THE GREEN GROCER

For at least of month, David and I have been complaining about the quality of the fruits and vegetables we buy at the grocery store. Sure, you can buy peaches (lately for as little as 99 cents a pound). However, you are not guaranteed that the peach will taste much like a peach should taste. We've been disappointed not only by the taste of our produce, but also by the fact that they sometimes spoil/get rotten within 24 hours of us arriving home from the store.

We spent some time trying to figure out what we should do... shop at the farmer's market? trek down to the Whole Foods? rent a plot at a community garden? There are costs and benefits to each of these options (financial, physical, personal, etc.). In the end, we decided to try Washington's Green Grocer. The Green Grocer is a family-owned business that delivers fresh fruits and vegetables (along with milk, eggs, and cheeses) to your home each week. Each week I get an email with the list of fruits and veggies for the week. If there is something we don't want (this week it was cantaloupe), you can drop that item and add extra of something else (such as peaches). You can also order organic herbs, butter, and an assortment of diary products.

This past Thursday, we received our first box. And, to say the least, we were impressed. We had wonderful lettuce and tomatoes. And the plums were delightful (I ate three yesterday). We also had fresh, locally grown corn on the cob. We ordered a small box, which is supposed to feed two people for a week, but we're thinking we may need to upgrade to the large soon, especially during the summer months when we want all the wonderful fruits. We're also planning to try the eggs this week and possibly some cheeses.

Not only are the prices affordable, but it is all delivered to our doorstep each week. Definitely a good decision on our part!

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Today: DC Caribbean Festival is going on. We're pretty close to the action... and the music is LOUD. The streets are also blocked off. Our trip to the DC dump (to get rid of materials from the basement construction) took about double the time it should have because of the detours and traffic.

School: Two presentations remaining and then the semester is over.

Health: I'm hot. We walked to a friend's house this morning to borrow their truck and I was soaked in sweat about five minutes into the walk (and it was only 8:30am). Also had my first center-of-balance has shifted fall. Upon returning the truck, we were walking home and I slipped and couldn't keep my balance. I ripped my cute brown capri pants in the process - major bummer (also bruised my knee and ankle, but the real tragedy is the pants).

Picture above: Taken by David at a super posh grocery store in NYC.