourbon!
How do I travel there?
The closest airport is Medford Oregon (MFR) which is serviced by Alaksa and United airlines. It's easy to rent a car from there and drive 1.5 hours south to Fort Jones. Sacramento Airport, serviced by most airlines as well as Southwest, is 4 hours south.
There is also a private small private airport just 2 miles from Fort Jones called Scott Valley Airfield A30 - if you fly in for lunch or dinner let us know and we can arrange a pick up!
We hope you'll enjoy a visit to Fort Jones to enjoy all it has to offer and experience Five Marys through the Burgerhouse and Farm Store!
HOW TO RECYCLE / REUSE YOUR BOX!
We so appreciate being able to reuse our custom insulated liners again and again! Your box and liner can be used as a travel cooler or recycled at your local recycling center - or return it back to us to use again.
OPTION 1 : The Post Office (USPS)
You can send a box back through the post office using the “Media Mail Rate” (It will take 8-10 days via snail mail but that is okay with us!) Simply place a used book inside (It has to be a book not a magazine - we will donate this to our local community), remove any notes and dry ice bag from inside the box, cover up the dry ice and perishable stickers and take to your local post office to mail back to us for $4-$6. You can also send Priority Mail or “Retail Ground”.
send to : Five Marys 6732 Eastside Rd Fort Jones CA 96032.
Once you’ve sent 10 boxes back via USPS at your cost, we would love to reward you with $100 in credit on your next order! Just email us after 10 returns for your code info@fivemarys.com
OPTION 2: UPS
We can provide a UPS return label to leave the box(es) on your porch for pick up or you can take them to a UPS shipping center. The UPS label costs us a little more than the price of the liner, so we require that you save 2-4 of the boxes of the same size to stack and tape together as one box (since they are so light empty) before you ship them back. The liners are the most valuable part of the box, so you can also pack one liner inside a second box/liner and recycle the first cardboard box. Email info@fivemarys.com to print a return UPS label!
These ship to our Farm Store at 11903 Main Street Fort Jones, CA 96032. Since we cover the shipping cost on this option, it is the only one that doesn’t qualify for a shopping credit, thanks for understanding!
OPTION 3 : DROP OFF!
If you live in the SF Bay Area you can drop off boxes at Mary’s parents house at 931 Menlo Oaks Drive in Menlo Park, CA. They are right near the Bay Rd exit off Highway 101 and you can leave boxes on the front porch or behind the house (down the cul-de-sac) by the back gate or garage doors.
OR if you are traveling by Five Marys Burgerhouse on Main Street in Fort Jones, CA - you can always stop in for a meal and drop your boxes off there!
If you’ve dropped off 10 boxes at either location, we would love to reward you with $100 in credit on your next order! Just email us after 10 returns for your code info@fivemarys.com
OPTION 4 : SHARE WITH OTHER BEEF SHIPPERS!
Coming Soon - we hope to have drop-spots all over the US at other farms/ranches and storefronts where you can drop boxes locally for other ranchers in the M5 Entrepreneurs group to re-use! We will have a reward system set up (ie $5 off coupon for that farm) since they’ll get to use the box again for their shipments. Stay tuned!
Our Family - The Heffernans
Mary and Brian Heffernan always dreamed of moving to the country to ranch and raise “free-range kids” in the dirt and sunshine. They both have deep agriculture roots and a passion for small town, small business and family-centered food. So when the opportunity to purchase the historic Sharps Gulch Ranch came along in 2013, Mary and Brian knew they'd found their land. With eyes on a new adventure and California soil in their souls, they took their four spunky girls to Siskiyou county.
We are Five Marys Farms - after Mary and our four daughters all named Mary after grandmothers and aunts on both sides of the family. MaryFrances or "Francie" is 12, MaryMarjorie or "Maisie" is 11, MaryJane or "JJ" is 9 and MaryTeresa or "Tessa" is 7.
Those are the FIVE MARYS proud to be working the ranch everyday keeping up with the leader of our pack, Heff.
Before we moved to the ranch we had small businesses and restaurants and we spent a lot of our time sourcing really good quality ingredients for our menu.
In the quest for super high quality meats, raised ethically but with great flavor, we did a ton of research with our chefs to know exactly what we wanted for our customers.
+ We wanted superior quality beef with a great story behind it.
+ We wanted a grass-fed lifestyle with a barley finish and an extended dry-age.
+ We wanted to know the animals were raised right and harvested humanely.
We searched high and low in small farms and couldn’t find anyone who could do this on a large enough scale to supply what we needed.
So we decided to do it ourselves.
We originally thought we'd just go up on the weekends and hire a ranch manager commuting back to our businesses in the city during the week, but we quickly realized we couldn't do both of these things well.
It didn't take us long do decide to totally change paths and jump into ranching full time. This meant selling our businesses and leaving our beautiful home we’d worked so hard for, Brian leaving his busy law practice and moving away from a land of opportunity and the only livelihood we knew.
We knew we had to find a new model and create a business from scratch to sustain our livelihood, so we started from square one.
When we started selling the meat we'd worked hard to raise, we would personally deliver to customers and then we started “farm stands” (our own version of farmers markets). They were a great way to kick start our sales and grow our business early, but we knew that wasn’t sustainable for us because we wanted to be on the ranch, not traveling all of the time to sell our meat.
The answer seemed to lie in shipping our meats directly to customers - and finding customers who appreciate high-quality, well-raised meats.
Shipping meat is no easy task, it took well over a year to navigate - but with lots of trial and error and learning from many mistakes - we have a tried-and-true system to sell, pack and ship meat directly to customers all over the US.
We use social media to share our story and sell our product and in four years we've grown to reach over 8,000 customers all over the country and we ship over 10,000 pounds of meat every month right from our ranch in rural California.
Using Social Media to Grow Our Brand...
Thanks to sharing our story on social media, we have received national attention over the past few years - with features in Oprah Magazine, Parents Magazine, Enjoy, Eating Well, Flea Market Style, GEV magazine and Real Simple.
We were also named "Best Farm" in America by Paleo Magazine in 2018!
All of this is because social media allows us to share our day-to-day life. To share our story and help tell the story of agriculture in today's world.
Follow along with us on Instagram as we share our day-to-day lives on the ranch!
Mary and Brian believe that good things take time, from restoring old ranch homes to raising cattle.
There simply are no short cuts.
We commit to consistently provide the finest quality meats only from animals we raise as a family on our ranch directly and hassle-free to your family's doorstep anywhere in the US.
After years in the restaurant business we had a lot of trials cooking with different meats from small farms to bigger names. We appreciate that consistency matters and that extra effort, like well packaged products and a 21 to 28-day dry aging and old world butchery practices (one animal at a time), is required for the most amazing flavor and tenderness. Above all, constant and unwavering care is required every single day of an animal's life to achieve a premium cut of meat. We go that extra mile.
Order our beef, lamb or pork by the individual cut, try one of our sampler assortments or get a customized box regularly with our Farm Club membership. Our ordering process is easy and your product will ship and arrive quickly and without hassle. No minimums or subscriptions are required and we ship anywhere in the country.
We are now the primary meat source for hundreds of families throughout the country and they will tell you our products are consistently fantastic and delivery is quick, easy and predictable.
We hope you will taste and appreciate the difference as well - you won't be disappointed!
Oh, and to answer your first question about us - yes, there really are five Marys. Five Marys Farms is named for the five girls in our family, all named Mary! Our four girls (ages 6-11) are all named after grandmothers and aunts on both sides carrying on a long standing family tradition of strong women named Mary.
We hope you’ll SHOP Five Marys meats or join us for a Five Marys experience!
OUR OPERATION
Our livestock spend their days on our Siskiyou county ranch, roaming freely and munching wild, Californian grasses. The ranching methods and beliefs we use, from grazing rotations to slaughter, preserve and protect the land we live on and respect the animals we raise from birth until their "one bad day" sacrificing for the food on our plates.
As far as certifications go, we believe in actions, not labels. Our products reflect our beliefs in respecting our animals, raising them with the utmost care and comfort and in feeding our customers only what we feed our family - the highest quality meats raised as naturally and humanely as possible.
We are raising Black Angus cattle, Navajo-Churro sheep, Berkshire hogs and a wide variety of laying hens.
Everyday is an adventure here on the ranch!
WHY FIVE MARYS?
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We believe in selling only the finest meat and the finest meat comes from animals and land that are well cared for.
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There are no shortcuts.
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We are a small family ranch and together as a family we vigilantly care for each of our animals.
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Our Black Angus cattle, Navajo Churro lambs and Berkshire heritage pigs spend their lives on our green pastures and hills rich in minerals and with plenty of sunshine and fresh Northern California mountain air.
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You can experience the difference in the taste of our beef, lamb and pork.
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Our meat is never treated with antibiotics or hormones.
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We are organically minded and GMO free.
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Our beef is finished on pasture grass and steam-flaked GMO-free barley.
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Our animals are processed at a first class USDA process, cut and wrap facility and each cut has complete traceability to our animals.
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Our ground beef and steaks are all dry aged for 14-28 days for tenderness and flavor you won't find many places other than the premier steakhouses.
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We strive to bring the finest meat to your table, as well as the real story behind it, so you know just where your food comes from.
OUR LAND
the history of our agricultural background & sharps gulch ranch
The land we live on is rich in family farming history and we are proud to continue that legacy through hard work, storytelling and the restoration of the ranch’s two homes, a large victorian and a 19th century creamery-turned house. We both come from a long lines of agriculture families, so we are grateful and excited to see these California roots grow into a story of our own.
- Mary and Brian Heffernan
We are very proud to be back in agriculture, just as our ancestors were, on our own family farm to continue our Californian history on Siskiyou County soil. Our daughters are 7th generation Californians who we hope to raise with a love and respect of the land where we live.
OUR MISSION
We are the Heffernan Family and are proud to be stewards of the land at Sharps Gulch Ranch. With farming in our blood from generations past, we are raising livestock and our children as natural as we can in the California sunshine.
We like doing things the hard way.
We believe in muddy boots, calloused hands and nurturing our land and livestock through dedication and hard work.
We believe that healthy animals live in big spaces with lots of sunshine, and don’t need extra hormones, chemicals or antibiotics.
We believe that food should tell a story, and are thrilled to share ours with you.
Face Tallow : Blue Tansy Whip
Regular price Sale price $36.00Five Marys All-Natural Tallow Cream! - a skincare super power that's been used for centuries! The main ingredient is our well-raised, clean, nutrient-rich, nourishing, anti-microbial TALLOW! This amazing ingredient is "bioavailable" since it's an animal protein and not from plants making it super compatible with our skin's natural structure.
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Blue Tansy – A rare essential oil with remarkable anti-inflammatory properties.
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Calms & Soothes Irritated Skin: Ideal for rosacea, eczema, and sensitive skin.
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Naturally High in Chamazulene: Gives it its blue color and healing abilities.
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How Do I Store It?
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Tallow is shelf-stable but should be stored in a cool, dry place.
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Keep in a dark cabinet to extend freshness for up to a year.
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Do not refrigerate—tallow hardens when cold but melts effortlessly at room temperature.
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Because this is an all-natural product, we recommend a patch test before use to check for sensitivities.
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Gritty Tallow? If it experiences extreme temperature changes - the tallow and carrier oils can separate. It’s still just fine to use! Either warm up between your fingers to melt before applying - or you can melt the whole jar on low heat in a double broiler or microwave, let cool to soft and whip again or use unwhipped!
Jar Net Weight:
Please note that our whipped tallow is light and airy, meaning there will be some airspace in the jar. The size refers to the jar and liquid measurement, rather than the product’s exact weight.
Please Note:
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These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. If you have concerns about specific ingredients or allergies, please consult your healthcare professional before use.
Five Marys FAQs
Why is the name “Five Marys”?
Five Marys Farms was named by Brian, for his Five Marys. His wife, Mary and their four daughters - MaryFrances or "Francie" is 16, MaryMarjorie or "Maisie" is 14, MaryJane or "JJ" is 13 and MaryTeresa or "Tessa" is 11. They are all named Mary after strong and memorable grandmothers and aunts on both sides of the family and each carries the middle name of that grandmother or great aunt.
Five Marys is truly a family operation honoring the roots in California agriculture on both sides of the family, the younger Marys are 7th generation Californians with ancestors dating back to 1851 at the time of the Gold Rush. Brian’s father Tom was an active farmer and advocate for California agriculture and the Heffernans are proud to be carrying on a family legacy in the industry - and paving their own way too.
Why does your meat taste so good?
We work hard to raise a quality product from start to finish. That begins with great genetics in our animals for things like rib-eye size and marbling. We make sure to feed our animals a high quality feed for their entire life. We finish our beef with alfalfa and steam-flaked barley for an extended finish time of 180 days on finish feed. We also dry-age the whole carcass 14-28 days which is longer than the industry standard or the more common “wet age” and THIS dry-aging process gives a premium flavor and tenderness in every bite - right down to the ground beef. Extra care, attention and inputs mean better products for our family and our customers! HERE is a blog post with more info about how we raise and why our meat tastes so good!
Where are you located?
We are located in Siskiyou County - at the top of the state of California, almost to the Oregon border, where our Cattlewomen boast “top beef, from the top of our state, to the top of your plate.” Brian and Mary are both California natives, the girls are 7th generation to the state! Brian grew up in Imperial County and Tehama County with roots in agriculture and Mary was born and raised in Menlo Park, CA - better known today as “Silicon Valley” where she and Brian met, started their family and worked before deciding to change paths and leave the busy life there for 1800 acres of wide open spaces in Silicon Valley.
Where can I find out more about your story?
We share our daily life on Instagram right here. Mary also wrote an ebook about their decision to move to the ranch, including their story, and how things changed when they did. It’s called “They Can Do It. What I Learned About Parenting by Moving to the Country.” and you can download it to read on any device HERE.
Are you organic?
We are not ‘certified’ organic, but we practice all-natural practices in everything we do. We believe when our customers can have full transparency in our operation, can know and trust us as their source for high-quality, all-natural meats - that means more than a certification sticker on a package and avoids the red tape and extra cost to the consumer associated with certification.
What does “organically-minded” mean?
When you are not certified organic, legally you can not use the word organic.
We are 100% mindful to practice and produce all-natural products. We raise what we believe is the best product to feed our own children and share it with our customers.
Are you GMO-free? Are your animals fed corn or soy?
Yes, all of our livestock feed on the ranch is 100% GMO-free. We do not feed any soy to our cattle, hogs or sheep. We do not feed corn to our cattle or sheep, sometimes of the year our hogs might get feed mixed with corn.
Has your meat been treated with antibiotics?
Never. The meat we sell through Five Marys brand is always 100% antibiotic free from day one. We administer therapeutic antibiotics to animals on the ranch if they are needed for life saving situations or illness, but those animals are “red tagged” and pulled from our meat program. We still find other creative outlets for them after the proper and safe withdrawl period like local families or friends who understand the history of the animal. Animals given antibiotics in their lifetime are perfectly safe to eat after the standard withdrawl period - but we choose to have a clear designation for our customers that all meat sold from Five Marys is 100% free of any lifetime antibiotics.
Is your meat hormone free?
Yes, ALWAYS. Our meat is 100% free of any kind of growth hormones or any added hormones.
Is the meat all from animals from your ranch?
We raise the majority of the animals we harvest for our meat program on our ranch. Our neighbor directly connected and next to our ranch helps to raise some of our pork with us year round. A farm about an hour north in Oregon raised lamb with us to fill the gaps since we only have lamb about half the year (our lamb is usually harvested Nov-April and their lamb May-October.) We calve in the fall each year and raise those steers and some heifers for our meat program, and provide the cattle for the second half of the year by buying weaned calves from our brother-in-law on Oregon or our friends in Northern California who both raise very high quality cattle to the same standards we do.
Shipping FAQ’s
Where do you ship your meats?
We ship our meats, snack sticks, bones and bone broth to all 50 states Monday-Wednesdays every week of the year! Meats are packed on dry ice pellets (will be sublimated by the time you get your box) in custom made insulated liners.
Do you ship meats to Canada? Will you ever?
We do not ship to Canada. Canadian customs is not reliable to keep perishable orders moving through and boxes often get held up in customs for too long to make it feasible to ship frozen product. We do ship all other products besides meats, bones and bone broth to Canada though!
Do you ship non-meat items internationally?
We are not able to ship our meats to addresses outside of the US. We are able to ship other products like sheep pelts, M5 gear, books, prints, hats, etc. If you want to place an international order please email info@fivemarys.com to receive a shipping quote.
Can you ship to Hawaii & Alaska?
We sure can! It's a little more expensive to get it there but we ship overnight to both states.
What is The Return Policy?
We have a strict no returns and no refunds policy since most of our products are perishable and can not easily be shipped back and forth and we can not accept frozen products back for resale. If you need to return a sweatshirt or apparel, we will exchange for a different size if the customer pays shipping to send the original back to us. This does NOT apply for meats - all meats are NO returns or refunds, no exceptions.
ANIMAL FAQ’S
What breeds are your animals?
Black Angus Cattle : Black Angus produce a premium quality beef and we are proud of our herd with great genetics for superior marbling, flavor and consistency.
Berkshire Heritage Pigs: Berkshire pigs produce one of the best meat qualities - an optimal fat and marbling and are a great heritage breed. Some pigs are bred to be extra lean now - and others can be too fatty. Berkshires are a great in between with what our customers frequently tell us is the best pork they’ve ever tasted!
Navajo Churro Lambs: The "Chef's Choice" for a wonderful flavor and consistency every time, Navajo Churro's are a hearty breed that love our mountain climate. We have a blog post about our sheep HERE
What do you feed your pigs? Do you feed the pigs scraps?
We feed our pigs a carefully mixed ration of protein and minerals according to their age or stage of life. Our gestating mothers get one ration, nursing mothers get another, weaned piglets another and grower pigs their own. We avoid scraps for our pigs since it’s hard to control what might be in the scraps or how that food was raised.
Is your beef grass-fed?
Our cattle live on pastures or hill country at Five Marys year round and eat our local and ranch raised pasture grasses and alfalfa. We finish our cattle on a thoughtfully balanced ration of alfalfa, grain hay and steam-flaked barley for the best possible quality in marbling and taste. We believe grass-fed and grass-and-barley finish, with an extended finishing time of at least 180 days is the optimal way to raise our beef for consistent, excellent quality and flavor with all the benefits of a grass-fed lifestyle. We never feed corn, GMOs and all of our meat is 100% free from antibiotics, growth-hormones and ionophores.
Are your lambs grass-fed?
Yes, our Navajo Churro lambs and sheep eat only our pasture grasses and alfalfa.
Do you sell chicken or eggs? Turkeys?
No - we don’t raise poultry and will not in the future. If you are looking for quality raised chicken or turkey to ship to your doorstep like Five Marys, we recommend:
See our M5 DIRECTORY for other farms raising chicken!HARVESTING FAQ’S
Do you harvest humanely?
Yes. We are invested in making sure every stage of the process of raising and harvesting our animals is done thoughtfully and with the utmost care and attention to the well being of the animal. Our harvesting or slaughtering process is done under USDA inspection and we work hard to make sure the animals experience the least amount of stress and are slaughtered in the most humane way. This is obviously important because it’s the right thing to do, but it can also affect the quality of the meat (stress before harvest is not good for quality) so it’s important to everyone involved that animals are harvested humanely every single time.
How are animals are handled during processing?
At Five Marys, we are focused on raising our animals as humanely and ethically as possible their entire lives, this starts at birth and continues every day they graze the grasses and soak up the mountain air and sunshine on the ranch in Siskiyou County. We take the same concern for the harvesting process. We work hard to make sure animals experience the least amount of stress possible and are harvested thoughtfully and humanely, all under USDA supervision and care.
What does dry-aging do?
Beef that is dry-aged has an exceptional flavor and tenderness. It requires extra time, commitment and cost - but it is worth it in the end result of a perfect steak or incredibly delicious ground beef. Pork or lamb can be eaten soon after slaughter, but that is not the case with beef. Beef benefits from aging to promote tenderness and enhance flavor. Soon after slaughter, most beef sold in the US is split into large pieces called primals, vacuum sealed, and boxed up for transport, where it “wet-ages” during transit to grocery stores, meat distributors, and similar locations. When it arrives it is ultimately cut into steaks, roasts, and other familiar cuts for the consumer. Ground beef is often packaged and shipped without the benefit of any aging at all. In contrast, dry-aging beef involves hanging it in just above freezing temperatures in a humidity controlled room with ample air flow, for at least 14 days - we prefer 21-28 days for optimal tenderness and to impart a unique taste and delicate consistency to the meat.
Dry-aging is a craft tradition that used to be the norm, but it is slowly being replaced in favor of expediency and efficiency. However, Brian and I firmly believe that dry-aging creates the best possible beef. We don’t cut any steaks or grind any beef until the entire carcass is well aged, usually for 14 to 28 days after harvest. Purely grass-fed meat doesn’t always benefit from dry aging as it is often too lean without much marbling, but because we finish our cattle on barley which gives a great marbling, dry-aging is an optimal way to create a premium product for our customer.
How do you choose which animals go to harvest for meat? Are they all born on the ranch?
Our breeding mothers never go into our meat program. They stay breeders on the ranch as long as they are able and sometimes longer. Our breeding males (bulls, boards and rams) are also not put into our meat program. Older animals who have bred or birthed young are not as desirable as meat animals for most cuts. The animals born on our ranch every year are our market animals that we harvest for meats. We keep about 20% of these animals most years as breeders to replace older breeders who age out of reproducing. We buy new males for breeding from high quality genetic stock every few years to avoid line breeding and to ensure genetic diversity.
Are all your animals born on the ranch?
We raise most of our animals from start to finish, but sometimes will add animals from other trusted ranches (like our brother-in-law’s all-natural, Oregon ranching operation - or our neighbors next to the ranch raise some of our pork on their pastures) as we expand and grow our herd. Most are born here and live out their lives on the ranch.
What is the fat ratio in your ground beef?
Every animal is slightly different, but we aim for between 85/15 and 80/20 for our ground beef. We love the flavor of good, clean fat in our ground and we think you will too!
Visting FAQ’s
Can we visit the ranch for a tour?
We open the ranch occasionally for special events like Farm Dinners and weekend retreats for customers and friends to allow them to experience ranch life and get closer to where their food comes from. We announce these events in our Friends & Family email newsletter when they are released. Other than those times, we run a “lean” operation and besides our family of 6 - have just 1-2 extra ranch hands on some days - so we are very busy taking great care of our animals and getting our excellent meats to our customers!
Brian, Mary and the girls are busy taking care of the animals, the ranch and finding time together as a family so they are not able to accommodate any sort of ranch tours or visits! But you are welcome to drive by the ranch on the public highway (Eastside Rd) and take it all in from the road (please don't stop to block traffic, try to see animals or disrupt daily operations) The Heffs stop by the Burgerhouse often and love to say hello and meet visitors from all over though!
But while we can not give ranch tours - we love to have guests from far and wide come to visit Fort Jones to experience all that there is to offer in the area and the Five Marys brand at our restaurant or Ranch Store!
Can we shop at the Ranch Store?
YES! You can shop all of our meats and M5 gear and dry goods at Five Marys Ranch Store (normal business hours) or in the front of the restaurant, Five Marys Burgerhouse, just two doors down (restaurant hours :)
If you’d like to order locally, choose Fort Jones Pickup and email us to let us know when you will be by to pick up at the Ranch Store or the Burgerhouse, we’ll get it ready for you!
Where can we stay?
There are a variety of AirBnb's in Fort Jones to accommodate smaller groups or 1-night stays. The Etna Motel is another great option just 9 miles down the road in the town of Etna. "Camp Five Marys" experience and tents are not available for stays, but make sure you are on our mailing list to find out about any upcoming Farm Dinners or Camp Retreats!
There is also a great RV Park in Etna called The Mountain Village or one in Yreka called Yreka RV Park.
We do not rent out our camp area, the bunkhouse, or any other facilities on the ranch and do not allow visitors on the ranch at any time.
What is there to do?
The Fort Jones Museum is a gem of a spot with great local history and lots of opportunities to learn more about Northern California. It is located on the same block as Five Marys Burgerhouse and Farm Store.
Mountain Healing Spa is a great spot for some relaxation with soaking tubs and massages available in the town of Etna.
Callahan's Mountain Lodge just north in Ashland, Oregon is a hidden gem of a resort to stay in summer or cozy up in winter with live music every night.
There are also lots of great attractions nearby like Crater Lake, the town of Ashland Oregon, summer camps, hikes and more.
Where can we eat?
Five Marys Burgerhouse is open Monday-Saturday 11am-8/9pm right downtown Fort Jones and offers our dry-aged beef, pork and lamb in a delicious lunch and dinner menu served 6 days a week. Our Bourbon Bacon Burger or Cowboy Blues Burgers are customer favorites, and make sure to have an M5 Sidecar or pick up a bottle of Five Marys Whiskey or Bourbon!
How do I travel there?
The closest airport is Medford Oregon (MFR) which is serviced by Alaksa and United airlines. It's easy to rent a car from there and drive 1.5 hours south to Fort Jones. Sacramento Airport, serviced by most airlines as well as Southwest, is 4 hours south.
There is also a private small private airport just 2 miles from Fort Jones called Scott Valley Airfield A30 - if you fly in for lunch or dinner let us know and we can arrange a pick up!
We hope you'll enjoy a visit to Fort Jones to enjoy all it has to offer and experience Five Marys through the Burgerhouse and Farm Store!
HOW TO RECYCLE / REUSE YOUR BOX!
We so appreciate being able to reuse our custom insulated liners again and again! Your box and liner can be used as a travel cooler or recycled at your local recycling center - or return it back to us to use again.
