Organic Veg Box - good value for OS-ers?

Roz_V

Hmmm I am thinking of going for this box:

Next week's predicted box contents:

Week commencing 8th January 2007

Potatoes - Kestrel (UK)
Carrots (UK)
Onions
Celery (UK)
Savoy Cabbage (UK)
Courgettes
Green Pepper
Purple Sprouting Broccoli (UK)

Approx 150g-400g of each variety and includes 1.2kg potatoes

It is £11.20 (free delivery from Tom, I am informed after querying on email - and very nice he looks too ) and I will probably get delivery every fortnight.

Does this sound reasonable?

We are very bad at remembering to buy enough fruit and veg, and I thought this may be a good way to up our intake.

lil_me

I found this http://vegbox-recipes.co.uk/veg-boxes/find-a-box-scheme.php#durhamcounty which helps locate veg box deliveries. Might help someone. There is one in Durham called Down to Earth, I seen a van, but can I knickers find any contact details.

competitionscafe

Interesting article on veg boxes in todays Indy:
http://enjoyment.independent.co.uk/food_and_drink/features/article2124825.ece

"And... ta-da... the curly kale. A relative of the cabbage, the kales were, I learnt, until the Middle Ages the commonest vegetables in Europe and considered hardiest of all. Braised with rosemary, chilli and garlic, it is okay. Leo eats half his portion, announces it is "okay" but leaves the rest, while Max, 12, spits out his only mouthful."

Includes a recipe for Curly Kale (or cavalo nero) - although personally I think that whatever you do to it it's virtually inedible!! He also seems to have ordered a bigger box than he needs?

twink

kale is a very healthy vegetable and very hardy in the garden through the winter in fact it benefits being in the frost, i always add it cut up to vegetable soup or broth, it boils down to very tender

jennybb

Philippa36 wrote:

Friends of ours recommended Northern Harvest

We missed their Christmas deadline but are hoping to order from them from next week onwards. We used to get all our veg from the local farmers market but the lady that had the best quality fruit and veg is no longer there. They do supply meat and other produce too but you can make up your own box.

I would be really interested to hear what you think of them. I bought from their stall at a food fair in the summer and it was good, but a bit shy of box schemes as I had a bad experience with another supplier. :mad:

katmal

MadCowMan wrote:

I've just signed up for a fortnightly box from rivernene - I often forget to go out and get fresh veg , so for me it'll force me to cook and stay away from dreaded takeaways. At 7.50 a fortnight , I dont think its too expensive and will provide me with all the basics + some stuff I wouldn't normally use. Its not like I'm locked into a 12 month contract for them , so if it doesn't work out , then I'll cancel but at least I know I tried

I'd love to find a similar service for meat !

I've been using River Nene for 2 or 3 months now and find the fruit and veg to be fresh and extremely yummy Also get eggs and milk from them, the milk is more pricey than the supermarket but it stops me "popping to Mr. T's" and spending a fortune on stuff I don't need. :rolleyes:
Can you try approaching local farmers direct for your meat? It's what I did and I get 1/4 a cow, 1 lamb and 1/2 pig twice a year which is more than enough for 3 adults and several guests over the whole year also it costs me about 1/2 the price (£560 p.a.) so we eat healthily, organic-ly and cheaply

notanothergreyhair

Bexstars wrote:

Im in Sheffield too and this is the company I have been looking at today. I have just been shopping today and bought what we need to cover us for a while but I may give them a try in a couple of weeks. Would you mind letting me know how you get on with them?

Hi,

As a fellow Sheffield resident I can suggest the following store, it is in Crookes; I do not have anything delivered as I live within walking distance.

The fruit and veg is really top quality and I cannot see why this would be any different if you had it delivered. The staff are lovely to chat to and are knowledgeable about their produce; oh, and the prices seem very reasonable to me.

http://www.beanieswholefoods.co.uk/

Roz_V

notanothergreyhair wrote:

Hi,

As a fellow Sheffield resident I can suggest the following store, it is in Crookes; I do not have anything delivered as I live within walking distance.

The fruit and veg is really top quality and I cannot see why this would be any different if you had it delivered. The staff are lovely to chat to and are knowledgeable about their produce; oh, and the prices seem very reasonable to me.

http://www.beanieswholefoods.co.uk/

I have been looking at Beanies but their delivery schemes did not seem as good as Wildstar - more expense for the same amount of produce

If I don't get on with Wildstar though, I will probably try them

Roz_V

notanothergreyhair wrote:

Hi,

As a fellow Sheffield resident I can suggest the following store, it is in Crookes; I do not have anything delivered as I live within walking distance.

The fruit and veg is really top quality and I cannot see why this would be any different if you had it delivered. The staff are lovely to chat to and are knowledgeable about their produce; oh, and the prices seem very reasonable to me.

http://www.beanieswholefoods.co.uk/

I have been looking at Beanies but their delivery schemes did not seem as good as Wildstar - more expense for the same amount of produce also a friend had a bad experience with Beanies, but I guess no company can satisfy everyone 100% of the time :rotfl:

If I don't get on with Wildstar though, I will probably try them

Madmel

Another happy Riverford customer here! As far as unusual veg goes, my kids have been more willing to try something just because the "vegetable man" has brought it! I try to vary what we eat, and Riverford do give you a booklet when you first join and then recipes every week to try.

As other posters have said, I often make soup, especially with root veg like swedes that we don't like on their own. Another trick is to parboil a mixture of stuff then homemake a cheese sauce, pour it over the top, then sprinkle with breadcrumbs & more grated cheese and bake til it goes golden & bubbly. Probably not very good for the waistline, but wonders for the 5 a day;)

Another tip I have found is that my children (7 & 5) will eat certain veg if it's stir-fried that they won't eat if steamed or boiled. They wolf down any sort of cabbage, but ignore it if it's boiled. We have a rule here that you have to have 1 (or a very small portion) and that has helped them get used to stuff like kale.

We like it because it's local and seasonal, we feel that we are supporting local farmers, and it saves me having to lug loads of veg home from the supermarket.