Door to Door Organics: Chicago

I have been on a mission this year to support more local businesses.

I debated for a while about joining a CSA for a local farm to receive local produce...then I wanted to support local livestock farms as well for meat and dairy, and before I knew it I was $1,150 deep in supporting local for groceries and had more than I knew what to do with. So before I clicked "order" I took a step back and a friend told me about Door to Door Organics.

It is a box delivery service that gives you the option to receive all local, fresh produce, meat and dairy without needing to buy the whole cow - literally.

We have received one box so far and I'm hooked! Not only is this supporting local agriculture, it's helping me expand my cooking knowledge base! Here is a shot of the contents of our first box + some extras I added.

For under $30 every other week (weekly option is available) we receive this big bundle of produce. It changes every delivery based on what is available and in-season from our local farmers. Our first box (pictured) we received, cilantro, red onions, zucchini squash, cucumber, fennel, collard greens, rainbow chard, collard greens and kale. I added local bacon and Billy's local whole milk to our delivery as well.

I had so much fun learning how to prepare all of these new foods! And learning what to sub out for next time (No thanks on the fennel - not for us!).

Unfortunately, the chard expired before I was able to cook with it. The box arrived on Thursday and we had a wedding Fri & Sat to attend so I just couldn't get the most out of this produce in time.

However, the rest of the produce lasted REALLY well and was absolutely delicious. The greens all had dirt on them. Like, real dirt. That came from the ground. It was so awesome to see and know how fresh our food was.

I used this recipe for kale chips and have officially become an addict. I usually love to have a salty snack while I watch TV in the evenings when coffee toffee ice cream isn't stocked in my freezer (I'm only human) but kale chips are my new favorite snack. They were light, crunchy and deliciously satisfying. Not to mention all that folic acid, amiright?!

The bacon was unbelievable. I will not be buying commercial bacon any more, the extra cost for supporting local farmers is so minimal when the result is this quality! I've added it again to my order this week and can't wait to receive it!!!

This week our order looks something like this:

That much organic, local produce, meat and dairy for that price tag makes me feel pretty great. Knowing I am feeding my family the best possible quality and supporting local at the same time makes me feel so warm and fuzzy.

If you're looking for a great way to source local produce, meat and dairy, check into D2DO and see if they have a chapter around you!

**This post was not sponsored by Door to Door Organics and at the time of publication I did not receive any kind of monetary support. These opinions are strictly my own.