A Better Box

I remember when the Internet first took off, and it was a new idea that you could shop for things at home without leaving your house.

While ordering from catalogues has been around for decades, by ordering online, you could gleefully circumvent a phone operator who painstakingly typed your name and address information into their data bank.  

My first online purchases were cosmetics. I ordered a few bath melts and bath bombs from Lush. I then ordered some customized body lotion and body wash that you could personalize by selecting different options and answering questions online—that company is no longer in business, sadly.)  I also remember it taking minutes for every new page to load on my computer with a dial-up connection!

Even back then, I always thought how cool would it be if I could do my grocery shopping from home, too. I love to cook, but hunting for what I need in the grocery store has always been one of my unfavorite tasks. A few years ago, I started placing my grocery orders through Peapod, and that rocked because they scrounged through the aisles for me and delivered the heavy bags to my door, even in bad weather.  

But I love my organic produce, and my organic everything, actually. So when I got my first Groupon to have a box full of seasonal fresh-picked organic produce delivered to my door for a discount, I was totally thrilled to try it! See, sometimes Stop & Shop—where Peapod gets the food from—doesn't have what I want in organic form, so this was a dream come true.

Shopping from home, for FRESH food—and, it’s the GOOD stuff. 

Maybe I’m silly, but I get a rush from opening my box of fruits and veggies as soon as it arrives.  It’s almost as good as picking the produce from my own garden, which I miss terribly at this time of year.

Even if you’re not an organic junkie, the convenience factor is great!  Healthy choices can be delivered to you, even if you stay away from the market and normally stock up on non-perishables.  I tried Door to Door Organics East twice, and have been very pleased with their service. They can deliver the produce of the week to you, every week, every two weeks, or just once.  It’s up to you.

I’m never sure how fast I can go through a box of fresh fruits and veggies and don’t want them to go bad before I can use them, so I ordered using the “just once” option so far.  Did I mention you can also select the size of your goodie box?  And, if something seasonal doesn’t float your boat, you can substitute other items for the picks of the week so you’re completely satisfied with your pre-packed box.

Every box will be left on your doorstep, even if no one is physically home if you use this particular company.  I find this very convenient, and it’s a very pleasant surprise when I arrive home to a box of verdant veggies waiting for me.  Door to Door Organics East also packs the box with padding so nothing gets too bumped around, and ice packs are included as well, so you don’t have your veggies cooked ahead of time!

There are also many different organic produce delivery companies out there, depending on where you live.  So if you like the idea, give one a try.  I’m so glad I stumbled upon this service in my area.  Not only that, but the box of produce sometimes inspires me to try new foods and recipes.  Most recently, I tried acorn squash for the first time because I left that as a seasonal pre-picked choice in my Bitty Box.  I never would have tried roasting one otherwise.  I find trying new fruits and vegetables this way inspires me for my meals and lets me take advantage of what’s in-season and tastes the best at that time of year.

So weather you are lazy, too busy to shop, or just can’t find what you want in local stores, I think fresh produce delivery is an awesome idea!