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how and where do you shop?
Ok, so going off of the thread that talked about which foods to avoid, how and where do you shop to make sure you are getting the best food? Do you shop at one store and the farmers market, or do you go to multiple stores every week? Do you stock up at certain stores when you are there? Do you buy certain items online, or have a box come to your house every week?
My town has 3 farmers markets (which are pretty dead in winter but booming in the summer), several locally-owned natural food stores, two Whole Foods, a Trader Joe's, etc. One store may carry local grass fed beef, while another carries local eggs and milk, while one has the best prices on pantry items, and another has the best selection of organic produce. Too often, grocery shopping involves running around to several different stores (fortunately, most are on the same street near my home, so I'm not really wasting gas doing it). In the summer last year, my shopping also involved driving across town every week to pick up my CSA box. It can get a bit tiring, but it seems like the only way to eat as organic and local as possible and not spend a fortune. We don't have a house, so we can't grow much of our own food or have a big freezer to buy meat from a farmer once a year.
I want to make sure I am buying locally and organic, but sometimes I pick up items that aren't, because I'm already at the store and don't want to drive to another one (or two). So how do you do it?
Re: how and where do you shop?
I generally shop at three stores as well--and when I need Farmers Market stuff, then that adds a fourth stop as well. I do plan my trips though, and one of the markets we frequent, we run up to and walk home from, and the other is walkable if we don't have much to carry home. As far as the FM goes, it's right by my work, so I'll usually plan some extra time going to work (I work a lot of weekend) to stop at the FM first. Work is nice enough to let me keep my stuff in the walk-ins when I have perishable items.
Also, I love grocery shopping--I could walk up and down every aisle of every grocery store (even the ones I don't frequent) and have a grand old time.
I rotate where I shop. I don't have time to shop at 5 stores every week or two!
I prefer to do most of my shopping at PCC which is a local co-op somewhat like Whole Foods (not that Whole Foods is a co-op, but rather in what it carries, only better!).
Then I 'sprinkle' in random stops at other places, like Trader Joe's or my produce market. When the farmer's market that's most convenient to me is open its hard for me not to stop there weekly, and then that time of year there's the produce stand and I stop there too often too.
Anyhow, I just try to get most of what I need at PCC, or sometimes I'll go to Whole Foods as its more convenient, or on purpose for products they carry that PCC doesn't (or vice versa). I can get the bulk of what I need at either store (and no, without spending a ton of money, it doesn't have to be Whole Paycheck!), then I might go to Minkler's (a local store) where I buy a lot of bulk grains and get a LOT so I don't go there again for a long time. And then later in the month, as I'm running out of stuff that's fresh, I'll run by the produce market. They also have a meat market, but I don't eat much meat, and I usually have frozen shrimp in the freezer, so that's not a big factor for me.
I can actually manage to shop only twice a month, two stores only, and get by, but I start getting sick of stuff. I'm not very good with nonperishables.
I get most of my vegetables from my CSAs. (once a week pickup in the summer, every other week in the winter).
Milk, eggs, and meat from my herdshare farm. (once a week pickup)
Grains once a month or so from the health food store.
Other random stuff I get at my local grocery store - I work right across the street so it's easy enough to pick stuff up on my lunch hour. But generally I don't eat a lot of packaged foods.
I try to do most of my shopping between Trader Joe's, our local natural foods market and *maybe* WF depending on price. Safeway is a last option, because there sometimes are items that we can't get at any of these storse (trying to ween ourselves off Coffeemate, but it's hard!)
I always look at the stores ads so I know what's on sales and try to meal-plan accordingly...I have pretty much memorized what TJ's has and at what price, so I go around that, too. Yes, my grocery shopping takes a while because I stop at 3 stores, but it's worth it.
Learning to start all over again... Blog
We shop at the farmers' market for veggies and fruit 3x/wk since its on the way home (we bicycle commute), the rest of the time its at our local, independent and most awesome grocery store (Berkeley Bowl).
I get my microwave lunches from Trader Joe's and Safeway.
On average - about 4-5 trips a week, but all of the above are less than 3 miles from our house and a 5 minute bike ride at most.
We get our meat and eggs from the farmer's market year round.
In spring/summer/fall, we get as many of our veggies as possible from the farmer's market.
Everything else is from the natural foods co-op.
There are rare occasions where we have to go to the conventional store for something random that the co-op doesn't carry. Most recently was jumbo pasta shells for a potluck thing we went to.
Tired after a long morning of hiking and swimming.
When I first started shopping this way, I did frequent as many as 6 different stores/shops/markets. I think the best way I've cut down on this is by simplifying.
I'm lucky in that we have a farmer's market at the end of my block that's open year round. I get all our veggies there when our CSA is not in season, as well as bread if I don't make it, fish, and sometimes eggs. Basically I'll get whatever I can there. I had to make two trips one weekend because I blew all my cash on stocking stuffers.
My local italian grocer is my #2 stop - once/wk for milk, cheese, yogurt, tortillas, canned tomatoes, dried beans, rolled oats, dried pasta, condiments/oils/vinegar/spices, and TP. Sometimes eggs and coffee.
We go to Target maybe once/month for cereal, Dr.B's soap, sometimes coffee, and a handful of Mr.P's toiletries.
Our meat CSA pickup is once/month on Mr.P's way home (today!), and our veggie CSA p/u is on my way home. I haven't been shy about changing our p/u site when our commutes change.
Anyways, the way we get out of shopping all over creation is we don't buy that much. I make as much of our bread at home as possible, down to bagels and pita bread. A lot of our meals are either meat, veggies/salad, and bread, or pita pizzas or tacos with leftover meat. We cook a lot on the weekends (plus Mr.P will smoke up to 5 lbs or so of meat) and have leftover meat for quick meals during the week. We both love simple good food and don't find it monotonous when the ingredients are that quality and tasty.
With household products & toiletries we're very simple as well. I'm in the process of switching all of our soaps over to Dr.B's, everything from shampoo to dishwasher. I use olive oil as lotion, and have cut out any products I don't need.
I think these two sentences really make good points about shopping 'better' and how.
I definitely simplify, but I don't make as much as you do (by far!). I simplify more by keeping my shopping list/eating plan based on what I have and what the store I'm going to sells. I don't make menu plans that I have to go to a zillion places for. And I agree, when you have great ingredients, simple meals are wonderful. I often just saute some shrimp with garlic and oil and a few veggies and have with a side of bread, or even just snack on some things.
I tailor my food plans to the shopping I'm willing to do, rather than create meal plans without thinking about where all I'll have to go to get everything.
In my neighborhood we have a farmer's market in the same shopping center as Trader Joe's. I always like to start at the farmer's market because they clearly label where their food comes from which I love. There are even invitations to go visit various local farms and the hours they are open to the public. I love that!
Whatever I don't find there I can pick up at Trader Joe's on the same trip.
Once a week there's a farmer's market set up at the local mall and if I'm in the mood I'll hit that up. But it's usually not great for fresh produce. It's mostly people selling pre-made Mexican food and I'm fairly certain most of it comes from Mexico. That's still local to me (I'm 2 miles from the border), but I prefer to buy US made first.