OPTION 1 : The Post Office (USPS)
You can send a box back through the post office using the “Media Mail Rate” (It will take 8-10 days via snail mail but that is okay with us!) Simply place a used book inside (It has to be a book not a magazine - we will donate this to our local community), remove any notes and dry ice bag from inside the box, cover up the dry ice and perishable stickers and take to your local post office to mail back to us for $4-$6. You can also send Priority Mail or “Retail Ground”.
send to : Five Marys 6732 Eastside Rd Fort Jones CA 96032.
Once you’ve sent 10 boxes back via USPS at your cost, we would love to reward you with $100 in credit on your next order! Just email us after 10 returns for your code info@fivemarys.com
OPTION 2: UPS
We can provide a UPS return label to leave the box(es) on your porch for pick up or you can take them to a UPS shipping center. The UPS label costs us a little more than the price of the liner, so we require that you save 2-4 of the boxes of the same size to stack and tape together as one box (since they are so light empty) before you ship them back. The liners are the most valuable part of the box, so you can also pack one liner inside a second box/liner and recycle the first cardboard box. Email info@fivemarys.com to print a return UPS label!
These ship to our Farm Store at 11903 Main Street Fort Jones, CA 96032. Since we cover the shipping cost on this option, it is the only one that doesn’t qualify for a shopping credit, thanks for understanding!
OPTION 3 : DROP OFF!
If you live in the SF Bay Area you can drop off boxes at Mary’s parents house at 931 Menlo Oaks Drive in Menlo Park, CA. They are right near the Bay Rd exit off Highway 101 and you can leave boxes on the front porch or behind the house (down the cul-de-sac) by the back gate or garage doors.
OR if you are traveling by Five Marys Burgerhouse on Main Street in Fort Jones, CA - you can always stop in for a meal and drop your boxes off there!
If you’ve dropped off 10 boxes at either location, we would love to reward you with $100 in credit on your next order! Just email us after 10 returns for your code info@fivemarys.com
OPTION 4 : SHARE WITH OTHER BEEF SHIPPERS!
Coming Soon - we hope to have drop-spots all over the US at other farms/ranches and storefronts where you can drop boxes locally for other ranchers in the M5 Entrepreneurs group to re-use! We will have a reward system set up (ie $5 off coupon for that farm) since they’ll get to use the box again for their shipments. Stay tuned!
Our Family - The Heffernans
Mary and Brian Heffernan always dreamed of moving to the country to ranch and raise “free-range kids” in the dirt and sunshine. They both have deep agriculture roots and a passion for small town, small business and family-centered food. So when the opportunity to purchase the historic Sharps Gulch Ranch came along in 2013, Mary and Brian knew they'd found their land. With eyes on a new adventure and California soil in their souls, they took their four spunky girls to Siskiyou county.
We are Five Marys Farms - after Mary and our four daughters all named Mary after grandmothers and aunts on both sides of the family. MaryFrances or "Francie" is 12, MaryMarjorie or "Maisie" is 11, MaryJane or "JJ" is 9 and MaryTeresa or "Tessa" is 7.
Those are the FIVE MARYS proud to be working the ranch everyday keeping up with the leader of our pack, Heff.
Before we moved to the ranch we had small businesses and restaurants and we spent a lot of our time sourcing really good quality ingredients for our menu.
In the quest for super high quality meats, raised ethically but with great flavor, we did a ton of research with our chefs to know exactly what we wanted for our customers.
+ We wanted superior quality beef with a great story behind it.
+ We wanted a grass-fed lifestyle with a barley finish and an extended dry-age.
+ We wanted to know the animals were raised right and harvested humanely.
We searched high and low in small farms and couldn’t find anyone who could do this on a large enough scale to supply what we needed.
So we decided to do it ourselves.
We originally thought we'd just go up on the weekends and hire a ranch manager commuting back to our businesses in the city during the week, but we quickly realized we couldn't do both of these things well.
It didn't take us long do decide to totally change paths and jump into ranching full time. This meant selling our businesses and leaving our beautiful home we’d worked so hard for, Brian leaving his busy law practice and moving away from a land of opportunity and the only livelihood we knew.
We knew we had to find a new model and create a business from scratch to sustain our livelihood, so we started from square one.
When we started selling the meat we'd worked hard to raise, we would personally deliver to customers and then we started “farm stands” (our own version of farmers markets). They were a great way to kick start our sales and grow our business early, but we knew that wasn’t sustainable for us because we wanted to be on the ranch, not traveling all of the time to sell our meat.
The answer seemed to lie in shipping our meats directly to customers - and finding customers who appreciate high-quality, well-raised meats.
Shipping meat is no easy task, it took well over a year to navigate - but with lots of trial and error and learning from many mistakes - we have a tried-and-true system to sell, pack and ship meat directly to customers all over the US.
We use social media to share our story and sell our product and in four years we've grown to reach over 8,000 customers all over the country and we ship over 10,000 pounds of meat every month right from our ranch in rural California.
Using Social Media to Grow Our Brand...
Thanks to sharing our story on social media, we have received national attention over the past few years - with features in Oprah Magazine, Parents Magazine, Enjoy, Eating Well, Flea Market Style, GEV magazine and Real Simple.
We were also named "Best Farm" in America by Paleo Magazine in 2018!
All of this is because social media allows us to share our day-to-day life. To share our story and help tell the story of agriculture in today's world.
Follow along with us on Instagram as we share our day-to-day lives on the ranch!
Mary and Brian believe that good things take time, from restoring old ranch homes to raising cattle.
There simply are no short cuts.
We commit to consistently provide the finest quality meats only from animals we raise as a family on our ranch directly and hassle-free to your family's doorstep anywhere in the US.
After years in the restaurant business we had a lot of trials cooking with different meats from small farms to bigger names. We appreciate that consistency matters and that extra effort, like well packaged products and a 21 to 28-day dry aging and old world butchery practices (one animal at a time), is required for the most amazing flavor and tenderness. Above all, constant and unwavering care is required every single day of an animal's life to achieve a premium cut of meat. We go that extra mile.
Order our beef, lamb or pork by the individual cut, try one of our sampler assortments or get a customized box regularly with our Farm Club membership. Our ordering process is easy and your product will ship and arrive quickly and without hassle. No minimums or subscriptions are required and we ship anywhere in the country.
We are now the primary meat source for hundreds of families throughout the country and they will tell you our products are consistently fantastic and delivery is quick, easy and predictable.
We hope you will taste and appreciate the difference as well - you won't be disappointed!
Oh, and to answer your first question about us - yes, there really are five Marys. Five Marys Farms is named for the five girls in our family, all named Mary! Our four girls (ages 6-11) are all named after grandmothers and aunts on both sides carrying on a long standing family tradition of strong women named Mary.
We hope you’ll SHOP Five Marys meats or join us for a Five Marys experience!
OUR OPERATION
Our livestock spend their days on our Siskiyou county ranch, roaming freely and munching wild, Californian grasses. The ranching methods and beliefs we use, from grazing rotations to slaughter, preserve and protect the land we live on and respect the animals we raise from birth until their "one bad day" sacrificing for the food on our plates.
As far as certifications go, we believe in actions, not labels. Our products reflect our beliefs in respecting our animals, raising them with the utmost care and comfort and in feeding our customers only what we feed our family - the highest quality meats raised as naturally and humanely as possible.
We are raising Black Angus cattle, Navajo-Churro sheep, Berkshire hogs and a wide variety of laying hens.
Everyday is an adventure here on the ranch!
WHY FIVE MARYS?
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We believe in selling only the finest meat and the finest meat comes from animals and land that are well cared for.
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There are no shortcuts.
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We are a small family ranch and together as a family we vigilantly care for each of our animals.
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Our Black Angus cattle, Navajo Churro lambs and Berkshire heritage pigs spend their lives on our green pastures and hills rich in minerals and with plenty of sunshine and fresh Northern California mountain air.
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You can experience the difference in the taste of our beef, lamb and pork.
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Our meat is never treated with antibiotics or hormones.
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We are organically minded and GMO free.
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Our beef is finished on pasture grass and steam-flaked GMO-free barley.
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Our animals are processed at a first class USDA process, cut and wrap facility and each cut has complete traceability to our animals.
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Our ground beef and steaks are all dry aged for 14-28 days for tenderness and flavor you won't find many places other than the premier steakhouses.
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We strive to bring the finest meat to your table, as well as the real story behind it, so you know just where your food comes from.
OUR LAND
the history of our agricultural background & sharps gulch ranch
The land we live on is rich in family farming history and we are proud to continue that legacy through hard work, storytelling and the restoration of the ranch’s two homes, a large victorian and a 19th century creamery-turned house. We both come from a long lines of agriculture families, so we are grateful and excited to see these California roots grow into a story of our own.
- Mary and Brian Heffernan
We are very proud to be back in agriculture, just as our ancestors were, on our own family farm to continue our Californian history on Siskiyou County soil. Our daughters are 7th generation Californians who we hope to raise with a love and respect of the land where we live.
OUR MISSION
We are the Heffernan Family and are proud to be stewards of the land at Sharps Gulch Ranch. With farming in our blood from generations past, we are raising livestock and our children as natural as we can in the California sunshine.
We like doing things the hard way.
We believe in muddy boots, calloused hands and nurturing our land and livestock through dedication and hard work.
We believe that healthy animals live in big spaces with lots of sunshine, and don’t need extra hormones, chemicals or antibiotics.
We believe that food should tell a story, and are thrilled to share ours with you.
The Summer Tallow Collection!
Regular price $199.00 Sale price $179.00One of each of the new Summer Tallows for a great price - you need all of them!
ALL 5 new products for just $179
INCLUDES :
1 Limited Edition Coconut Rose Tallow Lotion 8 oz pump
1 Five Marys Tallow After Sun Skin Moisturizer in Glass Jar 8 oz
1 Five Marys Tallow Sun Shield 4oz
1 Five Marys Tallow Bug Balm Repellent 4oz
1 Five Marys Tallow Muscle Soother 4oz
*may take 3-7 days to ship if we are still making the products by hand to fulfill orders!
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$199 value for $179
*See individual products for ingredients and more details!
Five Marys FAQs
Why is the name “Five Marys”?
Five Marys Farms was named by Brian, for his Five Marys. His wife, Mary and their four daughters - MaryFrances or "Francie" is 16, MaryMarjorie or "Maisie" is 14, MaryJane or "JJ" is 13 and MaryTeresa or "Tessa" is 11. They are all named Mary after strong and memorable grandmothers and aunts on both sides of the family and each carries the middle name of that grandmother or great aunt.
Five Marys is truly a family operation honoring the roots in California agriculture on both sides of the family, the younger Marys are 7th generation Californians with ancestors dating back to 1851 at the time of the Gold Rush. Brian’s father Tom was an active farmer and advocate for California agriculture and the Heffernans are proud to be carrying on a family legacy in the industry - and paving their own way too.
Why does your meat taste so good?
We work hard to raise a quality product from start to finish. That begins with great genetics in our animals for things like rib-eye size and marbling. We make sure to feed our animals a high quality feed for their entire life. We finish our beef with alfalfa and steam-flaked barley for an extended finish time of 180 days on finish feed. We also dry-age the whole carcass 14-28 days which is longer than the industry standard or the more common “wet age” and THIS dry-aging process gives a premium flavor and tenderness in every bite - right down to the ground beef. Extra care, attention and inputs mean better products for our family and our customers! HERE is a blog post with more info about how we raise and why our meat tastes so good!
Where are you located?
We are located in Siskiyou County - at the top of the state of California, almost to the Oregon border, where our Cattlewomen boast “top beef, from the top of our state, to the top of your plate.” Brian and Mary are both California natives, the girls are 7th generation to the state! Brian grew up in Imperial County and Tehama County with roots in agriculture and Mary was born and raised in Menlo Park, CA - better known today as “Silicon Valley” where she and Brian met, started their family and worked before deciding to change paths and leave the busy life there for 1800 acres of wide open spaces in Silicon Valley.
Where can I find out more about your story?
We share our daily life on Instagram right here. Mary also wrote an ebook about their decision to move to the ranch, including their story, and how things changed when they did. It’s called “They Can Do It. What I Learned About Parenting by Moving to the Country.” and you can download it to read on any device HERE.
Are you organic?
We are not ‘certified’ organic, but we practice all-natural practices in everything we do. We believe when our customers can have full transparency in our operation, can know and trust us as their source for high-quality, all-natural meats - that means more than a certification sticker on a package and avoids the red tape and extra cost to the consumer associated with certification.
What does “organically-minded” mean?
When you are not certified organic, legally you can not use the word organic.
We are 100% mindful to practice and produce all-natural products. We raise what we believe is the best product to feed our own children and share it with our customers.
Are you GMO-free? Are your animals fed corn or soy?
Yes, all of our livestock feed on the ranch is 100% GMO-free. We do not feed any soy to our cattle, hogs or sheep. We do not feed corn to our cattle or sheep, sometimes of the year our hogs might get feed mixed with corn.
Has your meat been treated with antibiotics?
Never. The meat we sell through Five Marys brand is always 100% antibiotic free from day one. We administer therapeutic antibiotics to animals on the ranch if they are needed for life saving situations or illness, but those animals are “red tagged” and pulled from our meat program. We still find other creative outlets for them after the proper and safe withdrawl period like local families or friends who understand the history of the animal. Animals given antibiotics in their lifetime are perfectly safe to eat after the standard withdrawl period - but we choose to have a clear designation for our customers that all meat sold from Five Marys is 100% free of any lifetime antibiotics.
Is your meat hormone free?
Yes, ALWAYS. Our meat is 100% free of any kind of growth hormones or any added hormones.
Is the meat all from animals from your ranch?
We raise the majority of the animals we harvest for our meat program on our ranch. Our neighbor directly connected and next to our ranch helps to raise some of our pork with us year round. A farm about an hour north in Oregon raised lamb with us to fill the gaps since we only have lamb about half the year (our lamb is usually harvested Nov-April and their lamb May-October.) We calve in the fall each year and raise those steers and some heifers for our meat program, and provide the cattle for the second half of the year by buying weaned calves from our brother-in-law on Oregon or our friends in Northern California who both raise very high quality cattle to the same standards we do.
Shipping FAQ’s
Where do you ship your meats?
We ship our meats, snack sticks, bones and bone broth to all 50 states Monday-Wednesdays every week of the year! Meats are packed on dry ice pellets (will be sublimated by the time you get your box) in custom made insulated liners.
Do you ship meats to Canada? Will you ever?
We do not ship to Canada. Canadian customs is not reliable to keep perishable orders moving through and boxes often get held up in customs for too long to make it feasible to ship frozen product. We do ship all other products besides meats, bones and bone broth to Canada though!
Do you ship non-meat items internationally?
We are not able to ship our meats to addresses outside of the US. We are able to ship other products like sheep pelts, M5 gear, books, prints, hats, etc. If you want to place an international order please email info@fivemarys.com to receive a shipping quote.
Can you ship to Hawaii & Alaska?
We sure can! It's a little more expensive to get it there but we ship overnight to both states.
What is The Return Policy?
We have a strict no returns and no refunds policy since most of our products are perishable and can not easily be shipped back and forth and we can not accept frozen products back for resale. If you need to return a sweatshirt or apparel, we will exchange for a different size if the customer pays shipping to send the original back to us. This does NOT apply for meats - all meats are NO returns or refunds, no exceptions.
ANIMAL FAQ’S
What breeds are your animals?
Black Angus Cattle : Black Angus produce a premium quality beef and we are proud of our herd with great genetics for superior marbling, flavor and consistency.
Berkshire Heritage Pigs: Berkshire pigs produce one of the best meat qualities - an optimal fat and marbling and are a great heritage breed. Some pigs are bred to be extra lean now - and others can be too fatty. Berkshires are a great in between with what our customers frequently tell us is the best pork they’ve ever tasted!
Navajo Churro Lambs: The "Chef's Choice" for a wonderful flavor and consistency every time, Navajo Churro's are a hearty breed that love our mountain climate. We have a blog post about our sheep HERE
What do you feed your pigs? Do you feed the pigs scraps?
We feed our pigs a carefully mixed ration of protein and minerals according to their age or stage of life. Our gestating mothers get one ration, nursing mothers get another, weaned piglets another and grower pigs their own. We avoid scraps for our pigs since it’s hard to control what might be in the scraps or how that food was raised.
Is your beef grass-fed?
Our cattle live on pastures or hill country at Five Marys year round and eat our local and ranch raised pasture grasses and alfalfa. We finish our cattle on a thoughtfully balanced ration of alfalfa, grain hay and steam-flaked barley for the best possible quality in marbling and taste. We believe grass-fed and grass-and-barley finish, with an extended finishing time of at least 180 days is the optimal way to raise our beef for consistent, excellent quality and flavor with all the benefits of a grass-fed lifestyle. We never feed corn, GMOs and all of our meat is 100% free from antibiotics, growth-hormones and ionophores.
Are your lambs grass-fed?
Yes, our Navajo Churro lambs and sheep eat only our pasture grasses and alfalfa.
Do you sell chicken or eggs? Turkeys?
No - we don’t raise poultry and will not in the future. If you are looking for quality raised chicken or turkey to ship to your doorstep like Five Marys, we recommend:
See our M5 DIRECTORY for other farms raising chicken!HARVESTING FAQ’S
Do you harvest humanely?
Yes. We are invested in making sure every stage of the process of raising and harvesting our animals is done thoughtfully and with the utmost care and attention to the well being of the animal. Our harvesting or slaughtering process is done under USDA inspection and we work hard to make sure the animals experience the least amount of stress and are slaughtered in the most humane way. This is obviously important because it’s the right thing to do, but it can also affect the quality of the meat (stress before harvest is not good for quality) so it’s important to everyone involved that animals are harvested humanely every single time.
How are animals are handled during processing?
At Five Marys, we are focused on raising our animals as humanely and ethically as possible their entire lives, this starts at birth and continues every day they graze the grasses and soak up the mountain air and sunshine on the ranch in Siskiyou County. We take the same concern for the harvesting process. We work hard to make sure animals experience the least amount of stress possible and are harvested thoughtfully and humanely, all under USDA supervision and care.
What does dry-aging do?
Beef that is dry-aged has an exceptional flavor and tenderness. It requires extra time, commitment and cost - but it is worth it in the end result of a perfect steak or incredibly delicious ground beef. Pork or lamb can be eaten soon after slaughter, but that is not the case with beef. Beef benefits from aging to promote tenderness and enhance flavor. Soon after slaughter, most beef sold in the US is split into large pieces called primals, vacuum sealed, and boxed up for transport, where it “wet-ages” during transit to grocery stores, meat distributors, and similar locations. When it arrives it is ultimately cut into steaks, roasts, and other familiar cuts for the consumer. Ground beef is often packaged and shipped without the benefit of any aging at all. In contrast, dry-aging beef involves hanging it in just above freezing temperatures in a humidity controlled room with ample air flow, for at least 14 days - we prefer 21-28 days for optimal tenderness and to impart a unique taste and delicate consistency to the meat.
Dry-aging is a craft tradition that used to be the norm, but it is slowly being replaced in favor of expediency and efficiency. However, Brian and I firmly believe that dry-aging creates the best possible beef. We don’t cut any steaks or grind any beef until the entire carcass is well aged, usually for 14 to 28 days after harvest. Purely grass-fed meat doesn’t always benefit from dry aging as it is often too lean without much marbling, but because we finish our cattle on barley which gives a great marbling, dry-aging is an optimal way to create a premium product for our customer.
How do you choose which animals go to harvest for meat? Are they all born on the ranch?
Our breeding mothers never go into our meat program. They stay breeders on the ranch as long as they are able and sometimes longer. Our breeding males (bulls, boards and rams) are also not put into our meat program. Older animals who have bred or birthed young are not as desirable as meat animals for most cuts. The animals born on our ranch every year are our market animals that we harvest for meats. We keep about 20% of these animals most years as breeders to replace older breeders who age out of reproducing. We buy new males for breeding from high quality genetic stock every few years to avoid line breeding and to ensure genetic diversity.
Are all your animals born on the ranch?
We raise most of our animals from start to finish, but sometimes will add animals from other trusted ranches (like our brother-in-law’s all-natural, Oregon ranching operation - or our neighbors next to the ranch raise some of our pork on their pastures) as we expand and grow our herd. Most are born here and live out their lives on the ranch.
What is the fat ratio in your ground beef?
Every animal is slightly different, but we aim for between 85/15 and 80/20 for our ground beef. We love the flavor of good, clean fat in our ground and we think you will too!
Visting FAQ’s
Can we visit the ranch for a tour?
We open the ranch occasionally for special events like Farm Dinners and weekend retreats for customers and friends to allow them to experience ranch life and get closer to where their food comes from. We announce these events in our Friends & Family email newsletter when they are released. Other than those times, we run a “lean” operation and besides our family of 6 - have just 1-2 extra ranch hands on some days - so we are very busy taking great care of our animals and getting our excellent meats to our customers!
Brian, Mary and the girls are busy taking care of the animals, the ranch and finding time together as a family so they are not able to accommodate any sort of ranch tours or visits! But you are welcome to drive by the ranch on the public highway (Eastside Rd) and take it all in from the road (please don't stop to block traffic, try to see animals or disrupt daily operations) The Heffs stop by the Burgerhouse often and love to say hello and meet visitors from all over though!
But while we can not give ranch tours - we love to have guests from far and wide come to visit Fort Jones to experience all that there is to offer in the area and the Five Marys brand at our restaurant or Ranch Store!
Can we shop at the Ranch Store?
YES! You can shop all of our meats and M5 gear and dry goods at Five Marys Ranch Store (normal business hours) or in the front of the restaurant, Five Marys Burgerhouse, just two doors down (restaurant hours :)
If you’d like to order locally, choose Fort Jones Pickup and email us to let us know when you will be by to pick up at the Ranch Store or the Burgerhouse, we’ll get it ready for you!
Where can we stay?
There are a variety of AirBnb's in Fort Jones to accommodate smaller groups or 1-night stays. The Etna Motel is another great option just 9 miles down the road in the town of Etna. "Camp Five Marys" experience and tents are not available for stays, but make sure you are on our mailing list to find out about any upcoming Farm Dinners or Camp Retreats!
There is also a great RV Park in Etna called The Mountain Village or one in Yreka called Yreka RV Park.
We do not rent out our camp area, the bunkhouse, or any other facilities on the ranch and do not allow visitors on the ranch at any time.
What is there to do?
The Fort Jones Museum is a gem of a spot with great local history and lots of opportunities to learn more about Northern California. It is located on the same block as Five Marys Burgerhouse and Farm Store.
Mountain Healing Spa is a great spot for some relaxation with soaking tubs and massages available in the town of Etna.
Callahan's Mountain Lodge just north in Ashland, Oregon is a hidden gem of a resort to stay in summer or cozy up in winter with live music every night.
There are also lots of great attractions nearby like Crater Lake, the town of Ashland Oregon, summer camps, hikes and more.
Where can we eat?
Five Marys Burgerhouse is open Monday-Saturday 11am-8/9pm right downtown Fort Jones and offers our dry-aged beef, pork and lamb in a delicious lunch and dinner menu served 6 days a week. Our Bourbon Bacon Burger or Cowboy Blues Burgers are customer favorites, and make sure to have an M5 Sidecar or pick up a bottle of Five Marys Whiskey or Bourbon!
How do I travel there?
The closest airport is Medford Oregon (MFR) which is serviced by Alaksa and United airlines. It's easy to rent a car from there and drive 1.5 hours south to Fort Jones. Sacramento Airport, serviced by most airlines as well as Southwest, is 4 hours south.
There is also a private small private airport just 2 miles from Fort Jones called Scott Valley Airfield A30 - if you fly in for lunch or dinner let us know and we can arrange a pick up!
We hope you'll enjoy a visit to Fort Jones to enjoy all it has to offer and experience Five Marys through the Burgerhouse and Farm Store!
HOW TO RECYCLE / REUSE YOUR BOX!
We so appreciate being able to reuse our custom insulated liners again and again! Your box and liner can be used as a travel cooler or recycled at your local recycling center - or return it back to us to use again.
OPTION 1 : The Post Office (USPS)
You can send a box back through the post office using the “Media Mail Rate” (It will take 8-10 days via snail mail but that is okay with us!) Simply place a used book inside (It has to be a book not a magazine - we will donate this to our local community), remove any notes and dry ice bag from inside the box, cover up the dry ice and perishable stickers and take to your local post office to mail back to us for $4-$6. You can also send Priority Mail or “Retail Ground”.
send to : Five Marys 6732 Eastside Rd Fort Jones CA 96032.
Once you’ve sent 10 boxes back via USPS at your cost, we would love to reward you with $100 in credit on your next order! Just email us after 10 returns for your code info@fivemarys.com
OPTION 2: UPS
We can provide a UPS return label to leave the box(es) on your porch for pick up or you can take them to a UPS shipping center. The UPS label costs us a little more than the price of the liner, so we require that you save 2-4 of the boxes of the same size to stack and tape together as one box (since they are so light empty) before you ship them back. The liners are the most valuable part of the box, so you can also pack one liner inside a second box/liner and recycle the first cardboard box. Email info@fivemarys.com to print a return UPS label!
These ship to our Farm Store at 11903 Main Street Fort Jones, CA 96032. Since we cover the shipping cost on this option, it is the only one that doesn’t qualify for a shopping credit, thanks for understanding!
OPTION 3 : DROP OFF!
If you live in the SF Bay Area you can drop off boxes at Mary’s parents house at 931 Menlo Oaks Drive in Menlo Park, CA. They are right near the Bay Rd exit off Highway 101 and you can leave boxes on the front porch or behind the house (down the cul-de-sac) by the back gate or garage doors.
