Save $ on your Food Bill

Fruit Basket is 1/2 of your distribution

Veggie side of the basket is the other half

Baskets ready for pick up

Bountiful Baskets.org is an excellent resource for FRESH, top of the line produce in several states.  Check it out and see if it's in an area near you!  I've been involved as a volunteer site coordinator for several years here in Utah and it's always surprising to me how many people do NOT take advantage of this resource.  Food prices have gone up A LOT in the last 2 years and the price for Bountiful Baskets has stayed the same - only $15 for a distribution of Fruit AND a distribution of Vegetables (check out the pictures).  Bountiful Baskets is coordinated by Kodiak Produce out of Arizona.  

Here's how it works:

1.  Go to www.bountifulbaskets.org
2.  Sign up for a new account (this will cost you $3 to join the food co-op)
3.  If you live in Utah - Monday & Tuesday are the days that you can log in and ORDER.
4.  Make sure you pick the State - County - City and proper SITE where you will be picking up the food.  (It's a drag if you order at a site and can't get there).
5.  Ordering closes on Tuesday - so if you miss it; you're not going to be able to get anything on Saturday.
6.  Everything you ordered on either Monday or Tuesday gets delivered on Saturday.
7.  The general basket is $15; they do not publish what will arrive in the baskets. 
8.  They usually have EXTRA items (for an extra charge) that you can choose from which mean they have access to some other supplies that you can have shipped in with your basket; like breads; juice packs (these are a crazy good deal, large bag); sometimes cookies - lots of stuff.
9.  NOTE:  Be on time.  If you aren't there to pick up your things; your items are donated to a local Fire Department with no - refunds.
10.  You can't choose what is in the fruit & vegetable basket so if you're worried about what to do with it all ... be creative; look up recipes and use the internet resources to help you.  One mystery meal a week is good for the soul.

Another Great resource (IN UTAH) is JumboJoes.com.  They are a little different; usually send you emails on the weekend and their product is pre-packaged and boxed.  They also tell you exactly what will be coming so there are no "surprises" - Jumbo Joe's delivers in to two locations in St. George and one in Washington.  They are $20 and are distributed out of SLC.  Excellent produce with a FRIDAY pick up rather than Saturday.  Here are the details on this one. 

Jumbo Joe's Produce Baskets is a retail service from the distributor Joe Granato Inc. This service provides individuals and families the opportunity to cut out the time of shopping for fresh produce at the store, not to mention, giving you even fresher produce than the grocery store. Our produce is not always organic but if we do have an organic offering, it will say ORGANIC in next to the item in the description. Each week we order in our produce based off of what you order so that it's fresh from grower, meaning it lasts longer in your home.
Here is how the order process works:
Step 1 - Visit www.jumbojoes.com every Friday morning through Monday night to order your fresh produce basket(s)
Step 2 - Pick one, or both produce baskets for purchase and add to cart.
Step 3 - Enter any coupon/gift certificate codes (if applicable) at checkout
Step 4 - Create a user account so it is quick and easy to order each week
Step 5 - Enter payment information
Step 6 - Finish checkout. Look for the order confirmation that includes payment confirmation, what's in your basket(s), and where to pick it up the following Friday or Saturday (based off location).
Step 7 - Don't forget to pickup your produce at your selected location at checkout at the designated time. *We don't offer credit or refunds for missed pickups* so please set a reminder or make sure somebody reliable is there to pickup your basket.

- stay Healthy and Well! 

The Rise of Yeast - SAF & Red Star

 I thought all yeast was the same - wrong!  You've got live yeast; dried yeast; dormant yeast; liquid yeast and each one has specific properties for the types of reactions you are trying to gain with your foods.  I  use Yeast for mostly breads; sweet breads; and rolls.  If you want to "re-hydrate" your yeast and fiddle with water temperatures and sugars then use Red Star.  If you worry about "killing" your yeast or just want a sure-fire effective yeast use SAF Premium.  I LOVE that yeast.  It works perfectly every time   Go to the link below to see the comparison's 

https://files.acrobat.com/api/rrx/assets/ffb32ff8-8009-4f25-ad30-2a2e7a62b336/preview?page=1

We prefer our Wheat Hard and White from Dave's Farms

Our Hard White Wheat - comes from Dave's Farms out of Delta, Utah.  

Dave has been farming all of his life.  He's a father & grandfather - living in the Delta, Utah area and we receive the benefit of his knowledge, skill and farming prowess.  The Hard White Wheat we bring in is always fresh and from the most recent harvest.  I have experienced bread makers tell me all the time that his wheat is the best, makes fluffy, beautiful loaves and they love it.  I don't know how he does it but his pricing is way below anyone else, even the Bishop's Storehouse.  His 50 pound bags of cleaned fresh hard white wheat are only $17 compared to $22.50 at the next closest price point.  Most on-line vendors are selling it for $50-75 a bag.  

Contact us for more info on getting a bag or two for your family. Email: chillylizard@gmail.com

Soft 100% Whole Wheat Dinner Rolls

I found this recipe on Pinterest awhile ago and I decided to try it because it did claim that you wouldn't be able to tell that they were made from 100% whole wheat. Lets be honest, not all things made with whole wheat flour is very good, so I had to try them out and see if their "claim" was true.

Click HERE to see recipe on original site.

I found the recipe to be pretty easy to put together and the rolls easy to bake. When they were ready to eat, I had my husband try them. He couldn't get enough of them! He ate 3 before I could even get to them to eat one! They were so good that I had to make another batch the next day, because they were gone. 

I highly suggest that you try this recipe out and make it one to remember!

HARD RED WHEAT - HARD WHITE WHEAT? What's the difference?

When it comes to wheat, did you know there are different kinds? The most popular ones you will hear about are Red and White Wheat.  Did you know...

The terms “red” and “white” are used to identify the color of the kernel and not of the flour that is eventually milled from those kernels. Hard white wheat was actually originally developed from hard red wheat. The idea was to create a new type of wheat with the same overall nutritional value, but with some different characteristics for baking.

Red wheat has a slightly higher amount of protein which makes it better for more rustic, artisan and generally harder bread loaves. In contrast, hard white wheat’s more moderate level of protein makes for softer loaves such as your typical pan loaves and dinner rolls.

The other major difference between the two types of wheat is in flavor. Red wheat has a certain genetic makeup that gives the bran its darker color, whereas white wheat has been cultivated to be free of these certain genes. By eliminating these genes, the bitter taste sometimes experienced with red wheat is reduced. Health conscious bakers often prefer white wheat because this genetically reduced bitterness requires less additional sweeteners in the final product.

Of course, the best way to discover which flour is the one that you prefer is to test both out for yourself.

For more great information on Hard White Wheat and Hard Red Wheat, please visit this really neat site.

http://www.histakes-spelt.com/wheat.php

Info on Flash Freezing Fruit

As preppers we are always trying to find the best way to store food, but not just any food, food that is actually going to taste good and be beneficial to our bodies when we do have to use them. One type of food that is easy to come by and store is Flash Frozen Fruit. One of the big questions that always comes up with flash frozen fruit is: "Does Flash Freezing Make Fruit Less Nutritious?". We found a great article on Livestrong.com that can answer this question and a few more about flash freezing fruit. Click HERE to read the very neat article.

 If you LIVE in Southern Utah and would like to order Flash Frozen Fruit, please email: chillylizard@gmail.com