Just got the first shipment from Cascina Cornale, a farmer’s coop based in Piedmont that delivers weekly to northern Italian regions, including Val d’Aosta, Piedmont, Lombardy and parts of Liguria, Tuscany and the Veneto.
A friend of mine swears by it, otherwise it was the kind of good idea that given Italian execution would’ve stayed a good idea, rather than something actually tried out.
You pay for the month in advance, delivery is included. Clients either choose online what they want every week, it’s slightly more expensive if you choose, or you get a box of whatever’s in season plus a few basics.
Here’s what arrived in the 1-2 person “surprise” box, which costs €38, nearly $47 if you’re dealing in treacherous dollars.
About a pound each of two kinds of pears, apples, kiwis, turnips, spinach, a head of cauliflower, a head of radicchio, a big slice of pumpkin (soup or risotto? not sure yet) a liter of fresh milk, six eggs, a whole brown trout, a generous wedge of toma cheese, two small jars of plain yogurt, a pack of balsamic candies (perfect for the cold season), some red onions and a spot of lard.
Said friend warned me about the perils of the surprise box (anyone know what to do with a whole trout?) after I’d signed up. But on this rainy Milan day, I’m still glad not to have to go do the shopping.
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Nicole,
I’ve done co-op’s in the US and love them. The surprise of what’s inside can be a lot of the fun. I learned how to cook lots of different vegetables after my many surprises.
Do you know where the produce comes from?
Agree the surprise is part of the fun, if you don’t mind cooking. The box comes with a list of what they sent, how much it cost and where it comes from.
Sometimes it gives the name of the farmer — today’s box tells me the apples come from Giacomo Traversa and the carrots from Fernanda Cravanzola, for instance.
The nice thing is that they also send a newsletter, with recipes based on what they send…comes in handy when deciding what to do with the calf liver they sent…
How much does it cost in the US?
Here in the US, it depends a lot on where you live and who you sign up with. Whenever we did it, we would join with a single farm, as opposed to a true co-op. The ones we joined were around 500 dollars for a summer season’s (April-Oct in Virginia) worth of produce, delivered once a week.
Your co-op sounds great, I’m jealous!
That’s a pretty fair price, I can see why it would work over the summer season only. There was a note this week apologizing for sending double rations of lettuce — because the broccoli they were planning on sending got rained out…