My favorite items from Azure Standard

In my quest for simplifying the ingredients in my kitchen without breaking the bank, I’ve come to love grocery shopping through Azure Standard.

Azure Standard is a company committed to delivering quality, organic, non-GMO food and household items across the United States. They have wonderfully written “Who We Are”, “What We Do”, and “What We Sell” pages on their site. You can fill your pantry, kitchen cabinets, refrigerator, freezer, bathroom, medicine cabinet, laundry room, bedside table, and even your barn and garden shed with natural and organic products!

While Azure does offer direct shipping, the most popular (and cheaper) way to get your order is through more than 3000 “drops” along 16 truck routes across the country. Simply search out the drop closest to you, place your order before the monthly deadline, and once a month a semi truck will be loaded up in Oregon and make the rounds in your area. Everyone gathers at the drop location and gets their boxes.

The ONLY downside I’ve found to shopping with Azure is that drop times can be a bit unpredictable. With so many new people joining, routes have been shifted and some locations are taking longer to unload.

In the case of my drop, we’re given an estimated delivery week while we shop, but once all orders are placed and packed and shipped we get an email with the actual delivery date and time. Thankfully there always seems to be someone willing to work with you and grab your items for you if you’re unable to be there on time. It’s a great tribe of people.

SO. Now that I’ve shared what Azure is and how it works, let’s get to the fun part of this post: my favorite things! All of the items listed below I’ve either purchased multiple times, or only once but plan to get more when we run out. Thankfully Azure has a “Products I’ve Ordered” list, so I could make sure I didn’t miss anything.

(Disclaimer: Yes the links in this post are affiliate links. If you choose to sign up for Azure Standard after clicking through one of my links and then make a purchase, I’ll get a credit toward my own Azure purchases. Thanks for helping me buy groceries. And after you sign up, you’ll have links to refer your friends and get credits too!)

PANTRY ITEMS

• Wheat berries — Now that I mill my own flour, I keep 5-gallon buckets of both hard white and soft white wheats. 25 pounds easily fits in one bucket.
• Avocado oil — I’ve made the switch to this being our primary liquid oil (did you know seed oils like canola and vegetable are reeeeally bad for you?), and I buy it by the gallon. Tip: Avocado oil has a very high smoke point — much higher than olive oil — making it perfect for any sort of frying or high-heat cooking!
• Coconut oil — I don’t use this as often as other solid fats like lard, bacon grease, or butter, but this jar does have a place on the shelf.
• Popcorn — Every Friday dinner in our house is popcorn with a charcuterie board and a family movie. After trying multiple varieties of Azure popcorn, the multi-colored is our favorite. Plus it’s full of antioxidants! I order 25-pounds at a time, that I keep in a 5-gallon bucket.
• Rice — We were a jasmine rice family for years, but after trying this basmati it’s now our favorite. In an effort to find products closer to home… who knew you could get rice from California instead of Asia?
• Chocolate chips — This variety is definitely a little more pricey, but it’s fair trade, allergen-free (no dairy!), and dark. YUM.
• Cocoa powder — I first tried the cacao powder, and didn’t think it was chocolate-y enough for us. The red alkalized powder however is amazing.
• Baking soda & powder
• Brown sugar
• Cane (white-ish) sugar — It’s not truly white because it hasn’t been bleached (ewww), but this is my go-to “white” sugar for recipes.
• Rolled oats — We currently don’t eat a lot of oatmeal, but one of my kitchen goals this year is to make homemade granola bars.
• Pasta — Elbows, penne, shells, egg noodles etc – The Azure Market Organics brand has yet to disappoint. Just make sure to boil them for 10+ minutes, not the 6 that the package says.
• Ketchup — We tried a few different brands before landing on this one. Yes it contains sugar, but at least it’s real sugar and not HFCS.
• Apple cider vinegar — I put a splash in our chicken’s water every few days, plus I’m trying out some fire cider (from Farmhouse Teas).
• Extracts — Vanilla, hazelnut, coconut, almond, peppermint – I use these often both in baking and homemade coffee creamer.
• Coffee filters — Since these are unbleached, I feel good about tossing them (with the used coffee grounds) right into our compost.
• Parchment paper
• Aluminum foil

