Well where does one get the food to fulfill and optimize life? I use a couple of websites which help narrow down my searching.
The best is eatwild.com
This is the best for aiding in finding that farmer who directly markets his/her amazing product. Not to mention this site has the ability to be used nationally and sparsely outside the US as well. This site includes restaurants and stores. Don't forget that the farmer's website might also list places they sell their product to as well. Like for instance Dave Matthew's farm sells for to local restaurants between RVA and C-ville. Oh yeah Dave sells grass fed beef out of Best Of What's Around farm.
There is also grassfedpal.com and localharvest.org. Grassfedpal.com seems to be similar to eat wild.com but its always nice to have multiple sources when trying to locate deliciousness.
Local harvest.org has an eclectic mix of farmer direct marketing info to delivery options.
So essentially these sites generate list given your stated location. I enjoy eatwild.com more because it interfaces with Google maps and when using a Droid it makes it easy for me to get directions to the farm or market.
Some of the local farmers/farms that I have vetted and decide to patronize (meaning where I spend my money/visit):
Deer Run Farm of Amelia; these folks are fantastic. They were some of the first farmers we met when Liz and I moved to Virginia and they have been to most hospitable people. They sell amazing grassfed beef products including fat. Yes bags of frozen fat... Ruth Ann has seen me try in buy fat out of peoples hands, it is that good. They also sell eggs from pastured hens and fed non-GMO corn which is a pretty big deal. The concept here is vital to creating healthy, SAFE eggs. I eat these egg yolks raw in certain foods, i.e honey mustard sauce I make. Deer Run makes drops in neighborhoods outside RVA and are at South of the James like clock work.
Sunny Vale Farm. I have purchased some of the best brisket from these guys. They are kind and leave the fat cap on the brisket which is ideal for slow cooking like in a crock pot or smoker/oven mix. FYI brisket is the bacon of cow and should be treated with an equal amount of sanctity. Also if you had not extrapolated this from my strict convictions they are also grassfed... in fact you can rule in that if a ruminant product is on here it will be grassfed and finished.
Dragonfly farm They have the best tasting beef I have ever had. I am sadly at times a commodities cut consumer which is poor and wasteful. I was on a brisket kick over the spring and summer and the brisket from this place makes you go crazy it is so delicious. PEOPLE, I MEAN DELICIOUS, AMAZING, PERFECT. The fat is yellow and the darkest yellow I have had since eating grass fed meat. This means it is rich and beta-carotene, vitamin K2, A, D and E. This Ladies and Gentlemen is real food. If you decide to contact them and get some brisket, my suggested recipe lightly rub with coarse sea salt, allow it to sweat and then cook on low for 6-8hrs or when ever it breaks up with a fork. AMAZING. They also have the best lamb. There prices are high but the meat I feel is worth it. Now every farm on here has its merits but the taste of those briskets was notable different.
Tontem Farm Brian and Autumn are excellent people who are super inviting and transparent. They want you to come to the farm and lend a hand or hang out. They grow some delicious herbs and vegetables. They have high quality eggs and poultry products that are pastured and supplemented with a non-GMO feed. For everyone who is not aware chickens are birds, birds eat seeds. It actually helps cut down on some of there water intake by eating fresh seeds. It's evolutionary. Not what is not ecologically sane or safe is this free range myth. Essentially what the big industrial chicken houses have done is create a "run" which is a 3-D box made of fencing that they have "access" too. This is flawed and dangerous marketing and far from the image generated in your mind when you read or say the words "free range". This again is beneath the standards at this wonderful farm. They also have a CSA which is amazing. I will blog about CSA's soon enough.
