newleaf vs. Irv and Shelly's Fresh pics or other choices?

Has anyone ordered from either of these two companies and can comment on the experience? I am looking for a weekly organic vegetable delivery (not a CSA), since I am carless and not near a good area for organic vegetables. Right now Fresh Picks is winning out since they offer more flexibility; Newleaf requires you to sign up for the month and that may be hard for me to do. But I have little sense of what a box from each might look like. If you've ordered and have opinions, I'd love to hear them - or if you can refer me to another service that you like that would be great.

One of the reasons I want to order from a service is that I find the vegetables here to be of worse quality than the east coast, even at Whole Foods, and just as expensive. I used a similar service in Boston called Boston Organics and it was simply amazing. The quality of the fruit and vegetables was beyond anything I've gotten at Whole Foods, and we would get wonderful treats like wild Maine blueberries in the summer - a lot of nice surprises. If you ever move to Boston I highly, highly recommend them.

We started ordering from Fresh Picks in 2006 - shortly after they opened.

What I like most is that you can sign up for regular, "automatic" delivery, or you can pick and choose each week. We used to take very hands-off approach and ordered their double box each week. We didn't have to worry about placing our order on time - just needed to put our bin outside, and food would appear. It became a weekly ritual with our young kids each week to open the box and see what we got.

They are good about crediting us if something goes bad unreasonably fast (which has hardly ever happened) and also throw in extras every once in awhile. Delivery was a little rocky in the beginning, with boxes coming sometimes around 8 at night, but I think that was during their first season and shortly after they were featured in the Tribune. That didn't really bother us though, so it is a pretty minor complaint.

There were advantages and disadvantages to the "bring us seasonal stuff each week - we don't care what it is" method. We ended up experimenting with vegetables we normally would not have purchased, and also were able to try some of their other products. When produce was a little low, they would throw in a tray of cookies, or jar of mushroom salsa. However, we would also sometimes get inundated with beets or sunchokes, or something we aren't very experienced in cooking or not very fond of eating.

We do still order from them pretty regularly, but pick and choose week by week instead. We often get eggs and sometimes dairy, but otherwise generally stick to the fruits and veggies. We're pretty happy, and at this point, I don't think we would seek out another similar service.

I just started getting a bi-weekly single box from Fresh Picks. I'm very happy with the service thus far. My box is delivered on Fridays to my office (delivery day is determined by your zip code), which is perfect since I do most of my menu planning and more elaborate cooking on weekends. I think the value is good. The quality of the produce is really outstanding. In fact, I prefer to eat as much of the produce raw because it tastes so good. I'm averse to salads in bowls, but I love to salads disguised as sandwiches (chopping and/or shredding whatever is in my Fresh Picks box and piling it all on fresh, thick cut bread with a few slices of swiss cheese and dijon mustard).

This week, I got a bunch of giant carrots, some gorgeous kale, lovely Boston bib lettuce and two heads of garlic. There was supposed to be spinach, but because of the bad weather at the end of last week, it didn't make it into the box. I'll second what's been said about Irv and Shelly being good about crediting/replacing items. My box was discounted this week because of the missing spinach.

Has anyone ordered meat or dairy or other products from Fresh Picks? Were you happy with it?

I just signed up myself and can give a report.

First of all, I have to give them kudos for what they are doing. They delivered to me in the worst of the recent snowstorms and were very valiant in trying to get to me as there had been a mixup (not their fault with my address). So I have to say I really, really appreciate what they are doing, and the fact that they even exist.

But, part of what they are doing does not suit my purposes as well, even though it's an overall good: they really make every effort to be as local as possible. I understand the ethical and environmental implications of this, but, it being winter, that has it's limitations. They do supplement the box but go only as far as they need to - getting grapefruit from Georgia, for example. I know this is very important to people and it's a core part of their mission.

I ordered a 15 dollar box, with a 5.50 delivery fee (which stays the same no matter what you order) and added on organic half and half and apples since I had no idea what was coming. The option to order the dairy was great and they pack cold bags too (not that we need it right now!).

I'm sorry to report that the 15 dollar box as it was last week really wasn't enough variety for me. I received cauliflower, chard, potatoes, lettuce, and 2 grapefruit. There is certainly enough quantity, but as a single person cooking alone I would like some different items. (And, I'm not really a huge fan of what I received though I expect that to be the case sometimes - really, the most boring vegetables! I don't fault them for that, that's just my taste). I'm a student so if I add custom vegetables or fruits to my order it really just runs over my budget.

