$15 Bountiful Baskets v. $10 Food Co-op = Tie!

Well, I finally got around to trying Bountiful Baskets-a western state food co-op where one literally needs to sign up within in the first few minutes to get the prime pick-up locations! They charge $15 for their weekly allotment (you just sign up on the weeks you are interested.) There's an additional $1.50 charge for running your payment through the system. (Bottom line: $16.50 total)

We received 12 Roma tomatoes, 6 ears of corn, 4 artichokes, 3 cucumbers, 3 mangoes, 2 yellow onions, 2 green peppers, 1 3-lb. bag pink lady apples, 1 pkg. blackberries, 1 head of romaine lettuce, 1 pineapple and 1 cantaloupe. The cucumbers and green peppers had to be eaten within the first five days but the rest stayed fresh for at least a couple of weeks and longer (except the blackberries which lasted about 30 minutes. We can never test the freshness of berries because they never last long in our household!)

The people were friendly and helpful. Food Good.


And then there's the long time competitor that we've patronized for years now-the community food co-op where a share is only $10 [no payment charge (ding!) point in their favor!]

We received 1 bunch of 6 bananas, 5 pink lady apples, 4 regular tomatoes, 4 green peppers, 2 cucumbers, 1 bunch of broccoli, 1 bag of coleslaw, and 1 personal sized watermelon. The green peppers, tomatoes, bananas, and coleslaw needed to be used within the first five days. The rest lasted a bit longer.

The people here are also friendly and helpful. Food Good.


Results: A Tie. There was a total of 8 varieties and 19 items from the local co-op for $10.
The newcomer? There was a total of 12 varieties and 37 items from the BB co-op for $16.50.


Checks and balances: about 1/3 of the Bountiful baskets was the 12 Roma tomatoes. Hmmmm....were the tomatoes hogging the item count? But their food lasted longer that the food we usually get from the other co-op. The other co-op seems more and more to be getting food that needs to be used within a week. I have to admit that it was nice to have food that lasted longer from Bountiful baskets but the price is a bit more than the community food co-op.


Verdict: I think we'll actually continue to get food from both and see how it continues to measure up. I am looking to see if the local food co-op will bring back the farmer's market share...that was always tasty and worthwhile because of the two main selling points: a) local and b) organic.

Food Co-op for April

1 head of cauliflower, three zucchini, 1 box grape tomatoes, 1 head romaine lettuce, five oranges, five jonagold apples, 1 cantaloupe, and 2 avocados for produce share $10.

I have to admit that some of the food you have to use more rapidly in the winter-early spring. The oranges had to be eaten the first few days as well as the zucchini, cantaloupe and avocados. The apples and cauliflower are still good a couple of weeks later as is the romaine lettuce. The tomatoes went mushy after a couple of days and we never got to use them. Winter months are just hard for the co-op. It's hit and miss with the way things ripen. Sometimes things last a couple of weeks and other things only last a couple of days before spoiling.

Food Co-op for February 2011

Produce share $10 containing: 1 bag red potatoes, 1 bag onions, 1 bunch broccoli, 1 bag coleslaw, 1 pkg. carrots, 6 golden delicious apples, 5 pears and 6 oranges.

Orders for March are due Friday, March 4th with pick-up on Saturday, March 19th. Find more information at www.foodco-op.net.

Food Co-op January 2011

For $10 we received one bag spinach, one head of cauliflower, a five pound bag of russet potatoes, three tomatoes, five pears, five apples, five tangelos and two zucchini. The tangelos were especially good.

Orders for February are due Friday, February 4th, with the pick-up on Saturday, February 19th. For more information, visit the food co-op site at www.foodco-op.net.

Sept. and Oct. Food Co-op orders

So, yeah, ummm.......I'm just a little behind in posting about the co-op-we did like the food, making things like baked potatoes, potato salad, cabbage rolls, garlic bread and just general snacking.

Farmer's market (all local, raised to organic standards) for September 2010: 1 cabbage, 1 eggplant, 1 cantaloupe, 2 green peppers, 2 onions, two cucumbers, three tomatoes (which were unfortunately frozen), and three garlic bulbs

Produce share for September 2010: bag of grapes, an eggplant, four tomatoes, a couple of green peppers, a bunch of broccoli, a 2 lb. bag of carrots, four peaches, a bag of red potatoes, and one cantaloupe.

Produce share for October 2010 (still only $10!): 1 spaghetti squash, 1 bag onions, 1 bag yukon gold potatoes, 1 head cauliflower, 2 avocados, 5 pears, 5 gala apples, 1 bag baby spinach, and 8 plums.

