Author: Alaina Garrett

This has certainly been one of the most challenging starts to a farm season we have encountered. We intentionally started later this year, apparently it wasn’t late enough. We are starting to see crops emerge and get established. Our initial waterlogged plantings have been weathering the onslaught of colder and wetter than expected weather with grace and are starting to respond, to at least, warmer rain! 

The only critter that is really happy is slugs! Thankfully the slugs have not been a problem for our crops, but Joelle’s flower beds have been their primary target. The slug issue is primarily a perennial plant’s nightmare. In the fields we work up large swaths of land that disrupts their habitat, but flowers and berries where they are in same place for multiple seasons tend to create nooks and crannies for them to hide. But I digress. 

From our inception, we have always been a conduit to healthy farmers for you. We consciously chose to work with our neighboring farms and not to grow everything on our farm. Being vertically integrated has its advantages but also its challenges. We run a modified vertically integrated business, with a farm and our home delivery distribution business, but we are primarily a home delivery company.  

I do scratch my itch to farm by growing lettuce, cucumbers, onions, squash, beets and a few other crops for your family. But our primary focus is on being that conduit of good food from farmers who grow organically and deliver their produce to you. 

Every week we talk with our network of local farmers and our suppliers to build our weekly menus. Our focus is always on locally produced food first and then we branch outside our regions to supplement our offerings. We will never be a 100% locally grown company. Bananas, citrus and mangos are some of our most popular produce items, so we source them from organic farmers to add them to the Box of Good. 

With that said, our product shifts as the seasons shift and for the next few months till October-ish the Box of Good will become more local and our menus will be featuring many vegetables and fruit from our network of local farmers. And yes, while this farm season is off to a painfully (wet) slow start, we are seeing more and more local produce coming onboard, which means the shift to local is on! 

During this season we become not only your source for quality organically grown foods, we become your source for a lot more locally organically grown organic produce.  

Enjoy some of the healthiest and locally grown produce, 

Tristan 

We are excited to be able to offer local blueberries from Hazel Blue Acres for the next few weeks. This week they are featured in some of the boxes as well as being sold as add-ons! You can purchase extra blueberries by the clamshell or by the 1/2 flat. Just email us or add them online via boxofgood.com. We love being able to support the local farms around us! 

A Quick Storage Tip for Your Blueberries!

Hold off on washing your blueberries until you are ready to eat them. If you wash them and then let them sit in the fridge they will get mushy fast! So be sure to put them in your fridge, unwashed and then wash them off with cold water before you enjoy! 

A Quick Storage Tip for Your Chard!

The chard in your box this week is right out of Klesick Family Farm’s field! Do not wash your chard until you are ready to use it. Store it in an airtight container or bag. When you are ready to use it, run it under cold water, but do not let it sit in the water, as that will result in the loss of water-soluble nutrients!

Meal Kits – Kindred Kitchens

We have worked with Kindred Kitchens to bring you four more meal kits! Our new meal kits are Chicken Enchiladas with Spicy Black Beans, Chicken and Mozzarella Ravioli with Alfredo Sauce, and two types of Spaghetti, one with Gruyere and Garlic Sausage and one with Apple Chicken Sausage. The meal kits come with four generous serving, easy to put together and work great for a busy day! My kiddo’s favorites are the Creamy Chicken Pesto and the Chicken Enchiladas. It always takes the edge off a busy day when we come home to a simple meal kit! You can add one on to your existing order or just order a meal kit by itself!

Issues With Your Order?

Just a reminder that if you happen to have any issues with the way your order was packed or delivered, we want to know! Please call 360-652-4663 or email us at office@boxofgood.com. Sammy, Kelsey, and I are more than happy to help resolve any issues. If you receive  an item that is poor quality sending us a quick pic of the product will help us with quality control. Of course, we also love all your kudos! We appreciate ALL feedback and we believe it makes us a better company!

If we can assist in making your ordering process easier, help you create a custom order, assist with substitutions, just let us know!

We are here to help!

-Alaina

“The peas are coming on strong.   My nine-year-old son, Micah has beaten his dad with the first blossoms of the season.  Come to think about it his carrots are coming on sooner than mine, too. Around here there’s a healthy amount of weeding to do, and it is just plain work.  Some can be done with hoes, but a good portion is done by hand.  A few weeks ago the kids and I made a game of it.  We all started weeding and then after a bit, I would yell “tag” and then everyone would start running, very carefully of course, and I would try and catch them.  It was a “hoot”.  The other day we had some more weeding to do and the first thing Emily asked was, “Can we play that tag game, again?”  ~Tristan, May, 2000 

“I love Sugar Snap Peas. We like to grow big juicy peas that are bursting with flavor.  I remember one year when we farmed in Snohomish and Andrew was about 2 years old (that was 6 years ago, my oh my!!!!!).  Anyway, that little rascal had wandered off to the garden, without us knowing it.  After a headcount and a short panic, we went looking for him.  Guess where we found him?  He was smack in the middle of the Sugar Snap Peas, holding on to two fistfuls of peas and he had one in his mouth.  The whole scene was quite a sight!  We were all relieved and decided to sit down and join him for a nice evening snack.  And when we were done, Andrew got to ride back home in Dad’s arms.”  ~Tristan, May 2006

