I belong to a produce co-op called
Bountiful Baskets. You order a basket early in the week and pick it up on Saturday at the pickup location in your town (if you're lucky enough for them to come to your town). It's half fruit and half veggies, and I love it. Everything is so fresh and yummy. The co-op changes things up every week, so you never know what you're going to get. It's fun to watch the kids anticipate what we're going to get each time. We loved the mangos and honeydews, the blueberries, the corn and the pineapple (ok, we love it all, but somethings aren't what I normally would buy in the store)! Every once in a while there's something that my kids have never tried before, and that makes it fun. You can also order extras, like awesome 9-grain bread... So, this last week... for $15 (+a $1.50 handling fee) I got: 3 lbs. of apples, 9 huge bananas, 10 tomatoes, 8 peaches, romaine lettuce, 2 cucumbers, 1 lb. baby carrots, 4 avacados, 4 oranges, 1 lb. strawberries, blackberries, 2 summer squash, and 2 COCONUTS!
The kids were so excited about the coconuts (I guess we got an extra one). I drilled a hole in one and we drank the coconut water (is that what it's called? It seems like coconut milk is from squeezing the meat. Is that right? Anyone know?). Anyway... we cracked it open and started eating the meat. Only Nathan and I seem to like it, and it will take us a long time to eat all of one coconut (it takes forever to chew, but YUM!). So what do I do with the other one? Anyone have a good recipe to that uses fresh coconut? I've thought about making a coconut bra (that maybe will fit when I'm done nursing), but other than that... Any ideas would be helpful, as I'm not one to let things go to waste.
Check out this
link to see if Bountiful Baskets is available in your area. I love it.
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5 comments:
Ooooh, I wished we had that option. Bountiful Baskets sounds awesome! I can't believe you got all that fresh food for $16.50!
When we went to Jamaica, the locals would peel the coconut shell and then "flake" (big flakes, like peeling with a knife) and then bake it and have it around to snack on.
My families favorite coconut recipes are Pina Coladas and Sticky Rice with Mango. Both are in my cookbook. Did you ever get that?
Here's a website that tells you how to make the coconut into coconut milk need for the Sticky Rice (http://homecooking.about.com/od/fruitrecipes/r/blfruit18.htm)
and then another for Coconut cream needed for the Pina Coladas (http://homecooking.about.com/od/fruitrecipes/r/blfruit18.htm)
If you need the recipes, let me know.
Dixie, I have your cookbook, and love it. I'll have to try out those recipes. Thanks for the ideas! Bummer there's no Bountiful Baskets in CO!
I should have mentioned that the co-op is all run by volunteers. When you participate in the co-op, they ask that you volunteer once in a while when you can.
Another example of what we got one week: 8 bananas, 3 lbs. apples, celery, spinach, 2 bundles of swiss chard, 5 lbs. new red potatoes, romaine, 6 tomatoes, 2 honeydews, 1 pineapple, blackberries, and 1 lb. baby carrots. It's amazing. The down side is, that sometimes we have to wait in line a while (when the truck is late...) Other sites run a little more smoothly than mine.
Only one thing comes to mind... "That's not a horse, your just banging two halves of a coconut together."
That does sound awesome! I will have to look it up.
That's awesome! You can grate the coconut and let it dry, then you've got unsweetened coconut to use in whatever you want! Macaroons are yummy! :-)
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