Ordering organic food online

If markets are not convenient for you, there are many online food ordering schemes available throughout the country. The examples I give are mainly from Cape Town. With some you order a ‘surprise’ box, such as from Harvest of Hope (Abalimi). Others like Wild Organic's inform you what’s in the box that week and you can substitute items you don’t want. Then with others, such as the Ethical Co-op you have the option to either get the surprise box or pick and choose your individual basket. The Dovehouse in the KwaZulu-Natal Midlands works along the same lines. If you go for the surprise box option, you had better like spinach/swiss chard. If you go for the surprise box option, you had better like spinach/swiss chard. It’s one of the vegetables that has a long and prolific season. Fortunately it is also very tasty and healthy and, if you don’t get around to cooking it, makes a dramatic looking green juice. Most online schemes have the option of delivery for a fee or you collect from a central collection point or shop.

A great advantage of an aggregator such as the Ethical Co-op is that they vet their suppliers to make sure that the food is locally produced, organic and labelled clearly.

Ordering the ‘surprise’ food boxes definitely puts you in touch with the seasons – and with the weather. You’ll know if there’s been hail, because that week, you won’t have the fruits or veg that would normally have been on offer.

Organic food sold at supermarkets

At supermarkets you CANNOT assume that foods labelled organic are local, even if it is fresh produce. I often find organic foods from Kenya and further afield, like Europe and the US. Another thing to keep in mind is that organic certifications are a minefield. In South Africa there isn't a standardised organic certification at all. In the US producers have to meet much lower standards than elsewhere to get organic certification. It's a toss-up but I generally err on the side of local.