OR if you are traveling by Five Marys Burgerhouse on Main Street in Fort Jones, CA - you can always stop in for a meal and drop your boxes off there!
If you’ve dropped off 10 boxes at either location, we would love to reward you with $100 in credit on your next order! Just email us after 10 returns for your code info@fivemarys.com
OPTION 4 : SHARE WITH OTHER BEEF SHIPPERS!
Coming Soon - we hope to have drop-spots all over the US at other farms/ranches and storefronts where you can drop boxes locally for other ranchers in the M5 Entrepreneurs group to re-use! We will have a reward system set up (ie $5 off coupon for that farm) since they’ll get to use the box again for their shipments. Stay tuned!
Our Family - The Heffernans
Mary and Brian Heffernan always dreamed of moving to the country to ranch and raise “free-range kids” in the dirt and sunshine. They both have deep agriculture roots and a passion for small town, small business and family-centered food. So when the opportunity to purchase the historic Sharps Gulch Ranch came along in 2013, Mary and Brian knew they'd found their land. With eyes on a new adventure and California soil in their souls, they took their four spunky girls to Siskiyou county.
We are Five Marys Farms - after Mary and our four daughters all named Mary after grandmothers and aunts on both sides of the family. MaryFrances or "Francie" is 12, MaryMarjorie or "Maisie" is 11, MaryJane or "JJ" is 9 and MaryTeresa or "Tessa" is 7.
Those are the FIVE MARYS proud to be working the ranch everyday keeping up with the leader of our pack, Heff.
Before we moved to the ranch we had small businesses and restaurants and we spent a lot of our time sourcing really good quality ingredients for our menu.
In the quest for super high quality meats, raised ethically but with great flavor, we did a ton of research with our chefs to know exactly what we wanted for our customers.
+ We wanted superior quality beef with a great story behind it.
+ We wanted a grass-fed lifestyle with a barley finish and an extended dry-age.
+ We wanted to know the animals were raised right and harvested humanely.
We searched high and low in small farms and couldn’t find anyone who could do this on a large enough scale to supply what we needed.
So we decided to do it ourselves.
We originally thought we'd just go up on the weekends and hire a ranch manager commuting back to our businesses in the city during the week, but we quickly realized we couldn't do both of these things well.
It didn't take us long do decide to totally change paths and jump into ranching full time. This meant selling our businesses and leaving our beautiful home we’d worked so hard for, Brian leaving his busy law practice and moving away from a land of opportunity and the only livelihood we knew.
We knew we had to find a new model and create a business from scratch to sustain our livelihood, so we started from square one.
When we started selling the meat we'd worked hard to raise, we would personally deliver to customers and then we started “farm stands” (our own version of farmers markets). They were a great way to kick start our sales and grow our business early, but we knew that wasn’t sustainable for us because we wanted to be on the ranch, not traveling all of the time to sell our meat.
The answer seemed to lie in shipping our meats directly to customers - and finding customers who appreciate high-quality, well-raised meats.
Shipping meat is no easy task, it took well over a year to navigate - but with lots of trial and error and learning from many mistakes - we have a tried-and-true system to sell, pack and ship meat directly to customers all over the US.
We use social media to share our story and sell our product and in four years we've grown to reach over 8,000 customers all over the country and we ship over 10,000 pounds of meat every month right from our ranch in rural California.
Using Social Media to Grow Our Brand...
Thanks to sharing our story on social media, we have received national attention over the past few years - with features in Oprah Magazine, Parents Magazine, Enjoy, Eating Well, Flea Market Style, GEV magazine and Real Simple.
We were also named "Best Farm" in America by Paleo Magazine in 2018!
All of this is because social media allows us to share our day-to-day life. To share our story and help tell the story of agriculture in today's world.
Follow along with us on Instagram as we share our day-to-day lives on the ranch!
Mary and Brian believe that good things take time, from restoring old ranch homes to raising cattle.
There simply are no short cuts.
We commit to consistently provide the finest quality meats only from animals we raise as a family on our ranch directly and hassle-free to your family's doorstep anywhere in the US.
After years in the restaurant business we had a lot of trials cooking with different meats from small farms to bigger names. We appreciate that consistency matters and that extra effort, like well packaged products and a 21 to 28-day dry aging and old world butchery practices (one animal at a time), is required for the most amazing flavor and tenderness. Above all, constant and unwavering care is required every single day of an animal's life to achieve a premium cut of meat. We go that extra mile.
Order our beef, lamb or pork by the individual cut, try one of our sampler assortments or get a customized box regularly with our Farm Club membership. Our ordering process is easy and your product will ship and arrive quickly and without hassle. No minimums or subscriptions are required and we ship anywhere in the country.
We are now the primary meat source for hundreds of families throughout the country and they will tell you our products are consistently fantastic and delivery is quick, easy and predictable.
We hope you will taste and appreciate the difference as well - you won't be disappointed!
Oh, and to answer your first question about us - yes, there really are five Marys. Five Marys Farms is named for the five girls in our family, all named Mary! Our four girls (ages 6-11) are all named after grandmothers and aunts on both sides carrying on a long standing family tradition of strong women named Mary.
We hope you’ll SHOP Five Marys meats or join us for a Five Marys experience!
OUR OPERATION
Our livestock spend their days on our Siskiyou county ranch, roaming freely and munching wild, Californian grasses. The ranching methods and beliefs we use, from grazing rotations to slaughter, preserve and protect the land we live on and respect the animals we raise from birth until their "one bad day" sacrificing for the food on our plates.
As far as certifications go, we believe in actions, not labels. Our products reflect our beliefs in respecting our animals, raising them with the utmost care and comfort and in feeding our customers only what we feed our family - the highest quality meats raised as naturally and humanely as possible.
We are raising Black Angus cattle, Navajo-Churro sheep, Berkshire hogs and a wide variety of laying hens.
Everyday is an adventure here on the ranch!
WHY FIVE MARYS?
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We believe in selling only the finest meat and the finest meat comes from animals and land that are well cared for.
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There are no shortcuts.
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We are a small family ranch and together as a family we vigilantly care for each of our animals.
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Our Black Angus cattle, Navajo Churro lambs and Berkshire heritage pigs spend their lives on our green pastures and hills rich in minerals and with plenty of sunshine and fresh Northern California mountain air.
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You can experience the difference in the taste of our beef, lamb and pork.
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Our meat is never treated with antibiotics or hormones.
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We are organically minded and GMO free.
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Our beef is finished on pasture grass and steam-flaked GMO-free barley.
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Our animals are processed at a first class USDA process, cut and wrap facility and each cut has complete traceability to our animals.
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Our ground beef and steaks are all dry aged for 14-28 days for tenderness and flavor you won't find many places other than the premier steakhouses.
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We strive to bring the finest meat to your table, as well as the real story behind it, so you know just where your food comes from.
OUR LAND
the history of our agricultural background & sharps gulch ranch
The land we live on is rich in family farming history and we are proud to continue that legacy through hard work, storytelling and the restoration of the ranch’s two homes, a large victorian and a 19th century creamery-turned house. We both come from a long lines of agriculture families, so we are grateful and excited to see these California roots grow into a story of our own.
- Mary and Brian Heffernan
We are very proud to be back in agriculture, just as our ancestors were, on our own family farm to continue our Californian history on Siskiyou County soil. Our daughters are 7th generation Californians who we hope to raise with a love and respect of the land where we live.
OUR MISSION
We are the Heffernan Family and are proud to be stewards of the land at Sharps Gulch Ranch. With farming in our blood from generations past, we are raising livestock and our children as natural as we can in the California sunshine.
We like doing things the hard way.
We believe in muddy boots, calloused hands and nurturing our land and livestock through dedication and hard work.
We believe that healthy animals live in big spaces with lots of sunshine, and don’t need extra hormones, chemicals or antibiotics.
We believe that food should tell a story, and are thrilled to share ours with you.
After Sun Tallow Moisturizer
Regular price $48.00 Sale price $38.00Five Marys Tallow After Sun Skin Moisturizer
Soothe and replenish sun-kissed skin with our rich, nourishing Five Marys Tallow After Sun Skin Moisturizer. Thoughtfully crafted with skin-loving ingredients, this luxurious blend helps calm dryness and restore moisture after long days in the sun.
Made with nutrient-dense tallow, soothing aloe juice, hydrating coconut oil, and antioxidant-rich vitamin E, this moisturizer deeply nourishes while leaving skin soft, smooth, and refreshed. Finished with the warm, beachy scent of coconut vanilla oil, it feels like summer in every jar.
Perfect for face and body, apply after sun exposure or anytime your skin needs extra hydration and care.
Why You’ll Love It:
- Deeply moisturizing and nourishing
- Helps soothe dry, sun-exposed skin
- Made with simple, wholesome ingredients
- Light tropical coconut vanilla scent
- Great for daily use on face and body
Available in a glass or plastic jar. Both are 8 oz
Ingredients: Beef Tallow, Aloe Juice, Coconut Oil, Vitamin E, Coconut Vanilla Oil
Five Marys FAQs
Why is the name “Five Marys”?
Five Marys Farms was named by Brian, for his Five Marys. His wife, Mary and their four daughters - MaryFrances or "Francie" is 16, MaryMarjorie or "Maisie" is 14, MaryJane or "JJ" is 13 and MaryTeresa or "Tessa" is 11. They are all named Mary after strong and memorable grandmothers and aunts on both sides of the family and each carries the middle name of that grandmother or great aunt.
Five Marys is truly a family operation honoring the roots in California agriculture on both sides of the family, the younger Marys are 7th generation Californians with ancestors dating back to 1851 at the time of the Gold Rush. Brian’s father Tom was an active farmer and advocate for California agriculture and the Heffernans are proud to be carrying on a family legacy in the industry - and paving their own way too.
Why does your meat taste so good?
We work hard to raise a quality product from start to finish. That begins with great genetics in our animals for things like rib-eye size and marbling. We make sure to feed our animals a high quality feed for their entire life. We finish our beef with alfalfa and steam-flaked barley for an extended finish time of 180 days on finish feed. We also dry-age the whole carcass 14-28 days which is longer than the industry standard or the more common “wet age” and THIS dry-aging process gives a premium flavor and tenderness in every bite - right down to the ground beef. Extra care, attention and inputs mean better products for our family and our customers! HERE is a blog post with more info about how we raise and why our meat tastes so good!
Where are you located?
We are located in Siskiyou County - at the top of the state of California, almost to the Oregon border, where our Cattlewomen boast “top beef, from the top of our state, to the top of your plate.” Brian and Mary are both California natives, the girls are 7th generation to the state! Brian grew up in Imperial County and Tehama County with roots in agriculture and Mary was born and raised in Menlo Park, CA - better known today as “Silicon Valley” where she and Brian met, started their family and worked before deciding to change paths and leave the busy life there for 1800 acres of wide open spaces in Silicon Valley.
Where can I find out more about your story?
We share our daily life on Instagram right here. Mary also wrote an ebook about their decision to move to the ranch, including their story, and how things changed when they did. It’s called “They Can Do It. What I Learned About Parenting by Moving to the Country.” and you can download it to read on any device HERE.
Are you organic?
We are not ‘certified’ organic, but we practice all-natural practices in everything we do. We believe when our customers can have full transparency in our operation, can know and trust us as their source for high-quality, all-natural meats - that means more than a certification sticker on a package and avoids the red tape and extra cost to the consumer associated with certification.
What does “organically-minded” mean?
When you are not certified organic, legally you can not use the word organic.
We are 100% mindful to practice and produce all-natural products. We raise what we believe is the best product to feed our own children and share it with our customers.
Are you GMO-free? Are your animals fed corn or soy?
Yes, all of our livestock feed on the ranch is 100% GMO-free. We do not feed any soy to our cattle, hogs or sheep. We do not feed corn to our cattle or sheep, sometimes of the year our hogs might get feed mixed with corn.
Has your meat been treated with antibiotics?
Never. The meat we sell through Five Marys brand is always 100% antibiotic free from day one. We administer therapeutic antibiotics to animals on the ranch if they are needed for life saving situations or illness, but those animals are “red tagged” and pulled from our meat program. We still find other creative outlets for them after the proper and safe withdrawl period like local families or friends who understand the history of the animal. Animals given antibiotics in their lifetime are perfectly safe to eat after the standard withdrawl period - but we choose to have a clear designation for our customers that all meat sold from Five Marys is 100% free of any lifetime antibiotics.
Is your meat hormone free?
Yes, ALWAYS. Our meat is 100% free of any kind of growth hormones or any added hormones.
Is the meat all from animals from your ranch?
We raise the majority of the animals we harvest for our meat program on our ranch. Our neighbor directly connected and next to our ranch helps to raise some of our pork with us year round. A farm about an hour north in Oregon raised lamb with us to fill the gaps since we only have lamb about half the year (our lamb is usually harvested Nov-April and their lamb May-October.) We calve in the fall each year and raise those steers and some heifers for our meat program, and provide the cattle for the second half of the year by buying weaned calves from our brother-in-law on Oregon or our friends in Northern California who both raise very high quality cattle to the same standards we do.
Shipping FAQ’s
Where do you ship your meats?
We ship our meats, snack sticks, bones and bone broth to all 50 states Monday-Wednesdays every week of the year! Meats are packed on dry ice pellets (will be sublimated by the time you get your box) in custom made insulated liners.
Do you ship meats to Canada? Will you ever?
We do not ship to Canada. Canadian customs is not reliable to keep perishable orders moving through and boxes often get held up in customs for too long to make it feasible to ship frozen product. We do ship all other products besides meats, bones and bone broth to Canada though!
Do you ship non-meat items internationally?
We are not able to ship our meats to addresses outside of the US. We are able to ship other products like sheep pelts, M5 gear, books, prints, hats, etc. If you want to place an international order please email info@fivemarys.com to receive a shipping quote.
Can you ship to Hawaii & Alaska?
We sure can! It's a little more expensive to get it there but we ship overnight to both states.
What is The Return Policy?
We have a strict no returns and no refunds policy since most of our products are perishable and can not easily be shipped back and forth and we can not accept frozen products back for resale. If you need to return a sweatshirt or apparel, we will exchange for a different size if the customer pays shipping to send the original back to us. This does NOT apply for meats - all meats are NO returns or refunds, no exceptions.
ANIMAL FAQ’S
What breeds are your animals?
Black Angus Cattle : Black Angus produce a premium quality beef and we are proud of our herd with great genetics for superior marbling, flavor and consistency.
Berkshire Heritage Pigs: Berkshire pigs produce one of the best meat qualities - an optimal fat and marbling and are a great heritage breed. Some pigs are bred to be extra lean now - and others can be too fatty. Berkshires are a great in between with what our customers frequently tell us is the best pork they’ve ever tasted!
Navajo Churro Lambs: The "Chef's Choice" for a wonderful flavor and consistency every time, Navajo Churro's are a hearty breed that love our mountain climate. We have a blog post about our sheep HERE
What do you feed your pigs? Do you feed the pigs scraps?
We feed our pigs a carefully mixed ration of protein and minerals according to their age or stage of life. Our gestating mothers get one ration, nursing mothers get another, weaned piglets another and grower pigs their own. We avoid scraps for our pigs since it’s hard to control what might be in the scraps or how that food was raised.
Is your beef grass-fed?
Our cattle live on pastures or hill country at Five Marys year round and eat our local and ranch raised pasture grasses and alfalfa. We finish our cattle on a thoughtfully balanced ration of alfalfa, grain hay and steam-flaked barley for the best possible quality in marbling and taste. We believe grass-fed and grass-and-barley finish, with an extended finishing time of at least 180 days is the optimal way to raise our beef for consistent, excellent quality and flavor with all the benefits of a grass-fed lifestyle. We never feed corn, GMOs and all of our meat is 100% free from antibiotics, growth-hormones and ionophores.
Are your lambs grass-fed?
Yes, our Navajo Churro lambs and sheep eat only our pasture grasses and alfalfa.
Do you sell chicken or eggs? Turkeys?
No - we don’t raise poultry and will not in the future. If you are looking for quality raised chicken or turkey to ship to your doorstep like Five Marys, we recommend:
See our M5 DIRECTORY for other farms raising chicken!HARVESTING FAQ’S
Do you harvest humanely?
Yes. We are invested in making sure every stage of the process of raising and harvesting our animals is done thoughtfully and with the utmost care and attention to the well being of the animal. Our harvesting or slaughtering process is done under USDA inspection and we work hard to make sure the animals experience the least amount of stress and are slaughtered in the most humane way. This is obviously important because it’s the right thing to do, but it can also affect the quality of the meat (stress before harvest is not good for quality) so it’s important to everyone involved that animals are harvested humanely every single time.
How are animals are handled during processing?
At Five Marys, we are focused on raising our animals as humanely and ethically as possible their entire lives, this starts at birth and continues every day they graze the grasses and soak up the mountain air and sunshine on the ranch in Siskiyou County. We take the same concern for the harvesting process. We work hard to make sure animals experience the least amount of stress possible and are harvested thoughtfully and humanely, all under USDA supervision and care.
What does dry-aging do?
Beef that is dry-aged has an exceptional flavor and tenderness. It requires extra time, commitment and cost - but it is worth it in the end result of a perfect steak or incredibly delicious ground beef. Pork or lamb can be eaten soon after slaughter, but that is not the case with beef. Beef benefits from aging to promote tenderness and enhance flavor. Soon after slaughter, most beef sold in the US is split into large pieces called primals, vacuum sealed, and boxed up for transport, where it “wet-ages” during transit to grocery stores, meat distributors, and similar locations. When it arrives it is ultimately cut into steaks, roasts, and other familiar cuts for the consumer. Ground beef is often packaged and shipped without the benefit of any aging at all. In contrast, dry-aging beef involves hanging it in just above freezing temperatures in a humidity controlled room with ample air flow, for at least 14 days - we prefer 21-28 days for optimal tenderness and to impart a unique taste and delicate consistency to the meat.
Dry-aging is a craft tradition that used to be the norm, but it is slowly being replaced in favor of expediency and efficiency. However, Brian and I firmly believe that dry-aging creates the best possible beef. We don’t cut any steaks or grind any beef until the entire carcass is well aged, usually for 14 to 28 days after harvest. Purely grass-fed meat doesn’t always benefit from dry aging as it is often too lean without much marbling, but because we finish our cattle on barley which gives a great marbling, dry-aging is an optimal way to create a premium product for our customer.
How do you choose which animals go to harvest for meat? Are they all born on the ranch?
Our breeding mothers never go into our meat program. They stay breeders on the ranch as long as they are able and sometimes longer. Our breeding males (bulls, boards and rams) are also not put into our meat program. Older animals who have bred or birthed young are not as desirable as meat animals for most cuts. The animals born on our ranch every year are our market animals that we harvest for meats. We keep about 20% of these animals most years as breeders to replace older breeders who age out of reproducing. We buy new males for breeding from high quality genetic stock every few years to avoid line breeding and to ensure genetic diversity.
Are all your animals born on the ranch?
We raise most of our animals from start to finish, but sometimes will add animals from other trusted ranches (like our brother-in-law’s all-natural, Oregon ranching operation - or our neighbors next to the ranch raise some of our pork on their pastures) as we expand and grow our herd. Most are born here and live out their lives on the ranch.
What is the fat ratio in your ground beef?
Every animal is slightly different, but we aim for between 85/15 and 80/20 for our ground beef. We love the flavor of good, clean fat in our ground and we think you will too!
Visting FAQ’s
Can we visit the ranch for a tour?
We open the ranch occasionally for special events like Farm Dinners and weekend retreats for customers and friends to allow them to experience ranch life and get closer to where their food comes from. We announce these events in our Friends & Family email newsletter when they are released. Other than those times, we run a “lean” operation and besides our family of 6 - have just 1-2 extra ranch hands on some days - so we are very busy taking great care of our animals and getting our excellent meats to our customers!
Brian, Mary and the girls are busy taking care of the animals, the ranch and finding time together as a family so they are not able to accommodate any sort of ranch tours or visits! But you are welcome to drive by the ranch on the public highway (Eastside Rd) and take it all in from the road (please don't stop to block traffic, try to see animals or disrupt daily operations) The Heffs stop by the Burgerhouse often and love to say hello and meet visitors from all over though!
But while we can not give ranch tours - we love to have guests from far and wide come to visit Fort Jones to experience all that there is to offer in the area and the Five Marys brand at our restaurant or Ranch Store!
Can we shop at the Ranch Store?
YES! You can shop all of our meats and M5 gear and dry goods at Five Marys Ranch Store (normal business hours) or in the front of the restaurant, Five Marys Burgerhouse, just two doors down (restaurant hours :)
If you’d like to order locally, choose Fort Jones Pickup and email us to let us know when you will be by to pick up at the Ranch Store or the Burgerhouse, we’ll get it ready for you!
Where can we stay?
There are a variety of AirBnb's in Fort Jones to accommodate smaller groups or 1-night stays. The Etna Motel is another great option just 9 miles down the road in the town of Etna. "Camp Five Marys" experience and tents are not available for stays, but make sure you are on our mailing list to find out about any upcoming Farm Dinners or Camp Retreats!
There is also a great RV Park in Etna called The Mountain Village or one in Yreka called Yreka RV Park.
We do not rent out our camp area, the bunkhouse, or any other facilities on the ranch and do not allow visitors on the ranch at any time.
What is there to do?
The Fort Jones Museum is a gem of a spot with great local history and lots of opportunities to learn more about Northern California. It is located on the same block as Five Marys Burgerhouse and Farm Store.
Mountain Healing Spa is a great spot for some relaxation with soaking tubs and massages available in the town of Etna.
Callahan's Mountain Lodge just north in Ashland, Oregon is a hidden gem of a resort to stay in summer or cozy up in winter with live music every night.
There are also lots of great attractions nearby like Crater Lake, the town of Ashland Oregon, summer camps, hikes and more.
Where can we eat?
Five Marys Burgerhouse is open Monday-Saturday 11am-8/9pm right downtown Fort Jones and offers our dry-aged beef, pork and lamb in a delicious lunch and dinner menu served 6 days a week. Our Bourbon Bacon Burger or Cowboy Blues Burgers are customer favorites, and make sure to have an M5 Sidecar or pick up a bottle of Five Marys Whiskey or Bourbon!
How do I travel there?
The closest airport is Medford Oregon (MFR) which is serviced by Alaksa and United airlines. It's easy to rent a car from there and drive 1.5 hours south to Fort Jones. Sacramento Airport, serviced by most airlines as well as Southwest, is 4 hours south.
There is also a private small private airport just 2 miles from Fort Jones called Scott Valley Airfield A30 - if you fly in for lunch or dinner let us know and we can arrange a pick up!
We hope you'll enjoy a visit to Fort Jones to enjoy all it has to offer and experience Five Marys through the Burgerhouse and Farm Store!
HOW TO RECYCLE / REUSE YOUR BOX!
We so appreciate being able to reuse our custom insulated liners again and again! Your box and liner can be used as a travel cooler or recycled at your local recycling center - or return it back to us to use again.
OPTION 1 : The Post Office (USPS)
You can send a box back through the post office using the “Media Mail Rate” (It will take 8-10 days via snail mail but that is okay with us!) Simply place a used book inside (It has to be a book not a magazine - we will donate this to our local community), remove any notes and dry ice bag from inside the box, cover up the dry ice and perishable stickers and take to your local post office to mail back to us for $4-$6. You can also send Priority Mail or “Retail Ground”.
send to : Five Marys 6732 Eastside Rd Fort Jones CA 96032.
Once you’ve sent 10 boxes back via USPS at your cost, we would love to reward you with $100 in credit on your next order! Just email us after 10 returns for your code info@fivemarys.com
OPTION 2: UPS
We can provide a UPS return label to leave the box(es) on your porch for pick up or you can take them to a UPS shipping center. The UPS label costs us a little more than the price of the liner, so we require that you save 2-4 of the boxes of the same size to stack and tape together as one box (since they are so light empty) before you ship them back. The liners are the most valuable part of the box, so you can also pack one liner inside a second box/liner and recycle the first cardboard box. Email info@fivemarys.com to print a return UPS label!
These ship to our Farm Store at 11903 Main Street Fort Jones, CA 96032. Since we cover the shipping cost on this option, it is the only one that doesn’t qualify for a shopping credit, thanks for understanding!
OPTION 3 : DROP OFF!
If you live in the SF Bay Area you can drop off boxes at Mary’s parents house at 931 Menlo Oaks Drive in Menlo Park, CA. They are right near the Bay Rd exit off Highway 101 and you can leave boxes on the front porch or behind the house (down the cul-de-sac) by the back gate or garage doors.
OR if you are traveling by Five Marys Burgerhouse on Main Street in Fort Jones, CA - you can always stop in for a meal and drop your boxes off there!
If you’ve dropped off 10 boxes at either location, we would love to reward you with $100 in credit on your next order! Just email us after 10 returns for your code info@fivemarys.com
OPTION 4 : SHARE WITH OTHER BEEF SHIPPERS!
Coming Soon - we hope to have drop-spots all over the US at other farms/ranches and storefronts where you can drop boxes locally for other ranchers in the M5 Entrepreneurs group to re-use! We will have a reward system set up (ie $5 off coupon for that farm) since they’ll get to use the box again for their shipments. Stay tuned!
Our Family - The Heffernans
Mary and Brian Heffernan always dreamed of moving to the country to ranch and raise “free-range kids” in the dirt and sunshine. They both have deep agriculture roots and a passion for small town, small business and family-centered food. So when the opportunity to purchase the historic Sharps Gulch Ranch came along in 2013, Mary and Brian knew they'd found their land. With eyes on a new adventure and California soil in their souls, they took their four spunky girls to Siskiyou county.
