Azure Standard has been an exceptional source for attaining quality food and household products while keeping in mind both our budget and health standards. With Azure Standard, we don’t have to look far to find a huge selection of products all in one place. There is no fee to join, and orders are shipped monthly. You don’t have to buy something every month and there is no monthly subscription. While buying in bulk from Azure can be beneficial for saving money, it is not required for every product. You get to choose the size of your bulk food — many items come in 5-pound, 25-pound, and 50-pound options. You can always choose the smaller size of a product to see if you like it instead of committing to a large order. Some products we love from Azure Standard are organic produce, spices, herbs, quality dairy, canned goods, baking ingredients, cleaning supplies, hygiene products, and supplements. The groceries are delivered to drop points every month. See the drop point map here. We love that Azure is a Christian, family-owned business who cares about creating healthier food, soil, and people. 

- Sophie

From Azure Standard: "Azure Standard is a family owned and independent company dedicated to providing carefully chosen, affordable organic, natural and non-GMO groceries, health, household and garden products. In fact, we have over 12,000 options to meet the needs of health-minded households. Along with regular size orders, we also offer bulk orders, so that you can save even more on your monthly groceries. Get your order delivered through the mail (UPS or USPS), or through our unique delivery system of Drop Points." 

Our friends, Marco and Ashley, launched Domestic Dominion after much work formulating household cleaning products that really work! We use their detergent, and it's more effective than the homemade detergent we were mixing, and it's vastly safer than the detergent from the store. 

From Domestic Dominion: "Domestic Dominion seeks to create quality products that aid the homemaker in serving those in the home and to create a culture of joy, health, and stewardship to the Glory of God. What’s wrong with the detergent I have? Store-bought detergent likely contains several synthetic chemicals and fragrances which are toxic. Fragrances are known to not only be irritants but also have several other negative effects on the body, such as disrupting the endocrine system and proper production of hormones; they have also been linked to causing cancer. More than that, liquid detergent comes in thick plastic containers, which leads to too much waste and the release of even more toxins in our homes and environments. Why our detergent? Our detergent contains only the essential effective ingredients. Not only is it completely natural and good for the environment, it is non-caustic, hypoallergenic, highly concentrated, and works with hard water—all while maintaining the integrity of your clothing. The combination of ingredients in this detergent is designed to bring out the best results for the largest variety of uses."

Dr. Charlie Fagenholz and Nurse Lauren Johnson are brave healthcare workers willing to speak out on true wellness and health. They cover topics such as thyroid dysfunction, vaccines, hormones, mold exposure, and parasites, to name a few. They explain our physiology clearly and honestly, giving practical inspiration on how you can clean up your diet and lifestyle and take control of your health struggles. We have especially benefited from their episodes on allergies, hormones, and cancer prevention. For more in-depth content from these practitioners, check out their Instagram pages and Dr. Charlie’s educational membership. 

- Sophie

From Redpill Your Healthcast: "A podcast from two healthcare providers challenging the norm, talking about the elephants in the room, and helping you to take charge of your family’s health."

Joel Salatin has been a tremendous inspiration to me in starting Grandad Farms. Joel is a Christian farmer in the Shenandoah Valley who loves God’s designs in creation and leads by example in honoring those designs as they relate to farming. One example: mimicking the natural, frequent, high-density movement of animals across the land with the use of new technology, primarily electric fencing. My favorite Salatin books are You Can Farm and Pasture Poultry Profits. If you’re interested in short, high-caliber pieces of content about stewardship, government, and American culture on a regular basis, I highly recommend his blog, The Lunatic Farmer. 

- Mark

From John Salatin's bio: "Joel Salatin, 64, calls himself a Christian libertarian environmentalist capitalist lunatic farmer. Others who like him call him the most famous farmer in the world, the high priest of the pasture, and the most eclectic thinker from Virginia since Thomas Jefferson. Those who don’t like him call him a bio-terrorist, Typhoid Mary, charlatan, and starvation advocate."

