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If you haven’t already, check out our introduction to a parallel economy to learn the basics.

This is probably the most important category in a parallel economy, if you care about your health. What you consume (food, water, etc.) directly impacts your health and can either be a source of nutrition and vitality or ruin your life in many catastrophic ways.

“Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.” 1 Corinthians 6: 19-20

Our first source of knowledge comes from Ian Carroll, while he guest-hosted Candace Owens’ podcast during her maternity leave. Like Candace, Ian is an investigative journalist. He began his career on the internet talking about products in the grocery store and who owns them. You can learn more about this here. (The whole video is worth watching, but if you only have a little time, start around 37:35.)

What is the Global Food System?

This would include any large chain grocery store: Walmart, Kroger, Albertsons, Costco, Whole Foods Market, etc. Additionally, as mentioned in the video linked above, there are few mega-corporations who own the majority of products sold in these stores (Procter and Gamble, Unilever, Mondelez International, etc.).

At that level, it is very difficult to believe that any of these companies truly care about your health. In reality, they are more focused on profits than selling quality, healthy products.

A very wise Joel Salatin has pointed out that if grocery stores were selling healthy products, why do they have pharmacies attached to them? If they are truly selling healthy foods, why are we such a sick and obese society?

In America, the food we buy in grocery stores come from all over the world. Think about what they have to do to transport and keep perishable products fresh.

What is the Local Food System?

The local food system is any producer of meat, produce, and other foods within your state, county, city (or a nearby state, if you live close to a border).

You will be amazed to find that you can source the majority of what you consume in your local economy. Sure, you can’t find fresh bananas grown in Ohio (please tell us where if we’re wrong) – some sacrifices or exceptions may have to be made.

The more you buy locally, the better your health.

Here are a few places to get started buying from your local food system (or contributing to it):

Farmers markets

These are typically run by city officials, but are a good way to meet local farmers and producers.

Farm markets

Small, locally run storefronts with a variety of products sourced locally. This is also a great way to learn about who the local farmers and bakers are in your area.

Buy in bulk direct from farmers

You can buy whole, half, or quarter animals direct from farmers and they will raise it for you, then have it butchered and packaged based on your preferred cuts. We personally do this with cows and pigs. It’s a great way to stock up on meat for the whole year.

You can also buy bulk produce and preserve it by canning, pickling, freezing, dehydrating, freeze-drying, or making jams/jellies. Keep in mind that you will need special equipment for some of these preservation methods (such as a water bath canner, pressure canner, vacuum sealer, dehydrator, or freeze-dryer).

We also buy many other shelf stable pantry items in bulk, such as oats, flour, rice, and beans.

Farm stands

This is the best way to buy direct from the farm, and usually is a self-serve operation based on trust.

Many farms offer a seasonal CSA (community supported agriculture), using their farm stand as a weekly/monthly pick up location. Some perform this well and others do not, but it is worth trying out. We have found that the best CSAs are transparent about what specific items you will receive and when, that way you can plan ahead for meals and any other prep. It’s also great to see if there are any items you are not used to eating/cooking with so that you have time to learn.

Co-op (cooperative)

Several farms might team up together to get their vegetation/products to market.

Herd shares

In most states, this is the only way to buy raw milk (unpasteurized milk). As this is a controversial topic, we encourage you to learn more about how raw milk is actually healthier and safer to drink than pasteurized milk. Here is a great resource that we use to learn and to find local farms selling herd shares.

Support your neighbors

Urban farming has gained popularity and you may be surprised to find out you can buy fresh produce and eggs right in your own neighborhood. So, don’t be fooled into thinking that if you live in a city your options are more limited.

If you live in a more rural setting, it’ll be even easier to find neighbors who homestead and are selling eggs, produce, or homemade bakery items.

Garden

Learning to grow food yourself can be a challenge, but it is the only way to ensure 100% that your food is grown with the best practices and highest quality. Start small with one item that you consume regularly. We have had the most success growing tomatoes, peppers, and herbs.

Community garden

If you are a beginner, joining a community garden may be a great option to start and learn from others in your neighborhood. These are shared spaces where individuals or groups cultivate plants, often focusing on food production, community building, and environmental stewardship. Together, you plant the food, maintain the garden (weeding, watering, etc.), then you share in the harvest.

As an added bonus, you gain a community of others who care about producing quality food locally.

Wild Pastures

Although not technically local, Wild Pastures* offers very high-quality products. We highly recommend using them to supplement your meat and fish needs, until you find ideal sources locally.

*Sign up with our link and get $20 OFF your first order.

Benefits of supporting local over global

Purchasing power: Buying from local producers and farmers helps boost your local economy.

Keeping money in circulation at the local level elevates the whole community. Farmers can hire more employees and expand operations. Plus, growth in demand for locally produced food will encourage others to become producers, which will increase food diversity and keep prices competitive (lower). As the saying goes: “A rising tide lifts all boats”.

On the contrary, buying from global mega-corporations just gives more power to greedy elites who aim to put small farmers out of business, while they utilize poor farming practices that undermine our health. They use low-quality or even fake ingredients (bioengineered, unnatural) to increase their profit margin, giving little consideration to the health risks they are placing on society.

Sourcing produce locally increases the nutritional value.

When produce is grown across the country (or the world), it is often picked prematurely then artificially ripened in time to be sold in grocery stores (or worse, sprayed with chemicals that harm your health). Local producers, on the other hand, can harvest fully ripened produce which allows time for nutrients to fully develop naturally.

Overall improvement to your health.

Consuming local foods takes research, time, and intentionality. Once you begin on this path, you will find that many farmers/producers want to answer your questions and explain how their products are superior in quality and taste. You can’t help to learn what “real food” is and how to find high-quality products.

In contrast, buying from the global food system takes very little thought, time, or intention. You can order your groceries online and have them delivered right to your home, all without ever knowing a single ingredient in the products you purchased. This leaves a lot of room for greedy mega-corporations to use low-quality ingredients, while marketing as healthy and nutritious.

If you aren’t paying attention to what you put in your body, your overall health will suffer. Are you willing to take that risk?

The great thing about buying locally, directly from the farmer/source, is that you can ask them questions about their products.

Have you ever tried calling Tyson with questions about how they raise their chickens or what they feed them? Good luck getting any answers or trusting that they will be honest.

Here are a few questions that we typically ask and what answers we are looking for:

• Meat – How was the animal raised? Did you give them any antibiotics or vaccines?
  • Cows should be 100% grassfed/grass finished.
  • Most animals (cows, chickens, pigs) should be pasture-raised.
  • No animals should be given any antibiotics or vaccines (with very rare exceptions, if the farmer can provide a detailed explanation).
• Produce – Is this organic? Did you use any chemicals (pesticides and such) when growing?
  • Organic produce means that no pesticides were used.
• Ideal farming is called regenerative. This is a topic for another day, but remember this term and do your own research.

Check out our Farmer Questionnaire for more help identifying high-quality meat locally.

Additional Resources

Joel Salatin is a living legend and has written many great books on the topic of food, supporting your local food system, and how to raise animals the most natural way for each animal. He is essentially the homestead guru!

We also love the Homestead Living magazine for information and resources related to growing your own food, raising animals, and many other homesteading type tasks.

A new resource we learned about, in the magazine above, is called Steader. It is an app aiming to connect homesteaders/farmers/bakers to the local community (i.e. you). They will need a little time to grow, but the more awareness we give to the app, the more useful it will become to us all. Check it out and tell your friends!