Our Road to "Organic" Living: Where do we get our food?

While our transition to a more organic lifestyle has stretched to many aspects of our lives and home, the kitchen is where our "organic" journey began. There are so many toxins, chemicals, pesticides, hormones in today's food; all of these toxins in our body are causing problems! We want the things we put in our bodies to help our body, not hurt our health. Our goal is to eat only REAL food!

Our family also started noticing several problems with food allergies and intolerances. The food allergies sped us along on our journey to "organic"; because of this, we probably traveled farther down the "organic" path than we ever imagined! We hoped to buy from local farmers or organic for all of our food sources, I just didn't realize it was possible!

Many people ask, where do you get all of this "organic" food?

• Local Farmers
• Timmons Family - We purchase beef from a local family (they also raise chickens and pigs).
• Dairy Co-op for cow milk, goat milk and eggs (6 families take turns driving to a farm in Missouri to pick up the week's milk for the group)
• Farmer's market or local produce stand (our town only has these Spring-Early Fall)

• Gardening - We grow our our produce in our backyard raised bed (Square Foot Gardens).
• We buy seeds from Baker's Creek Seed Company
• We buy starter plants from Azure Standard*, the local farmer's market, and occasionally Home Depot. 
• We grow spinach & lettuce, root vegetables (radishes, beets, carrots, potatoes), tomatoes, peppers, herbs (basil, thyme, rosemary, cilantro), sugar snap & snow peas, butternut & spaghetti squash. It's amazing what you can grow in your backyard!!

• Local health food stores (Kountry Kupboard and Health Food Store-Stone Street)
• Grains, oats, oat flour, gluten free items, vitamins
• Azure Standard - this is a once a month order. Several families order by a certain date and pick up their order at a local meeting place, once a month. Let me know if you're interested in ordering this month and I can give you the details. Here are some of the items we purchase through Azure:
• Fresh and frozen produce (often at less cost than Sam's Club!)
• Goat milk products (yogurt and kefir)
• Elderberry powder and juice
• Nut butters
• We've purchased organic chicken here, but found it cheaper at Sam's Club.
• Starter plants for our garden
• Dairy free coconut milk ice cream (they have a lot of dairy free food options)
• Molasses, raw Apple Cider Vinegar (Can also be found at Kroger)
• Soaper's Choice - This is where I get my coconut oil in bulk.
• Raw is the healthiest type and has lots of great health benefits (I put this in smoothies, baby formula, & use to make chocolate). ID# 59507SC 
• Refined - great for baking and frying ID# 59707SC
• Country Life - This is a special order that needs to be arranged with our local contact. I purchase grains, nuts, seeds from them. Can also get organic canned goods, cereals, beans, produce and other bulk products.
• Sam's Club - We still get several products, some produce (onions, bananas, etc), and organic whole chickens from Sam's Club. 
• Amazon - Great place to order diapers (I didn't go "organic" in the diaper department), paper products, batteries, teas, water filters, vitamins/supplements for our homemade goat milk baby formula, gluten free items, soaps and ingredients for homemade laundry detergent.

I hope these resources help your family make the switch to REAL organic food!

More blogs in this series coming soon... 
"REAL" food and organic cleaning supplies!