Fresh organic produce has become a more popular choice for many health conscious Americans and the demand for it seems to be bigger than ever so farm-to-table restaurants and local farmers markets have stepped up their game when providing the best possible ingredients to their customers.

Freshness is key when it comes to organic produce and more people are trying to get their fridges and pantries well supplied with organic goods every week but that can be difficult to manage since trips to the farmers market can’t always happen on a busy schedule. It’s no wonder that with so little time available many people have turned to produce delivery services that offer organics to go and can cover all of the veggies and fruits they need in regular shipments.

Organic produce delivery and how it works

The produce delivery industry has taken a turn for the better, the bigger and the organic in recent years because of high demands for this kind of service. In the case of Organics to You, as is the case with other similar services, it’s more than you picking some fruit and vegetables and getting them delivered to you. The Portland based company works with local farmers and suppliers in order to get the products that they ship and the produce is organic.

This means that when you pay for a shipment your money goes to two places: the delivery service and the farmers themselves. Community supported agriculture and sustainable agricultural models are beneficial to the communities that they operate in because the money that the small farms and producers make goes back into their local economy or , in this case, your local economy if you live in the Portland area.

Not only is your payment helping small family farms stay afloat and provide organic produce to the area it is also supporting the people and the economy within your community. Many organic produce delivery services focus on getting local produce whenever it is possible because it is fresher and helps support the farmers themselves.

Customizing your produce box

As many services of this kind do, Organics to You offers fresh produce bins that they can ship out on a weekly basis to your home.

These bins are designed to cover all of your fruit and vegetable requirements for a week but you can choose out of many types of bins and find one that suits your needs. Bin sizes also vary and customers can pick a smaller or larger one depending on how many meals they want to have and for how many people. They offer fruit only boxes, veggie only boxes or a mix of both as well as juicer and kids boxes and the contents of the package changes every week.

That might sound strange but there are some good reasons why these companies usually send different fruits and veg every week. First of all, you don’t get bored by eating the same thing over and you cover all of your nutritional needs by alternating between a many types of produce.

Secondly some companies including Organics to You work with local farmers and suppliers and the produce that they offer is seasonal so in order to provide truly fresh fruits and vegetables they have to work with what is in season at that moment.

However you have the option, in the case of Organics to You at least but with other companies as well, to pre-select items that you are allergic to or do not want to receive so that the staff knows before putting together your box what can’t go in and only send you produce you like. When it comes to your favorite fruits and veggies you can add them to a Favorite list so that the company knows to send more of what you love when it is available.

The packages contain a mix of enough fruit and veg to last you until the next shipment and they are varied so that you get all of the necessary nutrients but you can change items that you do not want to receive with others by going on your account as looking at what your next shipment is going to contain. You can switch items that you don’t want to get for others and customize your box so that you always get produce that you enjoy.

The list detailing the contents of every weekly bin also include information about the origin of the product which is encouraging since being transparent about your practices and suppliers goes a long way when it comes to fresh produce.

All of the items are marked as being either “Local, farm direct” or have the region or country from which they have been shipped next to them. Companies have to ship in some items such as bananas or avocados since they cannot be grown in the region but it’s great to see that most of the produce is either from local farms or other regions of the U.S. where it can be grown fresh and organically.

Additional items

One more option customers have when using some of these delivery services is to also purchase some additional items that they might need and include them into upcoming deliveries. What companies can offer besides fresh fruit and vegetables varies from one delivery service to another and the local suppliers that each service is working with.

In the case of Organics to You additional products include add-ons for juices, baby food and Asian vegetables, humanely raised meats and fish, free-range organic eggs and dairy as well as baked goods. Pantry staples, vegan-friendly products as well as organic pet foods or coffee and tea can be added as well.

The way the process works is customers choose the bin that they want, the delivery frequency, the time of the delivery and then the billing method and then start receiving the boxes regularly. They can check in advance what the contents of the next box will be and change items that they don’t want to receive by operating the desired changes on their online accounts before the delivery starts.

You can find more information about the delivery areas and routes on their webpage to see if they could be the right service for you but if you don’t live in the Portland area there are other similar services that function in different regions across the country so you’re bound to find one that works in your zip code. Just look it up online and start from there.