By Emma Stessman
We’re big advocates of always hitting the farmers’ market first, since buying directly from producers means you’re getting the freshest foods, getting to know the people (and stories!) behind them, and supporting your local food economy.
But some weeks, you just can’t get to the market in time to grab those pasture-raised eggs and straight-from-the-soil veggies. We get it. Here’s one solution: ordering farm-fresh food online.
Services like these bring many of the benefits of purchasing at the farmers’ market directly to your door. AKA you don’t ever have to leave the house. So, keep your PJs on and check out these four sites that make local, great-tasting food available with just a click (or three).
4 Ways to Buy Farm-Fresh Food Online
1. WildKale
As an “online farmers’ market,” Wild Kale offers customers a direct connection to farmers in the area. Simply plug in your zip code on their website to see the participating farmers and the foods they offer near you. That includes freshly-picked produce and free-range chicken and can be purchased and delivered (in sustainable packaging!) within 24 hours. And unlike sites like Farmigo and Good Eggs that tried to make similar concepts work and unfortunately went under, Wild Kale’s got an innovative model that will hopefully mean they’ll stick around much longer. While they do have plans to expand, for now their services are only available in a lucky handful of North East states.
RELATED: 3 Farmers’ Market Recipes That Use Up Lots of Produce
2. Crowd Cow
For nose-to-tail dining at home, Crowd Cow is the place to go. They sell entire cows, allowing customers to become “steak holders” (clever!) by purchasing individual “shares” or cuts of meat until the whole cow is sold. And they’ve got a pretty impressive rotation to choose from—with the daily selection ranging from grass-fed beef to the highly coveted Japanese Wagyu.
RELATED: Grass-Fed Beef Vs. Organic Beef: Which Is Healthier?
3. OurHarvest
For New Yorkers, OurHarvest offers a variety of fresh produce, meats, fish and more from local farms. Their prices are pretty reasonable, and they’ve got some fun selections like local jams and salsas. Customers can either choose to pick up their order at a designated location or have it delivered straight to their door. When you shop with OurHarvest, you also help fight hunger. With every order over $25, they site donates a meal to a food bank or pantry.
RELATED: 3 Ways to Waste Less Food, According to Tom Colicchio
4. Belcampo
Belcampo is known for its West Coast chain of restaurants and butcheries (where they serve a famous burger), and now they’re giving customers the option to have totally grass-fed, organic meats shipped to their doorsteps. The cool thing is, they operate on a whole animal butchery system, so no part of the animal goes to waste (enter the jerkeys, gravies, and bone broths sold on the site). Plus, they’ll ship the meats and other goodies anywhere in the U.S. from their Northern California-based sustainable ranch.
(Featured Photo: Shutterstock)
