How is it possible to ship food??

"How can you ship food like this"? This is the most popular question that I get!! If I had a dollar for every time I have been asked, I would be on my way to being a rich girl!!! The question after this is always," Why is your shipping so high"?

Well I have decided to answer these questions in detail as they pertain to my Etsy shop A Thyme To Bee Comforted. Please keep in mind, this is how I ship and does not reflect the shipping policies of any of the edible shops that you will find on Etsy.

So to answer the first question: "How can you ship food like this"?

Well to begin with it is all in the packaging and delivery time. I ship priority mail as my standard shipping method which means that your package will arrive on your door step with in 2-3 days. I can also ship overnight, at an additional cost. Priority mail is the most cost effective method for both of us as I use a flat rate box. The benefit of using flat rate boxes is that the shipping cost is based on what you can fit into the box up to 70lbs and does not go off of weight. That is where overnight or express mail get you!! They go by weight and by box size!!

I typically use the Large Flat Rate priority box (measures 12” x 12” x 5-1/2” ), as this gives me the most space to pack your product in. You need to keep in mind that I am not only shipping your product in your box, but also ice packs and dry ice. All of which take up a good amount of space!!

Since I am using a flat rate box, I am limited on space. I do combine orders if you order multiple items. Typically 4 items will fit into one Large box, this is an estimate of course as it is all dependant on what you are ordering. Some products are larger than others and will take up more space. I would only charging shipping on one box, if all the items fit into one box, once they do not fit into one box you of course would incur another shipping charge. Unfortunately Etsy does not let me structure my shipping profile this way. So if you end up buying multiple items don't panic when you see the shipping amount!! Once your order has been packed and shipped out to you, I will refund you the overage in shipping!

Well now you know how the box gets to your door but I know that doesn't explain how the food gets there fresh!! Well it is a combination of things that helps the food get to your door fresh and delish!! For the most part everything that you purchase from me is completely cooked, when it arrives at your door all you will be doing is reheating (reheating instructions are provided). Once I have cooked everything in your order it goes into the freezer to help insure that it arrives at your door cold. The only thing that is not frozen prior to shipping are the fresh salsas , as they only need to be kept cool to keep them fresh. I only offer items that will not lose their taste or texture when frozen.

Next is the packaging, while I use the priority boxes to ship in I alter the interior of them to help keep the food insulated. I use Cool Shield Bubble to insulate the boxes. It provide short term thermal shipping protection for food, plants and pharmaceuticals and is safe to use with food per the FDA. Your order is completely surrounded by the cool shield, from top to bottom!!

The next step is ice packs and dry ice. I put about 3 ice packs at the bottom of your box and on top of them I put about 5lbs of dry ice. This will extend the life of the ice packs by keeping them frozen. You can find out all about shipping with dry ice at ://www.dryiceinfo.com/shipping.htm . In addition to food, pharmaceuticals are also shipped with dry ice! Basically I have made my own cooler to ship your food in!!

This brings us to the final question of "Why is your shipping cost so high"? As you can see I take great care in packaging your orders. My shipping cost is high because not just as simple as put the product in the box and sending it out! Dry ice and the packaging that I use is not inexpensive. Here in AZ dry ice is $1.20 or so a pound. As I mentioned I typically ship with 5lbs so if you do the math on that it is $6 just in dry ice!! Not to mention the ice packs and the lining of the boxes! I want your food to get to you as cold and as quick as possible! Also my food products are more delicate than those of the Bakery shops you will find on Etsy. I ship this way because I want the food to be completely safe when it arrives on your door step!

Keeping this in mind if you know that your mail is slower than most places, shoot me an email and let me know before you order that way I can put in some extra ice packs! Typically with priority mail the packages arrive in 2 days and do not go into the 3rd day.

Well I hope that this little post helps you feel better about ordering for over the net!! If you ever have any questions about the products in either of my stores feel free to convo or email me!!

Hugs!

Angelica

My Birthday!!

