What did I Get:
I went shopping that afternoon and it was hard to say no to apples, some beautiful lettuces and so forth. I just kept telling myself that stuff was coming! I weighed everything and took pictures of items when they just arrived. So below is freshly out of the box and it was so hard to not get itchy about what the second box contained when taking pictures of the first box.
Box #1-
Valencia Oranges (2 count)- They both weigh 14 ounces together and one feels very light when you lift it. They are both really sticky and I assume it's the citrus oils and their color is very pale yellow and mostly green. I know Valencia oranges can be pale, so I am trying not to fret about the ones I passed up earlier that day.
D' Anjou Pears (3 count)- They weigh exactly a pound all three together and have a nice color and beautiful skin. They are small but heavier than they look.
Baby Bok Choy (1 lb)- The Bok Choy came in a bundle and all three heads weigh 15 1/8 ounces. I know younger plants have softer leaves, but I did notice some are a little flimsy and starting to wilt. A few leaves are damaged (pests).
Celery (1 count)- The entire head measures 1 pound and 8 ounces. The color is mostly green and I open-up to view the stalks and it's mostly green and usable. I use the middle with leaves to make stuffings, so I already have plans for stuffed pork-chops later this week. The head is very dirty and I also rinse and prep it.
Lacinato Kale (2 count)- Each bundle weighs 12 ounces and I notice the outside leaves are very soft and have damage, like yellowing and holes from pests. As I unravel the bundle, the middle leaves that are usually smaller and firmer, are so stressed and wilted, that even a cold bath of water did not revive them. I felt bad because those leaves are usually greener and I like them like I like the middle of a cinnamon roll, so you bet I was sad when I had to dispose them. You can see by the pics the tight colored green ones are from a batch I purchased 2 weeks ago and also Organic (at 99 cents a bundle).
Asian Pear (2 count)- They both weigh 15 3/4 ounces together. I notice they have a smooth skin and one has 2 areas that look bruised. They are very small in size and probably the smallest I have seen. When I cut one of the pears for snacking later that evening, the pear had a deep bruise that went all the way through. I was able to cut around it and the second bruise that did not reach all the way down to the fruit. The flavor was not that sweet and I found that puzzling, being that these are usually sweet. Maybe the bruising changed the flavor.
Mixed Cherry Medley (1 count)- The medley with container weighed 11 1/4 ounces. There is not a flaw in one and the smell of sweetness was so there! Like I wanted to wash one and eat one at 2 AM! I just knew they were going into Friday's dinner one way or the other. I can say they are the sweetest cherries I have ever had. They burst in the oven beautifully and their sweet notes complimented the basil in the sausage perfectly.
Purple Bell Pepper (.5 lbs)- The picture on-line reflected a deep purple pepper that resembled in color to a purple one I had purchased years ago that came from Holland. I tasted it and never found it again, so you bet I wanted to add more to my box. This was a limited product and one was all I could have (but I understand). The bell peppers arrived in a baggy and were not that purple, plus the bag weighed 7 7/8 ounces and I start noticing that weights are off from what is listed. I use a second scale and compare weights and thankfully the second scale coincided with my first one. I know it's just ounces here and there.....it's just that it's okay to be slightly over when selling by the pound but not under. These bell peppers are also lacking the purple and when cooked you could see their potential. The size made these have softer skin than the typical purple pepper when allowed to grow and ripen properly. I liked them and was able to add them to my dish below, I just wish they were more purple and delivered the full flavor profile I recall from the ones I had before.
Zucchini (1 lbs)- I received two and both weigh 15 1/8 ounces. The skin and freshness is there! I have been purchasing baby ones because all the zucchini in the stores have been just floppy and really not prime. These have perfect skin, firm and I'm telling you they are what I have been hunting for.
Box #2-
Bartlett Pear (2 count)- They both weigh 12 ounces and are small in size. They look nice and have a little bit of blemishes, but nothing that would stop me from buying them at the store if that was the case.
Ruby Crescent Potato (1 lbs)- The only item that had a weight listed that was on point. Best little potatoes ever! Like if I knew these little guys were this good, I may have had an insane moment and made 1/2 the box just these. The were smooth, smelled earthy when washed and tasted so clean when enjoyed. They brought that "rustic" touch to my dish and we must have talked about those potatoes being the best a few time during and after dinner. Even my Husband was alarmed I had used all of them and happy when I told him I just used half the bag.
Honeycrisp Apples (3 count)- I have purchased small varieties of apples in the past but these are the smallest I have ever purchased in the Honeycrisp kind. You can see by the picture our own Honeycrisp versus the one we got. Taste comes before just a big sized apple, but unfortunately these were not as sweet better textured than the ones I bought 2 weeks ago. They were good, just not like I hoped.
