I love the smell of fresh fruit and vegetables, and it keeps getting easier to find producers who will deliver a box of them straight to the house. I suspect the pandemic accelerated this, and it is wonderful.

I have been looking for fruit and veg box deliveries for my own home, and if I am looking, I imagine you might be too.

So here is a list of some of the producers and box schemes I have come across, in case you are thinking of taking up the habit. I have not tried half of them, obviously. But there is a good chance you will find something that works for you, because the suggestions run from the north of the country to the south.

Boxes across the country

Prove

Prove is a project made up of more than 100 producers from various regions of the country. The boxes are put together mainly with families in mind (households cooking one meal a day at home), and contain only seasonal, locally grown produce.

Delivery:
There are collection points across the country and home delivery in some areas, including Lisbon, Porto, Braga and the Algarve.

What is in it:
A range of seasonal fruit and vegetables. When you order, you say which products you would rather not receive.

Boxes and prices:
A 5–7 kg box costs somewhere between €8 and €12, depending on the area and the size.

Fruta Feia

Fruta Feia (“ugly fruit”), is a cooperative set up to fight the waste of all the “ugly” produce that supermarkets reject for failing to meet their beauty standards. As their slogan has it: “beautiful people eat ugly fruit”. Working with producers around the country, they build boxes out of what would otherwise have been thrown away.

Delivery:
Several collection points around Porto and Lisbon, where customers pick their boxes up.

What is in it:
“Ugly” fruit and vegetables.

Boxes and prices:
A small basket of 3–4 kg with 7 varieties costs around €3.50. A large one of 6–8 kg with 8 varieties costs around €7.

Reforma Agrária

Reforma Agrária is a marketplace connecting farmers with local customers. The platform lets you buy agri-food products directly from producers, entirely online, with no middleman.

Delivery:
Several options, depending on what each producer offers.

What is in it:
A wide range of agri-food products.

Boxes and prices:
Since it is a marketplace, the boxes and prices vary from producer to producer.

Bio em Casa

Bio em Casa is a farm in the north of Portugal, in Barcelos (very close to my own home), with a mission to get healthy organic food to as many families as possible. Most of what goes in the boxes is grown on the farm itself, which is certified for organic agricultural production. That means the boxes are made up fresh and to order, Wednesday to Saturday.

Delivery:
Several areas of the country, including Viana do Castelo, Braga, Porto and Lisbon.

What is in it:
Fruit and vegetables, herbs, root vegetables, mushrooms, and a range of grocery items such as bread and olive oil, all organic.

Boxes and prices:
A wide choice of boxes in different sizes and kinds, from €13 for a box of berries up to €30 for a custom box of up to 15 items.

Maria do Pomar

Maria do Pomar delivers boxes of seasonal fruit and vegetables from Portuguese and international producers, with home delivery within 24 hours.

Delivery:
Nationwide within 24 hours on working days. Delivery is free on orders over €24.50.

What is in it:
Boxes of different sizes and kinds, with fruit and vegetables. They also carry water, eggs, olive oil, honey and 100% natural juices (all in PET packaging).

Boxes and prices:
Alongside the ready-made boxes, you can build your own to taste, much as you would at the grocer’s, but online. Worth noting: if you are in Porto or Lisbon, you can return the boxes to be reused.

Microgreens

Microgreens is unlike everything else on this list, because it does not do boxes. What they specialise in is growing microgreens and edible flowers under cover. As they explain on their site, microgreens “are the first growth stage of every edible plant; they look different from the mature plant, taste more intense, and can carry up to 40 times the concentration of nutrients”.

Everything is sold in the pot, so you can cut what you need and always have it fresh. Their aim is to deliver high-quality produce from their own growing, meeting the standards of the hospitality, restaurant and cake design markets.

Delivery:
Within 24 hours across mainland Portugal.

What is in it:
Microgreens and mini fruits, hand-picked at peak freshness.

Boxes in the north of Portugal

Horta à Porta

Horta à Porta was one of the first to commit to growing organic produce and delivering it to the door. Everything comes from certified producers in the north and centre of the country.

Delivery:
Fresh produce arrives every week and goes straight out across greater Porto on Wednesdays.

What is in it:
Vegetable boxes, with the option of adding fruit, herbs, meat or honey.

Boxes and prices:
Four box sizes, from €10 to €27.

Bio Habitus

Bio Habitus is an organic produce shop in Vila Nova de Gaia. It started as a hobby and quickly turned into a project growing and selling certified organic vegetables and herbs.

Delivery:
Home delivery in Espinho, Vila Nova de Gaia, Porto, São Mamede de Infesta, Matosinhos and Leça da Palmeira.

What is in it:
Boxes of vegetables, fruit, groceries, bread and even personal care products.

Boxes and prices:
Three kinds of box, from €14.50 up to €20 for a made-to-order one.

