Picture it: you pick up your first Local Farm Box from your front door or a convenient location nearby. You bring it home and open it up. Waiting for you are all the items you handpicked for your box – how exciting is this?
However, if you’re new to the Local Farm Box, you might feel overwhelmed. There are 100+ options, how does customization even work? You’re used to weekly grocery trips – how will this change your schedule? Most of all, how can you get the most value from this fresh produce?
We have all the answers!
Customization
When you get your Local Farm Box, you should be able to enjoy every item inside. We make sure this happens through your email. A few days before each delivery (which you can schedule weekly, every other week, or monthly), you’ll get an email from us showing you a list of items we selected for your box based on your preferences and what we are harvesting that week. Customize your box further by following the link in the email to swap items out and add extras to fit your lifestyle and diet!
- Carnivores & Omnivores: Where’s the beef? Check your email! Meat will not be automatically included. So, if you want meat with each delivery, you can swap items out for it or add it as an extra purchase.
- Vegetarians: The Local Farm Box is perfect for you. Meat isn’t automatically included, so set your preferences to include all the things you love and watch the deliciousness roll in!
- Vegans: We’ve got you covered. Only select vegan items like produce, nuts, nut butters, kombucha, flowers, grains, and more.
- Gluten-Free: Not a problem! Just set preferences to never receive bread or pasta.
- Dairy-Free: No worries! Just set your preferences to never receive dairy products.
Seasonality
When you eat what’s in season, you’re enjoying the freshest produce possible. However, this means we might not have exactly the produce you might be hoping for given the time of year. If you’re wanting tomatoes in the dead of winter, you won’t find them in the Local Farm Box. That’s because tomatoes are in season in late spring through the summer. That’s when they grow the best and taste the best!
Unless you have a greenhouse perfectly set up and heated, there’s no way to grow produce out of season.
When you eat seasonally, you’re getting food that tastes great and is healthiest for you!
Imperfections
After shopping at grocery stores, you’re most likely used to some pretty fruits & vegetables. Large-scale suppliers figured out that nicer-looking fruit sells better, while the imperfect options are left to the wayside. This results in waste, as well as more processing to ensure prettier produce is grown at the farm.
When you source your produce from a local farm, you’ll get something that’s a little different. Not all of our apples are the same size or shape. Our root vegetables might have lingering dirt. Other items might have superficial differences like discoloration.
This all shows how Rise ‘N Shine is as natural and sustainable as we say! Each vegetable grows at its own pace and is handled personally by our team.
Storage
As of February 2021, we updated our packaging to be cold-safe, which keeps your produce, eggs, and more stable for even longer. However, when you unpack your box and ultimately return the packaging to us, there are a few ways to help keep your goodies fresher for longer.
The best way to store greens and lettuce is to place them in a plastic bag or Tupperware with a vented lid. Then, tuck them away in your crisper drawer! If you don’t have enough room in that drawer, all you need to do is vent the lid a little less. This allows your produce to breathe while retaining moisture. (If you wash before putting them in the fridge, shake or spin to remove excess water.)
Have you stored all your produce in one spot, only for some to spoil before you can eat them? Fruits like apples produce ethylene, which affects many aspects of plant growth, like germination, flowering, and ripening. Other produce items like cucumbers, tomatoes, peppers, and greens are ethylene-sensitive, which means they’ll ripen at an incredibly fast rate when exposed. A quick rule of thumb: store vegetables and fruits separately so you avoid this issue altogether!
If you’re looking for more storage tips like this, our Local Farm Box members have the added benefit of a private Facebook group dedicated to information like this. We want you to enjoy these boxes to the fullest!
If you want access to locally-sourced, natural food on a schedule that fits you best, customize your Local Farm Box today!
Still not sure? Depending on our supply and what’s in season, our Farmstand patrons get an email of what’s available and if there are any extras waiting to be claimed. Try out our “one-time” Farmstand boxes!