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Disclaimer: I am not being paid, rewarded or bribed for making the following statements for the Bountiful Baskets Food Co-op.

Recently I began participating in a food co-op called Bountiful Baskets.  It's an on-line co-op, in which for $15 participants receive a large box full of fresh produce, about half veggies, half fruit.  You never know what will be in the box, but you do know it will be nutritious and a really good bargain for $15!

I calculated out what I thought the grocery store value of my first box would have been and came up with about $40 regular price.  However, I rarely buy produce at regular price, so I figured it again if everything has been on a pretty good sale and came up with $25 -- still a very good deal.

Here are two actual content lists (as best I can remember -- I may be leaving something out!) for two baskets I've received:

Basket #1

two heads of leaf lettuce

five pounds of potatoes

two pounds of carrots

one pint grape tomatoes

one pineapple

five or six apples

five or six pears

two lemons

one bag of grapes

Basket #2

three pounds potatoes

one head leaf lettuce

one eggplant

three avocados

one bunch of cilantro

one pineapple

four Asian pears

five or six oranges

two pomegranates

one large white onion

Besides the basic baskets there are extras available each week -- 20 pounds of oranges for $12, a five-loaf variety pack of breads for $10, a "harvest pack" including pumpkins, corn, gourds, etc, for instance.

The only thing I've discovered that would make these not a good deal is if a lot of the produce goes to waste, either a) because it's too much produce to eat before it goes bad, or b) because you don't like or know what to do with it.

Thanks to being "given" foods we don't often (ever -- eggplant?!?) have on hand, I've discovered that lettuce, cilantro and pomegranate make a fabulous salad, frozen pineapple is delicious in an orange julius, and even Wade doesn't mind a cracker dip made from eggplant.

Orders must be placed during a certain timeframe early in the week (usually Monday and/or Tuesday) and must be picked up at a designated location at a certain time on Saturday.  Some locations have deliveries every week, some have deliveries every other week.

So if you're interested in lots of fresh produce at a great price and aren't afraid to try a new or unusual food now and then, log on to www.bountifulbaskets.org and give them a try!  Happy eating!