The Great Produce Challenge

Thanks to my friends Katie and Janelle, I have discovered another excellent way to save on the grocery bill. Would you believe I got all these goodies for fifteen buckaroos? I did! I swear it! A few weeks back I joined a local food co-op (Bountiful Baskets, if you're interested) and have been enjoying the fruits thereof ever since.

The fabulous price tag does not come without a catch. Each week, I have to request a basket of produce at a very specific/sometimes inconvenient time and pick up the basket at an equally specific/ sometimes inconvenient time.

Also, the fruits and veggies I get each week are a surprise! Last week I was thrilled with every single item, but this week... well, there was eggplant involved. What more can I say?

Oh, but the mystery of it all! With it, I have invented a little game that I like to call "The Great Produce Challenge." My goal is to create interesting recipes to coordinate with my surprise fruits and vegetables and hopefully develop a tolerance for vegetables usually loathe. Last week, I made a fabulous stir fry and learned, that if diced within an inch of its life, zucchini is actually freakin' awesome. Broccoli too!

Other things I made: stuffed peppers, banana bread, Caesar salad, smoothies, fruit salads...

Another part of the challenge is to put ALL of the produce to good use. Since there is so much of it, this is a challenge indeed. I always make a sizable dent in the produce (alongside the produce I've purchased at the grocery store), but have had to chop, freeze, and can certain items to make up the difference.

As for the eggplant, I believe the compost pile qualifies as putting the produce to "good use." Don't you?