In the early 1930s, a Cleveland dentist named Dr. Weston A. Price traveled to isolated people groups and did an in-depth analysis of the foods they consumed daily. In comparison to the American diet of his day, these diets provided at least four times the water-soluble vitamins, calcium, and other minerals, and at least TEN times the fat-soluble vitamins, primarily from animal foods such as butter,  shellfish, organ meats, poultry eggs, fish eggs, and other animal fats. Price’s findings push back on the “politically correct” nutrition advice Americans receive today, including “avoid saturated fats”, “limit cholesterol”, “use more polyunsaturated oils”, “avoid red meat”, “cut back on eggs”, “restrict salt”, “eat lean meat and drink low-fat milk”, “limit fat consumption to 30 percent of calories”, “eat 6-11 servings of grains per day”, “eat at least 5 servings of fruits and vegetables per day”, and “eat more soy foods.” The Weston A. Price Foundation is an amazing reference for traditional recipes, dietary principles, and education on organic and biodynamic farming, pasture feeding of livestock, community-supported farms, honest and informative labeling, prepared parenting, and nurturing techniques. Nourishing Traditions and Nourishing Traditions Book of Baby & Child Care written by Sally Fallon Morell, the president of WAPF, was the catapult for my journey into true healing and nourishment through food. The Weston A. Price Foundation is a massive treasure trove, and here's a good starting place: Timeless Principles of Healthy Traditional Diets. 

- Sophie

From the Weston A.  Price Foundation: "The Weston A. Price Foundation (WAPF) is your source for accurate information on nutrition and health, always aiming to provide the scientific validation of traditional foodways. People seeking health today often condemn certain food groups — such as grains, dairy foods, meat, salt, fat, sauces, sweets and nightshade vegetables — but the Wise Traditions Diet is inclusive, not exclusive."

Finding reliable, educational, and refreshing podcasts can be a daunting task. With the Wise Traditions podcast from the Weston A. Price Foundation, you can choose from a vast library of practical, timely topics because mainstream health guidelines just aren’t cutting it. Hilda is a joyful, engaging host that is easy to follow. Wise Traditions is an easy way to equip yourself with facts on topics such as homeopathy, biohacking, and how vegetable oils destroy our health.

- Sophie

From Wise Traditions: "This show, sponsored by the Weston A. Price Foundation, is an invitation to follow ancient health ways and to embrace alternative healing modalities to live our best lives. Our host, Hilda Labrada Gore, known as Holistic Hilda, interviews experts on a wide variety of topics—ranging from nutrient-dense foods to improving mental health to homesteading to detoxing to healing emotional trauma to the power of sunshine and mitigating EMFs. Every episode offers the listener a new (ancient) way to heal, grow, and live a happy life, brimming with vitality."

God has many things to say about how we steward, so Christians should be the ones who care the most about stewarding His creation. John Moody adeptly makes that case in his talk, Undermining the Designer. In addition to that talk, Christian men can benefit from the two Hard Men Podcast episodes he did with the host, Eric Conn: How to Naturally Boost Your Testosterone with John Moody, Part 1 and Part 2. The statistics he shares about modern mens’ testotestorne levels in comparison to men in recent history are concerning, but he gives practical advice. 

- Mark

From John Moody: “I am not your typical farmer. Most people probably don’t consider me typical anything. Farming and homesteading were not something I ever planned to do. But I am now glad I get to do them. Growing up, I enjoyed a varied diet of video games, cartons, and processed foods. Dental decay, seasonal allergies, and constant sickness were the inevitable result – a result that doctors and other(s) denied was connected with my family’s food and lifestyle choices. In my early 20s, I was waylaid by duodenal ulcers, my body’s final warning that some things were dreadfully awry. Thankfully, I listened. Over the course of a year, my fiancee (now wife) Jessica and I completely changed our understanding of food – what is food? How should it be raised? How should it be prepared? This lead to thinking long and deep about farming, and eventually, moving out to a farm of our own.“

Farmer Bill’s biltong puts jerky to shame. I had the pleasure of meeting the owner (Mark was his name, actually) at a conference in Texas and purchasing some biltong from him. It was the perfect texture and taste. They source high quality beef and bison, combine it with a small number of savory ingredients, and cure it in apple cider vinegar and salt. The density of protein is astounding. It’s our go-to meat snack from a Christian company. 

- Mark

From Farmer Bill's: “The modern diet is destroying your health. Look at the ingredient list of most jerkies, and you will be shocked to see there are seed oils, added sugars, and industrial fillers. Biltong is a natural product. It doesn't need sweeteners, fillers, soy sauce, or seed oils. If you are avoiding these ingredients, we know how hard it is to find quality food. Look no further."