For the past six months we have been getting a weekly deposit from Banana Bob, who is not to be confused with 80s TV cartoon superhero Banana Man. Although because I’m generally at work when Bob arrives I’m unable to confirm whether or not he also conducts his business dressed in blue and yellow lycra.
Banana Bob is our local greengrocer who offers a veggie box delivery service, and for anyone who is serious about reducing the amount of time they spend in supermarkets – this is your starting point.
For £12 each week Bob leaves a crate outside our back door with a mixture of enough fruit, salad and vegetables to see my little family through the next seven days. And this is organic produce, so no nasty pesticides or chemicals to contend with.
I really can’t rave enough about vegetable box delivery services.
Firstly, they add such a variety to your diet and Wednesdays are an exciting time in our household as we look forward to seeing what surprises this week’s box will bring.
It’s a stark contrast from when we used to buy our vegetables from the supermarket because it’s so easy to fall into a rut. Week-in, week-out I’d fill my trolly with the same bag of carrots, bunch of broccoli and packet of green beans simply out of habit. Whereas these days we get an amazing variety and it’s up to us to find ways to use it. This leads to some fun and experimental cooking, and also benefits our health.
Sometimes we get what we now refer to as a “Dr Who Vegetable” – something we’ve never seen before and have to type a description into Google to find out what it is. Hands up who doesn’t know what a raw purple kohlrabi or Jerusalem artichoke looks like? There’s no shame in it – we certainly didn’t until we started getting a vegetable box delivered.
Then there’s the joys of seasonal eating that you simply cannot replicate shopping in a big supermarket. You can pretty much walk into Tesco at any time of year and buy raspberries, pumpkins, peaches or brussels sprouts. But where’s the fun in that?
These are seasonable vegetables and the best time to eat them is when they are in season. Not only do they taste better (and they really do) but more importantly you get to look forward to eating them. Where’s the fun or anticipation in eating something you can pick up all year round? In our household there is genuine excitement at the start of the asparagus season or the strawberry season, which is actually the way it has been for generations and the way it should be if you want to reconnect with the nature and the way your food is grown.
You also cut out all that nasty packaging if you get a vegetable box delivered. You can kiss goodbye to the horrible plastic bags and individually shrink-wrapped bell peppers (what the hell is all that about anyway?!). Our fruit and veg arrives either loose in the crate or, in the case of smaller items, grouped into brown paper bags. And Banana Bob also makes use of nature’s own wrapping – with cauliflowers left nestled in their protective leaves (which make a tasty supper for our house rabbit) and sometimes carrots left with a layer of dirt. Yes, I did say DIRT, they come from a field you know! And if you want your vegetables to stay fresh for longer then it can actually be beneficial to store them without washing them because their soil coating helps to protect them.
Then there’s the pleasure in supporting your local greengrocer, who in turn will be supporting a network of farms and growers. Admittedly these might not always be local – our crate from Banana Bob does indeed normally contain bananas and oranges not grown in the UK – but a greater part of the produce is more locally sourced than it would be at a supermarket, especially in the summer when the British growing season is in full swing.
And of course, one of the best things about a vegetable box delivery is that all this wonderfulness simply arrives at your door! Minimum effort – maximum result.
Lots of people I speak to about vegetable boxes seem to be under the impression that they are expensive, or that they will contain things they don’t like, or that there will simply be too much produce. But they aren’t and they won’t.
There are loads of different schemes out there, so you’ve got to find one that works for you. With ours, for example, we get to chose the exact amount we want to spend and when we first became a customer Banana Bob gave us a sheet to fill in all our likes and dislikes. We’ve also tried other schemes in the past and they always offer a range of sizes. Many also offer an option to go organic or non-organic, and some even put together boxes with only local produce for those concerned about food miles.
To find out about Banana Bob go to http://banana-bobs.com/
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