Your experience with Fruit and Vegetable Box Schemes?

Qhi

I'm thinking of using a box scheme for produce and wanted to get your experiences with them, I tried Able and Cole in the past and stopped in the end because the vegetables had lots of dirt on them, it took ages to clean both the produce and the kitchen and days afterwards I would still find these little see through creepy crawlies inching their way along the countertop and sink, I don't know if that was only Able and Cole or if they've changed now or if all fruit and veg box schemes are like that? I just wanted to hear your thoughts especially since now years later there are so many to pick from and I'm not sure which one to choose, (definitely not able and cole again) - though ideally it would still be an organic one. Any recommendations or ones to avoid?

sarah1972

Qhi said:

I'm thinking of using a box scheme for produce and wanted to get your experiences with them, I tried Able and Cole in the past and stopped in the end because the vegetables had lots of dirt on them, it took ages to clean both the produce and the kitchen and days afterwards I would still find these little see through creepy crawlies inching their way along the countertop and sink, I don't know if that was only Able and Cole or if they've changed now or if all fruit and veg box schemes are like that? I just wanted to hear your thoughts especially since now years later there are so many to pick from and I'm not sure which one to choose, (definitely not able and cole again) - though ideally it would still be an organic one. Any recommendations or ones to avoid?

So you want an organic box of fruit and veg with no dirt on ???

Personally I wouldn't buy one where everything has been washed, the soil helps keep the veg longer but more importantly, it shows that its fresh and that no its not been cleaned with nasty chemicals.

Qhi

Are you saying the dirt thing is a part of organic box schemes only? How does dirt preserve the produce? Sometimes A&Cs  veg arrived old/shrivelled. When I was on a local garden yonks ago it was fine to just wash with water and take home, if it was labelled organic I would expect it was washed that way, or I suppose now I'd ask. If all organic box schemes use dirt/mud then I'll probably use normal ones and then switch if I ever move to somewhere downstairs or my own place, if it's all box schemes then for now it's down to the local shops and supermarkets with me.

newlywed

When my local farm organic veg box is due, I fill the sink with cold water and wash it all as soon as it’s arrived. Wash or rinse salad first, then everything else, ending with the potatoes. So far it’s been mostly clean, a few critters in the lettuce. Only the potatoes have been fully covered in earth, so I wash those last.  The beetroot and carrots have been pretty much cleaned up. 

Pretty good considering the massive influx of orders they’ve had - scrubbing a few potatoes is not too difficult or messsy.

sarah1972

The main reason we should all embrace dirty veg is that they stay fresh for longer. That’s the number one reason we don’t clean it. Root veg with mud on keep their moisture inside which means they are fresher and tastier when you eat them. They can be stored at room temperature so there’s a reduction in the need for refrigeration. This is a win win. Mud also keeps all those vitamins in your veg and it is packed with life-giving microorganisms (especially when it is organic)

Qhi

I've gone with a local scheme and am going to see how it goes. 
@newlywed I will keep your suggestion in mind, thanks for sharing.

Steve_L

Watching the local wildlife eating the contents of our neighbours' boxes when they're left outside the entrance doors to their flats because they're out, presumably at work. I don't think that it's meant to be like this.

Qhi

@Steve_L perhaps they left them out there as local wildlife feed, I imagine there's a lot less food litter for the animals now with most everyone indoors, maybe if theres any left for the humans you or someone could rescue it for them?

jaytin69

I used a well-known box scheme for many years until I started thinking the weights were not quite as they should have been. I often bought individual items which had a weight rather than the standard box, especially in the Summer. Finally I decided to weigh all the items from my box to check the weights. ALL of the items were under weight and some were close to half the stated weight. I thought it might be a one-off thing so I weighed the items in the next box and it was the same story, I cancelled my subscription the same day. If you get a standard box with no weights for individual items then it's probably okay.

MrsStepford

Been a customer of Abel & Cole since 2012. I picked my own veg, rather than have a box. I chose organic veg I couldn't get from supermarkets and bought others cheaper in ASDA and Sainsbury's. Right now, with coronavirus, it's boxes only. They are always clean (I don't buy spuds though) and at the moment, lots of stuff in polythene bags, I guess there are stricter hygiene rules at the moment ? Abel & Cole is starting to put pantry stuff back on website albeit sporadically. No eggs in weeks even though I have a regular order. Ditto for yogurt. It took two emails to get my milk back. From 2012-2017 I had Riverford also, again just random stuff. I managed to reinstate an order because my email address was still recognised. Getting a small organic no spuds box. Clean, more polythene bags than I remember. Abel & Cole and Riverford both very good. If you get anything damaged which you aren't happy with, take a photo, email it and they will refund you. The one place I wouldn't recommend is Pikt. Expensive and lousy quality. There was nothing in the box which I would have chosen. 

Qhi

MrsStepford said:

Abel & Cole and Riverford both very good. If you get anything damaged which you aren't happy with, take a photo, email it and they will refund you.

I should mention that I do remember A&C having very good customer service. Never even heard of Pikt. Seem to miss out on the eggs in the smaller local supermarket so that absence doesn't surprise me. Thanks for sharing, this is very helpful and @jaytin69 too, I wouldn't have thought of checking weights.