Get real.: March 2012

Our first grass fed/finished beef purchase; a roast & NY strip steak

I can't tell you how much fun we had at the last Williamsburg market. Joe was off work and was able to come with us. It was a wonderful morning. Buying fresh local foods grown without pesticides, additives, hormones, steroids, and worse gives me such a good feeling. Our family is eating real food. We have started to feel the effects of a healthy diet and we will never turn back.

The older boys used their allowance to buy giant snickerdoodle cookies.

As summer approaches, I can't wait! Fresh tomatoes, cucumbers, squash, melon, beans, etc. We plan to buy/grow in abundance and freeze for the off season. If attending markets is not your speed and you prefer to buy directly from a farmer it is a simple thing to do. Most farms have a CSA, again, it's like a subscription to a farm....you provide money and the farmer provides in most cases a weekly bag of seasonal produce. Usually you get a discounted price than if you were to buy at a market. You can also buy a "cow share" and get milk each week from your farmer. Meat shares are also available.

Grass fed/finished beef menu at the market.

I have had a lot of people contact me about where to find things; grass fed meats, pick your own farms, organic farms and so on. I thought this post would be a lot of work, boy was I right. There is healthy food ALL AROUND US!! At the bottom of this post is a local farm list broken up into three parts: 1. Farms where you buy produce. 2. Farms where you buy meats. 3. Farms where you "pick your own".

Don't hesitate contacting a farmer if you have questions or want to buy. They are here to sell us food, they would LOVE to hear from us. Visit their farm, catch them at a market and see what they look like, or check their website! Lot's of farms have facebook pages too. Read reviews on them and ask about their practices.

I have heard from I know 25+ people about the food changes they are making in their lives. It's amazing!! Digging up all this information is not easy and it's time consuming and then I blog about it. I hope that this makes it easier for you and your family to find fresh local food. It's out there and it's what our families deserve. I am done with pumping my kids with antibiotics, and steroids, and sugar, and preservatives, and ammonia rinsed meat!!

Well, here is the list!! Get out and get some real food!!!!!!!!

FARMS:

PRODUCE - most farms will carry other products too; local honey, homemade jellies, fresh cut flowers and more.

Batten Bay Farm

Chesapeake VA 23314 757-238-3334

Produce sold on site, CSA, fresh eggs

http://battenbayfarm.com/default.aspx

Browders Fresh Pickins

Smithfield, VA 757-427-6515

Produce sold on site occasionally, CSA

http://browdersfreshpickins.blogspot.com/

Clarke Farm

Chesapeake VA 757-484-6000

Produce sold on site, CSA

http://www.clarkefarm1.com/

Culliper Farms

Virginia Beach, VA 757-721-7456

Produce sold on site, CSA & Fruit CSA

http://www.cullipherfarm.com/

Dodds Acres

Mecahnicsville, VA 804 781-0821

Produce sold on site.

http://vagrown.vi.virginia.gov/product.aspx?pid=56330&category=EGGPLANTS

Grassfield Farms

Chesapeake VA 23323

Produce sold on site, CSA

http://www.localharvest.org/grassfield-farms-M30437

Golden Eagle Alpaca Farm

Suffolk, VA 757-438-2997

Produce sold on site.

http://goldeneaglealpacafarm.com/

Hall Town Produce Farm

Gloucester, VA 804-832-5026

Produce sold on site, CSA

http://www.localharvest.org/hall-town-produce-farm-M33768

New Earth Farm

Virginia Beach, VA 757-427-6515

Produce sold on site, CSA

http://newearthfarm.org/New_Earth_Farm/Home.html

Yadkin Station Farms

Chesapeake, VA 757-344-5147

Produce sold on site.

http://yadkinstationfarms.com/

MEAT/POULTRY - if a farm is too far away, check their site for when they will be at a market near you.

Boroughs Land Farms

Barhamsville, VA 757-645-6841

Eggs, beef, bison, poultry, pork, & seafood.

http://www.localharvest.org/boroughs-land-farm-M49416

Edmonds Bison Farm

Lancaster, VA 804-462-9904 or 804-366-4730

Poultry, duck, bison, eggs, pork

http://edmondsfarm.com/

Full Quiver Farm

Suffolk, VA (757) 539-5324 Scott and Alison Wilson

Poultry, eggs, pork, turkey, grass fed beef, raw cow shares

http://www.fullquiverfarm.com/

Georgiatown Farm

White Stone, VA 804-435-9403 Daniel & Karen Mast

Poultry, pork, & lamb

http://www.georgiatownfarm.com/

Parker Family Farm

Gloucester, VA 757-968-2332

Poultry, eggs

http://www.theparkerfamilyfarm.com/

Polyface, Inc

Swoope, VA 540-885-3590

This farm is far away but does have a buying club out of Williamsburg, I think this is by far the best farm I have ever seen! I would love to start purchasing from them.

Turkey, rabbits, eggs, grass fed beef, pork, poultry, & hens

http://www.polyfacefarms.com/

Rainbows End Farm

Suffolk, VA 757-986-2124 Sharon Sluss

Poultry, eggs, duck, turkey, grass fed beef

http://www.rbefarm.com/page0/index.html

White Oak Hill Farms

Eure, NC 252-357-0905

Beef & pork

http://www.whiteoakhillfarms.com/

Wild T Bison Farm

Haynesville, VA 804-333-9960

Bison, & bison dog food

http://wildtbison.com/

Windhaven Farm

Windsor, VA 757-209-1095

Grass fed beef & pork

http://www.windhavennaturalangusbeef.com/home.html

Zinas Produce

Williamsburg, VA 757-634-4284

Grass fed beef, turkey, poultry, eggs, ham, & seafood

http://www.wix.com/zinasproduce/producewarrior

PICK YOUR OWN FARMS - great for a family day!! Every single year growing up my dad would take me strawberry picking on Mothers Day and it would give my mom a peaceful morning without the kids. We would spend the afternoon making jelly and strawberry shortcake.

Blackwater Vineyards

Virginia Beach, VA 757- 421-9161

Pick your own; grapes

http://www.blackwatervineyards.com/

Brookdale Farm

Virginia Beach, VA 757-721-0558

Pick your own; strawberries

http://www.brookdale-farm.com/content/14064

Bush Neck Farm

Williamsburg, VA 757-258-0114

Pick your own; apples, blueberries, peaches, and pumpkins

http://www.virginiaapples.org/pick-your-own/jamescity.html