Since Chile is a large exporter of organic produce, you would think that it would be simple to find organics in our new home. Ironically, it is easier to find organic produce in the urban capital of Santiago than in northern Patagonia. When in Santiago, we get our organic fix through Tierra Viva, which has both a retail location in residential Nunoa (tricky to find, but worth it!) and a weekly produce delivery option. If you’re planning on heading to the store, plan on setting aside an afternoon for the adventure of finding it, and enjoy a nice lunch and some ice cream along the way, as we did, taking time to stop for a pint at the local brewery on your way home. Another great option is the bi-weekly Ecoferia in the La Reina neighborhood.

Finding a place to buy organic food in Patagonia requires a bit of sleuthing. We have been able to find food that looks and tastes organic but no fresh produce actually labeled organic. It has taken a bit of investigative work to find fresh, local produce, and the natural dried goods, but it is worth the effort to know that we’re providing the best food available to our little girl.

Valdivia has several great farmer’s markets, called ferias. We have been to several of the ferias, and headed to one across town on Monday, bringing home a bounty of fresh herbs, apples, carrots, bell peppers, chili peppers, lemons, celery, and onions. This morning I picked up a pound of murta berries, in order to try to reproduce the berry bread that Siena still hasn’t stopped talking about.

Our landlord's organic, free-range eggs

We were pleased to discover several health food stores, called naturistas, in Valdivia. Their selection varies slightly, but they all seem to sell natural sugars, Welda soaps and bath products, cookies, organic soy milk, quinoa (our favorite super-food), and an assortment of teas, dried fruits, and medicinal herbs.

Last week we made an amazing discovery. Our landlord believes, as we do, that chickens should be able to roam freely and should not have their diet supplemented with grains or anything else besides pasture. We purchased some beautiful, tasty eggs from him, and are now debating whether we’d like to request a whole chicken…