Bountiful Baskets vs. Community Co Op, Side by Side Comparison

Instead of a recipe today, I am doing an experiment.  I have been participating in the Community Co Op here in Utah for several months.   I love our Co Op!

However, friends of mine are heavily involved in Bountiful Baskets and say its an incredible value for the cost.  So I decided to do a side by side comparison.

This week I ordered from the Community Co Op and from Bountiful Baskets.  It made for a hectic morning because pick up times were close together and my daughter had to be at the gym at the same time.  However, I wanted to see for myself which was a better deal, which had better produce, and which seemed to be the most user-friendly.

This week I placed an order with each organization.  With Bountiful Baskets, a first time produce share was $19.50.  At the Community Co Op, I ordered a produce share and 2 loaves of whole wheat bread, for a total of $22.50.  For comparison purposes, I am including only 1 loaf of bread ($3.25) to bring the value of the order to $19.25.  So I paid roughly the same amount for each share of produce. (Note that a Standard Share at the co op normally includes 5 fruits, 5 veggies, PLUS 1 loaf of bread, 2 lbs chicken, 2 lbs ground beef, and 2 lbs bacon for $25.  Bountiful baskets charges less--$16.50--for your second or subsequent shares.This week my order was just a produce share and extra bread to try to make the orders as close to the same price as possible.  )

Here is what I got from the Community Co Op:

And from Bountiful Baskets:

VALUE: At first glance, its clear you are getting more food from Bountiful Baskets.  However, when you consider the value (relative cost and nutritional value) of the types of fruits/veggies included, (ie: blueberries vs brussels sprouts) I believe the value of each share is approximately the same.  Looking at pure volume of food, if you are feeding a large family BB definitely has more bang for your buck. Note that if you buy a Standard Share at the Co Op, the great value on meat and bread I believe makes its a better value over all, but if you are only looking at produce, Bountiful Baskets seems to be the winner.

QUALITY: I felt that the quality of the items included were comparable.  The cauliflower is the exact same cauliflower from each co-op.  All items were fresh, not over-ripe, and unblemished.  Both the Co-Op and BB offer Organic shares (at a higher price) as well.  In the past, the Co Op has included some organically grown items in a standard share as they are available.

CONVENIENCE:  Both Co Ops offer an easy online ordering system, and both require that you order in advance.  However, I like how the Community Co Op sends an email a few days before pick up with exactly which fruits and veggies you will be receiving, which is nice for menu planning.  Pick up at each site was quick and easy, both sides seemed organized and happy to help.  Bountiful Baskets is available every week, the Co Op is only available in my area on the first and third weeks of the month.  Bountiful Baskets sent me 3-4 emails reminding me about pick up and warning about potential changes, but it was harder for me to figure out what the changes were (turns out there weren't any) from the website.

FEES: Bountiful Baskets has a first time fee of $3 to cover the sorting baskets, but if you quit or don't go back you don't get to keep the basket so this is more of a handling charge IMO.  The Co Op asks for a $5 yearly donation, however members can donate extra to help the needy, and if you can't do the donation you can do some extra volunteering instead at the warehouse.

Other thoughts...

• Bountiful Baskets seems to rely more heavily on local volunteers to sort produce and manage the site.  I received a call before pick up asking if I could come down and help unload the truck because the truck was early and volunteers were not there yet.  
• At  the Co-Op, a team site coordinator picks up the food from Salt Lake (no doubt this is a chore for the coordinator!), but it is already apportioned out by share, so only 2-3 people need to be at the site on drop off day to check off deliveries.  With the Co Op, I have signed up to volunteer several times, and when I got to the site, I wasn't needed and had little to do.

• There is no limit to how much you can order from the Co Op, since food orders are made after member share orders are placed.  
• Bountiful baskets limits you to 3 baskets, and at a busy site, you have to compete to get your order placed before they run out of baskets.  

• The Co Op shares come pre-boxed with new cardboard boxes.  This is nice if you need a big box for something else every week, however I always wonder how all the packaging costs are impacting the amount of produce I am getting.  
• BB divides produce into baskets at the site (which are reused), but you bring your own bags/baskets to pick up your order. 

• Both sites offer add ons.  This week at BB, you had the option of ordering bulk tomatoes for canning this week, bread at a phenomenal price, and various other add ons depending on the week.  
• The Co-Op offers local as well as organic meats, cheeses, bread, honey, organic snack foods.  They also detail on their website where foods are being sourced from and make an effort to find finds that are locally produced to support local farms.  In the past, my cheese orders came from a farm not 2 miles from my home!

