Wk 22 | Summer 4 Sneak Peek Tu-Th | Jul 30 & Aug 1
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This layered ratatouille (from Smitten Kitchen) makes use of many of the offerings from next week's box. Share your favorite recipes with us!
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The moving parts behind home delivery
Each week, Chris's notes in the CSA newsletter give you glimpses into what goes on at the farm to bring your produce to you. Let me describe  what happens once the boxes are harvested and packed at the farm. Home delivery has lots of moving parts, and lots of people behind the scenes.
Each delivery day (Tuesday and Thursday) the farm sends the boxes down in a box truck; the truck arrives at my near West suburban home at around 4pm. Some of the drivers are available to help unload the
boxes, and like a well-oiled machine, the boxes are removed and stacked by size on the lawn. Each driver receives his or her route, delivery instructions, keys, and add-ons for the evening and takes the appropriate number of boxes to their vehicle, where another driver double-checks the count before they get loaded into the car. Drivers generally leave for their routes between 4:30-5:30 and have anywhere between 12 to 50 boxes per route.
There are slightly more deliveries on Tuesday, all in the city, and fairly dense. Thursday deliveries include the North, South, and West edges of  the city and all suburbs, so are more spread out. Where a round trip on Tuesday might be 20-30 miles, the Thursday routes cover 30 to 130 miles!
Each evening there are 8 to 10 drivers*; while some have regular routes with little change from week to week, many of the routes expand and contract due to several variables. Some of these pertain to the flexibility we offer you, such as joining mid-season, delivering to alternate locations when you're on vacation, moving with you when you relocate. Others include driver vacations, illnesses, or emergencies. Or training new drivers with abbreviated routes. Or car trouble, car accidents, and having cars towed! And with each change of season, we gain an influx of new members which changes some of the routes fairly drastically. All of this might help to explain (for some of you) why your delivery time may vary up to several hours from week to week,.
I prepare the routes anew each week taking into account the variables for a given week. Being familiar with each of the routes, I generally keep myself out of the driving pool so I can troubleshoot throughout the evening. You are welcome--and encouraged--to call or text me any time on delivery night if you have questions about the ETA of your box. (Email is preferred for future issues, but phone/text reaches me more directly on delivery nights.)
Here are a few things that you can do to make the deliveries as efficient as possible:
- if you have information to convey (such as skipping a future delivery), please let me know directly rather than through your driver; your driver may not be the same each week
- leave out a cooler to receive your produce if it's feasible
- if you're in a doorman building, it's really helpful if we can leave the box in the lobby with the door attendant where that's permitted
- if you don't have your address number on your house, or your name or unit number on your buzzer--and if you have any control over it--please consider adding it
- if you don't receive a text when needed or otherwise have issues with your delivery or instructions needing clarification, please let me know sooner rather than later
Thanks for listening!
-- Robin
*Our current drivers are: Sean, Sheila, Meg, VJ, Stuart, Jacob, Bob, Regina, Barb, Mike, Cara, Lucy, Jason, and occasionally, me.
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Questions?
Call Robin (in Chicago), 708-370-8017 | Chris (farmer/owner), 608-712-1585
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Click links below for info
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COMING NEXT WEEK
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(Sungolds, Juliets and/or Slicers)
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WHAT'S COOKIN'
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It's that time of the season when most of the makings for ratatouille converge in your box. This version is layered and baked. Different recipes use different herbs, from thyme to basil to parsley or herbes de provence; my takeaway: anything goes! Share your favorite ratatouille recipes on our facebook page or email them. While our summer squash season is brief, they'll still be at markets (or in your garden) for several weeks, so there's plenty of time to enjoy this classic when our peppers join tomatoes, onions, and eggplant in the box. |
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