Fresh Harvest Co-Op
As most of you know, I really enjoy visiting the local farmers’ markets on the weekends, but there are times when I’m traveling or just too darn busy with other activities to make a special trip to the market. In the past, I’d contemplated joining a CSA, but decided that even a 1/2 share or 1/4 share would probably result in too much waste in our 2 person household. I also wasn’t too keen on the idea of ending up with a huge bag of beets and garlic scapes or some other peculiar item I didn’t have the time or energy to figure out how to use.
When I heard about Fresh Harvest, whose concept is a slight variation on a CSA, I was extremely excited and realized I’d found the answer to my busy week dilemma. Instead of automatically receiving a share of the farm’s crop weekly and not knowing what items you’ll be receiving, you get to decide what you get and when you get it!
Our order this week: broccoli, fava beans, summer squash, red cabbage, green and red onions
Here’s how it works: when you sign up, you make a deposit of at least $50, which is then used as a pre-paid account. When your initial $50 is depleted, you make another deposit. During the heaviest harvest season, there are two pick-ups weekly, one on Wednesday evening and the other on Saturday morning. On Sunday night, an email goes out directing you to the updated online store for ordering for the Wednesday delivery, and on Wednesday night, an email goes out for the Saturday delivery.
In addition to all sorts of produce, they offer fresh flowers, breads, chicken, eggs, honey…the list goes on and on. Check out the online market to see what’s available this week.
I can’t even explain how happy this discovery has made me. While I think CSA’s are great, I love this business plan even more for a small household like ours because we’re allowed to purchase what we want, in the quantities that we want, when we want.
So what about you? Are you a farmers’ market shopper, a CSA’er, or have you ever participated in a co-op like this one? What are your experiences?
Fresh Harvest
Delivery location:
Trinity Presbyterian Church
3201 Hillsboro Pike
Wednesday from 4 – 6 pm
Saturday from 9 – 11 am
Another great site is the Green Door Gourmet http://www.greendoorgourmet.com/ Same idea, but they seem to carry a few more products including Kenny’s Cheese. Definitely a convenient way to shop when you can’t make it to the Market.
-Mary
http://marycrimmins.com/
http://twitter.com/#!/Mary_Crimmins
Thanks for the heads up on Green Door, Mary! I hadn’t heard of it, so will check it out :-)
Beth you just made my day!
I’ve been dying to try a CSA, but I eat out too often and am way too picky for our 2 person household to handle it.
Added bonus that the drop off spot is less than a mile from the house.
Thanks for sharing!
yay! I think you’ll love it!
So cool! My fiance and I are doing the Avalon Acres CSA this summer, and we love it, but there are weeks when we don’t want to/can’t cook it all and throw some away. Bummer. This might be great for next summer.
I’ve been using Fresh Harvest this season as well. Love that I can shop online, even from my phone. You’ll notice that kohlrabi won’t ever be in my shopping cart. :)
I have been ordering from Fresh Harvest for a couple of years now. I get so excited about that Sunday night email! I’ve come to anticipate & love certain veggie varieties they grow each year.
Thanks for the head’s up on Green Door, Mary. I’ll have to check into that.