A bountiful, Beautiful Basket

A friend clued us in to a service in our area that some of you might be interested in. It’s called Bountiful Baskets, and it’s a produce co-op. On Monday, everyone who wants produce that week goes to a website and puts in their money. On Wednesday and Thursday, buyers go to growers and buy produce. And on Saturday, the produce is delivered to a pick up point and divided into baskets by volunteers.

Our pick up point gets fruit and veg every two weeks. We have no say in what we get, but it’s always a comparable, or BETTER, price than the local grocery store. It is a set price, and the produce is as local as possible. For us, in Seattle, that means that our veg usually come from Eastern Washington and our fruit comes from California or Mexico. (Yes, Mexico is far away, but getting fruit here by truck is more “green” than flying it in from Argentina, right?)

This was last week’s haul – sweet potatoes, bananas, pineapple, apples, oranges, kale, broccoli, carrots, strawberries, a cucumber and two mangos. For less than $20.

 

I like it because a) it is forcing me to eat in a more local/in-season way and 2) I know how much fruit and veg I have, and I plan on using it over a two week period. My meals are a lot more produce-centric now, and it’s made meal planning a lot easier.

 

Oh, and bonus? We all found out that we like kale. Who’da thunk?? (It can be cooked just like any Chinese Green, steamed and topped with oyster sauce. It can also be oven roasted until crisp, and the kids gobble it up. Kale chips!)

 

Go here if you would like more information. (If you live in Utah, Arizona or Washington state, chances are there is a pick up point near you. The more popular pick up points have “add-ons”, like cookies, bread or specialty vegetables.)

 

PS – This is just for your information, and I wasn’t compensated in any way. I’ve enjoyed using this service for my family, and like that it is saving us money. We use the money that we saved on produce and put it towards higher quality meats and dairy products to use through the week.

 

PPS – Lo Gung returned from a business trip to Chicago the night before our produce pick up, and brought the kids presents from the Field Museum store. SJ especially likes his new dino glasses. Heh.