Bountiful Baskets

So I heard about a co-op program for fresh, locally grown fruits and vegetables in church about 3 months ago. I didn't try it then, but my mom did with great results. I just bit the bullet and looked it up online at Bountifulbaskets.org and signed up. You must sign up between Monday at around noon until Tuesday at about 10pm. Each basket is only $15 unless you opt for certified organic and that's $25. You show up at the pick up site on Saturday morning. My site was at 7:15. you have 20 minutes to get there or your stuff gets donated to a food shelter.

Driving there, I had no idea what to expect. You don't get to pick out what food you get in your baskets. They strive to give you a variety of what's in season in your area and make it as diverse as possible. Well, they sure did that!

I got there and there was a small basket of fruit and a small basket of vegetables. In the fruit basket was a clam shell of blueberries and one of strawberries, about 6 oranges, a cantaloupe and a bunch of bananas. In the vegetable basket, there was a romaine lettuce, 2 cabbage heads, 6 ears of corn, a bunch of small tomatoes, celery, a whole bunch of peppers (I'm not sure what kind they are yet) and 2 things in plastic that I don't recognize. I found out later that they are chayotes. I'm not sure what to do with them yet, but I will find a way to eat them.


I purchased an additional item online. They had a 1 lb. bag of granola, so I threw that in there. I LOVE granola. And since I am going to be making my own yogurt, it was a good buy for me.

But anyway, this is one way I am going to introduce more fresh fruits and vegetables into my new diet. I really loved the experience and will definitely sign up next week again. You should look it up at bountifulbaskets.org. For the amount of food you get, you end up saving a bunch of money as well as eating better!