one of the best decisions we made this past year, by far, was signing up for Green Bean Delivery. every other wednesday a bin of fresh, local, organic groceries is delivered to our doorstep and i’m always excited and a little intimidated by what we receive. i say intimidated b/c inevitably we get some veggie or fruit that i haven’t cooked with before. this is one of the main reasons i like the service because it has broadened my cooking and dietary boundaries. the service has so many good features but here’s a quick recap:

1 – completely customizable orders. you can choose your size of delivery and frequency. i choose their smallest produce bin at every other week and it is enough to last our family until our next delivery. actually i don’t think i used to get this exact when i did the produce shopping at the store. the only parameter is that your standing order has to be $35 which is very easy to meet if you are buying produce for a whole household. You can also choose the exact produce you receive if you do have a picky household or some dietary restrictions. i like to let ours be a grab bag b/c i like living dangerously on the edge.

2 – all slash most of the produce/groceries are from local farms and grocers. i feel so much more autonomous getting my groceries from this service versus a large chain supermarket. the main states involved are Indiana and Ohio and those two are at the very top of my list for supporting with my buying power.

3 – you can add additional artisan products that are from local companies such as yogurt, cheese, meat, eggs, even spices, sauces, lunch snacks. really their options are so incredible. they provide bios on all their products so it makes researching the product and the companies a sinch.

4 – did i already mention they deliver to your door? b/c they deliver it to your door. you do have to store the bin for a week but that is pretty easy to do. then just leave the empty bin on delivery day and, viola!, a new bin brimming with delectable items will be waiting for you. it seems like they normally do our delivery between 4-7 pm which insures that it doesn’t sit out too long for those 9-5 folks.

the company started with just Cincinnati, Columbus and Dayton and has quickly branched to include Louisville, Indianapolis and Ft. Wayne. so, if you are reading this from any of the aforementioned areas i highly recommend you check it out. a little added bonus in our household…darla loves to help me unpack the bin :) love. the. girl.