Frequently Asked Questions
Your questions, answered.
The Kits
How many does one kit feed?
2 Hungry People, some people get three meals out of it.
How long do the kits last?
One whole week, sometimes longer, since our vegetables are freshly
harvested from local farmers, processed, and delivered the day
after they are harvested.
I can’t cook, should I get the kits?
Yes! We provide 3-4 simple instructions to cook the kits. You’re
always welcome to call or email for help, but it’s mostly cooking
grains or sautéing vegetables- nothing too fancy!
Try One
When do I have to put in my order to get my kit the next week?
Saturday at midnight for delivery the following Tuesday
When is the menu posted for the following week?
Sunday at 5pm
Membership
How does it work?
You simply sign up for the number of kits you’d like per week, tell
us where and the frequency at which to deliver, or choose a pickup
point, and you will get weekly deliveries on your appointed delivery
day. You can pause your account at any time.
Why should I become a member?
You’ll know that you’ll have fresh meals to cook each week, laden
with locally grown vegetables. Our food makes you feel good while you
do good for farmers, their farms and the food system!
What if I am signed up, but forget to choose my menu by midnight on Saturday?
We will choose meals kits for you based on your past orders and what
we think you’d like.
How do I pause my account?
Log in to your account
and click “Update This Subscription” for the subscription you would
like to pause. You can then select the date you’d like us to begin
delivering again.
What if I want more than 5 kits per week?
You can choose several memberships at once. For example, if you’d
like 6 meal kits per week, you can select the “provisioners” and
“sprout” memberships for a total of 6. Just some light math!
How do I change my membership level?
Log in to your account
and click “Update This Subscription” for the subscription you would
like to change. Next, click “Cancel Subscription”. You can then add a
new subscription at the level you’d like.
How long does membership last?
If you sign up for a recurring subscription, it renews each week
Saturday at midnight, and continues until you cancel or pause your
account.
How do I update my meal kit menu?
Log in to your account
anytime between Sunday and Saturday at midnight, scroll down and
click on the meals you would like. Choices auto-save.
How do I cancel my account?
Log in to your account,
click “Update This Subscription” for the subscription you would
like to cancel, and then click “Cancel Subscription”.
The Food and Sources
I have a food allergy, can I eat your food?
We produce the meal kits in a certified, shared kitchen facility,
where nuts, eggs, shellfish, soy, dairy, gluten and other common
allergens are handled. Some of our kits have common allergens in them
such as soy, peanuts, and gluten. While we follow ServSafe practices,
if you have a serious allergy, we do no recommend having our kits,
sorry!
How do you decide where to source?
Some of our farmers are certified organic (a federally defined
standard), others grow ‘beyond organic’: they never use synthetic
herbicides or pesticides, they practice remineralization of the soil,
and have diverse crops to maintain long-term soil health. Our farmers
are great people who are growing food to nourish their community,
themselves, and the land.
Where do you get your beans?
We source all our beans from Baer’s Best Beans located in the in
South Berwick, ME. Charley, Rob and Maggie grow beans of all sorts to
nourish and fix nitrogen in soils. BBB dries and cleans the beans. We
get them dried, soak and sprout the beans each week, and then
par-boil them so you can get that fresh bean taste, without having to
cook for an hour and half. You can seriously taste the difference-
you’ll never eat canned beans again!
Are your vegetables still locally sourced in the winter?
Yes! Indeed our winters here in New England can be harsh, but our
grow some fantastic storage crops to last us throughout the winter.
We put up a lot of food during the summer during peak harvest, like
tomatoes, eggplant, peppers, pesto and garlic scapes to enjoy the
fruits of our farmers’ labor all winter. Root cellars prove to be
invaluable as well, having lots of squashes, potatoes, onions,
rutabagas kohl rabi, garlic and winter radishes all winter long. We
even fresh-freeze beautiful locally grown ginger to use in our
recipes long after ginger season is over, and do likewise with herbs.
Delivery
How does delivery work?
We ask you leave us a cooler with ice packs in it. We’ll send you a
reminder the evening before your delivery day. Delivery is usually
between 12-7pm on Tuesdays.
I’m outside your delivery area, how can I get a meal kit?
We have
pickup points
around Boston and surrounding areas. If you’re close to our
delivery zone, email us at
eat@al-freshco.com,
sometimes we can figure something out!
Do you really deliver by bike?
Yes! Our city deliveries are done by bike, and if our suburban
deliveries are substantial enough to get on a bike, we do those by
bike as well; yes, throughout winter!
I forgot to leave a cooler, will you still deliver?
Yes, we will leave your kit in the shade or protected area as best
we can. We do send out a reminder the evening before your delivery
to leave a cooler.
Where do my kits go when I choose to donate them?
We donate to the
Community Fridges
in Jamaica Plain and Roslindale each week. The fridges provide free
food to anyone who feels they need it.
Pickup
How do the pickup locations work?
Our gracious pickup hosts have different hours, please check normal
business hours on their website. We do give you a pickup window and
instructions after you order and in our reminder email.
I’m a business owner, can I start a new pickup location?
Let’s talk! Some of our pickup locations have refrigerator space we
can use for the short pickup period, or we can also leave a cooler.
It’s a great way to get people coming to you on a weekly basis, and
shows your commitment to local food. Please email
laurel@al-freshco.com if
you’d like to talk about having a pickup point at your location.
Packaging
Packaging and Waste
We use the following packaging and methods to ensure this is the only waste a meal for two will generate:
- Brown Paper: Made from recycled materials. Not made with any dyes, can be recycled again.
- Twine: 100% biodegradable. Send it back to us, we can use it again!
- Plastic: We choose the smallest and most light-weight plastic bags we can, to provide the absolute minimal plastic waste generation. Soon, we think the biodegradable materials technology will be good enough for us to replace plastic altogether.
Still have Questions? • Feedback? • Requests?
Please drop us a line if you have any questions at all. We would love to see you become a member!