Paleo Robbie - Sustainable Farms Produce in Thailand

When it comes down to writing about food for this blog or buying food for our house, Katae is the one who takes care of business. I like to be outside growing fresh fruit and vegetables, while Katae likes to be in the kitchen creating new recipes and serving up wonderful, wholesome meals.

Lately, we have been discussing the origins of our food a lot more. The fruit and vegetables we grow we know without doubt, they have no herbicides, pesticides or any other nasty chemicals sprayed on them.

Meat and Poultry

We keep chickens only for eggs as I don’t want to kill them or prepare them to eat, and I can’t find anyone locally who will do it for me. If there was, we’d be happy to eat them as they are fed a good and varied diet and get to free range around our property.

We have been buying most of our meat and poultry from the local market and occasionally one of the big brand stores in town. However, I keep seeing trucks loaded up with live chickens and pigs. The chickens don’t resemble anything like the birds we raise. They all look quite sick, lost most of their feathers and don’t even have room to stand.

I bought half a dozen of rhode island red chickens a year ago and they didn’t know how to even walk. When they did finally figure out they had space they could move around, they used to jump like rabbits with their feet together. It would be funny if it wasn’t so sad but true!

Besides the unethical way the animals we eat are farmed, my main worry about consuming meat and poultry reared in these appalling conditions is that of the long terms effect on our health from eating produce full of growth hormones, antibiotics, additives and all manner of shit they are forced fed.

Trat Green Market

We recently discover Trat Green Market. Trat Green Market is a small market held every Wednesday, perhaps not much more than a dozen stalls selling fresh, fruit, vegetables, greens, honey and meat etc. from local suppliers.

We did start to get our meat from there and it was definitely better than the cuts we were getting from the local markets and superstores. It is also convenient to get some other fresh vegetables we are not currently growing or have readily available.

However, I do find the lack of transparency a little worrying. I’ve spoken with local farmers, who have told me their fruit is ‘organic’ and they are pleased to tell me they do not spray any chemicals on their trees. However, that doesn’t stop them from spraying the grass between their trees with weed killer. They simply don’t see the connection.

So we have been growing our own fruit and vegetables for the last 18 months but the recurring chicken and meat issue keeps popping up. Now we think we have found a solution.

Paleo Robbie Online Grocery

A friend in Bangkok introduced us to Paleo Robbie. Paleo Robbie sells sustainable and responsibly-sourced meats and all manner of healthy foods. By all accounts, my friend, let’s call him ‘Gio’ for that is his name, lives on this stuff. He really eats out in Bangkok anymore and instead feast on the range of over 300 healthy items from PL.

As anyone who has spent five minutes in Thailand will testify, street food is everywhere in Bangkok (and just about everywhere else) and is very convenient. I recall thinking Thai food was very healthy when I first moved out here, but the longer I live here, the more I realise the opposite is true.

Paleo Robbie works closely with a number of trusted partners and sustainable farms in Thailand, Laos and beyond who operate with respect for the environment and their employees, humane treatment of animals, rigorous quality standards, and sustainable practices. All well and good but we are 300 kilometres from the capital. Fortunately for us, they deliver nationwide and the food arrives fresh and frozen.

Not only is their food ethically farmed or organic but it is loaded with flavour. I had almost forgotten how good real bacon tastes like and the Lincolnshire sausages are just like the ones from back home in all their herby glory.

I’m not an affiliate and do not get any kind of remuneration from Paleo Robbie for writing this. They don’t even know I’ve written it, but if you are in Thailand and care about how your meat is reared and what it’s been reared on, you can’t go far wrong than trying Paleo Robbie out for yourself.

FAQ

Where does your fruit and vegetables come from?

They are grown at home or on our farm using permaculture principles without the use of herbicides, pesticides, or other harmful chemicals.

Why don’t you eat your own chickens for meat?

We keep chickens only for eggs (and pest control) and do not want to kill or prepare them ourselves. We can’t find anyone locally who is available to do this for us.

What concerns are raised about buying meat and poultry from local markets?

The animals often appear unhealthy and are kept in poor conditions, raising worries about long-term health effects from consuming meat full of hormones, antibiotics, and additives.