We are Five Marys Farms - after Mary and our four daughters all named Mary after grandmothers and aunts on both sides of the family. MaryFrances or "Francie" is 12, MaryMarjorie or "Maisie" is 11, MaryJane or "JJ" is 9 and MaryTeresa or "Tessa" is 7.
Those are the FIVE MARYS proud to be working the ranch everyday keeping up with the leader of our pack, Heff.
Before we moved to the ranch we had small businesses and restaurants and we spent a lot of our time sourcing really good quality ingredients for our menu.
In the quest for super high quality meats, raised ethically but with great flavor, we did a ton of research with our chefs to know exactly what we wanted for our customers.
+ We wanted superior quality beef with a great story behind it.
+ We wanted a grass-fed lifestyle with a barley finish and an extended dry-age.
+ We wanted to know the animals were raised right and harvested humanely.
We searched high and low in small farms and couldn’t find anyone who could do this on a large enough scale to supply what we needed.
So we decided to do it ourselves.
We originally thought we'd just go up on the weekends and hire a ranch manager commuting back to our businesses in the city during the week, but we quickly realized we couldn't do both of these things well.
It didn't take us long do decide to totally change paths and jump into ranching full time. This meant selling our businesses and leaving our beautiful home we’d worked so hard for, Brian leaving his busy law practice and moving away from a land of opportunity and the only livelihood we knew.
We knew we had to find a new model and create a business from scratch to sustain our livelihood, so we started from square one.
When we started selling the meat we'd worked hard to raise, we would personally deliver to customers and then we started “farm stands” (our own version of farmers markets). They were a great way to kick start our sales and grow our business early, but we knew that wasn’t sustainable for us because we wanted to be on the ranch, not traveling all of the time to sell our meat.
The answer seemed to lie in shipping our meats directly to customers - and finding customers who appreciate high-quality, well-raised meats.
Shipping meat is no easy task, it took well over a year to navigate - but with lots of trial and error and learning from many mistakes - we have a tried-and-true system to sell, pack and ship meat directly to customers all over the US.
We use social media to share our story and sell our product and in four years we've grown to reach over 8,000 customers all over the country and we ship over 10,000 pounds of meat every month right from our ranch in rural California.
Using Social Media to Grow Our Brand...
Thanks to sharing our story on social media, we have received national attention over the past few years - with features in Oprah Magazine, Parents Magazine, Enjoy, Eating Well, Flea Market Style, GEV magazine and Real Simple.
We were also named "Best Farm" in America by Paleo Magazine in 2018!
All of this is because social media allows us to share our day-to-day life. To share our story and help tell the story of agriculture in today's world.
Follow along with us on Instagram as we share our day-to-day lives on the ranch!
Mary and Brian believe that good things take time, from restoring old ranch homes to raising cattle.
There simply are no short cuts.
We commit to consistently provide the finest quality meats only from animals we raise as a family on our ranch directly and hassle-free to your family's doorstep anywhere in the US.
After years in the restaurant business we had a lot of trials cooking with different meats from small farms to bigger names. We appreciate that consistency matters and that extra effort, like well packaged products and a 21 to 28-day dry aging and old world butchery practices (one animal at a time), is required for the most amazing flavor and tenderness. Above all, constant and unwavering care is required every single day of an animal's life to achieve a premium cut of meat. We go that extra mile.
Order our beef, lamb or pork by the individual cut, try one of our sampler assortments or get a customized box regularly with our Farm Club membership. Our ordering process is easy and your product will ship and arrive quickly and without hassle. No minimums or subscriptions are required and we ship anywhere in the country.
We are now the primary meat source for hundreds of families throughout the country and they will tell you our products are consistently fantastic and delivery is quick, easy and predictable.
We hope you will taste and appreciate the difference as well - you won't be disappointed!
Oh, and to answer your first question about us - yes, there really are five Marys. Five Marys Farms is named for the five girls in our family, all named Mary! Our four girls (ages 6-11) are all named after grandmothers and aunts on both sides carrying on a long standing family tradition of strong women named Mary.
We hope you’ll SHOP Five Marys meats or join us for a Five Marys experience!
OUR OPERATION
Our livestock spend their days on our Siskiyou county ranch, roaming freely and munching wild, Californian grasses. The ranching methods and beliefs we use, from grazing rotations to slaughter, preserve and protect the land we live on and respect the animals we raise from birth until their "one bad day" sacrificing for the food on our plates.
As far as certifications go, we believe in actions, not labels. Our products reflect our beliefs in respecting our animals, raising them with the utmost care and comfort and in feeding our customers only what we feed our family - the highest quality meats raised as naturally and humanely as possible.
We are raising Black Angus cattle, Navajo-Churro sheep, Berkshire hogs and a wide variety of laying hens.
Everyday is an adventure here on the ranch!
WHY FIVE MARYS?
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We believe in selling only the finest meat and the finest meat comes from animals and land that are well cared for.
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There are no shortcuts.
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We are a small family ranch and together as a family we vigilantly care for each of our animals.
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Our Black Angus cattle, Navajo Churro lambs and Berkshire heritage pigs spend their lives on our green pastures and hills rich in minerals and with plenty of sunshine and fresh Northern California mountain air.
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You can experience the difference in the taste of our beef, lamb and pork.
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Our meat is never treated with antibiotics or hormones.
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We are organically minded and GMO free.
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Our beef is finished on pasture grass and steam-flaked GMO-free barley.
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Our animals are processed at a first class USDA process, cut and wrap facility and each cut has complete traceability to our animals.
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Our ground beef and steaks are all dry aged for 14-28 days for tenderness and flavor you won't find many places other than the premier steakhouses.
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We strive to bring the finest meat to your table, as well as the real story behind it, so you know just where your food comes from.
OUR LAND
the history of our agricultural background & sharps gulch ranch
The land we live on is rich in family farming history and we are proud to continue that legacy through hard work, storytelling and the restoration of the ranch’s two homes, a large victorian and a 19th century creamery-turned house. We both come from a long lines of agriculture families, so we are grateful and excited to see these California roots grow into a story of our own.
- Mary and Brian Heffernan
We are very proud to be back in agriculture, just as our ancestors were, on our own family farm to continue our Californian history on Siskiyou County soil. Our daughters are 7th generation Californians who we hope to raise with a love and respect of the land where we live.
OUR MISSION
We are the Heffernan Family and are proud to be stewards of the land at Sharps Gulch Ranch. With farming in our blood from generations past, we are raising livestock and our children as natural as we can in the California sunshine.
We like doing things the hard way.
We believe in muddy boots, calloused hands and nurturing our land and livestock through dedication and hard work.
We believe that healthy animals live in big spaces with lots of sunshine, and don’t need extra hormones, chemicals or antibiotics.
We believe that food should tell a story, and are thrilled to share ours with you.
Tallow Muscle Soother with Arnica
Regular price $34.00 Sale price $29.00Five Marys Tallow Muscle Soother
Ease tension and comfort hardworking muscles with our Five Marys Tallow Muscle Soother. Crafted with deeply nourishing ingredients and a refreshing cooling sensation, this balm is the perfect go-to for sore muscles, everyday aches, and post-workout recovery.
Made with rich beef tallow, smoothing castor oil, skin-conditioning vitamin E oil, and protective candelilla wax, this balm glides on easily and absorbs beautifully. Infused with menthol for an instant cooling effect and arnica to help soothe tired, overworked areas, it delivers targeted comfort wherever you need it most.
Keep it on hand for busy days, workouts, ranch chores, or anytime your body needs a little extra care.
Why You’ll Love It:
- Cooling, soothing relief for tired muscles
- Richly moisturizing balm base
- Smooth, easy-to-apply texture
- Great for workouts, chores, and everyday aches
- Made with simple, effective ingredients
Comes in a 4 oz tin
Ingredients: Beef Tallow, Menthol, Castor Oil, Arnica, Vitamin E Oil, Candelilla Wax
Five Marys FAQs
Why is the name “Five Marys”?
Five Marys Farms was named by Brian, for his Five Marys. His wife, Mary and their four daughters - MaryFrances or "Francie" is 16, MaryMarjorie or "Maisie" is 14, MaryJane or "JJ" is 13 and MaryTeresa or "Tessa" is 11. They are all named Mary after strong and memorable grandmothers and aunts on both sides of the family and each carries the middle name of that grandmother or great aunt.
Five Marys is truly a family operation honoring the roots in California agriculture on both sides of the family, the younger Marys are 7th generation Californians with ancestors dating back to 1851 at the time of the Gold Rush. Brian’s father Tom was an active farmer and advocate for California agriculture and the Heffernans are proud to be carrying on a family legacy in the industry - and paving their own way too.
Why does your meat taste so good?
We work hard to raise a quality product from start to finish. That begins with great genetics in our animals for things like rib-eye size and marbling. We make sure to feed our animals a high quality feed for their entire life. We finish our beef with alfalfa and steam-flaked barley for an extended finish time of 180 days on finish feed. We also dry-age the whole carcass 14-28 days which is longer than the industry standard or the more common “wet age” and THIS dry-aging process gives a premium flavor and tenderness in every bite - right down to the ground beef. Extra care, attention and inputs mean better products for our family and our customers! HERE is a blog post with more info about how we raise and why our meat tastes so good!
Where are you located?
We are located in Siskiyou County - at the top of the state of California, almost to the Oregon border, where our Cattlewomen boast “top beef, from the top of our state, to the top of your plate.” Brian and Mary are both California natives, the girls are 7th generation to the state! Brian grew up in Imperial County and Tehama County with roots in agriculture and Mary was born and raised in Menlo Park, CA - better known today as “Silicon Valley” where she and Brian met, started their family and worked before deciding to change paths and leave the busy life there for 1800 acres of wide open spaces in Silicon Valley.
Where can I find out more about your story?
We share our daily life on Instagram right here. Mary also wrote an ebook about their decision to move to the ranch, including their story, and how things changed when they did. It’s called “They Can Do It. What I Learned About Parenting by Moving to the Country.” and you can download it to read on any device HERE.
Are you organic?
We are not ‘certified’ organic, but we practice all-natural practices in everything we do. We believe when our customers can have full transparency in our operation, can know and trust us as their source for high-quality, all-natural meats - that means more than a certification sticker on a package and avoids the red tape and extra cost to the consumer associated with certification.
What does “organically-minded” mean?
When you are not certified organic, legally you can not use the word organic.
We are 100% mindful to practice and produce all-natural products. We raise what we believe is the best product to feed our own children and share it with our customers.
Are you GMO-free? Are your animals fed corn or soy?
Yes, all of our livestock feed on the ranch is 100% GMO-free. We do not feed any soy to our cattle, hogs or sheep. We do not feed corn to our cattle or sheep, sometimes of the year our hogs might get feed mixed with corn.
Has your meat been treated with antibiotics?
Never. The meat we sell through Five Marys brand is always 100% antibiotic free from day one. We administer therapeutic antibiotics to animals on the ranch if they are needed for life saving situations or illness, but those animals are “red tagged” and pulled from our meat program. We still find other creative outlets for them after the proper and safe withdrawl period like local families or friends who understand the history of the animal. Animals given antibiotics in their lifetime are perfectly safe to eat after the standard withdrawl period - but we choose to have a clear designation for our customers that all meat sold from Five Marys is 100% free of any lifetime antibiotics.
Is your meat hormone free?
Yes, ALWAYS. Our meat is 100% free of any kind of growth hormones or any added hormones.
Is the meat all from animals from your ranch?
We raise the majority of the animals we harvest for our meat program on our ranch. Our neighbor directly connected and next to our ranch helps to raise some of our pork with us year round. A farm about an hour north in Oregon raised lamb with us to fill the gaps since we only have lamb about half the year (our lamb is usually harvested Nov-April and their lamb May-October.) We calve in the fall each year and raise those steers and some heifers for our meat program, and provide the cattle for the second half of the year by buying weaned calves from our brother-in-law on Oregon or our friends in Northern California who both raise very high quality cattle to the same standards we do.
Shipping FAQ’s
Where do you ship your meats?
We ship our meats, snack sticks, bones and bone broth to all 50 states Monday-Wednesdays every week of the year! Meats are packed on dry ice pellets (will be sublimated by the time you get your box) in custom made insulated liners.
Do you ship meats to Canada? Will you ever?
We do not ship to Canada. Canadian customs is not reliable to keep perishable orders moving through and boxes often get held up in customs for too long to make it feasible to ship frozen product. We do ship all other products besides meats, bones and bone broth to Canada though!
Do you ship non-meat items internationally?
We are not able to ship our meats to addresses outside of the US. We are able to ship other products like sheep pelts, M5 gear, books, prints, hats, etc. If you want to place an international order please email info@fivemarys.com to receive a shipping quote.
Can you ship to Hawaii & Alaska?
We sure can! It's a little more expensive to get it there but we ship overnight to both states.
What is The Return Policy?
We have a strict no returns and no refunds policy since most of our products are perishable and can not easily be shipped back and forth and we can not accept frozen products back for resale. If you need to return a sweatshirt or apparel, we will exchange for a different size if the customer pays shipping to send the original back to us. This does NOT apply for meats - all meats are NO returns or refunds, no exceptions.
ANIMAL FAQ’S
What breeds are your animals?
Black Angus Cattle : Black Angus produce a premium quality beef and we are proud of our herd with great genetics for superior marbling, flavor and consistency.
Berkshire Heritage Pigs: Berkshire pigs produce one of the best meat qualities - an optimal fat and marbling and are a great heritage breed. Some pigs are bred to be extra lean now - and others can be too fatty. Berkshires are a great in between with what our customers frequently tell us is the best pork they’ve ever tasted!
Navajo Churro Lambs: The "Chef's Choice" for a wonderful flavor and consistency every time, Navajo Churro's are a hearty breed that love our mountain climate. We have a blog post about our sheep HERE
What do you feed your pigs? Do you feed the pigs scraps?
We feed our pigs a carefully mixed ration of protein and minerals according to their age or stage of life. Our gestating mothers get one ration, nursing mothers get another, weaned piglets another and grower pigs their own. We avoid scraps for our pigs since it’s hard to control what might be in the scraps or how that food was raised.
Is your beef grass-fed?
Our cattle live on pastures or hill country at Five Marys year round and eat our local and ranch raised pasture grasses and alfalfa. We finish our cattle on a thoughtfully balanced ration of alfalfa, grain hay and steam-flaked barley for the best possible quality in marbling and taste. We believe grass-fed and grass-and-barley finish, with an extended finishing time of at least 180 days is the optimal way to raise our beef for consistent, excellent quality and flavor with all the benefits of a grass-fed lifestyle. We never feed corn, GMOs and all of our meat is 100% free from antibiotics, growth-hormones and ionophores.
Are your lambs grass-fed?
Yes, our Navajo Churro lambs and sheep eat only our pasture grasses and alfalfa.
Do you sell chicken or eggs? Turkeys?
No - we don’t raise poultry and will not in the future. If you are looking for quality raised chicken or turkey to ship to your doorstep like Five Marys, we recommend:
See our M5 DIRECTORY for other farms raising chicken!HARVESTING FAQ’S
Do you harvest humanely?
Yes. We are invested in making sure every stage of the process of raising and harvesting our animals is done thoughtfully and with the utmost care and attention to the well being of the animal. Our harvesting or slaughtering process is done under USDA inspection and we work hard to make sure the animals experience the least amount of stress and are slaughtered in the most humane way. This is obviously important because it’s the right thing to do, but it can also affect the quality of the meat (stress before harvest is not good for quality) so it’s important to everyone involved that animals are harvested humanely every single time.
How are animals are handled during processing?
At Five Marys, we are focused on raising our animals as humanely and ethically as possible their entire lives, this starts at birth and continues every day they graze the grasses and soak up the mountain air and sunshine on the ranch in Siskiyou County. We take the same concern for the harvesting process. We work hard to make sure animals experience the least amount of stress possible and are harvested thoughtfully and humanely, all under USDA supervision and care.
What does dry-aging do?
Beef that is dry-aged has an exceptional flavor and tenderness. It requires extra time, commitment and cost - but it is worth it in the end result of a perfect steak or incredibly delicious ground beef. Pork or lamb can be eaten soon after slaughter, but that is not the case with beef. Beef benefits from aging to promote tenderness and enhance flavor. Soon after slaughter, most beef sold in the US is split into large pieces called primals, vacuum sealed, and boxed up for transport, where it “wet-ages” during transit to grocery stores, meat distributors, and similar locations. When it arrives it is ultimately cut into steaks, roasts, and other familiar cuts for the consumer. Ground beef is often packaged and shipped without the benefit of any aging at all. In contrast, dry-aging beef involves hanging it in just above freezing temperatures in a humidity controlled room with ample air flow, for at least 14 days - we prefer 21-28 days for optimal tenderness and to impart a unique taste and delicate consistency to the meat.
Dry-aging is a craft tradition that used to be the norm, but it is slowly being replaced in favor of expediency and efficiency. However, Brian and I firmly believe that dry-aging creates the best possible beef. We don’t cut any steaks or grind any beef until the entire carcass is well aged, usually for 14 to 28 days after harvest. Purely grass-fed meat doesn’t always benefit from dry aging as it is often too lean without much marbling, but because we finish our cattle on barley which gives a great marbling, dry-aging is an optimal way to create a premium product for our customer.
How do you choose which animals go to harvest for meat? Are they all born on the ranch?
Our breeding mothers never go into our meat program. They stay breeders on the ranch as long as they are able and sometimes longer. Our breeding males (bulls, boards and rams) are also not put into our meat program. Older animals who have bred or birthed young are not as desirable as meat animals for most cuts. The animals born on our ranch every year are our market animals that we harvest for meats. We keep about 20% of these animals most years as breeders to replace older breeders who age out of reproducing. We buy new males for breeding from high quality genetic stock every few years to avoid line breeding and to ensure genetic diversity.
Are all your animals born on the ranch?
We raise most of our animals from start to finish, but sometimes will add animals from other trusted ranches (like our brother-in-law’s all-natural, Oregon ranching operation - or our neighbors next to the ranch raise some of our pork on their pastures) as we expand and grow our herd. Most are born here and live out their lives on the ranch.
What is the fat ratio in your ground beef?
Every animal is slightly different, but we aim for between 85/15 and 80/20 for our ground beef. We love the flavor of good, clean fat in our ground and we think you will too!
Visting FAQ’s
Can we visit the ranch for a tour?
We open the ranch occasionally for special events like Farm Dinners and weekend retreats for customers and friends to allow them to experience ranch life and get closer to where their food comes from. We announce these events in our Friends & Family email newsletter when they are released. Other than those times, we run a “lean” operation and besides our family of 6 - have just 1-2 extra ranch hands on some days - so we are very busy taking great care of our animals and getting our excellent meats to our customers!
Brian, Mary and the girls are busy taking care of the animals, the ranch and finding time together as a family so they are not able to accommodate any sort of ranch tours or visits! But you are welcome to drive by the ranch on the public highway (Eastside Rd) and take it all in from the road (please don't stop to block traffic, try to see animals or disrupt daily operations) The Heffs stop by the Burgerhouse often and love to say hello and meet visitors from all over though!
But while we can not give ranch tours - we love to have guests from far and wide come to visit Fort Jones to experience all that there is to offer in the area and the Five Marys brand at our restaurant or Ranch Store!
Can we shop at the Ranch Store?
YES! You can shop all of our meats and M5 gear and dry goods at Five Marys Ranch Store (normal business hours) or in the front of the restaurant, Five Marys Burgerhouse, just two doors down (restaurant hours :)
If you’d like to order locally, choose Fort Jones Pickup and email us to let us know when you will be by to pick up at the Ranch Store or the Burgerhouse, we’ll get it ready for you!
Where can we stay?
There are a variety of AirBnb's in Fort Jones to accommodate smaller groups or 1-night stays. The Etna Motel is another great option just 9 miles down the road in the town of Etna. "Camp Five Marys" experience and tents are not available for stays, but make sure you are on our mailing list to find out about any upcoming Farm Dinners or Camp Retreats!
There is also a great RV Park in Etna called The Mountain Village or one in Yreka called Yreka RV Park.
We do not rent out our camp area, the bunkhouse, or any other facilities on the ranch and do not allow visitors on the ranch at any time.
What is there to do?
The Fort Jones Museum is a gem of a spot with great local history and lots of opportunities to learn more about Northern California. It is located on the same block as Five Marys Burgerhouse and Farm Store.
Mountain Healing Spa is a great spot for some relaxation with soaking tubs and massages available in the town of Etna.
Callahan's Mountain Lodge just north in Ashland, Oregon is a hidden gem of a resort to stay in summer or cozy up in winter with live music every night.
There are also lots of great attractions nearby like Crater Lake, the town of Ashland Oregon, summer camps, hikes and more.
Where can we eat?
Five Marys Burgerhouse is open Monday-Saturday 11am-8/9pm right downtown Fort Jones and offers our dry-aged beef, pork and lamb in a delicious lunch and dinner menu served 6 days a week. Our Bourbon Bacon Burger or Cowboy Blues Burgers are customer favorites, and make sure to have an M5 Sidecar or pick up a bottle of Five Marys Whiskey or Bourbon!
How do I travel there?
The closest airport is Medford Oregon (MFR) which is serviced by Alaksa and United airlines. It's easy to rent a car from there and drive 1.5 hours south to Fort Jones. Sacramento Airport, serviced by most airlines as well as Southwest, is 4 hours south.
There is also a private small private airport just 2 miles from Fort Jones called Scott Valley Airfield A30 - if you fly in for lunch or dinner let us know and we can arrange a pick up!
We hope you'll enjoy a visit to Fort Jones to enjoy all it has to offer and experience Five Marys through the Burgerhouse and Farm Store!
HOW TO RECYCLE / REUSE YOUR BOX!
We so appreciate being able to reuse our custom insulated liners again and again! Your box and liner can be used as a travel cooler or recycled at your local recycling center - or return it back to us to use again.
OPTION 1 : The Post Office (USPS)
You can send a box back through the post office using the “Media Mail Rate” (It will take 8-10 days via snail mail but that is okay with us!) Simply place a used book inside (It has to be a book not a magazine - we will donate this to our local community), remove any notes and dry ice bag from inside the box, cover up the dry ice and perishable stickers and take to your local post office to mail back to us for $4-$6. You can also send Priority Mail or “Retail Ground”.
send to : Five Marys 6732 Eastside Rd Fort Jones CA 96032.
Once you’ve sent 10 boxes back via USPS at your cost, we would love to reward you with $100 in credit on your next order! Just email us after 10 returns for your code info@fivemarys.com
OPTION 2: UPS
We can provide a UPS return label to leave the box(es) on your porch for pick up or you can take them to a UPS shipping center. The UPS label costs us a little more than the price of the liner, so we require that you save 2-4 of the boxes of the same size to stack and tape together as one box (since they are so light empty) before you ship them back. The liners are the most valuable part of the box, so you can also pack one liner inside a second box/liner and recycle the first cardboard box. Email info@fivemarys.com to print a return UPS label!
These ship to our Farm Store at 11903 Main Street Fort Jones, CA 96032. Since we cover the shipping cost on this option, it is the only one that doesn’t qualify for a shopping credit, thanks for understanding!
OPTION 3 : DROP OFF!
If you live in the SF Bay Area you can drop off boxes at Mary’s parents house at 931 Menlo Oaks Drive in Menlo Park, CA. They are right near the Bay Rd exit off Highway 101 and you can leave boxes on the front porch or behind the house (down the cul-de-sac) by the back gate or garage doors.
OR if you are traveling by Five Marys Burgerhouse on Main Street in Fort Jones, CA - you can always stop in for a meal and drop your boxes off there!
If you’ve dropped off 10 boxes at either location, we would love to reward you with $100 in credit on your next order! Just email us after 10 returns for your code info@fivemarys.com
OPTION 4 : SHARE WITH OTHER BEEF SHIPPERS!
Coming Soon - we hope to have drop-spots all over the US at other farms/ranches and storefronts where you can drop boxes locally for other ranchers in the M5 Entrepreneurs group to re-use! We will have a reward system set up (ie $5 off coupon for that farm) since they’ll get to use the box again for their shipments. Stay tuned!
Our Family - The Heffernans
Mary and Brian Heffernan always dreamed of moving to the country to ranch and raise “free-range kids” in the dirt and sunshine. They both have deep agriculture roots and a passion for small town, small business and family-centered food. So when the opportunity to purchase the historic Sharps Gulch Ranch came along in 2013, Mary and Brian knew they'd found their land. With eyes on a new adventure and California soil in their souls, they took their four spunky girls to Siskiyou county.
We are Five Marys Farms - after Mary and our four daughters all named Mary after grandmothers and aunts on both sides of the family. MaryFrances or "Francie" is 12, MaryMarjorie or "Maisie" is 11, MaryJane or "JJ" is 9 and MaryTeresa or "Tessa" is 7.
Those are the FIVE MARYS proud to be working the ranch everyday keeping up with the leader of our pack, Heff.
Before we moved to the ranch we had small businesses and restaurants and we spent a lot of our time sourcing really good quality ingredients for our menu.
In the quest for super high quality meats, raised ethically but with great flavor, we did a ton of research with our chefs to know exactly what we wanted for our customers.
+ We wanted superior quality beef with a great story behind it.
+ We wanted a grass-fed lifestyle with a barley finish and an extended dry-age.
+ We wanted to know the animals were raised right and harvested humanely.
We searched high and low in small farms and couldn’t find anyone who could do this on a large enough scale to supply what we needed.
So we decided to do it ourselves.
We originally thought we'd just go up on the weekends and hire a ranch manager commuting back to our businesses in the city during the week, but we quickly realized we couldn't do both of these things well.
It didn't take us long do decide to totally change paths and jump into ranching full time. This meant selling our businesses and leaving our beautiful home we’d worked so hard for, Brian leaving his busy law practice and moving away from a land of opportunity and the only livelihood we knew.
