Last year I thought I would try and introduce more of a variety of veg into our diets, by trying a new one each month. This was a bit of a failure and only lasted a couple of months.
So part of the new year's resolution for not buying food in the supermarket was to get a vegetable box delivered each week. I hoped this would also force us to use vegetables we wouldn't usually buy.
I had tried veg box deliveries in the past but they were fortnightly and the problem was the potatoes and carrots ran out really quickly and we ended up with masses of onions.
So this time I signed up for a small weekly box from a local farm. The first week was fine, although there were too many types of veg - eight - for us to get through in a week.
The second week I downgraded to a very small box of 6 types of veg and added a small fruit bag, to keep us over the minimum order level. The veg were ok. I made a squash soup with the round squash; although when I cut it open it did smell like a melon and I suddenly worried about whether it would go with the onion and garlic I was already softening in the pan! As luck would have it the farm shop phoned me at the precise moment I was wavering about whether to continue and confirmed it was indeed a squash!
I was already building up a stash of onions so I made an onion soup for lunch one day which was rather yummy.
The fruit bag was a bit of a disaster; apples and a grapefruit so that was scratched off the order and replaced by a box of eggs each week. Might as well do some baking each week?!
The fruit bag was a bit of a disaster; apples and a grapefruit so that was scratched off the order and replaced by a box of eggs each week. Might as well do some baking each week?!
Week three was not good. No delivery! They had a box for us but we weren't on the delivery list. They did offer to deliver the following day but I was away last weekend and when I heard what was in the box I said not to worry - didn't like half the things in it!
Week four was nearly a disaster - left the empty box out for them to take away with them when they delivered - but it was still there when I got home late afternoon. Was beginning to think I had been forgotten again when it arrived at 6.20pm! It didn't have the parsnips I was hoping for/thought were coming unfortunately.
So after a month, I'm thinking it isn't really being successful. It's a bit hit and miss so I'm going to cancel it and visit a farm shop instead. I have about three or four in a 15 miles radius of here. Spending £10 a week on veg and not really liking or getting through half of it, doesn't really make sense does it?
I have the day to myself today which means it's a sewing day! I have a little quilting experiment I want to try and will blog some photos of that next time
I have the day to myself today which means it's a sewing day! I have a little quilting experiment I want to try and will blog some photos of that next time
Very interesting, my worries about the veg box are what you have said. I would like to know what is coming and also know we are going to use what is there. But I am also a little tired of Tesco veg!!!! What farm shops are you going to try?
ReplyDeleteI get my box from Church Farm in Ardeley. They have a farm shop there so I could go to them still. Their website is supposed to say what is coming the following week, but I haven't been able to tie it up yet! They were going to be putting the details in the box, but mine didn't have that info last night.
ReplyDeleteI've been to Bury Lane farm shop up the A10 from Royston and also popped into Pearces farm shop on the A10 south of Buntingford during the week.
Both of these are very good and have lovely cafes