Sourcing Fresh Fruit & Veg

Judging by how difficult it is right now to buy seedlings or to source seeds, there are a lot of people having-a-go at growing some of their own food. I think that's a really positive thing!  I've always tried, with varying levels of success, to grow some of our own produce in our own garden. Homegrown is as local as it gets, we don't use chemicals or sprays in the garden, it saves us some money and it's super-fresh. A store-bought cucumber just can't compete with one picked off its vine, rinsed under the hose and munched on in the garden. 

Eggplant in the veg patch.

Snow pea seedlings starting to grow.

In our garden, there's always lots of herbs like rosemary, thyme, basil, parsley and oregano to pick and bay leaves too from our tree in its pot. This year, the Ceylon spinach thrived once the rain fell regularly later in the Summer. So too the sweet potato vine which is busy twining its tendrils up and around a nearby grevillea at the moment. (I really must get down and see just what it's up to.) There always seems to be spring onion growing happily in our veg patch and I've recently planted lettuce, rainbow chard, perpetual spinach, beetroot, snow peas, two types of cherry tomato and one lone eggplant in with it. There are mandarins on our one-and-only fruit tree (for I managed to extinguish the lemon tree and the avocado didn't survive the dry months before the rain came) but they are nowhere near ripe yet. This all adds up to the promise of some homegrown produce to come, but even if all this thrives (and doesn't get gobbled up by caterpillars or grasshoppers) we still need to source more fruits and vegetables.

Ceylon Spinach growing well.

(The young leaves are delicious in omelettes.)

 A mandarin beginning to ripen on our tree.

Farmers markets are too crowded a place to be during these times of social distancing and a little local shop, where I used to be able to buy some lovely produce closed late last year. Our dear neighbour, who was the most amazing gardener I've ever known and who would share so much produce, and accept my baking and treats in return, moved away a couple of years ago. It was a sad day indeed when the new people turfed over his veggie patch. I mourned the waste of that rich soil and the loss of such a generous and knowledgeable neighbour-gardener to learn from and trade with. 

Self-seeded sweet basil.

So, when I saw the vibrant selection of spray-free fresh fruit and veg that Kathy, over at Our Simple and Meaningful Life, received in her online-ordered box, I decided this might be a good solution for us and ordered one too.  I picked it up on the weekend, from a collection point a very short drive from here, and brought home my spray-free fruit and veg. Just a small box this week, to supplement what we already had left in our crispers, plus a dozen eggs and one sweet pineapple as extras.

 Fresh & Nutritious 

Everything is fragrant and fresh. It's mostly local produce, picked not long before it was delivered and packed without plastic besides the extra eggs in their carton. The carrots are delicious. (Yes, I taste tested them.) I've never had any success with growing carrots. I don't know why but it means I always have to buy them and I'm rather fussy about my carrots. I am not a fan of limp, bitter or woody carrots. Both Sir Steve dog and I are very enthusiastic fans of crunchy, sweet carrots. 🥕 We are both quite content crunching away like Bugs Bunny on the carrots from the box though only one of us sounds like a sloshing washing machine while snacking  .... and it's not me, folks!

Image sourced from:  http://clipart-library.com/bunny-clip-art.html

While the carrots are for snacking, they'll also be grated for salads made with the lettuce, cucumbers and tomatoes. One of those potatoes was thinly sliced and, together with cream just past its use-by date, made a creamy potato bake for dinner last night.  The other potato will end up roasted along with the pumpkin. The zucchini and the corn will be used up in a zucchini slice later in the week and the large onion will find its way into lots of evening meals. The pears and the apples are for snacks and the pineapple is destined for pizzas.  No waste! Peelings for the compost and the worm farm! 

I'll be ordering another box of fruit and veg soon. It seems to me a good solution for us right now. How are you sourcing fresh produce for your table?

Meg