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Green Valley

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Five organic veggie delivery services in Singapore

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I love my veggies fresh, organic, local, and from my backyard if available. Also, I’m not fond of packaging. But not much is growing in my Singapore garden, so it makes perfect sense for me to get a box of veggies delivered instead.

When making a choice of who to order from, I went with Green Circle Eco Farm because I had visited their premises some months back and wanted to support Evelyn, whose gentle spirit I love. I also like their farming philosophy of not using greenhouses to keep it as close as possible to how nature intended it. Not that I have anything against greenhouses.

If you are looking to get a box of organic veggies delivered, you might want to try one of the following. Some of their produce is imported, so if you wish to have a low carbon footprint, opt for locally harvested veggies:

1. Zenxin Organic – For quite a while now, my parents have been buying Zenxin Organic from Cold Storage supermarkets, and their produce isn’t too bad. For their online store, the minimum order is $50 worth, and delivery costs $10 if your purchase doesn’t exceed $150. You can also visit their physical store at Blk14 Pasir Panjang Wholesale Centre #01-25, which even stocks condiments. A cabbie recently recommended that I visit the store, saying it’s pretty cheap and he often shops there.

2. Green Valley Farms – I visited their premises recently and was pretty impressed by the owner’s commitment to organic farming. The minimum order is $30, but the website doesn’t stipulate if there is a delivery fee. Worth a try!

3. Quan Fa Organic Farm – I am a regular customer at Real Food, and sometimes customer at Lins Smoodees, both of which cook/juice with Quan Fa’s vegetables, so I have tried their produce and it’s pretty tasty. There is no minimum order but delivery is free once your purchase exceeds $50. Their vegetables also come highly recommended by some of my friends.

4. SuperNature – A bit on the pricier side, and they import a lot of their food but they have an amazing variety of food items. Order a Farm Box which they will choose and pack for you, or choose your own. Deliveries are free for orders above $70, otherwise they charge a $20 delivery fee. Do check out their impressive store at 21 Orchard Boulevard #01-21/27 Park House, they also have a smaller store at 290 Orchard Road #B1-20A Paragon. I had a good chat to the store manager at Park House once, nice guy!

5. Green Circle Eco Farm – I’ve only made one order to date and it’s very fresh. The minimum order is $30 worth of veggies. I spent $35.20 for all the produce in the photo above, including a $5 delivery fee. If you wish to view the farm like I have, make sure to ask Evelyn first, as they don’t encourage drop-ins, like most farms.

Try them out and let me know how you go!

City

Where you can grow your own food in Singapore

With Singapore’s space constraints, green-fingered apartment dwellers and landed property owners aren’t always able to carve out enough space to grow all the herbs, flowers and food that they desire. As people become more conscious about Singapore’s food security, the healing nature of plants, and the connection between food and health, an increasing number are making a choice to move away from food which has been chemically fertilised, and the interest in growing one’s own food is on the rise.

My friend and urban farmer, Bjorn Low from Edible Gardens adopts a plot of land at Green Valley Farms, a 2.5 hectare area in Sembawang that has also been adopted by some members of the public. I went to visit Bjorn’s plot last week, and also have a look at what the community has been growing. I was so impressed.

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There is a wide variety of plants being grown here by people for a variety of reasons. I saw melons and pumpkin plants, and even cauliflower, which is quite incredible since it prefers cool weather and is not fond of humidity. Each plot is separated with netting, and some are not as easy to peer into, so I peeked through the gap in the gate to get a better look.

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This plot below uses reclaimed wooden bases from the older style of pick-ups, I was told. A great example of upcycling! I also heard from Bjorn that all farmers have been asked to farm organically, which is wonderful, because it is a considerate act, not just for the soil and one’s neighbour’s soil, but it also avoids pollution of ground water and waterways. All plot adopters also have to be responsible for their water usage, and usually have a well on their plot, which is naturally filled when it rains.

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If you are interested in adopting a plot, check out their website. While you are there, you may also be interested in purchasing local and organic vegetables.

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For those who do not have any experience of farming, and live in the North-eastern part of Singapore, Community Farmsquare might be a better option. Located in Hougang, this pilot project involves the adoption of a 1m x 1m planter box, at a cost of $50 a month over 6 months, and the space will be tended to by residents living nearby. The founder, Soh Ju Hu is looking for 100 early adopters, and he hopes that it can be launched in early 2014. See below for what this farmsquare looks like.

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For more information, download this brochure, or get in touch with Ju Hu at soh.ju.hu@gmail.com. If you are keen, you can sign up here.

And if you are not ready to commit to a farming plot, why not get your hands dirty at Ground Up Initiative‘s Sustainable Living Centre in Bottle Tree Park? Visitors are welcome each weekend, for more information, visit them on their Facebook fan page.

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Happy farming!!

Community Farmsquare images courtesy of Soh Ju Hu