Produce at Your Door:

I mentioned in a previous post that I just tried out a service here in Calgary, called Spud.ca, for the first time this week. The whole process was really quite fun ( if you're into produce). You can place a specific order for organic fruits and vegetables, or they can give you a mixed box based on a given price. I chose the first option, because I knew that there would be certain things I'd be unlikely to cook with ( say, leeks.) You get free delivery on anything over  $35 and so I started there. I am guessing I spend approximately $40-50 on produce every week, so I thought I'd see how this worked ( knowing I'd probably need to top it up at the grocery store for things forgotten, etc.)

Anyways, I placed the order online (2 days before delivery day) and on Friday evening it arrived. It was a bit like Christmas (if you already know what's inside the present, that is). A big Rubbermaid tub of my selected produce. For those that are curious what you can get for $35, here is what it included:

Vegetables: 1 large crown of broccoli
                    1 bag of mini carrots
                    a bundle of green onions
                    1 green pepper
                    3 Roma tomatoes
                    1 large bunch of spinach

Fruits:         a bag of 5 kiwi
                   1 very small, 8 oz container of strawberries
                   4 pears
                   7 apples, various
                   5 fair trade bananas

I chose simply what we like to eat a lot of, and also chose local when possible. Does this seem like a reasonable price to you? I really think so, but I'm curious how it might compare to organic grocery store shopping.

It is now Wednesday, and I have remaining: A few baby carrots, a little bit of spinach, 3 kiwi, 2 pears, 3 apples and the tomatoes. I ended up buying some asparagus, a few mangoes and a pineapple from the grocery store today, but I don't think I did too bad. This week I plan to spend perhaps $40-45 to make sure we make it through the week.

If you want to try it, and you live in Calgary, here is the little code they gave me for friends:
CRCAL-GUECAR. Type it in with your order and you can get a discount on your bill. And if you're like me, I'll take the discount please.

And if you need a little bit of sunshine ( because I know I do in this forever cloudy, snowy, rainy city), here she is...

* Pajama day at preschool, if you're wondering.

        update: The sun is shining!