Today was the order day for Bountiful Baskets in my state so I decided I'd share some pics from last weeks order and describe the process for those interested.
Basically, BB is a group of volunteers who work together to get their fruits and veggies at a discount. Because the produce is purchased in bulk, they only pay what the grocery store pays...meaning that if you buy the conventional basket (where the fruits and veggies are not organically grown but conventionally grown) you would pay $15 for approximately $50 worth. Amazing savings right? On the organic side of things, you would pay $25 for approximately $50 worth. Still amazing. Organic produce for 1/2 off what I'd pay in the store. Sign me up. There are also some brilliant packages that you can buy along with your basket, that change weekly.
Because BB is not a money making venture, it relies on it's volunteers to get their hands a little dirty. Here's a quick run down on exactly how it works:
STEP 1: Go to the website (linked to above) and place/pay for your order on your assigned day.
STEP 2: Print out your receipt and stick it in your purse, pocket, man-purse, whathaveyou, so that it is on hand on Saturday, when you'll be picking up your basket.
STEP 3: If you choose to volunteer, (which you should...seriously...not that hard...just do it...) then get your sorry butt up at the crack of dawn to go to the delivery site on the following Saturday. Await further instructions which, in a nutshell, are comprised of setting out the baskets, unloading the truck, distributing the food into the appropriate basket pair (one side gets veggies, one side gets fruit...each pair of baskets equals one BB), and thawing your frozen fingers from having just dealt with all those crazy leeks packed in ice. Oh, and have great conversations with like-minded people while you work. This is what the organic line of baskets looked like last weekend. We had 48 basket pairs on our side and 48 basket pairs on the conventional side. Yes, we were sold out. In fact, the organic baskets were sold out in 20 minutes when they went on sale, because again, this is an amazing deal. Here's some pics of the basket parade:
Pictured below you can see the long line of customers waiting patiently to be able to check in (using their receipts) and pick up their food. Another advantage of volunteering is that there are always extras once the baskets have been filled. Guess who gets to take some extras home with them? That's right...and if you know me at all...you know I loves me some extras. So I guess that brings me to:
STEP 4: Pick up your basket and any additional package you ordered. Bring your reusable bag along as the lovely white laundry baskets pictured are not included in the purchase price. Go home happy with tasty produce in your car and mo' money in your pocket!
So, pictured below is what we got: The organic basket for $25 which included asparagus, a ginormous fennel bulb, oranges, apples, bananas, mangoes, tomatoes, strawberries, cucumbers, shallots, a bag of yams and lettuce. For volunteering I got an extra bunch of asparagus, and another bag of oranges. We also ordered their Honey Whole Wheat bread, 5 loaves for $10 and a case of organic mangoes (20ct) for $8.50. (Truth be told, I gave my bag of yams to the site coordinator so she could make baby food out of them for her baby. I hate yams...don't care how good they are for me...bleah.)
Currently, BB is only available in NV, UT, ID and AZ. I can't imagine that there isn't something like this in your area though and if there isn't, I challenge you to start one up! If two mamas can get together and start this up with no prior business knowledge or grocery store contacts...anyone can! This is an amazing service that is being provided to us in these hard economic times and I am extremely grateful for it.
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