The 34-year-old married mother of two found it time-consuming searching out the best produce in town at the right price... "It's not easy shopping with kids so it was great for the convenience factor," says Sakaluk.One of the things I found impressive, also, was the fact that, at least during the growing season of July-October, Farm Fresh Organics buys 90% of its produce "from growers around Calgary and the Okanagan region in British Columbia." The downside comes during the off-season when the "farm-fresh" fruits and vegetables from New Zealand, Mexico and California. Still, I think a business model like this is moving in the right direction -- the next step, of course, is demonstrating to customers the benefits of going "beyond organic" and committing to a completely local and seasonal eating schedule. An ideal, I realize -- I'm certainly not there!
Every Thursday morning the family receives a bin of organic fruits and vegetables sourced from local certified organic farms....
A Family Fare Bin from Farm Fresh Organics costs $39.95 but smaller boxes are available for about $27.
The bin contents change from week to week based on supply, but a sample Family Fare Bin from earlier this month featured: broccoli, a cucumber, one bunch of carrots, a head of lettuce, two peppers, two onions, a bunch of basil, five apples, two pears, a half-pound of prune plums, one bag of beans, two tomatoes, one and a half pounds of bananas, a squash, three cobs corn and a bunch of chard....
Eating organic costs about one-third more than buying regular produce, but about $5 less than buying from an organic store.
"Their prices and quality are really very good," says Sakaluk. "I don't mind paying that little bit extra because I know exactly what my family is taking in."
Categories: organic, food, local, delivery, Edmunton, Canada
