Irv & Shelly’s Fresh Picks

I have ordered from Fresh Picks for a few years, so it’s about time I finally sat down to write a review! An incredible assortment of produce & fruit — which can be ordered either in pre-​determined boxes or you can select your own individual produce items. You can also order meat, farm fresh eggs, dairy (great cheeses), bakery and pre-​made meals. Not your average CSA box — more like a farmer’s market at your doorstep. Love. It!

Outstanding company! The produce and quality would save our country from dieing of many medical problems. We need for them to expand across the country!!!

I’ve been ordering from Fresh Picks for years. The produce is always fresh and picked with care. Customer service is the best, they are always pleasant and will do their best best to fulfill requests. For example, I needed to order fresh fruit after the weekly order deadline and my order was accepted and delivered in time for my mom’s surgery. Very customer focused. I trust the quality and know they take care in selecting vendors.

Everything about this company is wonderful. I order fresh groceries for my grandmother through their weekly delivery option. My family and I are so pleased with their service and produce. Rose has helped me on numerous occasions to ensure that the delivery drivers will be able to get my grandmother exactly what she needs, without having to leave her condo. I would recommend their services to anyone! Thank you for the excellent customer service!

I’ve been receiving Irv & Shelly deliveries bi-​weekly or weekly for the last 7 years, which in and of itself is a huge sign of approval. Currently, we get the mini fruit and veg box bi-​weekly, and will go to weekly in about June until about November. Why? Well, as others have said, you get a lot of the same stuff which is compounded in the winter months (I have never eaten so many turnips). Once June/​July hits the bounty is amazing, the variety quadruples (or more) and there’s more veggies one can consume raw vs roasting.
As others have indicated, you can let them know if you don’t want a particular food — for me: Collards, Eggplant, Chard, & Squash (EXCEPT pumpkin & zucchini are OK). Be aware you will likely get some veggies you’ve never seen before — which has been great for both fun (looking up what to do with them) and health. I will say you won’t get something as exotic as durian, or perhaps some of the more obscure pickling or stewing veggies you might see at an indian market, but they will still throw you for a loop if you’ve never dealt with, say, Japanese black radishes, delicata squash, or garlic scapes.
This is NOT a CSA, and that’s exactly why I love them. The veg comes from multiple sources, so there’s distinct advantages. Namely:
–More variety — they source from multiple farms, not just one so there’s more kinds of veg and fruit (and note that there IS fruit, lots of CSAs only offer veg)
–Organic — many CSAs aren’t organic. I actually am not a stickler for organic, as I still buy things like mangos, bananas, limes, lemons, at local produce markets or Costco, but I do like supporting organic farmers.
–You can get delivery in the WINTER!
–They deliver to your home, not to a central location
–You can stop or start anytime!
Give it a try! It’s not a full season commitment and you’ll add some variety, taste, and excitement to your meals!

