Farmers Market Baskets-Classic and Organic baskets

I first heard of Farmers Market Baskets from my niece Meghan who is the owner of Merge Health, Fitness and Nutrition. You can fine her web site at http://www.MergeIntoHealth.com. She had “Liked” the Farmers Market Baskets page on Facebook so I looked into it and “Liked” them too. I figured I’d try it at some point just to see why people were gravitating toward businesses like this one. Farmers Market Baskets is a family run (Tom and Kristina Plauche’) and volunteer run fruit and vegetable co-op service. There is a one time membership fee of $10 but you don’t have to do that. If you decide not to join you’ll be charged a $1 fee to help cover the cost of running the place. You can also choose to buy a Classic basket (traditionally grown food) or Organic basket.
Well I ordered my first basket (1 Large Organic) for $32.64. (Baskets run anywhere from $10 to $33.) Luckily for me they have several locations for pick up and one of them was my gym. I came with basket in hand. Next time I’ll use a box because as romantic as a basket of fruits and vegetables is while walking home on a spring afternoon, it gets very heavy. I ended up calling my husband to drive around to pick me up. I guess I’ll have to step up my workouts.




I walked up to the front door and there on the Health Place porch (my gym) was Amanda. She was friendly and helpful. She loaded up my basket and suggested I fill up a box instead of my basket but I knew I could make it home, so I declined. Note to self ~ next time listen to Amanda.
I got my goodies home and took notes on what I got for my $32.64. Here is the list and it’s pretty impressive and all organic - 1 bunch of Kale, 2 live root Bibb lettuce, 1 bunch of bananas, 5 ears of corn, 1 cucumber, 2 zucchini squash, 2 tomatoes, 4 sweet potatoes, 2 onions, 1 orange pepper, 1 cantaloup, 4 pears, 6 apples and 4 oranges. Not a bad run. I was very happy with my loot.
Now let me tell you a little about this business and how to get to it and order from it. You go to http://farmersmarketbaskets.com/ and click on the order now icon. You can place a one time order (which is what I did just because I wanted to try it out) or you can repeat your orders every week or every other week. They have add on specials if you’d like. Fuji apples and Wheat Bread were the extras this week.



It was convenient for me to go to the gym but there are other locations and you can even go to their warehouse if you wish. For a $3 charge a co-op members can even drive your basket to your home (as long as you live within the designated area) so there really isn’t any excuse not to try it.
Wondering what to do with all you’ve just bought? Go to the web site for lots of yummy recipes. If you go to the bottom of the page there are icons for volunteering, starting your own group or to set up group deliveries. It’s a healthy and affordable alternative to running to the grocery store or packing a lunch to find a Whole Foods.
Was it worth it? I say yes. Will I do it again. I say Yes.