There’s something special about looking back and reading the newsletters my dad wrote to our customers over the last 22 plus years. There are so many fun memories I cherish. I was blessed to grow up with parents who were family-focused and passionate about health and farming! And now I don’t take for granite being able to bring MY kids to the farm and watch them enjoy all that grows during the summer. Hadlee, (4) is so excited for summer!  At each glimpse of sunshine, she excitedly asks if it’s summertime yet. She remembers last year running out into the fields and eating strawberries, raspberries, peas, and just about anything she could get her hands on.  She would often use the bottom of her dress like a basket and bring her finds to the house to share.  I think I can speak for all of the grandkids and say that one of the best things about summer is being able to go to grandma and grandpa’s house -AKA- “the farm”. This will be our 5-month-old son, Bazil’s first summer, and Hadlee is so excited to show him everything that grows on the farm. It brings me joy seeing my little ones enjoy the farm; from the pea patch to watching the sunset. I only hope we can continue to teach this generation, at a young age, the importance of organic farming, eating healthy foods and just simply enjoying the freedom of frolicking in the great outdoors! 

Thank you for allowing our family to bring you organic produce over all these years!  We appreciate each one of you!

–Alaina Klesick

Unlike any period of time in the past, we have access to countless food options, as well as unlimited information on how that food works within our bodies. We know more now about specific nutrients, what purpose they serve inside of our bodies, which foods contain them, and how to eat in order to help target our specific ailments or needs. And while there are certainly all kinds of new and inventive options for processed, sugary, and packaged foods, more and more people are choosing to leave those on the shelves and opt for healthier options for their families.

The reason? When you know better, you do better!

At the same time, there are things about our food culture that still baffle me. Such as recently, when a new set of policies were proposed to update the USDA food system for American public schools. Among other things within this proposal, there were new guidelines suggested for classifying foods offered to students with their meals. One such change would allow for hash brown patties to now be classified as an option for fruit in a school-offered meal.

That may surprise you, but it is only a portion of the proposal that looks to minimize food waste in schools by recategorizing foods and ultimately, removing or reducing a great deal of healthy options for students. However, while I’m saddened to see this proposed as an option for the children in our school system, I am not all that surprised. Our nation’s food system is struggling and is in desperate need of some help!

This is why I think Klesick’s is such an important part of our local Western Washington community. When we see how the “standard American diet” is failing our nation’s overall health, we have the ability to make better choices right here at home. We can make healthier lifestyle choices, like taking the stairs instead of the elevator or going for a walk on our lunch break. We can choose to drink water over other beverage options that are laden with sugar or artificial ingredients. We can choose to incorporate more whole fruits and vegetables into our diet and limit our intake of processed items. And in an era where convenience is key, what better way to do that than to have an affordable box of organic produce delivered to your door?

As a mom of three young boys, I am thankful to have access to quality fruits and vegetables to fill their bellies and sustain their bodies. It is a challenge to nourish little people and ensure that they are offered the best that I can give them, but it is worth it. It is my hope that we don’t find ourselves discouraged about the big food decisions in our world that we cannot control, but instead feel empowered about the small choices we can make at home. They truly do make all the difference!

-Emily Marie Klesick

Hey, Klesick customers, Alaina here! I am excited to announce our brand-new “Family on the Go” box. We know life can get busy, so we wanted to create a simple box of good that allows your family to still eat healthy while doing all the things!

This assorted box has easy to eat fruit and vegetables that can simply be washed and cut, and ready to serve throughout the week! This box avoids items that typically take more time to prep or cook. The Family on the Go box has higher volumes of fruit and will consistently have easy to eat vegetables! A sample of a Family on the Go box would include approximately 10 apples, 8 pears, 8 oranges, 3lbs bananas, carrots, broccoli, cucumbers and celery. So, if life keeps you moving and it’s difficult to find time to meal prep, you don’t have to sacrifice feeding your family nutrient rich foods!  If you want your kiddos to get fresh fruit and vegetables, this might be the perfect box for you. The items in this box are simple and easy to take in the car, use for school lunches, or to throw together a quick snack or meal!

I always find my little one eats healthier when I chop up all the items and have them ready to eat. On the day I get my box I set aside 20 minutes to chop up the veggies, so they are ready for the whole week. This box takes little to no prep time to get healthy food ready for the whole week.

Also, one other thing I wanted to highlight! You may have noticed on the back of your newsletters there have been more recipes. We wanted to start highlighting a variety of ways you can use your box, aside from the typical one recipe. The recipes will start being posted on Friday for the upcoming week, so you can always go to klesicks.com, click the blog tab and then click the “Recipes” option. You can check out the recipes before your box comes and add on any extra items you may like to include in your order. I will be adding some of my favorite recipes to the back, as well.

And most importantly, THANK YOU for choosing to support local and for choosing fresh organic produce. We are thankful for every one of you, and here at Klesick’s, we are always here for YOU. We are happy to help you when it comes to customizing your own box, substituting items out of your box, adding items onto your order, or just figuring out what works for your family! We are just a quick call or email away. ?

-Alaina