I was recently invited to try The Produce Box. I have a small garden and am a weekly visitor to my local farmer’s market, as well as the large one just up the road in Charlotte. That being said, with my busy schedule this spring, the appeal of freshly delivered produce to my front door had me at the mention of leeks and strawberries. I’m also a proponent of giving my business to the local farms in my area and avoiding the middle man.
The Produce Box delivers fresh, local produce and specialty products like meats, cheese, bread and a lot more to homes and offices all over North Carolina. Their goal is to bring the farmer’s market to your door. You can choose what you want to order and skip a week if you need to anytime. Members support over 70 local farmers and give back to their communities. In the past two years, they have purchased more than 2 millions pounds of produce from North Carolina.
Delivery is set up in communities and serviced by employees of The Produce Box, or there is a community coordinator who accepts deliveries and members can go to their home and pick up their produce. My area isn’t serviced by The Produce Box with a traditional delivery person (I’m .5 miles from Mecklenburg County), so they have partnered with Fed-Ex to ship my produce for a set rate.
My produce was shipped in a study container (recyclable), lined with padding (biodegradable) which protected the fruit and vegetables inside, and included chiller packs which kept it cool in the shade on my front porch. My box included leeks, bell peppers, English cucumbers, fresh herbs, green leaf lettuce, strawberries, zucchini, strawberries, tangerines, cherry tomatoes and more. It was all incredibly fresh and ready to use over the course of the week. Also included were recipe ideas and a list of seasonal offerings.
I enjoyed the break from not going to the market for veggies and will be continuing my Produce Box membership for those weeks when my calendar leaves little time to sleep, let alone shop. Since the weekly options come out on Friday evening and I menu plan and shop on Saturdays, it allows me the opportunity to incorporate the box into my meal plan without any food waste.
How do I sign up?
Registration is not automatic. When you sign-up for The Produce Box, all of your information is then set up in the system by their office. Once your account is active, you’ll receive in email letting you know your account is live. Due to the hands-on nature of the service, there is an $18 non-refundable membership fee that covers administrative costs and account set-up fees.
Do I get to pick my own produce?
Every week, there is a listing of the available boxes for your produce delivery. The Produce Box sends an email Friday night and I have until Sunday at 9 p.m. to choose what goes in my box and remove items I don’t want. If I don’t need a box that week, I can skip my order, as well as select future skips from the menu.
Disclosure: I received a free membership and produce delivery to share my thoughts on The Produce Box’s service. All thoughts and opinions are my own and have not in any way been influenced by this because I have serious veggie love and always eat mine.