Order for November 2010 is due by Friday, November 5th (Yes, that's an earlier date because the pick-up date is earlier-on Saturday, November 20th. Find out more information and order at: https://www.foodco-op.net/

Food Co-op August 2010

Farmer's Market Share for $13.50 contained:

• 1 cantaloupe
• 1 eggplant
• 2 heads of garlic
• 2 green peppers
• 3 zucchini squash
• 2 yellow squash
• 3 cucumbers
• 6 ears of corn

Orders for September are due by Friday, September 10th. For more info visit www.foodco-op.net. The Farmer's Market Share is all local and grown to organic standards. (We didn't get the produce share this time but they received: pears, plums, nectarines, corn, green onions, beans, spinach, potatoes and mushrooms.)

Food Co-op July 2010

Farmer's market share-local and organic-$13.50 for about a 1/2 bushel. We received 4 corn, 2 summer squash, 1 red leaf lettuce, 1 bunch green onions, 1 parsley plant, 1 large yellow onion, 3 bulbs of garlic, and a bag of what I think are Italian Flat Beans. (If they are something else please let me know in the comments and I'll make a correction if necessary.)

Produce share-$10-some local. We received six corn, four tomatoes, five peaches, three yellow summer squash, four zucchini, one romaine lettuce, one honeydew melon, and five bananas.

Order by Friday, August 13th for pick-up on Saturday August 28th. Find out more info about the food co-op at www.foodco-op.net It's a great way to support local farmers (at this time of year with the Farmer's Market share) and eat a little healthier at the same time.

Food Co-op May 2010

$10 for six oranges, six Braeburn apples, a five pound bag of red pototatoes, an eight ounce container of Utah mushrooms, two cucumbers, a bunch of broccoli, two green peppers, 1 head of red leaf lettuce, and eight kiwis.

Orders for June are due by Friday June 11th with pick-up on Saturday June 26th. For more information visit www.foodco-op.net

Food Co-op April 2010

Produce share $10: one 5-lb. bag potatoes, five oranges, five pears, one head cabbage, one pkg. grape tomatoes, two avocados, one bunch asparagus and six bananas

For May, order by Friday, May 7th. Order at www.foodco-op.net

Food Co-op March 2010

Produce share was $10 and here's the bounty we received for that ten dollars:
1 bunch broccoli
2 bunches green onions
1 5 lb bag potatoes
1 2 lb bag carrots
1 head red leaf lettuce
1 lb pkg strawberries
1 8 oz pkg Utah mushrooms
9 oranges
9 cameo apples

Order for April is due Friday April 9th with distribution on Saturday April 24th. For more info, visit www.foodco-op.net
For April they are also offering Aptera Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Tilapia fish fillets, and the Nutty Guys sampler for $15 will consist of 1 pound each of dried apple rings, dried mango, raw walnuts and roasted/salted almonds. There are other add -ons and the meat share available to purchase for April's distribution date.

Food Co-op February 2010

There's been a few changes to the food co-op in recent months. One can buy a meat share ($15) or a produce share ($10) or a standard share which is one meat share and one produce share ($24). For February we just bought a produce share (only $10!) with 1 cauliflower, 1 celery, 1 romaine lettuce, 1 box grape tomatoes, 3 avocados, 4 peaches, 5 pears and 6 bananas. For more information on the food co-op, visit www.foodco-op.net The order for next month is due Friday, March 12 with the pick-up on Saturday, March 27. For the month of March they are offering the following add-ons:

• Colosimos's Kielbasa (19.75 oz) for $3.50
• Nutty Guys' Natural Peanut Butter (32 oz) for $4.05
• Nutty Guys' Sampler (4 lbs total) for $13.50 which includes 1 lb bags of the following:
  
  • Roasted and salted Cashews
  • Roasted and salted Sunflower Kernels
  • Deglet Noor Pitted Dates
  • Jordan Almonds (the candy coated ones in Easter colors!)
• Main Street Thick Sliced Bacon (1 lb) for $1.75

So if you've never ordered or it's been awhile, think about ordering from the food co-op and help stretch your budget dollar and enjoy some fresh food at the same time.

Food Co-op November

For more information about the food co-op, visit www.foodco-op.net. Orders for the Saturday, December 19th pick-up are due on Friday December 4th.

