Battle of Bunker Hill

9/29/2016

First time CSA-er over here.

As a newbie, I had no idea if a CSA would be a good fit for my lifestyle, so I wanted to try it out before committing. As it turns out, most places require you to sign up for a weekly or bi-weekly delivery, but Greenhearts lets you do a one-time delivery for $38.

I cook 3-5x a week and keep things pretty simple. I tend to repeat the same go-to meals, but I wanted to mix things up and incorporate new fruits and veggies into my diet. With all the five-star reviews, Greenhearts seemed like a good place to start!

A few days before the delivery, I received an email listing out the items I would be receiving. This helped me envision some meals I could make.

The box arrived on Thursday and I unpacked the following:
- Fennel
- Jonagold apples
- Sharlyn melon
- Oyster mushrooms
- Spinach
- Red leaf lettuce
- Gold nugget squash
- Gold beets
- Nantes carrots
- Red bell pepper
- Heirloom tomatoes

Things I made: roasted chicken with fennel, roasted squash & beets, heirloom toast, egg scramble with oyster mushrooms & spinach, pesto pasta with bell pepper & chicken sausage, and more. The fruits were great to snack on.

Honestly, everything was amazing! The gold beets and carrots were super sweet. The squash was the best squash I've ever had. I polished off the apples within two days. It was a bit intimidating at first but ultimately I'm so glad I went with Greenhearts for my first CSA and I can't wait to try it again. I would love to order the eggs (they cost extra) too.

Just the other night my fiancé asked, "When are we getting the next CSA?"

9/20/2016

I can't say enough great things about Greenhearts, and I can't believe it has taken me a year to write a review! They are the nicest people to interact with, so responsive and communicative to reschedule deliveries, and just overall make everything easy.

As far as the quality of the produce, pretty much everyone who has come over to eat at our place has said how much better ours is than CSA boxes they have seen. I have never been disappointed, I love that Farmer Paul includes ideas of how to eat and prepare items, and I actually really like being surprised every week by new items - if I had a choice I probably wouldn't be nearly as adventurous!

7/15/2016

I don't often leave Yelp reviews, but I've been so impressed by my experience with Greenhearts I just couldn't let it go unheralded.  The quality and selection of produce is always top notch - fresh and full or flavor.  Delivery is on time and Aurora is super easy to communicate with in case you ever need to reschedule or hold a delivery.  We've found the "every-other-week" plan is perfect for our small two person household, sometimes even too much...but I'm not complaining.  Farmer Paul's weekly note offers simple but tasty recipe ideas, in case you find yourself with an excess of celery or fennel.  We've also done the egg add-on a couple times and loved it.  If you've never had farm fresh eggs then you're missing out, there's simply no comparison to store bought.

I've also found it to be a great value for the price.  Certainly not as cheap as Safeway, but probably on par with farmer's market pricing, and it's delivered to your door!  Can't beat that.

If you've been wanting to try a CSA service, this is the one to go with.  Good people, great produce, and doing good by supporting local farmers.

7/12/2016

Always super fresh and always a good variety of produce from Greenhearts. Sometimes there's a happy little surprise that just makes your week. Really great bang for your buck too.

Farmer Paul's weekly letter is the little cherry on top for me.

Highly recommended especially if this is your first CSA experience. You won't regret it!

8/26/2016

I got my first box yesterday and it's beautiful; filled with delicious, fresh veggies and fruits. The other reviews said the customer service was slow to respond/spotty. But I experienced the exact opposite, I called to see when my box was arriving and they called me right back with an update. So they have gotten a handle on customer service and the produce is wonderful, there no reason not to buy!  Can't wait to start cooking!

8/1/2016

We've been getting a weekly box from Greenhearts Family Farm for almost eight months now. We eat a lot of veggies, so the size of the box is great for me and my husband; we usually just get a few more potatoes and fruits from the farmer's market. The produce is very fresh and pretty diverse, especially at this time of the year (there were more greens in winter). It's also convenient that the box is delivered at our place instead of us having to pick it up from somewhere. I'm looking forward to opening the box each Thursday morning and seeing what we got for the week.

3/28/2016 Updated review

After trying a couple other CSA's, I'm unfortunately updating my review for this one. I wish I had more choice over what I do and don't receive. But mostly the customer service - I wish it was more prompt and easier. And they could be a little friendlier.

But I certainly enjoyed the veggies I received!

1/29/2016

We have been using this CSA for about 6 months and I'm fully satisfied. Very easy to communicate with to hold deliveries and ask questions.