•  Bountiful Baskets offers add ons like bulk bread, (5 loaves!), and The Co Op offers a standard share that includes meat and bread.  The Co Op also offers a smaller sized share at a reduced cost.

•  The Co Op has market sales in Salt Lake where you can buy more of this week's offerings, as well as farm fresh milk and eggs.  They are open 3 days a week.

So there's my break down!  Check out both Bountiful Baskets and the Community Co Op to see how you can participate in either (or both) of these great organizations!

EDITED:  Since this post, the Community Co Op is now available in my area every week!  

Spotlight on Produce: Pumpkin

Autumn is upon us! As we lead into 3 months of fall weather with Halloween and Thanksgiving just around the corner, plan your festivities around the pumpkin, a healthy, delicious and versatile member of the squash family!

In fact, many of your squash recipes can be substituted interchangeably with pumpkin! For those who are interested in saving money, watch for pumpkins to go on sale, and then serve them up mashed with gravy, cooked into soup, baked with butter & salt & pepper, or candied like yams for a delicious dish high in fiber, potassium, and alpha and beta carotene.

Pumpkins are believed to have originated in North America. Seeds from related plants have been found in Mexico dating back to 7000 to 5500 B.C.

Native American Indians used pumpkin as a staple in their diets centuries before the pilgrims landed. They also dried strips of pumpkin and wove them into mats. Indians would also roast long strips of pumpkin on the open fire and eat them. When white settlers arrived, they saw the pumpkins grown by the Indians and pumpkin soon became a staple in their diets. As today, early settlers used them in a wide variety of recipes from desserts to stews and soups. The origin of pumpkin pie is thought to have occurred when the colonists sliced off the pumpkin top, removed the seeds, and then filled it with milk, spices and honey. The pumpkin was then baked in the hot ashes of a dying fire.

Pumpkins and Halloween
The origin of Halloween dates back at least 3,000 years to the Celtic celebration of Samhain (pronounced "sow-ain"). The festival was held starting at sundown on October 31st and lasted until sundown on November 1st. It was similar to the modern practice of the New Years celebration.

On this magical night, glowing jack-o-lanterns, carved from turnips or gourds, were set on porches and in windows to welcome deceased loved ones, but also to act as protection against malevolent spirits. Burning lumps of coal were used inside as a source of light, later to be replaced by candles.

Samhain was not the name of a "Lord of the Dead", no historical evidence has ever been found to back this up, it was simply the name of the festival and meant "Summer's End". It was believed that the souls of the dead were closest to this world and was the best time to contact them to say good bye or ask for assistance. It was also a celebration of the harvest. It is still treated as such today by those who practice Wicca or other nature based religions. It has absolutely nothing to do with Satan, this inference was a creation of the Christian church.

When European settlers, particularly the Irish, arrived in America they found the native pumpkin to be larger, easier to carve and seemed the perfect choice for jack-o-lanterns. Halloween didn't really catch on big in this country until the late 1800's and has been celebrated in many ways ever since!

Fun Facts About The Pumpkin!

• Pumpkins contain potassium and Vitamin A.

• Pumpkin flowers are edible.

• The largest pumpkin pie ever made was over five feet in diameter and weighed over 350 pounds. It used 80 pounds of cooked pumpkin, 36 pounds of sugar, 12 dozen eggs and took six hours to bake.

• In early colonial times, pumpkins were used as an ingredient for the crust of pies, not the filling.

• Pumpkins were once recommended for removing freckles and curing snake bites.

• The largest pumpkin ever grown weighed 1,140 pounds.

• The Connecticut field variety is the traditional American pumpkin.

• Pumpkins are 90 percent water.

• Eighty percent of the pumpkin supply in the United States is available in October.

• Native Americans flattened strips of pumpkins, dried them and made mats.

• Native Americans called pumpkins "isqoutm squash."

• Native Americans used pumpkin seeds for food and medicine.

Cooking With Pumpkins

Pumpkins can be used to make breads, cookies, cakes, cheesecakes and even main dishes! Soups and stews can be brewed or baked right in a pumpkin shell.

What is your favorite thing to do with pumpkins?

Saving Time & Money: Uses for Stale Bread

As I was looking through the refrigerator tonight, I realized there was a full loaf of bread that isn't fresh-rather, it's actually quite dry. Since trans fat free, high fructose corn syrup free, whole wheat bread is anything but cheap, I started mentally compiling a list of ways to use stale bread, assuming it has not acquired off odors or flavors from being in the fridge or bread box too long. What are some of your favorite ways to use up bread?