We knew we had to find a new model and create a business from scratch to sustain our livelihood, so we started from square one.
When we started selling the meat we'd worked hard to raise, we would personally deliver to customers and then we started “farm stands” (our own version of farmers markets). They were a great way to kick start our sales and grow our business early, but we knew that wasn’t sustainable for us because we wanted to be on the ranch, not traveling all of the time to sell our meat.
The answer seemed to lie in shipping our meats directly to customers - and finding customers who appreciate high-quality, well-raised meats.
Shipping meat is no easy task, it took well over a year to navigate - but with lots of trial and error and learning from many mistakes - we have a tried-and-true system to sell, pack and ship meat directly to customers all over the US.
We use social media to share our story and sell our product and in four years we've grown to reach over 8,000 customers all over the country and we ship over 10,000 pounds of meat every month right from our ranch in rural California.
Using Social Media to Grow Our Brand...
Thanks to sharing our story on social media, we have received national attention over the past few years - with features in Oprah Magazine, Parents Magazine, Enjoy, Eating Well, Flea Market Style, GEV magazine and Real Simple.
We were also named "Best Farm" in America by Paleo Magazine in 2018!
All of this is because social media allows us to share our day-to-day life. To share our story and help tell the story of agriculture in today's world.
Follow along with us on Instagram as we share our day-to-day lives on the ranch!
Mary and Brian believe that good things take time, from restoring old ranch homes to raising cattle.
There simply are no short cuts.
We commit to consistently provide the finest quality meats only from animals we raise as a family on our ranch directly and hassle-free to your family's doorstep anywhere in the US.
After years in the restaurant business we had a lot of trials cooking with different meats from small farms to bigger names. We appreciate that consistency matters and that extra effort, like well packaged products and a 21 to 28-day dry aging and old world butchery practices (one animal at a time), is required for the most amazing flavor and tenderness. Above all, constant and unwavering care is required every single day of an animal's life to achieve a premium cut of meat. We go that extra mile.
Order our beef, lamb or pork by the individual cut, try one of our sampler assortments or get a customized box regularly with our Farm Club membership. Our ordering process is easy and your product will ship and arrive quickly and without hassle. No minimums or subscriptions are required and we ship anywhere in the country.
We are now the primary meat source for hundreds of families throughout the country and they will tell you our products are consistently fantastic and delivery is quick, easy and predictable.
We hope you will taste and appreciate the difference as well - you won't be disappointed!
Oh, and to answer your first question about us - yes, there really are five Marys. Five Marys Farms is named for the five girls in our family, all named Mary! Our four girls (ages 6-11) are all named after grandmothers and aunts on both sides carrying on a long standing family tradition of strong women named Mary.
We hope you’ll SHOP Five Marys meats or join us for a Five Marys experience!
OUR OPERATION
Our livestock spend their days on our Siskiyou county ranch, roaming freely and munching wild, Californian grasses. The ranching methods and beliefs we use, from grazing rotations to slaughter, preserve and protect the land we live on and respect the animals we raise from birth until their "one bad day" sacrificing for the food on our plates.
As far as certifications go, we believe in actions, not labels. Our products reflect our beliefs in respecting our animals, raising them with the utmost care and comfort and in feeding our customers only what we feed our family - the highest quality meats raised as naturally and humanely as possible.
We are raising Black Angus cattle, Navajo-Churro sheep, Berkshire hogs and a wide variety of laying hens.
Everyday is an adventure here on the ranch!
WHY FIVE MARYS?
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We believe in selling only the finest meat and the finest meat comes from animals and land that are well cared for.
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There are no shortcuts.
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We are a small family ranch and together as a family we vigilantly care for each of our animals.
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Our Black Angus cattle, Navajo Churro lambs and Berkshire heritage pigs spend their lives on our green pastures and hills rich in minerals and with plenty of sunshine and fresh Northern California mountain air.
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You can experience the difference in the taste of our beef, lamb and pork.
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Our meat is never treated with antibiotics or hormones.
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We are organically minded and GMO free.
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Our beef is finished on pasture grass and steam-flaked GMO-free barley.
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Our animals are processed at a first class USDA process, cut and wrap facility and each cut has complete traceability to our animals.
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Our ground beef and steaks are all dry aged for 14-28 days for tenderness and flavor you won't find many places other than the premier steakhouses.
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We strive to bring the finest meat to your table, as well as the real story behind it, so you know just where your food comes from.
OUR LAND
the history of our agricultural background & sharps gulch ranch
The land we live on is rich in family farming history and we are proud to continue that legacy through hard work, storytelling and the restoration of the ranch’s two homes, a large victorian and a 19th century creamery-turned house. We both come from a long lines of agriculture families, so we are grateful and excited to see these California roots grow into a story of our own.
- Mary and Brian Heffernan
We are very proud to be back in agriculture, just as our ancestors were, on our own family farm to continue our Californian history on Siskiyou County soil. Our daughters are 7th generation Californians who we hope to raise with a love and respect of the land where we live.
OUR MISSION
We are the Heffernan Family and are proud to be stewards of the land at Sharps Gulch Ranch. With farming in our blood from generations past, we are raising livestock and our children as natural as we can in the California sunshine.
We like doing things the hard way.
We believe in muddy boots, calloused hands and nurturing our land and livestock through dedication and hard work.
We believe that healthy animals live in big spaces with lots of sunshine, and don’t need extra hormones, chemicals or antibiotics.
We believe that food should tell a story, and are thrilled to share ours with you.
Tallow Sun Shield with Zinc
Regular price $38.00 Sale price $36.00Five Marys Tallow Sun Shield
Protect and nourish your skin with our Five Marys Tallow Sun Shield—a simple, mineral-based balm crafted with wholesome ingredients you can feel good about using every day. Designed to create a protective barrier on the skin, this rich formula combines skin-loving moisture with natural sun defense.
Made with deeply nourishing beef tallow, protective candelilla wax, non-nano zinc oxide, and a touch of calming lavender, this balm glides on smoothly while helping shield skin during time spent outdoors. Perfect for sunny ranch days, beach trips, hikes, gardening, and everyday adventures under the sun.
The convenient balm format makes application easy and mess-free—just swipe onto exposed skin and rub in as needed.
Why You’ll Love It:
- Mineral-based sun protection with zinc oxide
- Nourishing, moisturizing tallow base
- Smooth balm application
- Light lavender scent
- Great for outdoor adventures and everyday use
Comes in a 4 oz tin
Ingredients: Beef Tallow, Candelilla Wax, Zinc Oxide, Lavender
Five Marys FAQs
Why is the name “Five Marys”?
Five Marys Farms was named by Brian, for his Five Marys. His wife, Mary and their four daughters - MaryFrances or "Francie" is 16, MaryMarjorie or "Maisie" is 14, MaryJane or "JJ" is 13 and MaryTeresa or "Tessa" is 11. They are all named Mary after strong and memorable grandmothers and aunts on both sides of the family and each carries the middle name of that grandmother or great aunt.
Five Marys is truly a family operation honoring the roots in California agriculture on both sides of the family, the younger Marys are 7th generation Californians with ancestors dating back to 1851 at the time of the Gold Rush. Brian’s father Tom was an active farmer and advocate for California agriculture and the Heffernans are proud to be carrying on a family legacy in the industry - and paving their own way too.
Why does your meat taste so good?
We work hard to raise a quality product from start to finish. That begins with great genetics in our animals for things like rib-eye size and marbling. We make sure to feed our animals a high quality feed for their entire life. We finish our beef with alfalfa and steam-flaked barley for an extended finish time of 180 days on finish feed. We also dry-age the whole carcass 14-28 days which is longer than the industry standard or the more common “wet age” and THIS dry-aging process gives a premium flavor and tenderness in every bite - right down to the ground beef. Extra care, attention and inputs mean better products for our family and our customers! HERE is a blog post with more info about how we raise and why our meat tastes so good!
Where are you located?
We are located in Siskiyou County - at the top of the state of California, almost to the Oregon border, where our Cattlewomen boast “top beef, from the top of our state, to the top of your plate.” Brian and Mary are both California natives, the girls are 7th generation to the state! Brian grew up in Imperial County and Tehama County with roots in agriculture and Mary was born and raised in Menlo Park, CA - better known today as “Silicon Valley” where she and Brian met, started their family and worked before deciding to change paths and leave the busy life there for 1800 acres of wide open spaces in Silicon Valley.
Where can I find out more about your story?
We share our daily life on Instagram right here. Mary also wrote an ebook about their decision to move to the ranch, including their story, and how things changed when they did. It’s called “They Can Do It. What I Learned About Parenting by Moving to the Country.” and you can download it to read on any device HERE.
Are you organic?
We are not ‘certified’ organic, but we practice all-natural practices in everything we do. We believe when our customers can have full transparency in our operation, can know and trust us as their source for high-quality, all-natural meats - that means more than a certification sticker on a package and avoids the red tape and extra cost to the consumer associated with certification.
What does “organically-minded” mean?
When you are not certified organic, legally you can not use the word organic.
We are 100% mindful to practice and produce all-natural products. We raise what we believe is the best product to feed our own children and share it with our customers.
Are you GMO-free? Are your animals fed corn or soy?
Yes, all of our livestock feed on the ranch is 100% GMO-free. We do not feed any soy to our cattle, hogs or sheep. We do not feed corn to our cattle or sheep, sometimes of the year our hogs might get feed mixed with corn.
Has your meat been treated with antibiotics?
Never. The meat we sell through Five Marys brand is always 100% antibiotic free from day one. We administer therapeutic antibiotics to animals on the ranch if they are needed for life saving situations or illness, but those animals are “red tagged” and pulled from our meat program. We still find other creative outlets for them after the proper and safe withdrawl period like local families or friends who understand the history of the animal. Animals given antibiotics in their lifetime are perfectly safe to eat after the standard withdrawl period - but we choose to have a clear designation for our customers that all meat sold from Five Marys is 100% free of any lifetime antibiotics.
Is your meat hormone free?
Yes, ALWAYS. Our meat is 100% free of any kind of growth hormones or any added hormones.
Is the meat all from animals from your ranch?
We raise the majority of the animals we harvest for our meat program on our ranch. Our neighbor directly connected and next to our ranch helps to raise some of our pork with us year round. A farm about an hour north in Oregon raised lamb with us to fill the gaps since we only have lamb about half the year (our lamb is usually harvested Nov-April and their lamb May-October.) We calve in the fall each year and raise those steers and some heifers for our meat program, and provide the cattle for the second half of the year by buying weaned calves from our brother-in-law on Oregon or our friends in Northern California who both raise very high quality cattle to the same standards we do.
Shipping FAQ’s
Where do you ship your meats?
We ship our meats, snack sticks, bones and bone broth to all 50 states Monday-Wednesdays every week of the year! Meats are packed on dry ice pellets (will be sublimated by the time you get your box) in custom made insulated liners.
Do you ship meats to Canada? Will you ever?
We do not ship to Canada. Canadian customs is not reliable to keep perishable orders moving through and boxes often get held up in customs for too long to make it feasible to ship frozen product. We do ship all other products besides meats, bones and bone broth to Canada though!
Do you ship non-meat items internationally?
We are not able to ship our meats to addresses outside of the US. We are able to ship other products like sheep pelts, M5 gear, books, prints, hats, etc. If you want to place an international order please email info@fivemarys.com to receive a shipping quote.
Can you ship to Hawaii & Alaska?
We sure can! It's a little more expensive to get it there but we ship overnight to both states.
What is The Return Policy?
We have a strict no returns and no refunds policy since most of our products are perishable and can not easily be shipped back and forth and we can not accept frozen products back for resale. If you need to return a sweatshirt or apparel, we will exchange for a different size if the customer pays shipping to send the original back to us. This does NOT apply for meats - all meats are NO returns or refunds, no exceptions.
ANIMAL FAQ’S
What breeds are your animals?
Black Angus Cattle : Black Angus produce a premium quality beef and we are proud of our herd with great genetics for superior marbling, flavor and consistency.
Berkshire Heritage Pigs: Berkshire pigs produce one of the best meat qualities - an optimal fat and marbling and are a great heritage breed. Some pigs are bred to be extra lean now - and others can be too fatty. Berkshires are a great in between with what our customers frequently tell us is the best pork they’ve ever tasted!
Navajo Churro Lambs: The "Chef's Choice" for a wonderful flavor and consistency every time, Navajo Churro's are a hearty breed that love our mountain climate. We have a blog post about our sheep HERE
What do you feed your pigs? Do you feed the pigs scraps?
We feed our pigs a carefully mixed ration of protein and minerals according to their age or stage of life. Our gestating mothers get one ration, nursing mothers get another, weaned piglets another and grower pigs their own. We avoid scraps for our pigs since it’s hard to control what might be in the scraps or how that food was raised.
Is your beef grass-fed?
Our cattle live on pastures or hill country at Five Marys year round and eat our local and ranch raised pasture grasses and alfalfa. We finish our cattle on a thoughtfully balanced ration of alfalfa, grain hay and steam-flaked barley for the best possible quality in marbling and taste. We believe grass-fed and grass-and-barley finish, with an extended finishing time of at least 180 days is the optimal way to raise our beef for consistent, excellent quality and flavor with all the benefits of a grass-fed lifestyle. We never feed corn, GMOs and all of our meat is 100% free from antibiotics, growth-hormones and ionophores.
Are your lambs grass-fed?
Yes, our Navajo Churro lambs and sheep eat only our pasture grasses and alfalfa.
Do you sell chicken or eggs? Turkeys?
No - we don’t raise poultry and will not in the future. If you are looking for quality raised chicken or turkey to ship to your doorstep like Five Marys, we recommend:
See our M5 DIRECTORY for other farms raising chicken!HARVESTING FAQ’S
Do you harvest humanely?
Yes. We are invested in making sure every stage of the process of raising and harvesting our animals is done thoughtfully and with the utmost care and attention to the well being of the animal. Our harvesting or slaughtering process is done under USDA inspection and we work hard to make sure the animals experience the least amount of stress and are slaughtered in the most humane way. This is obviously important because it’s the right thing to do, but it can also affect the quality of the meat (stress before harvest is not good for quality) so it’s important to everyone involved that animals are harvested humanely every single time.
How are animals are handled during processing?
At Five Marys, we are focused on raising our animals as humanely and ethically as possible their entire lives, this starts at birth and continues every day they graze the grasses and soak up the mountain air and sunshine on the ranch in Siskiyou County. We take the same concern for the harvesting process. We work hard to make sure animals experience the least amount of stress possible and are harvested thoughtfully and humanely, all under USDA supervision and care.
What does dry-aging do?
Beef that is dry-aged has an exceptional flavor and tenderness. It requires extra time, commitment and cost - but it is worth it in the end result of a perfect steak or incredibly delicious ground beef. Pork or lamb can be eaten soon after slaughter, but that is not the case with beef. Beef benefits from aging to promote tenderness and enhance flavor. Soon after slaughter, most beef sold in the US is split into large pieces called primals, vacuum sealed, and boxed up for transport, where it “wet-ages” during transit to grocery stores, meat distributors, and similar locations. When it arrives it is ultimately cut into steaks, roasts, and other familiar cuts for the consumer. Ground beef is often packaged and shipped without the benefit of any aging at all. In contrast, dry-aging beef involves hanging it in just above freezing temperatures in a humidity controlled room with ample air flow, for at least 14 days - we prefer 21-28 days for optimal tenderness and to impart a unique taste and delicate consistency to the meat.
Dry-aging is a craft tradition that used to be the norm, but it is slowly being replaced in favor of expediency and efficiency. However, Brian and I firmly believe that dry-aging creates the best possible beef. We don’t cut any steaks or grind any beef until the entire carcass is well aged, usually for 14 to 28 days after harvest. Purely grass-fed meat doesn’t always benefit from dry aging as it is often too lean without much marbling, but because we finish our cattle on barley which gives a great marbling, dry-aging is an optimal way to create a premium product for our customer.
How do you choose which animals go to harvest for meat? Are they all born on the ranch?
Our breeding mothers never go into our meat program. They stay breeders on the ranch as long as they are able and sometimes longer. Our breeding males (bulls, boards and rams) are also not put into our meat program. Older animals who have bred or birthed young are not as desirable as meat animals for most cuts. The animals born on our ranch every year are our market animals that we harvest for meats. We keep about 20% of these animals most years as breeders to replace older breeders who age out of reproducing. We buy new males for breeding from high quality genetic stock every few years to avoid line breeding and to ensure genetic diversity.
Are all your animals born on the ranch?
We raise most of our animals from start to finish, but sometimes will add animals from other trusted ranches (like our brother-in-law’s all-natural, Oregon ranching operation - or our neighbors next to the ranch raise some of our pork on their pastures) as we expand and grow our herd. Most are born here and live out their lives on the ranch.
What is the fat ratio in your ground beef?
Every animal is slightly different, but we aim for between 85/15 and 80/20 for our ground beef. We love the flavor of good, clean fat in our ground and we think you will too!
Visting FAQ’s
Can we visit the ranch for a tour?
We open the ranch occasionally for special events like Farm Dinners and weekend retreats for customers and friends to allow them to experience ranch life and get closer to where their food comes from. We announce these events in our Friends & Family email newsletter when they are released. Other than those times, we run a “lean” operation and besides our family of 6 - have just 1-2 extra ranch hands on some days - so we are very busy taking great care of our animals and getting our excellent meats to our customers!
Brian, Mary and the girls are busy taking care of the animals, the ranch and finding time together as a family so they are not able to accommodate any sort of ranch tours or visits! But you are welcome to drive by the ranch on the public highway (Eastside Rd) and take it all in from the road (please don't stop to block traffic, try to see animals or disrupt daily operations) The Heffs stop by the Burgerhouse often and love to say hello and meet visitors from all over though!
But while we can not give ranch tours - we love to have guests from far and wide come to visit Fort Jones to experience all that there is to offer in the area and the Five Marys brand at our restaurant or Ranch Store!
Can we shop at the Ranch Store?
YES! You can shop all of our meats and M5 gear and dry goods at Five Marys Ranch Store (normal business hours) or in the front of the restaurant, Five Marys Burgerhouse, just two doors down (restaurant hours :)
If you’d like to order locally, choose Fort Jones Pickup and email us to let us know when you will be by to pick up at the Ranch Store or the Burgerhouse, we’ll get it ready for you!
Where can we stay?
There are a variety of AirBnb's in Fort Jones to accommodate smaller groups or 1-night stays. The Etna Motel is another great option just 9 miles down the road in the town of Etna. "Camp Five Marys" experience and tents are not available for stays, but make sure you are on our mailing list to find out about any upcoming Farm Dinners or Camp Retreats!
There is also a great RV Park in Etna called The Mountain Village or one in Yreka called Yreka RV Park.
We do not rent out our camp area, the bunkhouse, or any other facilities on the ranch and do not allow visitors on the ranch at any time.
What is there to do?
The Fort Jones Museum is a gem of a spot with great local history and lots of opportunities to learn more about Northern California. It is located on the same block as Five Marys Burgerhouse and Farm Store.
Mountain Healing Spa is a great spot for some relaxation with soaking tubs and massages available in the town of Etna.
Callahan's Mountain Lodge just north in Ashland, Oregon is a hidden gem of a resort to stay in summer or cozy up in winter with live music every night.
There are also lots of great attractions nearby like Crater Lake, the town of Ashland Oregon, summer camps, hikes and more.
Where can we eat?
Five Marys Burgerhouse is open Monday-Saturday 11am-8/9pm right downtown Fort Jones and offers our dry-aged beef, pork and lamb in a delicious lunch and dinner menu served 6 days a week. Our Bourbon Bacon Burger or Cowboy Blues Burgers are customer favorites, and make sure to have an M5 Sidecar or pick up a bottle of Five Marys Whiskey or Bourbon!
How do I travel there?
The closest airport is Medford Oregon (MFR) which is serviced by Alaksa and United airlines. It's easy to rent a car from there and drive 1.5 hours south to Fort Jones. Sacramento Airport, serviced by most airlines as well as Southwest, is 4 hours south.
There is also a private small private airport just 2 miles from Fort Jones called Scott Valley Airfield A30 - if you fly in for lunch or dinner let us know and we can arrange a pick up!
We hope you'll enjoy a visit to Fort Jones to enjoy all it has to offer and experience Five Marys through the Burgerhouse and Farm Store!
HOW TO RECYCLE / REUSE YOUR BOX!
We so appreciate being able to reuse our custom insulated liners again and again! Your box and liner can be used as a travel cooler or recycled at your local recycling center - or return it back to us to use again.
OPTION 1 : The Post Office (USPS)
You can send a box back through the post office using the “Media Mail Rate” (It will take 8-10 days via snail mail but that is okay with us!) Simply place a used book inside (It has to be a book not a magazine - we will donate this to our local community), remove any notes and dry ice bag from inside the box, cover up the dry ice and perishable stickers and take to your local post office to mail back to us for $4-$6. You can also send Priority Mail or “Retail Ground”.
send to : Five Marys 6732 Eastside Rd Fort Jones CA 96032.
Once you’ve sent 10 boxes back via USPS at your cost, we would love to reward you with $100 in credit on your next order! Just email us after 10 returns for your code info@fivemarys.com
OPTION 2: UPS
We can provide a UPS return label to leave the box(es) on your porch for pick up or you can take them to a UPS shipping center. The UPS label costs us a little more than the price of the liner, so we require that you save 2-4 of the boxes of the same size to stack and tape together as one box (since they are so light empty) before you ship them back. The liners are the most valuable part of the box, so you can also pack one liner inside a second box/liner and recycle the first cardboard box. Email info@fivemarys.com to print a return UPS label!
These ship to our Farm Store at 11903 Main Street Fort Jones, CA 96032. Since we cover the shipping cost on this option, it is the only one that doesn’t qualify for a shopping credit, thanks for understanding!
OPTION 3 : DROP OFF!
If you live in the SF Bay Area you can drop off boxes at Mary’s parents house at 931 Menlo Oaks Drive in Menlo Park, CA. They are right near the Bay Rd exit off Highway 101 and you can leave boxes on the front porch or behind the house (down the cul-de-sac) by the back gate or garage doors.
OR if you are traveling by Five Marys Burgerhouse on Main Street in Fort Jones, CA - you can always stop in for a meal and drop your boxes off there!
If you’ve dropped off 10 boxes at either location, we would love to reward you with $100 in credit on your next order! Just email us after 10 returns for your code info@fivemarys.com
OPTION 4 : SHARE WITH OTHER BEEF SHIPPERS!
Coming Soon - we hope to have drop-spots all over the US at other farms/ranches and storefronts where you can drop boxes locally for other ranchers in the M5 Entrepreneurs group to re-use! We will have a reward system set up (ie $5 off coupon for that farm) since they’ll get to use the box again for their shipments. Stay tuned!
Our Family - The Heffernans
Mary and Brian Heffernan always dreamed of moving to the country to ranch and raise “free-range kids” in the dirt and sunshine. They both have deep agriculture roots and a passion for small town, small business and family-centered food. So when the opportunity to purchase the historic Sharps Gulch Ranch came along in 2013, Mary and Brian knew they'd found their land. With eyes on a new adventure and California soil in their souls, they took their four spunky girls to Siskiyou county.
We are Five Marys Farms - after Mary and our four daughters all named Mary after grandmothers and aunts on both sides of the family. MaryFrances or "Francie" is 12, MaryMarjorie or "Maisie" is 11, MaryJane or "JJ" is 9 and MaryTeresa or "Tessa" is 7.
Those are the FIVE MARYS proud to be working the ranch everyday keeping up with the leader of our pack, Heff.
Before we moved to the ranch we had small businesses and restaurants and we spent a lot of our time sourcing really good quality ingredients for our menu.
In the quest for super high quality meats, raised ethically but with great flavor, we did a ton of research with our chefs to know exactly what we wanted for our customers.
+ We wanted superior quality beef with a great story behind it.
+ We wanted a grass-fed lifestyle with a barley finish and an extended dry-age.
+ We wanted to know the animals were raised right and harvested humanely.
We searched high and low in small farms and couldn’t find anyone who could do this on a large enough scale to supply what we needed.
So we decided to do it ourselves.
We originally thought we'd just go up on the weekends and hire a ranch manager commuting back to our businesses in the city during the week, but we quickly realized we couldn't do both of these things well.
It didn't take us long do decide to totally change paths and jump into ranching full time. This meant selling our businesses and leaving our beautiful home we’d worked so hard for, Brian leaving his busy law practice and moving away from a land of opportunity and the only livelihood we knew.
We knew we had to find a new model and create a business from scratch to sustain our livelihood, so we started from square one.
When we started selling the meat we'd worked hard to raise, we would personally deliver to customers and then we started “farm stands” (our own version of farmers markets). They were a great way to kick start our sales and grow our business early, but we knew that wasn’t sustainable for us because we wanted to be on the ranch, not traveling all of the time to sell our meat.
The answer seemed to lie in shipping our meats directly to customers - and finding customers who appreciate high-quality, well-raised meats.
Shipping meat is no easy task, it took well over a year to navigate - but with lots of trial and error and learning from many mistakes - we have a tried-and-true system to sell, pack and ship meat directly to customers all over the US.
We use social media to share our story and sell our product and in four years we've grown to reach over 8,000 customers all over the country and we ship over 10,000 pounds of meat every month right from our ranch in rural California.
Using Social Media to Grow Our Brand...
Thanks to sharing our story on social media, we have received national attention over the past few years - with features in Oprah Magazine, Parents Magazine, Enjoy, Eating Well, Flea Market Style, GEV magazine and Real Simple.
We were also named "Best Farm" in America by Paleo Magazine in 2018!
