The Produce Box

James, our farm partner in Johnston County, has been working hard to grow the delicious celery in your boxes. Over the past few years, James and our own Kevin O’Connell have been learning how to grow celery in North Carolina. Most celery is grown in California and Michigan, and not typically seen in North Carolina because it’s a challenging crop to grow here. Celery needs a long time in the ground, between 130 and 140 days. Additionally, the weather needs to be mostly cool, and celery also needs a lot of water. Does that sound like North Carolina to you? These hundred degree days answer that question, don’t they? This year, James used plastic ground cover to help him grow celery by keeping the weeds down that took over last year. The plastic ground cover also helps retain the moisture in the soil. The increased water has helped the stalks grow into larger, thicker ribs. Kevin says the celery is “practically growing in the mud.” James’ celery is the “unblanched” variety

We are so excited to announce our partnership with Abundance North Carolina ! We just love this great organization and everything they stand for. Located in central North Carolina, Abundance NC strives to be the hub of sustainability and local economy in their community. Just like us, they started out small, but have since grown and grown!  They now have an awesome campus you can visits, cool sustainability workshops and community events all around the Triangle. Some of these workshops include brew your own kombucha, backyard poultry, gardening, soap-making and aquaponics, Abundance NC provides many opportunities to learn how to lead a healthier and more sustainable lifestyle. They also host a number of family-friendly events such as the PepperFest  (we can't WAIT to attend this one and are even a sponsor of it this year!), Earth Day 5k, Harvest Abundance Auction Dinner, and the Small House Contest! Check out their event calendar at http://abundancenc.org/ . Tickets

a Guest Post from our Chapel Hill Area Manager Jessica O. Little kids, and even some of us “big” kids, aren’t always the best at eating our veggies. Especially hard to get past a picky palate are the dark green veggies that are so incredibly rich in nutrients and can do wonders for our health. Thank goodness for smoothies! A quick browse through Pinterest will give you enough smoothie recipes to open your own smoothie bar, but I wanted to share my children’s very favorite way to down kale and ask for more! This recipe is a great introduction to “green” smoothies. It has enough sweetness to it that my children think it is a treat. Yet, the kale means it is packed with fiber, thiamin, riboflavin, folate, iron, magnesium and phosphorus – and, as if that weren’t enough, it is a fantastic source of vitamins A, C, K, B6, calcium, potassium, copper and manganese. Kale is even thought to help protect our bodies from cardiovascular disease and colon and prostate cancers – we all need some

Did you know that North Carolina has one of the highest rates of food insecurity in the country? In the United States, we rank 11 th worst for children’s ability to access food. Right here in North Carolina, one out of four children lack food on a daily basis . Food deserts are often urban, low-income areas where grocery stores and markets stocked with fresh, nutritious produce are outnumbered by convenience stores and fast-food chains.  Because junk food is more affordable, fast-food chains and corner-stores are more likely to succeed than farmer’s markets or healthy grocers in lower-income neighborhoods. Residents of food deserts have access to high-calorie, but low-nutrient foods. This greatly contributes to obesity rates and malnutrition, not to mention a host of other disadvantages. Food deserts are not naturally occurring regions, however. They are socially constructed neighborhoods and we can do something about it.   We often take for granted our conv

You know that feeling when you’ve taken that first dangerous bite of a snack that you just can’t seem to get enough of? Cheese puffs, chips, crackers, any snack foods with a mysterious addictive quality are likely ridden with chemical additives that enhance their flavor and swindle you into “just one more bite”. Author Mark Schatzker calls this phenomenon “The Dorito Effect.” Schatzker argues that the obesity epidemic is not strictly caused by the overconsumption of fats, sugars, or carbs. Instead, the 600 million pounds of FLAVORINGS that Americans consume each year causes us to eat way more salt, sugar, carbs, and fats than we would otherwise. It’s super tempting to choose a bag of Doritos over an apple for a quick snack. But why is this? Why does pseudo-food take the prize over real, nutritious food that provides us with benefits other than instant taste-bud gratification? It’s all about the flavor. Real, nutritious and natural food is now largely bred and cultivated f

Is it okay to just eat the same healthy foods everyday? As long as you’re eating healthy, it doesn’t matter how broad your diet is, right? Nope - sorry! Variety is everything. Apart from it being a heck of a lot more exciting, a varied diet provides a TON of nutritional and health benefits. Too Much of a Good Thing There is, in fact, too much of a good thing. Too much of just one healthy, nutritious food might not actually be doing you any good. Some foods are packed with nutrients and minerals that you can actually overload on, such as minerals found in various nuts and meats. Avoid Overexposure Some foods contain particular compounds that, when consumed in large quantities, can build up and actually be harmful to the body. An example of this is the mercury found in fish such as tuna. Normally, yes, tuna is a wonderful and healthy food choice. Eaten too often, however, and you could have to deal with potential mercury poisoning. A balanced diet with a larger degree o

Most people are aware that the more local the food, the better. But do you understand why?   What’s so great about local, anyway? Besides how fresh and awesome tasting it is, local food has wonderful environmental implications. Local food is fresher, tastier, and kinder to Mother Earth! Reduced Pollution & Carbon Emissions Did you know that the average fresh food item on your dinner table probably travels approximately 1,500 miles before it reaches our plate? Fifteen-hundred miles.  When you purchase locally grown foods, they don’t have to be trucked in from thousands of miles away – saving loads of fuel and reducing carbon emissions. Here at The Produce Box, we source all of our products right here in North Carolina during the months of May to November. This means that every box of tasty, local produce that you purchase reduces your carbon footprint (as compared to buying supermarket tomatoes that were trucked in from California). Reduced Chemicals Additional

School is out and summer produce is in! With your weekly produce box, healthy, on-the-go snacking is easy.   Check out our tips: 1. Take a smoothie to go. Combine summer fruits like blueberries, blackberries with kale from your Produce Box for a delicious and nutritious snack to take in the car. Blend ingredients with a bit of yogurt or milk and pour into a reusable cup with a lid and straw before you head out the door. 2. Pack fruits that you can eat whole. Blueberries are easy to eat whole. Simply wash them right before you leave, dry them and pack them in a container in your purse to eat on the go. Even better, no trash or mess to clean up! 3.   Cut up raw veggies. Carrots, cucumbers and zucchini can all be very yummy when they’re raw! Raw vegetables require minimal time and preparation and are easy for the on-the-go snacker. Slice into sticks, put in a small container and stick them in your purse. 4. Prepare individual servings of dips. Hummus, yogurt dip

Veggie lovers united last month for Charlotte’s annual Vegan festival – Vegfest! This free, family and pooch friendly event featured a huge array of vegan friendly vendors offering veggie love and knowledge. Plaza Midwood, on the outskirts of downtown Charlotte, was lined with non-profit organizations, artisans, and food vendors eager to share their love for a compassionate, vegan lifestyle. The Produce Box set up camp and had the pleasure to meet and chat with a bunch of produce-lovin’ festival goers. Neighborhood coordinators Julie and Bridget answered questions and helped us spread the word. Charlotte residents flocked to The Produce Box to chat about how the whole process works, what kind of boxes and produce are available, and even how to become a Neighborhood Coordinator. A day full of sunshine and vegan alternatives, people kept cool with local iced coffee, King of Pops popsicles, and free samples of kombucha tea. Festival goers also enjoyed samples from a varie