Fresh, local, goodness

We chose not to go to the farmer's market Saturday.

We had only just finished up 2 batches of asparagus from the last market, our own lettuce has provided us with as much salad as we could want, and I've been using rhubarb someone gave away at Michael's office.

I didn't really need anything.

I could have gone anyway and I'm sure I would have found plenty to buy, but the Valley Junction Farmer's Market is on Thursday. Often I prefer this market, it's late afternoon time, smaller crowds, more intimate feel. I plan to stock up on greenhouse tomatoes and more asparagus then.

No, what I really needed was milk.

Picket Fence Creamery milk, to be precise.

So, on Sunday Michael and I drove out to Woodward, about a 35 minute drive, to stock up. We thought we were out of luck, as the shop was dark and we realized they don't keep regular Sunday hours, when the Burkhart's pulled in the drive right behind us!

I purchased 10 gallons of skim milk, which should last us about two weeks. I'll probably freeze several gallons to assure it's freshness. I also needed cream and whole milk, 2 packages of bison dogs, 10 lbs. of hamburger, 2 lbs. of bacon, 2 packages of chicken breasts, a bag of spinach, a pint of fresh pea pods, and some cheese dip, all for $129.87.

I don't doubt that some would look at that amount and declare how much less they would spend on milk, hamburger, bacon, etc. , at the grocery store.

And I'm sure they would.

But to me, quality is far more important than price alone.

This milk is predominantly organically grown, as are the meat and veggies. Not only are the products just about as fresh as possible, but all come from local farmers. If I want to, I can watch the very cows that produced the milk as they graze near the creamery, discuss crop rotation and winter feed with the owner/farmer, and find out how business is doing.

I believe these products are healthier for my family, and the animals certainly are humanely raised and cared for. This is more important to me than "coupon savings" at a grocery store, where my money goes to support CAFOs and their use of antibiotics, where animals are treated as a commodity alone, not as a beings deserving of respect, and where the farmer sees only a fraction of the profit.

This little local creamery demonstrates a micro-economy in action: the creamery buys winter feed from its neighbors, who buy milk and meat products from them. They sell products from 80 other local producers right in their store. I spend my local dollars at the creamery, where the profit stays with the farmer and, in turn, is spent locally.

All this, and I've never had tastier milk!

So if you're a coupon maven, you might want to rethink your spending habits. Coupons can indeed save you money, but almost exclusively on processed foods, disposable paper goods, etc. Instead, why don't you try buying basic ingredients from a local farmer and see how much better your food tastes and how much healthier you feel.

I think you'll see the value in getting more "bang for you buck."