Saturday, October 31, 2009

Local Grocery Puts Local First

My favorite thing in the world, of course after GOD, my children, husband, bla bla bla, is FOOD!! I cannot budget food. I cannot cut back on food. I can't stop cooking, baking, or eating delicious food. That is why my favorite store in the world is a grocery store. Eat It is the place to go for delicious, organic food in Winnipeg. They even deliver outside of Winnipeg so don't feel left out if you are not 5 minutes from them like I am. It may seem that I purchased my home because of its close proximity to the coolest grocery store but actually they have been following me because I am such a great shopper. ;) I found them at, of all places, the Assinoboine Downs Farmers Market. I started shopping online and at their small location hiding behind a strip of big naughty box stores. After we bought our house they moved locations to one street over from us. Lucky ME!!

There are many other local stores that carry organic food. The one difference that Eat It has over the others are the owners and workers. They are AMAZING. It is like walking into a fairytale store. They are smiling and singing and chatting you up while you visit them grooving to their sassy tunes. They LOVE what they sell and you can see it. The prices are also WAY better than most of the other organic stores. They are located in a small warehouse so they don't have the overhead that most of the others do and they have the mentality that organic food should be for everyone, not just the Tuxedo rich moms.

I guess I should talk about what to buy there that is LOCAL since that is what this blog is all about. They carry local organic meat, dairy, veggies, berries, candles, raw foods, tasty breads & baking, grains, legumes, honey, flours, and pasta just to name a handful of items. Instead of stopping in at a box store for your package of extremely disgusting hot dogs to throw on the BBQ, stop here instead. They have everything you need to blow your guests away with an awesome and local meal. Maybe for Christmas this year make a local, free range, organic turkey stuffed with a dressing made with local whole wheat multigrain bread, cranberries and wild rice. Decorate the table with local chemical free bees wax candles. Can't you tell I have Christmas on mind. I actually am a vegetarian so I HATE the big meat factories. I hate cruelty to anyone or anything. My husband on the other hand is an omnivore so I buy his meat from local, hormone free, animal friendly farmers whenever possible.

Shop online or visit their store on Wall Street Monday-Saturday.

www.eatit.ca

On the vegetarian note, please take a minute and watch this video about where your meat comes from. I am sure that it will make you run all the way to Eat It to get some factory free meat.

Meet Your Meat

Ditch the Box Stores, Shop Local

It doesn't matter where you live. There are local treasures to be found. I believe that if we could quit looking for the new "big thing" we would be happier for it. If I am not happy without the new fangled box store gadget then I probably won't be happy with it either. Right now everyone wants more and more, as cheap as possible, & as fast as they can get it. I am not unknown to this feeling. We have been renovating our home so we have credit spread all over. We can't wait to earn the money to buy what we want and the credit card companies know that. I know everyone is like that to some extent. I am trying to change my buying habits. I want to be able to get what I need without shopping at the big box stores. I would guess that 90% of the products sold at all the big stores in Canada right now are made in Asia somewhere. If we want our products cheaper than the manufacturers have to go elsewhere.

Why can't we s l o w down? Slow down our purchases, spend more time looking into the production of the foods we eat and the clothes we wear, and quit accumulating cheap crap. We have to start looking at how we can work with our community for a better life. Meet and greet your neighbors, visit local shops and groceries, walk instead of drive now and then, and visit local farms to see where your food could come from.

Another important thing is to look at your homes and declutter!! Do not add more to your house. I am not saying that we should live in an empty box but actually think of our purchases and make sure it is something that we cannot live without. This goes for toys too. Get to know your child and choose items that fit their interests. Then you can buy a good quality item instead of boxes of plastic dollar store toys.

It is very easy in Manitoba to buy nearly all your needs without stepping foot in a large box store. There are local, organic and non-organic groceries & specialty stores, farmers willing to deliver their meats, grains, legumes, and vegetables, local businesses that sell their wares in store fronts, online, farmers markets, craft shows, or from their homes. Everywhere around me there are stay home moms creating beautiful clothing, toys, baby items, paper products, accessories, photography, art, and so much more. I keep coming across these amazingly talented people who sell their hand made beautiful items for great prices.

Through this blog I would like to help my community get to know what is available in their neighborhood. If there is anything you are looking for and I haven't posted about or you are a local business wanting me to review or post news items about your products feel free to email me at handmadeinmanitoba@gmail.com. I look forward to learning more about my home through this.