Bountiful Baskets

Last week I joined Bountiful Baskets. Its a food co-op where you pay $15 for about 15 pounds of produce plus 15 pounds of vegetables and then go and pick it up from a designated site on Saturday mornings. Its much cheaper than buying produce at the supermarket. Where possible, they buy from local producers and the rest is purchased from regional wholesalers. They deliver to various sites in Utah, Arizona, Texas, Wyoming, Washington, Nevada and Idaho. Twice a month they deliver at my local park.

I arrived at 7am to pick up my produce and was surprised to see the volunteer operation running so smoothly. A friendly neighbor greeted me, had me sign for my goods and pointed me to my basket, where all of my fruit and veg was ready to be loaded into my car. I received lettuce, bok choy, tomatoes, potatoes, red peppers, honeydew melon, apples, red grapes, peaches, blackberries, cucumbers and bananas. I was pleased with the variety of food, convenience of paying online and the ease of local pick up. I also liked being presented with some fruit and veg that generally aren't on my shopping list, forcing me to try new things and search for new recipes. If you're stuck in a food rut or just want to try something new and cheap, check them out.