<p>My son has received several care packages from his friends’ parents (ie: birthday, to congratulate, no reason etc.). They have been mostly cakes and cookies and he has enjoyed all of it. I would like to reciprocate in some way. I can bake, but am not sure that everything would arrive fresh and in one piece. I would rather send something like oranges, and grapefruit from FL, or other healthy food that might be enjoyed during the winter (Jan., Feb. and March). Anyone have any suggestions for companies that really send out the better tasting, fresher fruit or really nice care packages? I ask because I have received gift baskets that were really disappointing, and I am sure not what the purchaser paid for. It does not have to be all fruit. It can be sweets, but I do prefer healthy food since I know that they are eating more than enough junk food.</p>
<p>I have a company to avoid - Balducci’s. Several years ago I sent a large basket of assorted goodies - sausages, cheeses, crackers, etc. - to some family members. We are close enough that they told me that some of the food was moldy (and it was NOT meant to be!) and some was stale. I had a very hard time getting through to anyone to request a refund.</p>
<p>I have heard good things about Harry and David’s - they send fruit baskets - but I haven’t used them myself.</p>
<p>Harry and David’s is always excellent. As for having bakin arrive fresh and in one piece: a friend recently told me she used to send cookies to a soldier friend in Vietnam packed in unbuttered, unsalted popcorn and it worked beautifully.</p>
<p>NYMom, that does not surprise me. We received a basket with old apples in it. It was still edible, but not the kind of fruit that I would want to send, nor would I even buy it on sale in the grocery store.</p>
<p>I want to order from a place that has really delicious fruit so that they will really enjoy it, and want more. I have tasted really sweet grapefruit, or especially good oranges or apples on occasion. That is what I’d like to send. I don’t want the everyday kind of fruit that my kid can find his college cafeteria, and I certainly don’t want to send old, or bruised fruit.</p>
<p>Costco.com has some Harry & David’s plus other companies. Their price includes s&h. Costco guarantees their stuff. If you don’t belong to costo-there is 5% added.</p>
<p>Whenever I get a disappointing gift, I contact the company and let them know-usually get a response, sometimes another product.</p>
<p>lamom, I am a Costco member, and I never even knew about that. I have never used their website. I will look there. I have a BIL who ordered some grapefruit last year that he raved about, but I have not been able to reach him. I am going to try to get the name of that company before ordering anything. I have time, since I want the package to arrive at least a few days after they are back for their next semester. If I find out the name of that company, I will post it.</p>
<p>lamom, I just looked at Costco’s sight. It looks pretty good, and I am going to keep it in mind when we need to get send a package. I don’t they they offer just fruit. My kid does not care for cheeses, and the many other items included, so I think I’d rather order where it is only fruit (a mix would be good). Thank you.</p>
<p>Schmoomcgo, thanks for the popcorn tip. I also read a similar tip on here where a few slices of bread is used.</p>
<p>Check out Friends Ranch in Ojai Ca. and see if they are shipping yet. They don’t do it all year but they have delicious seedless tangerines</p>
<p>mom60, thanks. This is exactly what I am looking for. I just went to their website. They seem to be shipping between January and June, but do not have pricing. I will need to contact them to find out more, or wait for them to update their website.</p>
<p>After hearing my younger S complain in a chat a few weeks ago that his cafeteria always had yechhhy fruit, I signed him up for a mini-sized short-time “fruit of the month club” through Harry & David as a Christmas present. He received the first shipment on Friday: PEARS. He said they were huge, and that they were without question the very best pears he has ever tasted in his life. He could not stop gushing about them. And no, he hasn’t eaten them all yet, although I doubt the rest will last too much longer. :)</p>
<p>The next few months are apples, oranges, grapefruits, and plums. I have no reason to think he’ll be disappointed.</p>
<p>NEmom,
I have been making up my own since son is on a fairly strict diet. Trail mix, dried apricots, pistachios, almonds, beef jerky which is locally made and not the processed junk, special low carb crackers you can only get around here. I haven’t sent fruit.
