MANILA, Philippines – It was the golden rule growing up: Eat your vegetables. Finish your fruits. Did we listen to our parents then? Most likely… or maybe. What about now? Hopefully!

But hey, mom was right: To be at our best, we mustn’t forget our daily dose of fresh fruits and vegetables. Even if it’s just an apple before lunch, a scoop of broccoli added to your dinner plate, or a fresh fruit smoothie for dessert, adding more of the good stuff to your daily diet is always a win. As much as we’d like to bulk buy at the palengke or make a quick grocery run, time, distance, availability, and traffic aren’t always on our side  – steep supermarket prices included.

Luckily, the digital world is keeping up.

Sprouting here and there are online gulay shops that offer an easy way to shop for fresh veggies, fruits, herbs, and other local goods from the comfort of your own home, at reasonable prices. Doorstep delivery is even guaranteed in just a few days! 

Here are 5 online gulay shops to check out the next time your pantry’s running low on the good stuff:

The Murang Gulay Shop

This Facebook page is exactly what it is – a murang gulay (mura in Filipino means cheap) shop selling highland and lowland vegetables, fruits, and spices in bulk.

Sourced from various farms around Benguet, Pangasinan, and Viscaya, Murang Gulay’s list of fresh produce ranges from mixed greens, beetroots, cauliflower, zucchini, and kamote, to Baguio lemons, honeydew, and seedless grapes. Some are sold by the piece, per 1/2 kg, or per 1 kg.

Murang Gulay regularly posts an updated menu of harvest (depending on the availability) with the expected delivery date, along with any promo bundles.

Orders can be made on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, with delivery days on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays from 2pm onwards. Payment is on a cash on delivery basis, which also includes a delivery fee based on your location.

Just hit them up on The Murang Gulay Shop Facebook page to place your orders! They’re fairly responsive and easy to transact with.

Session Groceries

Named after Baguio City’s well-known Session Road, this handy retail app lets you order fresh Baguio produce sourced from different northern farms in just a few smartphone taps.

Aside from veggies and fruits (strawberries and passion fruit, anyone?), Session Groceries also carries mindoro rice, veggie chips, nuts, coffee beans, flower bouquets, condiments (spicy tuba vinegar), potted herbs (rosemary, peppermint, tarragon), black/white beans, monggo, turmeric, ube taro, and handmade Itogon rags and potholders.

Cut-off days and expected delivery dates are indicated on their Facebook page every week. Session Groceries can deliver to the NCR area, Laguna, Rizal, Cavite, Pampanga, and Bulacan with a fee. Payment can be done via online transfer or deposit after ordering through the app. Just send over your proof of payment to Session Groceries’ Facebook page afterwards! 

Goolai

Originally located at the Greenhills, San Juan area, Goolai’s mission is to spread the goodness of “goolai” through their homemade salads and dressings, delivered cool and fresh to you, any day of the week.

Sourced from their own integrated farm where waste, leftover, and bi-products are used as natural fertilizers and farm food, Goolai’s Agri-Growers Multi-Purpose Cooperative ensures clean and chemical-free produce.

Customers can order fresh salads in advance on the Goolai’s website‘s monthly calendar. Each day indicates a different set of salads, which you can choose from. 

For example, December 12 features 3 special Goolai dressings: strawberry, honey mustard, and blueberry, each with their own set of salad toppings. Serving size, price, and calorie count are also stated.

December 13, however, will feature a set of different salads. Order one, or order all! Payment can be done upon delivery, through credit/debit cards, or via PayPal.

SunReese Organics

Which organic goodies would you want delivered to your doorstep this week? Check out SunReese Organics’ Facebook page every Wednesday for their Harvest of the Week menu of fresh fruits, veggies, herbs, and vegan meats.

What to expect: Sweet potatoes, Japanese cucumber, alugbati, spinach, romaine, wansoy, parsley, alfalfa sprouts, kale, saba, strawberries. Vegans can also enjoy frozen vegan bbq sticks (4 for P150) and gluten-free veggie isaw (10 for P180).

Ready-to-eat vegan tapa is available for P190 at 200g and P450 for 500g. Other deli products include Sukang Irok vinaigrette (P125), organic atsara (P120), and pineaple chili sauce (P145). Keep an eye out for surprise vegan delights, like their weekly vegan dinuguan and sardinas!

Payment options: BPI, BDO, LBC, Palawan Express, or cash on delivery through Lalamove with an added P50 for delivery. Sundays are usually delivery days for the NCR area and select areas in Rizal, Cavite, Laguna, and Bulacan. BTW: If your purchase is worth P2000 and above, your NCR delivery is free! You can order through SunReese Organics’ Facebook page.

Fresh Produce

With this shop, you get what you came for: fresh produce.

Fresh Produce guarantees next-day delivery from 6 am to 3 pm for orders made before 7pm, Mondays through Saturdays.

According to their website, their fresh veggies and fruits are harvested at the peak of their freshness and then delivered right away via their refrigerated delivery truck, which keeps your produce nice and cool.

Here you can get fruits like kiwi, apples of different kinds (fuji, granny smith, gala, washington), oranges (kiat kiat, navel), mangoes (green and yellow), banana (lacatan, saba, cavendish), pears (fragrant, honey), seedless grapes (crimson, green), and even imported blueberries. 

On their veggies and herbs list are banana heart, chili leaves, peeled garlic, Chinese gabi taro, lemongrass, pandan leaf, mustard leaves, cherry tomatoes, and many others. Miscellaneous goods include brown and white eggs of different sizes, brown sugar, rice by the sack (jasmine, dinurado, and sinandomeng).

Orders can be made via Fresh Produce’s website and can be paid for via cash on delivery, bank deposit, credit card, or PayPal. – Rappler.com

Read more:

• LIST: Grocery delivery options in Metro Manila