It’s Wednesday morning. I hear the truck pull up. There’s a little clatter as our empty box is replaced with another filled with our produce delivery. This is one of my favorite parts of the week.
Fresh Harvest has been a part of my family’s weekly produce delivery routine for over 2 years. We have fallen in love with regular staples like cremini mushrooms and pasture raised eggs, and learned to embrace seasonal eating a bit more as we try different items that come with the changes in weather. Especially over the summer, when school is out, I make a point to keep ordering Fresh Harvest.
As far as produce goes, summer is the season of plenty for Georgia. While we enjoy the benefits, farmers work extra hard during the summer months to care for their land through the pests, heat, and weeds. From peppers, tomatoes, and eggplants, summer provides a variety to complement any backyard gathering or poolside bbq. Even if you are traveling, Fresh Harvest can be a great way to meal prep for going out of town! I love that you can purchase high quality meat to grill and enjoy local fruits and veggies with their produce delivery all year round.
When I began looking for a CSA a couple years ago, the values of Fresh Harvest jumped out and aligned with what I was hoping for. According to their website, the Fresh Harvest “baskets are all about local food, but when you boil it down, everything we do is centered around people. We believe good food and meaningful work are bridges to a richer community. These are our values. The codes we live by, and the hills we’d die on.”
Fresh Harvest is committed to working with small, family owned organic farms that create sustainable environments. This reduces emissions and avoids the cost of shipping food cross-country. Farmers matter greatly in how soil is cared for and how ethically animal and plant care is managed. Through their connections with local farmers, they are also able to significantly reduce food waste. They use all of the produce that they order. The food goes through quality inspections. Whatever doesn’t pass is composted and goes back into the earth to support quality soil. With reusable packaging, they reduce around 2,500 tons of waste that would have gone to landfills. Home produce delivery helps save the planet!
Fresh Harvest is located in Clarkston which is primarily a refugee community and about 75% of their team is made up of refugees. Many of the refugee employees have even gained their American citizenship while working there! I choose to give to their Share the Harvest program, easily adding a donation to each produce delivery box that is in turn used to provide produce for refugee families in need. They have other beautiful ways to donate, but this is the way that I choose to give back! Additionally, Fresh Harvest commits 10% of their profits to Share the Harvest- so every order you get from them supports the refugee community.
Supporting Fresh Harvest has connected me more deeply with my own food values. I have learned to pay attention to labels and to buy locally when able. Caring for our soil and local farms is an intentional way we can help care for our beautiful Earth. These small changes impact the health of my family, our neighbors in need, and our planet. It is easy to be overwhelmed by all the ways to incorporate sustainable living, but Fresh Harvest makes it simple. So, keep ordering your summer boxes and enjoy the taste of making a difference all year round!
Guest contributor Gloria Bunn is an Atlanta based freelance writer, nurse, educator, and Fresh Harvest customer. Her passions include gardening, writing, and spreading the good food movement here in Georgia.