I like that it is a combo of fruit and veggies. And we also get an egg add-on every week. The quality is always top notch and the variety is excellent. It's more expensive than shopping at rainbow grocery but less expensive by far than no rite, yet has bi rite quality produce.

My favorite items include blood and cara cara oranges, Swiss chard that is uber uber fresh, young carrots, the most fragrant floral plums, and amazing ripe tomatoes.

6/20/2015

Very happy with my box!
Love the email we receive telling us what's coming in the box so we can prepare for the weekend
The box came with more stuff than I thought it would.
Completely utterly amazed with this CSA box!

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  Not Pictured: another box of strawberries and 4 nectarines

  Not Pictured: another box of strawberries and 4 nectarines

12/6/2015

Though I've been basically vegetarian for decades now, I don't much like shopping or cooking. I love Rainbow Grocery and I frequent Whole Foods, but there's always too much to choose from and often what I buy may not be the healthiest choices for myself or the planet, or I spend too much and feel guilty. But I live alone and someone's gotta do it. And when I came down sick with a bad cold recently it was a wake-up call that I need to eat more fresh fruits and veggies (and spend less on eating out). So I decided organic produce home delivery would be a good thing. I used to work for one of these delivery services back in the 90s (they've since closed down), and I think it's a great business model. I checked Yelp and chose Greenhearts for all the five-star reviews. I made the right choice.

I've had two deliveries so far and I totally love what I'm getting. Fresh, local, in-season, organically grown and tasty, what's not to like? Now I have so many appealing veggies in my fridge, I'm eating lots of them daily out of a sense of duty (not wanting stuff to spoil) and loving it besides. I'm spending way less on eating out, and I'm enjoying the sense of pride that comes with supporting local organic farms and sustainable business enterprise.

With the first box I made the mistake of eating my favorites first and unfortunately a couple of the items started to spoil before I got to cooking them. This time I'm reading the mini-newsletter that comes with each box and paying attention to which items are most perishable so that I consume those first. I think the every-other-week delivery option is going to work out very well for my single-person household, and I'm planning on taking out a subscription in mid-January when the regular delivery schedule resumes after the holiday interruptions.

The only criticism I would make is that they apparently are not so responsive to emails and voicemails. I get the impression it's such a small staff that they don't have time. So if I have a need for communication, I call on a weekday when Aurora is there to answer the phone and she handles anything on the spot. Very good people, and I'm so grateful they're doing what they're doing for the benefit of us city folk and the Earth we all share.

4/27/2016

The produce is amazingly fresh and delicious. My husband and I are truly excited to be a part of Greenhearts.

12/10/2015

We have been getting the boxes from Greenhearts for a couple months now and really have been enjoying the fruits and vegetables.  The quality is great, and so is the variety.  I think the pricing is good too, there are a lot of vegetables in the box!!
I would recommend this service to any one who want great organic produce, delivered at a fair price.

10/3/2014

• Listed in Groceries & Farm Hands

Oh my God did the farm just get delivered to my kitchen!? All of this greenery makes me want to become a vegetarian. Just kidding, I would never. But hot dog! I want to just eat everything all at once. The vegetables look so beautiful I feel like I just pulled them from my own garden.

How easy was this process you might ask? Too easy. On Tuesday we signed up, Wednesday the owners confirmed our information then Friday BAM! Wholesome, organic, fresh, local produce from the farm at my doorstep. The food is all seasonal, so it's a wonderful opportunity to try new veggies you might not otherwise purchase from the market - because you don't know what to do with them. Let me tell you Avocados don't grow year round, like you think they do. For me it is Acorn Squash; time to break out the cook books and bring out my inner Julia Child!

I couldn't resist tasting the San Marzano Roma tomatoes from the bag. They exude juicy perfection. The eggs from Pasture Chic Ranch were so adorable that I wished it was Easter so I could paint them different colors. Funny thing is they already are different colors and sizes. Just like you and I. They made me appreciate the different hens that laid these eggs. Thanks ladies.

You can select a weekly delivery with or without eggs, or a bi-weekly delivery with the same option. The box your food arrives in is collected with your next delivery and they recycle the egg containers and paper bags. So they are also helping you with managing waste. At $89.00 a month for a bi-weekly delivery of magnificent food, I say hurry up two weeks so I can find out what will be in the next box!

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  Eggs come in various sizes and colors.

  Eggs come in various sizes and colors.
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  Wholesome goodness!

