CMH Gourmand – Eating in Columbus & Ohio

I have several friends who subscribe to CSA’s. I know a few people who grow food for, fill bags for and who are a bit disappointed that I have never gotten one of their CSA or market bags. Does that make me a bad person….yes. At the end of the last winter I discovered the power a giant pile of vegetables has to fight back against the weariness of the season (thanks again Chef’s Garden). This year, I am filling up my arsenal against winter “meh” early.

Green B.E.A.N. Delivery combines some aspects of a CSA with elements of some home delivery services. Unlike a traditional CSA, Green B.E.A.N. delivers all year. In contrast to home delivery, there is a core group of items you can expect to receive which you can add to or subtract from as long as the order total is $35 or more. You can order once or every week. They also have a new office bin program to deliver health snacks to offices.

Green B.E.A.N. services six Midwestern Metropolitan areas including Columbus (Cincinnati, Dayton, Ft. Wayne, Indianapolis, and Louisville too, if you are counting). The company started in 2007 with green goals including making “healthy and sustainably grown local food affordable, accessible, and convenient.” Based on my order, my observation is they are achieving their goals. As for the bean part – this is what it stands for: “B.E.A.N. is an acronym that represents our core initiatives; Biodynamic, Education, Agriculture, and Nutrition.”

Local produce and artisanal foods are sourced when possible. If not available respected organic purveyors and ecologically sound companies are sourced from. These were some of the familiar names I could include in my order: Stan Evans Bakery, Blue Jacket Diary, Frog Ranch Pickles and Salsas, Luna Burger, Shagbark tortilla chips and City BBQ sauces (yes, really). The rest of the selections are regionally or nationally sourced from brands suchs as Naked, Kashi and Bolthouse. Other than beverages (I would love someone to deliver beer and wine to my house) and toiletries/detergent I could fill about 90% of my typical store list via Greenbean Delivery. Looking at the price points for the add-on items, the service is still reasonable when time, gas and other intangible costs are factored in.

I came home from work last Thursday to find this on my porch –

Inside was a reusable styrofoam cooler to keep my food cool. There was also an ice pack sealed in a ziplock bag to protect my produce and dry goods from a leaky source of coldness. (As someone who has ordered ice cream online and received melting mess in response, these small touches make a big difference). For $35 this is what I received: 1 Edible Columbus Magazine (comes free if you want one), 1 pack of Stan Evan’s Crackers ($6.75), 1 F2K Cranberry Almond Bar ($2.50)((It was really good)), 2 Butternut squashes, 1 large bunch of carrots, green beans, 1 bag of Klamath Pearl Potatoes, 4 Gala apples, 3 Navel Oranges, 2 avacados, 2 limes, 1 bag of mushrooms and 1 large head of Romaine lettuce. I opted out of the onions from my order and did not request a replacement.

So, you can adjust the produce to some extent but similar to a CSA you may find yourself challenged by getting an array of items you may not select on automatic pilot at the store. (I am a creature of habit, you can predict what I will pick up at the store with 99% accuracy. Many who know me and know how much I eat out (um, this is for professional reasons people, I do it all for you) often wonder if I can cook. I can, my specialties are most notably the hot dog arts, chili and soups. But looking at what I received – nothing daunting. I made several salads. Lime + Avacado = Guacamole. Green beans and potatoes was a staple as a kid and the non fruit leftovers made for a good soup.

I ordered the small produce bin which is intended for two to three people. It was a bit too much for me but if I get the bin two to three times per month it should work out well for CMH Tobias and I. (P.S. Green B.E.A.N. Delivery, my dog would like to see some dog treats and organic, grass fed rabbit in your mix).

The final verdict? Would I order again, yes. For the month of January I can probably avoid leaving my house at all using Greenbean Delivery. That is a good idea because I have a lot of blog posts to wrap up.

To learn more about what Green B.E.A.N. Delivery does in the the community take a look at their Facebook page.

Greenbean website

Green B.E.A.N. Delivery Ohio website

Green B.E.A.N. Delivery on Facebook

Disclaimer / Disclosure:
(I was contacted by Green B.E.A.N. Delivery with an offer to try a bin for free. At the time I had a 50% off coupon for them from Baconcamp and I was deciding on when to use it. So I saw that as a sign to take action. I do not often write in exchange for a product and when I do, if I don’t care for it, then I don’t mention it. That is my policy on such matters.)