The Return of the Milkman
modernfarmer.com
modernfarmer.com
We can get eggs and milk and bottled cold brew and other goodies delivered on a bi-weekly basis. Since we're in Phoenix, they just have us leave out a cooler out front with ice packs in it the night before (since their delivery window is 4a-8:30a). Our old house had a milk door, but sadly our new (1921, but new to us) house does not.
Still pretty nice way to support the local operation!
I assume that in the days of the milkman, it was working class prices, but I wasn't around back then so I don't know.
Each delivery is $9.99, and then the milk is $3.49/half gallon.
Around here (NC), at the local grocer, the store brand "regular" mile is $2.39/GALLON, and even the fancy local creamery sells milk for $5/gal.
There do still exist places in the U.K. with milk deliveries and it seems to work pretty well. People generally leave out empty bottles in a basket with some dial set to request how much they want.
The idea appeals to me. It intuitively feels less wasteful (but plastic is very low energy to produce compared to glass and it might not actually be that bad to put plastic bottles straight into landfill), and I’m not sensitive to the price or particulars of the milk (except that it is milk and not some kind of white-coloured water). Maybe it would be too expensive still. Or maybe people would care too much about getting certain brands of milk.
And we can optimize it even more if the bottles can be delivered to a storage location that will store the milk for the people in the nearby streets. Also, to make it easier for the milk producers, maybe someone can be at the location and pay the delivery person once for everyone. Then when people come to pick up their milk from the central storage, they can pay based on how much they pick up. We are now very close to the concept of a neighborhood grocery store.
Which already exist in most places that have more than a few thousand people in the UK.
The milk floats were definitely ahead of their time:
"In August 1967, the UK Electric Vehicle Association put out a press release stating that Britain had more battery-electric vehicles on its roads than the rest of the world put together."
I'd much rather have a range of foods delivered to me a couple of times a week - fruit, veg, salads, vegetables, eggs, and so on, rather than just dairy.
Probably cant get it delivered but there may be a CSA around where you live for vegetables, etc.
CSA's are a good option, but in addition to them in Colorado we've had Milk Delivery going strong for a while via Royal Crest Dairy, who also will deliver other things like bread, eggs, bacon, pizza kits:
https://www.royalcrestdairy.com/
It was so successful it got more players into the space outside of Denver and there are a handful of them still delivering during pandemic.
I don't drink animal based milk anymore as its pretty harsh on my immune system and allergies, I was quite find of raw milk when I was farming, so I have no use for these services; but it is a cool story in how localized food supply chains can prove to be resilient despite pandemics.
But also a reminder how everything old will eventually become 'new' again given enough time out of the limelight.
Unfortunately basics of agricultural farming are not part of school curriculum. I wonder if that was so at some point in the past. Wouldn't it be so great if everyone of us knew the basics of farming like we know basic maths? It could in theory result in growing more plants (good for environment), getting some fresh vegetables or fruits every now and then, a past time activity to enhance one's mental health by getting to work with your hands and creating something from bare minimum?
My high school had an FFA chapter that had a small garden behind the shop building; students with room at home would also raise sheep, cattle, and hogs. There weren't a lot of people in FFA, though. I think gardening, at the very least, would be a good addition to the curriculum... ideally I'd like to see all students taking at least one home economics / shop type course every year beginning in middle school, but if wishes were horses...
My one concern about this as a food source is that if you don't have soil (in other words, you have to buy it and put in containers, then amend heavily) I suspect this is vastly more expensive and worse for the environment than buying from farms. The quality is fantastic though - tomatoes from the store make me gag, but fresh off the vine the ones I grow are delicious. It is also very good for mental health.
And I've also succeeded at rooting and planting it - so now I have 5 supermarket basil plants!
It's really gratifying - but my windowsill definitely won't be enough to grow the amount of herbs I'd like to consume. Perhaps I'll have to take my new knowledge to the back yard.
I heard about it recently and want to try it out next time I get a basil plant.
A seed distributor I have a distant connection with with was running at about 7x normal volumes. They were also selling a lot of things that won’t be grown easily at this time of year, so there are likely to be mixed results.
I've been growing herbs, and flowers, on my balcony for years, but this year we managed to get an allotment - 10mx10m for €50/year, and only a few minutes walk from our house.
We spent a lot of time cutting down grass, weeding and similar, but we got very lucky with the timing. We gained access in mid-May before all the places were claimed, and we've managed to plant Onions, Garlic, Potatoes, and a bunch of pretty plants. Radish/Turnips/Carrots aren't doing so well, but everything else is thriving.
Things are growing well and every couple of days I head over to water, weed, and take care of the plot. I'm actually surprised by how much I've been enjoying the process.
Next year we'll know to research things sooner, and we'll figure out where to find things like the right kinds of disease resistant varieties.
Plus they are just nice folks. When kiddo was small they took him for a spin on the truck which is designed for quick-on-quick-off so isn’t controlled like a regular vehicle.
I've got a local jam maker who creates truly wonderful products. She delivers and also can re-use jars; its one or two steps away from being a milkman type deal. Farmers markets are a great way to find vendors who can do this, at least in my little part of socal. I've got a nut guy, a baker, and a jam maker and I love supporting these kinds of local operations.
But if I see some VC-backed startup try to do “gig economy for milk” I swear to god...
I was thinking more along the lines of a google sheet where you can check off what you want delivered. No need to complicate things.