We’re about a third of the way through the ten reviews I’ll be posting during the remainder of July. Hold on, cuz the contests and discount codes coming your way are worth it…
I’ve talked before at length about our diet around here. Typically, Isobel’s (and by extension, my) diet is made up of about 50% produce, 20-40% soy products and meat, and the remaining 10-30% is alternative grains. This means that not only did we end up dropping extra fat stores within a couple of weeks of changing to it in February, but that our grocery bill nearly doubled.
Because of this, I don’t buy organic. Unless it’s cheaper than non-organics. How often does that happen, right?
I also historically have a wickedly horrible habit of not washing produce. I’ve never weathered any negative effects from it, and usually, it’s eaten on the go, so…it wasn’t much of a priority.
Yeah, I can hear you gagging from here, thanks.
When I was given the opportunity to review Spud’s organic delivery service, I jumped at the chance because a) it was free groceries!, b) I assumed they would have a wealth of gluten- and dairy- free food items that I may not be able to get in our local Whole Foods (or might get cheaper), and c) I remembered looking longingly at the people getting their groceries packed up for delivery at Safeway, back in the days of having to grocery shop each morning with a sturdy shoulder bag and a baby in a snugli, because I couldn’t carry more.
I found the gluten-free options were priced on par with my local store, and some even more expensive, and the little penny-pincher in me wouldn’t allow me to order them. So, I decided that I’d review two weekly deliveries of organic produce from Spud instead.
The first step was to set up my personal preferences online – basically rating on a scale of 1-5 how much I like, want every single kind of fruit or vegetable possible. Then, I scheduled two weekly deliveries of a Fresh Harvest Box, to be based on my preferences. Simple. They pick and choose what to stock the box with, in accordance with what I said I liked, hated or could leave or take.
I was told that my delivery would be on Tuesdays and that I could supply them with a key, be home, or collect my delivery from outside of my apartment building since they provide everything necessary for storage, including ice-packs, if needed. I chose to stay home and got to meet what might be the nicest delivery person I’ve ever met in my life. I wonder if an organic diet makes him extra polite?
The first week’s delivery, $20 of food, looked like this:
Celery, bananas, apples, tomatoes, mustard greens and blueberries. Yum. The blueberries were hoovered within a day; the bananas set on a window-sill to ripen and the rest was thrown into the fridge. What was eaten right away was delicious: the apples crispy, the blueberries a perfect mix of tart and sweet, and the tomatoes juicy. Unfortunately, the mustard greens and celery wilted right away, so I didn’t end up sampling those.
The second week, I received another $35 of fresh fruits and vegetables, again in a reusable tote without any extra packaging. This time, more celery, bananas, tomatoes and apples came with strawberries, cucumber, avocados, potatoes and a salad mix. Of course, this is right before I’m about to leave for four days, so the bulk of this produce will go with Isobel to the place she’ll be staying.
Overall, it was a positive experience ordering from Spud, but it’s not one that I’ll keep up for two main reasons:
- organic produce is more expensive – I usually get more than twice the amount of produce I received from Spud for the same price when I shop at a little Asian produce market near my home;
- I like the guaranteed of getting what I need, when I need it, and not worrying about storing or ripening anything.
I’ve gotten into the habit over the years since Isobel was born of buying staples as they went on sale, and stocking up on them then, and replenishing our produce supplies every two to four days. Meaning, we spend between $50 and 70 a week on fruits and veggies. I think, if I was ordering all of those from this organic delivery, the price would at least double, and I’d end up wasting a lot that wasn’t able to keep in the crisper for the week’s duration between deliveries.
For people who don’t have the issues I do – a lack of storage space, and a nearly psychopathic need to buy groceries as cheap as they can possibly be found – Spud might be the perfect fit.
One thing that I really found interesting was the invoice and newsletter that comes with each delivery. Not only do they provide a recipe of the week, healthy living news and reviews, contests, tips for storing and ripening produce and information about their reward program, but they also provide details about how far your food has travelled to get to their warehouse. I’m talking about a general message about the average of all of your food, as well as a per item breakdown. For instance, I know that my tomatoes travelled 54kms and my cucumber, 1646kms.
For those attempting to eat sustainably, and locally? This is GOLD. In fact, when ordering, I believe you can set up your preferences so that you only receive products from within a certain distance to your home. 100 Mile Diet, anyone?
Overall, I recommend the service to anyone who can afford to integrate organics into their diet, who craves the convenience of ordering online. Spud’s groceries aren’t limited to just produce, either – they offer a wealth of baked foods, prepared meals and snacks, in addition to beverages and special-diet items for those avoiding wheat, dairy, animal products or eating kosher.
Now the real question: how much do you spend on produce?
