Smith Brothers Locality

To be clear, I think America’s food distribution system is amazing. It’s also October, which is probably past peak produce box season in the Pacific Northwest.

That said, I wanted to see just how local one of our bigger grocery delivery services, Smith Brothers Farms, actually is. I’m arbitrarily defining “local” as anywhere in the Pacific Northwest.

Here’s where my groceries came from.

Pacific Northwest

• Sausage: Carlton Farms, Oregon.
• Kale: Carnation, Washington.
• Delicata squash: Bay Baby Produce, Skagit Valley, Washington.
• Milk: Kent, Washington.
• Apples: SweeTango apples are mostly grown in Washington state, although the exact origin of these wasn’t listed.

California

• Potatoes: California.
• Kiwi berries: California.
• Lemons and limes: Origin unclear, but let’s assume California.

Mexico

• Green onions: Mexico.
• Cherry tomatoes: Mexico.

Other or Unclear Origins

• Chicken: Sourced through Porter & York, an online meat company, but the actual origin is unclear.
• Cucumbers: Origin unclear.
• Pears: Origin unclear.
• Yogurt: Chobani, a national brand. I missed that Zoi appears to be a local alternative, so that’s my fault.

What Am I Cooking?

I’m using this order to make four Careme meals, including Chili-Lime Chicken & Delicata Squash and Sausage & Broccoli Bulgur Bowls.

Sadly, I wasn’t able to source ginger from Smith Brothers. I already had tahini on hand, though.

I’ll come back with reviews of the produce. The big question: Can you actually taste a difference compared with QFC?

The Order

Here’s an older screenshot of my Smith Brothers cart. This wasn’t the final order and doesn’t exactly reflect what arrived. For example, cucumbers were substituted for eggplant.

Also copy editing and formatting assistited by chatgpt see original here