Hello Folks,
Covid-19 update
Our big Locavore-wide update is avaliable to read here, and the biggest vegboxes update is here, but here are the headlines for this week. As always, the situation is evolving quickly, so we’d appreciate it if you could read the following carefully.
- Adjusting delivery days
Last week, we moved some of our deliveries around in the week. We’ll be moving some Wednesday deliveries to Thursdays, and some Friday deliveries to Saturdays. This will let our packers spread the work out throughout the week, helping them practise social distancing as we can reduce the number of people required in the packing shed at any one time (we’re changing shift patterns). If your delivery run has been moved, you should have had an email from us about this, but feel free to check in by sending us an email with the subject line “My delivery day” - The Veg Box Online Shop will open on Mondays
We’re currently opening our Veg Box Online Shop on Mondays instead of Fridays. This is just because we need to make sure the stock information is up-to-date after our Saturday orders go out. - Please whitelist our email address
We’ve had some problems with our emails going to peoples’ spam filters. At this time, it’s really important we can keep you up-to-date as our service changes to adapt to the pandemic, so please whitelist our email address to make sure you get our emails. That’s susbscribers@glasgowlocavore.org - Streamlined service: no opt-out lists
We’ve made the very difficult decision to temporarily pause opt-out lists, so you may receive items on them over the next few weeks. I know this is far from ideal, especially for those of you with allergies and intolerances. I hope you can leave anything you can’t eat outside a neighbour’s door with a note or a text to explain. Those of us who don’t like things (personally, I hate mushrooms- urgh!) might need to see this as an opportunity to find a recipe that makes them palatable (maybe with enough garlic and butter I could enjoy a mushroom). We’re doing this for a few reasons. Because the pandemic hitting in the middle of the hungry gap, it’s tricky to get the variety of veg we need to accommodate opt-out lists, as supermarkets snap up everything for sale. We’re hoping that the changing seasons and the end of panic buying will together mean this changes soon. We’re also trying to streamline things in the packing sheds to keep our staff safe, and to concentrate our efforts on providing veg to as many people as possible. - Please shop considerately on the Online Veg Box Shop
We’re hoping to keep the Online Veg Box Shop well stocked over the next few weeks, but as we’re still seeing a hugely increased demand, your help with this is greatly appreciated. This also helps our drivers, who generally have to fit everyones’ boxes into their personal vehicles & carry your orders up steps & stairs, and our packers, who are working super hard to get your orders ready. Really huge orders may be refused and refunded. The most important things to keep in mind are:- No more than 2 of any item;
- No more than 6 tins in total.
- Refunds
We know it’s likely that we’re making a fair few mistakes at the moment- we’re working really hard to prevent them, but it’s a tricky time. Please be sure to double check your deliveries and email if you need your bill to be adjusted. It might take us a while to get back to you, but we will process your refund before the charges for March go through. - We’re still very busy- but do get in touch!
It’s still pretty busy in Veg Box HQ (which is now partly a digital space with pockets all over Glasgow). We’re training up some new admin staff, and they’re learning super quickly, so we’re hoping to be more on top of things soon. But it will still likely take a little longer for you to hear back from us just because there are so many more emails and so many more phone calls than usual. That said, please email! We love hearing from you, and want to make sure we’re doing everything we can to keep our service as good as possible during this difficult time. Now is also a great time to get involved with our Facebook group, where folks are swapping pickling and fermenting tips, garlicky recipes, and generally cooking up a storm.
The Nice Bit
We’re still solidly in the Hungry Gap, and between that and the pandemic, there’s a little less veg kicking around than usual. It’s a challenge, but I challenge I think we can all meet. We need to be a little creative, that’s all. Flour and butter being a little hard to get right now, why not try using ground almonds and olive oil to make a delightful beetroot cake? Baking, which requires slowing down and paying attention to the ingredients, can also be a pleasing activity on a boring or anxious afternoon. If you’re tired of roasted parsnips (as some of us can become at times), try them in latkes or gnocchi for all that sweet, rooty flavour but a different texture. Or if you have a tin or two of white (cannelloni or butter) beans, try a creamy, garlicky soup. Parsnips may seem so wintery, but if the sunshine through your window is inspiring you to fresh, springy meals, parsnips and carrots can be shaved very thin and cooked with sage, butter, and lemon for a fresh side dish. This flour-free olive-oil parsnip and polenta cake is also a storecupboard hero.
Onions are now well and truly over, so if you have any left from the last few weeks now is a wonderful time to preserve them. You can freeze them chopped and raw (ready to start your next ragu) or soften them in oil or butter before freezing them (even readier). Onions can be pickled, of course, and not just fish supper style. Play around with the flavours you pickle your onions with and they can serve as a garnish for all sorts of meals.
There are lots of lovely salady things in the supplementary veg bags to help cheer us up and cheer us on through this last stretch before the summer.
The season in the UK is changing. Soon, our little farm on the hill will be covered in green leaves which our hardworking farmers will harvest for us to eat in salads, or sautee, or turn into pasta sauces. Already, we have a little chard for the larger veg boxes! Beneath the dark, velvety blanket of rich soil the roots are working; the shoots are working their way up towards the sun. This is just the quiet time before the plenty.
