Organic Produce delivered to local areas

If you live in the Sunland area, perhaps you´ve seen the large white truck with a golden banner painted on the side, pulling into the parking lot at Sunland Park on Saturday mornings. Maybe you´ve seen a small crowd of folks get out of their cars, move toward the opened doors, and then walk away with black boxes containing something wrapped in brown paper.

If you´ve looked closely enough you might even have seen a friendly woman with a clipboard checking off names.

But then… maybe you haven´t. The whole process takes less than 30 minutes. In five more minutes the truck and the people have all disappeared.

Some friends introduced me to Abundant Harvest Organics - a group of farmers near Fresno who have banded together and begun a unique farmer-to-consumer business, selling in-season, fresh, 100% organically grown produce to people interested in eating healthily…at significantly less than they would pay in the markets.

I logged on to the AHO website and read about the operation and the farmers who started it. I learned that there was a drop off site in my area and immediately signed up for the following Saturday´s delivery.

I arrived early and talked to Rosemary Dunstan, the "clipboard lady" who is the community host for AHO in the Sunland/Tujunga/La Crescenta area. She´s been host for the area since January.

She became interested in AHO when a friend near Kingsburg told her about Vernon Peterson, the farmer who got the whole business started. "It´s really expanding now," she said enthusiastically. "I may be hosting another pick up spot in the Studio City/Encino area soon."

Here´s how it works.

After you sign up (and pay an $22.00 deposit for two, collapsible, black plastic boxes in which to carry your produce), you decide how much fresh fruits and veggies your family can use in a week.

The smaller boxes hold enough for 1-3 people, while the larger boxes hold enough for a family of 4-5, depending on your eating habits.

The weekly charges (on your credit card) are $19.80 and $33.80 respectively (up from $16.80 and $22.80 because of gas prices, inflation etc.).

The items in the boxes are chosen for you, depending on what´s in season and at the peak of ripeness. (It might seem strange at first, but I found it exciting to anticipate what I´d be eating that week. You can check online at the first of the week and see what will be included on Saturday.)

There are also things you can "add-on," such as organic eggs, milk, dried fruits, grains, nuts, and even fresh, skinless chicken meat. You are always in control; you can stop, suspend or edit your deliveries at any time.

When they first got the idea to sell wholesale to individuals in June 2007 six local families signed up. After solving some website problems, they made the process available to a wider area. Today there are over 1,000 families are receiving produce.

There are deliveries to Valencia, Sunland/Tujunga and Simi Valley. When enough interest warrants it and an area host is found, new drop off spots will be added.

AHO promises that you will receive 100% certified USDA organic produce within hours of harvest ("from the soil to your dinner table in a day"), and that they will NEVER include anything grown in a foreign country.

On Saturday, the truck arrived right on time. Two clean-cut young men jumped down, slid back the door and began handing out the boxes. (You return an empty and pick up a filled one.)

I talked with driver Eric Peterson. His dad´s farm specializes in stone fruit, table grapes and chickens. They also pack fruits and veggies for 25-30 other growers and ship to organic retailers like Whole Foods and Costco.

Back in the shade, I unfolded the brown paper, still cool to the touch, and found: apricots, potatoes, carrots, onions, Romaine lettuce, spinach, cilantro, and green peas still in the pods. All were clean, chilled and dewy fresh.

Atop the assortment was a one-page, double-sided newsletter telling about the produce, the farmers who grew them and a recipe for fruit cobbler.

As I munched on a ripe apricot, I talked with other subscribers. "I feel much better since I started eating these vegetables." "I get to try out new veggies, ones I don´t normally buy." "My dog digs out the carrots and eats them before I can!" "I home-school, so it´s nice to order my produce on line." "There´s never anything left by the end of the week."

I´ve been getting fresh produce from Abundant Harvest Organics for three months now, and my family loves it. As summer approaches our boxes contain different items. Here´s a few…

cherries, blueberries, squash, peppers, red potatoes, cucumbers, red and white onions, eggplant, fresh basil, garlic, plums, nectarines, yellow and white peaches (nearly as big as softballs!), tiny gold grape-tomatoes, (completely safe) red-ripe tomatoes, corn (oh, the sweet white corn with kernels that simply "pop open with flavor" in your mouth when you bite…yum), and sweet, ripe cantaloupes and honeydew melons.

Curious as to how much I was saving, I stopped in at my local Ralph´s market and compared the prices of their produce. For the same things (pound for pound) I received in my latest box, I would have paid over $32.00 and that´s not for "organic" fruits and veggies.

If you shop only organic in local markets, you can add another 20% to the cost.

If you´re interested in cashing in on the savings – and eating totally fresh, healthy produce – log on to www.abundantharvestorganics.com Learn all the details, meet the farmers and… maybe sign up.

Or you can call the Sunland-Tujunga community host, Rosemary Dunstan at (818) 352-6886 (email: Rosemary8008@hotmail.com)

Your taste buds and your "tummy" will be glad you did.