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Organic fruit and vegetable - delivery (Warsaw)


pip 10 | 1,658
10 Oct 2012 #1
I found an organic fruit and veg delivery that supplies produce from local farmers. They only operate in Warsaw right now. We got ours last night. Great stuff. Highly recommend. vegebox.pl
poland_
10 Oct 2012 #2
Its great that someone has finally offered this service, it was only a question of time. It will be interesting to see what they offer out of season.
Orpheus - | 114
10 Oct 2012 #3
Great idea. Expensive though.
OP pip 10 | 1,658
10 Oct 2012 #4
I bought the family box. I got one eggplant, two soup ingredients (I can't remember what they are called, a few carrots, few parsnips, celeriac, you know) two leeks, 1 pack rukola, one pack of something green, mixed salad, a net of pears, a net of apples, a net of potatoes. 5 large onions, chives, parsley, kale.

I paid 101 pln plus tip for delivery. I am thrilled. I think it was totally worth the price. I actually don't think the price was too outrageous. If you go into any grocery store the organic selection is much less and the prices are more expensive- and no delivery and they are not local.

I am also curious as to what they offer during the winter months. Probably loads of root veg.
sobieski 106 | 2,118
10 Oct 2012 #5
Prices are pretty steep. I do my veg shopping at the Saturday market in Konstancin, or in £omianki.
In Konstancin there is a guy selling bacon - the real stuff - which you cannot find in any supermarket in Warsaw. Also have a decent egg man there.
Harry
10 Oct 2012 #6
I paid 101 pln plus tip for delivery.

That really is a long long way from cheap for what you got.
delphiandomine 88 | 18,131
10 Oct 2012 #7
I would - given the Polish attitude towards business - have my doubts about anything labelled as "organic" here.
OP pip 10 | 1,658
10 Oct 2012 #8
dunno, the farm label is certified organic. I am happy with it. I am paying for the convenience. I got a good amount of food and it was delivered. I simply can't run around to 10 different places for my shopping.
sobieski 106 | 2,118
10 Oct 2012 #9
I could buy the same qty in Konstancin on any given Sat for less than half the price. Which is for us after a long working week also relax. To meander, to compare prices...to meet friends... After all these years you start to know the sellers... But hey, everybody has to decide this for him/herselves :)
Harry
10 Oct 2012 #10
For half that much you say? Hmm, how much you charging for delivery?
OP pip 10 | 1,658
10 Oct 2012 #11
ok- then do it. two large leeks, 3 celeriac, 4 large onions, 1 eggplant, 1 large bunch of kale, 1 salad mix with edible flowers, 1 rukiew wodna (I don't know what that is-watercress?) bunch of chives, bunch of parsley, net of potatoes, net of pairs, net of apples, 10 parsnips and 14 carrots.

I am quite pleased.
poland_
10 Oct 2012 #12
I paid 101 pln plus tip for delivery. I am thrilled

Here is one in the UK to compare against abelandcole.co.uk/fruit-veg/vegetable-boxes
OP pip 10 | 1,658
10 Oct 2012 #13
the link won't open, have another?
OP pip 10 | 1,658
10 Oct 2012 #14
So from that link I got the equivalent of the 3-5 person box. Theirs is 18.50 or 94 pln. Not bad. I paid 110 with tip.
Orpheus - | 114
10 Oct 2012 #15
As you say, Pip, you're paying for the convenience. From the farm to your door. If you're happy, that's all that matters. Enjoy your veggies.
OP pip 10 | 1,658
10 Oct 2012 #16
yes, that is it and thanks.
poland_
10 Oct 2012 #17
the farm label is certified organic.

There are 2 or 3 organic certification companies in Poland, if you question it in any way you can call them and check that the farm is certified. I would be more concerned about organic certification from South and Central America then Poland.
sobieski 106 | 2,118
10 Oct 2012 #18
Will tell you after next weekend Harry :). As I mentioned, for us convenience is winding down from a hard working week and going to the market. I understand Pip that she finds this service convenient. That is another matter.
poland_
10 Oct 2012 #19
As I mentioned, for us convenience is winding down from a hard working week and going to the market. I understand Pip that she finds this service convenient. That is another matter.

I assume you mean the market opposite " Stara Papiernia ” I must say I do find that open air market a touch unhygienic, I was there last Saturday there were so many 'pijak's' being lifted by the Straz miasto in the area. It made a bad atmosphere also the food on sale seemed a bit rustic to me and I did not see any organic produce other that in the shop in " Stara Papiernia ”. Hale Mirowska seems to have a reasonable selection and there are some specialist boutique organic sellers of food, that have a good rotation. Just my two pennys.
jadis
10 Oct 2012 #20
few parsnips

These are most probably not parsnips but root of parsley. Parsnips are popular in Canada but unknown in Poland.
delphiandomine 88 | 18,131
10 Oct 2012 #21
There are 2 or 3 organic certification companies in Poland, if you question it in any way you can call them and check that the farm is certified.

