A comment from a reader asked for sources online for buying high quality foods, so here are my recommendations:First, if you must buy online, I would recommend searching for growers in your immediate area, possibly your local farmer's market is online. This will ensure you receive the freshest food possible, support your local farmers, and reduce the environmental impact of the packaging and transport needed for the food to arrive at your door.
I don't know where the commenter was from, but for me (in Vermont) that means shopping through organizations such as these:
Dakin Farm
A Vermont family farm since 1792, Dakin offers a full line of mouthwatering meats, deliciously aged cheeses, fresh crops of pure maple syrup prepared at the farm using time-honored methods. They also offer a wide range of other Vermont specialty foods and products.
Green Mountain Coffee Roasters
The coffee beans may not be grown here, but this Vermont business creates some wonderful coffee - including fair-trade and organic blends. And you have to love a company who's purpose/mission statement is: "We create the ultimate coffee experience in every life we touch from tree to cup – transforming the way the world understands business."
Vermont Specialty Foods Association
Supported by Vermont's Department of Agriculture, the Vermont Specialty Food Association has grown to over 100 members; made up of small to large Vermont food businesses who all share the same philosophy of providing the consumer with a fabulous specialty food.
However, here are some national sites worth exploring, too:
WellnessGrocer (link currently down)
WellnessGrocer is the internet's leading e-tailer offering natural, organic, and gluten free products delivered to your doorstep. They market premium brands that are found in Whole Foods, Wild Oats and other health food stores/co-ops around the country.
Farmer's Market Online
Virtual booths provided to farmers, from around the globe, and others you might expect at an actual open-air farmers market.
Seeds of Change
Purchasing their worldly products helps support their mission to "make organically grown seeds available to gardeners and farmers, while preserving countless heirloom seed varieties in danger of being lost to the "advances" of modern industrial agriculture."
Lastly, since the commenter specifically mentioned steak, here are two more sites for consideration:
Diamond OrganicsPhoto courtesy of Dakin Farm
Since 1990, Diamond Organics has been the nation's premier source for farm fresh, all-organic food, with guaranteed nationwide overnight home delivery, fresh from Monterey County, California.
Omaha Steaks
Omaha Steaks manufactures, markets and distributes a wide variety of premium steaks, red meats and other gourmet foods. We've received a gift from Omaha Steaks every year as a gift from my mother-in-law, and the meat is always lean, high-quality, tender and delicious.
