One of the best things I’ve done this year is support and buy products from small scale / home businesses, local farms. It’s been immensely satisfying because:

A) they’re of very good quality
B) they taste amazing

Slowly need to stop with Bigbasket and supermarket stores.

A thread on the list of local farms/small scale/home businesses I have been buying from. I will be adding to this list as I discover more.

First, Farmizen. An app based farm to home service - works with local farms and city communities to grow organic produce. You can also book plots to grow crops of your choice at a reasonable monthly rate. They follow natural farming technique, everything is chemical free.

You can also buy as a group, the rates are far more cheaper for a group since it’s split. I bought these on Farmizen for ₹39/pack, on BigBasket you get the same for ₹99-239/-.

Second, http://communityfarm.in  - Been buying from here a lot more than Farmizen. They don’t have an app, use the website. The farmers directly deliver to your home in a recycled bag (which they take back), no plastic covers for any of the veggies.

Just to give you an idea, I have bought daily use veg (1 kilo each) for a total of ₹200/-. They have a lush variety of greens, fish and even pulses. Every Sunday there is a farmers’ market on their site which have discounts. So definitely buy from here.

Living Food Company: If you’ve always wanted to purchase microgreens, Living Food Company is a lovely business to buy from. They also have sourdough breads, kombuchas and routinely partner up with other small scale businesses to create interesting products.

They have subscription models, ₹600 for 1 person, ₹1000 for 2 people. Timely updates via WhatsApp, courteous customer service. Do check out their Instagram feed. Some good stuff! They still need to improve the quality of sourdough breads though. Again, no plastic of any sort.

If you’re looking for a cheaper alternative - Farmizen also sells microgreens at a much cheaper rate and you get 2 boxes per week for an entire month at ₹999/-.

Next up, breads. It is my sincere request to everyone reading, please stop buying commercialised bread. Buy from local bakers. They put their heart and soul into their craft and it will always taste amazing. I buy from KrumbKraft - the owner is Samruddhi Nayak.

Bought this beautiful whole wheat sourdough bread from her for ₹275/-. Lasted us for almost 10 days. Of course there are other cheaper loaves you can buy, I understand that this can be expensive for a lot of us. Do get in touch with her to know what your options are.

Sambar Stories - A home based business that slowly branched out, they have AMAZING South Indian masalas, coffee powder, pickles & ready to cook stuff to make life easy. Their sambar podi reminds me of home. Way better than the stale stuff you get in the supermarket stores.

I have cooked with their instant pulao mix, came out very well and is perfect for days when I don’t have time to whip up a meal. Raw rice comes pre-packed in a biryani mix that smells divine. Bought for ₹120/-.

If you have not checked out @NativeTongueln, you really should. Artisanal flavour bombs trapped in a jar, like they promise! They also work with all natural and local produce to create some amazing stuff.

I have tried their salted caramel dark rum sauce and byadgi peanut butter. Mind blown, amazing stuff. They have a variety of other nut butters, savoury spreads, seasonal fruit preserves etc. All beautifully made. @NativeTongueln

I’ve also stopped buying jams and spreads from commercial establishments. I either make it at home or buy from small businesses like Orchard Lane - 100% natural, no preservatives and contain real fruit. Just a wholesome level this is.

Currently trying out Orchard Lane’s Cranberry and Watermelon jam. Not a jam person but this is just heavenly. It’s good stuff that doesn’t come loaded with sugary preservatives. This is the kind of stuff we need in our kitchens.

Of course, I’ll keep this thread updated as and when I discover and try from more of these farms, home/small scale businesses

Adrak namak, hara namak and bhang namak ground with love. Can’t wait to use these in chutneys, raitas, salads and chaats. Lookup namakwali on Instagram, if you’d like to support Rekha who runs this small scale business out of her home in Dehradun.

I really dislike and feel guilty whenever I have to buy fruits/veg that come in single use plastic dabbas. Thanks to @farmizen, I got these from a lovely farm in Mahabaleshwar. Packed in a recycle box using leaves. Conscious packaging should be our vibe for 2020.

Okay so I’m really excited about this brand http://GourmetGarden.in ! Love that they use naturoponic + sustainable farming methods to grow their veggies. The greens I bought from them were clean & healthy looking! All their packets are biodegradable, so that’s a win-win!

Honey-like tasting sindhoora mangoes were delivered on Tuesday. I bought them directly from a local farmer via @farmizen In the last 1 year, I’ve completely moved to ordering from small scale businesses and local farms. Couldn’t have been happier!

Got hold of cherry tomatoes today, thanks to Gourmet Garden. Making sun dried tomatoes to use over focaccia next week. Huge plus: their packaging is biodegradable! Check them out. #Bangalore only.