Here at Seasonal Roots, our week starts on Friday when we send our members their basket options for the following week. Over the weekend, our members mull over their options, placing their order by Sunday night. Then, on Monday, we take their orders to our 40 farmers and artisans to make sure that they harvest and bake what we need. On Tuesday and Wednesday, your suppliers send their produce, meats, dairy and baked goods to Harvest Hill Farm in Montpelier, Virginia. It’s at this farm on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, that the magic happens.
After joining the Seasonal Roots team, one of my first assignments was to spend a Wednesday packing. This makes sense of course, because without packing, there would be no nutritious boxes to send to our members, and that just won’t do. So, back in May 2015, I went to pack. I walked into the farm’s packing facility, to be greeted by a team of regulars, who can pack your socks off. The building has two levels. On the bottom, there is a good amount of space and that’s where each week’s boxes are mass produced by a team of less than 10. Really, it’s an old fashioned assembly line with veggie-savvy packers who are actively on quality control duty. No machines, just us, those who want to make sure you get fresh and local produce, right at your door.
By Tuesday and Wednesday afternoon (depending on your village), most of the boxes are packed and ready to go. They’re stored in a refrigerated room over night and sent out at the crack of dawn Wednesday and Thursday morning. Once our Market Managers get their boxes, they zoom right on over to deliver to you. As you happily unpack your boxes and devour your local goods, we are prepping a new menu to send to you on the following Friday.
Phew! It really is quite the cycle, but we’ve found it’s the most efficient way to get you fresh and local produce, meat and artisan goods. If you have any questions about the journey your order takes from the farm to your doorstep, let us know! We’d love to hear from you.
About Seasonal Roots
Since 2011, Seasonal Roots’ online farmers market has connected Virginia families with local family farmers who use sustainable, humane practices. Our neighborhood market managers – who believe in living better through scrumptious, healthy eating, being kind to animals, protecting the environment, and spreading joy – home-deliver freshly harvested produce, pastured eggs, grass fed dairy and meat, plus artisan fare. We empower our members to eat better and live better with more nutritious, flavorful food that’s good for us and good for the planet. More info at seasonalroots.com.