All of this is because social media allows us to share our day-to-day life. To share our story and help tell the story of agriculture in today's world.
Follow along with us on Instagram as we share our day-to-day lives on the ranch!
Mary and Brian believe that good things take time, from restoring old ranch homes to raising cattle.
There simply are no short cuts.
We commit to consistently provide the finest quality meats only from animals we raise as a family on our ranch directly and hassle-free to your family's doorstep anywhere in the US.
After years in the restaurant business we had a lot of trials cooking with different meats from small farms to bigger names. We appreciate that consistency matters and that extra effort, like well packaged products and a 21 to 28-day dry aging and old world butchery practices (one animal at a time), is required for the most amazing flavor and tenderness. Above all, constant and unwavering care is required every single day of an animal's life to achieve a premium cut of meat. We go that extra mile.
Order our beef, lamb or pork by the individual cut, try one of our sampler assortments or get a customized box regularly with our Farm Club membership. Our ordering process is easy and your product will ship and arrive quickly and without hassle. No minimums or subscriptions are required and we ship anywhere in the country.
We are now the primary meat source for hundreds of families throughout the country and they will tell you our products are consistently fantastic and delivery is quick, easy and predictable.
We hope you will taste and appreciate the difference as well - you won't be disappointed!
Oh, and to answer your first question about us - yes, there really are five Marys. Five Marys Farms is named for the five girls in our family, all named Mary! Our four girls (ages 6-11) are all named after grandmothers and aunts on both sides carrying on a long standing family tradition of strong women named Mary.
We hope you’ll SHOP Five Marys meats or join us for a Five Marys experience!
OUR OPERATION
Our livestock spend their days on our Siskiyou county ranch, roaming freely and munching wild, Californian grasses. The ranching methods and beliefs we use, from grazing rotations to slaughter, preserve and protect the land we live on and respect the animals we raise from birth until their "one bad day" sacrificing for the food on our plates.
As far as certifications go, we believe in actions, not labels. Our products reflect our beliefs in respecting our animals, raising them with the utmost care and comfort and in feeding our customers only what we feed our family - the highest quality meats raised as naturally and humanely as possible.
We are raising Black Angus cattle, Navajo-Churro sheep, Berkshire hogs and a wide variety of laying hens.
Everyday is an adventure here on the ranch!
WHY FIVE MARYS?
-
We believe in selling only the finest meat and the finest meat comes from animals and land that are well cared for.
-
There are no shortcuts.
-
We are a small family ranch and together as a family we vigilantly care for each of our animals.
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Our Black Angus cattle, Navajo Churro lambs and Berkshire heritage pigs spend their lives on our green pastures and hills rich in minerals and with plenty of sunshine and fresh Northern California mountain air.
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You can experience the difference in the taste of our beef, lamb and pork.
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Our meat is never treated with antibiotics or hormones.
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We are organically minded and GMO free.
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Our beef is finished on pasture grass and steam-flaked GMO-free barley.
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Our animals are processed at a first class USDA process, cut and wrap facility and each cut has complete traceability to our animals.
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Our ground beef and steaks are all dry aged for 14-28 days for tenderness and flavor you won't find many places other than the premier steakhouses.
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We strive to bring the finest meat to your table, as well as the real story behind it, so you know just where your food comes from.
OUR LAND
the history of our agricultural background & sharps gulch ranch
The land we live on is rich in family farming history and we are proud to continue that legacy through hard work, storytelling and the restoration of the ranch’s two homes, a large victorian and a 19th century creamery-turned house. We both come from a long lines of agriculture families, so we are grateful and excited to see these California roots grow into a story of our own.
- Mary and Brian Heffernan
We are very proud to be back in agriculture, just as our ancestors were, on our own family farm to continue our Californian history on Siskiyou County soil. Our daughters are 7th generation Californians who we hope to raise with a love and respect of the land where we live.
OUR MISSION
We are the Heffernan Family and are proud to be stewards of the land at Sharps Gulch Ranch. With farming in our blood from generations past, we are raising livestock and our children as natural as we can in the California sunshine.
We like doing things the hard way.
We believe in muddy boots, calloused hands and nurturing our land and livestock through dedication and hard work.
We believe that healthy animals live in big spaces with lots of sunshine, and don’t need extra hormones, chemicals or antibiotics.
We believe that food should tell a story, and are thrilled to share ours with you.
Five Mary's Tallow Soap
Regular price $12.00A nourishing bar made with beef tallow, infused with frankincense, and blended with dried lavender. Gentle on skin, it provides a rich lather and light, natural scent while leaving skin clean and moisturized.
Ingredients: Five Marys Beef Tallow, Almond Oil, Argan Oil, Castor Oil, Lye, Water, Infused with Frankincense Resin & Dried Lavender
Five Marys FAQs
Why is the name “Five Marys”?
Five Marys Farms was named by Brian, for his Five Marys. His wife, Mary and their four daughters - MaryFrances or "Francie" is 16, MaryMarjorie or "Maisie" is 14, MaryJane or "JJ" is 13 and MaryTeresa or "Tessa" is 11. They are all named Mary after strong and memorable grandmothers and aunts on both sides of the family and each carries the middle name of that grandmother or great aunt.
Five Marys is truly a family operation honoring the roots in California agriculture on both sides of the family, the younger Marys are 7th generation Californians with ancestors dating back to 1851 at the time of the Gold Rush. Brian’s father Tom was an active farmer and advocate for California agriculture and the Heffernans are proud to be carrying on a family legacy in the industry - and paving their own way too.
Why does your meat taste so good?
We work hard to raise a quality product from start to finish. That begins with great genetics in our animals for things like rib-eye size and marbling. We make sure to feed our animals a high quality feed for their entire life. We finish our beef with alfalfa and steam-flaked barley for an extended finish time of 180 days on finish feed. We also dry-age the whole carcass 14-28 days which is longer than the industry standard or the more common “wet age” and THIS dry-aging process gives a premium flavor and tenderness in every bite - right down to the ground beef. Extra care, attention and inputs mean better products for our family and our customers! HERE is a blog post with more info about how we raise and why our meat tastes so good!
Where are you located?
We are located in Siskiyou County - at the top of the state of California, almost to the Oregon border, where our Cattlewomen boast “top beef, from the top of our state, to the top of your plate.” Brian and Mary are both California natives, the girls are 7th generation to the state! Brian grew up in Imperial County and Tehama County with roots in agriculture and Mary was born and raised in Menlo Park, CA - better known today as “Silicon Valley” where she and Brian met, started their family and worked before deciding to change paths and leave the busy life there for 1800 acres of wide open spaces in Silicon Valley.
Where can I find out more about your story?
We share our daily life on Instagram right here. Mary also wrote an ebook about their decision to move to the ranch, including their story, and how things changed when they did. It’s called “They Can Do It. What I Learned About Parenting by Moving to the Country.” and you can download it to read on any device HERE.
Are you organic?
We are not ‘certified’ organic, but we practice all-natural practices in everything we do. We believe when our customers can have full transparency in our operation, can know and trust us as their source for high-quality, all-natural meats - that means more than a certification sticker on a package and avoids the red tape and extra cost to the consumer associated with certification.
What does “organically-minded” mean?
When you are not certified organic, legally you can not use the word organic.
We are 100% mindful to practice and produce all-natural products. We raise what we believe is the best product to feed our own children and share it with our customers.
Are you GMO-free? Are your animals fed corn or soy?
Yes, all of our livestock feed on the ranch is 100% GMO-free. We do not feed any soy to our cattle, hogs or sheep. We do not feed corn to our cattle or sheep, sometimes of the year our hogs might get feed mixed with corn.
Has your meat been treated with antibiotics?
Never. The meat we sell through Five Marys brand is always 100% antibiotic free from day one. We administer therapeutic antibiotics to animals on the ranch if they are needed for life saving situations or illness, but those animals are “red tagged” and pulled from our meat program. We still find other creative outlets for them after the proper and safe withdrawl period like local families or friends who understand the history of the animal. Animals given antibiotics in their lifetime are perfectly safe to eat after the standard withdrawl period - but we choose to have a clear designation for our customers that all meat sold from Five Marys is 100% free of any lifetime antibiotics.
Is your meat hormone free?
Yes, ALWAYS. Our meat is 100% free of any kind of growth hormones or any added hormones.
Is the meat all from animals from your ranch?
We raise the majority of the animals we harvest for our meat program on our ranch. Our neighbor directly connected and next to our ranch helps to raise some of our pork with us year round. A farm about an hour north in Oregon raised lamb with us to fill the gaps since we only have lamb about half the year (our lamb is usually harvested Nov-April and their lamb May-October.) We calve in the fall each year and raise those steers and some heifers for our meat program, and provide the cattle for the second half of the year by buying weaned calves from our brother-in-law on Oregon or our friends in Northern California who both raise very high quality cattle to the same standards we do.
Shipping FAQ’s
Where do you ship your meats?
We ship our meats, snack sticks, bones and bone broth to all 50 states Monday-Wednesdays every week of the year! Meats are packed on dry ice pellets (will be sublimated by the time you get your box) in custom made insulated liners.
Do you ship meats to Canada? Will you ever?
We do not ship to Canada. Canadian customs is not reliable to keep perishable orders moving through and boxes often get held up in customs for too long to make it feasible to ship frozen product. We do ship all other products besides meats, bones and bone broth to Canada though!
Do you ship non-meat items internationally?
We are not able to ship our meats to addresses outside of the US. We are able to ship other products like sheep pelts, M5 gear, books, prints, hats, etc. If you want to place an international order please email info@fivemarys.com to receive a shipping quote.
Can you ship to Hawaii & Alaska?
We sure can! It's a little more expensive to get it there but we ship overnight to both states.
What is The Return Policy?
We have a strict no returns and no refunds policy since most of our products are perishable and can not easily be shipped back and forth and we can not accept frozen products back for resale. If you need to return a sweatshirt or apparel, we will exchange for a different size if the customer pays shipping to send the original back to us. This does NOT apply for meats - all meats are NO returns or refunds, no exceptions.
ANIMAL FAQ’S
What breeds are your animals?
Black Angus Cattle : Black Angus produce a premium quality beef and we are proud of our herd with great genetics for superior marbling, flavor and consistency.
Berkshire Heritage Pigs: Berkshire pigs produce one of the best meat qualities - an optimal fat and marbling and are a great heritage breed. Some pigs are bred to be extra lean now - and others can be too fatty. Berkshires are a great in between with what our customers frequently tell us is the best pork they’ve ever tasted!
Navajo Churro Lambs: The "Chef's Choice" for a wonderful flavor and consistency every time, Navajo Churro's are a hearty breed that love our mountain climate. We have a blog post about our sheep HERE
What do you feed your pigs? Do you feed the pigs scraps?
We feed our pigs a carefully mixed ration of protein and minerals according to their age or stage of life. Our gestating mothers get one ration, nursing mothers get another, weaned piglets another and grower pigs their own. We avoid scraps for our pigs since it’s hard to control what might be in the scraps or how that food was raised.
Is your beef grass-fed?
Our cattle live on pastures or hill country at Five Marys year round and eat our local and ranch raised pasture grasses and alfalfa. We finish our cattle on a thoughtfully balanced ration of alfalfa, grain hay and steam-flaked barley for the best possible quality in marbling and taste. We believe grass-fed and grass-and-barley finish, with an extended finishing time of at least 180 days is the optimal way to raise our beef for consistent, excellent quality and flavor with all the benefits of a grass-fed lifestyle. We never feed corn, GMOs and all of our meat is 100% free from antibiotics, growth-hormones and ionophores.
Are your lambs grass-fed?
Yes, our Navajo Churro lambs and sheep eat only our pasture grasses and alfalfa.
Do you sell chicken or eggs? Turkeys?
No - we don’t raise poultry and will not in the future. If you are looking for quality raised chicken or turkey to ship to your doorstep like Five Marys, we recommend:
See our M5 DIRECTORY for other farms raising chicken!HARVESTING FAQ’S
Do you harvest humanely?
Yes. We are invested in making sure every stage of the process of raising and harvesting our animals is done thoughtfully and with the utmost care and attention to the well being of the animal. Our harvesting or slaughtering process is done under USDA inspection and we work hard to make sure the animals experience the least amount of stress and are slaughtered in the most humane way. This is obviously important because it’s the right thing to do, but it can also affect the quality of the meat (stress before harvest is not good for quality) so it’s important to everyone involved that animals are harvested humanely every single time.
How are animals are handled during processing?
At Five Marys, we are focused on raising our animals as humanely and ethically as possible their entire lives, this starts at birth and continues every day they graze the grasses and soak up the mountain air and sunshine on the ranch in Siskiyou County. We take the same concern for the harvesting process. We work hard to make sure animals experience the least amount of stress possible and are harvested thoughtfully and humanely, all under USDA supervision and care.
What does dry-aging do?
Beef that is dry-aged has an exceptional flavor and tenderness. It requires extra time, commitment and cost - but it is worth it in the end result of a perfect steak or incredibly delicious ground beef. Pork or lamb can be eaten soon after slaughter, but that is not the case with beef. Beef benefits from aging to promote tenderness and enhance flavor. Soon after slaughter, most beef sold in the US is split into large pieces called primals, vacuum sealed, and boxed up for transport, where it “wet-ages” during transit to grocery stores, meat distributors, and similar locations. When it arrives it is ultimately cut into steaks, roasts, and other familiar cuts for the consumer. Ground beef is often packaged and shipped without the benefit of any aging at all. In contrast, dry-aging beef involves hanging it in just above freezing temperatures in a humidity controlled room with ample air flow, for at least 14 days - we prefer 21-28 days for optimal tenderness and to impart a unique taste and delicate consistency to the meat.
Dry-aging is a craft tradition that used to be the norm, but it is slowly being replaced in favor of expediency and efficiency. However, Brian and I firmly believe that dry-aging creates the best possible beef. We don’t cut any steaks or grind any beef until the entire carcass is well aged, usually for 14 to 28 days after harvest. Purely grass-fed meat doesn’t always benefit from dry aging as it is often too lean without much marbling, but because we finish our cattle on barley which gives a great marbling, dry-aging is an optimal way to create a premium product for our customer.
How do you choose which animals go to harvest for meat? Are they all born on the ranch?
Our breeding mothers never go into our meat program. They stay breeders on the ranch as long as they are able and sometimes longer. Our breeding males (bulls, boards and rams) are also not put into our meat program. Older animals who have bred or birthed young are not as desirable as meat animals for most cuts. The animals born on our ranch every year are our market animals that we harvest for meats. We keep about 20% of these animals most years as breeders to replace older breeders who age out of reproducing. We buy new males for breeding from high quality genetic stock every few years to avoid line breeding and to ensure genetic diversity.
Are all your animals born on the ranch?
We raise most of our animals from start to finish, but sometimes will add animals from other trusted ranches (like our brother-in-law’s all-natural, Oregon ranching operation - or our neighbors next to the ranch raise some of our pork on their pastures) as we expand and grow our herd. Most are born here and live out their lives on the ranch.
What is the fat ratio in your ground beef?
Every animal is slightly different, but we aim for between 85/15 and 80/20 for our ground beef. We love the flavor of good, clean fat in our ground and we think you will too!
Visting FAQ’s
Can we visit the ranch for a tour?
We open the ranch occasionally for special events like Farm Dinners and weekend retreats for customers and friends to allow them to experience ranch life and get closer to where their food comes from. We announce these events in our Friends & Family email newsletter when they are released. Other than those times, we run a “lean” operation and besides our family of 6 - have just 1-2 extra ranch hands on some days - so we are very busy taking great care of our animals and getting our excellent meats to our customers!
Brian, Mary and the girls are busy taking care of the animals, the ranch and finding time together as a family so they are not able to accommodate any sort of ranch tours or visits! But you are welcome to drive by the ranch on the public highway (Eastside Rd) and take it all in from the road (please don't stop to block traffic, try to see animals or disrupt daily operations) The Heffs stop by the Burgerhouse often and love to say hello and meet visitors from all over though!
But while we can not give ranch tours - we love to have guests from far and wide come to visit Fort Jones to experience all that there is to offer in the area and the Five Marys brand at our restaurant or Ranch Store!
Can we shop at the Ranch Store?
YES! You can shop all of our meats and M5 gear and dry goods at Five Marys Ranch Store (normal business hours) or in the front of the restaurant, Five Marys Burgerhouse, just two doors down (restaurant hours :)
If you’d like to order locally, choose Fort Jones Pickup and email us to let us know when you will be by to pick up at the Ranch Store or the Burgerhouse, we’ll get it ready for you!
Where can we stay?
There are a variety of AirBnb's in Fort Jones to accommodate smaller groups or 1-night stays. The Etna Motel is another great option just 9 miles down the road in the town of Etna. "Camp Five Marys" experience and tents are not available for stays, but make sure you are on our mailing list to find out about any upcoming Farm Dinners or Camp Retreats!
There is also a great RV Park in Etna called The Mountain Village or one in Yreka called Yreka RV Park.
We do not rent out our camp area, the bunkhouse, or any other facilities on the ranch and do not allow visitors on the ranch at any time.
What is there to do?
The Fort Jones Museum is a gem of a spot with great local history and lots of opportunities to learn more about Northern California. It is located on the same block as Five Marys Burgerhouse and Farm Store.
Mountain Healing Spa is a great spot for some relaxation with soaking tubs and massages available in the town of Etna.
Callahan's Mountain Lodge just north in Ashland, Oregon is a hidden gem of a resort to stay in summer or cozy up in winter with live music every night.
There are also lots of great attractions nearby like Crater Lake, the town of Ashland Oregon, summer camps, hikes and more.
Where can we eat?
Five Marys Burgerhouse is open Monday-Saturday 11am-8/9pm right downtown Fort Jones and offers our dry-aged beef, pork and lamb in a delicious lunch and dinner menu served 6 days a week. Our Bourbon Bacon Burger or Cowboy Blues Burgers are customer favorites, and make sure to have an M5 Sidecar or pick up a bottle of Five Marys Whiskey or Bourbon!
How do I travel there?
The closest airport is Medford Oregon (MFR) which is serviced by Alaksa and United airlines. It's easy to rent a car from there and drive 1.5 hours south to Fort Jones. Sacramento Airport, serviced by most airlines as well as Southwest, is 4 hours south.
There is also a private small private airport just 2 miles from Fort Jones called Scott Valley Airfield A30 - if you fly in for lunch or dinner let us know and we can arrange a pick up!
We hope you'll enjoy a visit to Fort Jones to enjoy all it has to offer and experience Five Marys through the Burgerhouse and Farm Store!
HOW TO RECYCLE / REUSE YOUR BOX!
We so appreciate being able to reuse our custom insulated liners again and again! Your box and liner can be used as a travel cooler or recycled at your local recycling center - or return it back to us to use again.
OPTION 1 : The Post Office (USPS)
You can send a box back through the post office using the “Media Mail Rate” (It will take 8-10 days via snail mail but that is okay with us!) Simply place a used book inside (It has to be a book not a magazine - we will donate this to our local community), remove any notes and dry ice bag from inside the box, cover up the dry ice and perishable stickers and take to your local post office to mail back to us for $4-$6. You can also send Priority Mail or “Retail Ground”.
send to : Five Marys 6732 Eastside Rd Fort Jones CA 96032.
Once you’ve sent 10 boxes back via USPS at your cost, we would love to reward you with $100 in credit on your next order! Just email us after 10 returns for your code info@fivemarys.com
OPTION 2: UPS
We can provide a UPS return label to leave the box(es) on your porch for pick up or you can take them to a UPS shipping center. The UPS label costs us a little more than the price of the liner, so we require that you save 2-4 of the boxes of the same size to stack and tape together as one box (since they are so light empty) before you ship them back. The liners are the most valuable part of the box, so you can also pack one liner inside a second box/liner and recycle the first cardboard box. Email info@fivemarys.com to print a return UPS label!
These ship to our Farm Store at 11903 Main Street Fort Jones, CA 96032. Since we cover the shipping cost on this option, it is the only one that doesn’t qualify for a shopping credit, thanks for understanding!
OPTION 3 : DROP OFF!
If you live in the SF Bay Area you can drop off boxes at Mary’s parents house at 931 Menlo Oaks Drive in Menlo Park, CA. They are right near the Bay Rd exit off Highway 101 and you can leave boxes on the front porch or behind the house (down the cul-de-sac) by the back gate or garage doors.
OR if you are traveling by Five Marys Burgerhouse on Main Street in Fort Jones, CA - you can always stop in for a meal and drop your boxes off there!
If you’ve dropped off 10 boxes at either location, we would love to reward you with $100 in credit on your next order! Just email us after 10 returns for your code info@fivemarys.com
OPTION 4 : SHARE WITH OTHER BEEF SHIPPERS!
Coming Soon - we hope to have drop-spots all over the US at other farms/ranches and storefronts where you can drop boxes locally for other ranchers in the M5 Entrepreneurs group to re-use! We will have a reward system set up (ie $5 off coupon for that farm) since they’ll get to use the box again for their shipments. Stay tuned!
Our Family - The Heffernans
Mary and Brian Heffernan always dreamed of moving to the country to ranch and raise “free-range kids” in the dirt and sunshine. They both have deep agriculture roots and a passion for small town, small business and family-centered food. So when the opportunity to purchase the historic Sharps Gulch Ranch came along in 2013, Mary and Brian knew they'd found their land. With eyes on a new adventure and California soil in their souls, they took their four spunky girls to Siskiyou county.
We are Five Marys Farms - after Mary and our four daughters all named Mary after grandmothers and aunts on both sides of the family. MaryFrances or "Francie" is 12, MaryMarjorie or "Maisie" is 11, MaryJane or "JJ" is 9 and MaryTeresa or "Tessa" is 7.
Those are the FIVE MARYS proud to be working the ranch everyday keeping up with the leader of our pack, Heff.
Before we moved to the ranch we had small businesses and restaurants and we spent a lot of our time sourcing really good quality ingredients for our menu.
In the quest for super high quality meats, raised ethically but with great flavor, we did a ton of research with our chefs to know exactly what we wanted for our customers.
+ We wanted superior quality beef with a great story behind it.
+ We wanted a grass-fed lifestyle with a barley finish and an extended dry-age.
+ We wanted to know the animals were raised right and harvested humanely.
We searched high and low in small farms and couldn’t find anyone who could do this on a large enough scale to supply what we needed.
So we decided to do it ourselves.
We originally thought we'd just go up on the weekends and hire a ranch manager commuting back to our businesses in the city during the week, but we quickly realized we couldn't do both of these things well.
It didn't take us long do decide to totally change paths and jump into ranching full time. This meant selling our businesses and leaving our beautiful home we’d worked so hard for, Brian leaving his busy law practice and moving away from a land of opportunity and the only livelihood we knew.
We knew we had to find a new model and create a business from scratch to sustain our livelihood, so we started from square one.
When we started selling the meat we'd worked hard to raise, we would personally deliver to customers and then we started “farm stands” (our own version of farmers markets). They were a great way to kick start our sales and grow our business early, but we knew that wasn’t sustainable for us because we wanted to be on the ranch, not traveling all of the time to sell our meat.
The answer seemed to lie in shipping our meats directly to customers - and finding customers who appreciate high-quality, well-raised meats.
Shipping meat is no easy task, it took well over a year to navigate - but with lots of trial and error and learning from many mistakes - we have a tried-and-true system to sell, pack and ship meat directly to customers all over the US.
We use social media to share our story and sell our product and in four years we've grown to reach over 8,000 customers all over the country and we ship over 10,000 pounds of meat every month right from our ranch in rural California.
Using Social Media to Grow Our Brand...
Thanks to sharing our story on social media, we have received national attention over the past few years - with features in Oprah Magazine, Parents Magazine, Enjoy, Eating Well, Flea Market Style, GEV magazine and Real Simple.
We were also named "Best Farm" in America by Paleo Magazine in 2018!
All of this is because social media allows us to share our day-to-day life. To share our story and help tell the story of agriculture in today's world.
Follow along with us on Instagram as we share our day-to-day lives on the ranch!
Mary and Brian believe that good things take time, from restoring old ranch homes to raising cattle.
There simply are no short cuts.
We commit to consistently provide the finest quality meats only from animals we raise as a family on our ranch directly and hassle-free to your family's doorstep anywhere in the US.
After years in the restaurant business we had a lot of trials cooking with different meats from small farms to bigger names. We appreciate that consistency matters and that extra effort, like well packaged products and a 21 to 28-day dry aging and old world butchery practices (one animal at a time), is required for the most amazing flavor and tenderness. Above all, constant and unwavering care is required every single day of an animal's life to achieve a premium cut of meat. We go that extra mile.
Order our beef, lamb or pork by the individual cut, try one of our sampler assortments or get a customized box regularly with our Farm Club membership. Our ordering process is easy and your product will ship and arrive quickly and without hassle. No minimums or subscriptions are required and we ship anywhere in the country.
We are now the primary meat source for hundreds of families throughout the country and they will tell you our products are consistently fantastic and delivery is quick, easy and predictable.
We hope you will taste and appreciate the difference as well - you won't be disappointed!
Oh, and to answer your first question about us - yes, there really are five Marys. Five Marys Farms is named for the five girls in our family, all named Mary! Our four girls (ages 6-11) are all named after grandmothers and aunts on both sides carrying on a long standing family tradition of strong women named Mary.
We hope you’ll SHOP Five Marys meats or join us for a Five Marys experience!
OUR OPERATION
Our livestock spend their days on our Siskiyou county ranch, roaming freely and munching wild, Californian grasses. The ranching methods and beliefs we use, from grazing rotations to slaughter, preserve and protect the land we live on and respect the animals we raise from birth until their "one bad day" sacrificing for the food on our plates.
