Last Tuesday we received our first deliveries to Orchard Cottage: organic fruit and vegetable boxes from Riverford organic veg. We’ve been looking forward to participating in an organic box scheme now that we have a patio for people to leave deliveries on. So far, the Riverford boxes do not disappoint.

Our first box came with a bunch of info pamphlets (and a good amount of dirt). I tend to glaze over brochures, but one of the pamphlets was actually quite useful. It explained how to plan your meals around the food you receive in the box.

Getting the best out of your box…

1. Unpack and store the veg (see below)
2. Plan your meals around the vegetables that need eating first
3. Got something weird and wonderful-looking? Give us a call – we’ll tell you what it is and what to do with it (I love this – and it reminds me that I have no idea what to do with podded broad beans)

What to use, when to use it, and how to store it…

1-3 days

• courgettes, mushrooms, sugarsnap peas, asparagus – store at the bottom of the fridge
• fresh herbs, spinach – store in an airtight bag in the frigde
• tomatoes – store at room temperature unless over ripe

3-5 days

• broccoli, spring greens, sweetcorn, broad beans – store at the bottom of the fridge
• salad leaves, chard, kale, runner beans, french beans, pak choi, rhubarb – store in a plastic bag in the fridge
• apples, pears, avocados – store at room temperature

1 week or more

• carrots, leeks, cucumber, peppers, fennel, cauliflower, parsnips, cabbage, sprouts, celeriac, bunched onions, swede – store at the bottom of the fridge
• onions – store in a cool dry place
• potatoes, beetroot, jerusalem artichokes – store in a cool dark place
• squash, citrus fruit, bananas – store at room temperature

More on organic box schemes…

Organic boxes are pretty popular in the UK. The US has similar schemes with the CSA (Community Supported Agriculture). Check out their website to search for an organic box delivery near you.

A word on price – organic boxes are not cheap. We spent £26 on two boxes – one large fruit and one large veg – and received:

• 6 bananas
• 6 apples
• 8 apricots
• 9 clementines
• 125g blackcurrants
• 1 lettuce
• 5 tomatoes
• 1 cabbage
• 5 portobello mushrooms
• 1 cucumber
• 3 courgettes
• 2 red pepper
• 300g sugar snap peas
• 1 bunch carrots
• ~30 pods of broad beans
• 9 onions
• 15 kg potatoes

We ate through this within about 4 days (pretty easy when you’re two people working from home subsisting on a primarily vegan diet). So we’re going to need to add a lot more veggies to our order if we’re going to rely on Riverford for all of our produce needs. This’ll add up, but at the same time…

• We get to eat ultra-fresh food, with all the flavor and vitamin benefits
• We get exposed to new vegetables and new ways of cooking
• Our food doesn’t come packed in a whole bunch of extra earth-polluting plastic like it does at the supermarket
• We get to support local farmers
• We get to feel good about the food we eat and where it comes from

Read on…

• Top 35 Organic Box Schemes in the UK [Times Online]
• Community Supported Agriculture – Organic boxes in the USA
• Riverford Organic Veg – Our organic box provider