Living in Baltimore City, we are surrounded by the urban jungle. The rolling farmlands, bursting with fresh produce are about a 1/2 hour drive outside the city limits. In the past decade or so, the Farmer’s Markets, CSA’s and at home produce delivery services, like Friends & Farms, have been exploding. There are so many options!
I’ve looked at a few at-home delivery service sites that promise to deliver fresh farm products right to your door. I have to admit, I’ve never clicked the button to commit. Seeing as we have 7 people in the house, 4 of whom are grown-teenage-to-men and 1 who is a competitive gymnast (at the gym 15 hours a week) it’s hard to keep food in the house. I wasn’t convinced the amounts typically promised in a “Large Basket” would be able to deliver what my family needed.
Farms & Friends reached out and asked if they could put one of their Large Baskets in my hands. The Large Basket description is for a family of 4. It was loaded with crispy, sweet green beans, golden, yellow squash, fresh Eastern Shore corn and tomatoes and firm, crunchy cucumbers.
And there was a 1/2 gallon of milk (about 1/4 of what is consumed in this home per week), 1 dozen farm fresh eggs, 2 whole, natural chickens, turkey sausage (so yummy) and a round of beef that delivered THE best pot roast we’ve had in ages…oh and a sweet loaf of our favorite, The Breadery, bread…which disappeared before I could even snap a picture.
What would a fall, produce basket be without apples and pears?
The Large Family Basket costs $76 a week. Here’s the thing, Devon and I agreed it’s a GREAT supplement to our regular grocery run, especially in the winter months when the farmer’s markets are closed.
But, the thing we loved the most, was the heart behind this company. We had a few minutes to chat with Regina Mc Carthy, head of marketing for Friends and Farms. She was kind enough to deliver our basket. (Typically, you schedule to pick up your basket at a convenient location in and around Baltimore.) She was sharing her passion for introducing local farms and their growers along with makers of fine foods in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed area.
And, like us, Regina believes that food should bring people together – while celebrating those who raise, grow and prepare it.
The only thing she wishes would change, would be that when people come to pick up their scheduled basket, they’d stay, linger and get to know one another. She said the fact that people treat the “pick ups” as a quick drive through, has been a little sad for her and her team. We could tell that they are totally committed to the relationships that develop between the growers, the suppliers and the consumers. What’s not to love about that mission?!
*Friends & Farms gave Kristin Potler a Large Basket to sample. The opinions expressed are entirely her own.