Harry and David’s is good but I have found that even with four in the family, a whole box of pears is too many.<br>
I live fairly near Ojai and never heard of Friends Ranch. I’ll check it out too.</p>
<p>mootmom, and ebeeee thanks. My son is very fortunate to attend a school that has excellent campus food available (rated #1 of all public Us, and #7 I think for public and private). He also has easy access to a Walmart (has a grocery store in it). I just want to put really good tasting fruit in front of him this winter, and I want to send this to his friends to. He has at least 7 people to share this with (plus anyone else he cares to), so it won’t spoil. ebeeeee, I do agree that we have had fruit spoil in our family of four, which is why I do not buy fruit in bulk at Costco often. He easily has double that number to share with at college. After all, how many pcs. of fruit could one person consume in a week? The thicker skinned fruit will last a bit longer, and he has a fridge. My son has peculiar tastes, so I could not even go with fruit of the month (for example, he does not eat pears). Anyway, I want it to arrive in January and maybe send again for Feb. and March (unless they don’t really appreciate it). I don’t want to make up my own package of the foods unless it is only fruit. He doesn’t need anything else. You should see the food options at his school! My H and I joke that it looks like a catered affair for every meal.</p>
<p>try [Flowers</a>, plants, roses, & gifts. Flower delivery with fewer handlers & better values.](<a href=“http://www.proflowers.com%5DFlowers”>http://www.proflowers.com), they have a sister site that has great food packages for health conscious folks.
Also try [Edible</a> Arrangements® Delicious Fresh Fruit Baskets & Gift Bouquets](<a href=“http://www.ediblearrangements.com%5DEdible”>http://www.ediblearrangements.com) it is awesome!</p>
<p>Access to healthy food is a big issue for me as well. Have you considered contacting a local food co-op/health food store? They might be willing to put together a package for your child and deliver it as well. </p>
<p>I like to support local food growers/producers. You will get fresher product.</p>
<p>In my area, our food co-op is mainly frequented by college students, and the students actually have ownership in the co-op. They work in exchange for deep food discounts. I would bet in such a place that you would find someone willing to deliver your child’s food for a small price.</p>
<p>We also have a natural foods store that is not far from our college, and like I said, I would bet that there is someone willing to deliver. I’ve found that it is just in the nature of people who frequent/work in these places to want to “spread the joy”.</p>
<p>Sometimes there is also a local farm that is open to the public. We have many such “U-Pick” places that also have picked items. Again, you are dealing with a small operation, you may find that one of these farms might be willing to put together such a package for your child.</p>
<p>Whatapain, No I haven’t mainly because he is not in a warm state that has oranges growing in January, and because I would not really know who to contact.</p>
<p>Look up bouquetoffruits.com. I have never used them but someone told me about it last year.
It looks like Ojai is not ready to ship any tangerines yet. I looked up a few of the other farms. I have seen them at the farmers market coming out of the central valley of Ca. So you might do a search.
The seedless tangerines. I think Satsuma’s right now are wonderful. I know my teens love them. Easy to peel no seeds</p>
<p>mom60, thanks, but I won’t send until January anyway since my son returns home next week.</p>
<p>This isn’t as lovely as the fresh fruit you’re all mentioning, but if you just want to toss something yourself into an envelope, quickly, some almonds or pecans, plus dried fruits with advice to steam them moist in their microwave (in soaked wet paper bag) might make a study snack. Find out if roommates have nut allergies first, of course. My kids think dried apricots are wonderful but dried apples no good. They also had never realized that a raisin was really a grape, and a prune is a plum. I noticed they now market prunes as “Dried Plums” on the package.</p>
<p>I might cost out the baskets as recommended but first will ask S if the campus fare is poor. Lately H has been buying the boys $200 designer shirts off ebay for $10-$20 so they’re not neglected for surprising care packages. </p>
<p>I’ve never in my life received a care package from my very loving mom, but my MIL who had 5 boys was big on it, so I’m trying to get the hang of it for my own 3 kids.</p>
<p>paying3…
you have me intrigued with the shirts. What brand(s) do your boys like?</p>
<p>P3T, I am interested in the shirt info too. Also, my parents never sent care packages to me in college either. I know that my son loves getting packages at college, but I am mainly interested in sending this to reciprocate since my son has gotten such lovely care packages from other parents! P3T, we have had dried fruit in nuts in our house as S #1 was growing up, but my son is not one to touch that type of food. He is really fussy. Besides, for that type of stuff, he could just go to Walmart (5 minute walk for him). Thanks for the idea though, bc I might send those types of food when S #2 is in college.</p>