Gleanings from My Bountiful Basket

    There is an organization called "Bountiful Baskets" in which you can get quality fruits and vegetables (and other things) for a very low cost. (You can read all the details on how it works here on their website.) You can participate in this program every other week. I started participating early last fall and found it to be quite good. When it got really cold, however, they stopped doing it because they didn't have an indoor facility. And I also got kind of busy and distracted with wedding and reception stuff. Once all of that calmed down after the first of the year, I looked into again and found that they had moved to an indoor place for the winter. So I started back up again.
    The other day, I was talking to my sister, Miriam, and she was asking what all I get in my basket and was it really cheaper then buying stuff at the store. As I was trying to explain it to her, I told her I would take a photo of my next basket and send it to her. Then this morning, I got the bright idea to just put it on my blog! That way you can all be jealous of me, especially if you don't have access to a Bountiful Basket distribution site. I have to admit, this is only my third basket this year. I have missed one in January, either due to forgetting and missing the deadline, or for the baskets being sold out by the time I got online. (They go really quick here!) I am going to try and stay on top of it, though.

     This is the Conventional Basket that I just picked up this morning.

Cost: $15.00

It contained 1 head of lettuce, 1 bunch of spinach, 2 heads of broccoli, 10 oz. cherry tomatoes, 1 avacado, 3 green peppers, 5 lbs. potatoes, 2 leeks
(I think that's what they are), 1 pineapple, 4 apples, 8 bananas, and 11 cuties.

In addition, I got the Italian Veggie Pack.

Cost: $8.50

It contained 8 oz. mushrooms, 1 eggplant, 1 zucchini, 2 onions, 1 bulb garlic, 2 red peppers, a huge bunch of cilantro or parsley (I'm not sure exactly), and at least 1 bunch each of fresh basil, rosemary, and sage.

The last thing I got was the Tropical Pack.

Cost: $10.00

It had 3 lemons, 3 lines, 1 pineapple, 1 coconut head, a huge bunch of fresh mint (yuck!), 3 mangoes, 3 kiwi, 1 nub of ginger root, and 2 vanilla beans.

   So what am I going to do with all of that? Well, each time I get a basket and it has stuff that I don't normally cook with in it (like the leeks and eggplant), I dig out my trusty Better Homes and Garden's cookbook and look thru it. Jason and I also like to watch the show, "Take Home Chef," and we get some good ideas off of there. If all else fails, I search the internet for recipes. Fortunately this weeks basket contains stuff that I have gotten before, so I already have recipes in mind. (Except for the leeks and mint - anyone want the mint leaves??)

   First of all, most of the fruits will be used to make fruit salad which Jason likes. He will pretty much only eat the Cuties and bananas plain. If I cut up apples, pears (leftover from my last basket), kiwis, etc. and mix them all together, he will eat the other fruit. (The moral of the story is he doesn't like to peel and cut his own fruit.) With the eggplant, zucchini, and pepper, I plan to make Ratatouille. Hopefully I will have some eggplant leftover to make Eggplant Parmigiana. The broccoli and potatoes will just be cooked and served like normal. The pineapples will probably be grilled (there is a recipe we've been waiting to try). The  mangoes will either be made into salsa or maybe a smoothie. The spinach and lettuce are great for salads and sandwiches. And the fresh herbs and mushrooms will be for the spaghetti that I've been wanting to make. I think the only things I really don't have a plan for yet are the leeks, coconut, and ginger root. That might be a Thai dish one day.

   If you have any suggestions or ideas on how to use the stuff from my basket, OR how to preserve it, I'm open to recommendations. I hope you have enjoyed this week's Bountiful Basket!