My husband and I have forayed into “being healthier” for the better part of our three plus decades of marriage. Honestly, if you can name it, we’ve probably tried it. The fact we aren’t the healthiest people on the planet isn’t for lack of knowledge.

As I’ve gotten older, and hopefully a little bit wiser, my thoughts have drifted back to my grandparents’ ways of life: real food, hard work, good sleep and relaxation times with family. More importantly, I remember the produce brought in from the garden which was used for big family meals or canned for the fruit cellar. It was even used to make fruit leather and homemade ice cream.

I have fond memories of: fresh salads with the tartest vinaigrette, juicy cantaloupes and watermelons enjoyed by the pool, apricot fruit leather drying on wood trays in the hot San Joaquin Valley sun and of taking turns cranking grandpa’s fruity ice cream…by hand.

I grew up with this abundance of fresh fruit and vegetables. Visiting great-grandma afforded us the fun of climbing the walnut tree to pick our own walnuts so we could use the hammer to get to the “meat” and chewing on anise fronds because they tasted like black licorice. Summers at the grandparents’ meant the juiciest nectarines and peaches you could find anywhere. Even lemons were freshly picked off the tree in the backyard.

Somehow, though, the busyness of my adult years found me picking up a pizza or running through the drive-through way more often than was healthy. And “being healthier” always seemed to focus more on eating less than on eating better.

So, a while back I decided to put into practice the fresh food focus of my childhood by signing up for a veggie box subscription. At the time, the only plan I could find was a local farm group that distributed food in one of the local government building parking lots. I had to wait in a long line and pay the fee only to receive a worn box of less than fresh looking produce. I cancelled my ‘subscription’ after just a couple boxes.

My next venture into veggie boxes found me signing up for a harvest season of produce dropped directly on my doorstep every week. So nice not to wait in line. This farm group promised “a variety of local, organic fruits and vegetables.” It certainly was organic; I have never found so many bugs in and on my food. The variety was true also. We received vegetables I had never seen before. Luckily, there was always a newsletter explaining the contents and offering a couple recipes. For the most part, this plan was too vegetable extreme for my meat and potatoes family.

The next attempt at a produce subscription was Full Circle. Full Circle was great because you can pick the size of produce box you want to receive. That was a helpful option when we became empty nesters. Their produce is also organic, but everything delivered looked more like a grocery store presentation. They allow you to customize your box, skip delivery by the week (which was wonderful for travel) and cancel at anytime so you’re not locked into a full harvest season if you don’t like it. I also seem to remember that it runs year round because they have grocery delivery and their produce comes from a larger harvest area. I’ve utilized Full Circle for significant periods of time, multiple times, over the years. Well worth it if you want a lot of control over your produce choices.

After a few years hiatus from veggie subscriptions, I decided to sign up again this year. During that break, I tried out a meal delivery subscription. The meals were enjoyable and it introduced me to new vegetables and new ways to prepare them. My husband even enjoyed most of them. But it is, in my humble opinion, too expensive if you’re cooking for more than two people. So, my hope is that produce showing up in a box on my doorstep will inspire me to incorporate more real food into my daily life.

This year I’m using a local farm subscription, Wissel Farms. I found their program from a Facebook post. I was familiar already as I have purchased many a fresh Christmas tree from them. This program is a 10 week home delivery of produce from their local farms. It required payment up front but the weekly price breakdown seems to run a little cheaper than it would cost from my regular grocery store. The produce does look like it just came from the field but I haven’t encountered any bugs yet!

I am only two weeks into the program but we’ve already received: potatoes, onions, peppers, tomatoes, cucumber, zucchini, corn, apricots, nectarines, cantaloupe, dill, watermelon and something I’ve yet to identify. It has all been fresh and flavorful. I will definitely subscribe to this program again next year.

The title of this post highlights the idea of trying new foods through veggie box subscriptions. I have tried new things over the years; some I have liked and some I have not. Earlier boxes have included greens I thoroughly disliked and can’t remember the names of. Later boxes introduced me to chayote and heirloom tomatoes, both of which I adore. My adult self gave the college try to eggplant only to discover I still absolutely hate it, but my adult self also discovered brussel sprouts are enjoyable if they’re roasted and spaghetti squash is pretty good as a noodle replacement.

Finally, I can honestly say that fruits and vegetables just taste better when you get them fresh. Whether you’re trying something new or delighting yourself in what you already enjoy, produce picked and delivered at the peak of ripeness has so much more flavor. And, yes, I realize many of you enjoy produce right from your very own gardens and that’s great, but for those of us not so inclined, veggie box subscriptions are a great way to widen your gastronomic horizons.

Don’t forget, choosing local means you help support a small business and put money back into your community. Bon appetit!

Laughter is brightest where food is best.

Irish Proverb