Vegetable Co-op

What is a Vegetable co-op?

In my own words, it is a group of folks who split the cost of GOOD nutritious foods. This enables members of the co-op to receive fantastic nutritious foods at a super fabulous LOW price.

One of the things I really enjoy about a co-op is the variety. You never really know what veggies and fruits are going to be in your haul each week. Some you might be totally familiar with, some you might not. Some you might have never even heard of. That is the beauty of a co-op. You get to explore food. Challenge yourself not only in providing your body with a more nutritious intake, but with devising ways to prepare nutritious meals.Take risks. Learn. Explore. In the few short months I have been a co-op member, I have expanded my cooking skills and my consumption skills. :)

Examples of unfamiliar vegetables being Beets, Eggplant and Scalloped squash. These three veggies are not something we would normally have in out kitchen. I was a little nervous but thanks to Pinterest and a willingness to learn and expand my horizons, my family has now enjoyed and added some new scrumptious dishes to our repertoire. (and a couple of gross ones too)

Beets:
Juiced and roasted work out great. But This salad was delicious and a great way to utilize beets for a yum cool treat here in the summer.

Eggplant:
I won't lie to you. I do not like eggplant. My husband does not like eggplant. But the beauty of the co-op is, we received a large supply of eggplant. And we are hungry a lot, so I had to figure out something. And I did!! This fantastic recipe was amazing. And it freezes great and when reheated tastes wonderful. So anytime we have eggplant I can make a few batches of this and we have freezer meals ready to go!I haven't tried This but it sure looks good. We plan on this being on our table later this week.

Scalloped Squash:
WTH?? Cute little squash. What to do what to do? Several ideas were brought to my attention thanks to Pinterest. Our favorite was This one.

Enjoy. If you are faced with a food you are not familiar with, take a chance, try something new, challenge yourself. And enjoy the food and enjoy knowing your are learning and expanding your horizons.