Are you using everything in your GrubMarket order? One of the best values is to order the family size Organic Veggies Farmbox – even if there is only you to eat it. Some may hesitate because they don’t know how to use each item.

Here are my tips for easy ways to eat everything in the Farmbox. Rather than eat whatever strikes my fancy, I eat what keeps best last and what is likely to become over-ripe first.

I also order additional items to arrive with my GrubBox so that I can make even tastier meals. I will share what I add in the optional items below.

Salad Ingredients

Both sizes of Organic Veggies Farmboxes include lettuce and tomatoes. If any tomatoes split in shipping or are extremely ripe, my first meal is a big salad. From the Farmbox, use these:

• Organic lettuce
• Organic heirloom, grape or cherry tomatoes (I use the large ones first for salads and sometimes small ones, too. Small make great snacks.)
  
• Organic baby broccoli tops (save the stems for later)
• Organic cubed zucchini (optional – I eat some of my zucchini raw in salads and stir fry some)
• Organic chopped onion (optional)

Upgrade Your Salad With These:

Earlier in the year, the Farmboxes included mushrooms (so delicious)! I hope they will again soon. Other items I like to order to add to my salad are:

• Organic Avocados
• Organic purple onions
• Organic kale
• Organic fresh mushrooms
• Organic red, yellow and green bell peppers
• Organic sesame seeds

Eat First

Besides your salad ingredients, be thinking about what items should be eaten first. If you order during the heat of the summer, check over all the produce and eat it in the order of how ripe it is or how long it will last.

• Organic asparagus keeps well, but I often eat it early on. My favorite way to cook it is to snap off the thicker end where it naturally breaks or at the first joint. Melt coconut oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Stir in a little minced garlic (optional). Add the asparagus and roll so that it is evenly coated in oil and all sides are slightly cooked. Then pour in 1/2 cup of water to steam it to perfection. Salt and season to taste. (I prefer pink Himalayan Sea Salt.)

Tip: Although most people throw out the tougher ends of the asparagus and the baby broccoli stems, I keep them and chop them in small pieces and saute them in coconut oil to then add to rice at the beginning of cooking. They make plain rice into a delicious side-dish or even main course.

• Organic corn on the cob can get a little steamy when shipped during the summer, so use it before it can mold. Roast it or just boil it in water. Did you know there are corn-on-the-cob butter spreaders? It takes so much less butter when you use one and a set of corn cob holder dishes and holders make eating corn this way so much easier. I found a set on eBay to show GrubMarket members what they look like.

Stir Fry

I love fresh produce lightly sauteed in coconut oil until the tenderness you prefer. Then splash with Balsamic Vinegar and Braags Aminos (similar to soy sauce, but thinner and healthier).

• Organic zucchini
• Organic onion

Optional Ingredients

For an even tastier stir fry you need more fresh produce. These are what I order from GrubMarket to add to my stir fries:

• Organic summer squash
• Organic eggplant
• Organic purple onion
• Organic red, yellow, and green bell peppers
• Organic garlic

Eat Last

• Potatoes of all kinds keep well if you store them in a cool, dark place. I keep mine loose in a cardboard box with plain brown shipping paper. That way I can easily sort them to see which need to be used first. Small potatoes and especially fingerlings need to be used first while larger potatoes tend to keep longer (if they were all the same age). Slice large potatoes lengthwise and fry them in coconut oil. Slice smaller potatoes like red new potatoes and fingerlings widthwise to fry them or to cook them with black-eyed peas.
• Sweet potatoes keep longest of everything in your order. They can be baked, but I prefer two unique methods of cooking I discovered. I cube them and saute them in a large skillet in coconut oil until coated all over. Then I pour 2 cups of water over them and add 1/4 cup of brown sugar and cook the liquid out. (Think of the candied yams you have at Thanksgiving.) During the winter, I add cubed sweet potatoes to soups and let them cook until tender. They are perfect for cooking down into the broth from chicken or turkey leftovers.

Must-have Ingredients

Very little is necessary to enjoy your produce. I will share what is important to me, but GrubMarket can remove the links or this section if they prefer.

Coconut Oil is a must to saute vegetables. It adds a slightly sweet flavor (though not very coconut-y) that greatly enhances my desire to eat stir fry every day of the week during squash and zucchini season. I always use the very best organic coconut oil – Gold Label Virgin Coconut Oil from Tropical Traditions or you can buy Nature’s Way Organic Coconut Oil from GrubMarket.

Himalayan Sea Saltis my favorite seasoning, although I also use Celtic salt on occasion. The best value is Swanson Vitamins Himalayan Sea Salt.

Virgin Olive Oil is excellent to make your own salad dressings. You can buy Olive Oil from GrubMarket. The best olive oil comes in dark, glass bottles as it does here.

Balsamic Vinegaris another ingredient you should look for in dark, glass bottles. It is the perfect companion to Virgin Olive Oil mixed 50/50 for a homemade salad dressing and is also used when stir-frying produce of all kinds.

Braggs Liquid Aminos are a healthy replacement for soy sauce. (Soy is often GMO.) Add half aminos and half balsamic vinegar to stir fries.

Organic Brown Sugar is added to my sweet potato recipe explained above.

Dessert

Do you have a sweet tooth? Better to satisfy it with healthy organic fruits and nuts. Even though I personally prefer the Veggies Farmboxes, I love fruit and nuts, too. I order individual types to get just what I want. Here are the fruits I have ordered so far. (There are others – so be sure to search for your favorites!)

• Organic red peaches
• Organic white peaches
• Organic pomegranates
• Organic pluots
• Walnuts

These tips cover all the ingredients currently coming in theGrubMarket Organic Veggies Farmbox plus all the additional produce I like to order to make my meals even tastier. Hopefully, you’ll find a new way to eat healthier among my suggestions.