THEY say most people only carry around 10 recipes in their heads. As a food writer I'd like to think I trump this statistic, but it doesn't stop me from partaking in a daily ritual of recipe browsing. Anyone who has ever seen my kitchen will know I collect cookbooks like some women collect shoes - industriously and tirelessly. You'll find them abandoned throughout the house beside my bed, behind the sofa, under the coffee table.

Thankfully this cookbook obsession came in handy when I was presented with a large sack of organic vegetables recently. I'd agreed to sign up for an organic box scheme for a week to see if it's a lifestyle choice more of us could be making.

Organic food is better for the earth, better for our bodies - especially those of small babies - and, as most organic delivery schemes use local, seasonal produce, they help eradicate a few nasty food miles along the way too. But while admiring these underlying values I'd always imagined a weekly delivery would stifle all spontaneity in the kitchen. What would happen if I craved noodles or pasta but only had sprouts and root vegetables?

Today there are over 24 organic delivery schemes operating around Ireland and most of their customers manage fine by letting someone else have control of their weekly vegetable selection.

Before signing up I was worried about the element of surprise. I also wondered how easy it would be to survive without supplementing the vegetables I'd receive.

Dublin-based Absolutely Organic was happy to provide me with answers, and vegetables. They offer a range of boxes depending on numbers and tastes. After discussing my needs - two hungry adults and a weaning nine-month-old - owner John Healy suggested I try The Ultimate, their largest box containing 11 veg and a 5lb bag of potatoes, which costs Euro32 (including delivery).

When it arrives, I find a sack of mostly Irish produce - cabbage, carrots, spuds, Brussels sprouts, kale and beetroot - alongside beautiful chestnut mushrooms, Dutch onions, Italian broccoli and courgettes and garlic without any stated origin.

A bag of four kinds of fruit was an unexpected bonus.

Now it was time to dive into our cookbooks, plan seven menus around our booty, and hit the supermarket to stock up, without getting so much as a whiff of the fruit and veg aisle.

Thursday Excited by the big bag of dark green kale, I rustle up colcannon to serve with some salmon fillets. There's much discussion over whether kale or cabbage should be used in this traditional dish (apparently cal ceann fhionn translates as white-headed cabbage) but everyone agrees you need floury spuds. Unfortunately, I have no idea what variety my organic spuds are until I cook them. Turns out they're firm and waxy. Not really ideal for colcannon, but we manage fine.

Friday My delight at the chestnut mushrooms isn't shared by a husband who can't abide fungus in any form. (Sometimes I treat myself and smuggle them into the house like contraband. ) For lunch on Friday I saut� half of them with garlic and butter. Served over crusty bread they're delicious. For dinner that night we dip into our beetroot stash. Using half, I try something new - a beetroot and roast garlic risotto. It's sweet and earthy with red wine replacing the white we'd usually use. A hearty Friday night supper.

Saturday We're going out for dinner tonight so Brendan prepares a large pot of soup for lunch.

The spicy carrot and orange is a favourite and allows him to incorporate some of the oranges from our fruit bag.

Baby Cal is treated to some carrot pur�e and the surplus is frozen in ice cube trays for future baby meals.

Sunday Given the abundance of winter vegetables, a roast chicken seems like a smart centrepiece for Sunday lunch. Alongside the bird, Brendan roasts garlic cloves, parboils and saut�s our sprouts with pancetta and steams the potatoes and broccoli. The little sprouts are especially tender, although there's over half of them still left over.

Monday The waxy spuds work perfectly in a warm salad of smoked mackerel and beetroot. I boil the beets, then peel them, trying hard not to stain my hands; the chopping board is the biggest casualty. After making a robust dressing of oil, vinegar and horseradish sauce I ferret out a bag of salad greens from the bottom of the fridge. I know this is cheating, but this salad simply requires an extra dimension. Everything is tossed in the dressing and sprinkled with walnuts to produce a tasty, nutritious supper.

Tuesday The restrictions of box life are evident when we attempt prawn noodles. This weekday staple is a favourite because it's quick, tasty and healthy. But with no bok choy, bean sprouts or peppers on hand we add cabbage (finely shredded), courgette, carrots and broccoli spears to a base of ginger, chill and garlic. Plump prawns, wheat noodles, coriander leaves and a splash of sesame oil finish off a dish that is more successful than expected.

Wednesday It's the last day in our organic week and there's nothing but a motley mix of vegetables left. We hadn't envisioned this scenario properly, and though we'd planned an omelette for tonight we don't have a whole lot of choice of fillings. Beetroot and kale tortilla anyone? In the end we make a courgette omelette adding onion, bacon and smoked Gubbeen cheese. Despite being tasty it's not filling enough for dinner and we load up on bread to replace the side salad we'd have liked.

In the real world, my next organic box is due tomorrow and the fridge still holds a handful of mushrooms, half a courgette, a couple of small beets, a pile of sprouts and half a bag of kale. Though I can use up some of these items this is the waste I feared a box scheme might generate.

Admittedly I took an ambitiously large box to help with my research. In hindsight the Pure Glas, which includes items like spinach, lemons and green peppers, may have better suited our needs.

Since taking the challenge I've learned that Absolutely Organic emails customers every Monday to advise what will be coming in their next delivery. For an extra Euro1.50 you can change two-three items in any box and customers can also supply them with a reject list ensuring they never receive anything they won't eat. Each delivery includes a recipe leaflet to help cooks get creative.

Along with discovering the pleasures of beetroot and garlic risotto I've realised that box schemes offer lots of flexibility, allow you change your box preference from week to week and allow you supplement and substitute as you wish. Suddenly the idea of someone else doing my veg shopping seems a whole lot more appealing.

Maybe it's time to think inside the box?

Absolutely Organics www. absolutelyorganic. ie, Telephone 01 4600 467. For a list of local Irish box schemes see Organic & Green Guide to Ireland, Euro12. For more information log on to www. organicgreenguide. com