Harvest share $14 (Shown below)

• 1 loaf Stoneground artisan wheat bread
• 16 oz. rice

• 7 oranges
• 8 pears
• 6 apples (Utah-grown)
• 1 broccoli
• 3 red bell peppers
• 4 tomatoes
• 1 8oz. mushrooms
• 1 5lb. bag russet potatoes
• 1 bunch asparagus

Standard share $23

• 1 lb. lean ground beef (85/15)
• 2 lbs. chicken drumsticks
• 2 lbs. beef chuck roast
• 1 lb. diced pork cubes

• 1 loaf Stoneground artisan wheat bread
• 16 oz. rice

• 6 oranges
• 5 pears
• 4 apples (Utah-grown)
• 1 broccoli
• 3 red bell peppers
• 4 tomatoes
• 1 8oz. mushrooms
• 1 5lb. bag russet potatoes

Half share $14

• 1 lb. lean ground beef (85/15)
• 2 lbs. chicken drumsticks

• 1 loaf Stoneground artisan wheat bread
• 16 oz. rice

• 5 oranges
• 5 pears
• 4 apples (Utah grown)
• 1 broccoli
• 2 red bell peppers
• 4 tomatoes
• 1 8oz. mushrooms

In other news, we've recently enjoyed sweet and sour meatballs.And tapioca pudding.

October Food co-op

Half share for $14: 1 lb. lean ground beef, 4 4oz. cubed steaks, 1 loaf wheat bread, 16 oz. lentils, 2 avocados, 5 Golden Delicious apples (Utah-grown), 5 pears, 4 bananas, 1 head cabbage, 2 lbs. carrots, 1 eggplant

Farmer's Market Share: Assorted winter squash, onions, potatoes and basil. This is the last of the Farmer's Market share for the season. It's nice to buy local and nice that it's organic. We love squash so this assortment will be enjoyed in the winter months to come.

We could have also gotten a standard or harvest share.

Standard Share for $23:
2 lb. boneless, center-cut pork loin roast, 2 lb. split chicken breast (boneless, skinless), 1 lb. lean ground beef, 4 4oz. cubed steaks, 1 loaf wheat bread, 16 oz. lentils, 2 avocados, 6 Golden Delicious apples (Utah-grown), 6 pears, 5 bananas, 1 head cabbage, 2 lbs. carrots, 1 eggplant, 3 lbs. yellow onions (Utah-grown)

Harvest Share for $14:
1 loaf wheat bread, 16 oz. lentils, 4 avocados, 10 Golden Delicious apples(Utah-grown), 9 pears, 8 bananas, 1 head cabbage, 2 lbs. carrots, 2 eggplants, 3 lbs. yellow onions (Utah-grown), 2 spaghetti squash (Utah-grown)

For more information visit the foodco-op site. The order for November is due Friday, Nov. 6 with food pick-up on Saturday, November 21st.

September Food Co-op

Farmers Market Share: acorn squash, peppers, onions, potatoes, tomatoes, spaghetti squash and a sweet basil plant

Harvest Share: 6 corn, 5 apples, 5 tomatoes, 3 green peppers, 5 pears, 5 peaches, 3 pomegranates, 1 bread, 1 lb. rice, 5 lb. bag of potatoes, 2 acorn squash

Next month's order is due Friday October 9th. For more info, visit www.foodco-op.net

Food Co-op August: Crunchy Nuts and Chewy Fruit

Nutty Guys Share for August: $12 for 1 lb. pistachios, 1 lb. tropical fruit mix, 1 lb. sesame sticks, and 1 lb. deluxe mixed nuts with peanuts

Farmers Market Share for $13.50: 2 cantaloupe, 2 green peppers, 1 bunch green onions, 1 cabbage, 1 parsley plant and 9 red potatoes. All organic and all local.

Standard Share for $23: 2 lb. pkg. chicken drumsticks, 1 lb. lean ground beef, 2 8-oz top sirloin steaks, 1 lb. boneless pork spare ribs, 4 ears of local corn, 5 bananas, 1 head of broccoli, 2 local cucumbers, 1 carton local mushrooms, 4 peaches, 5 plums, 1 bag of spinach, 1 lb. bag pinto beans and 1 loaf of bread.

Orders for September are due by Friday, September 11th with pick-up on Saturday, September 26th. Visit www.foodco-op.net for more information. The co-op is open to anyone and everyone who eats.

July Food Co-op & Food Inc

Food, Inc, rated PG, is a eye-opening film-I was able to see it today at the Broadway theaters. Some critics have said, "If you eat food, you should see this film". I agree.