Cesta Verde

Cesta Verde lets you order custom baskets of fruit and vegetables that come straight from the grower to your door. The shop is right in the centre of Lavra, in the Porto district.

Delivery:
The municipalities of Matosinhos, Maia and Porto.

What is in it:
Vegetables, fruit, herbs, nuts, spices, seeds, beans, pearl barley, lentils, olives and lupin beans.

Boxes and prices:
One box size at €10, weighing 5–8 kg, with 7–10 varieties of vegetables, 2–4 of fruit and 1–3 of herbs. You can add extras such as nuts or spices.

Casa Milheiro

At Casa Milheiro, in Santa Maria da Feira, you can buy boxes of various fruit and vegetables priced from €10 to €12. For more information or to order, their Instagram is the place to look.

Delivery:
The municipality of Santa Maria da Feira.

Boxes in central Portugal

Da Nossa Fazenda

Da Nossa Fazenda carries three generations of family history, growing and selling fruit and vegetables for many years. They are still at local markets, the Mercado da Malveira among them, one of the best known in the country. In 2009 they took on a new challenge, and the home delivery service, Da Nossa Fazenda, was born.

Delivery:
The municipalities of Mafra, Vila Franca de Xira, Alenquer, Cascais and Arruda dos Vinhos.

What is in it:
Various seasonal vegetables and fruit.

Boxes and prices:
Vegetable-only and fruit-only boxes, as well as combined ones, priced from €11 to €28 depending on weight and number of items.

Boxes in the south of Portugal

Quinta do Arneiro

Quinta do Arneiro was founded in 1967, and the Rocha pear has been its main crop ever since. The estate is known for a good deal more, though, particularly for growing and selling certified organic produce. You can find it in the Mercearia da Quinta, or at their restaurant. On top of that, every week they put together boxes of local, organic fruit, vegetables and herbs.

Delivery:
The municipalities of Cascais, Mafra, Oeiras, Sintra, Almada, Lisbon, Seixal, Amadora, Moita, Alcochete, Palmela, Sesimbra, Setúbal, Barreiro, Montijo, Arruda dos Vinhos, Loures, Odivelas, Sobral de Monte Agraço, Torres Vedras and Vila Franca de Xira.

What is in it:
Vegetables, fruit, herbs and groceries such as butters, juices and pulses.

Boxes and prices:
Three standard sizes or a custom box, priced from €25 to €50 depending on size.

Aromas da Horta

In Montijo, in the Setúbal district, the Aromas da Horta farm started out growing nothing but strawberries. These days they grow a range of organic produce.

Delivery:
Lisbon and the south bank of the Tagus.

What is in it:
Fruit, vegetables and herbs.

Boxes and prices:
Three box sizes each week. The cheapest is €7 and holds 5 kinds of fruit; the most expensive, and the fullest, is €17 and holds a range of fruit and vegetables weighing 10–12 kg.

The Equal Food Co

The Equal Food Co. exists to make use of imperfect and surplus produce from Portuguese farmers. The “surplus” growers cannot sell on account of its “defects” (unusual sizes, shapes and colours), can be sold at below market price, which means savings of up to 40% on your shopping.

Delivery:
Every Wednesday, straight to your address in Lisbon.

What is in it:
Fruit, vegetables and speciality products.

Boxes and prices:
Three kinds of box: two with fruit and vegetables in two sizes (standard and small), and one with fruit alone. The standard box comes in two variants, one with eggs and one vegan (no eggs, double the mushrooms). Boxes weigh 7–11 kg and cost between €17 and €25.

O Chico da Fruta

Chico da Fruta puts a new box up on their Instagram every week with a selection of produce. You can add extras such as sweet potato, passion fruit, eggs or rosemary honey.

Delivery:
Lisbon, Almada, Seixal, Barreiro, Cascais, Oeiras, Sintra, Amadora, Odivelas and Loures.

What is in it:
A selected range: fruit, vegetables, herbs, eggs and honey.

Boxes and prices:
New boxes every week with around 20–25 varieties, weighing 10–13 kg. A flat €21.50.

BioCabaz

The online shop BioCabaz sells a range of organic produce grown with respect for natural cycles. Their aim is to get the best of organic agriculture to every household, as conveniently and as affordably as they can.

Delivery:
Lisbon, Oeiras, Cascais, Amadora, Queluz and Sintra.

What is in it:
A wide range: fruit, vegetables, groceries, dairy, drinks, gluten-free products and more.

Boxes and prices:
Three box sizes each week, priced from €20 to €30.

Buying these boxes means supporting Portuguese and local businesses and growers. It means getting hold of produce often written off as “surplus” or “waste” and giving it a second chance. And it means eating seasonally, and eating better. For me it is unquestionably an alternative to the supermarket. What about you?