Well I am another year older, I celebrated my birthday last Saturday, Nov 1st! No I will not tell you how old I am!! Gee don't you know it's rude to ask a lady her age!! It was another great B day filled with family, friends and of course FOOD!!! It seems no matter what event it is I am the one always cooking (hmmm my B Day and I ended up cooking...waz up with that)! I made some Bruschetta, oh my it was YUMMMY!!! You can't go wrong with bread, mozzarella, tomatoes, and basil!!! I have now added it to my shop!!

The bruschetta was the appetizer, I also made two deep dish lasagnas and a Panzenella salad!! Everyone was out back hovered around the food, waiting for me to give the ok to chow down!! Finally Amy came in and asked me if they could eat (as usual I was still in the kitchen finishing the last minute details). I said "of course that is why all the food is out on the table silly!!"

That is my kitchen and family room!! I am the one in the shorts and the stripes!! Heheheh wouldn't Scotty and Kathy be mad if they new their pics were on line.........hehehhehehe.

The night was finished out back with some Nutella Wantons!! Ohhhh my those were goood!! I also made a raspberry reduction to go with them!! A couple of the party goers gave me the look when they first saw them, but as soon as they took a bite "The Look" went from one of doubt to pure joy!! Hehehhe then they were following me around because I had the tray!!! Since they were such a big hit I have also added them to my Etsy shop!!

Well here is hoping for another great year of fun, laughs, family and friends!!!

The FFF, what is it? Where is it? Why?

There is a new buzz going through my favorite website, Etsy where I am sure a lot of you are sellers or even buyers. Not everyone knows about it yet, but there is a wave being started that you will definitely want to ride.

What is Etsy for those of you that may have never heard of it? Well it is only the most unique place to purchase quality handmade items. What's unique about it you may ask? Well there is such a large diversity of products on this site that you will be amazed. For those of you that think handmade items are questionable, well you are sadly mistaken!! I have never seen such an array of talented individuals all located on one site that produce such high quality items. Some even will rival your typical name brands. I have seen jewelry that could be featured at Tiffanie's, purses that could be in Coach, and food that could be on the Food Network.

All this being said brings me to the focus of this blog, The FFF. The FFF is the Friday Food Fest that is hosted by Team Eeat. It occurs twice a month on the First and Third Friday of the month in a chat room on Etsy that has been started by Team Eeat. What is the FFF, well it is a chat room where you can come and chat with the members of Team Eeat and those that are in love with food.

In addition to the great chat, Team Eeat members typically run sales in their shops to honor the FFF. So if you have not yet had a chance to partake in any of the delectable desserts or delish dishes on Etsy the FFF is defiantly the time to take the plunge. In addition to Team Eeat giving great sales, other Sellers have started participating in the idea of the FFF. They also may offer discounts on items in their shops and sponsor their own giveaways!!

At the FFF there are several games sponsored by the members of Team Eat where you have the chance to win various prizes, from gift certs to actual food!! It is a great place to be if you are going to be online on a Friday night! Make sure that you do your calistenics with your fingers before you log on and get your speed readers shined, because the chat moves like lightning with a lot of laughs and fun!!!

I suggest you peruse the sales at the Team Eeat blog before you enter chat, you can do this by visiting the Team Eeat blog at: http://etsyedibleartsteam.blogspot.com/. That way you have an idea of who is having what sale and from whom you may want to win a prize from!! There are sooo many different members on the Team that I really do suggest doing this, otherwise you may feel overwhelmed in chat by each tasty treat that is presented.......or tempted...heheeh....

I really suggest visiting the FFF in the next couple of months as the holidays draw near, you may find yourself not having enough time for making that dish that you need to take to the holiday party, or to the pot luck. Or surprise!!! The family has decided to come down for the holidays and now you need to cook a meal for 12 hungry and judgemental family members (yes we all have one of those in our families). Give yourself the gift of time and sanity let the VERY talented members of Team Eeat grace your tables with inventive, creative and scrumptious food! Heheheh you can even take the credit for it, no one will no that you didn't make it!!

So lets break it down, the next FFF is this Friday, November 7th 8pm est time in the Etsy Chat rooms! Don't forget to visit the blog before coming or peruse this blog for the members that I have featured, http://etsyedibleartsteam.blogspot.com/!! I hope to see you there!!


With Love!

Angelica