Does anyone know if the double box is just more variety or more quantity? I would pay for that easily if it meant more variety. It seems some shitake mushrooms are coming and now at least I can have something to cook the potatoes with. As it stands, the 15 dollar box does not prevent me from having to go out to buy vegetables.

I really, really want to support Irv and Shelley's and I think they do a great job and provide a lot of flexibility, but it may not quite work for me. It may be a bit closer to the CSA model than I need. Has anyone tried New Leaf Naturals and can tell me what a 15 or 20 dollar box was like in terms of quantity and variety?

and thanks for your replies - they motivated me to sign up, which is a good thing.

My one experience with Newleaf was similar to yours. Granted, it was also based only on one experience. I got the 15 dollar mixed fruit/veggie box a few months ago. It contained about 5-6 little crab apples, two small pears, a container of strawberries, two yellow onions, one cuke, and one bunch of kale. I figured I could get the same stuff for less at Stanley's so in the end it wasn't worth it for me to go all the way up to Loyola. I do really like the concept though. I know with Newleaf if you order the larger boxes they give you a bigger variety as opposed to increased quantity.

Rudy wrote:Has anyone ordered meat or dairy or other products from Fresh Picks? Were you happy with it?

We've been ordering dairy and meat from Fresh Picks along with our produce for a few months now. So far we've been very happy with the quality of both.

In the fall they had cold-pasteurized apple cider from Seedling Orchards in South Haven, MI. This was probably the best cider I've ever had.

We've been happy with the honey and the baked goods they sell as well.

just in case anyone is considering doing this, newleaf delivers now...this the whole point for me. I don't have a car and end up taking taxis. If anyone knows of some great produce place in Logan Square let me know (and i know about Tony's but it's very far and I like to try to eat organic).

I may try the larger box at Newleaf and give a report. It seems a bit unfair to be judging during the winter but this is exactly when I need delivery the most!

My good friends have tried several different options over the past few years. Currently, they receive a box from Fresh Picks - as well as Home Grown Wisconsin:
http://www.homegrownwisconsin.com/
They have been educating me lately, because I've considered signing up myself.
They claim the produce is top quality and the service excellent.
I think this is a good option for a busy person who doesn't enjoy shopping. Since my wife and I both enjoy our trips to the grocery store (and Farmer's Markets in the summer), we decided this may not be the best option for us.
However, from what I know of Fresh Picks, it would likely be my choice if I did sign up.

Anyone know Angelic Organics? That's the first CSA I ever heard of, and it may be the best known, thanks to the movie about Farmer John, but other than that, I have no knowledge of them. Anyone tried them out? How do they compare to Homegrown Wisconsin?

These are the only two CSAs I've encountered that deliver to the northwest suburbs -- but if there are others, I'd be glad to hear of it.

nutella wrote:Has anyone tried New Leaf Naturals and can tell me what a 15 or 20 dollar box was like in terms of quantity and variety?

My partner and I have split New Leaf's $15.00 box for the past two winters. We're both graduate students (little money, even less time) and car light, but New Leaf is convenient to the Loyola subway station. We haven't needed the delivery service. Our approach to the box is simply that we need fresh produce and we'll try any recipe once.

Quantity is usually enough to prepare a big batch of soup, a casserole, or some other recipe portable enough to carry around as lunch and dinner. Heads of lettuce or cabbage, bunches of greens, pints of tomatoes, are common, and there are often several apples, oranges, or other fruits in twos and threes.

Variety in the winter is not the best, but I do appreciate that it's better than what I'd find at Jewel, Dominicks, or Edgewater Produce. I also suspect that when New Leaf buys produce for the boxes, they make a concerted effort to provide as much variety as is affordable. We've seen the occasional pineapple, avocado, and mango this winter.

New Leaf publishes weekly newsletters with the contents of that week's box and a few recipes; they're also archived here. You can get a sense of what the variety is like from them. We're happy with the service, and we'll continue it until the farmer's markets open again.

I never really paid much attention to Fresh Picks, but today I mozied (sp?) around their site and came away impressed enough to make an order. Obviously, it's a chore to keep on eating local all year. The family is always on the look out for sources. Fresh Picks seems to have a number of things for us (i.e., local) including microgreens (good for the kidz lunches), carrots, red cabbage and lettuce.

