If you’re looking to incorporate more fresh fruit and vegetables into your diet, while simultaneously supporting local business, look no further than Chow Locally.
Chow Locally is a 2-year-old company working with 26 Arizona farms to bring local, sustainably grown, organic produce to Valley residents. Each week, seven to 10 fruits or vegetables are packaged with an explanation of each item, as well as recipes, which incorporate the food provided in the box.
For example, one week’s box included Toscano kale, a personal size seedless watermelon, sweet potatoes, bunched purslane, mixed peppers, heirloom tomatoes and mixed topless carrots. As an added bonus, members are able to refer to the included information to see from which local farm each item came. Recipes are created by registered dietician and trained chef Stephanie Green. They include items such as kale-fried rice and watermelon-avocado and black bean salad.
Once the boxes are assembled, an e-mail goes out to members who have the choice to either say yes to taking that week’s box, or respond with hold, passing on those items. The hold option allows flexibility for members who may only live in the Valley part of the year or who vacation frequently.
The Chow Locally service costs $20 to begin a membership. Thereafter, an additional $23.97 each week the member decides to take the box offered. Currently, there are more than 400 Chow Locally members. However, the number fluctuates with how many members currently are placing the service on hold, according to Janie Paulson, a Chow Locally employee.
If members decide to take the week’s box, they can choose where to pick up their fresh produce that weekend. Chow Locally has multiple pick-up locations across the Valley, each with different pick-up times. For North Mesa residents, the most convenient location is the Las Sendas Trailhead Members Club kitchen. This pick-up takes place between 5:30 and 7 p.m. each Monday.
However, if members decide they would like to try another pick-up location, they are more than welcome to do so. They just need to notify Chow Locally to ensure their boxes are ready for them, as the company does not bring any extra boxes to their pick-up locations.
Some of the pick-up locations take place at farmers’ markets, including the Gilbert Farmer’s Market and the Downtown Phoenix Farmer’s Market, which allow members to shop other local items while they pick up their Chow Locally box.
Chow Locally works diligently to ensure no food is wasted. They not only take the orders for boxes ahead of time, and bring only as many as they plan on distributing to each pick-up location, but they also donate any food not claimed to Waste Not.
Waste Not is another Arizona organization collecting excess perishable food, and delivering it to other organizations, in turn, donating to those in need throughout the Valley.
To learn more about Chow Locally, and to become a registered member, visit the Web site at www.chowlocally.com.