The tyranny of the veg box

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Posted at 10:50AM, 25 March 2009 by Jessica Gunn - Features editor - olive magazine

Anyone who gets a veg box will know that mix of pleasurable anticipation, combined with just a touch of dread, which comes on the day of its arrival. Yes, it means a lovely new stock of fruit and veg - fresh-from-the-farm muddy and guaranteed to outstrip its supermarket counterparts on taste and price; but it also means you'll have to think up yet more things to do with swedes. And turnips. And probably parsnips too.

This isn't veg from a faceless supermarket - this is veg grown by farmers - real people who drive tractors

Right now it's all about the root veg. Do any other veg box users out there feel like there's been a steady flow of root veg for something close to eternity now? Last year, it was kale - and chard. Relentless weeks of it. I made chard, tomato and cheese pies. I thought of as many ways as possible to combine chard/kale with pasta (cooking it with caramelised onions, balsamic vinegar, black olives and adding feta at the end is my fave) and I spent a long time crawling bbcgoodfood.com for recipes that might save me from throwing anything away - Chunky minestrone soup is the ultimate veg box user-upper - trust me people, I've done the research. Or see here for some very helpful olive suggestions on what to do with kale. I mean, this isn't veg from a faceless supermarket - this is veg grown by farmers - real people who drive tractors. I owe it to them, the planet (food waste - very bad, produces lots of methane) and my own wallet not to waste this stuff.

Recently I met Guy Watson, chief man at Riverford Organics, from where my veg box comes. He asked if my veg box stressed me out. When I admitted that yes, perhaps it did just a little bit, he seemed slightly exasperated and asked why I got one.

I get one, I tried to explain, because I buy in to the whole veg box thing, I really do - the veg tastes fantastic and it's cheaper than the supermarket. But that doesn't mean to say there's not a degree of baggage that comes with it - mostly in the form of guilt. Guilt at throwing anything away; guilt at not really wanting any more swede in my life and knowing that what I truly yearn for are some juicy red peppers from somewhere involving a huge carbon footprint; guilt at resenting the fact that I have to scrub the mud off my veg when I know it really just proves how fresh it is.

But ultimately, I can live with that. Ordering veg every fortnight instead of weekly has removed a lot of the veg box anxiety from my life. Not having a car also means I really appreciate the delivery side of things - especially as I can get lovely cheese, milk, eggs and even meat delivered to my door - with no delivery costs and at very reasonable prices.

So how do you feel about the organic veg box in your life? Do you look forward to your weekly arrival or do you sometimes dread it? Have you ever had a really bad experience with your veg box and would you recommend any suppliers over others?

Comments

Cathy_D

25 March 2009, 12:38PM
Cathy_D

I agree that even when you really, really WANT to love the whole idea of a veg box, some weeks it is quite hard work! For us, it's cabbage that seems to be in endless supply and I can't think what to do with it. My husband won't touch the stuff and there's a limit to how much I can get through on my own! Having tried 3 different veg box suppliers, Riverford are definitely my favourite by far.

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James

25 March 2009, 1:15PM
James

But you have to be realistic to what actually grows at the moment. Swede and bacon is a great combination - wrapped up in filo to make spring rolls is a different usage. Swede and potato rosti? Or par cooked then breadcrumbed and baked/ deep fried and served with sour cream/ chive. Re cabbage - there's a great serbian dish with cabbage and minced beef, pork and ham which you cook down with a few herbs, rice, garlic and wrap in the boiled cabbage leaves. Also I made a hot version of coleslaw once which was really nice. And the US seem to have this St. Patrick's Day dish of cabbage and corned beef (which we call brisket). If you've got left over mash potato you can make potato and cabbage cakes - I wonder if Cathy's husband would be able to tell there was cabbage in there.....

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Aedara

25 March 2009, 2:16PM
Aedara

I wonder if a veg box would be recommended for someone very fussy about their veg? I personally can't stand any root vegetables apart from carrots and potatoes and it sounds like a lot of swede would go to waste if I got a veg box. THe alternative I suppose is the market which is certainly cheaper than the supermarket but I'm not completely certain where it comes from (other than farms somewhere evidentally and by markets I don't mean farmers markets, we don't have any of those where I live).

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Joltek

25 March 2009, 7:56PM
Joltek

You have prompted me to finally sign up to a veg box scheme. I have been meaning to for ages but keep forgetting. Was very impressed by River Nene Org and looking forward to my first fruit and veg box next fri. Hope it lives up to expectation.

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Nicola

26 March 2009, 7:52AM
Nicola

Ha - I totally agree! I love getting fresh fruit and veg delivered that I know will taste a million times better than the stuff my friends are eating! I do tend to get on my soap box at times to try and convert them, but being students they are concerned it is too expensive. But yes, there is a slight feeling of dread when you get something you just don't like (celery), don't know what to do with (kale) or you have had piles of for the past few months (red cabbage). And then, as you say, the guilt if anything goes off before you get round to using it. It has led to me eating a far wider variety of veg than I normally would though, and has led me to find some new favourite recipes! My best user-upper recipes are lettuce risotto (surprisingly delicious and uses up a large volume of lettuce leaves) and kaleslaw (using the delish red russian kale I got in my last box).

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rozmorgan

26 March 2009, 8:21AM
rozmorgan

Those veg boxes are so resonably priced. Have just talked to boyfriend about it and we agree that we'll be trying one. Should help to cut down food wastage and we'll be eating more veg - always a bonus. I rather liked the idea of being limited - gives me more ways to experiment.

