Veggies!

[magid]

I got my first box of veggies from Boston Organics. I'm getting the smaller box, 67% veggies, the rest fruit. This week, that means:

• 4 bananas
  
• 2 delicatas
  
• a pound of baby carrots
  
• a smallish head of cauliflower
  
• 5 Fuji apples
  
• 6 Yukon Gold potatoes
  
• 3 Hamlin oranges
  
• 2 tangelos
  
• a pound (or so) of Jerusalem artichokes, aka sunchokes

Other people apparently also got Bosc pears, celery, kiwis, avocado, eggplant, and pineapple, but those are things that either (a) I marked that I don't want to get or (b) are for people who get either the bigger boxes or differently-distributed (fruit/vegetable) boxes. I may reconsider what to put on the never-see list.

The share comes with a page of information, about what's in the box (and where it comes from), storage tips, nutritional information (I hadn't known that sunchokes' carbs are mostly in the form of inulin, and that they're a nonfat source of lots of iron), plus a couple of recipes.

I was hoping for some onions or other alliums, but this looks pretty good so far (OK, I was also hoping for interesting mushrooms, but I suspect that's very seasonal.). Initial thoughts: roast the cauliflower and the squashes. Also the potatoes, as appropriate Hannukah fare. Make some kind of fruit compote with some apple, some orange, and some cranberry, perhaps for canning.

Hm. Looking back at this, it seems closer to 50/50 for fruit. Hm.

Comments

[ruthling.livejournal.com]

Please keep me informed on how this goes. I don't know if I would do it, but I might be tempted if things sound really good.

[magid.livejournal.com]

Well, you've just guaranteed list posts :-).

I came home to find a biggish plastic bin waiting for me, the kind with two flaps that interlock to stay closed, with the produce inside, the round things put in the dimples of a carboard liner (like the ones fancy produce comes in).

So far, so good.

[cellio]

That sounds like a lot of fruit (proportionally), but maybe some weeks are just like that. Is it supposed to be 67% veg by weight, by volume, or by count?

proportion

[magid.livejournal.com]

I'm not sure which criteria, but this week's share seems not to make any of them. Still, it could be that they substituted fruit I said I wanted for veggies I said I didn't. I'm going to wait another delivery or two and see how things work out.

Re: proportion

[bitty.livejournal.com]

yeah, looking at your list, the balance is what's making me hesitate so far.
our decision would be between the $25/week box and the $35/bi-weekly box.
your sample would be too much fruit for us for one week (except for bananas - never enough bananas), but not enough vegetables for two.

so yeah, just let us know whether this seems to be a trend or just a seasonal issue.

Re: proportion

[magid.livejournal.com]

Thinking on it, I most wish there had been something green (broccoli, leaves of any sort, green beans, whatever) in it. I might revisit my list of "never send me [x]", since I realized when I took the carrots out that I haven't been in a carrot mood in ages, over a year, I think.

I'll definitely keep posting listages, though.

[hrafn.livejournal.com]

I just realized, comparing what I get and what you get might not be so useful, since I'm doing the alternate-week delivery, and those weeks are the alternate weeks to when you're getting your deliveries. :\

[magid.livejournal.com]

Yes, but (a) still useful to get an idea of what's likely, and (b) I'm considering switching to every week. I'm giving myself until tomorrow.

[hrafn.livejournal.com]

Ok, last week (let's see if I can remember):

7 Macintosh apples, which neither I nor the birds (shock!) like much
2 largish beets
2 medium yellow summer squash
6 bananas
5 or 6 tangerines
1 grapefruit
1 big bunch of green chard :)
1 head of green leaf lettuce
2 pears
1 cucumber, fed to someone who actually likes it

Um . . . I think that was it. I would have rather had more veggies and less fruit, I think. I'm not interested in switching to weekly delivery; I don't think it's quite worht the money. But maybe upping it to a $35 box would be better (=more veggies to spread over 2 weeks).

[magid.livejournal.com]

Apple crisp, maybe? Oh, and I envy you the greens.

In the bigger box, there'd be more veggies, but I wonder if the balance would seem as fruity as the smaller box.

I hadn't considered changing to a larger box every other week, I think because that felt like too much produce for me at once. Or at least, I'd have to pay much more attention to using certain things up first. And I don't want any more fruit than I got with the smaller box, really. It's cheaper than the small box every week, though. *ponder*

Oh, and we've definitely chosen different things not to get; I was inundated with enough beets this summer that I'm ready for a break. Ditto with cucumbers. Which obviously skews the contents, for comparison purposes.

I think the salad queen is getting a $35 box every other week (your week), 50/50 balance. I should ask what she got last week.

onions

[(Anonymous)]

We've been getting the small box for a few months now (maybe 6?),
every week, initially 50/50 but then switched to 2/3 fruit
because we weren't finishing all the greens, and I think we've
gotten one onion. It frustrates me, too, because I was hoping
to get staple produce shopping done by ordering the box
and even an onion a week would make a difference.
If you want to know what we've gotten (2/3 fruit versus 2/3 veggie)
('cause I think we get a good amount of veggies), just send
me email: marymary@gmail.com

It was nice to run into you at the gym on Friday!
marymary

Re: onions

[magid.livejournal.com]

I started with 2/3 veggies, because I don't get through a ton of fruit by myself, but I wanted some, and have felt inundated with fruit, and not as many veggies as I'd like (I run out of veggies earlier). A friend of mine gets the larger 2/3 veggie boxes every other week, which seems to last long enough for her family. I'm debating getting a larger box every other week, or switching to every week. I think it partly depends on what I get Wednesday...

And yeah, onions are definitely staples. I got used to getting odd distributions of stuff from the farm share, though. What's interesting to me is how getting the box is changing my grocery shopping habits, since it's mostly to fill in produce, plus get proteins and grains/beans. I don't end up doing large runs at 'regular' grocery stores much any more, tending to make runs to Russo's, or the Butcherie, or Trader Joe's instead.

And yes, nice to see you too! Unfortunately, not a time I'm usually there...