Bountiful Baskets!

Are you looking for a way to access fresh, nutritious and delicious produce without breaking your wallet? Then you should check out Bountiful Baskets!! It is a grass roots, all volunteer, no contracts, no catch co-operative where you purchase fresh fruits and veggies every other week. You an incredible selection of fantastic produce, at a fraction of the cost of a grocery store!

Here is some information from their website:

“BBFC is a group of people who work together for mutual benefit. This is a grassroots, all volunteer, no contracts, no catch co-operative. Since there are no employees at Bountiful Baskets, we as a group pay rock bottom prices on your food. This also means the co-op would not happen without volunteers. If you are interested in the co-op continuing, please volunteer occasionally. All it takes is a little time, energy and a smile. Volunteer opportunities include helping prepare the baskets, breaking down boxes, assisting with the distribution, and packing up. To help out, simply arrive an hour early dressed and ready to work with water to drink.”

Interested in participating? Here is how it works:

Every other week on a certain day (depending on your state), you get online to “contribute” to your city’s food co-op. The regular basket is $15, organic basket is $25. They also have wonderful add-ons at low prices, including fresh granola, organic bread, and coconut and olive oil. Each week the baskets and the optional add-ons are different. Their options are based on the freshest, seasonal products!
A few days later (again depending on your state), you pick up your basket full of produce from a designated location
Enjoy your bountiful basket of produce!!

I have been participating in Bountiful Baskets for about 4 months now, and am always so eager to see what the week’s bounty has in store for me! Do you remember getting grab bags of mixed toys in school, and anticipating the surprise of what was in the bag? This is a healthy, adult version of it!! You never know what is going to be in your basket until you pick it up!

There are several different options to contribute to (buy).

Here are some examples:

Regular basket ($15) or organic basket ($25)
Fruit or veggie add-on (usually $8.50-$12.50)
Granola ($10)
5 loaves of mixed breads ($10-$12)
5 loaves of sourdough bread ($10)
Other misc options, depending on the season

You can elect to buy as few or many bundles as you want! A few months ago I was able to purchase a half-gallon of organic coconut o il for a mere $20.50! What a steal!!

If you’re interested in seeing what a basket looks like, here are some of the ones I have purchased:

(you can see my daughter trying to swipe some bananas…)

Check bountifulbaskets.org to see if your community participates! If not, you could be the person to launch it for your neighbors!! It is such a great program. I love getting exposed to different fruits and vegetables that I would normally not purchase at the store. Today I received some chipotle peppers that smelled absolutely divine. It inspired me to make a cheesy chipotle potato soup that was one of the best soups I have ever made. Get the recipe at eat, live, run.