For awhile I’ve wanted to try a produce delivery service but I never found one that matched my needs in terms of dietary preferences and timing. So recently when a friend suggested GachiCSA to me, I was immediately interested and started reading up on their services. One of the aspects of their service that interested me was the fact that it catered specifically to foreigners. Therefore all of their services are in English. Gachi’s focus is on connecting farmers directly to their consumers by shipping boxes of fresh produce and other consumable products to their customers each week; cutting costs’ for both parties
Each box has produce that is placed into each shipment, varying each week. Meaning this week I’ll receive sweet potatoes and spinach in my box but next week’s box will have onions and carrots instead. They also offer the option to add on different items such as fruit, bread, meat or snacks as well as make the entire box vegan. Now although I am not vegan I think it is AH-Mazing that the option is even available, since it is nearly impossible to have those options in other establishments.
After checking out their website and reviewing their delivery options I decided to try a couple sized Taster’s Basket to see how things went with delivery, produce and customer service. The Taster’s Basket is Gachi’s name for a week trial box, which is such a smart idea! Try before you buy. With my order I also chose a fruit add on and ordered Strawberry Jam.
Another thing to note about this service is that the produce is mostly organic and being local, are always at their best in presentation and highest in nutritional value. In the box you receive your invoice and Gachi gives you the names of the producer of each item that’s in your box…like you guys are pen pals. I love it! It makes you feel as though you know the producers and are that much closer to your foods production. Another aspect of this service that I love is its sustainability and support of the local economy, which is, now more than ever, important for the health of mother earth.
As I mentioned in the video, I think this service is best for people who are interested in living a healthy, sustainable, economically friendly lifestyle. I also think the service would be beneficial to people who are in Korea for a short period of time for business or vacation and still want to be in control of what goes into their food and bodies.
Now let’s get into the good stuff. Here’s what was in my box:
NOTE: Each package will arrive with different items.
Produce
|
Farm Process
|
| 6 eggs |
non-antibiotic |
| 2 pears |
low-pesticide |
| 300 g spinach |
organic |
| 200g Oyster mushroom |
organic |
| 150 g lettuce & chicory |
organic |
| 1 mini sweet pumpkin |
organic |
| 2 eggplants |
organic |
| 1 kg sweet potatoes |
organic |
| 1 musk melon* |
low pesticide |
| 1 kg grapes Alexandria* |
non pesticide |
| 300 g fresh Jujube* |
low pesticide |
| 280g Organic Strawberry Jam* |
N/A |
| 250 g bean sprouts (not pictured) |
organic |
| 150 g bok choy (not pictured |
organic |
* Denotes an Add-On
Here are some recipes made with the produce from this box: Shigumchi Nameul 시금치나물(Spinach Side Dish), Mashed Sweet potatoes, Green Pear Juice and Tomato Eggplant Stir-Fry.
Note: I didn’t want my tomatoes to be too mushy so I added them in towards the end of the simmering.
NOTE: Each package will arrive with different items.
AvChrys 