Are they credible? I'm very suspicious of such Polish certification schemes - anyone familiar with PASE (Harry?) can explain why.

I would be more concerned about organic certification from South and Central America then Poland.

Hah, I wouldn't touch it with a bargepole.
poland_
10 Oct 2012 #22
Are they credible? I'm very suspicious of such Polish certification scheme

This company is one of the main ones in Poland bioekspert.waw.pl
OP pip 10 | 1,658
10 Oct 2012 #23
These are most probably not parsnips but root of parsley. Parsnips are popular in Canada but unknown in Poland.

It is a white carrot kind of thing.

I would hit Stara Papiernia market but I work on Saturdays- so it is a no go. And my husband is a tool in the kitchen so no help there. For our family-- the delivery is the best option. I am not worried about them being fake organic- I am pretty certain it is. The supplier ships to countries such as Italy and Germany.

Like the others said- I would be more worried about so called organic from south american countries. Even North America and Western Europe. I was reading a story of a farmer in the states who will not apply for organic status even though her farming is all natural because of the contaminents in the wind. she has a farm next to a few other farms and they use pesticides which travel via wind on to her crops- so even though she doesn't use them her crops are affected.

I live close to farm land in Warsaw- I have yet to see any chemicals used by farmers. All there stuff is grown organically--they still pick by hand!
delphiandomine 88 | 18,131
10 Oct 2012 #24
I live close to farm land in Warsaw- I have yet to see any chemicals used by farmers. All there stuff is grown organically--they still pick by hand!

I've heard one argument that a lot of land is actually organic in Poland, just that the farmers don't have money to apply/comply with certification - or they simply don't see the benefit in doing so.

Whether it's true or not, I don't know.
sobieski 106 | 2,118
10 Oct 2012 #25
That is the one. Well it might seem a bit rustic but we always find stuff there. What agree with you that Hala Mirowska offers a good (and maybe safer) deal. Including the Mlekomat which is delightful :)

Have you every tried the farmers' market in £omianki - near MarcoPolo?
poland_
10 Oct 2012 #26
The truth is the price of pesticides in poland have increased by about 500% over the last seven years. We have our american and german friends to thank for that
OP pip 10 | 1,658
10 Oct 2012 #27
there is also an organic market on Zelazna in an old factory---can't remember the name. It is supposed to be really good.

The truth is the price of pesticides in poland have increased by about 500% over the last seven years.

and this is one of the main reasons I am searching for certified organic now. a few years ago I was happy to buy produce from the grocers, not now. GMO has been approved- with limited uses, but that is only step one.

Two years from now we will see it change even more.
strzyga 2 | 993
10 Oct 2012 #28
I live close to farm land in Warsaw- I have yet to see any chemicals used by farmers. All there stuff is grown organically--they still pick by hand!

Picking by hand doesn't mean that the produce is organic. Pay attention in the spring, that's the time when most insecticides are used. You'll see lots of tractors with small cisterns attached to them - the so-called "opryski". It's done in the early stages of growth, with fruit it's the time when the trees are blooming, and the chemicals are supposed to fully dissolve long before the fruit is picked. Still, I'm not sure if it could be certified as organic.

I've heard one argument that a lot of land is actually organic in Poland, just that the farmers don't have money to apply/comply with certification - or they simply don't see the benefit in doing so.

Any serious producer, selling large quantities of his produce, is bound to use chemicals at some point in the growth cycle. The best bet for organic produce is small, non-commercial or even neglected farms run by people who don't care much and are not going to spend money for insecticides and such. The small sellers in the marketplace, selling from the trunk of a car, or the babcias with a bag of carrots and another one of spinach leaves. If you want organic, avoid large producers.

Another thing is that the soil in the Polish countryside is not so ladden with chemicals as in most Western countries.
sobieski 106 | 2,118
10 Oct 2012 #29
We are getting regular supplies from my father-in-law. He lives in Ciechochinek (delightful place by the way), very healthy micro-climate. Best vegs in the world and I am not kidding.
Orpheus - | 114
11 Oct 2012 #30
The small sellers in the marketplace, selling from the trunk of a car, or the babcias with a bag of carrots and another one of spinach leaves.

True, although I have one cautionary tale. A friend's mother works in Biedronka. She noticed that a couple of elderly village ladies often bought large quantities of cheap horseradish in small jars when they came into town on market day. She later saw them in the market selling jars of horseradish, without labels, for a healthy price. It was, after all, straight from their own village, organic, and hand made.


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