  Wholesome goodness!

11/4/2015

Absolutely amazing. It's like Christmas every Thursday when they deliver my boxes.

Pros
-Everything they deliver tastes amazing. I've never tasted such juicy tomatoes before.
-Both Paul and Aurora are wonderful to talk to. I had a situation where I forgot to order my box and called them the night before delivery and Paul was packing up the boxes but they made sure they could accommodate a box for me.
-You get fruits and veggies in every box.
-An email with the list of upcoming items for each delivery.

Cons
-None. Get one already :)

10/4/2014

• 1 check-in

I love cooking, and I love grocery shopping (usually). But sometimes when I'm roaming in the produce aisles of the Berkeley Bowl I can't figure out what to buy. I try to stick to local produce, and to what's in season. But I wanted to try something new and I recently decided to try out a CSA as a kind of "cooking challenge" to myself. A box of veggies arrives and I have to come up with creative, delicious ways to cook them while they're still fresh. The first CSA I tried didn't work out, but then I found Greenhearts Family Farm!

I had my first box this week and I was more than impressed! A big heavy box containing the following gorgeous items:

4 Fuji apples
Large cucumber
2 medium white onions
a large bunch of nante carrots
a big bowl of tomatoes
lots of (gypsy?) Peppers
Mesclun Mix
Yellow Finn Potatoes
Baby Bloomsdale Spinach
Red Swiss Chard
a dozen pasture-raised eggs

For my first CSA dinner I made a delicious fritatta with potatoes, peppers, onions, spinach and eggs. It was good. Really good. Tonight I'm going to make a Moroccan carrot salad to go with the leftovers.

I spoke with Aurora the day before my delivery to confirm my address and she was great. I'm really looking forward to more boxes, and watching the seasons change.

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  Caponata (Italian Eggplant appetizer) made with eggplants, peppers, tomatoes and onions from Greenhearts Family Farm.

  Caponata (Italian Eggplant appetizer) made with eggplants, peppers, tomatoes and onions from Greenhearts Family Farm.
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  Roasted carrots and Delicata squash. Delicious vegetables courtesy of Greenhearts Family Farm.

  Roasted carrots and Delicata squash. Delicious vegetables courtesy of Greenhearts Family Farm.
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  My beautiful box of produce and eggs, delivered on 10/3/2014. They just begged to be photographed!

  My beautiful box of produce and eggs, delivered on 10/3/2014. They just begged to be photographed!

6/28/2016

I have tried a few different CSAs in San Francisco, and Greenhearts is far and away the best. The value is incredible, and they have top-notch customer service. Paul and Aurora are extremely kind and passionate about their products, and their personal touch really puts this business over the top. Farmer Paul includes a sweet note in every box, and he has even been known to do some deliveries himself. If there is ever a problem with your order, they go out of their way to make it up to you. The quality of the fruits and veggies I receive in my box is unparalleled, and I love knowing exactly where it's all coming from. I cannot recommend Greenhearts strongly enough!

3/16/2016

We have had 3 veggie box deliveries so far and are very happy. There is a very good variety of veggies, about 11 different kinds in each box and 1/2 types of fruits. Also, every week is very different and has something special, for example: sugar snap peas, baby bell peppers and rutabagas. The things that have been common in all three boxes have been lettuce, kale, oranges and spring onions. The veggies are very good quality and last for a while. With every box there is also a nice note with suggestions and other fun facts about the farm from Paul and Aurora.

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  Box 2

  Box 2
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  Box 3

  Box 3
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  Box 1

  Box 1

8/20/2015

Just received my first box today-- what a beautiful bounty!! I'm so excited to get eating!!

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  So much good stuff!!

  So much good stuff!!

2/7/2016

Thank you for your great bounty. I loved the variety and generous box and a half of produce we received. They were very sweet to explain that since we are in winter the fruit variety would be limited but what we got was delicious and fresh. Perfect for our smoothies in the morning, making our baby the best the season has to offer as well as great leafy stuff for salads throughout the week. I feel healthier already and up for the challenge of eating and preparing new dishes before the next box arrives. We would have spent at least double at the market and we don't have to beat the crowds at the farmers market with a baby in tow.

9/5/2015

I've been getting CSA boxes from Greenhearts for a few months now. I have been consistently pleased with the variety and quality of the foods that get delivered to my doorstep (actually my office, but I digress) I will definitely continue ordering from these guys and if you're considering it, give it a whirl! You won't be disappointed!