Sourcing Real Food on a Budget

How can you eat like a farmer without living on a farm? Sourcing real food on a budget is no easy task. It is much simpler to walk into Walmart and fill your cart. But you will pay for it with your health. Filing your body with real food as God intended, will take a bit more effort, but the long term benefits are totally worth it.

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Eating Real Food Like a Farmer

Several years ago, I became obsessed with reading the ingredient labels on everything. I started to question the status quo and go against the grain. It started when I found out that sourdough prevented my gut problems. That took me down a trail of fermentation. I made water kefir soda and sourdough breakfast sandwiches. That sparked some curiosity and I began researching.

Soon, my kitchen got a makeover. I purchased a Berkey to remove the chlorine from our city water. Our iodized salt was replaced with Pink Himalayan, sea salt, and Redman’s Real Salt. I purchased unbleached flour and less processed sugar from Azure Standard. When shopping, I filled my cart with ingredients instead of meals. Although my kitchen is still “under construction” I’m growing accustomed to sourcing real food on a budget.

This hasn’t been an overnight process, it has been slow and steady. I’ve found that much like switching to natural body products, it is best to replace things as they run out. This means I may only replace a couple of items each week at the store. Swapping mass produced honey for some locally raised at the farmer’s market. These little swaps have led to big changes in the kitchen without being overwhelming.

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Sourcing Real Meat on a Budget

I’ve found meat to be the most difficult food to source. Without knowing area farmers, it can be hard to purchase it directly. Plus, we don’t currently have the freezer space for a quarter beef or half a hog. Instead of giving in to the difficulties, I’ve made smaller steps in the right direction. Here are the steps I’m taking to source real meat on a budget.

Start buying a variety of cuts or whole birds. This tiny step will teach you how to use the entire animal, when you finally reach that step. Learn to cook a whole chicken in the Instant Pot and then use the bones to make broth. Take a beef liver and grind it up to mix in with your ground beef. Learn how to cook a new piece of the animal each month. These little changes will set you up for success.

Look for organically, pasture raised options at the store. I find these options fairly easy to find at Aldi. Although they have still been processed commercially in a plant, it is better than grain fed animals kept in a cage.

If you are ready to take the next step, go to a local butcher. They likely have meat that was raised locally and in a much more sustainable way. I’ve found that they often have everything except poultry. I’ve even found one that has venison, rabbit, and frog legs. Remember to branch out and try new cuts of meat once in a while.

Get in touch with a local farmer and buy directly from them. I have not yet made it to this step because we don’t have the freezer space. Sometimes, you can find local farmers that produce and sell meat farmer’s markets. The local butcher may know of somebody you could contact. Since we live in the days of Facebook, reach out and see what you can find. Look for local farms, homesteading groups, or even your friends.

Sourcing Real Produce on a Budget

Sourcing real produce on a budget is probably the easiest. It will be different from going to the grocery store because you will have to learn to eat seasonally and locally. For example, I won’t be finding any locally grown bananas here in Missouri. But I can find grapes, apples, peaches, pears, cherries, and plums. If you want to try your hand at growing your own garden start with my FREE Garden Planner!

The easiest way to source real produce is by going to a farmer’s market. Do a quick search for a local farmer’s market and you’ll be sure to find something. Even in my small town of 1800 people, there was a small market in the park on Wednesday’s. There wasn’t always a large variety, but it gave me a place to buy real produce that was raised locally.

Stop by a roadside stand. During the summer, little stands pop up all over town. Some are in empty parking lots with a pickup bed of corn and a plywood sign. When driving a bit further from town, there are signs in driveways and little farm stands. Some of the best corn in town comes from one such roadside stand. Do pay attention as these can sometimes be a bit costly. They aren’t in competition with the guy the next table over like a farmer’s market. This is a great way to meet the people that grow the food as well.

Join a local CSA. This is a wonderful program that allows farmers to sell what is in season. Think of it like a box of whatever the farm has to offer that week. A CSA will let you buy directly from a farmer. You pay a “subscription” and they fill a box with produce or other farm products. This is a great method of selling for the farmers and a convenient way of purchasing for you.

Sourcing Real Milk & Eggs on a Budget

Just about everybody sells farm fresh eggs. I’ve seen numerous signs at the ends of driveways and posts on Facebook. Milk on the other hand can be a bit more difficult to find. In either case, if there’s a will there’s a way.

Eggs can be found at farmer’s markets, roadside stands, and farm stores. Ask around and you will likely find somebody willing to sell you their farm fresh eggs. Check Facebook if you can’t find them at a farmer’s market. I’ve had the best luck at little farm stores and Amish run stores. If you are really struggling, try taking a drive in the country, I’m sure you will see a sign in somebody’s driveway. Look on the bulletin boards at stores like Tractor Supply or your vet’s office. The country vets may sell eggs themselves.

Source raw milk using Raw Milk Finder. This is by far the quickest way to find real milk. This can be a difficult food to source in some states because it is illegal to sell raw milk. Check out the website and if you come up empty handed, ask in a local homesteaders group if anybody has milk to spare. There may be a local family that has an over abundance and would be happy to trade with you.