Whole Farm Coop: [MN] Great Food Find

[pansophia]

I just want to give a shout out to one of my new favorite things, the Whole Farm Coop.

I can't even remember how I found them, I think it was back when I was researching CSAs. Now I'm so in love that my husband and I have been encouraging everyone we know to give it a try.

Supporting local farmers and producers is great but I can't always get to the farmer's markets and when I can, I often don't find/know what I'm looking for. With the Coop I order online from what is currently available and then pick a drop off site (local churches mostly). They gather up all the goodies from the farmers and then deliver once a month. Meat, fruit, veggies, grains, bread, dairy, eggs, etc. All local and sustainable.

So far I don't think we've been dissapointed by anything and when I did a price comparison on similar organic products at the grocery store, they came out WAY cheaper. Plus the best part so far is that one of the farmers had a "customer appreciation" day on his farm where we got to go out, pick Nanking Cherries, collect a dozen eggs straight from the coop (still warm!), and he sent us home with a frozen chicken. Didn't charge a dime - just wanted to get people out to see what he does.

Anywho, I'm just a happy customer, not a paid spokesperson. We're picking up this month's order tonight!

[turckie]

I was not aware they existed either. Thank you for finding them!

What products have you tried so far?

Now I must 'go shopping'

[pansophia]

What products have you tried so far?

Off the top of my head I know we've purchased flour, rolled oats, cornmeal, cookies, bread, popcorn, a variety of meats (the middle eastern lamb brats were out of sight!), cheese, eggs (until our two hens start laying), frozen and fresh veggies.

Hubby and I opted not to join a CSA as we knew we'd never get through all those veggies. Instead we ordered a veggie bag from the coop where you can pick your size. We did the $15 bag last month and it was still a LOT of veggies! Rhubarb, radishes, lettuce, garlic scapes (new to us), strawberries, and I think I'm forgetting something. We opted for the $20 bag this month as I think we'll prefer mid-summer veggies and my mom wants to share. I'll find out tonight what's included.

Yeah, sometimes they are out of stuff for a season but then, that's the way nature works.

Their website has info about how much more of your dollar gets back to the farmer and it just makes me feel warm and fuzzy inside as I bite into that delicious brat, or strawberry, or cheese.

[snowangel]

My dad and I have been ordering from them for years. I've not done veggies from them as I'm a farmer's market fanatic.

Their chickens are wonderful, and put anything you can get in any market (smart or organic or whatever) to shame.

And, their breakfast sausage (either the patties or the links). From Miltona Meats, a place that regularly receives blue ribbons at the State Fair, is the stuff of which dreams are made.

I can't recall a single dud, unless you consider the time my hubby was going to surprise me with a roast chicken and roasted a stewing chicken (the other stewing chicken in the freezer made a fabulous soup).

[pansophia]

I used to work across the street from the Mill City Farmer's Market and did a lot of veggie and fruit shopping there before work. But I'm not a morning person and getting up early enough to go out of my way to a farmer's market just never seems to go as planned!

One thing I did like about the veggie bag is that it forced us to figure out something new - the garlic scapes. Hubby thinks these are awesome now but I would likely have skipped right over them at the market!

Haven't tried the breakfast sausage yet - will have to remember to add that to the next order.

Edited to add: I'm pretty new to this whole "real food" thing in general. It wasn't that long ago I was single and living on the Kraft blue box. Considering that earlier this week we bought a giant bag of fresh sweet corn that I husked, blanched, and froze - I think I'm making progress! Most days I'm still too lazy to go searching out fresh natural local foods, with the coop, it's easy even for me.

Edited July 19, 2007 by pansophia (log)