Bountiful Basket

One of the best ways for me to stay full and satisfied without adding up the calories is to load up on healthy fruits and vegetables. To keep things from getting boring, I love to have a variety and continue to try new things. It is also important for me not to break the bank as we are on a limited food budget. One of my favorite times of year is the warmer months and one of the reasons I love it is because the farmers markets open up. Such a great way to buy locally grown food at a decent price while supporting small farm/business owners. But what to do in the off season?

Years ago we were introduced to Bountiful Baskets which is a Food Co-Op run by volunteers. We have had different seasons of regularly ordering and then not, but always come back to it. It's a great price for a variety of healthy stuff and they continue to add to what they offer. Besides the regular basket (which is $15 for local, in season, quality produce usually including 6 fruits and 6 vegetables that are used in most households or a $10 upgrade for organic), they always offer extra add-ons as well. Everything from bread to large quantities of one fruit for canning, to holiday packs. It's always fun to see what they are offering and the price never disappoints.

My most favorite thing about this program is that you pick and choose week to week whether or not to purchase. We have done a CSA in the past and you were obligated to weeks or months of ordering and the variety (at least in our particular CSA) was severely lacking. Not to mention that if something came up, you had to find a way to take care of your order. My husband works rotating shifts so I don't always want to drag five kids early in the morning to pick up produce. With Bountiful Basket I can look at our schedule for that week (and how much produce we already have left) and decide to partake or skip it.

Luckily, I have stayed on the email list so even though I hadn't bought for over 2 years, I am still kept in the loop. So when the reminder to order popped up in my inbox two weeks ago I jumped on the opportunity to get back to Bountiful Baskets. And I'm so glad I did. Here's what I got:

This is what a regular size basket looks like - nearly fills our 40 qt cooler. Everything from bananas, heirloom tomatoes, apples, oranges, lettuce, beets, etc. So much for $15! (Cute assistants not included ;) )

This was an add on - the tropical pack with 3 vanilla beans, star fruit, fresh mint, oranges, coconut, pineapple, mango and a plantain. We all tried star fruit for the first time and loved it!

Tortilla pack - each pack has 10 ENORMOUS tortillas. The flavors are sundried tomato, spinach. chipotle with herbs, and chipotle.

This was a Easter pack - more heirloom potatoes, radishes, potatoes, celery, rosemary, asparagus, pineapple, garlic, and carrots.

All in all I think we spent a little over $50. And we are still eating through all of this. I am freezing some of it for smoothies and cooking up a storm with all of the variety. Love it! I highly encourage you to check out the website and see if this is available in your area. You won't be disappointed!

*This is not an endorsed review. I truly love and participate in Bountiful Baskets and am sharing my personal experience. I get to reimbursement for this post.*