Grocery shopping is interesting at our house.  Rarely these days do we go to a regular grocery store.  I’ve managed to piece together several different sources where we can get quality food at prices that are often lower than the grocery store.

 We purchase milk and eggs directly from a farmer about 1 1/2 hours from our house.  The farmer delivers our order and several other families orders to our house once per month.  The milk is not certified organic, but they do use organic practices.  The eggs are from ranging chickens, who get to peck at the ground eating bugs, so their eggs are large, deep yellow and really nutritious.  The farm has a little store where they carry food that is healthful for those following the Weston A. Price Foundation guidelines for diet.  There’s raw milk cheeses, lacto-fermented foods, sea salt, natural sweetners, and sprouted grain breads to choose from.

Another source of year-round food for us is our natural foods co-op.  We buy from Natural Farms, a natural foods distributor out of Madison.  This order is also monthly, and we buy many things in bulk, saving on packaging and pricing.

We have hooked in with other folks who occasionally make runs for natural meats–Amish raised chickens, turkeys (in fall), chicken brats–and sometimes eggs, too.  I also buy coconut oil from another co-operative group about 2-3 times per year.

 In season, the Farmers’ Market is about the most fun way to grocery shop ever.  It’s like a festival every Saturday.  There are some good ones in the area.  Appleton has a lovely market, and the market in Madison is worth the drive.  I’d love to see comments from folks with their favorite markets.

Of course, since I work there, The Red Radish is a place where we get food, too.

 We finally own a piece of property that gets enough sun to attempt having a garden, so we will hopefully see a bountiful harvest of tomatoes and peppers there this season.

Some of our favorite local farms are:

  • Cattleana Ranch:  grass raised beef, pork and lamb.  CSA for meats and produce
  • Prospera Farm: growing “moreganic” produce, available at the Appleton market
  • Park Ridge Farm: certified organic, available at the Appleton market
  • Keune Authentic: growing produce biodynamically, CSA available.  also distributes other farmers’ produce
  • Makes Scents: growing sunflower greens, pea shoots, and distributing other healthful products

So, lots of people ask why I do all this.  I love the community around food.  I love the connection with other people who wish to purchase quality foods for their families, and who are concerned for the impact our food raising has on the earth.  I’ve learned a lot from many of these folks, gotten to know them over the years, and it’s a joy to greet them and purchase my food from them.  I don’t have that kind of connection to our food if I go to a big box grocery store.  While I’m not a purist (I do buy avocadoes, citrus fruits, bananas, etc), I like that much of our food is local. 

I welcome comments from folks who have their own great sources of food, so that we can share.