Organic Fruit & Veg Box Schemes

[carolinemaher]

Discovered these 2 fruit and veg box schemes in the Helsinki area through a friend of mine, the 2 links are svarfvars.fi and labbynkauppa.net, you'll need Finnish to navigate your way around the site though, but even with my dodgy Finnish I can make out that you need to register 'Rekistoroita' and Chekcout is 'Tilaa'

I used to have one of these boxes delivered every week in London, you get seasonal organic fruit & veg delivered to your home, you never quite know what you will get which adds an element of excitement, what will be in the box?! with the veg its usually the staples, potatoes, carrots, onions and then whatever else they've grown. I think you can request if you really don't like a certain type of veg/fruit.

With these particular schemes I don't think you are obliged to have one delivered every week, at least with the labbykauppa if looks like if you put your order in every week (or however often you want) on a Tuesday before 12:00 they will deliver between Wednesday or Thursday 15:00 to 21:00. With the labbykauppa you can have all manner of other organic produce delivered too.

Can't wait to try these out.

[Kupcake]

Thanks for this one too! I used to be part of an organic co-op back in Australia and we did this sort of thing too - it sounds fantastic, and i'll be sure to check it out.

[Rosamunda]

Will definitely check out the farm in Karjaa (as it's really close to our mökki) but the other site just looks like a warehouse (I couldn't find an address). I couldn't find the official luomu logo anywhere though on Svarfvars or Labby websites.... Even Peshawar in Olari uses the Luomu logo on their website.... What's demeter (?) and what's bio-dynamic?

Let me know if you make an order, I'd be interested to know if the produce is any better than the stuff in Citymarket (or any cheaper). If you decide to drive out to Karjaa then check out http://www.saunalahti.fi/~talm1/gardsbutiken.html as it has the same selection of goodies and also organic beef (from the farm) and organic pork (from Ostrobothnia).

[Cloudberry]

Sounds promising - look forward to a report back on the quality and value for money.

[carolinemaher]

Can you order on-line from the place in Karjaa? (as I don't have a car). Will place an order next week with one of the sites and will let you know what produce is like. I've been assured that the produce is organic and in addition I found the following blurb on what biodynamic/Demeter means:

"Biodynamic products are produced using the biodynamic farming method. This very holistic and spiritual approach to organic farming was founded by Austrian philosopher, social reformer and scientist, Rudolf Steiner (1861-1925).

Biodynamic agriculture is special, or different from conventional and organic farming, because, according to the Biodynamic Agricultural Association, "the farms aim to be self-sufficient in compost, manures and animal feeds, external inputs must be kept to a minimum. Biodynamic farmers use natural manure and quartz based preparations to improve the quality of their crops. These are sprayed onto the soil in the morning or in the evening depending on what they're good for. An astronomical calendar is used to find the best planting, cultivating and harvesting times."

There are specific recipes for herb-based preparations, including the "chamomile preparation" for stabilising plant nutrients and the "stinging nettle preparation" for stabilising nitrogen in the soil. These, together with other similar herb-based preparations, help to enhance and regulate compost- and humus-forming processes.

The Biodynamic Agricultural Association says that animal organ materials are used as containers in which to ferment some of the preparations. This is so that the medicinal properties of the herbs can be enhanced and made effective for the soil. The calendar is based on 40 years of research and takes things such as the moon's and planets' position every month and their connection with the four elements into consideration.

It might all sound a bit hippy to you, but biodynamic fans are convinced that food "from healthy soil and happy animals" is better for you.

All biodynamic farms fulfil and in some areas exceed basic organic standards, but if you shop specifically for biodynamic produce, look out for the Demeter logos, which guarantee that worldwide biodynamic production and processing standards have been met."

[Rosamunda]

That all makes sense to me and I don't think it is hippy at all. Some of it sounds distinctly grandma-ish (eg nettle purin for nitrogen, is a well-known fertiliser). I thought bio-dynamic was a euphemism for some kind of hi-tech artifical process involving weird gels in plastic bags suspended from the roof of a not so greenhouse. How wrong! Funny though... I went shopping in town today and saw "bio-dynamic ruokka" on a café window somewhere (might have been Cochon as I stopped to buy some macarons )
Yes, the Karjaa place does deliver in "Central Helsinki" and also in Karjaa/Pohja and Tammisaari (aka Raseborg). Apparently they deliver to the Steiner schools every week. We have one here in Olari so I guess I could get delivered too. OTOH I have more veggies than I need right now. But in a month or two....