Bountiful Baskets

In the past 4 months, I've been trying to eat more fruits and veggies. I've always liked them, but I hardly buy them at the store unless they're frozen or canned. Then, last week while visiting family, I heard about Bountiful Baskets. Bountiful Baskets is a volunteer food co-op that distributes produce baskets, organic produce baskets, breads, and other items every other week. There are quite a few states that participate in this program. It helps the participants receive healthy food items in a cost-effective way. The conventional fruits and veggies basket is $15, while the certified organic is $10 more. There are many add-ons featured each week, such as artisan breads, veggie theme packs (Mexican, Asian, etc), tortillas, bulk fruits, or granola. The produce is local if possible, and regional when local is not available.

Now, I was immediately drawn to the idea, especially when I heard that the baskets come with a lot of items. The next day at noon (the local contribution time), I went online, set up an account, and ordered my first basket. Since it was my first time, there was an additional $3 charge to buy more baskets. I also added a 28 oz bag of tropical granola that was offered. I eagerly waited till I could pick it up on Saturday. I know, I'm a dork. I couldn't wait to see what my order contained! Apparently, fruits and veggies become über exciting when you don't know exactly what you'll get. :)

Saturday came, in all it's rainy glory. I drove 15 minutes to my pickup site and stood in line. It was a good thing I had my backpack in my car because I had forgotten to bring a reusable bag to cart home my goodies. When I finally got up to the front of the line, they pulled aside two small laundry baskets full of produce. I assumed it would just be one! I quickly sorted through my produce and tried to fit it all in my bag. There was so much, I had to carry some in my hands. I believe I was giggling on my way to the car, because, once again, I'm a dork. Here's the rundown of what I received in my $15 basket...

2 heads of cabbage
1 bag of romaine hearts
1 lb of carrots
1 stalk of celery
1 box of mushrooms
3 large cucumbers
1 bag of large red grapes
2 mangoes

6 nectarines

1 package of blueberries

3 oranges

Try buying all of that for $15 at the grocery store. Pretty sure you can't! Now, I had never had cabbage so I wasn't sure what to do with it at first. I decided I would take this opportunity to use some new veggies in different dishes than what we normally eat! Not sure if I'll like the mangoes. I'm not a fan of mango flavor, but who knows? Oh, on the granola: my husband ate about a quarter of the bag in one sitting. I guess granola will become one of our regular add ons!

I was very pleased with this program. I find it to be a wonderful way to try new fruits, veggies, and artisan items that I normally wouldn't buy at the store. Check out the website to see if there is a Bountiful Baskets Food Co-op in your area!!

Munch on, friends :)