Sometimes I come across “deals of a lifetime” and I get completely suckered in. I’d like to brush off my naive notions to “trying new things”, but the fact of the matter is when it comes to food and health products, I am one of the most gullible customers on earth. So, when I saw a deal of getting “farm fresh complete meals” (with protein, vegetables, and even spices included) advertised “for Freeland” I assumed it was a local company and I’d be getting a couple of awesome meals delivered to my door. I entered the coupon and got the large package (to feed a family of 4) because, well, some of you have met my husband. He’s not fat, not by any stretch of the imagination, but that boy can EAT. So I wanted to be sure I got a big enough meal to satisfy his appetite.
I was so excited when Chris called me into our landlady’s house to get our “farm to home” delivered meals. There in front of me was a gigantic box, surely full to the brim with veggies and meat. What I actually received was disappointing to say the least- feeling like I was gypped hit closer to home.
The amount of packaging around all the food was mind blowing. I mean, I GET that they were sending meat, and that meat needed to stay cold for the delivery, but honestly, the only food packaging that is more intense is airline food. And speaking of airline food, the packaging around the chicken actually said “Airline Chicken”! There was no label stating whether it was pasture-raised, or even organic. I noticed the chicken came from Denver, CO. Wait, what? I thought this was local? Chris took a look at the beef tips. New York, at least that was where it was packaged and distributed. The vegetables looked fresh, but absolutely nothing showed whether they were organically grown, where they were grown, or who grew them. These are things I’ve started to care about in my food, and I was quite livid that I didn’t get to know these aspects of the meals I would prepare. 
So, this “fresh from the farm” deal left me feeling a bit deceived. And while I haven’t eaten either of the meals as of yet, and they might be incredibly delicious, I know I won’t be ordering from a home meal delivery service anytime soon. What I have signed up for is a local organic farm share from Ebb Tide Produce. They won’t be delivering to our front door, they only provide produce, and I don’t choose what goes in my box each week, but I feel this will meet our needs significantly better than a meal delivery service “fresh” across the country. Ebb Tide is located literally just down the street from us.
The food we eat is important to me and Chris. We spend a considerable amount each month, and the reason we are okay with spending so much on the food we eat is because of my philosophy of Eating Green. Like an expectant mother eats for two, Chris and I are not just eating for ourselves. We eat for a better planet and for hope for animals worldwide. It’s not just how healthy the food is, we care about what is in it, where it came from, and how it was made. We care about those who labored over the production, caring for the fields that grow the food we eat. And we definitely care about the carbon footprint our food carries. 
This summer is promising to fulfill many hopes about Eating Green. On Whidbey Island alone, there are FIVE farmers markets. FIVE!!! And they occur on 4 different days of the week. So, I feel confident that we will get a lot of our food locally that way. Signing up for Ebb Tide Produce Farm Share ensures we will have some produce coming from local sources. I’m considering joining a second CSA that will deliver to Freeland, featuring produce from local farms in Washington off island.
And I have a few veggies growing in our garden. I’m braving it out with two zucchini plants, 2 lemon cucumber plants, 4 tomato plants, 4 green peppers, a broccolini plant, two small strawberry plants, cilantro, basil, and hopefully bok choy (I transferred them to the big garden but I’m not so sure they were really actually ready for it…we shall wait and see).
Why would I want to get my food anywhere else?
Yeah, it was a bit disappointing, but I’m very excited to see what our garden produces!