Nantes Carrot (1 bundle)- The greens are very wilted and dropping leaves everywhere. Many of the carrots have damage and some even broken tips. The bundle weighs 12 ounces and I will be probably making a Pot Roast with these.
Broccoli (1 bundle)- Both heads weigh 14 ounces each. I eat broccoli stems and love it grilled and then tossed into pilafs. The stalks and heads were dry. The florets were so dehydrated that they kept dropping "mini florets" everywhere. I had purchased broccoli that Thursday afternoon and prepped it for eating/cooking throughout the week, and when you shake the one I bought, barely anything falls off. These stalks I had a mess when cutting the florets. They just felt so dry!
Assorted Lettuce (2 count)- When pictured on the site, the pictured reflected a bundle of assorted lettuces. You saw purples, greens....you know an assortment. I purchase an assortment of lettuces on a weekly basis, which is 4 different varieties. I received 3 Romaine lettuce heads that had a lot of damage. Very light in color and could be called Romaine hearts. They were dirty, beaten up, had holes on the leaves, and I also got one caterpillar. This I was not happy with because the usable amount fit into 2 sandwich sized bags when finally cleaned and cut. They were wilted and as I cut and prepped, my Husband suggested I eat these before the ones I bought that morning. This why I was bagging them versus using a container.
Red Pomegranate (1 count)- More pink than red. Kind of soft in areas and compared to the one I purchased that morning.......now that's a red one. I love pomegranates and makes sauces, reductions, eat them like they are to baking with them. This was a sad little guy we got!
Gypsy Pepper (.5 lbs)- The bag weighs 7 ounces and these are not in the colors pictures. I saw a variety of colors when ordering and I received yellow and green-ish ones that needed to ripen. They are soft and not "just picked". You know how stems look on peppers when cut, as they age, and when they are just dying and by then the pepper is too. Some did not even have stems, were showing brown and black spots around the stem area and had zero flavor. Texture when cooked were like the onion and thankfully picked up those flavors too. These peppers brought nothing flavor wise to the dish and that was a bit sad. We enjoy peppers and you can see from the dish that I used green bell peppers, red bell peppers, Green Cubanelle chile peppers, the Purple Bell peppers.......you had no noticeable notes that made these guys stand out. I tasted them alone and it really breaks down to they did not get to ripen and were picked early but distributed way too late from picking.
Black Grapes (1 bag)- These are not black (only on the ends) and mostly an ashy red. Sweet with no tart notes. The flesh and fruit is firm, which is nice. The bag weighed 1 lb and 2 ounces. We enjoyed them for being grapes but they don't fulfill the craving for black grapes because they just did not look or taste like them. Freshness is what made them pop nicely.
Hass Avocado (1 count)- Little guy weighing 4 3/4 ounces. I liked that I don't have to use him immediately since I bought one that morning. The avocado has no flaws, just small in size.
The Verdict-
I loved some of the items in the package. Those potatoes! Even enjoyed the not so purple bell peppers. I purchase Organic Celery and this one was crunchy but flavor wise did not have the best notes, but that happens with celery. The apples were good and the Bartlett and D' Anjou Pears delivered good taste too. The Asian pear was like no other and not in a good way, but the medley of tomatoes were sweet and flawless. It breaks down to freshness and quality. The produce not allowed to ripen enough with some items. Those lettuce heads and the poor Kale being in bad shape, that I has to discard more than I kept (that hurt to throw out) . I liked the box and loved the service. I am a true believer in quality over quantity and could overlook the smaller items if they tasted just great. The problem is for the price point, they did not. I don't see $59.35. Farm Fresh To You for this project gave a generous $50 credit, so my $9.35 was more than fair to pay. I'm trying to look at the whole picture and with some quality adjusting, I could see and even make future orders BUT at a smaller price-point. The weights are slightly off but I felt they should be on like they are at the store. My Kale is 0.99 a bundle, $1.99 to $2.99 a pound for Honeycrisp apples, 0.99 to 1.99 for a head of gorgeous lettuce and yes, this is Organic prices for the ready and in-season items. Pomegranates are $1.99 each and I don't expect the crazy price of 0.79 cents for a pound of non-Organic ones at the local "ethnic market", but you start doing the math and with delivery......well, $35 is at most. These are direct from the Farm and I expect freshness. I am not a believer in because it's Organic that I should let some stuff go or overlook this or that. I grow Organic and it's a pain but can be done, still having a gorgeous and delicious product at the end. I just would have liked to seen a little more care like whoever harvested and packaged the potatoes and cherry tomatoes. These are tomatoes and not one was damaged and they tasted phenomenal. I will wash this one time as "oopsies happen" and would try them one more time in the future because I like the concept, site worked great, service was A+, and it broke down that just like when you bake......some produce got a little more TLC than others.
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