Ooooby Blog

Boy, it’s started getting a little chilly on some days here in Auckland lately! And as much as we may all be longing for warmer nights and sunnier days, unfortunately we don’t control the weather. So we must find other things to comfort and warm us up. A good bowl of soup is one of those things. From a classic tomato soup, to more creative soups like apple & turnip, or cauliflower & brazil nut, there’s so many flavours and combinations to choose from. Here’s 3 pretty good reasons to enjoy a hearty bowl of soup this winter.

Soup is good for the soul

A good bowl of soup not only warms you up, but it’s also good for the soul! Comfort food does not have to be unhealthy food, and when you’re craving something comforting, a tasty bowl of soup will usually do the trick. Research suggests that what makes a food comforting, is that we associate it with feelings of belonging and relationships. For us, soup makes us think of family, making it the ideal comfort food.

Why not up the ante, with some exciting sides and toppings. From grilled cheese toasties, to crispy bacon, fried halloumi and fresh feta. There are so many ways to make your bowl of soup seem more of an occasion. It is also a great way to involve the family. Get them to help with making their favourite soup toppings. We told you we’d warm you up!

A bowl of soup is soup-er nutritious!

Vegetable based soups really help you pack in the extra nutrients, and get a few servings of veg at one meal. It’s also a great way to get your family to eat more veggies, and can help with those fussy eaters, by disguising some of the veg culprits. By being creative with seasonal veggies, you can also help your family get a wide variety of nutrients. We all love a good tomato soup, but be a little more adventurous! Leek, sweet potato and fennel go really well together. How about pumpkin, carrot & ginger? The more veggies, the merrier!

Also, some veggies can actually benefit from a little cooking, which makes important nutrients, like lycopene in tomatoes, more readily available to our bodies. And cooking a soup low and slow, can help to preserve nutrients in the veggies, when compared to pan-frying, which can be more destructive in some cases.

Soup saves you time & money

Soups are not only quick and easy to make (one pot, hello!), but they also tend to be easier on your wallet. Buying veg in bulk can save you money. Making bigger batches of soup means you’ll have leftovers to freeze or take for lunch the next day.

Good for your health, and your soul, we think it’s time to get a pot of soup cooking. Why not try something new and let us know how it goes!?

One of Ooooby’s philosophies is to be conscious of the world around us and the impacts that our choices have. As far as possible we want to make positive, joyful ripples and minimise the negative effects of our actions.

It is always awesome to hear from you and to see what you are doing in your lives to follow the same principals. We certainly love to see how resourceful you are – Whether it is the reuse / repurposing of an Ooooby box for something new or the actions you are taking to bring joy to others around you!

Above is a picture from one of our Oooobies – During lockdown their 8 year old daughter created a musical instrument out of an old Ooooby box! Incredible.

Apparently working from home doesn’t mean that you have to forego the comforts and equipment that you may have at a fancy office as is highlighted by another industrious Oooobster…

And who knew that the Easter Bunny and Ooooby were in cahoots…?

We are in a time of unprecedented change and uncertainty and for most of us, that means increased stress and anxiety. Now more than ever the world needs mindfulness. Mindfulness is a practical, readily available tool to reduce stress and anxiety and supports your mental health. Mindfulness is research-based and easy to practice at home by yourself or with the family (it is suitable to do with your kids). With this 4-week online mindfulness course, developed by Clinical Psychologist Chantal Hofstee, you can equip yourself with effective techniques and strategies to:

– Reduce stress and anxiety
– Protect your mental health
– Process emotions
– Help yourself cope with the changes in the best possible way
– Do something for you in this difficult time

Mindfulness won’t change the facts of what is happening in the world but it can change how you cope with the uncertainty and change and that can make all the difference. The online Mindfulness course teaches you the most useful mindfulness techniques for times of change, uncertainty and stress in a step by step guide made up out of:

• Videos and text
• Questions for personal insights
• Step by step guide to the mindfulness techniques
• Practical tips
• Guided mindfulness exercises soundtracks for your phone
• Optional weekly webinar that covers lockdown related topics and Q&A

After taking the course you will have a toolkit of stress management techniques that will help you navigate these uncertain times in the best way possible.

The course can be found here: https://renewyourmind.thinkific.com ( https://renewyourmind.thinkific.com/courses/mindfulnesscourse ) and through Ooooby you get 40% discount off the normal price by using promo code ooooby40.

Sheesh, what a week!

