Bountiful baskets

I had my first experience with Bountiful Baskets today.  (Well, that's not entirely true.  My first experience was two weeks ago when I paid for a basket and then forgot to go pick it up.  But let's not talk about that.)  I was really happy with what we got!  We got more than what is pictured--we also got three grapefruits, a 5+ lb bag of butter gold potatoes, an eggplant, leeks, and eight bananas, plus Nate had already eaten one of the apples (pink lady) and one of the blood oranges(which are red inside).  And that pile of broccoli is a lot bigger than it looks.  You can't see quite how "piled" it is in the picture.  I got an extra bunch for volunteering.  (Have I ever mentioned that I love broccoli?  And that 4 of the 5 people in my family who have teeth like it too?)  The spinach, I think, is going to find a home blended up in something--probably spaghetti sauce.  (Husband, pretend you didn't read that.)  I'm not quite sure what to do with the eggplant.  And the leeks are going to have to find a home elsewhere.  But overall, I think this is awesome for $15.00! 

Did you notice the carrots?  Yes, those are all carrots.  Okay, admit it... how many of you didn't know carrots came in other colors?  I actually did know that.  I found it out a few years ago.  Want to know something interresting?  Carrots were originally purple and yellow, not orange. Somewhere along the way it is thought that the two created the hybrid orange carrot.  Supposedly, orange was prefered by westerners and that's why we really only see the orange ones today. The purple ones are native to Afghanistan.  Anyway...

We got orange, purple and yellow carrots today.  There were a few random red ones in the mix, but we didn't end up with one.  I know there are also white carrots in existence.  What's funny is that I just told the kids last night about the other colors of carrots in existence as they were eating their orange ones.  I had no idea we would actually get some of the other colored one today.  The kids were really, really excited when I showed them the carrots--especially the purple ones.

The beauty of the purple ones is a little bit skin deep though.  About a fourth of the way into the carrot, it turns to an orangish color and then the middle is more yellow.  I was really hoping that they were dark purple all the way through.  Oh well.  They are still cool looking.  Oh, and if you are wondering, they all taste pretty much the same.  Kelton did say that the yellow ones had a little bit different flavor, but he said it was really good.

Now, here are some things I don't know.  When I use the spinach, am I supposed to cut the "stem" off, or do you eat that part too?  And when you store carrots and broccoli in the fridge, are you supposed to have them in a bag?  When I buy them from the store, I always leave them in the produce bags.  I don't even know if you are supposed to do that... But these don't have produce bags.  I put them in ziplocks, which I didn't seal all the way, and then put them in the fridge, but I don't know if that will help keep them from drying out, or if it will just make them soggy.  I may know that purple carrots exist, but I am realizing that there is a lot I don't know about vegetables!