As far as certifications go, we believe in actions, not labels. Our products reflect our beliefs in respecting our animals, raising them with the utmost care and comfort and in feeding our customers only what we feed our family - the highest quality meats raised as naturally and humanely as possible.
We are raising Black Angus cattle, Navajo-Churro sheep, Berkshire hogs and a wide variety of laying hens.
Everyday is an adventure here on the ranch!
WHY FIVE MARYS?
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We believe in selling only the finest meat and the finest meat comes from animals and land that are well cared for.
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There are no shortcuts.
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We are a small family ranch and together as a family we vigilantly care for each of our animals.
-
Our Black Angus cattle, Navajo Churro lambs and Berkshire heritage pigs spend their lives on our green pastures and hills rich in minerals and with plenty of sunshine and fresh Northern California mountain air.
-
You can experience the difference in the taste of our beef, lamb and pork.
-
Our meat is never treated with antibiotics or hormones.
-
We are organically minded and GMO free.
-
Our beef is finished on pasture grass and steam-flaked GMO-free barley.
-
Our animals are processed at a first class USDA process, cut and wrap facility and each cut has complete traceability to our animals.
-
Our ground beef and steaks are all dry aged for 14-28 days for tenderness and flavor you won't find many places other than the premier steakhouses.
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We strive to bring the finest meat to your table, as well as the real story behind it, so you know just where your food comes from.
OUR LAND
the history of our agricultural background & sharps gulch ranch
The land we live on is rich in family farming history and we are proud to continue that legacy through hard work, storytelling and the restoration of the ranch’s two homes, a large victorian and a 19th century creamery-turned house. We both come from a long lines of agriculture families, so we are grateful and excited to see these California roots grow into a story of our own.
- Mary and Brian Heffernan
We are very proud to be back in agriculture, just as our ancestors were, on our own family farm to continue our Californian history on Siskiyou County soil. Our daughters are 7th generation Californians who we hope to raise with a love and respect of the land where we live.
OUR MISSION
We are the Heffernan Family and are proud to be stewards of the land at Sharps Gulch Ranch. With farming in our blood from generations past, we are raising livestock and our children as natural as we can in the California sunshine.
We like doing things the hard way.
We believe in muddy boots, calloused hands and nurturing our land and livestock through dedication and hard work.
We believe that healthy animals live in big spaces with lots of sunshine, and don’t need extra hormones, chemicals or antibiotics.
We believe that food should tell a story, and are thrilled to share ours with you.
Five Marys Bug Balm Repellent Tallow
Regular price $34.00 Sale price $29.00Five Marys Tallow Bug Balm Repellent
Keep the bugs away—naturally—with our Five Marys Tallow Bug Balm Repellent. Made with a simple blend of nourishing ingredients and essential oils, this easy-to-apply balm helps create a natural barrier while being gentle on skin.
Crafted with rich beef tallow, moisturizing coconut oil, and protective candelilla wax, this balm glides on smoothly without the sticky feel of traditional sprays. Infused with the fresh, outdoor scent of citronella, rosemary, and eucalyptus, it’s the perfect companion for evenings on the porch, camping trips, hikes, gardening, and everyday outdoor adventures.
Packaged in a convenient balm form for mess-free application—just swipe onto exposed skin and enjoy the outdoors with confidence.
Why You’ll Love It:
- Natural alternative to bug sprays
- Smooth, mess-free balm application
- Moisturizes while it protects
- Fresh herbal outdoor scent
- Great for camping, gardening, hiking, and summer evenings
Comes in a 4 oz tin
Ingredients: Beef Tallow, Coconut Oil, Candelilla Wax, Citronella, Rosemary, Eucalyptus
Five Marys FAQs
Why is the name “Five Marys”?
Five Marys Farms was named by Brian, for his Five Marys. His wife, Mary and their four daughters - MaryFrances or "Francie" is 16, MaryMarjorie or "Maisie" is 14, MaryJane or "JJ" is 13 and MaryTeresa or "Tessa" is 11. They are all named Mary after strong and memorable grandmothers and aunts on both sides of the family and each carries the middle name of that grandmother or great aunt.
Five Marys is truly a family operation honoring the roots in California agriculture on both sides of the family, the younger Marys are 7th generation Californians with ancestors dating back to 1851 at the time of the Gold Rush. Brian’s father Tom was an active farmer and advocate for California agriculture and the Heffernans are proud to be carrying on a family legacy in the industry - and paving their own way too.
Why does your meat taste so good?
We work hard to raise a quality product from start to finish. That begins with great genetics in our animals for things like rib-eye size and marbling. We make sure to feed our animals a high quality feed for their entire life. We finish our beef with alfalfa and steam-flaked barley for an extended finish time of 180 days on finish feed. We also dry-age the whole carcass 14-28 days which is longer than the industry standard or the more common “wet age” and THIS dry-aging process gives a premium flavor and tenderness in every bite - right down to the ground beef. Extra care, attention and inputs mean better products for our family and our customers! HERE is a blog post with more info about how we raise and why our meat tastes so good!
Where are you located?
We are located in Siskiyou County - at the top of the state of California, almost to the Oregon border, where our Cattlewomen boast “top beef, from the top of our state, to the top of your plate.” Brian and Mary are both California natives, the girls are 7th generation to the state! Brian grew up in Imperial County and Tehama County with roots in agriculture and Mary was born and raised in Menlo Park, CA - better known today as “Silicon Valley” where she and Brian met, started their family and worked before deciding to change paths and leave the busy life there for 1800 acres of wide open spaces in Silicon Valley.
Where can I find out more about your story?
We share our daily life on Instagram right here. Mary also wrote an ebook about their decision to move to the ranch, including their story, and how things changed when they did. It’s called “They Can Do It. What I Learned About Parenting by Moving to the Country.” and you can download it to read on any device HERE.
Are you organic?
We are not ‘certified’ organic, but we practice all-natural practices in everything we do. We believe when our customers can have full transparency in our operation, can know and trust us as their source for high-quality, all-natural meats - that means more than a certification sticker on a package and avoids the red tape and extra cost to the consumer associated with certification.
What does “organically-minded” mean?
When you are not certified organic, legally you can not use the word organic.
We are 100% mindful to practice and produce all-natural products. We raise what we believe is the best product to feed our own children and share it with our customers.
Are you GMO-free? Are your animals fed corn or soy?
Yes, all of our livestock feed on the ranch is 100% GMO-free. We do not feed any soy to our cattle, hogs or sheep. We do not feed corn to our cattle or sheep, sometimes of the year our hogs might get feed mixed with corn.
Has your meat been treated with antibiotics?
Never. The meat we sell through Five Marys brand is always 100% antibiotic free from day one. We administer therapeutic antibiotics to animals on the ranch if they are needed for life saving situations or illness, but those animals are “red tagged” and pulled from our meat program. We still find other creative outlets for them after the proper and safe withdrawl period like local families or friends who understand the history of the animal. Animals given antibiotics in their lifetime are perfectly safe to eat after the standard withdrawl period - but we choose to have a clear designation for our customers that all meat sold from Five Marys is 100% free of any lifetime antibiotics.
Is your meat hormone free?
Yes, ALWAYS. Our meat is 100% free of any kind of growth hormones or any added hormones.
Is the meat all from animals from your ranch?
We raise the majority of the animals we harvest for our meat program on our ranch. Our neighbor directly connected and next to our ranch helps to raise some of our pork with us year round. A farm about an hour north in Oregon raised lamb with us to fill the gaps since we only have lamb about half the year (our lamb is usually harvested Nov-April and their lamb May-October.) We calve in the fall each year and raise those steers and some heifers for our meat program, and provide the cattle for the second half of the year by buying weaned calves from our brother-in-law on Oregon or our friends in Northern California who both raise very high quality cattle to the same standards we do.
Shipping FAQ’s
Where do you ship your meats?
We ship our meats, snack sticks, bones and bone broth to all 50 states Monday-Wednesdays every week of the year! Meats are packed on dry ice pellets (will be sublimated by the time you get your box) in custom made insulated liners.
Do you ship meats to Canada? Will you ever?
We do not ship to Canada. Canadian customs is not reliable to keep perishable orders moving through and boxes often get held up in customs for too long to make it feasible to ship frozen product. We do ship all other products besides meats, bones and bone broth to Canada though!
Do you ship non-meat items internationally?
We are not able to ship our meats to addresses outside of the US. We are able to ship other products like sheep pelts, M5 gear, books, prints, hats, etc. If you want to place an international order please email info@fivemarys.com to receive a shipping quote.
Can you ship to Hawaii & Alaska?
We sure can! It's a little more expensive to get it there but we ship overnight to both states.
What is The Return Policy?
We have a strict no returns and no refunds policy since most of our products are perishable and can not easily be shipped back and forth and we can not accept frozen products back for resale. If you need to return a sweatshirt or apparel, we will exchange for a different size if the customer pays shipping to send the original back to us. This does NOT apply for meats - all meats are NO returns or refunds, no exceptions.
ANIMAL FAQ’S
What breeds are your animals?
Black Angus Cattle : Black Angus produce a premium quality beef and we are proud of our herd with great genetics for superior marbling, flavor and consistency.
Berkshire Heritage Pigs: Berkshire pigs produce one of the best meat qualities - an optimal fat and marbling and are a great heritage breed. Some pigs are bred to be extra lean now - and others can be too fatty. Berkshires are a great in between with what our customers frequently tell us is the best pork they’ve ever tasted!
Navajo Churro Lambs: The "Chef's Choice" for a wonderful flavor and consistency every time, Navajo Churro's are a hearty breed that love our mountain climate. We have a blog post about our sheep HERE
What do you feed your pigs? Do you feed the pigs scraps?
We feed our pigs a carefully mixed ration of protein and minerals according to their age or stage of life. Our gestating mothers get one ration, nursing mothers get another, weaned piglets another and grower pigs their own. We avoid scraps for our pigs since it’s hard to control what might be in the scraps or how that food was raised.
Is your beef grass-fed?
Our cattle live on pastures or hill country at Five Marys year round and eat our local and ranch raised pasture grasses and alfalfa. We finish our cattle on a thoughtfully balanced ration of alfalfa, grain hay and steam-flaked barley for the best possible quality in marbling and taste. We believe grass-fed and grass-and-barley finish, with an extended finishing time of at least 180 days is the optimal way to raise our beef for consistent, excellent quality and flavor with all the benefits of a grass-fed lifestyle. We never feed corn, GMOs and all of our meat is 100% free from antibiotics, growth-hormones and ionophores.
Are your lambs grass-fed?
Yes, our Navajo Churro lambs and sheep eat only our pasture grasses and alfalfa.
Do you sell chicken or eggs? Turkeys?
No - we don’t raise poultry and will not in the future. If you are looking for quality raised chicken or turkey to ship to your doorstep like Five Marys, we recommend:
See our M5 DIRECTORY for other farms raising chicken!HARVESTING FAQ’S
Do you harvest humanely?
Yes. We are invested in making sure every stage of the process of raising and harvesting our animals is done thoughtfully and with the utmost care and attention to the well being of the animal. Our harvesting or slaughtering process is done under USDA inspection and we work hard to make sure the animals experience the least amount of stress and are slaughtered in the most humane way. This is obviously important because it’s the right thing to do, but it can also affect the quality of the meat (stress before harvest is not good for quality) so it’s important to everyone involved that animals are harvested humanely every single time.
How are animals are handled during processing?
At Five Marys, we are focused on raising our animals as humanely and ethically as possible their entire lives, this starts at birth and continues every day they graze the grasses and soak up the mountain air and sunshine on the ranch in Siskiyou County. We take the same concern for the harvesting process. We work hard to make sure animals experience the least amount of stress possible and are harvested thoughtfully and humanely, all under USDA supervision and care.
What does dry-aging do?
Beef that is dry-aged has an exceptional flavor and tenderness. It requires extra time, commitment and cost - but it is worth it in the end result of a perfect steak or incredibly delicious ground beef. Pork or lamb can be eaten soon after slaughter, but that is not the case with beef. Beef benefits from aging to promote tenderness and enhance flavor. Soon after slaughter, most beef sold in the US is split into large pieces called primals, vacuum sealed, and boxed up for transport, where it “wet-ages” during transit to grocery stores, meat distributors, and similar locations. When it arrives it is ultimately cut into steaks, roasts, and other familiar cuts for the consumer. Ground beef is often packaged and shipped without the benefit of any aging at all. In contrast, dry-aging beef involves hanging it in just above freezing temperatures in a humidity controlled room with ample air flow, for at least 14 days - we prefer 21-28 days for optimal tenderness and to impart a unique taste and delicate consistency to the meat.
Dry-aging is a craft tradition that used to be the norm, but it is slowly being replaced in favor of expediency and efficiency. However, Brian and I firmly believe that dry-aging creates the best possible beef. We don’t cut any steaks or grind any beef until the entire carcass is well aged, usually for 14 to 28 days after harvest. Purely grass-fed meat doesn’t always benefit from dry aging as it is often too lean without much marbling, but because we finish our cattle on barley which gives a great marbling, dry-aging is an optimal way to create a premium product for our customer.
How do you choose which animals go to harvest for meat? Are they all born on the ranch?
Our breeding mothers never go into our meat program. They stay breeders on the ranch as long as they are able and sometimes longer. Our breeding males (bulls, boards and rams) are also not put into our meat program. Older animals who have bred or birthed young are not as desirable as meat animals for most cuts. The animals born on our ranch every year are our market animals that we harvest for meats. We keep about 20% of these animals most years as breeders to replace older breeders who age out of reproducing. We buy new males for breeding from high quality genetic stock every few years to avoid line breeding and to ensure genetic diversity.
Are all your animals born on the ranch?
We raise most of our animals from start to finish, but sometimes will add animals from other trusted ranches (like our brother-in-law’s all-natural, Oregon ranching operation - or our neighbors next to the ranch raise some of our pork on their pastures) as we expand and grow our herd. Most are born here and live out their lives on the ranch.
What is the fat ratio in your ground beef?
Every animal is slightly different, but we aim for between 85/15 and 80/20 for our ground beef. We love the flavor of good, clean fat in our ground and we think you will too!
Visting FAQ’s
Can we visit the ranch for a tour?
We open the ranch occasionally for special events like Farm Dinners and weekend retreats for customers and friends to allow them to experience ranch life and get closer to where their food comes from. We announce these events in our Friends & Family email newsletter when they are released. Other than those times, we run a “lean” operation and besides our family of 6 - have just 1-2 extra ranch hands on some days - so we are very busy taking great care of our animals and getting our excellent meats to our customers!
Brian, Mary and the girls are busy taking care of the animals, the ranch and finding time together as a family so they are not able to accommodate any sort of ranch tours or visits! But you are welcome to drive by the ranch on the public highway (Eastside Rd) and take it all in from the road (please don't stop to block traffic, try to see animals or disrupt daily operations) The Heffs stop by the Burgerhouse often and love to say hello and meet visitors from all over though!
But while we can not give ranch tours - we love to have guests from far and wide come to visit Fort Jones to experience all that there is to offer in the area and the Five Marys brand at our restaurant or Ranch Store!
Can we shop at the Ranch Store?
YES! You can shop all of our meats and M5 gear and dry goods at Five Marys Ranch Store (normal business hours) or in the front of the restaurant, Five Marys Burgerhouse, just two doors down (restaurant hours :)
If you’d like to order locally, choose Fort Jones Pickup and email us to let us know when you will be by to pick up at the Ranch Store or the Burgerhouse, we’ll get it ready for you!
Where can we stay?
There are a variety of AirBnb's in Fort Jones to accommodate smaller groups or 1-night stays. The Etna Motel is another great option just 9 miles down the road in the town of Etna. "Camp Five Marys" experience and tents are not available for stays, but make sure you are on our mailing list to find out about any upcoming Farm Dinners or Camp Retreats!
There is also a great RV Park in Etna called The Mountain Village or one in Yreka called Yreka RV Park.
We do not rent out our camp area, the bunkhouse, or any other facilities on the ranch and do not allow visitors on the ranch at any time.
What is there to do?
The Fort Jones Museum is a gem of a spot with great local history and lots of opportunities to learn more about Northern California. It is located on the same block as Five Marys Burgerhouse and Farm Store.
Mountain Healing Spa is a great spot for some relaxation with soaking tubs and massages available in the town of Etna.
Callahan's Mountain Lodge just north in Ashland, Oregon is a hidden gem of a resort to stay in summer or cozy up in winter with live music every night.
There are also lots of great attractions nearby like Crater Lake, the town of Ashland Oregon, summer camps, hikes and more.
Where can we eat?
Five Marys Burgerhouse is open Monday-Saturday 11am-8/9pm right downtown Fort Jones and offers our dry-aged beef, pork and lamb in a delicious lunch and dinner menu served 6 days a week. Our Bourbon Bacon Burger or Cowboy Blues Burgers are customer favorites, and make sure to have an M5 Sidecar or pick up a bottle of Five Marys Whiskey or Bourbon!
How do I travel there?
The closest airport is Medford Oregon (MFR) which is serviced by Alaksa and United airlines. It's easy to rent a car from there and drive 1.5 hours south to Fort Jones. Sacramento Airport, serviced by most airlines as well as Southwest, is 4 hours south.
There is also a private small private airport just 2 miles from Fort Jones called Scott Valley Airfield A30 - if you fly in for lunch or dinner let us know and we can arrange a pick up!
We hope you'll enjoy a visit to Fort Jones to enjoy all it has to offer and experience Five Marys through the Burgerhouse and Farm Store!
HOW TO RECYCLE / REUSE YOUR BOX!
We so appreciate being able to reuse our custom insulated liners again and again! Your box and liner can be used as a travel cooler or recycled at your local recycling center - or return it back to us to use again.
OPTION 1 : The Post Office (USPS)
You can send a box back through the post office using the “Media Mail Rate” (It will take 8-10 days via snail mail but that is okay with us!) Simply place a used book inside (It has to be a book not a magazine - we will donate this to our local community), remove any notes and dry ice bag from inside the box, cover up the dry ice and perishable stickers and take to your local post office to mail back to us for $4-$6. You can also send Priority Mail or “Retail Ground”.
send to : Five Marys 6732 Eastside Rd Fort Jones CA 96032.
Once you’ve sent 10 boxes back via USPS at your cost, we would love to reward you with $100 in credit on your next order! Just email us after 10 returns for your code info@fivemarys.com
OPTION 2: UPS
We can provide a UPS return label to leave the box(es) on your porch for pick up or you can take them to a UPS shipping center. The UPS label costs us a little more than the price of the liner, so we require that you save 2-4 of the boxes of the same size to stack and tape together as one box (since they are so light empty) before you ship them back. The liners are the most valuable part of the box, so you can also pack one liner inside a second box/liner and recycle the first cardboard box. Email info@fivemarys.com to print a return UPS label!
These ship to our Farm Store at 11903 Main Street Fort Jones, CA 96032. Since we cover the shipping cost on this option, it is the only one that doesn’t qualify for a shopping credit, thanks for understanding!
OPTION 3 : DROP OFF!
If you live in the SF Bay Area you can drop off boxes at Mary’s parents house at 931 Menlo Oaks Drive in Menlo Park, CA. They are right near the Bay Rd exit off Highway 101 and you can leave boxes on the front porch or behind the house (down the cul-de-sac) by the back gate or garage doors.
OR if you are traveling by Five Marys Burgerhouse on Main Street in Fort Jones, CA - you can always stop in for a meal and drop your boxes off there!
If you’ve dropped off 10 boxes at either location, we would love to reward you with $100 in credit on your next order! Just email us after 10 returns for your code info@fivemarys.com
OPTION 4 : SHARE WITH OTHER BEEF SHIPPERS!
Coming Soon - we hope to have drop-spots all over the US at other farms/ranches and storefronts where you can drop boxes locally for other ranchers in the M5 Entrepreneurs group to re-use! We will have a reward system set up (ie $5 off coupon for that farm) since they’ll get to use the box again for their shipments. Stay tuned!
Our Family - The Heffernans
Mary and Brian Heffernan always dreamed of moving to the country to ranch and raise “free-range kids” in the dirt and sunshine. They both have deep agriculture roots and a passion for small town, small business and family-centered food. So when the opportunity to purchase the historic Sharps Gulch Ranch came along in 2013, Mary and Brian knew they'd found their land. With eyes on a new adventure and California soil in their souls, they took their four spunky girls to Siskiyou county.
We are Five Marys Farms - after Mary and our four daughters all named Mary after grandmothers and aunts on both sides of the family. MaryFrances or "Francie" is 12, MaryMarjorie or "Maisie" is 11, MaryJane or "JJ" is 9 and MaryTeresa or "Tessa" is 7.
Those are the FIVE MARYS proud to be working the ranch everyday keeping up with the leader of our pack, Heff.
Before we moved to the ranch we had small businesses and restaurants and we spent a lot of our time sourcing really good quality ingredients for our menu.
In the quest for super high quality meats, raised ethically but with great flavor, we did a ton of research with our chefs to know exactly what we wanted for our customers.
+ We wanted superior quality beef with a great story behind it.
+ We wanted a grass-fed lifestyle with a barley finish and an extended dry-age.
+ We wanted to know the animals were raised right and harvested humanely.
We searched high and low in small farms and couldn’t find anyone who could do this on a large enough scale to supply what we needed.
So we decided to do it ourselves.
We originally thought we'd just go up on the weekends and hire a ranch manager commuting back to our businesses in the city during the week, but we quickly realized we couldn't do both of these things well.
It didn't take us long do decide to totally change paths and jump into ranching full time. This meant selling our businesses and leaving our beautiful home we’d worked so hard for, Brian leaving his busy law practice and moving away from a land of opportunity and the only livelihood we knew.
We knew we had to find a new model and create a business from scratch to sustain our livelihood, so we started from square one.
When we started selling the meat we'd worked hard to raise, we would personally deliver to customers and then we started “farm stands” (our own version of farmers markets). They were a great way to kick start our sales and grow our business early, but we knew that wasn’t sustainable for us because we wanted to be on the ranch, not traveling all of the time to sell our meat.
The answer seemed to lie in shipping our meats directly to customers - and finding customers who appreciate high-quality, well-raised meats.
Shipping meat is no easy task, it took well over a year to navigate - but with lots of trial and error and learning from many mistakes - we have a tried-and-true system to sell, pack and ship meat directly to customers all over the US.
We use social media to share our story and sell our product and in four years we've grown to reach over 8,000 customers all over the country and we ship over 10,000 pounds of meat every month right from our ranch in rural California.
Using Social Media to Grow Our Brand...
Thanks to sharing our story on social media, we have received national attention over the past few years - with features in Oprah Magazine, Parents Magazine, Enjoy, Eating Well, Flea Market Style, GEV magazine and Real Simple.
We were also named "Best Farm" in America by Paleo Magazine in 2018!
All of this is because social media allows us to share our day-to-day life. To share our story and help tell the story of agriculture in today's world.
Follow along with us on Instagram as we share our day-to-day lives on the ranch!
Mary and Brian believe that good things take time, from restoring old ranch homes to raising cattle.
There simply are no short cuts.
We commit to consistently provide the finest quality meats only from animals we raise as a family on our ranch directly and hassle-free to your family's doorstep anywhere in the US.
After years in the restaurant business we had a lot of trials cooking with different meats from small farms to bigger names. We appreciate that consistency matters and that extra effort, like well packaged products and a 21 to 28-day dry aging and old world butchery practices (one animal at a time), is required for the most amazing flavor and tenderness. Above all, constant and unwavering care is required every single day of an animal's life to achieve a premium cut of meat. We go that extra mile.
Order our beef, lamb or pork by the individual cut, try one of our sampler assortments or get a customized box regularly with our Farm Club membership. Our ordering process is easy and your product will ship and arrive quickly and without hassle. No minimums or subscriptions are required and we ship anywhere in the country.
We are now the primary meat source for hundreds of families throughout the country and they will tell you our products are consistently fantastic and delivery is quick, easy and predictable.
We hope you will taste and appreciate the difference as well - you won't be disappointed!
Oh, and to answer your first question about us - yes, there really are five Marys. Five Marys Farms is named for the five girls in our family, all named Mary! Our four girls (ages 6-11) are all named after grandmothers and aunts on both sides carrying on a long standing family tradition of strong women named Mary.
We hope you’ll SHOP Five Marys meats or join us for a Five Marys experience!
OUR OPERATION
Our livestock spend their days on our Siskiyou county ranch, roaming freely and munching wild, Californian grasses. The ranching methods and beliefs we use, from grazing rotations to slaughter, preserve and protect the land we live on and respect the animals we raise from birth until their "one bad day" sacrificing for the food on our plates.
As far as certifications go, we believe in actions, not labels. Our products reflect our beliefs in respecting our animals, raising them with the utmost care and comfort and in feeding our customers only what we feed our family - the highest quality meats raised as naturally and humanely as possible.
We are raising Black Angus cattle, Navajo-Churro sheep, Berkshire hogs and a wide variety of laying hens.
Everyday is an adventure here on the ranch!
WHY FIVE MARYS?
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We believe in selling only the finest meat and the finest meat comes from animals and land that are well cared for.
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There are no shortcuts.
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We are a small family ranch and together as a family we vigilantly care for each of our animals.
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Our Black Angus cattle, Navajo Churro lambs and Berkshire heritage pigs spend their lives on our green pastures and hills rich in minerals and with plenty of sunshine and fresh Northern California mountain air.
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You can experience the difference in the taste of our beef, lamb and pork.
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Our meat is never treated with antibiotics or hormones.
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We are organically minded and GMO free.
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Our beef is finished on pasture grass and steam-flaked GMO-free barley.
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Our animals are processed at a first class USDA process, cut and wrap facility and each cut has complete traceability to our animals.
