Sourcing your food locally is a fantastic way to ensure your food is fresh and high-quality. It’s also the main way to support hard-working farmers! However, buying local isn’t as easy as a one-stop shopping trip to Wal-Mart or Kroger. It takes a little research and dedication. The work pays off, though, and soon you’ll be finding real joy and in your routine of picking up milk from a farm and glancing over to see the cows who gave it to you. Soon you’ll be forming a friendship with your chicken farmers you see every week at the farmer’s market. Or learning to eat in season because you joined a vegetable CSA.
Here are some resources to help you find local food in your area!
- Online Databases.
- Eatwild has a state-by-state (and Canada) directory for pasture-based farms, including meat, eggs, and dairy.
- Realmilk.com is my top choice for finding raw milk in your area.
- Ask Your Farmer. Once you know one local farmer, you’re golden! They will be thrilled to direct you to their other farmer friends in your area. Relationships and word-of-mouth are great for finding specific things you’re looking for (like grass-finished beef or the best garlic in the county, for example!)
- Good Old Google. Many farms have websites that will pop up on Google, so don’t forget to give this a shot!
Some foods truly aren’t available from local farmers. So my new favorite source for those things (like oats, rice, spices, and raw cheese in our case) is Azure Standard. They have bulk organic items for good prices! You place an order online and meet the delivery truck at a drop location (with lots of other local health-conscious people to meet!) to pick up your food! It’s pretty fun.
How have you sourced your local food? Share in the comments if you have other ideas!
Chadwick Grass Farms 