5 Ways to Eat, Source & Shop Locally

Here are my favourite tips/tricks for buying, eating, shopping and sourcing all of your food as locally as possible; YEAR ROUND!!

We are so blessed and abundant here on Vancouver Island but also in BC in general! With everything taking soo long to ship and prices going up in grocery stores, it just makes sense to be keeping it simple & keep it local so that we can keep it affordable!!

1. 1. BUY DIRECT FROM FARMERS
      Go to their farm, farmers markets or sign up for a CSA/home delivery program. I got SO MUCH MORE bang for my buck this way. There are a lot of farms that use greenhouse & permaculture to work with the land in order to have food year round – and a lot of year round farmers markets on the island! Reach out to your municipality to see what is available to you or go online. 💕

    

   2. LOOK FOR LOCAL
      Opt for local options when buying in grocery stores – look first to see where it is grown and ask your grocer if there are products you think they could carry (Costco even sources items locally!! I’ve seen Salt Spring Island Goat cheese on their shelves before and other goodies 🧀 Keep your eyes
      peeled 👀). Even choosing closer options that have been grown in BC/Canada as opposed to the states can be better.

    

   3. ORDER ONLINE
      A lot of options for this these days! Look at local companies that source local, high quality ingredients and do home deliveries or shipping. I LOVE the Community Farm Store in Duncan and OM Foods located in Nelson BC but check out the list of options on my Recipes page or my other tips I have HERE for Grocery Shopping Economically or start googling! 🙂
      • BONUS: you can usually order bulk items this way making it more affordable; please you can team up with others to split in shipping costs!

    

   4. NETWORK
      Get to know your neighbours (literally)! Join local Facebook groups, connect with likeminded people, ask around or join groups in farming, foraging, preserving, 4H, gardening.. that is local to you to see who and what is growing locally- I bet you there’s more than you think there is!
      • BONUS: sometimes you can great bulk deals or trades this way! And you meet INCREDIBLE, kind people and learn SO much.

    

   5. GROW OR HARVEST YOUR OWN!
      Buy local seeds or quality seeds online, grow on your patio, in a garden, greenhouse or in a basement suite, spare room or garage! I’ve had friends grow PINEAPPLES in their HOME in LLOYDMINSTER! Plus other veggies.. soo it is possible! Step it up by learning more about your land and learn to forage, harvest, hunt, fish sustainably, safely and respectfully 🙏🏼
      • BONUS: if you network/connect with people sometimes you can trade skills, food or preservation/growing/hunting/foraging methods! If you’re interested in learning more, I highly suggest starting with BOOKS and signing up for local inspiring peoples newsletters, workshops or events for inspiration/suggestions.

       

I’ve shared a few of my favourite local peeps, now you share some of yours with us in the comments- especially if you live somewhere with minimal local options! How do you keep it fresh and vibrant?

DID YOU KNOW

I also offer meal prepping services? And I currently extended my annual SALE?! Plus I offer home-made spices, ferments and more! All sourced and made LOCALLY! See link above for details.

With love,
Heidi MacAulay, R.H.N.
“Eat more plants. Do more yoga. Read more books.”
Learn more about me, my credentials or how to work with me here!