The Pacific

But Wait, There's More

Viv, who is my chief source of information about all things organic, is thrilled with Full Circle Farms, mentioned in an earlier blog. Not only does she have the fun of unpacking and eating all the goodies but has also found that doing it with her two year old brings an additional pleasure. She describes Samantha helping her unpack the box: “She would pull something out of the box and say, ‘Here you go, Mama’ followed by ‘What’s that?’ It was very cool.”

She also did some research and sent me the names of two other local organic providers that provide home delivery in Seattle. They are New Roots Organics and Pioneer Organics. Haven’t tried either of them yet but would welcome comments from readers who have.

Tiny - An Update

I am sorry to report that Tiny's Organic is no longer doing home deliveries. They will, however, continue to provide pick up service at designated spots around town. We are disappointed but understand that they want to concentrate on growing the best produce possible.

I Love Tiny

Vivian is the one who first told us about it: weekly delivery of fresh organic fruits and vegetables directly to your door. How cool is that? Most are locally grown so they are truly fresh. I couldn’t resist and placed my order immediately. The first delivery was Tuesday – and what a treat. This program is layered with delight.

First there is the fun of getting the box and seeing what you have. It’s a little like opening a Christmas present. Just to give you an idea, the first box contained: nectarines, peaches, cherries, apricots, apriums, white corn, tiny red new potatoes, several varieties of summer squash, radishes, tomatoes, spinach and the best leaf lettuce I’ve had since I grew my own. And this was the small box.

Then there is the fun of eating all these goodies. We never seem to eat enough fruit and veggies so I figure this takes away all the excuses. There they are just waiting to be eaten. Everything is fresh. Everything tastes wonderful. We even tried one of the recipes they included (for potato salad with spinach and olives – yum).

Finally, I love the idea of supporting local produce growers. It’s very much the French idea of eating things grown locally. They are more nutritious and they just taste better. And the only way we can have that is to buy locally and support those who produce this lovely food. It has really turned around the way I think about cooking. Instead of deciding on a menu and then shopping for the ingredients I now start with the ingredients that are in season and decide how to prepare them.

We chose Tiny’s Organic because they deliver. Viv is planning to try Full Circle Farm because they have a delivery point that is convenient for her. Both are part of the Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program that provides a way for all of us to directly support local farms – while enjoying the best produce available. It is one of those wonderful win, win situations that occur so infrequently. Local farms are making it easy for us to eat well and in doing so we ensure continued access to quality food. A special thank you to whoever came up with this terrific idea.

Photo: Our second delivery of fruits and vegetables that we received today taken July 2007.