Where do you live and where do you buy your food?

[mdmc]

for your consideration - buy local, and at union shops when possible. And save money.
Please take a look.
http://journals.democraticunderground.com/mdmc/204

[LeftyMom]

1. I do most of my shopping at our local food co-op, which is member owned and a union workplace

Their prices are better than other health food places, the selection is very good, and the staff is just insanely helpful.

[spag68]

2. shopping

Here on LIsland, I shop mostly at Waldbaums, and it is a union shop.

[napi21]

3. I live in North Ga., and although you would think there would be a lot

of farm stands & farmers markets, there aren't! I monitor all the weekly ads and plan my meals around what's on special. I buy most of my groceries at the closest supermarket, even though they are not the cheapest place, becaue the cost of gas to got to the others doesn't make it advantageous. When some need arises that I need to go to another larger area where there is a Costco I take advantage of the trip by going there to buy some things that are very well priced compared to all other markets. I've also planted a larger garden this year with the vegies we usually eat, and I even tried potatoes grown in plastic trash bags. So far they are doing very well!!! I can't wait to see the harvest! I don't buy any prepared foods, and make everything from scratch, including bread & buns. I bought a bread maker from ebay for $20 including shipping and it's much better than that stuff in the bag at the grocery store and much cheaper than buying from the bakery!!!

[truedelphi]

11. Bread baking is a great thing to do

You can ensure there's no monosdoium glutamtate, and it makes the house smell like heaven.

We don't have a bread maker, as I find it a great way to releive stress. If either of us can ever find work, we might have to concede, and do it that way.

[napi21]

12. I've tried many times to make breads without the breadmaker,

but I failed every time!!! I have no idea what I do wrong, but I think it's kinda like having a green thumb. You can either grow plants or you can't! I haven't done well with growing plants either!!!! I'm sooo excited because I have an african violet that has managed somehow to survive ME for EIGHT YEARS! It even finally bloomed a few days ago after all those years. I do fine with a garden outside, but indoor plants...my son bought me a cactus once because he said he was told you can kill them. I DID!

[truedelphi]

14. I may be "upping" you in the bread dept, but the non- green thumb thing

We share!!

My husband's newly planted cilantro, green beans, fava beans, squash etc are all sprouting along nicely.

My moss roses and my poppies netted exactly two seedlings, both of which were chopped down by bugs within days of their birth.

Thinking about this, I realize I might have to make some bread tomorrow. I'll wait until he's outside, acting wondrously proud about his garden.

The bread might allow his remarks about the missing flowers to take less effect.

And it is gonna be weeks before we can eat his planted veggies. The bread will be ready by dinner.

[NightWatcher]

20. you are not too far from Jaemor Farms north of Gainseville on 985

it's worth a drive every week or so for fresh fruit and veggies that are most often grown on premises

http://www.jamsjellies.com/

I miss getting to go there now that I'm in South Georgia

[RebelOne]

21. I live in North Georgia also, in Woodstock.

And the nearest farm stand is about a mile from my house, but it doesn't carry too much.

[Blue_In_AK]

4. Costco and usually Fred Meyer (Kroger)

which sells a lot of local produce, plus I grow my own in the summer.

[littlebit]

5. We live in central NC

We buy most of our stuff from Costco. About twice a month we go to the farmers market in Greensboro.

[Mz Pip]

6. I buy local

for my fruits and veggies. We have a local produce market that is wonderful. I buy my meat and frozen stuff, paper products, soap, etc. from Costco and do other day to day shopping at Trader Joes.

I haven't been in a supermarket in months.

[Lyric]

7. I live in West Virginia

and I buy what I can afford. Sometimes it's local, sometimes it isn't.

Also, I could never go All Local--the thought of life without pineapples is just too depressing to contemplate.

[cmf]

8. All sorts of places

I live in a small town near Seattle. We belong to a CSA, so most of our produce during the growing season comes from there. We have two family-owned stores within walking distance. I round it out with loss-leaders at the local Safeway. I feel pretty fortunate to have so many choices close to home.

