Last week I signed up for a weekly delivery service with Organics-To-You and today came home to my first shipment of fresh, organic, local, nutritious and beautiful vegetables.
Years ago I belonged to a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) veggie service where you would "buy" a share of an organic farm and on a weekly basis go to a designated area to pick up your veggies. I liked doing the CSA because I was directly supporting and seeing and talking to the people who grew my food. I also liked it because I was getting amazingly fresh (often picked the day you get them), organic veggies, therefore eating better and even trying vegetables that I normally would never dream of purchasing. The downside of the CSA was that you had to come up with the entire amount of the season at one time (generally about $300) and one share could feed a family of three so I always had way too much food. Additionally, going to pick up the food was a bit tricky being that I ride the bus to work.
Along came Organics-To-You. This business brings the veggies to you. While at first it seemed a waste of resources to have someone bring the groceries to my house but then I decided one person delivering groceries to many makes more sense than several people making multiple trips to the grocery store. The website offers a choice of several different delivery options so you can get fruits and veggies, just fruit, weekly or semi-weekly deliveries, etc. The one I chose gets me a huge box of veggies on my porch every Monday for $30 a week.
Today's delivery included a 2 pound bag of carrots, 2 turnips, 4 purple potatoes, 2 red onions, 3 russet potatoes, 2 bulbs of garlic, 4 tomatoes, 1 head of celery, 3 leeks, a bag of salad mix, 1 bunch of red chard, 1 bunch of spinach and 2 heads of lettuce. All organic, all fresh, all local. I spent an hour or so washing and storing the veggies (I have a great book which has recommendations for proper cleaning and storing), steamed some of the red chard, turnips and carrots and ate them (drizzled with a little olive oil, Tabasco soy sauce and garlic pepper) along with a green salad with celery and tomatoes. Before you get too impressed with my dietary willpower, I should confess that I washed it all down with a root beer.
If you live in Portland I encourage you to consider this service or find a similar option near where you live. If you are like me you don't tend to buy as many fresh foods as you should and even when you do you stick to the old standbys instead of branching out. Plus, if you mention I referred you, I get a free week of veggies!
How a Corgi eats a spinach salad:
Eat all the vegetables besides the spinach, lick the dressing off both sides of the spinach, leave the spinach on the kitchen floor.
14 comments:
Wow - that sounds great. I tried to talk hubby into doing the CSA thing last year, but we decided that our garden yields enough that it wouldn't be worth it. They're good for non-gardeners though!
I just have to ask - how were the tomatoes? Because locally grown at this point, they must be hot house?
The tomatoes were great...I've already eaten 1.5 and I got my vegetables about 16 hrs ago! In all fairness they may not be local (a few items aren't). Tomato whore that I am I don't care...they are red, tasty, organic and fantastic!
Ooh, we should make that into a t-shirt for you -
TOMATO WHORE
Hee!
I should have Amy get on that! :-)
I loved it when I was in a CSA! The food is so much fresher and I love the surprise aspect, trying new things and creativly using what you've got. Plus you have to eat it all before the next box comes so you get your 5 a day, no prob! I just ate dinner and that picture is making me hungry. It's cool they have boxes for singles, used to have to share a batch.
Let me know if you need recipes or ideas!
I do need a leek recipe and no idea what to do...unless I do a stir fry and if I do that I'll need to buy more veggies. Hmmm. Suggestions?
Oh I like this idea. I don't think they'll deliver to Hillsboro but maybe work? I emailed them. I hope they do.
Potato leek soup...yummmmmm...
My favorite is potatoes and leeks, simmered together until soft, and then blended just a little (with a stick blender). Add salt and pepper to taste. Pure and simple.
But this recipe looks good too:
http://www.care2.com/channels/solutions/food/2448
Cut the leek length wise and wash it really well, grit tends to get stuck in there. I make my potato leek soup like kbeeps, very simple, with olive oil. Also leek is good steamed in inch long chunks with your other steamies. I use quite a bit of the green my self but it gets pretty tough near the ends.
I'm wondering if you can eat all that food in a week. If you have a big salad every day I guess it's no problem. Also I'm very into roasting veggies, leeks can be included. Cut veggies in small bite sized chunks, toss lightly with oil and season and spread thin on a cookie sheet. Bake at 400, turning a few times as they start to brown, mmmm.
The tomatoes and celery are all gone, as is the red chard (really liked that), there are only a few carrots left, one more salad from the salad mix, a bowl or so of the plain lettuce left that I have been using in my daily Tofurky sandwich, only a handful of spinach left, one turnip and the leeks which I am now filled with ideas for. I am a little annoyed though as I was reading on the website that the box was also to contain an avocado, mushrooms, radish and snow peas (all of which would have been my favorites) but I didn't receive at all. More annoying is I emailed the guy about it a few days ago and haven't heard from him yet. But the veggies I did get were great!
Grilled leeks are really good too, drizzled with olive oil and sprinkled with salt. Mmmmmmmmm...
I was wondering if you would get fruit. I guess avos and tomatoes are.... Veggies, what a popular topic! I hope you get a bonus next time!
Okay, I spoke to soon...the owner of this company is a MAJOR flake. I started just emailing him and asking him why I didn't receive several of the items he listed as being included and he didn't respond so I emailed him again and he responded saying "I didn't get your email, what do you want?" To which I emailed him again with the same comment and saying that I was considering cancelling because of it and didn't hear back from him for days to which he then said, "Well, I don't know what you wanted so oh well. Thanks, I've cancelled your orders." Ugh! Lame buddy. I guess going back and looking through his email to find my original one was too much of a challenge for him (I used the same reply feature each time so I know he received it). So take caution, my praise towards Organics-To-You was apparently premature.
In my experience people with good ideas and good intentions are not always so good on the execution of them. How hard is it though to grasp basice communication skills?
Are you going to try another service or CSA?
Latest update: The owner has sufficiently (and way more so than was necessary) kissed my ass so I have signed up again. I was relieved because my diet was way better the week I had the veggies than the next.
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