making a pig of yourself

With the recent attention on the ethical raising of pigs for pork production I thought I would post about some sources of free range, organic suppliers that I use or have purchased from in the past (with good results).

This is by no means a post to induce guilt trip buying frenzies - what you do with your hard earned money is your business. But it does help to know of options available if your conscience is making you think a bit.

Eco-organics

I signed up to Eco-organics last year and have been happily munching their produce off and on since. You do have to register with them but once that is done, it's just a matter of filling in their order form and you'll get a delivery on either a Tuesday or Thursday depending on when you order. They will take internet banking or credit card (but you do need to wait for processing to get the latter set up).

I visited their farm just north of Kumeu last year. They send me weekly emails telling me what's new in the garden and what activities are happening. I rather like that connection with them. I've never had any issues with their services and I like knowing that much of my vege box is locally grown. Sometimes I've asked that certain veges are not put in (because we've got plenty in our own garden) and that has never been a problem. It certainly means I get a variety of vegetables.

I find this option works for me. I love going to Farmer's Markets, but I have so many commitments on the weekend when they are held, I find I don't get there regularly. I do grow some produce for our family but don't have the time or space to supply everything from my garden.

Eco-Organics are connected with Super-Janes Organic Meat. This is beef raised organically on the East Coast and it really does taste good. I've ordered packs from them quite a few times and been happy with the service and the cost.

Naturally Organic

Before finding Eco-organics I used Naturally Organic for a vege box. The quality of the produce was great but I found the delivery fee to be a bit steep. However, if you spend over $100 with them and live in the Auckland Metro area the delivery is free. They stock dry goods and other things as well, so it is easy to reach that target if you include things like flour, shampoo etc.

Their service is prompt and reliable, and they contact you if there is any problem.














Organic Direct

This website groups tgether a number of small businesses. Their aim is

"to assist organic and sustainable businesses to market and promote their products and services. With regularly updated educational and informative content, and easy-to-find business directories, we make it easy for consumers to make the conscious decision to buy organic".

I use them to order free-range eggs and chickens from Rolling Hills. Rolling Hills did a promotion via DH's work and I liked their eggs a lot. Of course, if I'm shopping myself I'll pick whatever free-range egg option is available. But if I'm also wanting to get a whole free-range chicken I can get a good deal through Rolling Hills: 2 Size 14 free-range chickens + 2 dozen free-range eggs for $44.70 (delivered free to my door). In fact, the last lot they sent me was actually 1 size 14 chicken and 1 size 16... so that was a good deal I thought.




















Havoc Pork

I've been impressed with the product from these folks. Their pork really does taste better than the stuff from the supermarket. Their sausages are great too. Unfortunately they don't have an online order option, but they are very responsive to emails. I notice they will now send a pack of a mixture of their products to the North Island for $125.00 (delivery included). I've also organised a pork fest with some like-minded friends and shared the cost of the delivery of a 20kg chiller box - we chose what we wanted, it was delivered to someone's house and we reimbursed that person. Works well.

These suppliers are just the few I know of. If you have any others you have used let me know because I'd be interested.