I have tried both Green Bee and Bountiful Baskets two times now.
They both have their pros and cons.
Green Bee is definitely easier to order and I had no problems the second time I picked up. I even got a call from the host to be sure. It is more expensive and I do not think you get quite as much. You do not have to bring anything to pick up your produce so it is super fast.
Bountiful Baskets has some great produce and you get a lot for your money but the order process is atrocious. The second time was no better at least 30-45 minutes just to complete an order.
I was not happy with the quality of the produce I received from Green Bee the second time I ordered. An though the will swap out any produce you think is not up to par that has to be done before you leave the pick-up site.
So I would say that it is still up in the air. I have thought that maybe just buying the produce on sale at the grocery store may be better. I have enjoyed the variety that comes in these orders however it has been a struggle to find some ways to use the vegetables and even fruit at times.
I received things that I do not normally use. I may just be a boring produce eater but Leeks, Artichokes and Mangoes are not always on my list. Plus I think I got like 8 or 9 mangoes and that is a lot for my small family. One time I received two bags of apples. Luckily apples last a while because that is a lot for 2 1/2 people to eat I still have not used that acorn squash. I think it is still good. It is still firm anyway.
I just can't make up my mind.
So what do you think.
Thursday, April 22, 2010
Bountiful Baskets
While I know this post is overdue.... Here it is.
I tried a different Co-op for produce to compare the products
Bountiful Baskets http://www.bountifulbaskets.org/
The overall cost is less then with GreenBee but the process was equally as if not more difficult.
Bountiful Baskets offers two types of produce Conventional and Organic. I went with Conventional. The first time you order you pay a one-time fee of $3. The conventional Basket cost $15 however there is a handling fee of $1.50 so total we are looking at $16.50.
The ordering process was the most difficult. You only have a day and a half to get your order in.(at least in Utah) At noon MST then you can log in and order a basket. Sounds easy enough however with hundred of people logging in at once the site is incredibly slow.
It took half an hour just to log in and load the page. Then you have to pick where you want to pick-up. There are limited spots at each pick-up location, so if you wait you might not get a spot at your chosen location.
Once you have chosen your location and your basket you can check out. You have to use Visa or MasterCard. I filled out my information and clicked submit. You would think this would work, nope, it timed out. The site is running so slow that it could not connect to the processor in time. This happened at least three times. Super annoying and if I was not so stubborn I would have probably given up.
Finally the order went through and all I had to do is pick up my produce on Saturday.
Saturday finally arrived and I went to pick up my produce. I picked a large location so there was a line but it went fairly quickly and I had my produce within about 10-20 minutes.
This is what I Got.
You have to bring something to carry your produce home in as it does not come packaged for you. I brought this laundry basket. Other had plastic or reusable grocery bags and rolling carts. There is no required way to carry your produce home whatever works for you.
The Veggies:
2-6oz bags of radishes
2-Celery stalks
5-Cucumber
2- Asparagus bunches
1-Head of Cabbage
2-Heads Lettuce (I think it is butter but those of you who know can correct me)
1-Acorn Squash
The Fruit:
1-3lbs bag of apples
8- kiwi
1- 16oz container of Strawberries
1-6oz container of Blueberries
7-Bananas
I was happy with the produce even though ordering was a pain. And the pick-up was better than the experience I had with GreenBee. I also liked that while I waited in line I could talk to people. But I am a bit social so I would like that.
I tried a different Co-op for produce to compare the products
Bountiful Baskets http://www.bountifulbaskets.org/
The overall cost is less then with GreenBee but the process was equally as if not more difficult.
Bountiful Baskets offers two types of produce Conventional and Organic. I went with Conventional. The first time you order you pay a one-time fee of $3. The conventional Basket cost $15 however there is a handling fee of $1.50 so total we are looking at $16.50.
The ordering process was the most difficult. You only have a day and a half to get your order in.(at least in Utah) At noon MST then you can log in and order a basket. Sounds easy enough however with hundred of people logging in at once the site is incredibly slow.
It took half an hour just to log in and load the page. Then you have to pick where you want to pick-up. There are limited spots at each pick-up location, so if you wait you might not get a spot at your chosen location.
Once you have chosen your location and your basket you can check out. You have to use Visa or MasterCard. I filled out my information and clicked submit. You would think this would work, nope, it timed out. The site is running so slow that it could not connect to the processor in time. This happened at least three times. Super annoying and if I was not so stubborn I would have probably given up.
Finally the order went through and all I had to do is pick up my produce on Saturday.
Saturday finally arrived and I went to pick up my produce. I picked a large location so there was a line but it went fairly quickly and I had my produce within about 10-20 minutes.
This is what I Got.
You have to bring something to carry your produce home in as it does not come packaged for you. I brought this laundry basket. Other had plastic or reusable grocery bags and rolling carts. There is no required way to carry your produce home whatever works for you.
The Veggies:2-6oz bags of radishes
2-Celery stalks
5-Cucumber
2- Asparagus bunches
1-Head of Cabbage
2-Heads Lettuce (I think it is butter but those of you who know can correct me)
1-Acorn Squash
The Fruit:1-3lbs bag of apples
8- kiwi
1- 16oz container of Strawberries
1-6oz container of Blueberries
7-Bananas
I was happy with the produce even though ordering was a pain. And the pick-up was better than the experience I had with GreenBee. I also liked that while I waited in line I could talk to people. But I am a bit social so I would like that.
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