As you can see by the photos published on the Beat of food extravaganzas, tacos and late-night rock concerts, we don’t always have the healthiest habits. But having a Health Editor and a Beauty Editor in your life can inspire you to make some changes.
When thinking about eating habits, it’s easier for me to think about more instead of less. When I keep a food diary, I notice that I can go an entire day without eating a single vegetable! The produce at the grocery stores are uninspiring, and I just don’t wake up early enough for the farmer’s market. What’s a girl to do?
I have found the answer!
Farm Fresh to You drops a box of organic fruits and vegetables off at your door, forcing you to eat them! Started in 1992 by agriculturist and ecologist Kathleen Barsotti, the company delivers fresh from the fields of Capay Organic as well as their newer fields in the Imperial Valley. They deliver to most of Los Angeles, including the Valley and the South Bay. Enter your zip code to see which day they deliver to your neighborhood.
You customize your order according to frequency of delivery, box size, and selection. For 2 people we order the regular mixed at $31.50 every two weeks. Considering the price of organics in the markets, it’s a steal. Besides selecting the type of box — “Mixed”, “Valley Boxed”, “mostly fruit”, you can customize down to the individual produce with a vast checklist. Broccoli? No! Beets? Yes! You may want to stop the salad greens in the winter and order more in the summer. You can even peek into next week’s delivery and veto any unwanted items, but I kind of consider that cheating.
Why does this work for me? because it’s fun! It’s like receiving a surprise package, so it makes eating veggies an adventure. It is also a healthy mix, always including something cruciferous, some citrus, and some root vegetables. I have to get creative to cook some of the vegetables I’m not as familiar with.
For example, last month the box contained: Braeburn apples, pomegranites, zucchini, sweet potatoes, radishes, kale, turnips, spaghetti squash, lettuce, and the sweetest crimson grapes I have ever eaten. My latest box contained Granny Smith apples, Bosc pears, tangerines, kiwis, Swiss chard, celery, lettuce, carrots, cilantro, cabbage, buttercream potatoes and an onion. Guess who’s making soup?
Along with the box you receive a newsletter from the farm. There are useful recipes, and a list of your groceries in case you can’t tell a Granny Smith from a Braburn. It’s kind of like adopting a Sally Struthers kid. The poetic newsletter makes you feel like a part of the farm, “Around oak trees, where the deer have stomped down the old grass and next to dirt roads where truck tires have made trails of bare dirt, the bright green color of the new grass can be seen.”