[mdmc]

17. what is a CSA?

:kick:

[cyberswede]

22. Community Supported Agriculture

We love it! We pay the farmer up front for the summer and get a share of fresh produce delivered once a week.
It's $10 a week for a "half-share" for about 22 weeks. The stuff is picked Monday, and we get it Tuesday - super fresh and yummy!
The food we get is whatever is in season. So far this year, we've gotten radishes, early ruby lettuce and other greens, bok choy, and wheat (which we grind into flour). They also occasionally give us herb plants (cilantro, basil, etc) in little pots that we can replant and use all summer. Later this summer, we'll get cucumbers, tomatoes, potatoes, corn, zucchini, kohlrabi, cabbage - whatever is in season.

Find a CSA farm in your area:
http://www.localharvest.org/csa/

[mdmc]

25. thanks for the link my friend

:toast:

[AndyTiedye]

9. It is Relatively Easy to Buy Local if You Live in California

Things like those Driscolls raspberries that you find in supermarkets all over the country ARE pretty much local for us.
Same goes for many of the veggies.

We used to get our fruits and veggies from a place that you placed the order on-line and they delivered once a week.
All organic, and their site would tell you exactly where (and how far away) everything was grown.
They aren't doing it anymore, unfortnuately :(

Lately, we have been noticing that the prices in the chain stores have been going up faster than the independent grocers,
and that even some really up-scale independents are now sometimes cheaper. Better quality too.

[dysfunctional press]

10. chicago suburbs...usually it's jewel for meat/deli, and meier or supertarget for everything else

i wish that there was a dominick's nearby, but there isn't.

my neighbor has recently turned me on to a fairly local butcher shop- where the meat is local, fresh and fantastic- so i'll probably start going there.

[rch35]

13. Northern california way up by oregon, usually shop at safeway

its a union shop, but its a shitty union, which i know by personal experience having worked there.

[Lydia Leftcoast]

15. I live in an urban village type of neighborhood and buy most of my

food at a food co-op that is about two blocks away. They get as much of their food as possible from local producers.

[Fox Mulder]

16. I live in a small town and I have two choices...

a Wal-Mart or a regional store. I would shop at the regional store, but their prices are higher than that of Wal-Mart. I hate Wal-Mart, but I'm also dirt poor, so I need to save money.

Once I get a better job and make better money, then I'll shop at the local co-op.

[watercolors]

18. Fl., sunseed co-op and farmers market

Also have a garden, and shop at a local Hayes meat market, and get my fish at seafood markets at Port Canaveral,also fish alot, for staples shop B J's. Its all good. haven't been in a local supermarket in years.

[Vinca]

19. Southern New Hampshire and I plan to go shopping in my garden

in a few minutes. For non-garden items I go to a grocery store a mere 3 miles away and an organic foods store every couple of weeks. There's also a farmer's market twice a week, but since I grow my own I don't go.

[deaniac21]

23. I grow virtually all I need at home.

[fight4my3sons]

24. Hi mdmc!

I'm in Maine and I usually shop at Shaw's or Hannaford. Now I go to the farmer's market too.

When I was in NY I went to Stop & Shop, Adams and right to the local farms. My mom's husband worked at Greig Farm most of his life. Now he runs a farm out in Stanfordville, they have a big pumpkin patch in the fall.

I never went to your journal before. I notice you have Storm King on there. My husband and I used to hike up there a lot. Our first date was actually a hike up there and then to a pizza place in Cornwall-on-Hudson that served pizza on a board.

[CanonRay]

26. In the mountains of S. Colorado

We buy most of our groceries at a grocery chain in the nearest town, but also fresh veggies & fruit at a summer long farmer's marker. We grow our own tomatoes, about all that will grow up here. We do try to shop at Costco whenever we're in Denver, maybe once every two months.