Organic Produce Delivery?

lukeevans85

Last night while figuring out that my budget for food is way off (we budget $600 for our family...we spend $1200) I was trying to find ways I can save some money and eat healthy.

The obvious things were to stop spending $200 a month on coffee and another $250 a month on fast food. In fact that probably takes care of 90% of the issue.

However I stumbled across a service called Full Circle Farms. They deliver organic produce (as well as other groceries apparently) weekly. As far as I can tell a weeks worth of produce is going to be somewhere between $27.99 and $44.99 per week for my family. Currently I don't think I'm spending this much on produce but I honestly think that if I were to buy all the produce I want but can't seem to get because half of it is rotting at the grocery store...I'd probably spend close to that. Maybe more. It's seems that it's actually pretty cost effective. Every review I found for Full Circle was fantastic. Just wondering if anyone on here has used Full Circle or something similar? I know Full Circle does Puget Sound, Alaska, San Francisco, and Eastern WA....I saw another one (can't remember the name) that does Portland/Vancouver.

Can anyone share their experiences? I really feel like if I'm having quality produce delivered I'm going to be more likely to actually eat it. A lot of times I go to the store and spend 20 minutes scouring the produce department trying to find fruit or veggies that are not rotting and then 1-2 days later whatever I haven't eaten is bad already. It sucks. Hell I can't even get a decent apple to save my life and I live in WA!

lukeevans85

Anyone?

lorierin22

I have used something similar (though not the same company) in Georgia. I was happy with it first, but found that for my family at least, we did not use all of the produce every week so it did not end up saving us any money. Sometimes it was because we got something we didn't like or didn't have time to make it or not being able to use everything before it rotted. Occasionally there would be an issue with something going bad w/in one or two days of receiving it, but this was not always the case. If you use fresh fruit and veggies on a daily basis then I think it can be a good investment. It just didn't work for us.

hdsqrl

We use a similar service called Door to Door Organics, and we love it. We've been using them for a couple of years now, and I find that we eat almost everything that's delivered, very rarely waste anything, and occasionally are challenged to try something new. One side effect you're likely to notice is that you'll soon actively dislike non-organic fruit. My family instantly notices the bitter taste of the peel when they bite into a store-bought apple, for example. Now, the only produce I buy in the store are things like pineapples when they go on sale. Everything else is delivered. It also pushes me to plan meals a week in advance, so I'm making use of the produce delivered that week. I'd say you should give it a try.

(Side note, if anyone reading this wants a discount on their first week with D2D, send me a PM - I don't get any kickback from it; it's just a nice offer they make available through existing customers. Check https://www.doortodoororganics.com/ to see if they're in your area (mainly midwest & east coast.))

zoeluiisa

Wow, that really sucks. I've never come across rotten produce in a shop (if I did I wouldn't be shopping there again in a hurry!).

I know a lot of people who get vegetable boxes delivered - I'm in Britain so I can't recommend a company to you, but everyone that gets them seems to love it. I would do it too only I live in a block of flats and there's no-where safe for them to leave the box while I'm out... I love the idea of all my veg being seasonal and organic and locally grown.

_granola

I use Full Circle Farm for grocery delivery here in Seattle. They are absolutely fantastic. They have changed their box sizes and delivery times since I started with them (I get a box bi-weekly for two people, and I eat most of it). There are a few produce things I still get at the grocery store when I need them, but I think having different things delivered to me (many of which, before I started with them, I would have never just picked up at the store) sort of forces me to try new ways of cooking everything before it goes bad.

You are also able to order other local items from them, like meats and seafood, granola, breads, nut butters, cheese, chocolate (Theo bars!), etc. Everything is incredibly fresh and tastes great. You can always do a trial with them and if you don’t like it or think you are spending too much, you can cancel.

lukeevans85

Wow, that really sucks. I've never come across rotten produce in a shop (if I did I wouldn't be shopping there again in a hurry!).

I know a lot of people who get vegetable boxes delivered - I'm in Britain so I can't recommend a company to you, but everyone that gets them seems to love it. I would do it too only I live in a block of flats and there's no-where safe for them to leave the box while I'm out... I love the idea of all my veg being seasonal and organic and locally grown.

