When I lived in Phoenix, most of my produce came from farmers markets and the Sunizona Farm Box, which I picked up every week at Whole Foods or my local yoga studio. I liked the convenience of having the vegetables and fruits come to me, and I wanted to support local farmers as much as possible. Now that I live in Chicago, it’s especially important to save trips to the grocery store for me, because my least favorite thing to do in the city is drive. I discovered Door-to-Door Organics at the expo for the Chicago Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon. I used a promo code I received there for a discount on my first box.
Each delivery costs me $26.99, and I receive my boxes on Mondays. I can put my subscription on hold when I’m on vacation or when I simply don’t want one. I chose the Bitty size box that comes with a mix of fruits and veggies, for Graham and me, though we could use the next size up. I use it to supplement what I buy at the grocery store when I go once a week. Door-to-Door also offers Small, Medium and Large boxes, and delivery is free.
My most recent order:
- 1 avocado
- Potatoes
- 1 eggplant
- Limes
- 2 Honeycrisp apples
- 2 bananas
- 1 broccoli bunch
- 2 zucchini squash
- 2 tomatoes
Note: I customized those orders based on what I needed that week. I am usually sent a list of veggies and fruits that are available and I substitute if there’s something I know I won’t use. I can see which veggies are organic, non-GMO and local.
Each item equates to about $3. For some items that’s comparable to what I paid at farmers markets. I compared some prices to a local Whole Foods recently for a blog on a personal finance site and discovered that while the retailer has some cheaper options, like bananas, I wasn’t sure where those came from. Door-to-Door lets you know which items come from local farms, by contrast. Also, you can order items like organic meat, eggs, wild-caught fish and bread.
If you worry about creating waste by having food delivered in a box, know that Door-to-Door asks customers to leave their boxes out on the next delivery date and they will recycle them for you. Same goes for packaging materials.
One of my goals is to order a bigger farm box and begin to use my Nutribullet again. I used it a lot when I first got it, but I haven’t since we moved to Chicago. It was an easy way to consume more vegetables.
Door-to-Door Organics’ delivery areas include Illinois, Michigan, Pennsylvania and parts of Ohio. Check the website for more information.
Have you ever ordered from a farm box service? What did you think?