Here are some key things we’re temporarily doing differently while under lockdown to overcome restrictions and stresses on our supply chain, production systems, infrastructure and teams.

* NON-CUSTOMISABLE : As long and the situation in NZ remains critical, it is next to impossible to provide a high degree of flexibility. There is plenty of food, we just can’t consistently get specific things at specific times in specific quantities from our growers. Update 2/4: Supply is improving and we aim to add back some customisability for orders next week. Stay tuned.

* ONE-OFF ORDERS: Until further notice, you have to subscribe to a box. You can still go in and skip various deliveries and cancel anytime, but subscriptions give us the ability to forecast demand into the future and give our growers enough lead time to get you your food! Our growers are so grateful for this because it removes the uncertainly around how much to plant and how much to harvest.

Auckland & Waikato Only:

We’ve had to simplify our range of boxes , due to unpredictable supply of some things and to focus on getting food on doorsteps in these challenging times…

* VALUE BOXES:  Firstly, these were 70-80% identical to our Organic Boxes, because good value is essential for all boxes. The key differences were:
  – Value Apple and Pear of the Week were from Windmill Orchard in Coatesville (and minimally sprayed). Not organic. Graham of Windmill is over 70 and not available to delivery to us during Alert Level 4.
  – Organic carrots are an incredible 5.6x more expensive in NZ due to limited supply! (Did you know largest organic carrot grower in NZ, Scott Lawson, just sold his farm to a conventional kiwifruit corporation for export? What a loss!). Anyway, we replaced organic carrots in value boxes with conventional ones for this reason.
  – Value boxes had much more repetition because when there was oversupply of something at a great price, we helped our growers move it by going to town on it! (Organic Boxes rarely have the same thing 2 weeks in a row, normally).
  – Value boxes almost never had fancy stuff like fresh herbs in them. The focus was on filling bellies with delicious organic local food.

* TINY BOXES: We need to reduce the number of boxes to make them easier to plan, order, receive, pack, etc. Everyone is eating all their meals at home now anyway, so this was a no-brainer.

We are temporarily putting all Value and Tiny Boxes on hold and asking people to please choose another one.

Please choose another box before Monday at 11:30am, if you haven’t already.

If you have questions, please look at our FAQ that is being updated everyday. Calling and emailing us slows us down and may prevent us from getting you a box. So please don’t unless it’s super critical.

We hope things will return to normal soon and in the meantime trust that you understand that these changes are to serve you the very best we can under these conditions.

Thank you so much the for the heaps of support and encouragement you have sent us over the past week. It keeps us going knowing we are making a difference!!

Humbly,

Your Ooooby Crew

Hello Oooobies,

What does Alert Level 4 mean for Ooooby? 

We ARE classified as an essential service so put your mind at ease. We are continuing and will keep working hard to bring you your wholesome organic goods.

Please keep in mind that:

* We have had a HUGE influx of orders. We CAN cater to this, but we are a small team doing the best we can to keep you all healthy and happy. A number of items are currently out of stock on the site, but we will be we have LOTS more arriving for next week – you all just cleared us out in one swoop this week! We may put reasonable limits to prevent hoarding, so please don’t bulk buy.

* Due to a spike in traffic, our website is a little slow (but not too bad, all considering!). More server resources are being added. Mobile phone networks are also congested, so not all calls are coming through. Everyone is doing their best!

* Please again remember that we are still a small team. We are working really hard to cater to all of your needs and to respond to all of your queries, but there are only so many hours in the day. Please help us by not emailing or phoning us if it’s not SUPER critical. It’s not that we don’t want to chat or help you out, we are just really stretched at the moment.

* Under the Level 4 conditions we will have some operational restrictions, so again please keep this in mind. We will of course do our best to fulfill your orders as placed, but things may take a little longer or there may be a need for us to make decisions related your order on the spot. We may not be able to always communicate this ahead of time and might need to simply make a call. You will always get your full value or will be credited accordingly, if required. 

It is indeed strange and unprecedented times. We are privileged to be able to bring you great produce and play our part in helping New Zealand stay healthy at this time. We take that responsibility very seriously.

It may not seem like a priority right now, but the sun will continue to rise and the birds are still chirping. Don’t let the situation stress you out unnecessarily. At some point in the near future we will be able to look back at this and say “despite the overwhelming odds… tomorrow came”. 

Let’s be considerate, kind and understanding. Please continue to support one another and remember that we are all in this together.

Thanks so much everyone!

