This week we've been doing some research to locate the best places to buy food for our new lifestyle. We visited a produce shop which has long been a favorite of both Nicole and myself: called the Green Barn in Lynden, WA. They stock wonderful produce year round and most of it is either locally grown or organic. Though it wasn't a new place for either one of us to shop, we did browse the fruits and veggies with a new set of eyes. We carefully checked where the produce came from (Some was from as far away as South America - yikes! How fresh can that be??), but other things were grown practically in our own backyard!

After our Green Barn visit, we decided to head further out into the country (and into unknown territory) to find a local cheese shop. They had advertised that their 1 pound and 2 pound cheese wheels were on sale. We located the quaint shop after only one wrong turn, and had a wonderful time tasting the many flavors of cheese (including raw cheeses!). They make all of their cheese from the milk from their own cows, and they even said we could come back again and watch the cheese making process. That would be a fun thing to watch! We both settled on 2 pound wheels which should last us for awhile (although Nicole commented that hers should last about a week at their house!).

We also found the cutest little place to buy local, raw honey. I forgot to get a photo this time, but it is a stall, which is hardly bigger than a closet, at the end of a driveway out in the country, and they have a few different varieties of honey to choose from. We both got a jar of 32 ounce "Blackberry Raw Honey." You help yourself and leave your payment in a slot in the counter (which leads down into a safe). That was about as close to drive-through honey as you can get!

All in all, I think we did pretty well. We located some great new sources (and rediscovered some old favorites) for buying healthy, natural & nutritious food. No matter where you live, with a little research, you should be able to locate some healthy alternatives to your local grocery store.