The problem is it's not just "a shop"...it's all of them. All of them have bad rotting produce. It's awful.

lukeevans85

I have used something similar (though not the same company) in Georgia. I was happy with it first, but found that for my family at least, we did not use all of the produce every week so it did not end up saving us any money. Sometimes it was because we got something we didn't like or didn't have time to make it or not being able to use everything before it rotted. Occasionally there would be an issue with something going bad w/in one or two days of receiving it, but this was not always the case. If you use fresh fruit and veggies on a daily basis then I think it can be a good investment. It just didn't work for us.

Full Circle allows you to customize what you get so we won't have to worry about getting something we don't like.

zoeluiisa

Wow, that really sucks. I've never come across rotten produce in a shop (if I did I wouldn't be shopping there again in a hurry!).

I know a lot of people who get vegetable boxes delivered - I'm in Britain so I can't recommend a company to you, but everyone that gets them seems to love it. I would do it too only I live in a block of flats and there's no-where safe for them to leave the box while I'm out... I love the idea of all my veg being seasonal and organic and locally grown.

The problem is it's not just "a shop"...it's all of them. All of them have bad rotting produce. It's awful.

Wow. Is it like that even in the national supermarket chains? You should write to them and complain.

Though it could be that people in the neighbourhood aren't buying enough fruit and veg and so the turnover in the shops is too slow...

lukeevans85

Wow, that really sucks. I've never come across rotten produce in a shop (if I did I wouldn't be shopping there again in a hurry!).

I know a lot of people who get vegetable boxes delivered - I'm in Britain so I can't recommend a company to you, but everyone that gets them seems to love it. I would do it too only I live in a block of flats and there's no-where safe for them to leave the box while I'm out... I love the idea of all my veg being seasonal and organic and locally grown.

The problem is it's not just "a shop"...it's all of them. All of them have bad rotting produce. It's awful.

Wow. Is it like that even in the national supermarket chains? You should write to them and complain.

Though it could be that people in the neighbourhood aren't buying enough fruit and veg and so the turnover in the shops is too slow...

They're pretty much all national supermarket chains. Or at least regional. Safeway, Albertsons, Fred Meyer, Haggen, etc. Even the organic store I used to go to is now selling rotting produce. They used to have amazing produce and my guess is that due to the economy the produce is sitting there longer. But the big chains have no real excuse. It's always been this way. And it's not just the neighborhood. It's everywhere. I can go to grocery stores 30-60 minutes away and have the exact same issue.

Fred Meyer (Kroger in some areas) is the worst offender. Their commercials say "You deserve fresh"....and they are right. I do. I just don't get it from them. Their produce rots in 24-48 hours and is generally flavorless. 9 times out of 10 you can find moldy fruit IN THE STORE. I've written and complained to them but nothing changed. Still awful produce.

lukeevans85

And realistically there are produce stands I can go to. But they are out of my way and require a separate trip which really bothers me. They are inexpensive and have good quality produce for the most part but I'm really tired of having to go to 2 or 3 places to get quality food.

slkehl

I know the stuff at supermarkets isn't top notch, but the organic stuff goes bad REALLY fast.

lukeevans85

I know the stuff at supermarkets isn't top notch, but the organic stuff goes bad REALLY fast.

With non-organic from the supermarket going bad within 1-2 days I can't imagine organic is any worse.

v70t5m

I purchased from a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) this year, and it really pushed me to try new recipes because some of the vegetables were things with which I had no previous experience.

Sometimes I did have produce go bad because I couldn't use it fast enough, one visit fills a whole fridge shelf.

Other times, it would go bad because I still don't like eggplant, regardless of recipe (we could not pick our produce choices).

However, I would not hesitate to sign up again next year. The price was reasonable, the produce was fresh (fresh, fresh!), the taste is out of this world good, and it was delivered to my doorstep. Excellent.

bokodasu

I use South Mountain Veggies and it's great. I pay the little bit extra for the customizable bag, because I belonged to a CSA before and we got so much stuff nobody would eat it was a waste of money. Anyway, it works out to be the same we were spending on produce before, but delivered to the house, which is cool.