You may have noticed a slight crispness to the early mornings…

Autumn is approaching…

With it comes less sun, more rain and it’s the time of year when we are most likely to catch something.

Why not start now and give your immune system a boost!

One of the lovely suppliers to Ooooby Christchurch, Cornelia from KoruKai Herb Farm, has written up a piece with advice, and here are the main points summarised for you:

Eat a varied, colourful diet

Include a wide range of fresh fruit and vegetables that are organically grown, nutrient-rich, seasonal and pesticide-free (oh look – just like those supplied by Ooooby!!)

Eat the rainbow! Add colour and therefore a wide range of nutrients and antioxidants to your diet. Include fermented foods in order to nourish and replenish your gut microbiome. Remember 70% of your immune system resides in your gut.

Get plenty of sleep and eat less in the evening.

While we sleep our body recovers and melatonin is released. It is not just a sleep hormone, it is also an immune priming hormone. So if you don’t get enough sleep your entire immune system is dysfunctional. Avoid having your main meal of the day before bedtime so your body can concentrate on detox processes in the body and not on digesting food.

Reduce stress

As hard as it may sound in our busy world, do take some time for yourself. Enjoy a walk in nature, at the beach and by a river. Spend time with loved ones – nothing better than a meal enjoyed with family and friends around a table filled with laughter.

Herbs and Herbal Remedies for Immune and Lung Support

One of Cornelia’s most valued herbs is elderberries and it is used in all of KoruKai’s immune support remedies. Elderberries have a role to play in the health and integrity of our mucous membrane barriers. They have been used for winter ills and chills for centuries.

Collect easily accessible and wild herbs like thyme, hyssop and plantain; they make a fabulous tea.

So whatever your plan of action, remember that eating a wide variety of fresh, seasonal, organic produce will aid your body in the quest to remain healthy. The food we eat is the first of the building blocks we use to create a healthy body and immunity. Be conscious of what you use to set that foundation.

And of course remember that food can bring joy. Don’t forget to enjoy the privilege and pleasure of sharing good food with great people – perhaps that is the best elixir for a healthy life!

Buon Appetito!

TAG 2 Produce: Eh????

When it comes to fresh produce, or any food product in general, there need to be standards in place. Some reference, which can be used as a yardstick for comparison and to make it clear to everyone involved what is expected and what they will get.

The “TAG” system is one that was introduced many moons ago, primarily for industry “stakeholders” for the following reasons:

1. Help buyers make informed produce purchases
2. Assist buyers in purchasing the quality of produce to meet their needs
3. Assist suppliers of quality product to be rewarded for their produce

This does however also relate to consumers and us “everyday” Joe and Jill Soaps. We too would like to know what we are getting.

The system is essentially a simple one that segregates produce into different “quality brackets”. These have been established based on pre-set requirements for “good quality products” and most of the criteria used are good and fair. Sadly though, due to years of marketing and now consumer “expectations”, the appearance of a product, rather than the actual nutritional value, or means of growth (organic – free form all the nasties), are not given much weighting at all, so then, what really is true “value or quality”?

• 

TAG standards / Grade Standards:

Currently the 3 TAG standards set for “acceptable” produce that can be taken to market are as follows:

• TAG1 – This is the first grade for top quality produce
• TAG2 – This is the secondary grade for good quality produce
• TAG3 – This is the minimum grade for acceptable quality produce

The different “TAGs” therefore come with a different price too. In our opinion, the actual quality and real value is not given enough weighting, but is this always a bad thing?

Ooooby’s Opinion:

We love TAG2 products! In particular organic TAG2 products. All fruit and veg is beautiful to us, and if it is grown following organic principals and in healthy soil we know it is nutritionally dense too!

The outer appearance of an item is not only what we look at. If a product has had to fight hard to get around a rock in the ground and ends up a little bent or “wobbly”, or perhaps became somewhat blemished during harsh weather conditions, but is still mostly good on the inside, we want it! Some might even say that these products are the overachievers, having overcome hardship to become what they are now. We want to see this produce going to a home and becoming a part of a family meal. Not discarded as waste.

There are also other added benefits of this – because society has decided that these examples of nature’s perfect imperfections are of less “value”, it means that we can source them at a more affordable price and therefore give you better value / more volume in your Ooooby order.

So when you see TAG2 products in your Ooooby box, don’t be alarmed, but rather be excited. You will be getting great organic produce, playing a part in preventing food wastage, and even more bang for your buck!