My First Organic Produce Delivery

This morning was like Christmas to a food nerd. My first delivery from Boston Organics of local produce. I had signed up for the $29 Dogma box which was all sourced in New England. They allow you to pick the size of the box and what ratio of fruit to veggies in most of the other boxes but the local only comes in one size and you get no choice in what comes in it. I was apprehensive but looked at it as a culinary adventure. Supporting local agriculture is important to me and I was hoping this would be a nice replacement to our local farmers market that had ended last weekend.
All day I sat at my desk in anticipation of its arrival. Yes, I really am this big of a food dork. When it came I eagerly popped it open and found:

1 lb Bosc Pear (3 small pears)

1 lb Fuji Apples (2 apples)

1 8 oz Bag Cranberries

1 4oz Clamshell Alfalfa and Radish Sprouts

2 Heads of Cabbage

.75 lbs Butternut Squash (This was in replacement of a celery root which was fine by me. I like squash better)

1 Head Green Leaf Lettuce

1 lb Red Beets

1 lb Yellow Onions

1.5 lbs Sweet Potatoes

I have to admit it looked kind of small to me for how much it cost. I had yelped the company before I signed up and there were several people who mentioned they did not feel it was a good value. I wanted to test the theory so I headed off to Whole Foods after work so I could add up what this box would have cost had I just gone there and purchased it.
The verdict $20.15 at Whole Food. Almost 9 dollars cheaper. I have to say I have never seen Whole Foods be the better deal before, ever. There is an undeniable convenience factor but it isn't worth $9 to me. Overall if I was one of the people in the city who didn't have a car I think this would be worth it for me but as I can easily head to Whole Foods and buy what I want this will most likely be my one and only delivery. 

My original plan was to post photos of what I did with the box so here is the first photo. A salad made with the green leaf lettuce and topping I grabbed from the salad bar. Mmmm Asian style tofu and ginger carrot dressing. It was delicious! Once I get a reliable light source I am hoping the photos will be better as well.

Have you tried something like this before in your area?

What did you think?

Researching

Last night I met a former work acquaintance for drinks and appetizers after work. For me to ask a girl to "do something" is a big deal for me because in the past I would have been to scared to try and make new friends. Part of changing my life is facing down those ridiculous fears. She was my contact at a vendor we use at my day job and I always really liked her so when she left I was bummed. She is a chef so I wanted to chat with her last night about my business ideas and she what she thought. We had so much fun. Three hours straight of non stop chatting. I barely ate anything and that says a lot :).

The restaurant she picked was this high end place focusing on organic and local foods. They even go so far as to have farm partnerships which is pretty awesome. We decided to sit in the bar who focuses on all kinds of interesting nibbles and flatbread pizzas. I LOVE pizza, especially when you start putting interesting and new combinations on top of it. The problem is rarely am I impressed with pizza. You would think it would be easy to make but it truly is not. The pizza she picked had chorizo and pickles YUMMY. Mine had smoked salmon, sliced red onion, capers and aioli. I despise capers so for them to make me like it with them on is a feat in and of itself. The pork belly charcuterie was also absolutely divine. Fatty and sumptuous goodness. 

I was excited to see a restaurant like this being so popular. It gives me hope that I can open something similar and I will be successful. My mother saw an article in the Boston Globe yesterday about how Boston is really getting into the food truck scene and that they are sponsoring new initiatives to help people get these types of businesses going here. Maybe Boston is finally going to see a food revolution! It is so exciting. So after chatting with my new friend for so long she told me she thinks my ideas are hugely marketable and that there is a need for a place like this in the city. She also volunteered to go with me on some missions to study local places and see what they are selling and how they are doing it. I trust her opinions and I think it will help me with my menu planning and targeting my audience. I am on my way!