By the Bushel
Getting fresh food delivered to your door: How practical are slow food serviceslike Farmhouse Delivery?
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Each delivery comes to my doorstep in a plastic crate.Photo by Whitney Radley -
Each week, Farmhouse Delivery sends an email outlining the projected bushel andtakes requests for substitutions.Photo by Whitney Radley -
Instructions for handling and storage are included with each week's delivery.Our crisper drawers always overfloweth with veg.Photo by Whitney Radley
If asked to sum up my dietary preferences, I identify as a pescetarian with an inclination toward local, organic and unprocessed foods (notwithstanding certain guilty indulgences).
As such, the idea of community-supported agriculture has long interested me — but, practically, my busy schedule and frequent out-of-town weekend trips never worked well with basket pick-up guidelines.
But when a friend told me about Farmhouse Delivery, I knew I had to get in on it.
The company (which was founded in Austin in 2009 by farmer Stephanie Scherzer and chef Elizabeth Winslow) expanded to Houston in early 2012, and offers an alternative to the regular CSA program.
Farmhouse Delivery sources its produce from several Texas farms for variety. Customers have weekly options for add ons, like baked goods, artisanal cheeses, humanely-raised meats, pastured dairy and farmyard eggs. And the bushel is delivered right to each customer's doorstep.
My boyfriend and I have subscribed to bi-weekly delivery services for nearly two months, and each bushel feels like a wholesome gift. We get immediate benefits of health and a sense of environmental responsibility. Plus, it's nice to pull out the recipe books once a week.
A bushel of veg goes surprisingly far in the kitchen — more than enough for two people, several dinner parties and daily leftovers — and it almost eliminates dreaded grocery store trips.
Last week, we made (* indicates a bushel item):
- Beet* hash with heirloom garlic*, shallots and kale*, topped with a fried egg, à la Cafe Brasil
- Arugula* salad with fresh carrots, Israeli couscous and balsamic vinaigrette
- Arugula* and lettuce* salad with avocado, peppered cashews and lemon vinaigrette
- Roasted beet* salad with arugula*, lettuce*, grapefruit*, goat cheese, toasted walnuts and reduced balsamic dressing
- Falafel patties (with garbanzo beans, quinoa and shredded carrots*), with tahini yogurt sauce (recipe here)
- Beet green* and kale* salad with roasted beets*, avocado*, toasted sunflower seeds, quinoa and a tahini/lemon dressing (recipe here)
- Cornbread and collard greens*, heirloom garlic* and shallot
- Whiskey tonic with strawberries* and a twist of lemon
Farmhouse Delivery isn't the only option, of course. Check out LocalHarvest.org for more resources.
