Today, on CBC Edmonton A.M., I talked about alternative grocery suppliers in and around the Edmonton area. These are businesses that provide a variety of foods grown by local farmers or produced by smaller companies and/or local artisans. These items are available either by ordering online and picking up, or having them delivered.

The Gathering Place – A cooperative of farmers and producers around Waskatenau, in the counties of Thorhild and Smoky Lake, northeast of Edmonton. The co-op is in the process of building a storefront and bistro at Highway 831 between secondary Highway 656 and Township Road 602 – just a little bit North of Waskatenau on the way to Long Lake. This collective of farmers grow and make pure prairie food; food with deep roots. Deliver to Edmonton and area, Leduc and Beaumont, up to Fort MacMurray and places between. Supporting The Gathering Place keeps small farms in business. More info can be found at thegatheringplacecoop.ca/

Serben Farms – Jered and Julia Serben, along with their three children, are a farming family just west of Smoky Lake. Follow them @serbenfarms on Instagram to see what they’re up to on the daily, or go to their website: www.serbenfarms.com for more information. They raise hogs and laying hens the old-fashioned way—outdoors, free-range with fresh air and sunshine. They also do their own butchery, make sausage, and cure and smoke meat right on the farm. The Serbens have a farm store full of their product and that of several other local farmers and producers. Their inventory includes fresh and frozen meats, eggs and cream, local cheeses, seasonal and canned vegetables, homemade baking, pies, tourtiere, Ukrainian foods, and more. The farm is 1 hr 20 minutes NE of Edmonton, so if you’re looking for an excuse to go for a drive, this is a good one. Some of the Serbens’ product can also be found at Homegrown Foods in Stony Plain, a family-owned food store that focuses on organic foods and health foods. They provide delivery to Stony Plain, Spruce Grove and places within a 10 km radius.

The Organic Box is owned and operated by a local Edmonton farming family. They have over 40 team members in Alberta and across western Canada that provide them with a full range of products from fresh food to soap and pet food. They carry food that’s good for both the planet and its people; artisanal products like calendula vinegar (Reclaim Farms), duck eggs, organic egg nog, heirloom fruits and vegetables, grass-fed beef, sustainably caught fish, free-range chicken and pork. All the info is on their website Theorganicbox.ca

Spud works with about75 local vendors and farmers who supply them with organic meat, dairy, and produce. You can get free-range and grass-fed proteins, bison, seafood, meat alternatives, bakery items (including gluten-free), and lots, lots more. They even have craft beer, wine and spirits. If you like meal kits (where you work with the provided ingredients to make the dish) or if you want heat-and-eat items like pot pies, pasta dishes, dumplings, you can get it delivered from spud.ca

Uproot Collective was started by two farmers’ market producers, Honest Dumplings and South Island Pie Company. The company now carries foods from several artisanal producers, mostly from Alberta like Drift Food Truck (Buttermilk fried chicken, Aji Sauce, ketchup), Irving’s Farm Fresh Pork, and Little Bear Gelato, but tons more. View the list here. They also have product from across Canada–like delicious Gryfe’s bagels from Toronto. Gryfe’s is a family operation that’s been in business for over 100 years — really a cool story (read it here). Items are available for pick up at Uproot’s storefront 10552 – 114 Street, or they will also deliver throughout Alberta. Website: uprootfoodstore.ca