Another order from the Community Food Co-op of Utah!

I used to order from the Co-op back in 2009, and then life was busy and I stopped ordering. Saturday mornings were a difficult pick-up time for me, and I was away from my house so much that I wasn't cooking all of the food that I got.

Life is less chaotic now. (Is that really true? It seems weird to type. I think it is true.)

I've been trying to eat more fruits and vegetables, so it seemed like a good idea to order from the Co-op again.

So I did.

And then I waited, and waited, because the Co-op is still a once-a-month sort of thing. This Saturday I picked up my order!

I ordered a Standard Share, so it included:

• 1 lb. lean ground beef (85/15)
• 2 lbs. chicken thighs
• 2 lbs. pork loin roast
• 2 8oz. top sirloin steaks
• 5 tangelos
• 5 Fuji apples
• 5 d'Anjou pears
• 1 5 lb. bag of potatoes (5 lb. bag)
• 1 bag of spinach
• 3 tomatoes
• 1 cauliflower
• 3 small zucchini (or I could have picked 2 bigger ones)

Plus, I bought two add-ons:

• Artisan wheat bread
• Sourdough bread

This time, our goal is to use all of it. So far we have eaten all of the sourdough bread (you can see I started it before I even got home!), most of the wheat bread, one apple, the cauliflower, and one tomato. Plus I cooked all of the chicken thighs, but we haven't eaten them yet.

We added up approximate values of each item, and we estimate that through the Co-op, it costs about 50% of the price we pay at our grocery stores.*

J and I are always impressed with the quality of the food--it is always excellent. The fruit is never bruised or cut, or damaged at all. Nothing is ever stale. It's just great food. (Look at the tomatoes, for instance-- they're not even Roma ones, although those are usually cheaper at the grocery store.) We like that they try to buy from local growers, so that's good too. (Of course, I don't know how many local growers there are in Utah in January, but during the summer I know they often buy local.)

If you're thinking about trying out the Community Food Co-op of Utah, I highly recommend it. It's not a poor people thing, it's a meet-your-neighbors, eat-fresh-food (and save money too!) thing. So, don't feel awkward about it like I did before I went. The more people who participate, the more food everyone is able to get, because they can get better deals when they purchase more.

They have about 50 pick-up location in Utah. Most are at churches (all different religions--lots of Methodist, Lutheran, and Presbyterian ones). Some are at other places, like Salt Lake Community College, or Wasatch Co. Parks & Recreation, or at senior centers. My pick-up location in Salt Lake was a church, and so is my location down here, and I don't even know if anybody from the church is actually there; they just have a big open room that the Co-op people use, and you walk in and you walk out. Kind of like voting. (Don't feel awkward about it not being your church. Nobody cares. They just seem to choose locations with enough space.)

I just ordered for February and the Standard Share is $24. Separately, a Meat Share is $15 and a Produce Share is $10. The tasty, tasty, fancy sourdough bread is available again in February, and it costs $2.10/loaf.*** The order deadline for February is Friday, February 4th. Distribution Day is Saturday, February 19th.

It really is such an awesome deal. I love the Co-op.


* Even if you estimate the zucchini has having a value of $0, which is what J thought we should do.**
** No, but actually, I like zucchini. It tastes great cooked in a pan and added to red pasta sauce. Or in soups. J and I decided that almost always, one of us likes each item that we get from the Co-op.
*** The other add-ons are: Nutty Guys' Snack Sampler (4lbs nuts) ($15.55), Colosimo's Hot Polish Sausage ($3.75), Daily's sliced bacon ($1.85), Miss Essie's Barbecued Pulled Pork, 2lbs ($7.55), Chaparros Pork Tamales ($5.60), Nutty Guys' Blueberry Flax Granola ($5.60), Jones Bees' local honey, 2lbs ($6.30), 6 Stone Ground Wheat Ciabatta Rolls 4x4 ($3.15), and Farnsworth's Fresh-pressed Apple Cider 1/2 gallon ($3).