At the end of the film we are given some pro-active answers on ways we, the consumers, can change the big picture through the mediums in which we purchase and eat food by means of simple steps.

One step is to buy local-as through the food co-op.


Harvest share for $14: 1 5-lb bag potatoes, 1 head cauliflower, 6 locally grown zucchini, 3 locally grown bunches of green onions, 1 locally grown bunch of carrots, 6 pears, 18 apricots, 1 2-lb bag cherries, 1 container cherry tomatoes, 1 loaf Stone Ground Artisan Wheat bread, and 1 16 oz. pkg. rice

Farmer's Market share for $13.50 from East Farms (local and organic): 2 cucumbers, 2 yellow squash, 1 bunch beets, bunch of green onions, bag of red potatoes, 1 plant of Tarragon, and 1 bag of yellow beans

The Half share ($14) was: 1 1-lb pkg. lean ground beef, 1 1-lb pkg lean pork cubes, 1 head cauliflower, 3 locally grown zucchini, 3 locally grown bunches of green onions, 5 pears, 8 apricots, 1 2-lb pkg. cherries, 1 pkg. cherry tomatoes, 1 loaf bread and 1 1-lb. pkg. rice

The Standard share ($23) was: 1 1-lb pkg. lean ground beef, 1 2-lb. pkg. split chicken breasts, 1 3-lb. pkg. beef back ribs 1 5-lb. bag potatoes, 1 head cauliflower, 4 locally grown zucchini, 2 locally grown bunches of green onions, 5 pears, 8 apricots, 1 2-lb pkg. cherries, 1 pkg. cherry tomatoes, 1 loaf bread and 1 1-lb. pkg. rice


Orders for August are due by Friday August 7th with pick-up on Saturday August 22nd. For more info, visit www.foodco-op.net

June Food Co-op Order (Farmer's Market!)

By the way, take the time to at least see the trailer (the first 3 minutes of the film) for the upcoming movie: Food, Inc. which opened June 12, 2009 in limited release. Look for it in your area. (Opening in Utah at the Broadway Centre Cinemas on July 17, 2009.) Food, Inc has also garnered a whopping 96% fresh approval rating on the rotten tomatoes site (as of June27, 2009).




We bought two shares this last month: the half share and the farmer's market share.

First, the half share ($14) contained: 1 1-lb. pkg. sirloin fajita strips, 1 24-oz pkg. boneless pork chops, 1 bunch broccoli, 3 oranges, 1 avocado, 3 peaches, 5 plums, 1 bell pepper, 1 head of Romaine lettuce, 1 loaf bread, 1 16-oz pkg. red beans.


Second, the farmer's market share ($13.50) contained: dill in a container ready to plant, a bunch of beets, a bunch of carrots, a bunch of onions, 2 zucchini, and 2 bags of assorted fresh spring lettuce mixes.
We've had salad tonight, planted the dill in the herb garden and eaten some of the beets. Yum! This is so much better than the mostly tasteless food from the store that's had to travel how many miles? It's local and organic-two great reasons to buy the farmer's market share.

The order for July is due by Friday, July 10th. For more information, visit www.foodco-op.net

We could have also purchased the following:
The Harvest share ($14) included: 1 bunch broccoli, 8 oranges, 1 2-lb. bag carrots, 3 avocados, 8 peaches, 10 plums, 3 bell peppers, 1 head romaine lettuce, 2 eggplants, 1 loaf bread and 1 16-oz pkg. red beans.

The Standard share ($23) consisted of: 1 2-lb. pkg. chicken thighs, 1 1-lb. pkg. top sirloin fajita strips, 1 24 oz. pkg. boneless pork chops, 1 1-lb. pkg. lean ground beef, 1 bunch broccoli, 6 oranges, 1 2-lb. bag carrots, 2 avocados, 6 peaches, 7 plums, 3 bell peppers, 1 head romaine lettuce, 1 loaf bread, and 1 16-oz pkg. red beans.