Totally love Irv & Shelly’s! They were recommended to me by a former coworker who had started receiving their products after the birth of her baby. She wanted to make more homemade food, so finding a CSA seemed like a logical choice. I have also wanted to make more fresh, healthy, homemade food but didn’t know where to begin, especially since I often buy vegetables from the store only to throw them out because I’ve bought too much or something I don’t really like. I really wanted a CSA box because I figured it would push me to encounter veggies and fruits I don’t normally consider and to make new recipes with what I receive each week.
This has happened… and then some. I am really, really happy with my Fresh Picks weekly delivery. Compared with other CSAs, Fresh Picks offers a way larger selection of produce and fruit boxes as well as fresh dairy and meat prodcuts. Most other CSAs don’t offer choice and just require a buy-​in to a certain shared amount of a crop, but Fresh Picks really offers so much choice that you can create custom boxes, mix and match products, and add on to your box delivery each week if you’d like.
The prices are very reasonable and comparable to other CSAs that don’t offer as much choice. The products are all local and always organic, which is comparable to every other CSA in the area. I pay about $ 25 each week for my «mini fruit and veggie» box, which is enough for two people who don’t eat that many fruits and veggies. The regular fruit and veggie box actually says it feeds two people per week, but I find that I just won’t make that much so quickly after arrival. I get free delivery because I have my box delivered on the one day per week that they come to my zip code. You could pay a few bucks extra, though, to have it delivered whenever it’s convenient for you, which is awesome.
Their website offers a lot of explanation on mixing and matching, what boxes contain, what to expect each week with delivery, etc. AND recipes for the foods that you’ve received. Some of the veggies have been a bit exotic (in fact, some things I’ve never heard of) and wonderful to incorporate into new recipes.
I highly recommend going to their website, browsing what they have and giving the service a try. Even with a delivery cost, the prices are comparable to CSAs or shopping in local produce and grocery stores for fresh food. The delivery is obviously very convenient and everything is always incredibly fresh when it’s delivered. I’ve never had a problem with something being old or starting to rot when I received it — in fact, the greens and other produce are all so fresh that they’re super green, crisp, and excellent smelling.

Really love this service. I was introduced to Irv & Shelly’s via Groupon a couple years ago. I think it was late fall at the time, and I wound up with a lot of unusual veggies that were too much for just the two of us, so I shared with my parents. Admittedly, I then didn’t use them for a year and a half. But last week, I got an e-​mail advertising peaches so I went back to their site and was reminded what I had been missing! There is so much local produce to choose from in the summer! What other Unilocalers are saying is true– for obvious reasons, the bounty time is summer. We got amazing, GMO-​free sweet corn last week, as well as bok choi, apricots, cilantro, green beans, blueberries and peaches. The peaches were just superb! The drivers are very nice and everything is packaged as if you just went to the farmer’s market. They do their best to offer organics and of course, some offerings can’t be local. But I’m highly recommending them to people like my parents, who don’t have a Whole Foods nearby. As they continue to expand, they provide a great service to city dwellers and the farmers they work with. It’s important to me to give business to as many local places as possible and I appreciate Irv & Shelly’s helping me to do that.

A friend referred me to Irv & Shelly’s a few years ago and I have been getting biweekly deliveries from them for most of that time. I will definitely say they keep expanding and getting even better! They have added options and tons of new items from really great places. I always get the boxes that are an assortment of what they have in season that week. Excuse me for being long-​winded, but I love this service so let’s break it down–
Affordable — I would say their organics are even cheaper than if you bought the same assortment at a farmers’ market, but it still comes from hardworking local farmers, which is awesome!
Convenient — I love that I just come home and have a box of veggies waiting for me, twice a month. And I don’t even have to put a ton of thought and time into deciding what to choose out of what’s in season right now.
Fresh — 95% of what I have ever gotten from them has been perfectly fresh and delicious. When working with organics, I realize it would be hard not to occassionally receive something that’s not perfect or have something go bad a lot faster than I thought. But it’s never been anything that I was mad about. I accept that as part of the territory
Impeccable Customer Service — I remember a couple years ago, my credit card info was compromised and I had to close it out, wait for a new one and I forgot to update my Fresh Picks billing info. They gave me a call about a month later and asked if they could update my info for me — but they had kept bringing me my deliveries the entire time! Obviously I owed them and they couldn’t have been nicer about it, too, and you know most places would have immediately cut off the delivery or even acted like I was trying to pull something over on them when I honestly just forgot. The reps and drivers have always been great when I’ve interacted with them
The only thing I get kind of down about is at times with the variety boxes, you get the same things a lot, but that’s not really their fault either given that they probably have a limited amount of types of veggies to offer, especially in the winter. For months in the midwest you are really only going to have carrots and maybe kale and random others. I’m also not very picky — I will eat almost all veggies. If you’re not open to eating anything then you probably want to set your own order. Because you will get to try almost everything under the sun if you stick to the variety boxes. They send everything!
Now the nice thing is if there are things you don’t care for, you can list them in your «exclusions» and if that’s what’s in the box this week they will replace it with something else. Just this week, fennel was in the mix (my veggie nemesis) and they kindly threw in some cucumbers instead. They even put a note about it on my invoice. I loved it!
Bottomline, try FreshPicks! You will wish you did a long time ago

