I had started this and not finished, si I think I will w/o being so wordy.
Real Milk-http://www.realmilk.com/where1.html Remember to ask the farmer if all grass-fed, if they give grain, inquire on no soy or cottonseed, yes or no on corn and if yes, is it GM; whether the cows are Holstein (not preferred, but if that all your choice is, it's better than the store bought), but if you have more than one choice, try for no Holsteins, and if they feed grain, is it organic/homegrown natural, non-GMO (many farms can't afford the costs of being "certified organic", but they practice the principles) and how many lbs. per day. The less the better; for example, my farmer gives 4 lbs. at each milking (2x/day) of homegrown grains, no soy or cotttonseed. Lastly, can you come to the farm and check out the process; very important!
Also, when looking for local eggs, ask the same questions regarding types of grains and how their chickens live, i.e. time roaming around (or being moved by a chicken tracter) eating new grass, bugs, etc.
Local produce: Find U-Picks in your area:http://www.pickyourown.org/
Local Foods/farms/CSA's and more of all types http://www.localharvest.org/
Local meats, eggs, dairy and wild seafood:http://www.eatwild.com/ Ask same questions as above; even though site says the farms that post are required to not give soy, some I've contacted do; roam around, find your state (or one next to you, I get my meat from a farm that delivers from my northern neighbor, TN).
Finding organic/natural food co-ops where you can buy in bulk and pay much less in cost. Also, buying organic is cheaper this way, too. There's only a handful of things I get at the regular store now that is less than through my co-op. I buy from the UNFI that's listed on the folllowing link. Hopefully, ya'll can find one, too. http://www.coopdirectory.org/
Lastly, an Organic Consumers Assoc. that although I DO NOT agree with their mission statement politically or the leftest stuff, you can access local groups for your state that could be useul to you: http://www.organicconsumers.org/
OK, that's it, I think. Word of encouragement; if your just beginning, don't be overwhelmed. Look at what you can do now, what you cosume the most of and start there; take your time gathering your arsenal of places to go, co-ops to join if available (it's cheaper to buy the good stuff than buying it at supermarkets) and farms to use. Eventually, it will be a regular routine for you, but it just takes some time at the onset to find the right sources from the links I provided. But eventually, you'll be spending little time at the store and more time at home or around real food w/your children, stocking up when in season (it's cheaper and more nutrient rich) and preserving.
Really HTH,
Rachel
