Photo by Bernd Dittrich on Unsplash

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Did you know that the grocery store isn’t the only place to get fresh produce? A growing number of companies, such as Imperfect Foods, Seasonal Roots and Hungry Harvest, will deliver a basket of fresh fruits and vegetables to your house every week.

With these subscription-based services, you can receive fresh-picked local produce — and, in some cases, unique, artisanal products like coffee or cheeses — at your door. There’s no excuse to avoid eating your fruits and vegetables!

Some produce delivery companies, like Imperfect Foods, help prevent food waste by sending “ugly” produce that is of high quality but may not get sold at your nearby grocery store because of its appearance.

And because local produce doesn’t have to travel far, its carbon footprint is smaller than the produce you’ll find at the grocery store.

This recipe from Seasonal Roots incorporates seasonal rutabaga and parsnips into a delicious and satisfying meal.

Beer-Braised Chicken with Rutabaga & Parsnips

Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 4 chicken breasts, skinned and boned
• ½ teaspoon black pepper
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
• ½ rutabaga, peeled and cut into ¾-inch cubes
• 1 tablespoon and 1½ teaspoons unsalted butter
• 4 parsnips, cut into 2-inch pieces
• 1 cup chopped yellow onion
• ¾ teaspoon caraway seeds
• ¾ cup beer, preferably wheat beer (hefeweizen)
• ¾ cup unsalted chicken stock
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 1½ teaspoons fresh tarragon, chopped
• 1½ teaspoons apple cider vinegar
• 3 tablespoons chopped scallion

Directions:

1. Heat oil in large, high-sided skillet over medium-high heat. Sprinkle chicken with pepper and ½ teaspoon salt. Cook chicken until browned on one side, 4 to 5 minutes. Remove from skillet.
2. Add rutabaga and 1 tablespoon of butter to skillet. Cook, stirring often, until caramelized, 5 to 6 minutes. Add parsnips, onion and caraway seeds. Cook, stirring occasionally, until browned, 3 to 4 minutes.
3. Add beer, chicken stock and mustard. Bring to a boil over high heat. Return chicken to skillet and reduce heat to medium-low. Cover and simmer until a thermometer inserted in thickest portion of chicken registers 155 degrees, about 10 minutes.
4. Remove chicken from skillet, cover to keep warm. Continue cooking vegetables uncovered until tender, 20 to 25 minutes. Stir in tarragon, vinegar, scallion, remaining ½ teaspoon salt and remaining 1½ teaspoons butter. Serve and enjoy!

Residents of Northern Virginia and Montgomery County, Maryland, can sign up for Seasonal Roots with an initial fee of $50 and an annual renewal fee of $35. Customizable weekly boxes range in price from $26 to $42; weeks can be skipped if you choose. Learn more at seasonalroots.com.

Hungry Harvest (hungryharvest.net) delivers boxes of produce to Maryland and Washington, D.C., and Imperfect Foods (imperfectfoods.com) serves many D.C., Maryland and Northern Virginia ZIP codes. Weekly fees range from $25 to $45.