I wish I would have discovered Fresh Picks earlier in my life. This is the best investment in eating healthy and on a budget for someone living solo. My journey started when I was dissatisfied with the produce at my local grocery stores. Things were not fresh, variety was slim and I found myself eating the same veggies and fruits over and over.
I posted on Unilocal Talk, inquiring about CSA’s that others have used and were happy with. After looking into the several suggestions that I was given, Irv & Shelly’s Fresh Picks. The website was the most user-​friendly and I liked that you do not have to commit for an entire season. There is an option for a reoccurring delivery (either every week or every other week) and you can place your deliveries on hold if you are out of town.
I decided to try the single veggie box and added some other goodies for my first order. I anxiously awaited for Saturday to come (the day Fresh Picks delivers to my area). It was like a Produce Christmas!!! The best part is, Fresh Picks posts simple recipes for all the produce that comes in the box. Otherwise I would have not know what to do with Broccoli Raab or Daikon. The amount that comes in the single veggie box is perfect for a week of lunch and dinners. Having other staples on hand such as quinoa or beans or meat helps round out each meal. BTW, all of these things can also be ordered from Fresh Picks.
The Customer Service is outstanding. I had lots of questions before my first order came (how to get into my building if I am not home, can I add to my reoccurring order, how to I place my order on hold) and I always received a prompt and thoughtful response.
My humanitarian side enjoys supporting local farms and knowing where my food comes from. And did I mention the value is fantastic!!! Even with delivery charge, it is much more budget friendly than going to the grocery store for your produce. And everything you receive is in season. Cannot say that about grocery stores.
My life is more complete with Irv and Shelly’s Fresh Picks (:

We have been doing Irv and Shelly’s for four years now, and absolutely love it. The food is great quality and prices are fair, plus you can’t beat the convenience of having someone deliver the heavy-​lifting items to your front door. Great customer service, too.

Freshpicks is like Veggie Christmas!
I started ordering Freshpicks after searching for a CSA and not feeling like I found one that would meet my needs. I wanted to get fruit too, and traditional CSAs usually don’t have fruit, or it’s extra. I can’t say enough good things about Freshpicks.
I love that I come home to my box and it’s like Christmas morning for veggie lovers! The quality of the produce they send is top notch. I have a standing order for a Fruit/​Veg box (full size), which is usually the perfect size for my boyfriend and I. We’re both very active, and vegetarians, so we eat a lot of veggies. It’s also a great size because if there’s a particular recipe I want to make and I need other ingredients, I can pick them up in addition to the box and not be overwhelmed with produce. They pick high-​quality items, and sometimes even things like a potted basil plant! Score! The veg box item that keeps on giving!
I like that they email you the weekend before you’ll get your box letting you know what’s coming. I basically plan all of my meals around the veggies that are on the list. Freshpicks also carries great things that are farmer’s market staples like Mushrooms and sauces from RIver Valley Kitchens, excellent Vallarta Hummus, and they carry some gluten free items and dried beans which are awesome to add on when I need them since they tend to be hard to find. I also get one dozen, farm-​fresh organic, grass-​fed eggs from an Amish farm near Carbondale for cheaper than fancy eggs in stores! Plus, they deliver all year round! In the winter, the produce comes from further away, but they still provide plenty of local produce too. And the way I look at it, with a traditional CSA, I’d still have to buy my organic produce in the winter at the store, and Freshpicks saves me money and time.
And I just can’t speak highly enough of their excellent customer service. Yesterday my box did not get delivered. In a state of despair, I called their number, and within an hour, Shelly called me back to let me know that the gate was locked so the driver couldn’t get in (an oversight by another tenant in the building), but they could deliver it to me the next day if I could ensure he’d get in. No extra charge, no grief because it was an issue on our end. Just excellent, prompt customer service.
Freshpicks is awesome!

