Farm Box Review!

A few days ago, a friend and I sent a few emails back and forth about the farm box program that I participate in.  I've been intending to write a little review but have been remiss.

If you want the short story, I love it.  It's FAB-ulous! 

Now for the long version.
I have enjoyed the selection, the amount and the quality.  I love having a regular supply of healthy vegetables forced upon us every two weeks.  I also love the element of surprise and not knowing what the next box will hold.  Although, realistically, there aren't a lot of surprises in the winter.  Can everyone say, "root vegetable"?  We live in Canada so there isn't a lot of fresh garden produce in January!

I think the only thing I would change, would be to reduce the amount of spring greens.  We get lots and lots greens.  That is the only thing that goes to waste in our house and I'm going to start making green smoothies to attempt to use them!  We also get a lot of potatoes, carrots, squash, parsnips, beets, apples, frozen berries, apple cider, garlic, onions, shallots and other goodies.  It has been very nice to have all of these fresh ingredients throughout the winter to avoid buying frozen or non-local products. 

 

Kitchen Program

Another nice feature about the program that I participate in is the ability to select and add items from the "farm kitchen" with each order.  There are a number of bakery items, cheeses, natural peanut butters, honey and grain-fed meat that can be selected and added.  It's very convenient and further reduces my need to run to the grocery store.  I don't do this for every order, but it's nice to be able to get a few extra items occasionally.  The only thing we have tried and not liked was the breakfast sausage.  It had a very different texture from what we're used to.  I guess we're accustomed to the mass-production variety.

You can choose between a full box or half box with an optional fruit supplement.  During the winter, these are delivered every other week.  We receive the full box and full fruit.  It has been the right amount for us since our meals tend to have a lot of vegetables.  It costs $23 a week for the full veg/fruit box.  Additional produce that I regularly buy from the grocery store to supplement the box includes: spinach, peppers, mushrooms, bananas and frozen peas.  Everything else has come from the farm.

Meal Planning
In terms of meal-planning, the timing of the boxes does change how I manage our weekly menu.  I used to plan menus a bit further in advance and I find that I don't like to plan more than a week at a time now.  Sometimes I find that I need to switch meals around based on how long certain produce lasts or if we're running late and certain things take longer to prepare.  With my program, a newsletter is sent the night before you are scheduled to pick up your box.  The newsletter contains information about what's going on at the farm, what your box will contain and some recipe suggestions.  It's very informative.

I don't think the program is for everyone.  If you're fussy, you'll probably have some food go to waste.  There is a swap box if there are items that you truly don' t like, but we've never bothered to swap anything out.  I think it's a good opportunity to try new things.  If you don't like to try out new recipes, you might have a hard time using some of the unfamiliar vegetables. 

So there's the long version.  I still love it!!

There are only 3 winter box pick-ups remaining and then we will have a few months before the summer program starts.  I'm going to be chained to the grocery store again and I'm not looking forward to it.

Award!
I received a stylish blogger award from Nej (thank you!).  I'll certainly never receive an award for a race (age group or otherwise), so this might be it for me!!  I should make the most of it.

I'd like to begin by thanking my husband... oh wait... perhaps the award isn't that big a deal...

I'm supposed to list 7 arbitrary things about myself and tag other bloggers (in lieu of tagging, since I'm lazy, anyone who chooses can participate):

1. I'm an only child.  That doesn't bother me a bit.  In many ways, it's a very nice thing!
2. I grew up on a small island in Canada.  The primary access to the island was a bridge that connected it to the state of Maine.  This means that going through Canadian/US customs was a regular occurrence.  Especially since the closet gas stations, grocery stores, etc were in Maine.
3. I hate lobster.  Hate. It.  It's like liver to me.
4. I have the highest allergy rating possible to cats and yet I have one.  Explain that one. (Please, someone, explain it.)
   
5. I have always wished that my birthday were in the summer instead of winter.
6. When Trevor and I lived in Seattle, we experienced a 6.8 earthquake.  Scariest moment ever!  Who knew that the buildings out there were built on rollers so they'd shake even more during a quake?  (Apparently everyone but me.  It was terrifying.)
7. I play the piano and flute, however, apparently my taste in music is so bad that when we got married my husband wanted to hide my CD collection in the basement so nobody would confuse it with his.  I won't  validate his opinion by posting any of the "artists" in my collection.

Almost time to head downstairs to the treadmill.  I'm 25% of the way through my 100-day fitness challenge!