Most people fit into one of three categories when it comes to their food intake:
1. My body is a temple
2. Cleaning the pipes before building the temple
3. Clogged up garbage disposal / junk food graveyard
If you’re one of the first two then read on and if you happen to fall into the third category I encourage you to put down the twinkie and read the article as well. You never know it might help you move from a category three to a category two.
Most people don’t even realize the impact on their own local economy by shopping from the big name brand / big box type of stores.
Local businesses play a vital role in our communities, returning 43% of the money spent with them to the local economy, versus 14% for big box stores and national chains. ( Source: ShopCity.com )
The sites reviewed and listed below are perfect for those that want to eat healthy & local and even just for those that want to support local business. Now that we are all deeply immersed in a world of convenience we tend to easily forget the negative impact it can have on our body, our local economy and our overall lives.
Even if this is the first website you ever visit after hooking up the internet I am confident you will navigate it with easy to find any local produce / grocery item that you are looking for.
You can search for whatever you need or you can utilize their handy Local Guides to get a detailed listing of everything within your state / province.
The Eat Well Guide® is a free online database for finding fresh, locally grown and sustainably produced food in the United States and Canada. Listings range from stores, to farms, to restaurants, to local bakers and butchers, and visitors can search by location, keyword or category to find good food, download customized guides, or plan a trip with the innovative mapping tool Eat Well Everywhere.
Link: Eat Well Guide
Now this one I have to admit I kind of stumbled upon through snooping as I saw these mysterious boxes getting delivered to my neighbor. After a few weeks I was able to determine that they weren’t a spy receiving information on their latest mission but instead they were receiving locally grown & produce food direct to their door.
Ripe and ready. Food from close-to-home at its freshest and tastiest. Savor produce from local family farms, artisan meats and cheeses, sustainable seafood, prepared meals, and wholesome breads baked delivery-day fresh.
spud!’s Fresh Harvest Box is a variety of delicious organic fruits and vegetables that are tailored by you to your unique preferences. You can still make as many substitutions, additions or deletions to your Fresh Harvest Box as you like before the deadline.
If you happen to see your neighbor snooping around one of your boxes when they get delivered please be friendly and inform them of what it is and don’t turn the garden hose on them!
Link: Spud!
A little bit of a different approach here as this isn’t only for the buyers but this is for the sellers as well.
Link: Local Dirt
This is the perfect site for finding anything you want locally as a buyer and as a seller it gives you a great opportunity to make your mark on the web and compete with the big boys. They offer up an extremely easy to use and navigate interface that makes it simple to find that perfect ‘mom & pop’ restaurant or to find pretty much anything else you could need or want.
I always make the effort to buy local from someone I know and trust because it feels good and it does good for everyone involved. This is a site I hit up on a regular basis whenever I need to track down something from a trusted source.
Local businesses play a vital role in our communities, returning 43% of the money spent with them to the local economy, versus 14% for big box stores and national chains.
ShopCity.com aims to help local businesses compete for the hearts, minds and dollars of local shoppers by helping them band together as one, and by providing them with an online platform that rivals – and even exceeds – the best ecommerce sites from the biggest companies.
If you are a small business looking to get a lot of local exposure then I highly recommend ShopCity.com for everything you need.
Link: ShopCity.com
Have one we missed or just want to share your experience with one of the above services? Then please take the time to fill out the comment form below and share with us!
