In her book, “The Lazy Genius Way - Embrace What Matter, Ditch What Doesn’t and Get Stuff Done”, one of the first principles author Kendra Adachi encourages readers to do is: decide once. Especially for the repetitive things. You probably already do this with brand loyalty - always buying the same toothpaste, or jar of salsa and bag of chips. By doing so, precious energy is conserved for more taxing thoughts.
One way to decide once with real food is considering a food subscription. Buying food locally almost guarantees greater nutrient density. A few options are:
community supported agriculture (CSA) - veggie basket
bulk buying meat
a local meat, milk or egg share
commercial options such as Misfits Market or Butcher Box, delivered to your door.
Over the years I’ve participated in a bit of everything. I’ve gone to the farmers’ markets, I’ve picked up food from the farm, had farmers deliver and Misfits Market delivers organic produce to my door. (Use code COOKWME-PE8ECJ for your first box and we both get a discount!)
Participating in a program decides “what do I buy?” Creative energy is used instead to answer “how do I use this?” We don’t have to muster the energy to both decide what to buy AND how to use it. Half of the equation is solved already.
Start Small
If you’ve never purchased a food subscription before, start small. You won’t ever hear me say, “Take everything out of your pantry and fridge then start from scratch.” Drastic is not practical or realistic -- for any lifestyle change.
My recommendation is to start with protein, because it's something we eat everyday.
Options:
Find a source for pastured eggs, whether from a roadside stand, a friend, or farm. Fresh eggs will keep a month in your fridge so buy several dozen. Recently I traded a home cooked meal for several weeks worth of eggs from a friend. (Vital Farms is a reputable brand at the grocery store.)
Switch to raw milk. Admittedly this one is a bit more difficult to source. If you’re local, I can help. Otherwise RealMilk.com can help find a farmer and answer questions about the benefits of raw milk.
Find a meat farmer to buy bulk. Over the years, I’ve purchased half a steer, half a hog, and dozens of whole chickens at once. Having meat on hand helps to answer that daunting question, “what’s on the menu?” With a freezer full of meat, I ask instead, “What needs using up?” I love having meat stocked in the freezer. On Sundays I’ve been trying to pull out and thaw meat for the week. Meal planning is half done this way!
Meat Options
FarmGirl Meats (in Perryville, AR) has a meat share program that starts in two weeks. You don’t have to buy a freezer because you get bi-weekly portions of meat that fits your family size and budget. Buying into a meat share program is more cost effective than buying piecemeal.
There are monthly payments at the links below, or pay in full in person. Meat share pickups are the first and third Saturdays of every month at the Argenta Market from 8-10am and the Whitewater Tavern Market from 11-1pm. I’ve had to skip a week and pick up all at once. Just talk with Travis when you need to be out of town.
Premium Share: $900 ($300 deposit/$200 monthly)
Full Share: $420 ($120 deposit/$100 monthly)
Half Share: $220 ($70 deposit/$50 monthly)
Chicken and a Ground: $170 ($50 deposit/$40 monthly)
Not in Little Rock?
Elsewhere: ask around. Do a google search. Small farms are resurging and they need our help to stay alive!
In Texas, get free shipping from the 1915 Farm. I’ve been following them on Instagram a while and love how they do things. They ship nationwide for a nominal cost.
Other delivery options: Heifer’s Grass Roots Coop or Butcher Box. Both of these companies use multiple farmers and have a list of their standards posted. However, I firmly believe knowing exactly where your meat comes from makes a huge difference. If possible, buying meat directly from the farmer is the best for many reasons, including reduced shipping waste.
Is it worth paying more for local meat?
A few years ago, I taught a week-long high school class on nutrient density. One of our hands on experiments asked the question, “Is expensive chicken worth it?” We cooked two chickens and compared an expensive local bird to a cheap grocery store bird. Geek out and read the findings here. You might be surprised that the cost difference isn’t all that vast.
Life is hard, food doesn’t have to be,
Julie
PS - if you’re local and want to participate in FarmGirl’s meat share,
be sure to jump on it. He only has so many shares and it starts in 2 weeks.