Here are some of my favorite ways to use up bread without my meal suffering taste or quality:

Meatloaf
Most meatloaf recipes call for either bread or a grain component, you can omit that in place of a few slices of stale bread. Nearly any meatloaf recipe can be modified to use 2 slices of bread per pound and a half of meat, in place of the bread crumbs or grains called for in the recipe. Or, try soaking a few slices of bread in water until soggy, bread blends well with ground meat. When the bread & meat are well blended, stir in an egg or two, 1/4 cup of milk, tomato sauce & your favorite seasonings.

Meatballs
As with meat loaf, homemade meatballs usually call for bread crumbs or water sodden bread. To turn stale bread into bread crumbs, broil for a few minutes until toasted, flip & broil on the opposite side. Crush & continue with recipe directions. Or if your recipe calls for bread soaked in water, stale bread works as well as fresh, just follow the directions for soaking the bread, and possibly add a tablespoon of extra water.

French Toast
Make your french toast as usual, only soaking in your egg/milk mixture slightly longer until bread is sodden.

Chicken Dinner Casserole and other recipes that call for soft or dry bread crumbs work well with stale bread as well. Try modifying any recipe that calls for dried stuffing mix by adding your favorite herb seasonings or a bit of powdered boullion in place of chicken or turkey flavoring.

Casserole Toppings
Top your favorite casserole with bread crumbs. Simply toast stale bread under your broiler & crush, then spread evenly on top of your casserole. It adds a boost of whole grain, and saves you money as pre-made bread crumbs can be pricey. After you crush your bread crumbs, they can be stored in the freezer until you are ready to use them.

French Onion Soup or other recipes that call for toasted bread can be easily made with stale bread. Just toast your bread in the toaster and follow the recipes.

Of course, if all else fails and the bread is stale beyond use, it may be time to plan a date with your kids to the marina or lake where they can feed the ducks. Bring your camera and enjoy the time with your children. It will be worth the money "wasted" on bread not used up.

Saving Time and Money: Convenience Products

When people think of convenience items with respect to cooking and food, the general consensus is that convenient doesn't equal healthy. A lot of prepackaged foods are loaded with sugar, salt, fat, artificial coloring or additives that cancel out the quick and easy part. Lately though, I've been seeing more and more items in my local grocery store that don't live up to that junky reputation, and I've been experimenting with new foods.

As a mom to two small kids, I'm a big fan of anything that makes preparing meals quick while still maintaining a nutritious final product. While many convenience products cost more, sometimes the added cost is worth the time it saves you. If you watch your sales and use coupons, you can purchase groceries that will shave minutes off your food preparation for little to no extra money. The following list is just a sampling of some products that I love for their convenient nature.

• The Laughing Cow Mini Babybel Cheese: I bought these for the first time for a ten hour car trip and was not disappointed. The cheese is not processed and is wrapped in individual waxed portions, making them perfect for lunches or an on-the-go snack. I bought them on sale and used a coupon, and the final price was exactly the same I would have paid for a block of cheese, which would then need to be sliced and wrapped.
• Perdue Perfect Portions Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts: There's no doubt about it, this item will cost you more than regularly packaged chicken breast, but again, if you wait for a sale and use a coupon, these individually wrapped chicken breasts can cost the same amount of money as meat that needs to be trimmed or separated. They're perfect for small families or single people, and come plain or seasoned with Italian spices, teriyaki flavor, or tomato and basil. They can be frozen, and baked without thawing them. I buy these every once in awhile when I can get the good price, and they come in handy because they can be cooked with very little effort. Toss a salad together and steam some vegetables while the chicken bakes, and dinner is ready in literally 15 minutes.
• Instant Rice: Nutritionally speaking, instant rice is the same as non-instant rice. We eat brown rice, which takes 45 minutes in the microwave if I use the regular version, so being able to have rice quickly is a huge plus for me. If I precook meat in my crockpot, I can throw a stirfry together in ten minutes if I also use instant rice.
• Canned Tomatoes: The store brand is almost always perfectly adequate, and this item is incredibly versatile. Buy the no-salt-added version to reduce the sodium in your diet, and if you are using canned tomatoes, also eliminate any additional salt a recipe calls for. Canned tomatoes can be used in soups, stews, sauces or chilis, in Spanish rice or in toppings for chicken. Buy them preseasoned or with chopped chilis also in the can.
• Bagged Salad: Money-wise, bagged salad will cost about twice as much as fresh lettuce. I never buy bagged lettuce, but I do occasionally buy bagged spinach because it has been vigorously prewashed and contains no grit. If you are pinched for time, bagged lettuce can help save you precious minutes in getting dinner on the table. Look for buy-one-get-one-free sales.
• Kashi Frozen Meals: Let's face it. Even the best of us have days when we just don't feel like cooking, or not enough time to cook a real dinner before rushing off to soccer practice or PTA meetings. Most frozen dinners are seriously lacking in the nutrition department, but I love Kashi's version. They don't contain enough calories for an entire meal, but are easily paired with salad or sliced fruit or baked potatoes or steamed vegetables. Compared to other brands, they are pricey, but you can get coupons for Kashi products through the website, and stock up when they go on sale.
• Birds Eye SteamFresh Frozen Vegetables: I usually steam my veggies in my Pampered Chef Microwave Steamer, but if I'm in a super hurry, I buy these assortments that steam right in the bag in the microwave. It's not worth the extra money to buy the individual vegetables, but my favorite is the Asian Medley, which is exactly right for that ten minute stirfry.

