When you think summer, do you think fresh fruits and veggies? KAG’s Kristina Hernandez does, and she’s bringing us the scoop on the Carolina Crate from Lowes Foods. You can get a tasty crate full of fresh produce weekly and put summer on the table!
I love summer for many reasons – to swim in lakes, to go kayaking, and to grill out. I also look forward to summer for the bountiful harvests of fresh produce, vegetables, and fruit. Wouldn’t it be nice if someone just gave me a box of this stuff every week? It would! That is basically what a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) does during the summer – some go year-round or for two or three seasons. I wrote a whole article on my love for CSAs and where you can join one in the Upstate.
I was a member of a fantastic CSA for a couple years here in Greenville until the farm unfortunately had to close. I have missed my weekly box of produce and fruit with a passion. It was enjoyable not to know what was coming and what new foods I’d get to try and introduce my family to. I particularly enjoyed eating purple carrots and purple potatoes, kohlrabi, delicata squash, and Jerusalem artichokes. Everything was fresh and as local as the farm could get.
I really miss my CSA, so when I had the chance last summer to try out the Carolina Crate from Lowes Foods for a few weeks, I jumped at the chance. It was so good that I’m signing up for a share this summer.
How Carolina Crate Works
Lowes Foods prides itself on sourcing produce, fruit, and as many other items they sell from local farms and businesses. They do the same for their Carolina Crate boxes.
You can sign up for either a half-share where you choose to receive the box either the first five weeks of summer starting June 27th or the last five weeks starting August 1st or grab a full share for 10 weeks. The half share is $125 and the full share is $250, which evens out to just $25/week for fresh produce and fruit – that you don’t even have to pick out.
You can sign up for Carolina Crate online, which makes it super easy. And the full share includes a free year of Lowes Foods To Go, their online shopping and pickup service (a $99 value).
You pick up your crate weekly and don’t even need to go inside to do it – just pull up to the pickup site next to store, push the button outside your window, and they will deliver your box right to your car.
What You Get With Carolina Crate
The box every week is filled with different seasonal produce and fruit and is completely dependent on the farms where they are sourced from and the weather.
There are about 6-8 seasonal varieties of items you get in your box, which will feed 2-4 people. When I got my boxes, which I chose to do at the beginning of the summer, I got a bunch of kale, peaches, onions, and lots of summer squash. Later in the summer, you’ll likely get more tomatoes, corn, peppers, and lettuce varieties, maybe some blueberries and nectarines. Again, it very much depends on the farm and what they are growing.
I found the box to be a great deal for what I paid and what I received. I really enjoyed the fact that I didn’t have to pick it out and that it was a surprise. It’s truly part of the fun of having a CSA box.
Recipes
If you don’t know what some of the items are in your crate or you don’t often cook with them, Lowes Foods includes recipes with each box so you can try out different ways to prepare them. I really appreciate this aspect of Carolina Crate.
With a CSA box, I’ve been able to introduce new foods to my kids (yay, purple things!) and get them to try food they otherwise would not have. And I’ve enjoyed learning about produce and fruit that I’ve never had. A big bonus is that you know you’re contributing to the local economy by buying from area farms and supporting people who grow our food.
Signing Up for Carolina Crate
Sign ups are only accepted for Carolina Crate until June 10th so if you want to do it, sign up now.
Lowes Foods of Simpsonville
2815 Woodruff Road, Simpsonville
864.234.6842
Lowes Foods of Greer
850 East Suber Road Suite 200, Greer
864.848.9666
Lowes Foods