The making of a veg box

Making a vegetable box is such a simple act. And yet, it has become so profoundly emotional for me.

It makes me think, every week, of the meaning and beauty of this job.

It makes me think of the people I’ve encountered along the way.

It makes me think of the frenzy, skill and excitement involved in harvesting everything needed to make a box.

I have such fond memories of harvest days: waking up early in the morning; watching and hearing friends and volunteers picking veg in the background; the rush to wash, bunch and pack things while having a chat about the most interesting topics.

The first photo is from the the 1st of July. That day, after what had felt like a soul-draining amount of work, the familiar look of those good looking vegetables, and the thought that they would go into somebody’s home - made me dizzy. When I got home, I sat down and teared up.

The second is from October 2023. Autumn veg boxes are always the most beautiful ones: diverse, colourful, tasty. It’s hard to express how much feeling the look of this box arouses in me. There’s everything in there: the planning, the passion, the struggle, the exhaustion, the craft, the intuition, the foolishness, the sharing, the perseverance, the study, the loss, the friendship, the love, the dedication and much much more.

The third photo is from June 2024, one of the most beautiful spring boxes we've made here at OrtoForesta.

This photo is from today. These days I see photos like these everywhere, with a wooden background and vegetables arranged on top. I am happy to see that more farmers are sharing with customers and amongst themselves the beauty and abundance of what they are harvesting. Everybody has their style, and I am very specific about the disposition of the veg on these photos.

Sometimes, lately, I have caught myself being a bit too tired and busy to enjoy the process of making the arrangement and taking the photo. And this realisation has made me sad. It is a reminder that every action is an inner one. There is no point, for me, in doing anything material at all, unless my inner disposition, my inner poise are aligned with it.

The last photo is actually the first veg box photo I have ever made, in Exeter, in 2019.

Over the years I have taken so many photos of so many boxes. Trying to express, with a simple composition, the mood of the harvest, the mood of the season, the inclination of my heart. This simple gesture has become a ritual and a refuge. A weekly reminder of the beauty I have been blessed with.