Bountiful Baskets

I just heard about this last week, and decided to try it out this week.  Bountiful Baskets is a food co-op where two ladies got together and organized it so that they could make large purchases at wholesale prices, then with the help of a lot of volunteers they distribute it out.  It only costs $15 per basket (+$1.50 handling, and $3.00 first-timer fee), and they have pickup locations all around the state of Utah, and a couple of other states too.  Pickups are always Saturday mornings, so I got my first batch today.  Look how much food we got!

There were bananas, artichokes, tomatoes, broccoli, leaf lettuce, celery, squash, potatoes, apples, mangoes, strawberries, and a little citrus fruit.  All that would have cost a fortune at the store.  They try to get as much local produce as possible, which I love, and they even have an option for organic only if that's what you want (though it costs a bit more). 

There are also add-ons you can get each week.  You can always get bread, and they they rotate in other things as they are available.  This week I could have ordered an entire case of mangoes, an all-natural easter egg dye kit, cookies, granola, and I think there were a few more.  I am looking forward to getting a case of strawberries so that I can make some more jam this year.

All in all I think it is an awesome thing they are doing.  For Utah, you can start ordering Mondays at 1:00.  Each pickup location only has a certain number of slots available, and they fill up fast so order asap if you're going to.  However, there were a lot of locations near my house so I'm sure I could have found something nearby.  Give it a try if you want some great cheap produce at your house!