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thecakepimp

26 March 2009, 4:41PM
thecakepimp

Having only recently become a convert to the Way of the Veg Box I have been determined to approach it with more excitement than fear. I get a bit of a buzz from the unknown possibilities. Good Food is usually my first port of call if I haven't something in my usual repertoire. For me it's a important way to support my local community and an excellent chance to cook something I wouldn't normally think to buy. Although I *am* starting to run dry of kale recipe variations...

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Belit

26 March 2009, 8:07PM
Belit

I used to keep a veg box delivery service. Not organic, though, as the only one available was very expensive and not very good. We stopped when they discontinued service to private homes, but I have to say I was relieved. I will never again buy china cabbage. I like to cook, and I even like the challenge of planning meals around a surprise box, but it was just too hard to keep up. And especially in the winter - in Scandinavia where I live nothing at all grows during the winter, so it's all storage. I.e. lots and lots of roots, and imported china cabbage. I really find it difficult to be a conscious consumer in between work, school, daycare and so on and so on. I think I'm doing good for cooking a proper meal from scratch for a sit-down family dinner every day!

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miniminx

28 March 2009, 5:09PM
miniminx

i don't agree that veg boxes are cheap, unfortunately :(. we got a box for about six months last year and although admittedly i eat as a vegetarian 6 days out of 7, i found we were getting through our entire box in about 5 days. i found the veg but especially the fruit quite expensive, and couldn't taste the difference with supermarket produce. i love the idea of the box, but am afraid that it just isn't for me or my wallet.

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Lollipop

28 March 2009, 6:32PM
Lollipop

I can't decide on this one, and after reading all your comments I still can't. I don't buy from the supermarket however and visit a local farm shop that states where everything is from so that I can choose british as much as poss. I have 2 young children and we're vegetarian and I'm just not convinced there will be enough and of the things the kids will eat. What to do????

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Nicola

29 March 2009, 5:07PM
Nicola

the veg box I get does also allow you to choose your own box contents (with a minimum order of about Â£12). That way you can pick all your favourites and miss out the things you don't like. Its certainly not as cost effective though as whenever I get my box (I get the seasonal box, so at the moment lots of roots) there is SO much...Â£11 a fortnight and the portion sizes I am sure are larger than when I choose my own box contents.

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lulu@olivemagazine

30 March 2009, 10:41AM
lulu@olivemagazine

Mine this week has Jerusalem artichokes and celeriac, again. I've run through my recipe selection on both of those several times recently and it did make me feel slightly exhausted looking at them. My veg box is very local which means thankfully Hackney salad is back now the weather has improved.

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Cat

31 March 2009, 7:24PM
Cat

Parsnips are the current bane of my life (or at least my mealtimes), and I have decided to treat myself to a parsnip-free week this week: fond though I am of the things, I just can't face eating another one at the moment! On the plus side, though, I find that getting a veg box does mean I try veggies I would otherwise have avoided. I have a deep and abiding hatred of celery and wouldn't have dreamed of trying celeriac if one hadn't turned up in my box - rather to my surprise, I've found that I quite like it. If you're at all choosy about your vegetables, it's definitely worth finding a company which allows you to avoid ones you don't like, though. Since changing suppliers to one that does this, I no longer have to go on a weekly hunt for someone prepared to give a cauliflower a new home!

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Shevy

1 April 2009, 10:17AM
Shevy

Would love to be able to complain about Kale and Celeriac but alas here in sunny SA these things are unheard of. I am unaware of any "veg box" schemes here although we have a very good "old fashioned" greengrocer around the corner. He buys from the farmers market at least 3 times a week and none of his produce has seen the light of long term cold storage. One can taste the difference even better of course is being spoiled with a large veggie and herb garden. This site is a dream because here if the herbs are not dried they don't exist. My father and I get a real kick every time we read (most meat reciepes ) that a large sprig of thyme is required. Never forgetting the horseradish that has been languishing in the garden forever:)

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Kate & Giuseppe

2 April 2009, 3:35AM
Kate & Giuseppe

Does anyone know if these veg delivery exist in Milano? Thanks in advance.

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hiccup42

2 April 2009, 11:15AM
hiccup42

I know it doesn't work with everything but because I live on my own I usually buy and cook for a family of four, eat two portions, and freeze the other two to have later in the month. You can freeze things for ages, so why not cook up some lovely soups or sauces with all that root veg and freeze them for the summer months when you are sick to death of eating lettuce!

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NatashaC

6 April 2009, 3:50PM
NatashaC

One of the best cooks I know makes 'Green Soup' in the summer with any glut of green vegetables but this would also work for unwanted veg box options. An onion, fried with smokey bacon + any green vegetable going (lettuce is brilliant) with a flavoursome stock and perhaps a potato to thicken, liquidise and serve with a dollop of creme fraiche and chopped green herbs (I love mint for this) on the top. It freezes too and is also gorgeous served cold. NatashaC is a shopping expert for The Handpicked Collection.

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Cas

6 May 2009, 7:25PM
Cas

I love getting my veg box - even in winter when I know it will be cabbage and root veg! Between stews, mixed veg. mash (used for everything from shepherd's pie to fish cakes) and stir-fry I can usually get through most things. Except the beetroot... I end up giving that to neighbours.

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Charlotte

5 April 2010, 6:07PM
Charlotte

Have a look at what we're doing - we're a community group growing our own food in Cornwall. What we can't grow, we buy in from local, small-scale growers. We're dedicated to eating local, seasonal food as much as possible. We have lots of seasonal recipes on our blog http://camel-csa.org.uk

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