Everything I’ve gotten has been really fresh and great.
I wish there were more delivery options though because I am working when they deliver on saturdays, which means they have to leave the box and cooler at my place and I have to store it. Ugh. Otherwise, 5 stars!

I love the produce I received ! I am so happy that I found this service. Great quality for a great price.

I am thrilled to have found this option. The ordering process was very easy, the pricing is fair and the produce quality was perfect! The only criticisms are:
1. The delivery window for my area is only once a week (Saturday) which is a bummer. I’m sure this will change and become more convenient when this service becomes more popular.
2. I wasn’t given a window of time when the delivery would occur on the delivery day. I understand they do leave the delivery even if I’m not home. I may try this next time.
Truly, the conveniences more than outweigh the small inconveniences. Overall, I am so happy I found Fresh Picks! I would recommend anyone try them out!

High quality produce. Extremely good customer service.
You put in your order (recurring or one-​time as you prefer) and they ship consistently great product. I had an issue with the driver leaving a bin (which I didn’t want, because I didn’t want to have to deal with returning it), and the people at Irv & Shelly’s were extremely responsive and even refunded my shipping costs without my asking.

LOVE IT!
* Delivery comes in a cooler (that you leave for them to use for the next week). This is SUPER great because I work long days and have peace of mind knowing that my food will be preserved when I get home.
* Love that in addition to local produce, I can order meat, dairy, bread, oils, etc. I can’t always make it to the farmer’s market, and this allows me to support the same farms that are there.
* I appreciate that I can cancel an order just a couple days in advance of delivery.
* There are different sized boxes — in my CSA that I got before I could only order from 2 sizes, and even the smaller one was too much and I would waste some of it. This also helps keep the box affordable.
* Fun options, including a recipe box (all of the ingredients that you need to use to make the featured recipe) and a lunch box (lunch meats, bread, snacks).

So far so good.
This is my first time ordering from Fresh Picks, so I suppose this review could change over time, but so far I am extremely happy.
My boyfriend and I ordered the $ 18 Single Fresh Picks Box with no embellishments or anything (with delivery and fuel surcharge it comes to just under $ 25).
Our delivery day was set for Thursday (today) and they delivered just as they said, around 11:30am. The delivery guy was very friendly, if a little hard to hear on my intercom, and brought in our order.
For the single box we received: 4 beets, 1 giant bunch of thin chives, 2 huge red peppers, 1 ginormous bunch of kale (I have no idea what to do with so much kale), 1 pint of cherry tomatoes, about 1 lb or so of green beans and 2 medium red onions. Everything looks super fresh, smells great and will last for quite a while it would seem.
I’m excited for the new recipes we’ll be making with all this fresh produce!

My husband and I just relocated to Chicago from San Diego and decided to give Irv & Shelly’s Fresh Picks a try.
I believe this week is our 4^th delivery and so far so good. I started with doing the fruit and vegetable box, however every week I was getting spinach and greens that we just don’t eat and I was throwing a lot of it away. So this week I decided to look and see what they were expecting for delivery and I created my own box. It ended up saving me $ 4 and contains only the items that we will eat but it was more time consuming and that’s the whole reason that I have my delivery in the first place.
I know that there was a comment on here about sourcing food from far away, I actually really appreciate this because I am not a huge fan of winter fruits and vegetables so I really enjoyed getting strawberries and bananas the past couple of weeks!
I did have a couple of items that weren’t really fresh enough for me to eat only one day after delivery and that was sort of disappointing. I have found a couple of other companies that I may try so that I can have a comparison. However, I think that creating my own box will help with some of my issues.
They do provide recipes online and a newsletter, yet I work on a computer all day long I’m usually not in the mood to jump on the computer at home to look them up.

