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RE: Reducing my Ecological Footprint | Eating Seasonal Vegetables
Oh my goodness! I see what you mean about those blast slugs!!!
May i ask: how is it for you to receive the produce boxes that you do? Does it turn out to be cost effective?
Hi, I've only just seen your comment, sorry for the late reply.
The produce boxes come from local organic farms (and there is a big company called Abel & Cole which is good if you don't have a local producer). I use Eden Farms, which are based in Lincolnshire, about 85 miles away.
I probably spend about the same amount of money each week on the boxes as I would at a shop, but the cost of individual items is higher than in a shop, depending where you shop. Asda (owned by Walmart) will always offer lower priced produce but it has higher airmiles, they are only interested in price, so smaller producers are squeezed out, and they have a poor employment record. The prices of their organic produce is comparable to the prices for the boxes.
In terms of household cost effectiveness, I am not using any travel time or costs, or any time trying to make decisions about what I am going to buy because there is so much choice, and I'm not buying excess food because it's there. With the boxes, I'm more conscious about using every scrap of food, so there's very little waste and trimmings go in the compost.
Overall, although the ticket price might be higher (although even that is debatable for comparable items), I would say it is cost effective for the average person.
Worth the wait, I thank you for your response. It was super through, and you provided me in information I was looking for! Do you get input into WHAT comes in your box? Or is it all decided by the producer?
I have heard similarly from others using similar programs, that the waste is much less. But there's an elderly couple in my church that said they get some vegetables sometimes that aren't useful to them..?