The fresh box: how to get local produce at a great price @ Saver Queen

The fresh box: how to get local produce at a great price

Posted on March 5th, 2009 Saver Queen 5 comments

image courtesy of fork & bottle

Last week I ordered my very first Garden Fresh Box. I am so excited to have discovered this opportunity. While I knew a friend who used to take advantage of this, I never investigated it myself, and now I wonder why I waited so long to take advantage of fresh, locally grown produce at a great price.

The Garden Fresh Box Program is a non-profit, fresh produce buying service created to help people access fresh fruits and vegetables and support our local farmers. Here’s how it works: You place your order in advance for a big or small box of veggies and/or fruit. You must do this before the first Friday of every month. Two weeks later you pick up your box of food. Yes, you must pick it up, but there are 17 locations in the city. Luckily I happen to live right down the street from the nearest pick-up location.

Here’s what comes in a sample large box of veggies, for $15:

Sample Large Box ($15)

5 lbs. of potatoes

3 lbs. of carrots

6 sweet corn

5 tomatoes

3 zucchini

1 romaine lettuce

5 apples

1 head of broccoli

1 bunch of parsley

1 bulb of garlic

1 lb. of asparagus

1 quart of strawberries

Pretty good deal, especially considering you are supporting your local farmers. To learn more about where you can buy local, fresh food in Waterloo Region, check out Foodlink. But if you don’t live in the area, don’t fret - there are similar programs run all over the country. If you’re in the Toronto region, check out Food Share or visit Green Ontario for other fresh box delivery programs.

Alternatively, join a food co-op or consider community sustainable agriculture. If you live in the states, you can find one near you at Local Harvest or learn about community supported agriculture in your region.

I can’t wait to get my fresh box!

5 responses to “The fresh box: how to get local produce at a great price”

Miss M March 5th, 2009 at 10:24

That sounds like an awesome deal, I haven’t heard of anything similar in this area. But we have a lot of farmers markets where you can buy your produce directly and for a lower price than the grocery store. Enjoy the bounty.
Kate March 5th, 2009 at 10:46

I’m really torn about CSA boxes and organics boxes.

We used to have one (a small box every week) and found that while we consumed way more vegetables and fruits that way, we also wasted way more food.
Dawn March 5th, 2009 at 13:00

Once again I am envious of your Canadian connections!

I do most of my shopping at the farmers market when it is open (May-Oct.) I can’t wait until it gets going again!
Nancy March 7th, 2009 at 11:40

One more thing to add..if you prefer organic produce, check out the local delivery service. In London it’s called Express Organics. They sell all kinds of other products along with produce. I haven’t used it, as I like to find local organics in the summer but it might be great in the winter since all the distributors have to import some produce..
Katie March 7th, 2009 at 20:46

I would love to hear more about your experience once you get your box. I had friends that used the program when they lived in guelph and loved it.