Great concept. Delivery was seamless and friendly.
Here are excerpts from the leaflet included in the fresh picks single box:
«Why Local? Most food is grown on large corporate farms… and travels an average of 1,500 miles to where it is sold, creating significant greenhouse gas emissions along the way. Eating locally grown food means less pollution, healthier, high nutrient food and a fair-​trade, local economy.» The segment of this paragraph omitted discusses the importance of eating organic. «…We supplement our local offerings… in the winter with organic produce from outside the region, always going the least distance possible to get these items.»
The single box sends 7 items. 3 of them were from local Wisconsin farms. Here’s the remaining 4 items, farm name, town and distance from Chicago, IL:
Broccoli– Earthbound (the nation’s largest grower and shipper of organic produce– fills Whole Foods and Jewel) San Juan Bautista, CA. 2,205.2 miles.
Spinach-Nature’s Way, MEXICO (no city given)-1,824.5 miles (to mid MX)
Romaine Lettuce– Bonipak, Santa Maria, CA-2,170.1 miles
Grape Tomatoes– Del Cabo (the same plastic dry pint you find at Whole Foods)-Pescadero, CA. Product of Mexico. 2,177.7 miles+1,826.9 miles from MX to Pescadero.
Distances provided by google maps.

When you tell a writer they can write about anything, absolutely anything, sometimes they get writer’s block. On the same page, I feel like I was getting cooker’s block. The cure? constraints! Tell writer you have to write about a dog, a cat and a serial killer. Give a cook a box of fresh veggies! BAM! So many ideas!
Irv & Shelly’s got me excited about cooking again! I was more adventurous, more willing to try out dishes I had never done before. And the greens were so fresh! nom nom nom. love it!

Fresh Picks is fresh, local, organic, pastured made convenient.
What could be easier? Sign in, select the items you desire, and they’re delivered (weekly). Unlike traditional CSAs, if you don’t like kohrabi or summer squash or beets, you aren’t forced to take them. You select only what you like. You may establish a standing order of your favorite things (those available year round) or choose different items every week.
In season, items that can be sourced locally are sourced locally. Outside our (short) local growing season, Fresh Picks sources organic produce elsewhere. Organic produce, like citrus, that isn’t grown in our region is also available. You’ll really appreciate Fresh Picks in the winter when the farmers markets are closed and the groceries have only sad, pale tomatoes.
Fresh Picks offers much more than produce… local, hormone & antibiotic free beef and pork; local, organic, free-​range chicken; local, grass fed lamb; wild caught, Great Lakes fish; organic dairy products & eggs; organic baked goods; locally produced honey; locally made sauces, preserves, and more!
Some of my favorite items have been: fresh morel mushrooms, River Valley Ranch fresh crimini mushrooms, Food for Thought pear preserves, MInt Creek Farm lamb chorizo, Trader Point Creamery cottage cheese, Prairie Fruit Farm chevre, Heartland Meats ground beef, sauteing greens and always, of course, the seasonal, local produce.
The quality of products is excellent. Everything is so very fresh. Service is excellent too. All the staff I’ve spoken with are helpful and friendly.

I started a standing order with Irv & Shelly’s Fresh Picks in late June 2009 and am still going strong. They are very reliable and affordable. I can’t believe I didn’t Unilocal them yet. My favorite part is finding out that I love vegetables I probably would never have bought on my own at the market. I like that by buying from them that you are supporting LOTS of local organic farms and not just one like buying from a regular CSA, where the cost is prohibitive and limiting to what you get each week.
Thus far my favorite things that I have eaten in restaurants but had never made at home: collard greens, patty pan squash, spaghetti squash, kale, swiss chard, these heirloom cucumbers which I forgot the name of, etc. As a big fan of eating tasty food, I love having new to me vegetables to experiment with.
P. S. The garlic we’ve been getting from them is awesome.