SPICES

• I was SO excited to see Redmond’s Real Salt back to being stocked by Azure! They took a break from their partnership for a few years, but now I can get a 25-lb bag (and other sizes too) right in my Azure order.
• Garlic powder, onion powder, basil, oregano, black pepper, cinnamon, cumin, chili powder, thyme, paprika are all spices I’ve ordered. See the photo above. I store them in the pantry in quart sized mason jars, refilling the small shaker jars in the cupboard when needed. Just remember a pound of basil takes up A LOT more space than a pound of pepper. Don’t ask me how I know…

CLEANING

• Dish soap — After trying many many “healthier” soaps and being disappointed in their cleaning power, I’ve been ridiculously excited to have landed here. Lots of bubbles, cuts through grease, and is fragrance-free (the citrus is from essential oils, but a true fragrance-free is also available)
• Hand soap — Same as dish soap. I’m trying to eliminate “fragrance” from our house after hearing from multiple sources over the years how toxic that ingredient is.
• Dishwasher detergent — Cleans well, no residue. Now if only Azure sold a rinse aid…
• Laundry detergent — I’ve been making my own laundry powder for years (again after hearing bad stuff about traditional detergents), and decided to try this. It too works well!
• Toilet bowl cleaner — Non-toxic, gets the job done.
• Toothpaste — I threw a tube of this in my order one month when I was running low on my usual Crest, and have been pleasantly surprised.

OTHER FAVORITES

• Meal replacement shake — Some crazy busy mornings I just want to dump a scoop of something in raw milk, shake, and go. After trying LOTS of different kinds (I learned whey protein gives me a stomach ache and stevia gives me a headache), I’ve settled on this one as my go-to. It keeps me full for hours. And Azure sells a larger container than my local grocery store does.
• Collagen peptides — While collagen isn’t a complete protein, it does offer a boost when you’re trying to increase your daily protein intake, plus all the benefits of collagen (joints, hair, etc).
• Tart cherry juice — I’m not drinking this as much as I did in the summer, but a few ounces of cherry juice mixed with fizzy water (unflavored Belle Vie from ALDI is my favorite) is a healthy alternative to soda. Tart cherry juice is full of vitamins and antioxidants! I’ve also ordered lemon juice and lime juice.
• Parmesan cheese — If you have freezer space, the 5-lb tub is awesome.
• Frozen peas — After a dud of a year growing peas in my own garden, I saw a 5-pound box on sale at Azure, which I then split into 1-pound bags for my freezer. I plan to try other frozen fruits and veggies when I run out of my stock from my garden.
• Wooden spoon — I didn’t realize how much I could love a spoon, but I always reach for this one over my others.
• Beeswax candles — I originally added these to my order after a power outage, and while I keep a handful of them in our we-lost-power-box, I LOVE burning these in my prayer corner of my bedroom. Beeswax has such a gentle sweet scent and burns cleanly. If you want healthier candles in your home (no fragrance and no soy), beeswax is the way to go.
• Jojoba oil — I’ve heard jojoba is the closest oil to our skin’s natural sebum, making it a great choice for homemade lotions, hair oil, etc. I actually use it (just a few drops) straight on my face after a shower, and off I go.
• Knife sharpener — Azure has everything!!

Want to see more pictures and videos of these items? I often post on my Instagram page about my Azure pickup (check out my Azure Story Highlight here) and I have a few Azure haul videos on my YouTube channel too.

Have you ordered from Azure Standard before? What are some of your favorite items?

She gets up while it is still night; she provides food for her family and portions for her servants.
She considers a field and buys it; out of her earnings she plants a vineyard.
-Proverbs 31:15-16