Veg box's, organic or otherwise,,,

[speedy_gonzales]

A couple of years back, our local Tesco's had an organic veg box for sale, can't exactly remember the price but it was over a tenner, a selection of veg's from staples to seasonal. I remember chuckling to myself and wondered what kind of mug would buy that and walked on.
Fast forward a couple of years and I think I've matured into a 'mug'! I've been looking into organic veg box's and have just taken delivery of a trial box from East Coast organics. I've had a quick rummage through and as well as the basics (potatoes/onions/carrots) there's some nice stuff there including swiss chard, beetroots, mixed salad leaves.

Adding it all up, it does seem to come in cheaper than similar items from the major supermarkets and there is also the fact it's delivered to your door as well. If I'm honest I'm not overly fussed about the whole 'organic' thing but I do enjoy my food, the cooking AND the eating. Also wonder if the 'seasonal' element of the box's would encourage my creative side in the kitchen!

Does anyone else subscribe to a regular veg box (if so, from where?) and do you feel it's worth it?

[HiBremian]

We had a fruit and veg box in Darlington when we lived there. I think the key for us was quality. Sometimes we got veg that was well past its best. But the plus side was that we could sort it out direct with the producers, and eventually the quality reached a standard even the German wife could accept ;-)

I'm all for supporting local farmers if possible, so even if it does sometimes cost a bit more, it's worth it for that feeling that you're doing something worthwhile. And given the amount of waste food thrown away by supermarket junkies, it probably works out cheaper in the end if you take more care over what you buy.

Also, I work at home a lot so I was often around when the delivery arrived, leading to long conversations about organic farming methods with the local farmer over cups of tea. Didn't help the work, but was often very enjoyable.


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[The_Exile]

I've made an oath to myself to grow more of my own stuff. Plan on getting a wee square of the garden set up for carrots, onions, strawberries and tatties. I do say this every year and then end up convincing myself it's going to be far too difficult so why bother? :greengrin

[over the line]

I've made an oath to myself to grow more of my own stuff. Plan on getting a wee square of the garden set up for carrots, onions, strawberries and tatties. I do say this every year and then end up convincing myself it's going to be far too difficult so why bother? :greengrin

It's no bother at all really. I got onto growing my own veg a few years back and if you pick the right crop, it is easy and well worth it.

I grow beetroot (dead easy), potatoes, tomatoes, spring onions, marrow and lettuce mainly. Chillies are a good one as well, just put the pot in a sunny widow or even better in a conservatory and a bush will grow dozens and dozens of them. I've had a few failures along the way, never been able to grow parsnips or cabbage for some reason and the wasps ate my strawberries from the inside out, which was a bit weird. The produce really does taste a lot better than shop bought stuff though and is quite satisfying knowing its all your own work.

[Pretty Boy]

I've made an oath to myself to grow more of my own stuff. Plan on getting a wee square of the garden set up for carrots, onions, strawberries and tatties. I do say this every year and then end up convincing myself it's going to be far too difficult so why bother? :greengrin

Got into growing a few of my own veggies a while ago. I have a communal garden so minimal space I can dig up but have improvised quite well.

I grow chillies in a couple of pots by the window, potatoes in a couple of old dustbins, strawberries, basil, courgettes and tomatoes in hanging baskets and some beans in pots.

It's really not all that much hassle if you do a wee bit research beforehand on best time to plant and basic care. I now quite enjoy spending an hour or so in the garden and taking care of my veg.

[Bishop Hibee]

We get a fortnightly veggie box plus eggs box from http://eastcoastorganics.co.uk/index.php?section=index

Great quality produce on the whole. The potatoes are superb especially the opportunity to try different varieties. You need to be into kale and beetroot at this time of year though! The only thing none of us liked was the cucumber. Very different flavour to the single variety type in the supermarkets. They were also happy to accommodate the strict 'no celery' rule in our house :greengrin