What about you? What treasures have you found in your grocery store that help make cooking dinner easier?

Cooking From Scratch: Marinades

It's grilling season, and marinades are a great way to add flavor and uniqueness to your grilling fare!

There are three key flavors in a good marinade: something sweet, something spicy, and something tart. A good marinade will also have some oil added to lock in the juiciness of your meat. With these in mind you can usually make up a delcious marinade with ingredients in your fridge or cupboards and little preplanning beyond thawing your meat in the morning, tossing it in a bag with your marinade, and grilling it in the afternoon or evening. No recipe needed!

For safety reasons, remember to save some of your marinade out for basting or to serve over your cooked meat-don't reuse the portion you marinated your meat in all day because its a risk factor in food poisoning!

Here are some jumping off points for each of the flavors. Mix and match them to find the marinades your family loves best!

Something Sweet:
7-up
Dr Pepper
Honey
Sugar
French Salad Dressing
Ginger Ale


Something Tart:
Acids are an important part in a marinade. It tenderizes the meat as well as prevents heterocyclic amines from forming. These compounds created from cooking over a flame are cancer causing agents, so an acidic marinade will help prevent these from getting into your food!

Yogurt
Orange Juice
Grape Juice
Cooking Wine
Crushed Pineapple
Tomato
Buttermilk
Mango
Papaya
Fig
Vinegar
Viniagrette Salad Dressings
Apricot


Something Spicy:
A few drops of Tobasco Sauce
Ground Ginger
Minced Onion
Minced Garlic
Cinnamon
Worchestershire Sauce
Soy Sauce


Oil:
I always use Olive Oil when cooking, and my marinades are no exception although you can use any vegetable oil. I skip the oil step if I'm using a salad dressing in my marinade that is not reduced fat.

Making Your Marinade:
After choosing one or two flavors from each category that will complement each other, put your ingredients into a large Ziploc bag. Add thawed meat and place in refrigerator for at least four hours or as long as 12. Marinades with a high acid content will require less time & be aware that marinating too long can make your meat mushy. Marinating longer than 12 hours is not advised because it can contribute to food poisoning. Turn your bag of marinating meat over every couple of hours.

Tips & Tricks:
Slice or pound our your meat so it is thin, this will help the marinade flavors permeate your meat. If you use fruit juice in your marinade, undiluted concentrate works the best. Fruits & vegetables in your marinade should be minced extremely fine, crushed, or pureed for the best result. Be aware of using too much sweet ingredients as they can cause excess smoking on your grill.

The chicken pictured at the top of the screen was marinated with a mixture of BBQ sauce, mustard, lemon juice, fresh garlic, worchestershire sauce, and ground pepper.

Saving Time and Money: Navigating The Grocery Store

Grocery shopping can be a huge drain on your time and on your wallet, especially if you have a large family or if you work outside of the home. Here are some tips that have worked for me, intended to get you out of the store as fast as possible, while spending as little as possible.

