One of the changes for me in coming to Copenhagen was buying produce at the grocery store. This may sound strange, but normally 85-90% of the fruits and vegetables I eat come from the farmer's market or my own garden. Even in the winter I have produce that I've canned, frozen, or stored. So, it's been unusual for me to buy so much grocery store produce. Even so, I've been pleased with how much Danish produce I've been able to find: I bought Danish apples, carrots, beets, onions, and parsnips at the grocery store.
Still, when someone told me about KBHFF, I knew I had to join right away. KBHFF is a local, organic food co-op in Copenhagen. You pay a small fee to become a member, then pay to receive a bag of organic produce from Zealand (the region where Copenhagen is) each week. It's similar to a CSA, but the produce is sourced from multiple farms and you don't have to commit for the whole season. So, I got a bag this week, but the next bag I ordered is for two weeks from now because I will be travelling and my parents will be visiting, so one bag will last me two weeks. Pick up happens on Wednesday evenings.
The other unique feature of KBHFF is that as a co-op, each member commits to volunteering for a 3 hour shift each month. KBHFF is divided into chapters to serve the different regions of Copenhagen. You sign up for the location nearest you and volunteer and get your veggies at that location. Next week, for my first shift, I will be weighing vegetables and dividing them into the bags (I figured this was a good job that wouldn't require too much Danish).
My first bag had a nice variety (and two new vegetables that I'd never tried before):
.5 kilo salsify
1 kilo Jerusalem artichokes
4 pieces horseradish
.5 kilo red onions
1 cabbage
1 kilo potatoes
1 "Brussel of sprouts" (as Juliana would say)
Dinner tonight included roasted Brussels sprouts and baked Jerusalem artichoke chips.
I think I'm living my dream: riding my bike to get local vegetables in February.
That is so exciting! I found an organic grocery store today (a shocker) but nothing in it was at all local. Sadly....
ReplyDeleteI can't wait to eat these veggies!