I received my first organic box today.

While avid Cartside readers (cough cough) know that I'm a keen allotment gardener recently minus, well, an allotment, I've never actually ordered an organic box before. Now thanks to Cubling my general meanness is occasionally superseded with ethic and green conscience (which doesn't always match the contents of my purse) and to be fair, she is the best excuse to buy organic.

Not easy got sign up to a box scheme if you live in a tenement flat and work almost full time though. Our neighbours weren't exactly waiting for our deliveries either. But since our move, three months ago, there was really not a great excuse for not ordering a box.
Every Friday morning, the Bellfield Organics van passed our new home, reminding me that I still hadn't ordered an organic box. Of course I also chuckled because I was sure that the delivery in our tiny street must go to our neighbour who advertises the Scottish Green Party with a ceramic tile at her door.

My last excuse was that of the season. After all, there's only so much that can grown in winter in Scotland - and that tends to be the kind of vegetables I'm not exactly keen on. I do like my mediterranean peppers, courgettes and aubergines you see, and usually take flight at the sight of brussel sprouts, kale and, irgh, celery.

Thankfully, Bellfield Organics offer an order that excludes vegetables you don't want. How handy. Still, I felt slightly guilty to place an order minus kale, brussel sprouts and celery, surely making myself unpopular from the word go.

So today the box arrived. There are onions, sweet potato (yay, bring them on!), potatoes, leeks, apples, pears, cauliflower, cabbage. Not too bad at all, even if the quantities are nowhere enough to last us a week.
And then I discovered another vegetable. I think it's beet root. I'm not so sure because, hm, I don't like beet root, it's almost as bad as celery, so I don't see it often enough to instantly recognise it. I truly forgot about beet root, it's just not on my mind very often. So being a considerate mum, I checked in the Annabel Karmel book for beet root recipes - after all, beet root is very healthy. You wouldn't believe (actually, I would) there's not a single baby puree containing beet root. So I can't even try feeding it to Cubling pretending to do her good.

So then, my next order will exclude four vegetables. Ever heard of the vegetarian who doesn't like four vegetables? (hangs her head in shame)