Eating Fresh with FarmTaste

I'm not a big cook, and its not because I can't follow a recipe. For me, it's about shopping for the ingredients, getting the right amount, and knowing what is fresh. I tend to be overwhelmed by the vegetable and produce aisles. I prefer to make things from the ingredients I already have at home, but that usually means working with dry, canned, or frozen goods. 

In walks FarmTaste. FarmTaste is an online farmer's market, delivering boxes of seasonal fresh fruits and vegetables, meats, poultry, seafood, and local artisan products directly to your door. They source from over thirty local U.S. farms and artisan producers. They offer flexible subscription options, from one-time orders to weekly, every other week, and monthly subscriptions. 

This weekend I was sent a complimentary Beginner's Farm Box. It included, fresh green beans, asparagus, red potatoes, spinach, garlic, cherry tomatoes, mushrooms, cilantro, bell peppers, onions, oranges, and pork chops. Also included was a recipe for a green bean and asparagus salad, (more recipes can be found on their website as well.) I decided to make the salad on Saturday night and it was a huge hit with the whole family. They kids, who are not big fans of asparagus, cleaned their plates, and my husband couldn't stop raving about how crisp everything was. On Sunday, while my husband grilled the, (humanely raised, beautifully butchered, and locally sourced), pork chops, I seasoned and roasted the red potatoes with the fresh garlic, and sauteed the spinach. Once again, my Irish kids who don't like potatoes, cleared their plates. With their breakfast this morning, I gave each kid one of the softball-sized oranges. Their fragrance filled the whole house.

What I really liked about the FarmTaste box is that it motivated me to cook something new. My wheels are churning and I'm thinking about what I will do with the mushrooms and bell peppers this week. This works for me. Like I said, I don't like finding a recipe and then having to go shop for the ingredients, and I don't like shopping for ingredients without knowing exactly how I will use them, but I do like getting a box delivered to my door that I can then get creative with.

It's also a lot of fun for the kids. I rarely take them to the grocery store with me. Whenever I do, they of course love all the colors and smells in the fresh food aisles, but it was extra exciting for them to open this mystery package full of little surprises. It made them, as curious as I, to taste what would become of it all.

FarmTaste is also a company you can feel good about giving your money to. Not only do you support U.S. farms with your subscription, but also furloughed hospitality workers who pack and deliver the fresh farm boxes. They align themselves with charitable organizations to breaking down barriers and promote inclusion, inspire future generations of leaders, lift up communities impacted by COVID-19, and deliver memorable experiences to affected communities. Most recently they partnered with Special Olympics Chicago and Special Children's Charities to deliver fresh farm boxes to over 500 Special Olympics Chicago Athletes and conduct virtual cooking masterclasses with Chef Eric Babula and Chef Jesus Martinez.