Thread closed on Bon Appétit

http://www.reddit.com/r/food_discussion/showthread.php?t=750794

I think this thread actually has some legs—honestly, I know plenty of people in real life who are desperate to source local food...
though maybe not in the exact way the OP envisioned (like bulk buying just to shave off a few bucks), but more along the lines of wanting things that are truly, authentically homegrown—even if it costs a little extra.

But really, wouldn't it make sense for us to use Bon Appétit to swap info on where to find the good stuff? It’s pretty obvious there’s a massive demand here but almost zero supply, so trying to pivot this whole discussion over to Craigslist just feels like a waste of time.

Case in point: I was driving through rural Pennsylvania recently and had some beef that literally just melted in my mouth—soft as butter. That wasn't some grocery store cut; it was straight from a neighbor's farm. Then a friend of mine, whose family is originally from the Midwest, managed to get her hands on half an animal from a local rancher... she also mentioned she heard about someone nearby selling raw, full-fat cow's milk and said she'd pass along the number if I wanted it. Plus, her husband has this massive haul of apples he can't process fast enough—and we aren't talking about those wax-coated ones that sit in a cellar all winter.

Actually, while we were cruising down some old backroad, I saw sheep and a couple of cows grazing right by the shoulder... I honestly wanted to pull over, just walk right up to a farmhouse, and ask them what they have for sale or if they could point us toward someone who does. My husband, predictably, refused. 🙂
I know, I know—it’s probably not the most polite way to go about it... but if anyone else out there has had a great experience finding local goods, why shouldn't we share it?

So, yeah—that's why I think a thread dedicated to alternative ways of sourcing food could be incredibly useful. 🤷

The idea sounds great, but is it actually legal?
I don't mean us—we all find ways to make things work—but I'm thinking about the rules for Reddit.

The idea itself isn't bad, but I really wonder at what point this just turns into a giant advertisement fest from every direction. We can't make it so that only the regulars over at Bon Appétit get to post, because then we’re basically inviting everyone to just sign up and start spamming us with ads. It’s not about whether someone has some homegrown eggs or a bit of lettuce from their backyard garden—that’s fine! The real issue is that on threads like these, you constantly see people showing up who actually make a living off it, like shop owners or distributors, and they turn the whole conversation into a sales pitch.

Look, we already have that PDF on MTV if anyone wants to sell their local goods; they can just stick a link to that ad in their signature, and anyone browsing through the PDF will see it. Honestly, it’s also totally fine if someone happens to mention their own homemade products or recommends them in a thread where it actually makes sense, as long as they aren't doing it constantly or derailing topics with off-topic plugs.

I think there’s actually a similar thread over on the SON subreddit

Larry Walker24 said:I think there’s actually a similar thread over on the SON subreddit

Look, some subreddits are actually built for those kinds of discussions, but Bon Appétit isn't really one of them.

rustydrifter10 said:Look, some subreddits are actually built for those kinds of discussions, but Bon Appétit isn't really one of them.

haha, thanks

Tyler Ruiz502 said:http://www.reddit.com/r/food_discussion/showthread.php?t=750794

I think this thread actually has some legs—honestly, I know plenty of people in real life who are desperate to source local food...
though maybe not in the exact way the OP envisioned (like bulk buying just to shave off a few bucks), but more along the lines of wanting things that are truly, authentically homegrown—even if it costs a little extra.

But really, wouldn't it make sense for us to use Bon Appétit to swap info on where to find the good stuff? It’s pretty obvious there’s a massive demand here but almost zero supply, so trying to pivot this whole discussion over to Craigslist just feels like a waste of time.

Case in point: I was driving through rural Pennsylvania recently and had some beef that literally just melted in my mouth—soft as butter. That wasn't some grocery store cut; it was straight from a neighbor's farm. Then a friend of mine, whose family is originally from the Midwest, managed to get her hands on half an animal from a local rancher... she also mentioned she heard about someone nearby selling raw, full-fat cow's milk and said she'd pass along the number if I wanted it. Plus, her husband has this massive haul of apples he can't process fast enough—and we aren't talking about those wax-coated ones that sit in a cellar all winter.

Actually, while we were cruising down some old backroad, I saw sheep and a couple of cows grazing right by the shoulder... I honestly wanted to pull over, just walk right up to a farmhouse, and ask them what they have for sale or if they could point us toward someone who does. My husband, predictably, refused. 🙂
I know, I know—it’s probably not the most polite way to go about it... but if anyone else out there has had a great experience finding local goods, why shouldn't we share it?

So, yeah—that's why I think a thread dedicated to alternative ways of sourcing food could be incredibly useful. 🤷

Look, if there's actual interest here, I don't see why being on Craigslist would be an issue. They deal with those kinds of listings all the time, and they probably have a better eye for spotting scammers than we do over at Bon Appétit. Like rustydrifter10 mentioned, it’s only a matter of time before people start playing games—passing off industrial junk as "farm-to-table" and whatnot. Honestly, I don't think that kind of thing belongs on Bon Appétit.

Why not just start a thread over on MTV?

I’m still not entirely sure if that’s actually doable.
What I mean is, if I—someone who gets fresh, whole milk three times a week from five local cows grazing on high-altitude pastures—were to recommend this guy who delivers milk around my neighborhood to my friends nearby, I could very easily end up bringing the health department and the IRS right to his front door.
The thing is, we weren't just talking about having a few extra apples or some leftover salad in that private thread; we were talking about milk and meat. That moves beyond just "extra produce" and into the territory of running a small side business to help pay the bills. Even though it’s not some massive commercial operation or industrial farm, and it would be great for both us and the farmer, I have a feeling "Uncle Sam" wouldn't be nearly as happy about it as we are.