I shop on the internet. I know this doesn't sound like a shocking confession, most folks these days buy stuff from the great mall that is "The Internet", but I buy the sorts of things that most people like to at least fondle a bit before forking over thier money. Things like a refrigerator, a lawn mower (more on that another time), and groceries.
Yup, I buy my food from the internet.
But, but, but, you're hippies! You should be buying stuff from the farmers' market and getting your milk from places that you can pet the cows. You keep chickens! You should know the value of local food.
Before you're world view gets all spinny: I've read Michael Pollan too, and we try really hard to eat local food (mostly plants.)
We belong to two local food co-ops, both of which we order from on the internet. (Yes, even sedate ole Williamsburg is hip enough to warrent TWO co-ops.) One gives us mostly produce and the occasional chicken which we pick up once a week, and the other we get our milk and soap and occasionally other fun stuff from every other week.
Then there's the beef, we buy grass fed beef from heritage cows, from a guy on the internet. We place an order every 8 or 9 months, and it comes frozen in neat portions. We also buy a lamb every year, but that's from a local cheese maker and we do that over the phone.
That leaves very little that we aren't buying local. Mostly staples like wine, dried beans, toilet paper, mustard. (We like mustard.) That little bit I order online through our grocery store and pick up after work. They even have a call box outside the store so I don't have to go in or anything.
Keep in mind that we do have a reasonable budget we need to stick to, or things like the mortgage won't get paid. And the mortgage company likes it when we pay them. I like to shoot for $80 a week, which includes aforementioned wine, so $20 in food - just kidding, sort of.
All of my "shopping" is done by other people. Once a week I decide what we're going to eat and when then I order it all from the co-ops and the grocery store AFTER ZANE HAS GONE TO BED. Then I just swing by the various pickup spots after work before I grab the critter from daycare. Easy, convenient, and local. I don't even have to hit the over crowded, dog riddled, stroller clogged farmer's market on Saturday mornings.
Yup, I buy my food from the internet.
But, but, but, you're hippies! You should be buying stuff from the farmers' market and getting your milk from places that you can pet the cows. You keep chickens! You should know the value of local food.
Before you're world view gets all spinny: I've read Michael Pollan too, and we try really hard to eat local food (mostly plants.)
We belong to two local food co-ops, both of which we order from on the internet. (Yes, even sedate ole Williamsburg is hip enough to warrent TWO co-ops.) One gives us mostly produce and the occasional chicken which we pick up once a week, and the other we get our milk and soap and occasionally other fun stuff from every other week.
Then there's the beef, we buy grass fed beef from heritage cows, from a guy on the internet. We place an order every 8 or 9 months, and it comes frozen in neat portions. We also buy a lamb every year, but that's from a local cheese maker and we do that over the phone.
That leaves very little that we aren't buying local. Mostly staples like wine, dried beans, toilet paper, mustard. (We like mustard.) That little bit I order online through our grocery store and pick up after work. They even have a call box outside the store so I don't have to go in or anything.
Keep in mind that we do have a reasonable budget we need to stick to, or things like the mortgage won't get paid. And the mortgage company likes it when we pay them. I like to shoot for $80 a week, which includes aforementioned wine, so $20 in food - just kidding, sort of.
All of my "shopping" is done by other people. Once a week I decide what we're going to eat and when then I order it all from the co-ops and the grocery store AFTER ZANE HAS GONE TO BED. Then I just swing by the various pickup spots after work before I grab the critter from daycare. Easy, convenient, and local. I don't even have to hit the over crowded, dog riddled, stroller clogged farmer's market on Saturday mornings.