The thing that helps me the most is that I take the invoice from each week and stick it to the fridge, then cross off everything as we use it. Keeps me more aware of what we have and need to use, because I don't think I've developed object permanency yet. (In the crisper drawer? I can't see it, therefore it doesn't exist.)

lukeevans85

The thing that helps me the most is that I take the invoice from each week and stick it to the fridge, then cross off everything as we use it. Keeps me more aware of what we have and need to use, because I don't think I've developed object permanency yet. (In the crisper drawer? I can't see it, therefore it doesn't exist.)

That is a GREAT idea. I'm awful about using the things I buy because I can't see them. Having the invoice on the fridge might actually keep me using everything.

Thanks!

zoeluiisa

I know the stuff at supermarkets isn't top notch, but the organic stuff goes bad REALLY fast.

With non-organic from the supermarket going bad within 1-2 days I can't imagine organic is any worse.

Wow, I never realised the supermarkets here were so good! Never had this problem with normal or organic.

Hope the veg boxes are a good solution :drinker:

musenchild

I get a CSA box every two weeks and we LOVE it! I imagine every farm is different, but we can choose things we don't want, and I can also go to the website and stop a delivery if we are going to be out of town or if we still have too much left to use up another one.

I've noticed that the produce is so fresh and tasty that I WANT to use it! I'll snack on their carrots and fruit instead of chips and ice cream because they taste better. I also love the challenge of making the ingredients we have work together to create veggie-based meals, it's the best part of cooking for me. I supplement the contents of the box with basics like celery, onions, and garlic from the grocery store, and I will occasionally scope out our weekly farmer's market as well, but I could never get that much produce, organic or not, at the grocery store or farmer's market for the price. There are two of us, we get one every two weeks for $32 and it lasts us that long (I use up the more delicate stuff first, so that nothing goes bad).

I also have a little device I picked up at Bed Bath and Beyond for keeping your produce fresh longer. It was about five dollars and it makes a huge difference. I can pick up two-week-old lettuce, swirl it around in a little cold water to crisp it up, and use it just like it arrived yesterday. The device is small and just lives in the bottom of the crisper drawer. Here's a link to it on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Extra-Life-Produce-Saver-Single/dp/B000E8SUZK. Also remember to keep produce out of the plastic bags, and to keep berries in open containers on the middle shelf. Some people also recommend rinsing your produce when you get it home with a weak vinegar solution to kill mold spores, but I've never gone that far. I'm sorry your markets are no good. In the CA bay area and everyone is a produce snob (produce is great, but super expensive)!

If anyone reading this in Northern California wants to try our farm box service, Farm Fresh to You, message me and I can give you a discount code.

treechic93

I am fortunate to grow my own organic veggies and even supply 3-4 families in my area with boxes of organic veggies at their request weekly, kind of a mini-business. I hope you find a way to make this work for you. You will be STUNNED at how long fresh veggies will last in your fridge vs. what you find in a regular grocery store. If you don't go with the company you noted, check with your area farmers market to see what CSA's are in your area. Many deliver and may be cheaper since they don't come with a "Brand name". Plus, don't shy away from a grower that isn't "certified" organic. I am an organic grower but not certified because it costs extra money for me to do that but all my customers are well informed of my organic methods. Good luck!

lukeevans85

I just checked on CSA's and the only ones that do home delivery are Full Circle and SPUD (at least for my county). Full Circle seems to be the best price out of the two but if I don't like full circle I may try SPUD.

*Correction* Full Circle is not a CSA....It's just listed under home produce delivery in the CSA pamphlet.

lukeevans85

I took the plunge and signed up for full circle. Our first order was $17.50+tax (half off $35 because I had a promo code). I haven't actually seen the produce yet other than the pics my wife has sent me but it looks pretty decent. According to her its also a ton of produce and probably way more than we need. So I'm anxious to start using it.