limp broccoli, packaged lettuce and green tomatoes (but not the good kind)

I know you've been there and I know what you were thinking as you pushed your cart passed the mist-sprayed displays. Why are these zucchini soft? This selection of cucumbers is pathetic. Are these green tomatoes supposed to be this color?

If your grocery store is anything like the ones near me in Chicago, the produce section is sorely lacking fresh, delicious, locally grown fruits and vegetables. Not only do the foods at these establishments look limp and unappealing, but they're conventionally grown to boot.

Even if you don't care about pesticides, soil erosion and agribusiness (which you should), you ought to consider the nutrient content of what you're eating. There is mounting evidence that organically grown fruits, vegetables, and grains offer more of some nutrients, like Vitamin C and phosphorous, than the same foods conventionally grown.

So, on a recommendation from my friend Margaret, I started an account with Fresh Picks. Irv & Shelly's Fresh Picks provides year-round locally grown and organic groceries for the Chicagoland area and even delivers to a group of neighborhoods in the city. For a $5 fee, my orders arrive chilled in an ice-packed, styrofoam cooler, nestled inside a protective, plastic crate. Right now I get a single vegetable box weekly for $18. The beautiful produce is crisp, clean, and mouthwatering.

On delivery days, I'm so excited that I get cooking right away. Finding new, creative ways to make use of all the produce in each shipment is a fun challenge. Email updates detailing the week's selection help me plan meals. And, knowing that the next delivery is imminent (unless I suspend my standing order) also encourages me to use all the foods in a timely manner.

Each week there seems to be an oddball item that I would never have picked up in the grocery store, like pickling cucumbers or anise. These items are not a bother, in fact, they're usually the most exciting part of the delivery! Exposure to new foods develops my culinary knowledge and expands my cooking repertoire. Receiving the same items for a few consecutive weeks, like eggplant, has the same effect because I'm compelled to explore new ways to prepare it. There's only so much baba ghanouj one household can eat...

Last Wednesday, this was what I received:

tomatoes, bell peppers, green beans, chinese eggplant, onions, garlic, corn, broccoli, and lettuce

I started out ordering a fruit box mini which was $25. The amount of fruit that came was unbelievable! I would get: bags of peaches, nectarines, plums, and apples; boxes of blueberries and rasberries; and a cantaloupe. Everything was juicy and flavorful, but I couldn't make use of all of it quickly enough. After making leftover-fruit-jam twice, I decided to suspend the fruit delivery. Maybe they'll come out with an even more mini fruit box...

Proper storage can prolong the life of your produce but it's hard to keep track of what to do. What goes in the fridge? What stays out at room temperature? What gets wrapped up or stored standing in water? Check out Real Simple's article Protect Your Produce for details and keep these tips in mind:

• Don't wash fruits and vegetables before you store them. The dampness can cause the food to rot quickly and/or get moldy.
  
• Store vegetables untrimmed, except for root vegetables like carrots. Trim off all but 2 inches of the leaves, so they don't steal moisture from the roots
• Let fruits ripen at room temperature (out of direct sunlight) and then put them in the refrigerator