Quick Resources to Find Local Food, Farms, Markets, Stands, Co-ops

katkitty · ‎03-10-2010

In light of the recent revelation : That Whole Foods quietly agreed to drop waste grown {sewer sludge} produce, {....."he found out last year about the practice of spreading dried human and industrial waste as "fertilizer" on food crops. Certified Organic food cannot be grown in sewage sludge -- or "biosolids," the PR euphemism used by the sewage sludge industry.} http://www.prwatch.org/news/2012/12/11618/dont-ask-dont-tell-concerned-citizen-uncovers-whole-foods-...

I thought I'd post this list.

Not all the hubs will be organic, some are just local. Some don't provide raw milk but could lead you there. Some have other resources like healthy body care, organic delivery or restaurants serving your favorite farm finds worth looking into.

Quick Resources to Find Local Food, Farms, Markets, Stands, Co-ops

Real Milk Finder - Also from Weston A. Price, this locator could help you to your raw milk and dairy herd share source. Please keep in mind, raw milk availability really depends on your state laws. And not all of the herd share programs are listed there.
http://www.realmilk.com/real-milk-finder/

LocalDirt - Helps you buy right from the farm. It's also a marketplace that allows you to sell and trade. Got eggs? Sell them to your neighbors here. It also allows groups and co-ops to set up bulk orders right there. This one is worth revisiting time and again to check out all its features.
http://www.localdirt.com/

FarmMatch - Unique because whoever you are, you can put yourself on the map to be matched with producers in your area. Create your food profile today.
https://www.farmmatch.com/

Farmerspal - Click the map or your state to find organic, markets, grocers, online shopping and more. Make sure you like their Facebook page for other great resources.
http://www.farmerspal.com/

Pick-A-Pepper - Real local food right at your fingertips. Use your zip to find your farmer or food artisan AND become a vendor.
https://www.pick-a-pepper.com/

Eat Wild - #1 website for all things grass fed. Their map includes Canada and connects you with grassfed wild foods, even companies who ship directly to you.
http://www.eatwild.com/

LocalHarvest - Another mapping site that allows you to find CSAs, Co-ops, open farms, markets, delis, stores and more. Thankfully, it's been around for awhile. Unfortunately, that could mean some of the info is outdated. Always good to call ahead - don't be afraid to talk to farm specialists.
http://www.localharvest.org/

Homegrown.org - Created by FarmAid (another educational farm source), offers lots of education and provided some of the links in this article. It also has its own map to find local fare. FarmAid also has a list of open Winter Markets worth checking. They also list two maps to find wild catch and pastured cattle and dairy farms. Local Catch and HomeGrownCow.
http://www.homegrown.org/

Organic Consumers Association - Plug your zip code in and you'll be in touch with not just healthy GMO-free food sources but all kinds of natural health businesses - even skin care, acupuncture and more.
http://organicconsumers.org/btc/BuyingGuide.cfm

RealTimeFarms - Nicely designed, simple to use map shows farmers, artisans, restaurants, markets and more right in your town. Also search by ingredient or certified organic. Very eye-opening!
http://www.realtimefarms.com/

FarmPlate - Holy cow! Find everything in your area including apiaries, bakeries, stands, herbalists, confectioners and more. They've got it all.
http://www.farmplate.com/about-us

Market Maker - Is another cool marketplace to buy and sell healthy homegrown.
http://www.marketmaker.uiuc.edu/

EatWellGuide - Find local sustainable food. Is supported by lots of big partners so you know the locator will work great.
http://www.eatwellguide.org/i.php?pd=Home

Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food - This comes from the USDA in an effort to be more "sustainable" and local. Maybe it's to deflect from the tens of billions of dollars going into Big Agri subsidies, the small farm crushing fines of the Food Safety Act, or the GMO deregulation that will run roughshod over local and organic fare. It makes me nervous that the federal government wants to get super cozy with local and have it compassed on a map. But, it does offer a stunning visual of a variety of farms and markets, not just USDA supported ones. You can also find markets near you here. Enjoy it - you paid for it.
http://www.usda.gov/wps/portal/usda/usdahome?contentidonly=true&contentid=KYF_Compass_Local_Food_Not...

EatLocalGrown - Wouldn't it be great to know if your food has GMOs or not? Eat Local Grown agrees and locates sources near you. They also have informative beginner's articles, new food provider listings, and over 50,000 Likes on Facebook.
http://eatlocalgrown.com/

Stronger Together Co-op - Find just food co-ops all over the US.
http://strongertogether.coop/all-coops/

Food Routes - Has an outreach called Buy Fresh, Buy Local with chapter leaders who will help you do just that.
http://foodroutes.org/buy-fresh-buy-local/bfbl-chapters/

WWOOF - World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms is a buddy to Permies.com (awesome permaculture resource) and a volunteer exchange. People volunteer to learn and work an organic farm and they can get room and board in exchange. Some would call it a free vacation. It's an opportunity to travel, see what it takes to cultivate, and...find a
farm!
http://www.wwoof.net/

Farmshed CNY - This focuses on the New York area but it is so comprehensive, if it grows beyond it could be the most thorough finder known. Type your city and search up to a 50-mile radius.
http://directory.farmshedcny.com/

Meetup - This seems like a weird place to get the connections but it makes sense. Meetup allows groups to safely connect online and publicly meet to enjoy hobbies, clubs, politics, education - anything. It's just people meeting up, doing what they love, learning or just having fun - I attribute so many happy, life-changing times to this website. Wherever people who are passionate about their lifestyle meet, you are sure to pick up a wealth
of resources and support. You should check it out to find like-minded people and get out there.
http://www.meetup.com/

Weston A Price Chapter Leaders -Passionate people who give their time to connect you to your CSA and quite possibly raw milk and dairy. They will have the latest sources. Weston A. Price Foundation is a wealth of knowledge for traditional foods and health.
westonaprice.org/local-chapters/find-local-chapter
site is very slow loading; you can always just google and find the specific chapter in your state.

kitty4me · ‎03-21-2010

Hello katkitty, I want to thank you for sharing this most helpful information. I plan on saving this thread. I live in Texas and try to eat Organic majority of the time. I shop at Whole foods for my grass fed beef. I also purchase my Cheeses there, what I didn't know that some Cheeses use Rennet and Whole Foods carries some cheeses made without Rennet and I do purchase that. I really like Whole Foods and they opened a new beautiful Store yesterday and it's huge. They even have fire pits outside where you can sit and eat. I also buy Organic at Farmer Markets that sell Organic Vegetables. Once again thank you for sharing.