 |
| This was one of our first baskets from the new Belle Fourche site. Everything you see here came in the basket except the box of strawberries which were an add on, 8 lbs for $12!! There were approximately 6 types of fruits and 6 types of vegetables & many of each kind as you can see. An incredible deal for $15!! |
A little over a year ago we were introduced to a new concept
called Bountiful Baskets. Some Gillette friends were talking about these
produce “baskets” you could get that were half fruit and half vegetable and for
an additional $10 you could get all organic. They also had “add ons” of breads
and specific bulk items. And these things were selling like mad! These women
were driving 30-40 minutes to get these. Don’t get me wrong, I drive an hour
for my shopping that cannot be obtained at Walmart 15 miles away, but I can
also make a day of it and go when I want and hit many places. These baskets you
have to get online and purchase at NOON on MONDAYS and by 12:07 they are gone.
Then THEY pick the site and the time on SATURDAY for you to go wait in line a
pick it up within 15 minutes, or they give it away- policy!!!! Not to mention
you chance that you like what’s in the basket, because, “You get what you get
and you don’t…..” and I don’t like many vegetables to begin with.
 |
| Kale from a BB (and it was delicious) |
Well, by the time Spring hit, I had seen a few of these
baskets and heard some testimonials of how the produce was better than the
stores by far and near garden quality, the bread was thick and spongy and so
delicious, and the 8lb add on of strawberries was the kicker. I wanted
strawberries!
 |
| 8lbs of strawberries $12 |
So I decided to register with the site once Spearfish and
St. Onge were up and running. The first 4 times I tried to log on I had
something go wrong and the sites were sold out within 5 minutes. We are
talking, the page was slow to load and I had to refresh, SOLD OUT, the computer
froze, I had to restart, SOLD OUT, the site had a glitch and kept saying St.
Onge was in Meade County, refresh, refresh refresh, SOLD OUT. Grrrrrrrrrrr. To
boot, my neighbor who previously had no interest in purchasing one until I did,
kept getting them and rubbing it in my face, but could she help me…..no, she
helped some other friends instead. Grrrrrrrrrr. Then it was soccer season and
with two kids playing opposite times, there was no way to get away and get to a
site on time. Soooooo, finally we got our first basket late spring of 2012 when
I introduced my in-laws to it and my sister-in-law was able to get a couple of
baskets 35 miles from her home in Gillette. She drove down and picked them up
so we could try them out, then brought ours to us before our spring Murder
Mystery Party (neither of us have had to
drive since either).
SO WORTH IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!! CAN NOT SAY ENOUGH HOW WORTH IT
any enduring frustrations are! The bread is all they said it would be, no
matter which variation you purchase, and the loaves are slightly cheaper than
the store! The tomatoes are better than any store and nearly as good as garden
fresh, I don’t eat them, this is coming from world’s toughest kitchen critic
husband and sons. Then the fruit, oh the fruit!!!! TO. DIE.FOR.
 |
| "Lunch Box" Add On |
As for not being able to choose and getting what comes to
you, this is a total PERK in the end, if you ask me. We have tried so many
fruits and vegetables that we would have never tried due to thinking we wouldn’t
like them, or simply do to the cost! When they come in your basket, you use
them or lose them. So you find a way to use them.
Even if you absolutely do not like something that comes in
your basket, or can’t find a way to use it, or it goes bad before you get a
chance to use it, usually the cost has been made up anyway. Here are some
examples of high priced items we have gotten in our $15 basket (keep in mind
you get 50% fruit, 50% vegetable and usually this means around 6 different
kinds of each at a couple items per kind)…
 |
| Spaghetti Squash Stir Fry |
Cherries $4.98 per lb at WalMart last year, we got two lb bags of cherries in our basket
along with countless other fruits and veggies!!
Grapes $3.98 per lb at WalMart off season, we received huge
bags of grapes with pineapples, clamshells of strawberries, peaches and pears
not to mension the peppers and onions and other veggies
Bell Peppers, $1 each multiple times throughout the year at
WalMart, we receive an average of 3-6 per basket
Asparagus, around $4
a bushel at WalMart, we received a bushel in our last basket, some were lucky
enough to get two (after the baskets receive everything off the list, the
volunteers go around with the excess putting one item in each basket repeatedly
until all extras are gone so you end up with a little extra of something each
time as an added bonus).
Pineapple, watermelon, cantaloupe, pumpkins an dsquash which
are around $4 a pop at WalMart we will get a couple of in each basket.
 |
| 5 leaf salad with romain, iceberg, spinach, live butter lettuce & leaks |
So just with these items alone you are making up for the
cost of random less liked things that come with them. Then there’s the fact
that it keeps you eating fresh and healthy and trying new recipes, new things
and keeps your kids trying new things and eating healthier.
 |
| cases with add ons atthe Belle Site |
Lets move on to the add ons. I try to restrict myself to one
add on per order and try to keep the total between $25-30. Sometimes I just
have to get two though. There are always bread choices. There’s usually a
variety pack option (my fav) that includes 3 loaves of 9 grain, a baguette and
a bonus loaf. We have gotten dill, cranberry, cran-pecan and sourdough before.
Then there’s a straight up sourdough, a sweet 9 grain and sometimes other
options. Usually always 5 loaves. The variety pack is $10 and the others range
from $12-14. Then there are tortilla add ons occasionally. I have yet to get
one, but I believe it is 8lbs of tortillas! Some flour, some wheat and some
corn, some jalapeno and some spinach. They also throw in other fun add ons like
granola, almond oil, once there was a sugar cookie kit, sometimes there’s a “lunchbox
add on” with apples and oranges, a “Mexican add on” with various peppers and
onions, sometimes an “Italian” one with garlic, onions and tomatoes, and then
usually there are fruit ones. We have gotten oranges, pineapple, strawberries, blackberries,
peaches and blueberries before. The Blackberries contained 16 clamshells for
$14!!! Killer price as the clamshells are usually $3-4 at WalMart, especially
this season.
 |
| Mexi Lover's Add On |
 |
| chili's add on, making rotel |
 |
| 9 grain bread |
 |
| peaches add on |
 |
| Peaches for Jam |
 |
| Peach Jam |
I never go organic, I just don’t care. Sorry, no hippie
babble will change my mind. I will get cancer either way it runs rampant in my
family, in one branch, every single person has died of cancer no matter what
great links they went to to change their fate, then there is my son who is
already a cancer survivor at age 4. It is something we live with. I don’t mind
immunities and I will take my chances with washing away pesticides and whatever
else. I just don’t care to go organic, saves me $10 for add ons.
 |
| purple, yellow & white carrots |
Some interesting items we have received that we may not have
even tried had they not been in our baskets…..
Leaks
Kale
Spaghetti Squash
Purple and white carrots
Papaya
Mango
Some weird melon
and...
 |
| BLOOD ORANGES!! |
Anyone anywhere can start up a Bountiful Baskets site and
distribute by visiting their site HERE and going through the training. It is
ran by volunteers (there are some perks to volunteering like the extra item you
get to pick) on Saturday mornings and each participant who buys baskets is
asked to try to volunteer once every 4 or so baskets they purchase. I believe
the site coordinator gets their basket free. We have volunteered many times and
it is actually pretty fun, plus there’s that whole good feeling for
contributing to a good cause and society as a whole.
 |
| Volunteering at the Belle Fourche Site |
