Where does your food come from??

[joyfulheart]

Just wondering where you all get your food from? 

Grocery stores?  Co-ops?  Farmer's Markets?  CSA's?  Grow it yourself?  Where else???

We get most of our food from our local co-op and farmer's market (Seattle has a year-round one, though it's so much more exciting in the summer!), and I guess we grow a few things ourselves.  Last year we did a CSA, but I wasn't crazy it.  I mean, I loved going to the farm so much, but the veggies weren't my favorite, though I did learn to love radishes enough to plant some this year in our garden.

Peace ~

[cristeen]

Most fruit/veg come from a CSA. I'll buy something additional if I have plans for it at the mkt. Our Farmers Mkt is year-round, and thats where i get eggs and where i was getting (raw) milk, (pastured) meats and Hawaiian coffee. The coffee vendor is gone and ive joined a CSA for my meat and have a herd share for milk.

I'll also hit Trader Joes and WF and a local independent grocery to fill in the gaps (i can get cheese and butter at the mkt, but thats one of my compromises for budgetary reasons). I do my bulk shopping at a locally owned HFS.

[Alyantavid]

I grow most of my own fruits and veggies.  I do shop the farmer's market during the summer, but we have a pretty short growing season so I do preserve all that I can in the summer.  Anything that I can get free or cheap (u-pick farms, friend's gardens, etc), I do this with.

Meat, we raise ourselves or buy in bulk through dh's work.  I buy some fresh fruit at the store during the winter. 

ETA: eggs we get for free from dh's aunt's chickens.  Dairy and honey we get through a little shop run by some people who have a small, mostly grassfed dairy.  It's non-homogenized and "almost organic".  The honey is local and raw.

Edited by Alyantavid - 4/28/11 at 7:00am

[Ldavis24]

we are growing lots of tomatoes, herbs and some other veggies this. We have free ranging chickens for their eggs and I am processing our own meat birds as well. During the seasons we exclusively buy all fruits/veggies/breads/honeys/jams and other meats beside chicken at farmers markets..They are all opening back up next weekend! Dairy is tough, the closest raw dairy is over an hour away, gas prices make it not possible so we buy organic milk etc at a local health food store.

During the winter we do the grocery store because I haven't figured out a better solution. We don't do csa type things I prefer to check out what is good/fresh weekly at the markets. 

eventually more and more food will be grown/raised by myself so we will need to shop less and less.

[limette]

Right now we produce all our meat, eggs and dairy. When the weather cooperates we hope to add most of our produce to that. Fruit is going to be from farmer's markets until we can get trees in and producing. I'm hoping to switch from sugar to local honey and then the rest (spices, baking stuff) will come from the grocery store.

[sagewinna]

We have eggs delivered by a local lady once a week who pampers her chickens. She spoils me, she leaves me flowers sometimes!

We do a bulk order through Untied Natural Foods every other month.

We go to Trader Joe's 1-2 times a month for tofu, pita bread and a few other things.

Once in a while I go to the grocery store, but not often, maybe once a month.

We have a CSA delivery once a week, and we garden.

I go to Costco once a month (dog and cat food, organic produce, misc stuff). I also have a Discount Grocery Outlet nearby that I go to once a month, they have organic stuff most of the time, and I stock up on what they have that I use (like agave nectar), but you never know what they'll have.

[CoBabyMaker]

Most of ours comes from the grocery store  (raley's, TJ's and costco)  I joined a CSA which is just greens and eggs right now.  In another month we will get more variety from it.  I am hoping in the fall we can get some lamb from some friends that raise them and some cow from a local family.  For now though, it's the grocery store and I am trying to be content with that.  I wish our farmer's markets were good here but they are a lot more expensive for conventional than what I can get organic in stores.

[BetsyS]

We have a garden, but it does not provide all our produce.  From this time of year through fall, maybe 50% or so.  Right now, we have greens and herbs mostly. 

During the summer, I hit our local tailgate market, and we buy some of our produce there.  The rest of the produce we eat comes from one of two big international markets.  One is international in focus, and one is sort of half international/half people who like good food focused.  They have great prices, good turnover, and things are very, very fresh.  I buy meats there, too.

For dry goods, I buy some stuff in bulk (grains, beans, spices) at the international market.  The other stuff and dairy comes from a regular grocery store.  I usually go to Publix, Kroger, Ingles, or Aldis.   Depends on what is on sale and what I need.

Trader Joes is a treat for us, and I'll occasionally buy something there.  We have another similar store that is a regional chain, and again, I'll buy stuff there rarely.  And every now and then, there is a reason to go to Whole Foods.  But, probably only 5% of our groceries. 

[HollyBearsMom]

It varies a lot by season with winter being the biggest challenge. These are listed in order of frequency/quantity of good purchased

Late Fall/Winter/Early Spring:

Whole Foods

Local Butcher

Trader Joes

Stop and Shop

Speciality food/health food stores

Wholesale Club (rarely)

Late Spring/Summer/ Early Fall:

Farmers Markets

Farm Share

Whole Foods

Local butcher

Our own garden

Trader Joes

Stop and Shop

Speciality food/health food stores

neighbor (amazing garden, chickens, etc)

Wholesale Club (rarely)

 

[Gator-mom]

This is something I struggle with sometimes, because I WANT to get all of my food from a CSA or local farmer's market all the time, but we are low income, and unfortunately, sometimes the regular old grocery store is all we can afford.  We did invest in a CSA this summer, and we are trying to get a patio garden going this year.  I am hoping to do a lot of canning and keep some of that local food in my pantry in the colder part of the year!

[laohaire]

I just crunched this number this morning. Where our food dollars go varies by season. Right now it's a low-local food season, and we spent almost exactly 25% of our food budget on local farm food in April. This doesn't count food already purchased and stored, though (I still have last season's carrots, plus I was eating last season's potatoes through March, etc.).

And while I will grow a summer crop, I don't have a spring garden. Next year, maybe.

Farmer's markets aren't open around here yet, but they are making noises about opening soon, couple weeks or so.