Full Circle Farm Box

I've been curious about farm shares or CSA's for awhile but was hesitant to subscribe or buy shares for several reasons.
1. The dietary needs of my family might not fit the fluidity and seasonal nature of a farm box. Several coworkers who received farm boxes told stories of cooking with vegetables that they'd never seen before and none of the men in my family would be able to handle the mystery nature of that type of farm box.
2. There can be a significant investment from the start. Some farms require a prepaid subscription which benefits them in that the funds and customers are locked in to the farm's sustainability. I'm sure there are other reasons for this and I don't pretend to be a farming expert.

However, my daughter brought home a coupon from her college that gave 15% off the first order at Full Circle Farms. I left it on the kitchen counter for a bit and mulled over my farm share debate again. I even did some research on other farms before coming back to the coupon again.

Full Circle Farms is exactly what it says - a circle of farms that have built a sort of farm box cooperative. So in the boxes, the customer is getting produce from all over Washington state. They have a very responsive web interface so each box is customizable. I even removed certain things from being put into our boxes. I hate cauliflower - true story that involves neon blue worms. And my husband should avoid veggies that are high in sugar like beets. But we love corn and carrots which even my veggie-phobic son will eat.
Every box is packed with the week's recipes to use with the produce. If you are worried about spoilage, don't. Some of the veggies and especially the stone fruit are picked early. They may even need time to ripen. This is good for a family like mine who are slow to consume veggies.

In addition to the farm box stuffed full of veggies and fruit (this is especially important -some farms added extra $ to boxes with fruit), I can go to the Green Grocer. The Green Grocer is a separate module where I can shop for other organic groceries such as milk, meat, bread, coffee, and even honey. There's no guarantee that these products will come from Washington but they mostly don't travel very far (except the Parmesan and Olive Oil from Italy). However, they are mostly in-state products such as bread from The Essential Baking Company or Theo Chocolate, both Seattle companies. I have even ordered eggs and butter. And each week, there are seasonal features, produce or groceries that are special and limited in quantity such as this week's pie cherries, just in time for summer pastries, and the bratwurst, perfect for grilling. I ordered the bratwurst and plan on having a cookout with the family one night this week. My menu will include (from the farm box of course!) corn, baguettes, German potato salad, and s'mores made with Theo's toasted coconut dark chocolate bar!

We are two deliveries in. I have paid for each delivery as it is delivered. I even put off one box because we were still using the bounty from the one before it. My family sized share is quite large but not so much that I feel wasteful. The base price is $43 for the family share. I run down to my chosen drop-off point every other tuesday to pick them up. When I've added on groceries, everything from meat to eggs, I end up spending between 80 and 100 dollars. The cost is comparable to a higher end grocery store but goods are organic and locally grown. We've BBQ'd a tasty skirt steak, boiled fresh eggs, used the granola as a crust for a fruit crumble, and more things than I could have expected from a farm box.

The most amazing thing about the farm box is that my son is delighted with the idea of getting food in boxes. He was won over with the delicious eggs and is perfectly willing to try anything from the box!