Food Co-op May

Pictured above is the Harvest Share $14: 1 5 lb. bag white potatoes, 2 cantaloupes, 1 bunch radishes, 6 apples, 4 artichokes, 3 zucchini, 1 bunch asparagus, 8 bananas, 1 carton Utah mushrooms, 1 loaf bread, 1 16 oz. pkg. rice

There was also the half share for $14 with the following: 1 2-lb. pkg. chicken thighs, 1 1-lb. pkg. lean ground beef, 1 cantaloupe, 1 bunch radishes, 5 apples, 3 zucchini, 1 bunch asparagus, 6 bananas, 1 carton Utah mushrooms, 1 loaf bread and 1 16 oz. pkg. rice

Don't forget the standard share for $23 included: 1 2-lb. pkg. chicken thighs, 1 2-lb. pkg. beef chuck roast, 1 2-lb. pkg. country style spare ribs, 11-lb. pkg. lean ground beef, 1 5-lb. bag white potatoes, 1 cantaloupe, 1 bunch radishes, 5 apples, 1 bunch asparagus, 3 zucchini, 6 bananas, 1 carton Utah mushrooms, 1 loaf bread and 1 16 oz. pkg. rice

Orders for the month of June are due by Friday June 12 with pickup on Saturday June 27th. For more information visit www.foodco-op.net. They will be offering honey from Idaho for June and they are also adding the farmer's market share again for June. They get their farmer's market share from East Farms-a local organic farm. The June share last year for 2008 contained lots of different greens, radishes, parsley and cilantro. See the post at: http://cookingandorscience.blogspot.com/2008/06/june-co-op-orders.html
Scroll down past the regular share to see the Farmer's market share.

April Food Co-op and Unbaked Oatmeal Fudge

Unbaked Oatmeal Fudge is what Jessica made for a recent cooking assignment. The recipe is cocoa, sugar, milk, butter, vanilla and quick oats. There are variations with peanut butter or coconut but this variation is the one that we like the best.

Info on the food co-op can be found at www.foodco-op.net. Here's the Standard Food Co-op order for April at a cost of $23 : 1 4-lb. whole roasting chicken, 1 pkg. lean ground beef, 1 pkg. lean pork cubes, 1 pkg. lean Salisbury steaks, 1 1-lb. box strawberries, 7 bananas, 5 oranges, 1 5-lb bag red potatoes, 1 loaf Stone Ground's Artisan Wheat Loaf, 1 16-oz pkg. rice, 1 head broccoli, 3 cucumbers, 1 head of red leaf lettuce and 4 tomatoes. They ran out of tomatoes since we barely squeaked in to get our order this month-I was moving books and got distracted. (Those of you who like reading will relate and know what I mean as one just starts thumbing through the books. I can't just replace them on the new shelf-I feel like I must get reacquainted with each book first before it can go in the new spot. )

Here's the tamales we bought for $5.

The half share was $14 and consisted of: 1 pkg. lean Salisbury steaks, 1 pkg. lean pork cubes, 1 5-lb. bag red potatoes, 4 oranges, 1 head broccoli, 1 head red leaf lettuce, 6 bananas, 4 tomatoes, 1 l-lb box strawberries, 1 loaf Stone Ground's Artisan Wheat Loaf, and 1 pkg. 16-oz rice.

The harvest share was $14 and consisted of: 1 5-lb. bag red potatoes, 8 oranges, 1 head of broccoli, 4 cucumbers, 1 head red leaf lettuce, 1 head cauliflower, 10 bananas, 6 tomatoes, 2 l-lb boxes strawberries, 1 loaf Stone Ground's Artisan Wheat Loaf and 1 16-oz bag rice.

March Food Co-op

Standard share for $23 (Shown Below)
1 pkg. 2/8 oz. top sirloin steaks, 1 pkg. 4/5 oz. pork chops, 1 pkg. 2-lbs. chicken legs/thighs, 1 pkg. 1 lb. lean ground beef, 1 3-lb. bag yellow onions, 6 lemons, 8 Fuji apples, 1 cantaloupe, 3 red bell peppers, 1 head Romaine lettuce, 2 avocados, 6 tomatoes, 1 loaf Stone Ground's Artisan Wheat bread (not shown), and 1 16 oz. bag brown rice


The harvest share was $14 for: 1 3-lb. bag yellow onions, 8 lemons, 9 apples, 1 cantaloupe, 4 red bell peppers, 1 head Romaine lettuce, 3 avocados, 8 tomatoes, 1 bunch asparagus, 1 loaf Stone Ground's Artisan Wheat bread and 1 16 oz. bag rice.

The half share was $14 for: 1 pkg. l lb. lean ground beef, 1 pkg. 4/5 oz pork chops, 5 lemons, 7 apples, 1 cantaloupe, 2 red bell peppers, 1 head Romaine lettuce, 1 avocado, 6 tomatoes, 1 loaf Stone Ground's Artisan Wheat bread and 1 16 oz. bag rice.

The order for April is due by Friday, April 10th with pick-up on Saturday, April 25th. For more information visit www.foodco-op.net. which takes you to the community food co-op of Utah.