Most of us enjoy going to farmers markets to buy produce and fresh flowers during the summer months. And, if you’re lucky enough to live near a good farmer’s market that features naturally raised beef, lamb, and chicken, well, that’s even better!
But even if you’re roving farmers markets with cloth bags every weekend, most folks still rely on traditional grocery stores for the bulk of their meat and poultry needs.
I’m convinced there’s a better way. For over five years I’ve been buying meat and poultry exclusively from local farmers. And I’m pretty sure that, with a little internet sleuthing, most of you can do the same.
Here’s how to find local farm goodies – and why you’d want to.
How to find farmers near you
The thought of a farmer in overalls tapping away on a laptop makes me chuckle, but you’d be surprised how many farms have web sites and email lists. Google “grass fed beef” and the name of your city or state and see what comes up.
There are also a slew of natural food lovers who’ve created sites and search engines to connect us with local farmers.
- Real Milk is a Weston A. Price campaign that advocates raw milk products for better health and well-being. Their search page will help you find raw milk sources near you.
- Eat Wild is a site that connects people to safe, healthy, natural and nutritious grass-fed beef, lamb, goats, bison, poultry, pork, dairy and other wild edibles.
- Use LocalHarvest to find farmers’ markets, family farms, and other sources of sustainably grown food in your area.
- The Eat Well Guide will help you find local, sustainable, organic farmers, bakers, butchers, wholesalers, and more. All near you.
Most farmers do scheduled drop offs around metro areas. Mine makes a drop just a few blocks from my home on the first Monday of every month.
Alternatively, you may be able to pick up your goods directly from the farm.
Reasons to buy direct from farmers
Once you enjoy the freshness and quality of meat, poultry, eggs, and raw dairy from a local farmer, you’ll never go back to Jewel or Kroger’s. Even the mighty Whole Foods pales in comparison.
My farmer’s eggs are seven days old when she delivers them to a drop point near my home; compare that to the six-month-old eggs on the typical grocery shelf.
If that’s not convincing enough, consider that, with most local farmers,
- Your food will be humanely raised and processed
No factory farming or horrendous conditions for the animals. The farmers I buy from let their animals roam free in their natural environments. At times, I wish I could be vegetarian, but my body needs the nourishment of animals. I’m always grateful for their sacrifice, and I feel better knowing they didn’t suffer unnecessarily. - Your food will be free of hormones, pesticides, antibiotics, and other toxic chemicals
I recommend finding farmers that let their cows graze on grass, as nature intended, producing meat that is lower in fat and high in CLA’s which are good for us. Unfortunately, most conventional beef is corn-fed, leaving the animals in a sickened and less nutritionally dense state. I visited Central America this past winter and saw their beef cattle grazing the fields; at night I ate some of the best steaks of my life. In the USA we pride ourselves on high-tech farming, but at what price?
- You support small industry
I like shaking my farmer’s hand and knowing that I’m helping her business succeed. She’s also helped me find rare cuts of meat like lamb kidneys or chicken feet. I spend a lot on raw butter and other dairy products, but I feel good knowing that it supports a family that doesn’t just think about profit. They’re doing right by the environment, the animal, and the consumer. - You can get unique (sometimes illegal), health-giving products
Buying raw dairy products is illegal in Illinois. As a workaround, I’ve joined “cow share” programs, which enables me to buy these products legally because I’m a co-investor in local farms. As a result, I can buy raw cow, goat, and sheep milk, cream, butter, yogurt, kefir and cheeses. These products are absolutely delicious – and hugely nourishing. The natural, helpful enzymes aid in digestion and assimilation. These days, I’m on the raw butter and my husband drinks raw whole milk and we’re both better for it.
How about you? Do you buy directly from local farmers? Have you noticed a difference in the quality, taste, and your own health? What are your favorite products?
This is a blog about triumph.
{ 8 comments… read them below or add one }
I support a small local farmer with a CSA weekly purchase. I also go to my farmer’s market to purchase grassfed beef, soy-free eggs, and soy-free chicken. I am lucky enough that I can purchase raw milk and cheese from my natural foods store. It’s great that you can find ways around the system in your state!
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Hi Erica,
You must live in California… lucky! But yes, I’m so grateful we can find ways to make things work :).
I still can’t find soy-free eggs/chicken. That hasn’t seemed to catch on here yet. Do you notice a big taste difference?
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No taste difference. It’s more of how I react to them. Last time I had three eggs from soy-fed chickens, I had a racing heart and felt sick. I am allergic to soy, so much so that eating a little chocolate with soy lecithin in it causes me to react. But then again, I don’t advocate eating soy as a real food. It’s too bad alot of our mainstream food sources eat it (and GMO corn).
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I know! That’s what bums me out about eating out at restaurants. All of the vegetable oils… canola and soybean oil in particular! I hope the public soon realizes that we aren’t supposed to be eating all of these manufactored and rancid oils. Good old fashioned butter is the way to go!
That’s pretty intense in regards to your soy reaction. Do you react to miso?
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Soy free eggs? Sounds like the next frontier of CSA / meat shares. After all, if soy’s bad for us, how can it be good for the chickens (who eventually go into us)?
Again and again, it’s clear to me that we need to get back to farming basics. There are no shortcuts.
A prime example of someone who does it right is Polyface Farms, whom Michael Pollan mentioned in Omnivore’s Dilemma.
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I have not eaten any soy intentionally for three years now. I have not tried miso, although I have heard that fermented soy is easier to digest because the phytic acids are broken down. My typical reaction to soy is to break capillaries internally in my eye and fingers. And, with alot of soy being GMO, I’m not sure if it is a good thing to experiment. It just means that I miss eating Asian food!
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Good for you Erica! Given your reactions, I think you’re wise to abstain from all forms of soy.
Here’s a recipe for “mock” soy sauce that I just read about it Raman Prasad’s “Recipes for the Specific Carbohydrate Diet” for when you want to indulge your Asian food cravings
SCD Asian Sauce
1/4 c. red wine vinegar
4 tb of honey
1/4 tsp minced ginger
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
2 cloves garlic, finely punded
3 c. water
1 tsp sea salt
Combine all ingredients in a small stovetop pan and cook over medium heat for 15 to 20 minutes, until reduced to 1/2 to 2/3 cup. Enjoy on your favorite Asian dishes. Bottle and store remainder in the refrigerator for up to 2 week.
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Thanks for the recipe! I have not tried to find a sub for soy sauce, but maybe this could work. I will give it a shot and let you know what I think. Thank you!
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