Food Coop Question

Have you looked into a CSA (community supported agriculture)? I don't live anywhere near Texas, but they are pretty common up here in the northeast. You essentially share the risk/benefit with a local farm. At the beginning of the season you commit to a certain size box of vegetables that you either pick up or is delivered to you each week. They vary a lot as far as conventional to organic produce, vegetable selection, fruits, some even do meat or dairy, it just depends on the farm. Some also allow you to work hours on the farm in exchange for a portion of your share. If you are interested go to localharvest.org and search in your area. Email a few farms or visit their websites and figure out how much you will have to spend and how much you can get. For about $28 per week this summer we got 10-12 items in our box each week, more than enough for a vegetarian family of 3 and all of it was organic.

I do use bountiful baskets, but I switched to getting the conventional basket. There is A LOT more produce in it. We just can't afford organic this point and time. It is a good deal for the organic with BB, but we eat so many fruits and vegetables. The organic baskets didn't fit our budget. We've been very happy with the conventional. However, if you need to stick to organic...that obviously won't work for you!

My friend actually runs a Your Health Source co-op. They are more north, near Lewisville. I inquired to her a ton of questions about it. It is more then BB, in the amount. I don't really believe they were getting twice as much, personally. She described what they get, and it seemed a little thin. She said it's mostly veggies, though...they don't really receive fruits. We love fruit, and that just wouldn't work for my family. Also, I noticed they get some REALLY strange veggies in their baskets. Not things my family would really like to eat. If you would like the link to their yahoo group, you can PM me and I'll send it to you. Like I said, they do pick up near Lewisville, so that may be way too far for you.

P.S.
I don't have a Central Market, or Whole Foods near me. I don't know about the comparison. I do shop at Sprouts, and they sometimes have really good organic deals.

It sounds like you really want to just pick out exactly what you want. I doubt you're going to like any sort of "basket" deal where others pick for you. In this area my best recommendation for you is www.azurestandard.com. It is only once a month but you can choose exactly what you want. The order deadline for this month is next Tuesday.

I love Bountiful Baskets. The selection seems to change every shipment and with the seasons. I've heard good things about Your Health Source but just do BB and Azure Standard right now.

We have used Urban Acres for over a year, and we've been very happy with them. We do a full share during most of the year, but we do a half share in the summer (because we also plant our own garden). The produce is all organic, and they buy locally as much as possible.

We're planning to use Urban Acres. The farm store is in North Oak Cliff if you want to get a feel for what they do. Several pick up locations. Full shares are $50 every two weeks (we'll probably start with the $30 half shares), which is more expensive than the website you're talking about, but the produce is as local as they can get. All the meat in the store, the baked goods, even the coffee and some of the cleaning products are local...which is pretty spectacular. Yes, it's all organic, and if you receive anything that's turning, they say they'll replace it. The start up costs are a little high so we need a couple weeks to get past the holidays, but this Co-op seems to fit all our "in a perfect world" preferences so we're excited.

I have done Bountiful Baskets for a year now. I don't do the organic. I typically fill one reusable grocery bag with veggies and one with fruit. I have had occasionally had things that aren't great but the majority lasts longer than what I would buy at a grocery store. And it definitely saves me money. If you check your produce before you leaveand have an issue with something let your coordinator know they will do what they can to make it right.

I used to be in YourhealthSource coop. I haven't done it in two years because I had a baby and took a (long) break. They have a list of foods that are coming so you can prepare, like if you need something else at the store. They post the list on their yahoogroup. Also, when I had it, I only got 1/2 portion for $25. This was the list for delivery on Jan 3:
Basic Share $50
Broccoli, Rapini 1
Carrots 1 lb
Kale 1
Lettuce, Romaine 2
Onions, Red .75-1 LB
Parsnips .75-1 LB
Peppers, Sweet, Mixed 1 pt
Rutabaga .75-1 LB
Tomatoes (Regular) 2
Apples, Fuji 6
Avocados, Hass 2
Grapefruit, Ruby, Rio Star (red) Texas 2
Kiwifruit, California .75-1 LB
Pears, Bosc 6
Pomegranates 2
Tangelos, Minneola 2.75-3LB
Extra Fruit Share $30
Apples, Fuji 6
Avocados, Hass 4
Grapefruit, Ruby, Rio Star (red) Texas 4
Kiwifruit, California .75-1 LB
Pears, Bosc 6
Tangelos, Minneola 2.75-3LB
Extra Veggie Share $16
Broccolini 1
Kale 2
Lettuce, Romaine 1
Peppers, Sweet, Mixed 1 pt
Tomatoes (Regular) 2
I did do a cost comparison once and it was similar to Whole Foods prices. I stayed in it to force myself to eat a larger variety of foods. If you don't like something in your basket, you can trade for something else in the extra basket, at least at my pickup location, the hostess allowed that.

We use Greenling for a while (www.greenling.com). I'm not sure if they deliver to Dallas or not, but you can always email and ask. They never delivered to my area, but I emailed them and they started just for us.

*hugs*

I am not sold on all the Organic hype but I do use a lot of fresh veggies and fruits.

Central Market, Whole Foods and Market Street all have great selections for those who choose Organic. I am at Markets Street almsot daily as it is my #1 place to shop and they have fantastic selections and their pricing is not bad.

I have shopped Sprouts but I find that the food needs to be used within 24-48 hours or it spoils.

Good Luck! Dallas has a lot of great avenues for great food. The Farmer's Market and Georgia's market in Plano is nice.