The farmers market is not the only place to shop for local foods. Did you know that lots of products from area producers, including many pantry and fridge staples, are available at retail stores and co-ops?
Here are links to some stores where we've shopped, with brief descriptions of local products we've found on their shelves. If you know of other retailers who stock local foods, please let us know!
Atwater's -- This Baltimore bakery/cafe utilizes many local ingredients for its wide selection of baked goods, soups, salads and sandwiches. Atwater's is very serious about its extensive support for local farms: More than 20 local producers of dairy, grain, produce, meat and seafood are listed as "food partners" on the company's website. In addition to selling at farmers markets, Atwater's has locations in Annapolis, Baltimore and Towson.
Belmont Butchery -- This Richmond, VA, butcher shop describes itself as a "full-service European-style butcher shop producing a wide range of hand crafted products using high quality, natural ingredients," and you won't be disappointed.
Cowgirl Creamery -- This is the Washington, DC outpost of the well-known California cheesemaker. Try some delicacies from Pt. Reyes Station just north of San Francisco while picking up a variety of cheeses from the Chesapeake region as well.
David's Natural Market -- With three locations in Columbia, Forest Hill and Gambrills, MD, David's Natural Market carries organic and specialty foods, and vitamins and supplements, as well as various local items.
Frederick Common Market -- At this store in Frederick, MD, check out produce from local growers including Red Wiggler Farm, Dick's Garden at Fox Haven Farm, and Summer Creek Farm, Firefly Farms cheeses, and local honey.
Glut Food Co-Op -- Located on Route 1 in Mt. Rainier, MD, just near the District line, Glut carries a good selection of produce from Tuscarora Organic Growers Cooperative. Availability varies by season. You can sometimes find fantastic bargains on organic produce, if you're willing to check prices carefully. Glut also has a great selection of cheeses and fresh locally-baked bread.
Home Farm Store -- Affiliated with Ayrshire Farm in Upperville, VA, this traditional butcher shop in Middelburg, VA, sells heritage breeds and heirloom products, many of which are from either Ayshire Farm itself or other Virgnia producers.
La Fromagerie -- Located in Old Town, Alexandria, VA, this cheese shop counts various local cheeses among its extensive inventory, including from Firefly Farms (MD), Chapel's Country Creamery (MD), Caromont Farms (VA), Meadow Creek Dairy (VA) and Cherry Glen Goat Cheese (MD).
Locke Modern Country Store & Deli -- Located 10 minutes east of Winchester, VA off Route 50, Locke specializes in preparing and selling local food items. Locke works with local farms and nurseries to offer products that are not only local, but organic.
Mill Valley General Store -- This Baltimore general store sources both its food and plants locally. Meat and poultry come from Garret Country market and Wagner's Meats; dairy is sourced from Trickling Springs and South Mountain Creamery; eggs are from Hen's Nest. For produce, the store works with One Straw Farm, Tuscarora Organic Growers and Baugher's Orchard. Other local producers represented at the store inclue Meadow Mountain Apiary, Windy Haven Honey and McCutcheon's (and more). It's also home to Baltimore Biomass Buyer's Coop & Baltimore Biodiesel Coop.
My Organic Market -- Affectionately know as "MOM," this store has several area locations, including College Park, Frederick, Rockville and Columbia East in Maryland; and Alexandria, VA. MOM carries some locally grown produce in season, as marked, such as greens and ginger from Lanham, MD-based EcoFarms, and a wide selection of local dairy products, including: Trickling Springs organic milk and cream; Natural-by-Nature dairy products; Seven Stars yogurt; and more. MOM also carries organic eggs from pastured chickens from Crazy Chicks cooperative in Pennsylvania, and Jehovah Jireh Farm in Maryland; as well as Eberly's organic poultry and organic ground beef from Sunnyside Farms in Virginia.
Purple Mountain Organics -- Okay, so Purple Mountain doesn't sell anything you can eat immediately. But this quirky Takoma Park, MD, shop is a fantastic supplier of gardening products for the urban gardener or farmer. They've got high-quality hand tools, gardening manuals, organic pest controls and even seedlings in spring, so you can eventually eat local -- right from your own backyard.
Roots Market -- About 40 minutes from both DC and Baltimore, Roots Market in Clarksville, MD, aims to provide customers with organic, environmentally-friendly and fair-trade items. As part of their community-oriented philosophy, they stock a variety of local items on their shelves, such as from Chesapeake Growers of Eastern Shore, MD; One Straw Farm, in White Hall, MD; and Lady Moon Farm in Chambersburg, PA. Given the large organic selection, many items are inevitably not local, but many are. Just check the signs and labels.
sub*urban trading company -- In Kensington, MD, sub*urban specializes in gourmet and local specialties. The store sells prepared foods and gourmet items. The menu changes daily.
Takoma Park Silver Spring Co-op -- Look for the yellow star on foods like Trickling Springs organic milk, cream and butter; South Mountain Creamery milk and buttermilk; Seven Stars yogurt; Broom's Bloom cheeses; Twin Oaks tofu; S&S Maple Camp pure maple syrup; Bee George honey; Tuscarora Organic Growers produce; Lady Moon Farms produce; Smith Meadows Farm meats and more.
The Mushroom Cap -- This store located in Kennett Square, PA -- known as "the mushroom capital of the world" -- sells all kinds of locally produced mushrooms and mushroom products (and there are many, since Pennsylvania does produce the majority of the country's mushrooms).
The Organic Butcher -- This traditional butcher, which carries local meats, has locations in both McLean and Charlottesville, VA. The Organic Butcher describes itself as "modeled after the old fashion English butcher shops."
Timor Bodega -- Located near the LeDroit Park, Bloomingdale and Eckington neighborhoods of Washington, DC, Timor offers a great selection of organic and local food in a more typical urban deli style atmosphere. Various farms offering local meat, dairy and produce are represented. (200 Rhode Island Ave., NW, Washington, DC 20001; 202-588-5612)
Victoria's Fancy Foods -- Located in Severna Park, MD, Victoria's Fancy Foods carries a variety of gourmet food products and wines, including local beef, bison, cheese and wines from the mid-Atlantic as well as products from Homestead Farms in Millington, MD. The store also specializes in gift baskets and offers online ordering. Victoria has a background in wine.
Wagner's Meats -- A short drive from downtown Frederick, this butcher shop also owns a custom-slaughter facility known as the Mt. Airy Locker Co. It specializes in local meats of all kinds.
Whole Foods -- While Whole Foods is a national chain, and a supermarket on a grand scale -- and is thus somewhat at odds with the "local" philosophy of "near-by" and "small-scale" -- the company does buy a significant portion of its products from local and regional farmers. We have identified a selection of local items in the produce, meat, grain and dairy sections. We also found the offerings vary significantly by individual store, even when they are in the same city. Whole Foods CEO and Co-Founder John Mackey has recently reiterated his company's commitment to local food. For a detailed description of his thinking on the matter, see his open letter to author Michael Pollan on the Whole Foods website at http://www.wholefoods.com/blogs/jm/archives/2006/05/an_open_letter_1.html. Since Whole Foods has a reputation for expensive products, it's worth noting that when we checked prices on local goods there, we found both bargains and high prices, depending on the store and the season.
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