OK, so hopefully by now everyone is up to speed and cozy with the idea of the new harvests boxes. I have to tell you that the more we get into this new model, the more I am loving it. One of our web guys accurately coined this new model “the Evolution of the CSA box.” Ideas need to change. Businesses need to change. Our local food landscape is due for a change. And this change is going to happen whether we like it or not. So let’s not wait for it; let’s take part in creating it.
With that, this is where I jump in and tell you about the Phase II of this winter’s facelift to our 15 year old mug.
Meal Kits. I will tell you that I have a real Love/Hate feeling about Meal Kits. I love the idea of getting families to put down their phones/devices and share a meal together as a family. One of the best things that my folks did with my 3 brothers and me growing up was sit us down together for nightly dinner. Now that may have happened at 8 pm after soccer and basketball practices were over, but it happened. So the idea of breaking bread as a family is very close to my tender little heart. Yes I have one, thanks for asking.
But then after bringing families together, I start to get a little ticked off at the defenseless Meal Kit. None of the models use Organic foods. None of the food is supporting local producers/chefs. There is enough packaging in 2 meals that you could make a comfy bed for a baby elephant. And the prices are comparable to going to a restaurant. At that point, why not just go out to a restaurant instead?
Seeing as how my mental gerbil loves chewing on solutions to Love/Hate situations, I thought I would forgo watching re-runs of Dancing with the Stars and think about how we would do Meal Kits with some local flare. So what follows is a primer for you to follow along as the face of our web site continues to change and evolve over the next couple of weeks.
Solution #1: You know that we try to keep packaging to an absolute minimum to keep you and Mother Earth happy.
Solution #2: “Well I already have eggs in my icebox so you don’t need to send me more.” All of our Meal Kits will be set up more like a menu rather than a force-feeding. So we are going to offer ideas (like Frito Pie this week), but then you can select the items you like/need. Want black beans instead of pintos? Great. Already have Red Chile sauce left over from brunch, don’t get any more. You select exactly what you need from our curated Recipe and Meal Ideas.
Solution #3: Using a Recipe vs Seeding a Meal Idea. When I bake, I need a recipe. It is too much of a science to wing it. Seeding a Meal Idea is more like “Oh Pizza Night sounds yummy, let’s make some pizzas.” But besides how long to bake the pie, I don’t need to tell you how many mushrooms to put on your pizza. You know the lucky number. So look for us to highlight both Recipes and Meal Ideas. So we will not be sending you 2 carrots for a recipe; you’ll get the whole bunch.
Solution #4: As we already do, you will be helping local and regional suppliers every time you order from the Meal Kits. Obvious point, but needs to be mentioned because absolutely none of the Meal plans right now help any local vendor. All of the money heads out of state.
Solution #5: Pricing. By working directly with growers, ranchers, and producers, we will continue to bring you incredible value on all your food choices. You offer so much support to our growers and they in turn are committed to delivering the best bang for your buck in return.
Lastly, Discount Incentive Plan. As you can imagine, it costs the same for us to deliver a small or big order, so why not pass the savings to you? This week our Operations Manager, Victoria, said to me, “Let’s have an incentive for members to place larger orders. 5-10-15-20!” It is a great idea so for all orders over $50, we’ll take 5% off. $100 shave 10%. $150 knock 15% off. And for $200 orders slash 20% off the total bill. No membership fees, No sign ups, just bump your order.
Fun stuff to come. Have a great week, Farmer Monte
So let’s use that as a foundation for today’s newsletter and fun changes that we are bringing to your kitchen.
And I need to share one of my favorite stories about John. I was delivering boxes to Placitas one day and it was a route that John usually ran for us. I knocked on the door to drop the boxes and when the manager of the store came out she looked at me and was visibly disappointed. She grumbled “Where is Brad Pitt this week?” I made some joke about John being on the set of A River Runs Through It Part 2 but she definitely didn’t think my joke was funny. At least she and I could agree that John is a rock-star. So Cheers to 10 more John!
As the late/great Bob Marley reminded us, “We Jammin’” And so when local food celebrity, 
I have also added fresh Living Sprouts to the mix. Our first harvest came this week in the face of Radish Sprouts. Great addition to a salad or sandwich. All of the sprouts will still be alive when they hit your kitchen. Then you simply snip off the sprouts and add them to your meal. Great splash of flavors.
So this last week, I happened to be at this office building and walked by our old storage room. And sho enough, our old LPO logo was still on the door. So I had to snap this picture and take you on a stroll down memory lane.
Next I want to welcome a new face to our table, Navajo Pride. Navajo Pride is a farm just outside Farmington, NM and have recently brought some serious Organic production to the state of NM. The farm itself is owned by the Navajo Nation and we are happy to be supporting such a fantastic mission of bringing healthy food to our state all while promoting the agricultural heritage of the Navajo Nation.
Our construction work will not be done by that point, but I would love to introduce you to the space that we will be moving into this fall. The address is 301 Stanford Dr SE. Please please please Note that the address is Stanford SE not NE like the address of our current warehouse. Our new market/warehouse is on the corner of Stanford and Lead in the University area and close to Frontier.
So for those of you keeping track (like I do), this week we have Sungold and Heirloom Tomatoes from Velarde, NM, Corn from Dean, and Plums & Peaches from Excelsior Orchards. I mean are you kidding me right now? I cannot remember a summer bounty like this in many moons… if ever.
We have some new tomatoes coming in from northern NM (Freshies). They are a favorite at the Santa Fe Farmers’ Market and glad to have him on board. Our grower, Wholesum, who has been growing peppers and cucumbers for us are now getting into their strawberry season. Super happy to have them on board. And of course Paul and Excelsior. Paul is having a truly abundant year and look for his fruit to continue well into the fall.
So what a conundrum for the grower, do we want great flavor or huge fruit? And we know how most of the grocery stores answer that question. This takes us back to what I was pointing out in the newsletter a couple weeks ago, we need to savor the flavor. We need to celebrate the taste of the fruit over its sight. So I encourage (ok beg) you to try and enjoy the cherries and blueberries and other incredible fruits that we bring you by themselves. Avoid crazy sauces and other toppings that can distract from what the fruit has to say.