Freshest Produce

Sprouts is the best and freshest that I have found. But if you can, try www.bountifulbaskets.org. They are a veggie co-op and we get awesome, fresh and in season items. Pick up is every two weeks, and for my family size we order two baskets. It is reasonably priced too!!

I really like Sprouts too. They carry really fresh produce and it is much more affordable than regular grocery chains. Go on Wed which is double ad day and you can find great savings on a lot of different items.

I agree with Sprouts for everyday stuff, and there is a farmers market at AJ Chandler park, I think Thursdays (I am unsure, because I don't get to go often because it is during the workday, and I work).

I have also tried Bountiful Baskets. For $15, you get at least $50 worth of produce. The catch is that you don't know exactly what you get before you buy it. The week I tried it, we got bananas, apples, strawberries, lychee fruit, broccoli, spinach, cauliflower, cabbage, potatoes, onions, I think a tomato or 2, and at least 1 cucumber. It was a lot of stuff. I thought it was a really good deal, but there's currently only the 3 of us, and it was too much produce for us (and we are mostly vegetarians, "flexitarians"). It's a co-op that buys surpluce produce from produce vendors that supply to area restaraunts. It was all quality stuff. It was just too much stuff for the size of my family. My son is a year older and eats more now, I should give them another try.

Spouts, Sunflower and any Farmers markets. We usually go to the Farmers Market at 51/Cactus every 1st. Saturday of each month. They have great produce for great prices.

I joined a food co-op (I voluteer every other month) called Bountiful Baskets a couple of months ago. It is a non-profit group that provides great local produce to East and West Valley families. If I were Oprah, it would be on "My Favorite Things" list. I have been extremely impressed with it each week. It's different each time, but today, in my $15 basket I received: a cantaloupe, eggplant, baby carrots, 4 onions, 12 potatoes, 7 pears, 1 carton raspberries, 1 pint cherry tomatoes, 1 lb. mushrooms, a head of lettuce, 2 crowns of broccoli, 7 apples, 2 oranges and 7 bananas. It has totally revolutionized the way my family eats and every other Saturday feels like Christmas. You can sign up at www.bountifulbaskets.org today and pick up on Sat.

If this doesn't appeal to you, the Superstition Ranch market is awesome. I love Costco's quality, and I actually like Fry's usually. Good luck!

Brooke Romney is an unbalanced mom of three young boys who constantly has too much to do, and too little time. She writes the Mom Beat column for The Gilbert Republic.