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Our ground beef and steaks are all dry aged for 14-28 days for tenderness and flavor you won't find many places other than the premier steakhouses.
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We strive to bring the finest meat to your table, as well as the real story behind it, so you know just where your food comes from.
OUR LAND
the history of our agricultural background & sharps gulch ranch
The land we live on is rich in family farming history and we are proud to continue that legacy through hard work, storytelling and the restoration of the ranch’s two homes, a large victorian and a 19th century creamery-turned house. We both come from a long lines of agriculture families, so we are grateful and excited to see these California roots grow into a story of our own.
- Mary and Brian Heffernan
We are very proud to be back in agriculture, just as our ancestors were, on our own family farm to continue our Californian history on Siskiyou County soil. Our daughters are 7th generation Californians who we hope to raise with a love and respect of the land where we live.
OUR MISSION
We are the Heffernan Family and are proud to be stewards of the land at Sharps Gulch Ranch. With farming in our blood from generations past, we are raising livestock and our children as natural as we can in the California sunshine.
We like doing things the hard way.
We believe in muddy boots, calloused hands and nurturing our land and livestock through dedication and hard work.
We believe that healthy animals live in big spaces with lots of sunshine, and don’t need extra hormones, chemicals or antibiotics.
We believe that food should tell a story, and are thrilled to share ours with you.
Five Marys Castor Oil Packs
Regular price $48.00For generations, folks have used castor oil packs to help the body heal itself the natural way. It’s making a comeback for good reason. When you soak a soft cloth with castor oil and rest it on your belly, liver, or neck, you’re tapping into one of the oldest traditions in home wellness.
These packs work with your body to:
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Support liver and hormone health
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Ease bloating and aid digestion
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Soothe inflammation and tension
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Encourage better sleep and relaxation
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Boost circulation and lymph flow naturally
Why We Love It at Five Marys
On the ranch, we believe in simple things that actually work. Castor oil packs are just that
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100% cold-pressed castor oil
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Reusable organic cotton pack
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Mess-free and easy to use
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Safe for nightly wear
Pair it with Five Marys Tallow Balm or Magnesium Sleep Cream for an extra boost of relaxation before bed.
💛 How to Use
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Warm the castor oil (optional) and apply it to your pack.
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Place over your liver, belly, or neck and secure.
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Rest for 30–60 minutes or wear overnight.
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Rinse the area after use and store the pack in a cool place.
Do it a few nights a week for best results... your body will thank you.
Five Marys FAQs
Why is the name “Five Marys”?
Five Marys Farms was named by Brian, for his Five Marys. His wife, Mary and their four daughters - MaryFrances or "Francie" is 16, MaryMarjorie or "Maisie" is 14, MaryJane or "JJ" is 13 and MaryTeresa or "Tessa" is 11. They are all named Mary after strong and memorable grandmothers and aunts on both sides of the family and each carries the middle name of that grandmother or great aunt.
Five Marys is truly a family operation honoring the roots in California agriculture on both sides of the family, the younger Marys are 7th generation Californians with ancestors dating back to 1851 at the time of the Gold Rush. Brian’s father Tom was an active farmer and advocate for California agriculture and the Heffernans are proud to be carrying on a family legacy in the industry - and paving their own way too.
Why does your meat taste so good?
We work hard to raise a quality product from start to finish. That begins with great genetics in our animals for things like rib-eye size and marbling. We make sure to feed our animals a high quality feed for their entire life. We finish our beef with alfalfa and steam-flaked barley for an extended finish time of 180 days on finish feed. We also dry-age the whole carcass 14-28 days which is longer than the industry standard or the more common “wet age” and THIS dry-aging process gives a premium flavor and tenderness in every bite - right down to the ground beef. Extra care, attention and inputs mean better products for our family and our customers! HERE is a blog post with more info about how we raise and why our meat tastes so good!
Where are you located?
We are located in Siskiyou County - at the top of the state of California, almost to the Oregon border, where our Cattlewomen boast “top beef, from the top of our state, to the top of your plate.” Brian and Mary are both California natives, the girls are 7th generation to the state! Brian grew up in Imperial County and Tehama County with roots in agriculture and Mary was born and raised in Menlo Park, CA - better known today as “Silicon Valley” where she and Brian met, started their family and worked before deciding to change paths and leave the busy life there for 1800 acres of wide open spaces in Silicon Valley.
Where can I find out more about your story?
We share our daily life on Instagram right here. Mary also wrote an ebook about their decision to move to the ranch, including their story, and how things changed when they did. It’s called “They Can Do It. What I Learned About Parenting by Moving to the Country.” and you can download it to read on any device HERE.
Are you organic?
We are not ‘certified’ organic, but we practice all-natural practices in everything we do. We believe when our customers can have full transparency in our operation, can know and trust us as their source for high-quality, all-natural meats - that means more than a certification sticker on a package and avoids the red tape and extra cost to the consumer associated with certification.
What does “organically-minded” mean?
When you are not certified organic, legally you can not use the word organic.
We are 100% mindful to practice and produce all-natural products. We raise what we believe is the best product to feed our own children and share it with our customers.
Are you GMO-free? Are your animals fed corn or soy?
Yes, all of our livestock feed on the ranch is 100% GMO-free. We do not feed any soy to our cattle, hogs or sheep. We do not feed corn to our cattle or sheep, sometimes of the year our hogs might get feed mixed with corn.
Has your meat been treated with antibiotics?
Never. The meat we sell through Five Marys brand is always 100% antibiotic free from day one. We administer therapeutic antibiotics to animals on the ranch if they are needed for life saving situations or illness, but those animals are “red tagged” and pulled from our meat program. We still find other creative outlets for them after the proper and safe withdrawl period like local families or friends who understand the history of the animal. Animals given antibiotics in their lifetime are perfectly safe to eat after the standard withdrawl period - but we choose to have a clear designation for our customers that all meat sold from Five Marys is 100% free of any lifetime antibiotics.
Is your meat hormone free?
Yes, ALWAYS. Our meat is 100% free of any kind of growth hormones or any added hormones.
Is the meat all from animals from your ranch?
We raise the majority of the animals we harvest for our meat program on our ranch. Our neighbor directly connected and next to our ranch helps to raise some of our pork with us year round. A farm about an hour north in Oregon raised lamb with us to fill the gaps since we only have lamb about half the year (our lamb is usually harvested Nov-April and their lamb May-October.) We calve in the fall each year and raise those steers and some heifers for our meat program, and provide the cattle for the second half of the year by buying weaned calves from our brother-in-law on Oregon or our friends in Northern California who both raise very high quality cattle to the same standards we do.
Shipping FAQ’s
Where do you ship your meats?
We ship our meats, snack sticks, bones and bone broth to all 50 states Monday-Wednesdays every week of the year! Meats are packed on dry ice pellets (will be sublimated by the time you get your box) in custom made insulated liners.
Do you ship meats to Canada? Will you ever?
We do not ship to Canada. Canadian customs is not reliable to keep perishable orders moving through and boxes often get held up in customs for too long to make it feasible to ship frozen product. We do ship all other products besides meats, bones and bone broth to Canada though!
Do you ship non-meat items internationally?
We are not able to ship our meats to addresses outside of the US. We are able to ship other products like sheep pelts, M5 gear, books, prints, hats, etc. If you want to place an international order please email info@fivemarys.com to receive a shipping quote.
Can you ship to Hawaii & Alaska?
We sure can! It's a little more expensive to get it there but we ship overnight to both states.
What is The Return Policy?
We have a strict no returns and no refunds policy since most of our products are perishable and can not easily be shipped back and forth and we can not accept frozen products back for resale. If you need to return a sweatshirt or apparel, we will exchange for a different size if the customer pays shipping to send the original back to us. This does NOT apply for meats - all meats are NO returns or refunds, no exceptions.
ANIMAL FAQ’S
What breeds are your animals?
Black Angus Cattle : Black Angus produce a premium quality beef and we are proud of our herd with great genetics for superior marbling, flavor and consistency.
Berkshire Heritage Pigs: Berkshire pigs produce one of the best meat qualities - an optimal fat and marbling and are a great heritage breed. Some pigs are bred to be extra lean now - and others can be too fatty. Berkshires are a great in between with what our customers frequently tell us is the best pork they’ve ever tasted!
Navajo Churro Lambs: The "Chef's Choice" for a wonderful flavor and consistency every time, Navajo Churro's are a hearty breed that love our mountain climate. We have a blog post about our sheep HERE
What do you feed your pigs? Do you feed the pigs scraps?
We feed our pigs a carefully mixed ration of protein and minerals according to their age or stage of life. Our gestating mothers get one ration, nursing mothers get another, weaned piglets another and grower pigs their own. We avoid scraps for our pigs since it’s hard to control what might be in the scraps or how that food was raised.
Is your beef grass-fed?
Our cattle live on pastures or hill country at Five Marys year round and eat our local and ranch raised pasture grasses and alfalfa. We finish our cattle on a thoughtfully balanced ration of alfalfa, grain hay and steam-flaked barley for the best possible quality in marbling and taste. We believe grass-fed and grass-and-barley finish, with an extended finishing time of at least 180 days is the optimal way to raise our beef for consistent, excellent quality and flavor with all the benefits of a grass-fed lifestyle. We never feed corn, GMOs and all of our meat is 100% free from antibiotics, growth-hormones and ionophores.
Are your lambs grass-fed?
Yes, our Navajo Churro lambs and sheep eat only our pasture grasses and alfalfa.
Do you sell chicken or eggs? Turkeys?
No - we don’t raise poultry and will not in the future. If you are looking for quality raised chicken or turkey to ship to your doorstep like Five Marys, we recommend:
See our M5 DIRECTORY for other farms raising chicken!HARVESTING FAQ’S
Do you harvest humanely?
Yes. We are invested in making sure every stage of the process of raising and harvesting our animals is done thoughtfully and with the utmost care and attention to the well being of the animal. Our harvesting or slaughtering process is done under USDA inspection and we work hard to make sure the animals experience the least amount of stress and are slaughtered in the most humane way. This is obviously important because it’s the right thing to do, but it can also affect the quality of the meat (stress before harvest is not good for quality) so it’s important to everyone involved that animals are harvested humanely every single time.
How are animals are handled during processing?
At Five Marys, we are focused on raising our animals as humanely and ethically as possible their entire lives, this starts at birth and continues every day they graze the grasses and soak up the mountain air and sunshine on the ranch in Siskiyou County. We take the same concern for the harvesting process. We work hard to make sure animals experience the least amount of stress possible and are harvested thoughtfully and humanely, all under USDA supervision and care.
What does dry-aging do?
Beef that is dry-aged has an exceptional flavor and tenderness. It requires extra time, commitment and cost - but it is worth it in the end result of a perfect steak or incredibly delicious ground beef. Pork or lamb can be eaten soon after slaughter, but that is not the case with beef. Beef benefits from aging to promote tenderness and enhance flavor. Soon after slaughter, most beef sold in the US is split into large pieces called primals, vacuum sealed, and boxed up for transport, where it “wet-ages” during transit to grocery stores, meat distributors, and similar locations. When it arrives it is ultimately cut into steaks, roasts, and other familiar cuts for the consumer. Ground beef is often packaged and shipped without the benefit of any aging at all. In contrast, dry-aging beef involves hanging it in just above freezing temperatures in a humidity controlled room with ample air flow, for at least 14 days - we prefer 21-28 days for optimal tenderness and to impart a unique taste and delicate consistency to the meat.
Dry-aging is a craft tradition that used to be the norm, but it is slowly being replaced in favor of expediency and efficiency. However, Brian and I firmly believe that dry-aging creates the best possible beef. We don’t cut any steaks or grind any beef until the entire carcass is well aged, usually for 14 to 28 days after harvest. Purely grass-fed meat doesn’t always benefit from dry aging as it is often too lean without much marbling, but because we finish our cattle on barley which gives a great marbling, dry-aging is an optimal way to create a premium product for our customer.
How do you choose which animals go to harvest for meat? Are they all born on the ranch?
Our breeding mothers never go into our meat program. They stay breeders on the ranch as long as they are able and sometimes longer. Our breeding males (bulls, boards and rams) are also not put into our meat program. Older animals who have bred or birthed young are not as desirable as meat animals for most cuts. The animals born on our ranch every year are our market animals that we harvest for meats. We keep about 20% of these animals most years as breeders to replace older breeders who age out of reproducing. We buy new males for breeding from high quality genetic stock every few years to avoid line breeding and to ensure genetic diversity.
Are all your animals born on the ranch?
We raise most of our animals from start to finish, but sometimes will add animals from other trusted ranches (like our brother-in-law’s all-natural, Oregon ranching operation - or our neighbors next to the ranch raise some of our pork on their pastures) as we expand and grow our herd. Most are born here and live out their lives on the ranch.
What is the fat ratio in your ground beef?
Every animal is slightly different, but we aim for between 85/15 and 80/20 for our ground beef. We love the flavor of good, clean fat in our ground and we think you will too!
Visting FAQ’s
Can we visit the ranch for a tour?
We open the ranch occasionally for special events like Farm Dinners and weekend retreats for customers and friends to allow them to experience ranch life and get closer to where their food comes from. We announce these events in our Friends & Family email newsletter when they are released. Other than those times, we run a “lean” operation and besides our family of 6 - have just 1-2 extra ranch hands on some days - so we are very busy taking great care of our animals and getting our excellent meats to our customers!
Brian, Mary and the girls are busy taking care of the animals, the ranch and finding time together as a family so they are not able to accommodate any sort of ranch tours or visits! But you are welcome to drive by the ranch on the public highway (Eastside Rd) and take it all in from the road (please don't stop to block traffic, try to see animals or disrupt daily operations) The Heffs stop by the Burgerhouse often and love to say hello and meet visitors from all over though!
But while we can not give ranch tours - we love to have guests from far and wide come to visit Fort Jones to experience all that there is to offer in the area and the Five Marys brand at our restaurant or Ranch Store!
Can we shop at the Ranch Store?
YES! You can shop all of our meats and M5 gear and dry goods at Five Marys Ranch Store (normal business hours) or in the front of the restaurant, Five Marys Burgerhouse, just two doors down (restaurant hours :)
If you’d like to order locally, choose Fort Jones Pickup and email us to let us know when you will be by to pick up at the Ranch Store or the Burgerhouse, we’ll get it ready for you!
Where can we stay?
There are a variety of AirBnb's in Fort Jones to accommodate smaller groups or 1-night stays. The Etna Motel is another great option just 9 miles down the road in the town of Etna. "Camp Five Marys" experience and tents are not available for stays, but make sure you are on our mailing list to find out about any upcoming Farm Dinners or Camp Retreats!
There is also a great RV Park in Etna called The Mountain Village or one in Yreka called Yreka RV Park.
We do not rent out our camp area, the bunkhouse, or any other facilities on the ranch and do not allow visitors on the ranch at any time.
What is there to do?
The Fort Jones Museum is a gem of a spot with great local history and lots of opportunities to learn more about Northern California. It is located on the same block as Five Marys Burgerhouse and Farm Store.
Mountain Healing Spa is a great spot for some relaxation with soaking tubs and massages available in the town of Etna.
Callahan's Mountain Lodge just north in Ashland, Oregon is a hidden gem of a resort to stay in summer or cozy up in winter with live music every night.
There are also lots of great attractions nearby like Crater Lake, the town of Ashland Oregon, summer camps, hikes and more.
Where can we eat?
Five Marys Burgerhouse is open Monday-Saturday 11am-8/9pm right downtown Fort Jones and offers our dry-aged beef, pork and lamb in a delicious lunch and dinner menu served 6 days a week. Our Bourbon Bacon Burger or Cowboy Blues Burgers are customer favorites, and make sure to have an M5 Sidecar or pick up a bottle of Five Marys Whiskey or Bourbon!
How do I travel there?
The closest airport is Medford Oregon (MFR) which is serviced by Alaksa and United airlines. It's easy to rent a car from there and drive 1.5 hours south to Fort Jones. Sacramento Airport, serviced by most airlines as well as Southwest, is 4 hours south.
There is also a private small private airport just 2 miles from Fort Jones called Scott Valley Airfield A30 - if you fly in for lunch or dinner let us know and we can arrange a pick up!
We hope you'll enjoy a visit to Fort Jones to enjoy all it has to offer and experience Five Marys through the Burgerhouse and Farm Store!
HOW TO RECYCLE / REUSE YOUR BOX!
We so appreciate being able to reuse our custom insulated liners again and again! Your box and liner can be used as a travel cooler or recycled at your local recycling center - or return it back to us to use again.
OPTION 1 : The Post Office (USPS)
You can send a box back through the post office using the “Media Mail Rate” (It will take 8-10 days via snail mail but that is okay with us!) Simply place a used book inside (It has to be a book not a magazine - we will donate this to our local community), remove any notes and dry ice bag from inside the box, cover up the dry ice and perishable stickers and take to your local post office to mail back to us for $4-$6. You can also send Priority Mail or “Retail Ground”.
send to : Five Marys 6732 Eastside Rd Fort Jones CA 96032.
Once you’ve sent 10 boxes back via USPS at your cost, we would love to reward you with $100 in credit on your next order! Just email us after 10 returns for your code info@fivemarys.com
OPTION 2: UPS
We can provide a UPS return label to leave the box(es) on your porch for pick up or you can take them to a UPS shipping center. The UPS label costs us a little more than the price of the liner, so we require that you save 2-4 of the boxes of the same size to stack and tape together as one box (since they are so light empty) before you ship them back. The liners are the most valuable part of the box, so you can also pack one liner inside a second box/liner and recycle the first cardboard box. Email info@fivemarys.com to print a return UPS label!
These ship to our Farm Store at 11903 Main Street Fort Jones, CA 96032. Since we cover the shipping cost on this option, it is the only one that doesn’t qualify for a shopping credit, thanks for understanding!
OPTION 3 : DROP OFF!
If you live in the SF Bay Area you can drop off boxes at Mary’s parents house at 931 Menlo Oaks Drive in Menlo Park, CA. They are right near the Bay Rd exit off Highway 101 and you can leave boxes on the front porch or behind the house (down the cul-de-sac) by the back gate or garage doors.
OR if you are traveling by Five Marys Burgerhouse on Main Street in Fort Jones, CA - you can always stop in for a meal and drop your boxes off there!
If you’ve dropped off 10 boxes at either location, we would love to reward you with $100 in credit on your next order! Just email us after 10 returns for your code info@fivemarys.com
OPTION 4 : SHARE WITH OTHER BEEF SHIPPERS!
Coming Soon - we hope to have drop-spots all over the US at other farms/ranches and storefronts where you can drop boxes locally for other ranchers in the M5 Entrepreneurs group to re-use! We will have a reward system set up (ie $5 off coupon for that farm) since they’ll get to use the box again for their shipments. Stay tuned!
Our Family - The Heffernans
Mary and Brian Heffernan always dreamed of moving to the country to ranch and raise “free-range kids” in the dirt and sunshine. They both have deep agriculture roots and a passion for small town, small business and family-centered food. So when the opportunity to purchase the historic Sharps Gulch Ranch came along in 2013, Mary and Brian knew they'd found their land. With eyes on a new adventure and California soil in their souls, they took their four spunky girls to Siskiyou county.
We are Five Marys Farms - after Mary and our four daughters all named Mary after grandmothers and aunts on both sides of the family. MaryFrances or "Francie" is 12, MaryMarjorie or "Maisie" is 11, MaryJane or "JJ" is 9 and MaryTeresa or "Tessa" is 7.
Those are the FIVE MARYS proud to be working the ranch everyday keeping up with the leader of our pack, Heff.
Before we moved to the ranch we had small businesses and restaurants and we spent a lot of our time sourcing really good quality ingredients for our menu.
In the quest for super high quality meats, raised ethically but with great flavor, we did a ton of research with our chefs to know exactly what we wanted for our customers.
+ We wanted superior quality beef with a great story behind it.
+ We wanted a grass-fed lifestyle with a barley finish and an extended dry-age.
+ We wanted to know the animals were raised right and harvested humanely.
We searched high and low in small farms and couldn’t find anyone who could do this on a large enough scale to supply what we needed.
So we decided to do it ourselves.
We originally thought we'd just go up on the weekends and hire a ranch manager commuting back to our businesses in the city during the week, but we quickly realized we couldn't do both of these things well.
It didn't take us long do decide to totally change paths and jump into ranching full time. This meant selling our businesses and leaving our beautiful home we’d worked so hard for, Brian leaving his busy law practice and moving away from a land of opportunity and the only livelihood we knew.
We knew we had to find a new model and create a business from scratch to sustain our livelihood, so we started from square one.
When we started selling the meat we'd worked hard to raise, we would personally deliver to customers and then we started “farm stands” (our own version of farmers markets). They were a great way to kick start our sales and grow our business early, but we knew that wasn’t sustainable for us because we wanted to be on the ranch, not traveling all of the time to sell our meat.
The answer seemed to lie in shipping our meats directly to customers - and finding customers who appreciate high-quality, well-raised meats.
Shipping meat is no easy task, it took well over a year to navigate - but with lots of trial and error and learning from many mistakes - we have a tried-and-true system to sell, pack and ship meat directly to customers all over the US.
We use social media to share our story and sell our product and in four years we've grown to reach over 8,000 customers all over the country and we ship over 10,000 pounds of meat every month right from our ranch in rural California.
Using Social Media to Grow Our Brand...
Thanks to sharing our story on social media, we have received national attention over the past few years - with features in Oprah Magazine, Parents Magazine, Enjoy, Eating Well, Flea Market Style, GEV magazine and Real Simple.
We were also named "Best Farm" in America by Paleo Magazine in 2018!
All of this is because social media allows us to share our day-to-day life. To share our story and help tell the story of agriculture in today's world.
Follow along with us on Instagram as we share our day-to-day lives on the ranch!
Mary and Brian believe that good things take time, from restoring old ranch homes to raising cattle.
There simply are no short cuts.
We commit to consistently provide the finest quality meats only from animals we raise as a family on our ranch directly and hassle-free to your family's doorstep anywhere in the US.
After years in the restaurant business we had a lot of trials cooking with different meats from small farms to bigger names. We appreciate that consistency matters and that extra effort, like well packaged products and a 21 to 28-day dry aging and old world butchery practices (one animal at a time), is required for the most amazing flavor and tenderness. Above all, constant and unwavering care is required every single day of an animal's life to achieve a premium cut of meat. We go that extra mile.
Order our beef, lamb or pork by the individual cut, try one of our sampler assortments or get a customized box regularly with our Farm Club membership. Our ordering process is easy and your product will ship and arrive quickly and without hassle. No minimums or subscriptions are required and we ship anywhere in the country.
We are now the primary meat source for hundreds of families throughout the country and they will tell you our products are consistently fantastic and delivery is quick, easy and predictable.
We hope you will taste and appreciate the difference as well - you won't be disappointed!
Oh, and to answer your first question about us - yes, there really are five Marys. Five Marys Farms is named for the five girls in our family, all named Mary! Our four girls (ages 6-11) are all named after grandmothers and aunts on both sides carrying on a long standing family tradition of strong women named Mary.
We hope you’ll SHOP Five Marys meats or join us for a Five Marys experience!
OUR OPERATION
Our livestock spend their days on our Siskiyou county ranch, roaming freely and munching wild, Californian grasses. The ranching methods and beliefs we use, from grazing rotations to slaughter, preserve and protect the land we live on and respect the animals we raise from birth until their "one bad day" sacrificing for the food on our plates.
As far as certifications go, we believe in actions, not labels. Our products reflect our beliefs in respecting our animals, raising them with the utmost care and comfort and in feeding our customers only what we feed our family - the highest quality meats raised as naturally and humanely as possible.
We are raising Black Angus cattle, Navajo-Churro sheep, Berkshire hogs and a wide variety of laying hens.
Everyday is an adventure here on the ranch!
WHY FIVE MARYS?
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We believe in selling only the finest meat and the finest meat comes from animals and land that are well cared for.
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There are no shortcuts.
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We are a small family ranch and together as a family we vigilantly care for each of our animals.
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Our Black Angus cattle, Navajo Churro lambs and Berkshire heritage pigs spend their lives on our green pastures and hills rich in minerals and with plenty of sunshine and fresh Northern California mountain air.
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You can experience the difference in the taste of our beef, lamb and pork.
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Our meat is never treated with antibiotics or hormones.
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We are organically minded and GMO free.
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Our beef is finished on pasture grass and steam-flaked GMO-free barley.
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Our animals are processed at a first class USDA process, cut and wrap facility and each cut has complete traceability to our animals.
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Our ground beef and steaks are all dry aged for 14-28 days for tenderness and flavor you won't find many places other than the premier steakhouses.
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We strive to bring the finest meat to your table, as well as the real story behind it, so you know just where your food comes from.
OUR LAND
the history of our agricultural background & sharps gulch ranch
The land we live on is rich in family farming history and we are proud to continue that legacy through hard work, storytelling and the restoration of the ranch’s two homes, a large victorian and a 19th century creamery-turned house. We both come from a long lines of agriculture families, so we are grateful and excited to see these California roots grow into a story of our own.
- Mary and Brian Heffernan
We are very proud to be back in agriculture, just as our ancestors were, on our own family farm to continue our Californian history on Siskiyou County soil. Our daughters are 7th generation Californians who we hope to raise with a love and respect of the land where we live.
OUR MISSION
We are the Heffernan Family and are proud to be stewards of the land at Sharps Gulch Ranch. With farming in our blood from generations past, we are raising livestock and our children as natural as we can in the California sunshine.
We like doing things the hard way.
We believe in muddy boots, calloused hands and nurturing our land and livestock through dedication and hard work.
We believe that healthy animals live in big spaces with lots of sunshine, and don’t need extra hormones, chemicals or antibiotics.