Luxuries

As I went shopping at Trader Joe's this week, I had a new awareness of which foods that I buy regularly are NOT from local sources. Although most products don't have an origin label (they give a TJ hub address instead,) many were no-brainers. Some foods that we eat regularly just don't even grow in Oregon, as far as I know: avocados, bananas, coconut, olives, to name just a few. Then there are all of the regular, non-exotic foods that I just don't know the source for: canned tomatoes, meats, cheeses, bread (some I do know are from nearby,) crackers, canned beans, and on and on. I've pretty much always just shopped at TJ's and the local farmer's market, so I am not as aware of other sources for these item that are actually local and affordable. One big plus is that Bob's Red Mill is located very close by, and we can get any dry grains or beans from them(although not all are grown locally, they are processed here, and I'll take it!) As far as weekly shopping goes... I still plan to go to Trader Joes, but will consider the exotic foods luxuries, and look for OR alternatives. I also need to do a bit more legwork on other basics to see what my options are.