The Produce Box

A message from Courtney, TPB Founder & CEO Wow! 10 years! Can you tell we're so excited to be celebrating our 10th year making fresh local produce deliveries to you and your family? We have come a long way since we started deliveries out of my garage with the help of just one farmer, y'all. Here's some funny memories that pop into my head from those early days: When we started we only had three box choices - the A, B or C Box ! All the same size! How many of your remember TAPING A CHECK to the inside of your Box??? That was our sophisticated payment system! What about our VERY first non-produce item you could add to your Box... Lily's Maple Butter! And then today... We deliver to more than 10,000 families across the state from Charlotte to Wilmington! We buy more than 2 MILLION pounds of local North Carolina produce from over 70 small to large farmers. Almost 250 stay-at-home moms (and dads!) help deliver those delicious Boxes! Ou...

Delicious AND gluten free cookies & cakes! Your taste buds won't know the difference JP’s Pastry is an online gluten free pastry company located in the Raleigh-Durham area. They specialize in baking gluten free, artisan cupcakes and pastries with a whimsical twist that are both distinctive and delicious!  JP's story starts with a love of cupcakes! Joe Parker (JP) was working in NYC in the fashion industry about 10 years ago and baking cupcakes on the side. He hit a roadblock in 2008 when his wheat allergy resurfaced. Knowing he had to come up with a way to continue his love of baking, he started playing around with different gluten-free flours and his gluten challenged friends started asking him to bake for them as well. He knew he was onto something! In 2012 he enrolled in San Francisco Baking Institute where he began to master his technique of using alternative flours and voila a business was born! It wasn't long before he outgrew his home kitchen and opened...

Did you know that 70-80 million dogs and 74-96 million cats are owned in the US? That is a lot of fur babies!  Through the years, we have partnered with some great companies paving the way with revolutionary pet snacks and products that are healthy AND yummy and add to the daily quality of life for our four-legged companions. In that tradition, we have teamed up with two partners who have some awesome goodies for that dog or cat love in your life. Barley Labs - Cheese variety dog treats  Lab tested. Owner approved (Barley Lab's motto) Your pups are going to love these dog treats on the menu this week from our new partner Barley Labs!  Home brewer, Scott, and his partner, Theresa, started re-purposing the spent grain from Scott's brewing.  When their Lab, Barley, fell in love with the treats, they knew they were onto something that would benefit dogs, local breweries and the local community by reducing waste going to the landfill and turning it into delic...

Pumpkin spice is in the air...can you smell it? We can! Just as the cooler weather starts to envelope the warm, so do we see a change over on the farms. All of that summer bounty will begin to move out in the coming weeks and you will see a brand new rotation of fall produce begin to show up in your boxes. Here's a preview of some of those awesome fall goodies that are just around the corner: Fall Squash - Acorn, Spaghetti, Butternut and Butterkin, oh my! Whether you're making a soup or pasta dish or stuffing them with sausage and apples, these are some of the most versatile and delicious squash out there and we will start getting these in from Gary in Granville County next week. They have a fantastic shelf life so don't be scared to stock up for use through the winter. The health benefits of winter squash can't be beat. They are packed with anti-inflammatory, antioxidant and insulin regulating properties. And don't forget the seeds! You can toast those up ...

But you already knew this right? Here at The Produce Box, we've been encouraging our members for years to get past the look of the produce and straight into the heart of what they are purchasing and where it comes from. You sometimes will find "the uglies" in a Produce Box and we've learned that these little guys are just as healthy and tasty as their more popular counterparts. They all come from the same North Carolina dirt in our case! For all our newbies and maybe some of our seasoned TPB members who just need a reminder, here are a few reasons why you should be eating those cosmetically-challenged fruits and veggies: 1.   Ugly produce may actually be more nutritious ! Ugly produce grows under more stress and the plant responds by feeding more nutrients to the fruit. In fact, a study published in The Journal of Horticulture Science and Biotechnology in June 2010 found that apple peels with those "ugly" brown hard spots you sometimes find on apple...

THIS IS A REPOST FROM LAST YEAR -- AN OLDIE BUT A GOODIE!!! Our Charlotte area manager, Meaghan, recently shared her tips for easy back-to-school lunch and snack recipes on Charlotte’s WBTV. Delicious (AND EASY!) recipes featured: Caprese Salad Kabobs What you need: Tomatoes, basil, mozzerella balls and optional balsamic vinaigrette. Preparation : Cut tomatoes in half. Put basil in between tomato and mozzerella ball on a toothpick. Drizzle with balsamic vinaigrette if desired. BLT Salad What you need: Bacon, lettuce, tomato and cheddar cheese. Preparation: Mix lettuce (or spinach) with toppings, and you’ve got a BLT salad! No dressing needed (I know mine are not fans of it!) Vegetable Snack What you need: Cucumber and peppers. Preparation : Cut up cucumbers and peppers and put on skewers. Pack individual hummus or ranch packs for dipping! Fruit Snack What you need: Apples and peanut butter (or almond butter). Preparation: Slice apples horizontally. Scoop core out. Spread p...

More info from Joe Van Gogh on this term and what it means for TPB members  Earlier in the summer, we introduced you to the folks at Joe Van Gogh, one of our favorite North Carolina coffee roaster! You'll find different varieties of their coffee on our menu throughout the year. Now we want to share more about the work they do with coffee growers all over the world. We have told you that Joe Van Gogh helps farmers by participating in direct trade . You might be wondering what that is.  You’ve probably heard of fair trade, and maybe even seen it at your local grocery store. In recent years, there’s been a big divide in the fair trade world, and what resulted from the divide was “Fair Trade USA” and “Fair Trade International”.  Direct Trade is another result of this split. Roasters realized that to be fair trade certified, farmers had to pay. This hurts small farmers who can’t pay for the certification. So, coffee-lovers and...