The Red, White, and Green

Like any foodie, I really savor going to my local Whole Foods (or farmers market, if I manage to wake up early enough on a Sunday morning) to pick out my fresh fruits and veggies for the week. But I’ve noticed lately that my weekly — sometimes twice weekly — marketing trip has been eating up a big chunk of my work schedule. I start nibbling samples, get distracted by new products in the store, and before I know it, my 20-minute kale-and-carrot run has turned into a two-hour excursion. So I considered it a sign from above when a Spud.com delivery truck passed me on the way home from the market today.  

Spud is the largest organic food delivery company in North America, serving more than 19,000 customers in major metropolitan areas on the West Coast (Los Angeles, San Francisco, Portland, and Seattle), in addition to Canada. Here’s how it works: You go to the Spud website, select your organic groceries, and your order is delivered to your door in a reusable container on the designated day of the week for your area. You can also create a standing order so that the same products arrive weekly, every two weeks, or monthly. 

All of the produce on the Spud website is organic and fresh — produce is bought every day, and 95 percent of the produce leaves the warehouse within 24 hours — and the company is committed to buying from local, independent suppliers whenever possible. The company also offers a wide selection of natural foods, including bulk staples like beans and pasta, dairy products, meat and seafood, and fresh bread from local bakers. And by delivering groceries to each neighborhood on a set route each week, the company minimizes fuel consumption. All of those Spud customers also won’t be making as many individual trips to the market, which also benefits the environment; according to the company’s website, 120 car trips are avoided by each Spud van carrying 60 orders. Prices are competitive, too: A recent look at the produce selection revealed celery and swiss chard for $1.99 each — about what I pay at Whole Foods. 

I’ve never tried an organic delivery service, but after looking at Spud’s website, it looks pretty tempting. I’ve also heard good things about Farm Fresh to You, an organic produce delivery service direct from the farm, which is coming to my area this summer. FFTY, unlike Spud, doesn’t let you select specific fruits and vegetables, but instead delivers a mixed box with whatever produce is local and seasonal. A bit daunting at first, I imagine, for the local-produce newbie who receives that first box containing fiddlehead ferns and fenugreek, but sure to inspire creativity in the kitchen.

If you don’t live within delivery reach of either of these companies, do a quick Google search for “organic produce delivery” and you’ll find similar delivery services in nearly every corner of the country: Door to Door Organics in Colorado, Michigan, and throughout the East Coast; Boxed Greens in Arizona; and Greenling in Central Texas, to name a few. Give it a try: You’ll save time, cut down on car trips (and save gas money), eat more organic produce, and support local farmers. Happy eating!

–Jennifer Grayson

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