That’s Delivery

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Like you, we at SavvyMom are always fantasizing about a better, faster way to get healthy groceries home. Wouldn’t it be ideal if your favorite items would all just pile into a cart, propel themselves to your door, let themselves in and put themselves away?

We haven’t yet figured out how to make that happen, but we are very excited about a new way to get them to your door, Ottawa Organics & Natural Foods.

Ottawa Organics is a company operating out of Centretown that takes your grocery order online and delivers your selected items free of charge. All products are certified organic or contain mainly organic ingredients. The variety is impressive: there is a full range of fruits and vegetables, snack foods, local breads and bakery items, dairy products, juices, coffees and teas. You can get a discount on fruits and veggies by placing a standing weekly order for a mixed basket of seasonal items, or just order a la carte if you prefer.

Ottawa Organics tries to source produce locally whenever possible, but brings items in from other countries when they’re not available here—for example, you can still buy blueberries in winter, but they may come from Argentina. In August, they’ll come from Ontario or Quebec.

If you like the idea of a standing order for fruits and veggies, you can fill out a preference form online to let the company know which items you’ll never want, sometimes want, or often want, so they can tailor your baskets accordingly.

Orders must be placed by Tuesday at 4 pm for delivery that week. If you can’t be home to receive your delivery, no problem—leave a cooler out front, and they’ll transfer your items into it. The cooler will keep perishables safe in summer and protect them from freezing in winter, at least for a while. They will also deliver to your office if that’s more convenient, or you can drop by their warehouse and pick up your order there. Minimum orders are $25.

Of course, Ottawa Organics is not a one-stop solution for all of your grocery shopping needs, since they don’t sell meats. But never fear—we have you covered on that front too. While you’re ordering the rest of your food from Ottawa Organics, place your meat order with Aubin Farm or Upper Canada Heritage Meat.

Aubin Farm, based in nearby Spencerville, also delivers weekly organic fruit and vegetable baskets during the growing season, but delivers meat and eggs year round. You can order grass-fed beef, lamb or whole chickens. The meat is delivered to your door frozen and ready for your deep freezer. Chickens arrive whole (plucked, cleaned and packaged). Lamb (by the half) and beef (by the quarter or half cow) arrive neatly packaged and labeled in a variety of cuts, such as chops, tenderloin, rib roast, hamburger and stewing cubes.

You can get your pork from Upper Canada Heritage Meat in nearby Prescott. Heritage raises a rare heirloom breed of pig using both traditional and modern farming methods. This pork is free of hormones, steroids, antibiotics, growth stimulants or chemicals of any kind, and since the pigs are raised in open pastures, the farmers don’t ring their noses, dock their tails or clip their teeth. These are happy pigs! Heritage only delivers within a 100-mile radius. You can order a whole or half pig, custom cut and wrapped to suit your preferences (the most cost-effective way to order), or individual cuts by the pound.

None of this food is likely to cook itself, unfortunately—but we think ordering online and waiting at home for delivery may be the next best thing. Bon appétit!

Tested by Patti R., Ottawa