Bountiful Baskets: second time around

I recently told you about Bountiful Baskets a produce buying co-op that is in several western states and is growing all the time.  I participated for the second and, sadly, last time since we are moving soon.  I had to share what I got in my basket.

All for a contribution of $15 plus a $1.50 handling fee. Organic baskets are available for $10 more.

My basket contained:

1 head green leaf lettuce
7 ears sweet corn
3 large artichokes
2 green peppers
2 cucumbers
8 onions
13 organic roma tomatoes
3lb bag of pink lady apples.
3 mangoes
1 pineapple
1 canteloupe
1 pint blackberries

I still have some bananas (they came green), a few slices of watermelon, one apple and some potatoes left from last time.  With a family of three, participating once every two weeks is plenty for us. I'm sad I'm moving somewhere they don't have Bountiful Baskets. No, it's not nearly as good as going to the local farmers market, but since the farmers markets here in Utah don't start up until the end of July and are generally finished before the end of September, this works beautifully for the rest of the year.

Bountiful Baskets: save money on produce

A little while ago I learned about this incredible produce co-op program that takes place every week in several Western States. Bountiful Baskets is a volunteer run organization. Members sign into their free, no-contract, accounts on-line early in the week and contribute money to pool together. Bountiful Baskets then buys produce from the same warehouses that grocery stores purchase their produce from. Early on Saturday mornings members arrive at a pick-up site in their communities to pick up their basket of produce. Take a look at the picture below.  This is what I received for my $15 contribution!

What I got in my Bountiful Basket this week!

My basket contained:

two crowns of brocolli
1 head of cauliflower
7 red potatoes
1 cucumber
8 ears of sweet corn
1 bunch of spinach
two containers of strawberries
1 watermelon
1 pineapple
1 bunch of bananas
3 apples
2 grapefruit

My contribution was $15 plus $1.50 in handling charges and a one-time basket fee of $3 since it was my first time participating. If you want organic produce, it is available for a contribution of $25. They also have some options each week of other things to buy like bread, tortillas, oriental produce, a box of peaches, etc.

Sounds good, right? Is there a catch? Well--yes--you don't get to choose what will be in your basket or how much. You get what you get. However, if you look at what I got you'll see that they pick items that most people generally enjoy. Yes, once in a while they will throw in something a little more exotic, but they know from experience what their members usually enjoy and that's mostly what they purchase. You will receive about half fruit and half vegetables. And, if you don't show up in the 20 minute pick-up window you will forfeit your basket--no refunds for no-shows since they already spent your money. You can have someone else pick up your basket if you can't make it or it will be donated.

I tried for several weeks to participate, but all the sites in my area were full. This is getting to be a popular program and it's spreading across the west. They just opened a new site near me so I was able to get in. Each site has a volunteer coordinator and many participants show up an hour early to prepare baskets and help distribute. I arrived on time at 7:30 AM at a local car dealership that allows Bountiful Baskets to use their service area on Saturday mornings and this is what it looked like:

Each person receives TWO of these baskets--one fruit--one veggie

These were mine. You must transfer them to your own basket to take home

You can participate only on the weeks you wish and you can buy more than one basket or share your basket with a friend

This is a great way to get more fruits and veggies in your diet and save money at the same time. My pick up site also just happens to be close to the Great Harvest Bread Company. After I pick up my basket I can swing in there for some fresh baked rolls to enjoy on a Saturday morning!

Sue

Reusable Shopping Bags

My husband did the grocery shopping yesterday. I forgot to send my reusable shopping bags with him. This is what he came home with:

24 plastic grocery bags for only $87.12 worth of groceries. They were floppy and a pain to unpack. I'm used to my strong, roomy, easy to fold and easy to carry totes. My totes can hold three times as much as a double bagged plastic bag. And now I have to remember to take these in to recycle. Regardless of the impact on the environment, these are a pain. I love my reusable totes. They even come in insulated versions:

They are easy to fold and stuff in one bag. Just grab and go. I put them right back in my car when I'm done using them so I'll have them the next time.

He also brought home several plastic produce bags. I like mine better. Aren't they cute? I made them with inexpensive tulle netting and cheap nylon cord. They are strong--I've been using them for a while and they can take even heavy loads. They are washable. They weigh very little. Produce doesn't tend to mold when you store it in these bags since they "breathe." The baggers at the store always want to know where I got them. I made them in different sizes. I gave some away for Christmas.


* Stores are making it easier to use reusable totes and grocery baggers actually like them!
* Most reusable totes cost $1 or less. Insulated versions are often around $2.
* My Whole Foods gives a $.05 discount for every reusable bag.
* My Trader Joes has a drawing every day for a $10 gift card for people who use reusable bags.
* When I lived in Korea, the stores charged about $.05-.10 for every bag they had to provide. Many municipalities in the US are considering doing the same.
* Americans use 84 BILLION plastic bags a year
* DECA reports that the price of plastic bags has gone up 84% in the last few years. That price gets passed on to the customers.
* DECA reports that 20,635,800 plastic bags were used by U.S. military commissary customers worldwide in 2007. If just 10% of those were replaced with reusable bags it would be a savings of $2 million a year. Imagine the savings if, say, Walmart customers used more reusuable bags!