Delivery tips

Ok, so here are a few (non-amazon) sites that I’ve been using to help keep businesses running and me here at home. BLESS THE EMPLOYEES OF ALL DELIVERY SERVICES! I bow down to your bravery and service.

I finally managed to get all purpose flour from our local bakery (Upper Crust). They are doing local deliveries once a week and if you are on their mailing list you get notified as soon as they announce a delivery date. They have been out of yeast and all purpose flour for weeks (although they have had several other different organic/ancient/fresh/stone ground flours available) and I was finally able to get my hands on 2 kg this Tuesday.

SCORE!

Now I can get my bake on – pancakes, quick bread, yeasted bread, pizza dough, etc.

If you have a local bakery, call them up and see if they have yeast or flour. They may not deliver, but they might be able to do contactless curb-side pick up.

I only have one measly packet of yeast left in the pantry, but another pound is on the way. I ordered it from Walmart AGES ago and it is only finally en route. I don’t think I’ll order from Walmart again because it’s been kinda a cluster, but I did re-discover the awesomeness that is iHerb.

This is where I was able to (quickly!!) get quinoa, tea, candied ginger, and chocolate for cheap…and now I’m committed to continuing to use this site throughout the quarantine for a monthly/bi-monthly restock.

If you want 5% off your order, use my code EDE739 at checkout. I’m not sure how the rewards system works, but I *think* I get some perk if you use it, so it’s really a win/win. They have VERY good prices – comparable to amazon – but unlike amazon they are actually in stock and you get free delivery with anything over $20. So that’s my second tip for the day.

Oh and iHerb also has miso paste. Blessed be the fruit!

Our kumquat tree and mandarin tree have never gotten much love, but this year they are providing a huge service.

I also planted every single random seed I could find in my gardening stuff in the garage! We were supposed to be underway with our backyard remodel right now, which is why I basically “let our yard go”…but that’s on hold indefinitely so I kicked it into high gear and got stuff in the soil stat. I had leftover green beans, zucchini, and snap peas from last year (they’re sprouting so that’s a good sign!) and some tomato volunteers that popped up too.

We also have teeny tiny nectarines, which I didn’t think we were going to get again (the tree is going bye bye when they yard is redone) so at least now we get one final harvest! Come late July that will be a treat.

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Moral of the story: it’s not too late for you to get things planted! Grow your own food. 🙂

If only I could grow enough kale to keep up with my grain bowls…

Alas, that is not possible. So I have to rely on either imperfect foods or farmfreshtoyou for that.

Both of those links will give you discounts if you’re a new customer and want to give it a try.

What kind of psycho eats 6 bunches of kale in one week!? This one, right here.

Ok, I may only eat 3-4 bunches on my own (the amount shown above), but I had to buy extra because the rest of my hippie crew gobbles it up just as readily. So I got 3 curly and 3 dino and now I can make 1 million grain bowls and live happily ever after.

Check out this GINORMOUS bag of broccoli I got for $9.99 on imperfect foods!

Normally this would go to a restaurant, but thanks to the site’s ability to divert things to people who need them, here it is in my kitchen. Waste not, want not!

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I sautéed them in teriyaki sauce on high until they were massively charred (LOVE) and served them over rice with meatballs and more teriyaki sauce.

My final random tip is the site WB Mason, which offers great prices on bulk office items. Kyle uses sites like this for his work and lo and behold they had toilet paper! You have to order a rather insane amount, but that seems to be the only option these days! Now we will be set through summer (I hope!). We also got laundry detergent and dish soap, both of which we are low on, because they had it available now (whereas amazon did not…at least until mid May).

And THAT is how I am diligently keeping myself away from public settings and sheltering in place. There is A TON of privilege in this post, so let’s not gloss over the fact that (a) I am able to stay home in the first place and (b) I have the means to order these items. I am trying to be responsible with my actions – ordering only what I need, when I need it, and clustering my orders together so that stuff isn’t arriving every day. It’s not easy, but nothing is easy right now. We are all just doing our best. Let’s try to be kind to each other, remember that we are all in it together, and practice grace as we trudge through this unknown phase.

Stay safe!