A Little Old-Fashioned Wisdom from Our Kitchen at Seven Arrows Farm
If you had walked into my kitchen on a random weekday afternoon, you probably would have found the usual scene: something simmering on the stove, dishes waiting in the sink, and me trying to juggle dinner prep with a dozen other things that need my attention.
Life is busy. And like most moms, I’m always looking for simple ways to take better care of my family without adding more chaos to the day. One of those small, quiet things happening in our kitchen these days is something our great-grandmothers would have thought was completely normal.
We render pork and beef tallow.
Now I know that might sound a little unusual at first. But the more I’ve learned about traditional cooking and the way families used to care for their homes, the more it makes sense.
Our Great-Grandparents Didn’t Waste Good Things
For most of human history, when a family raised an animal for food, they used every part of it. Not because it was trendy. Because it was wise. Nothing good was wasted. The meat fed the family.
Bones made broth. And the fat — the part many people throw away today — was slowly rendered into tallow. That tallow was used for cooking, baking, candles, soap, and even skincare. It was just a normal part of life. Somewhere along the way we lost a lot of that simple wisdom.
What Tallow Actually Is
Tallow is simply beef fat that has been gently melted and strained until it becomes a clean, shelf-stable cooking fat. When it cools, it turns into a smooth, creamy white fat that keeps beautifully in the kitchen. People used it for generations because it works so well.It has a naturally high smoke point, which means it handles cooking heat without breaking down the way many modern oils do.
It’s wonderful for:
• frying eggs
• roasting potatoes
• searing steaks
• sautéing vegetables
And it adds a rich flavor that honestly just feels like real food.
Why the Source of Fat Matters
Something I’ve learned over time is that the quality of fat really depends on how the animal was raised.
Fat stores what the animal eats. So when cattle are raised on pasture and natural forage, the fat they produce reflects that. Grass-fed tallow contains beneficial nutrients like fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E, and K, along with healthy fatty acids that traditional cultures valued for nourishment. It’s one more reason we care so much about raising animals well. Good food starts long before it ever reaches the kitchen.
Why We Render Tallow at Seven Arrows Farm
When our animals are processed, there’s a portion of beautiful, clean fat that gets trimmed away. In large commercial systems, that fat is often discarded. But when we see it, all we can think is…
Why would we waste something that families used for generations?
So we save it. We slowly render it the old-fashioned way, strain it carefully, and turn it into something useful again. It’s a small thing, really. But it feels right. There’s something deeply satisfying about honoring the whole animal and not letting good things go to waste.
It’s Not Just for Cooking
Tallow has a long history beyond the kitchen, too. For centuries it was used to make:
• soap
• candles
• healing salves
• skin balms
Interestingly enough, the natural makeup of tallow is very similar to the oils our own skin produces. That’s why many traditional skincare recipes relied on it. When it’s properly rendered and sourced from well-raised animals, it has a very mild scent and a wonderfully nourishing texture.
A Little Old-World Wisdom in a Busy Modern Life
Life today moves fast. Between work, school schedules, sports practices, and everything else families juggle, it’s easy to feel like we’re constantly rushing. But every now and then I’m reminded that the old ways weren’t always complicated. Sometimes they were just simple and good. Cooking with traditional fats. Using what we have wisely. Taking care of our families with real food from animals raised well. Those small choices add up over time.And in our home, tallow has quietly become one of those little traditions we’re bringing back.
From Our Farm to Your Kitchen
At Seven Arrows Farm, the tallow we make comes from cattle raised on pasture and cared for with intention. It’s slowly rendered, carefully strained, and prepared in small batches — just the way families used to do it. Whether you’re roasting vegetables, frying eggs, or just curious about traditional cooking fats, tallow is one of those ingredients that reminds us that sometimes the old ways really were worth keeping. And around here, we’re pretty fond of those kinds of traditions.