I know the prices are a bit on the high side, but given the peril the family just went through trekking to Madison this weekend, maybe a few extra dollars are worth it.

I'll report back after we get our stuff on Saturday.

I'm a very big fan of Fresh Picks. The quality of the produce is high. The variety is good even in the famine months, which is why I started using them. The dairy products from Wisconsin Organics are excellent and the meat and poultry of high quality. I personally do not think that their prices are particularly high given the quality and convenience. In fact, not infrequently do I buy from them for business purposes when I have a smaller event. The service provided is also excellent.

Unfortunately, Fresh Picks doesn't deliver in the suburbs. Sigh.

Cynthia wrote:Unfortunately, Fresh Picks doesn't deliver in the suburbs. Sigh.

They at least, deliver to the suburb of Oak Park.

Just a quick note to respond to the "is the double box just more quantity or more variety?" question. I think it is a little of both.

Sometimes we order "a la cart" sometimes we order a double-box and that is it, and sometimes a single and then some stuff that we choose on our own. When we were a little more regular about ordering just the box, I feel like we maybe got more carrots, but also more variety of other things.

I know that probably isn't as useful as you might like. The variability of farming and seasons plays a huge factor in what is available week-by-week. One nice feature is that they do report what they expect each week in the boxes, so it isn't a complete surprise.

(Also, they do deliver to suburbs, just not as far-reaching as apparently desired.)

My ambitions aren't large enough to eat local in the winter (my Angelic Organics share is paid for this year), and so a few months ago I signed up for TCF Organics: http://www.tcforganics.net

My partner and I eat mostly plant based, and I cook dinner (and prepare lunch for the next day at work) nearly every night. So, we get the fruit and vegetable+ extra fruit box.

The quality of the produce is excellent, and the price is reasonable considering that it's all organic and it gets delivered to my door (at odd hours, but it comes). The fruit is particularly good. Today my boss saw me covered in pear juice, slurping like mad. The variety is also good, though I get a head of lettuce each week--this has resulted in me eating a dull salad (or using it for lettuce wraps) every week. That's not that bad to me, and given that it saves me produce shopping during the exact season where I'm reluctant to leave the house--that is good. I do like the challenge of cooking through the box every week, which I think is key to enjoying this sort of arrangement--celeriac is not something I would have bought at the market, but I ate it yesterday. That's kinda nice.

Spurred on by the enthusiasm in this thread, I got my first Irv and Shelly's delivery today. I can safely say that the D'anjou pear I just ate may have been the best pear I have ever had. Currently, my dog is happily slurping on the core (supervised slurping, of course). I'm not even a big pear person. Also had some really tasty tender field greens with tonight's dinner, and am loking forward to cooking up the rest of all of my bounty. They threw in a jar of jam to say "thanks" for my first offer, as well.

I don't know if I'll set up a standing delivery, this time of year especially has me traveling a lot for work, but I will certainly use their service again. I found it to be very convenient as well as judiciously priced--not "cheap" per se but certainly a good value given the quality of the produce.

I subscribe to New Leaf in the winter months, and have certainly enjoyed their produce. Yes, occasionally I do get tired of cauliflower or beets, but hey - that's winter for you - we get tired of everything in our cold winters. I especially enjoy the staff in the shop, and they've been very gracious in special ordering gluten-free items for me, or meat I was looking for.

Summers, I subscribe to the Home Grown Wisconsin CSA, and now early winter, too, as they have shares that go through January. Home Grown also supplies some of the New Leaf produce as well, BTW. I adore the variety I get through Home Grown, and the full share for summer is PLENTY for two of us to eat for a whole week. And then there's the eggs...SO good.

Also, we have the Grass is Greener meat CSA - today is our pick-up day, too - Yippee! We get chicken, beef, lamb and pork. Pick-ups are once a month May-November. I dearly miss them in the winter.

I started using Natural Direct a few months ago. The biggest attraction for me, I must admit, was that they actually will deliver to the southern suburbs. The second attraction for me is that when they can get it, they deliver local produce. Of course, now that the farmers markets are starting to show a variety of terrific local produce I have curtailed my purchases from Natural Direct, but I expect I will start up again in the fall, when it is more difficult for me to find organic produce. I have been very happy with everything they sent, and they even sent me a complimentary 32 oz. container of yogurt I ordered because the sale date was within a few days after my delivery date. I've been quite satisfied with them. I used to use Timber Creek Organics a few years ago, but I'm much happier with Natural Direct.

Suzy