Austin Bites: Greenling Organic Delivery

Early on, we were psyched about the concept, and our friends were too, though one, who'd dabbled earlier in Greenling, remarked "I hope you like okra." That's a true enough commentary on eating seasonal produce: when it's in season, it's what's for dinner. (Incidentally, if you've never cooked okra yourself, it puts Slimer from Ghost Busters to shame in the goo department, which makes it all the more awesome.)

A few of the Organic Local Box's highlights: cremini mushrooms, incredible bunches of peppery basil (which we then rooted), mint, hilariously cute greens of spinach, bibb lettuce, and arugula, serious-looking greens like kale, butternut squash, cherry tomatoes, micro broccoli greens (they look like wicked sprouts), and drool-worthy roasted chili peppers.

Since starting in September, we've made a killer okra gumbo, key lime pots de creme, gotten briefly obsessed with sweet potato fries, and attempted eggplant ratatouille (the jury's still out on our love of eggplant . . . take the skin off!). Each delivery comes with a listing of the produce you've received ("what the hell is this star-shaped white thing?") complete with suggestions on what to do with it all, including a weekly recipe.

Obviously, for the Local Box, picky eaters need not apply. Keep in mind, they offer all of these things by the each, so you can pick and choose, should you crave, say, delicious nitrate-free bacon.

Y'all can go kinda nuts: beef jerky, grass-fed beef and lamb, Kettle Chips, quail, a six pack of Real Ale, pecan pie (from Sweetish Hill), locally made dark chocolate bars, and all sorts of fun stuff to negate your feeble attempt to go healthy. They also stock the necessities: milk, eggs, and artisan bread.

We found the ordering process to be relatively painless (especially since we're ordering the one Local Box), though we hit a pair of snags, notably, while trying to add on the Artisan Box—it didn't show up on our bill, but neither did it show up at our door. That's a hitch in the site's ordering/confirmation section we're still working out, but we got a quick and pleasant response from Devon on their customer service number, with suggestions.

Depending on your neighborhood, Greenling delivers on a specific day of the week, within a morning or afternoon timeline, your preference. You keep the delivery box and switch it out each week ($10 initial deposit).

A $20 jar of almond butter, $2.79 for an avocado, and occasional other items seem slightly inflated, but prices for most every other item are very competitive. For the Local Box, our pick, we're paying something like $2/lb., pretty awesome for organic produce from Central Texas farms.

A few pieces of advice if you're considering giving it a try. We found the Organic Box enough for two people, for about two weeks. The system schedules you for weekly deliveries right off the bat, so unless you cook a few pounds of vegetables every day (can we eat at your place?), you might try it as a one-off, or go bi-weekly. In any case, you can share excess items with friends, or do strange and unusual modifications to fruit (juice them) or herbs (stick them in water) to save or freeze for later.

Greenling also offers local, not-necessarily-organic boxes, gluten free products, office lunch boxes, and a ton of other options.