Anyone use this service? I heard about it in my class, saying it was a good deal etc, but after looking at the amount of produce/baked goods/dairy I get for $25/week from them doesn't seem as appealing. I know they deliver and all but I go to the grocery store anyways, so the delivery really isn't saving me any hassle.

I assume the products change from season to season? Any credits vary depending on what's in season? Currently my most consumed produce is spinach, which they didn't list immediately from the options I saw...is there a larger list once you register/sign up? Do/Will they have spinach? and if so, # credits?

I'd love to support my local farmers as best I can without making excessive trips to the farmers market, this would likely be the cheaper/less impact route but is pushing my budget at $25/week when I can just buy a 1lb bunch of spinach from HT/FL for $2 @ 5lbs/week...so I'd like to get at least 5lbs of spinach out of this $25/week deal, even the organic spinach from fresh market/whole foods is less than $25 for 5lbs

4/4/2009 1:59:59 PM

I had a sample delivery to my house last year: I took a picture if you want to see about how much produce you get a week: http://www.ecojoes.com/papa-spuds-delivers-local-organic-produce-to-you/

Yeah, the products change from season to season (sometimes even from week to week). And yeah, it's a lot more expensive than just going to the farmers' market (or grocery store). I guess you pay for the convenience.

Also, most of their food is from local (within NC), but not all, so watch out for that. They make a note of where the foods come from.

4/4/2009 2:16:23 PM

Stick with it. We will win. The mega-corporate-agro-douches will lose.
(Think of the high price as being a combination of price + delivery + charity.....)
I don't know you, porcha, but you are a good person for even trying this.
We good people will inherit the earth.
:green:

4/4/2009 4:17:32 PM

^^how did you get the sample?

4/4/2009 4:49:43 PM

it's just called a weekly sampler @ $22/wk...feeds 1-2 people...there is also a family sampler @ $41/wk

4/4/2009 5:17:18 PM

^^ I got it for free so I could review it... I was lucky enough so I didn't have to pay

4/4/2009 5:49:06 PM

Holy crap! Joe is still alive? Where are you now? I checked out your blog- I've also been gone down the green path- biking and fixing them, planting gardens, and hoping for more non-car transportation.

4/4/2009 6:39:40 PM

look into CSAs. (community supported agriculture) (try localharvest.org)
They're mostly full this time of year. I can give you the name of the one I joined. Not only did they have space available, they'll let you pay your entire share in labor (at an equivalency of $7/hr). Most CSAs limit how much of your share you can pay with labor.

No, CSAs don't deliver to your door, and they don't include anything except produce (unless you find one with optional supplements)...but they are cheaper

Now, if you want bread made, you can PM me

A weekly delivery is $23. That's 20 credits, so $1.15/credit. So that means if you choose
Multigrain Loaf (1 loaf) / The Bread Shop, NC - 4 credits, you're paying $4.60 for a loaf of bread.

Or
Kale, baby (~1/2 lb.) / Cottles Organic Farm, NC - 3 credits
| *local | *organic

$3.45 for a half pound of kale (btw, you'll probably find the nutritional profile of kale pleasing). Last time I bought kale, it was either .79 or .99/lb.

This is not a good deal by any stretch of the imagination.




[Edited on April 4, 2009 at 9:11 PM. Reason : sd]

[Edited on April 4, 2009 at 9:11 PM. Reason : kjh]

4/4/2009 9:03:06 PM

i need a supplier of homemade whole wheat cinnamon raisin or some banana nut oatmeal bread <3 <3

i switch back n forth between no carb and carb months as part of my diet, so spinach is very important since it has no net carbs, just a great filler

kale is a bit high on the carbs for my taste, but would suffice on my carb months, i've never actually had it, so I'm unsure on the taste, I'm sure I'll enjoy it though

we've talked of CSAs, I don't know the exact specifics of em but my teacher belongs to one and loves it. How much is the joining fee? I like the idea of papaspuds having just a weekly payment option so you can cancel anytime if needed, but as you said, it's not cheap at all, do any CSAs have a system like that or is it like a yearly fee? I wouldn't mind having to drive out and pick up the goods once a week, really no different than driving to the farmers market

4/4/2009 10:30:16 PM

^^^ Dang, Leslie! Cómo estás? Heck yeah I'm alive, living the high life down in Garner.

I, too, am planting a garden and riding my bike, and also living on handouts from the government while I look for a job. Hope things is good with you.

4/5/2009 12:15:38 AM

This seems awfully expensive.

4/5/2009 12:27:05 AM

Quote :

"i need a supplier of homemade whole wheat cinnamon raisin or some banana nut oatmeal bread <3 <3 "

You can pay me to do this, FYI

Quote :

"How much is the joining fee?"

There's not one...at least the ones I've come across. You do pay upfront, though: either the whole season, or part. The whole idea is that the community (customers) are 1) helping to front the costs of growing while 2) guaranteeing the farmer(s) a customer base, making it make economic sense for farmers to farm on a small, local scale.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Community-supported_agriculture
Also, check out localharvest.org

You could also grow your spinach

4/5/2009 12:27:24 AM

Quote :

"We good people will inherit the earth."

I regret to say this, but good people may inherit the earth...

But it's likely to be a burned-out hulk of a mudball by the time it happens.

4/5/2009 1:15:00 AM

^


Let's hope not.

4/5/2009 2:33:15 AM

capitalism will prevail, the world will die

i am currently growing my own rutgers tomatoes, i had to buy a 15 gallon barrel though, i live in a townhome that won't allow the use of property for growing anything, but as i began the process of growing my own stuff, i'm likely using a larger carbon footprint to get my own garden going than if I continue to use the infrastructures already put in place...while i did go all organic as best i could, factoring in all the costs is mind boggling

this all stems from my SOC 450 class w/ Dr. Brett Clark, awesome teacher, awesome class, nothing but intellectuals in the class, makes for great discussions, plenty of counterpoints/opinions being sprouted

all that being said, I did check out localharvest.org and plan on checking out some of the farmers markets in 5 points/north hills next week when they open....I was going to jog out to the fairgrounds today and likely snag a couple weeks worth of brown eggs that some guy sells out there @ $2/dozen...keep in mind I eat 6 whole eggs/day

4/5/2009 6:36:33 AM

^ I live in Durham, and have made friends with a local Methodist church with a community garden program. Normally I wouldn't garden with a church as I'm not a church-goer, but they are nice, progressive folks that are active in the community and support the kind of projects I work on. You may want to try to squeeze into a local community garden program in your area.

Also worth investigating: gardening with a friend with a yard and sharing labor and expenses for putting in said garden. I know several people doing that who live in apts. or townhomes, or whose houses are shitty candidates for gardens.

4/5/2009 3:59:13 PM

Two guys from my high school started this I believe.

http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=12679366603&ref=ts

http://www.facebook.com/people/Papa-Spud/1117096916

4/5/2009 6:45:00 PM

Quote :

"This seems awfully expensive."

Seconded. If I had the money I would because I believe in all of this, but I'm also a little less than 2 miles from the actual Farmers Market so I just go there.

4/17/2009 8:19:06 AM

sureee ya would

4/17/2009 8:23:15 AM

Two of my boys from back in the day started this business. Great guys and a great service.

They may not be the only service like this out there, or the cheapest, but they bring the freshest local produce from as close as they can find it.

4/17/2009 9:30:19 AM