Does anyone get a veg box delivered?

[bowbluebell]

Hello

I'm consdering arranging a 'family veg box'delivery with our local farm shop and was wondering if anyone can share their veg box expereiences.

I am a little concerned that the appearence of many random root vegetable will scupper my attempts to menu plan. Or will it just make me more creative? Also, do you get a good balance of produce or is it more '1001 ways with baby turnips'?

Any advice welcomed!

Thanks

Ask them if you can ask what to put in your box.

I have tried a few schemes, and did get a bit fed up of celeriac and swede. I now get a box from our local greengrocers. She knows what basics to put in each week (lots of bananas, onions, spuds, carrots) and makes up the rest to a budget (£15-£20 for 3 of us, veggies). She is in the next village and gets her produce from local farms and markets. I really like keeping the money local. Sometimes DS and I walk up to choose the f&v, sometimes I ring if I want soemething special, but every Tuesday evening I have a lovely box of fruit and veg on my back doorstep.

I cancelled my random veg box because it totally messed up my menu planning. Especially in winter I got fed up trying to think of yet more things to do with - say - parsnips when I'd really have liked carrots. The alternative was to order by particular veg type .... and that was very expensive. Plus, we're a household of 2 so a weekly box of veg often went past its best before we could use it up.

I cancelled mine too. The Dcs eat a LOT of fruit and vegetables, but really do accommodate what we needed we either needed to buy the super-big box, which there was no WAY we could afford, or top of from the supermarket which rather defeated the purpose I felt. I thought the serving guidance (ie, feeds 3-4 for a week) was bollocks untrue.

Like littlesilver ours wouldn't feed us as it claims, though we eat a lot of veg. But i do like that we end up eating veg we wouldn't have other wise, it's spanking fresh (and there's quite a lot, that having been brought up on home grown veg, i just won't buy in the shops) and supports a local organic farm. It's family run and planning a new straw bale building so they can get school groups in etc.

We collect, they don't deliver, but like to wonder round the farm, especially as stuff that there is plenty of you can often have as much ah you can be bothered to pick. I think ours works out really good value. It's about a quid a day. Back in april may, when we started, it could be a bit sparse, but now we get tons for our £7! Also meeting the other people when we collect is nice (they have bbq's too but we haven't made it to one yet). Also you can pick unlimited herbs, and, in season, flowers.

Re menu planning i just wait till we get it and then plan. Books like tender by nigel slater, or jane grigsons fruit and veg books will give you endless ways to use the veg in ways that really let them shine. I guess in winter it might be endless turnips or whatever, but i love cooking and grew up with food being very seasonal like that so actually quite like the challenge.

I think you have to decide why you want a veg box, and then find one that does that. For example, although your local farm shop delivers them, is the produce local? Does that matter to you? I certainly wouldn't subscribe to some of the other schemes but love ours.

We tried on from one of the better known firms It was rubbish. Some of the veg/fruit was very clearly near the end of its life and very repetitive. Indeed, I felt totally ripped off as much better quality organic oculd be had at M&S with my own choice for lower price.

The big farmers who grow organic veg have to supply supermarkets to make a living and they have to do that contract. I am convinced the van based veg box firms get what is left over.

We had a local farm shop and we used to top up there with stuff we needed over and above M&S.

I've been getting one for nearly 4 years. Personally I struggle with the amount of greens atm (do I really need spinach, cabbage AND lettuce all in the same week) but I love it when we get lots of different root veg - roasting heaven! I've also learnt to blanch and freeze cabbage so I then have it spread over the year rather than cabbage after cabbage (I personally would never choose to buy cabbage).
I have learnt quite a lot about cooking (we don't do meat every day so trying to team up pulses with the veg I have can be hard) and occassionally think back wishfully to when we only ate courgettes, carrots and sweetcorn, but that is rare!
And the veg just tastes sooo good!
I get a box for 2-3 people (2 adults, 2 toddlers) but am thinking of going up a size.

I've been using Riverford for years and think the range is really good. I know with Abel and Cole you can out of some vegetables. With both of these you can add extras which is useful. I think it works out well in terms of value and convenience.

I get a box every other week and then go to our local greengrocers in between. I've tried 4 different suppliers, but Riverford are my favourite. I like their fruit, whereas the other suppliers I've tried are not so good for fruit. I don't get the same box every week but vary it depending on the contents.

As above I do struggle with all the bloomin' cabbages! But I agree, the flavour of the organic veg is really good. And with an every other week box, you don't end up with a glut of veg in the fridge. Abel and Cole are too pricey and commercialised for me.