1) Prepare ahead of time. This means having a basic idea of what you would like/need to cook in the following days, checking kitchen staples, and making a list. I plan my meals for the week in advance, so I make a simple menu. Then I list items I need to buy, plus things for lunches and other items like baby food or anything we may be running low on, such as milk or bread. Then I check my coupons and pull out any I may be able to use, and peruse the grocery store circulars for the best prices. If you don't get the paper, most chains have the circular available online. I also organize my list by department; all produce items together, all dairy items together, etc, so I spend less time crisscrossing the store for something I forgot. It sounds like a lot of work, but it actually takes very little time and it saves precious moments in the store.

2)Once you get to the store, stick to the list. The best way to do this is to not even go down aisles that don't stock things on your list. Be aware of advertising and impulse purchases. This article on MSN Money lists fifteen ways that stores use advertising to get you to spend more money.

3) If you are shopping with your kids, come prepared with diversions. The store I most frequently shop at has the carts with the ride-in truck attached. They are harder to steer, but my toddler loves them and he has so much fun that shopping for food is much easier. Older kids can hold your list and help cross items off as you get them, and if you have a math-minded child, they can help compare prices. A friend gives her toddler a sheet of stickers from the dollar store and lets her decorate items as she puts them in the cart. When I buy produce, involving my son in deciding what kind of fruits or vegetables to buy not only keeps him occupied, but also makes him more likely to eat it.

4) Avoid shopping on the busiest days or at the busiest time of day. Those days and times will vary depending on where you live, but I have found Saturday mornings and right around 5PM during the week to be the times to avoid. Store hours will also vary, but my favorite store is open until midnight seven days a week. I have found that the store is practically empty if I go when the kids are in bed for the night. I leave them home with my husband and get to shop by myself in relative silence.

5) Keep an eye on prices. Just because an item is on sale doesn't make it the best option. Another brand may be cheaper. Many stores list a price per unit, such as ounces or pounds, so that is one way to compare if the larger package really is the better deal.

6) Consider store brands. While there are some items I am absolutely brand loyal to, such as Sunmaid Raisins or Perdue chicken, I'll try just about anything once. A lot of store brands are comparable to the more expensive brand name product and can save you a lot of money. For example, I will buy Safeway brand bread crumbs and frozen vegetables, but not canned soup or tuna fish.

7) Stock up on staples. At certain times of the year, you can buy certain pantry staples for way below normal price. Baking goods are usually on sale around the holidays and soups are cheaper (and more coupons available) in the winter months. If you have the storage space, buying non-perishable staples for next to nothing will save you a lot of money. Be sure, however, that the item is something that you will use. It does you no good to buy canned beans for better than half price if your family doesn't care for beans. A good option for those very cheap items you just can't pass up is to donate the food to your local food pantry.

8) Consider coupons. Many stores will double or triple coupons. Don't forget that if you buy an item on a 'buy one get one free' sale, you can use two coupons. Check out www.couponmom.com or google 'coupon websites' for more options. You can also visit the website for your favorite brands, many offer printable coupons for the products. If you have babies, sign up for savings programs through Gerber, Enfamil, Similac, or whatever brands you use. Gerber offers coupons for jar foods and Enfamil Family Beginnings provides a few cans of free formula, a free diaper bag, and 75 dollars in coupons for formula. There are websites to trade coupons, websites offering couponing advice, and websites telling you which coupons to use at which grocery store. If you are interested, the possibilities are endless. My local paper offers coupons on the weekends, and a cost of 99 cents per week, the coupons more than pay for the paper. Be sure not to fall prey to buying an item just because you have a coupon. It doesn't save money to buy two of something so you can use the coupon if you only needed one of the item.

9) On warm days, shop for nonperishables first, then food that needs to be refrigerated/frozen to minimize spoiling or thawing.

10) When checking out, group like products together on the belt. Be sure to keep meat separate from your produce. When you get home, putting away your purchases will be easier. I make sure all my perishables are bagged together. Then if my kids are fussy when we get home, all I have to do is grab those bags and put them away. I can give my attention to my kids and leave the rest for later.

11) Buy "family size" packages of items you use a lot of. Ground beef, for example, is often several dollars cheaper per pound if the package is more than three pounds. Separate the meat when you get home into labeled freezer bags and store in the freezer.

12) Beware of extras. Grocery store prices on things like cosmetics, OTC medications, diapers and paper goods are often two to three times higher than at another retailer. I have often tossed a pair of pantyhose or a roll of paper towels into my cart if it was the only non-cooking thing I needed, but if you have a long list of things like this, it may be worth it to go to the other store. It depends heavily on what retailers you have available and how close they are.

Have a tip not listed here? Leave a comment!