In February this year, when the Food Coop Shop opened in its new home in the Lena Karmel building, I decided to trial it as my one stop shop for fruit and veg. I had been long fed up with the quality of supermarket fruit and veg and was craving a different way of doing things. I was sick of the tiresome list-making and stuff going off when I’d gotten carried away with ideas at the fresh food markets.

From about February, I’ve been experimenting by having a $25 ‘vege box’ on order weekly. There is also a larger, $50 box available. Every Tuesday, we collect this box full of seasonal, organic delights and use it as the basis of our meals. The photo is an example of how much is in a box, but it does vary from week to week.

Many people have asked me how I’ve found it and what it’s like to do this. It certainly forced a change in habit that was a bit of an adjustment at first. But I think it’s ultimately been a positive lifestyle change for a few reasons:

It eliminates choice.

It’s been long established in this day in age that we have far too many choices that bamboozle us and leave us crippled with anxiety. By letting go and letting other people make decisions for you – even just a small one on what fresh food you’re going to get weekly – it lessens the load. It also encourages a very zen, go-with-the-flow approach to things.

You get creative.

About a month ago I had the biggest cauliflower I had ever seen sitting in the fridge and a chunk of pumpkin that wasn’t quite big enough to become a soup. Sure I love my veg, but could these two be a basis for a meal? After some googling (and the app ‘epicurious’ is great for searching recipes based on one ingredient), it was decided. The pumpkin and the cauliflower became the basis for a warming, vegetarian korma. I threw everything in the slow cooker one morning along with some spices, coconut milk and potatoes. It lasted us for almost a week.

Nothing goes to waste.

The weekly pick-up becomes a self-imposed deadline to use everything up. You know that new food is coming, so you go about demolishing what is left and getting inventive with your two bright yellow squashes or whatever is leftover.

Organic tastes better.

It’s always something we like to bag the hipster organic crowd about. Does it really taste any different? It definitely does. It’s been such a delight having the depth of flavour in my veges again. I have never tasted corn or carrots so sweet. Even the flavour of something as innocuous as the humble potato becomes more pronounced.

Veges are good for you.

It’s a no brainer that to eat healthily requires a large intake of veg. No matter what kind of diet you might be on – high protein, high carb, dukan, atkins etc, vegetables are a constant in fuelling our bodies with the nutrients they need to survive.

Big supermarket chains suck for fresh food.

Yes,  they are a fact of life, and they aren’t going anywhere. But, goodness, I have felt a lot better about giving money to a not-for-profit cooperative that sells the freshest and the best food. When you think about how long your fruit and veg might have been sitting around in a cool room, and how many Aussie farmers struggle to make a living because of predatory pricing practices, it makes you want to look elsewhere. And that’s not even touching on the harsh chemicals and fertilizers used to get your apples that large, green and watery.

The coop is a fabulous venue.

Its new home in the Lena Karmel building gave an already thriving little organisation room to grow and expand. The venue plays regular host to  local artists and fundraising events. It also struck a deal with Lonsdale Street Roasters to establish a fair trade, organic coffee nook, that helps the coop stay afloat (while it is not-for-profit, the ANU is allowing the coop to exist on the basis that it can cover the cost of the enormous strata fees).  The monthly ‘acoustic soup’ draws the crowds as well as the dirt cheap but incredibly delicious mid-week lunches during semester.

Whether the vege box suits you or not, the new and improved Food Coop Shop is a vibrant addition to the city west precinct, and is the most affordable source of wholefoods in Canberra.

Are you a fan?