boxes of lovelieness
Now we've moved - we have boxes of - well stuff - which apparently is ours, tho' I'm not entirely sure what it all is, and now have boxes of loveliness. These arrive on a Thursday lunchtime and provide us with enough veggies for the week in exchange for merely fifteen English pounds.
I had box schemes in the past, but they were twice as much and the veg never lasted the week. I realise that organic veg and fruit doesn't keep so well - but it was economically not viable. I do still need to buy some bits, and of course lots of fruit (the fruit boxes have loads of citrus fruits, of which I'm not a fan) But overall, real veg from a real farm less than 10 miles away? I'm sold.
I read in the Guardian, that supermarkets, in particular my favourite Tescos are starting their own box schemes. Surely people won't go for this? Rather heretically, I'm not convinced that organic everything is the way to go - I think the world will run out of space, but I do think that buying what you can organically sends a good message to the Powers That Be that the conventional intensive farming is not the right way to go either. And for me the box scheme is as much about supporting smaller farmers as it is about organic food. Oh and the tastiest potatoes in the world.
The upside of the scheme is clear; tasty ethical veggies, contributing to the local economy, supporting independent farmers. So far the downside; not knowing what's coming has made meal planning harder - though that in turn has made me more creative. Meals currently seem to take longer; though inspiration can lead to exciting things - this lentil and cauliflower curry will feature highly on the Chirp menu this winter. Which I guess only serves to remind me I was using too many long distance out of season veg.
I had box schemes in the past, but they were twice as much and the veg never lasted the week. I realise that organic veg and fruit doesn't keep so well - but it was economically not viable. I do still need to buy some bits, and of course lots of fruit (the fruit boxes have loads of citrus fruits, of which I'm not a fan) But overall, real veg from a real farm less than 10 miles away? I'm sold.
I read in the Guardian, that supermarkets, in particular my favourite Tescos are starting their own box schemes. Surely people won't go for this? Rather heretically, I'm not convinced that organic everything is the way to go - I think the world will run out of space, but I do think that buying what you can organically sends a good message to the Powers That Be that the conventional intensive farming is not the right way to go either. And for me the box scheme is as much about supporting smaller farmers as it is about organic food. Oh and the tastiest potatoes in the world.
The upside of the scheme is clear; tasty ethical veggies, contributing to the local economy, supporting independent farmers. So far the downside; not knowing what's coming has made meal planning harder - though that in turn has made me more creative. Meals currently seem to take longer; though inspiration can lead to exciting things - this lentil and cauliflower curry will feature highly on the Chirp menu this winter. Which I guess only serves to remind me I was using too many long distance out of season veg.
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