Whenever possible, we purchase meat, veggies, and other ingredients direct from small farmers in Oregon and southern Washington. We constantly strive to reduce our "food miles" - in the U.S., the average grocery store's produce travels nearly 1,500 miles between the farm where it was grown and your refrigerator. Buying local means less waste, fresher ingredients, and it is a great way to support the regional economy.

A humanely raised animal is treated with its own welfare in mind. This means it is given sufficient space and shelter, is allowed to engage in natural behaviours, and is handled gently at all times to limit stress. It is also given ample fresh water and is fed a healthy, balanced diet without added antibiotics or hormones.

Growing evidence suggests an animal that is raised in a humane manner produces a product that is much healthier for us to consume. For example, some studies have shown that when compared to eggs from factory hens, pasture raised eggs are higher in omega-3-fatty acids (the "good" fat), are much higher in vitamin A and E, and they contain less saturated fat and cholesterol. Grass fed meat is also lower in saturated fat (and hence calories), higher in omega-3-fatty acids, and is higher in conjugated linoleic acid or CLA, which is said to be a potent defense against cancer.

Finally, if this doesn't convince you, there is one more obvious reason why you should eat humanely raised products - they taste great!!