Alternative Food Shopping During Covid-19

My recent bounty from a farmstand shop

I’ll be honest – I haven’t stepped foot into a conventional supermarket since the beginning of March. My husband has gone a few times, and we have an exchange system with our neighbor and friends, but I’ve mostly done curbside pick-ups, CSAs and mail service. While this method is admittedly more expensive, it’s actually been very satisfying because I like supporting local farms and stores. Plus, since I’ve stopped some other habits (such as daily coffee runs with my reusable cup and going anywhere for entertainment) my budget remains more-or-less the same. Here are a few of our sources:

For a weekly food-run, we like to do curbside pick-ups at the Concord Co-Op. The form is super easy to use, the items are ready the same day and they bring everything straight to your car. Plus, masks are required for entry, so we feel extra safe about purchasing our food there. I love that the vegetables are organic and many of the products are local. My only gripe is that they put all of the items into plastic bags, however we try to reuse them.

For farmstand shopping, many offer a curbside option. Rocky Ole Farm, Surowiec and the Vegetable Ranch are three I’ve used. The produce is good (sometimes organic!), the prices are fair and we are supporting farms while they weather this difficult time.

Pick-your-own is always fun too. These berries are from Apple Hill Farm in Concord, which practices IPM

When Covid-19 started, our family also looked into CSAs. We purchased shares from Brookford Farm and get meat delivered once a month. Again, this meat is more expensive than buying at a conventional supermarket, but I feel good about shopping through a local farm that treats its animals and the earth humanely. Plus, since we now do OMD, we are more plant-based and can afford to “splurge” a little.

Lastly, we started using Misfits Market a few months ago and have been very happy with this service. I plan to write more about this company in a future post, but it’s an affordable and convenient way to have organic produce sent to your house while also preventing food waste. We’ve set ours to arrive every two weeks. For us, this schedule is perfect; we usually haven’t been shopping and are itching for some fresh fruit and vegs to arrive on our doorstep.

All told, if none of these options work for you, Hannah wrote about a great way to work around the Covid-19 reusable bag ban. We’re all doing the best we can right now. Find what works for you and the Earth. Happy eating and stay safe! – Rachel