More Than Restaurants, Please Support Local Producers
Hey y’all. Just another quick rant today about the state of affairs these days. Back to fun recipe posts soon, I promise.
What I want to address today are all the fine local producers and purveyors that can get lost in the shuffle at the best of times, but especially now during the lockdown. These products don’t always make it to the big box grocery stores, which is a shame. They often outshine their mass-produced competition.
Luckily for you, the heroic folks at Burrow Shop by Buchipop have you covered. They’ve created a virtual farmer’s market of sorts, curating a list of products and producers for you to choose from online. You can then easily schedule a time to pick your goods up curbside, or have them delivered to you.
The list of products runs a wide gamut. Produce from farms like Acorn Creek and Juniper Farm. Maple syrup from Älska Farm. Beautiful flowers from Ganden Gardens. Duck from Mariposa Farm. Sausages from Seed to Sausage. Amazing canned seafood from Scout Canning. Beef from Enright Cattle Co. and more.
These are the products that your favorite local restaurants use when cooking for you. By supporting the producers, you’re ensuring that product will still be there when things open back up. Everybody is cooking more at home these days. Supporting local doesn’t just mean ordering takeout once a week from not McDonald’s.
Speaking of local restaurants, Burrow Shop has you covered there, too. Meal kits are available from some of your (and my) favorite Ottawa-area haunts. You can find pizza kits from Heartbreakers Pizza. Pasta kits from Cantina Gia and meatball kits from their sister restaurant North & Navy. Fancy a legendary lamb wrap from the Manx? There’s a kit for that. Miss those good House of Targ perogies? There’s a kit for that, too.
If all of this is making you thirsty, then don’t overlook the selection of Buchipop kombucha, juices by Renew Cold Press, or coffee from Bridgehead or Joe the Dog.
Listen, I’m not a shill for any of these vendors. I don’t make a dime on any sales they may or may not get out of you reading this. What I’m trying to do is make you folks think. About what’s really at stake during this lockdown and how we can use our dollars better.
I’m not suggesting anyone be unsafe. Stay at home as much as you possibly can. And while you’re doing that, take advantage of all the great local producers still working hard to bring their products to you, through services like Burrow Shop. It’s just the right thing to do.
Do you have a favorite locally-produced product you want me know about? Shoot me an email or leave a comment down below. I’d absolutely love to learn about more local producers from you, dear readers.
