New produce delivery service coming to Hampton, Sheffield

A potential new service could bring regular, fresh produce to two Franklin County communities.

North Iowa Fresh has announced intentions to bring its Bounty Box Program to Hampton and Sheffield.

Currently serving communities and industries throughout the region, the Bounty Box Program provides scheduled deliveries of boxes full of locally sourced fruits and vegetables.

“Bounty Box is like a subscription for vegetables,” said Andrea Evelsizer, North Iowa Fresh manager. “It’s modeled off a traditional CSA (community-supported agriculture) model, which is basically a partnership between a group of farms and an individual customer.”

People who sign up for the Bounty Box program can choose from a number of packages and delivery schedules. The normal packages is one box a week for 20 weeks, a “lite” package is every two weeks for 20 weeks, a “monthly” program once a month for five months and a build your own, which comes with a minimal investment.

She said the full packages suite families well, while the lite package is more appropriate for smaller families and individuals who don’t go through produce as quickly.

“The advantage of having produce that fresh is that it can be stretched through that two week period,” she said, adding that the once a month model allows people to experiment with the program and get a feel for what it offers. “That could be appealing for people who have never tried this model and will allow them to dip their toes in without a big investment.”

The build your own box allows people to plan around palates or fill in the blanks home garden projects don’t meet.

“It’s customizable if you have a picky family or you have your own garden and want to supplement what you don’t grow,” she said.

Evelsizer said each box will contain a different variety of vegetables and fruits from eight producers throughout North Iowa. She added that the Bounty Box Program also enlists the services of four meat producers, who have products available on an al a carte basis on the North Iowa Fresh website.

With deliveries beginning in late May and ending in October, the boxes contents vary depending on what’s in season.

“We plan to give a good amount of diversity in the box and what’s in it is very seasonal,” said Evelsizer. “We start with greens and stuff like radishes and green onions and progress into other things like berries, melons, rhubarb and asparagus.”

Each box typically averages 10-12 pounds of produce and contains eight or so items. She said the boxes typically include familiar and easy to use produce. However, boxes will include a “wildcard” here and there.

“For example, we will put in eggplant once or twice to get a taste or learn how to cook it but we won’t have it every week where they have to figure out what to do with some weirder things,” she said.

The Bounty Box Program is an asset for people looking to expand their use of fresh produce, but it’s also beneficial for the producers who participate. Evelsizer said by including a variety of growers, each one can put his or her best product forward.

“We are able to select the best item from each of the farms,” she said. “Some specialize in greens, others in tomatoes and we’re able to take the best from all of those different farms and bring them into a box that is nice and diverse for all the customers.

Currently, the Franklin Wellness Center and the West Fork Wellness Center have pledged to be pick up spots for the program. More delivery locations may be announced at a later date. Evelsizer said North Iowa Fresh is currently accepting applications from Hampton and Sheffield-area residents and will gauge the response until May before fully rolling out the program in the two communities. She said that the program is also looking to include any worksites looking to promote healthier lifestyles. Interested busiensses are encouraged to contact Evelsizer at sales@northiowafresh.com.

To sign up for the program visit www.northiowafresh.com. Evelsizer said those who would like assistance signing up can stop at either of the pick up centers.