Flowers
The beautiful, locally-grown, bee-friendly flowers our wonderful Kim grows are available on the Online Veg box shop or by subscription. They bring the scents of spring into your home, and are the prettiest way to cheer up. Email us for a dose of flowers with your veg box every week (or every other week).
Complete a survey and you could win £20!
Over the last few weeks we’ve been updating you with surveys asking about your journey to our shop, or your views on social media, and we’ve mentioned that these are a build up to a bigger survey which is coming down the tracks. Well, it’s here, and we’d love it if you could take part.
In (an organic) nutshell, the aim of this survey is to explore customer relationships with Locavore – what makes you choose us over other businesses, how that works for you, and more general thoughts about how you feel about food and your community.
You can find more details about the Impacts project here, and the survey is available to complete here. It’s a bit longer than the surveys we’ve sent before, so you might want to make a cup of tea before you start; As a thank you for taking part we’ll be drawing one lucky contestant to receive a £20 Locavore gift card when the survey closes.
Good Food Fund
Thank you to everyone who has donated to the Good Food Fund over the past few weeks. It’s much needed and greatly appreciated.
If you’re in a position to, please consider donating to our Good Food Fund, which supports food banks and other schemes that fight food poverty. You can donate weekly by emailing us to add a donation onto your subscription, or you can make one-off donations on the Online Veg Box Shop. It’s important to look out for everyone in times like these.
Monthly Specials
Monthly specials are currently suspended, except for meat boxes. We aren’t currently adding any of monthly specials to subscriptions, including meat boxes, but current meat box subscriptions will be fulfilled. The next box is in the first week of May.
Check out storage guidance here for helpful tips and tricks on how to prolong the life of your fresh produce. If you’re wondering where your veg comes from, have a look at these maps. You can also join your fellow subscribers over in the Facebook group for lots of tips, tricks, and recipe ideas.
To contact us, ring 0141 378 1672 or email us at subscribers@glasgowlocavore.org
In
the veg boxes this week:
Subject to last minute changes
| Small veg box | Farm | Organic Certifier |
| Potatoes (Carolus) | Chapel Farm | Soil Association |
| Carrots | Skea | Soil Association |
| Parsnips | Farrington Farms | Soil Association |
| Beetroot | Chapel Farm | Soil Association |
| Standard veg box | Farm | Organic Certifier |
| Potatoes (Carolus) | Chapel Farm | Soil Association |
| Carrots | Skea | Soil Association |
| Parsnips | Farrington Farms | Soil Association |
| Beetroot | Chapel Farm | Soil Association |
| Red Cabbage | Chapel Farm | Soil Association |
| Salad, Watercress, or Leeks | UK Farms | Soil Assocation |
| Large veg box | Farm | Organic Certifier |
| Potatoes (Carolus) | Chapel Farm | Soil Association |
| Carrots | Skea | Soil Association |
| Parsnips | Farrington Farms | Soil Association |
| Beetroot | Chapel Farm | Soil Association |
| Red Cabbage | Chapel Farm | Soil Association |
| Salad, Watercress, or Leeks | UK Farms | Soil Assocation |
| Chard | Locavore Left Field | Soil Associaton |
| Extra Large veg box | Farm | Organic Certifier |
| Potatoes (Carolus) | Chapel Farm | Soil Association |
| Carrots | Skea | Soil Association |
| Parsnips | Farrington Farms | Soil Association |
| Beetroot | Chapel Farm | Soil Association |
| Red Cabbage | Chapel Farm | Soil Association |
| Salad, Watercress, or Leeks | UK Farms | Soil Assocation |
| Chard | Locavore Left Field | Soil Associaton |
| Cauliflower | Sampson | Soil Assocation |
| Small fruit bag | Farm / Origin | Organic Certifier |
| Apples (Fuji) | Italy | CCPB |
| Bananas | Dominican Republic | BCS |
| Medium fruit bag | Farm / Origin | Organic Certifier |
| Apples (Fuji) | Italy | CCPB |
| Bananas | Dominican Republic | BCS |
| Kiwis | Italy | CCPB |
| Large fruit bag | Farm / Origin | Organic Certifier |
| Apples (Fuji) | Italy | CCPB |
| Bananas | Dominican Republic | BCS |
| Kiwis | Italy | CCPB |
| Extra large fruit bag | Farm / Origin | Organic Certifier |
| Apples (Fuji) | Italy | CCPB |
| Bananas | Dominican Republic | BCS |
| Kiwis | Italy | CCPB |
| Small supplementary veg | Origin | Organic Certifier |
| Red Oakleaf Lettuce | France | Ecocert |
| Cucumber | Spain | Caae |
| Standard supplementary veg | Origin | Organic Certifier |
| Pink radishes (bunch) | France | Ecocert |
| Red Oakleaf Lettuce | France | Ecocert |
| Cucumber | Spain | Caae |
Enjoy!
The Locavore Team