Healthy cooking is sometimes difficult for some people and finding the fresh ingredients to make those meals is sometimes even harder, especially during Michigan winters.

Two Highland women are hoping to help change that problem with a new business that delivers pails full of fresh fruit and vegetables to your doorstep.

Started last October by Nicole Converse and Melissa Tabalno, Veggie Pails was created to bring “convenience and variety” to people’s homes on a weekly basis by offering three different sized pails filled with fresh ingredients, according to Tabalno. 

Originally the idea began with ingredients from local farmer’s markets, but during the winter months, the two women have been bringing in produce from out of state, which has been a challenge, according to Tabalno.

“When the Michigan farms start filling up again, that is what our service will include,” she said. 

Customers however can always expect their pails to be filled with four or five kinds of vegetables, three or four kinds of fruit and one or two specialty items. Tabalno says their customers will never know exactly what they will get.

“We decide what we put in there every week, so it’s kind of a surprise every week,” Tabalno said. “If we put anything weird in there we will definitely include a recipe so people know what to do with it.”

Tabalno says that her clients get excited over the “surprise” factor of finding out what is in their pail and enjoy trying new recipes.

“Sometimes they don’t like it (recipe), but it gives them some variety,” she said. “I think sometimes people get so bored when they go to the grocery store, they don’t want to try new things …it’s just easier to grab the things they’re most familiar with.”

Including recipes with an unusual fruit or vegetable helps introduce their clients to new possibilities, according to Tabalno, and a knowledge that will help them in future when trying to make healthy decisions.

Veggie Pails delivers to a 30-mile radius with a delivery charge of $3 and currently serves Oakland County but is hoping to expand into other areas.

Delivery fees are waived for drop-offs for large groups. Customers also have the option of choosing from two pick-up locations in Highland or Novi.

The three size pail options include:

• Junior- $16
• Small- $22
• Regular- $27

For more information or to place your order, check out the Veggie Pails website or Facebook page.