Month: August 2012

IFC Shopping Cart is Open!

August 28, 2012
by Gary Huber

Shop now. Choose from 882 different products. Sept. 6 pick-up! 

 

Shop until midnight on Sunday, Sept. 2nd, with delivery on Thurs., Sept. 6th. See below updates. To shop go to https://iowafood.coop and log in. If you need help with your username or password, send an email to info@iowafood.coop
Ali Family Farm is a new producer with an urban farm near Drake University. Operated by a family that arrived 8 years ago as refugees from Sudan, they’ve listed watermelon, cucumbers, okra, green peppers, and purslane, plus two kinds of potatoes and four kinds of tomatoes.  

Mabel Chupp with Country Lighthouse Bakery writes: “Please let everyone know that our house sold, so this will be our last cycle as we are moving south of Atlantic, Iowa.” We are sorry to see them go. This is your last chance to buy their products, including their signature Cappuccino Chip Muffins. Time to stock up your freezer!!

SalAmander Farms from near Bondurant added lamb ribs to go along with their other lamb products, plus curled parsley, thyme, okra,  sweet and hot peppers, and sunflower heads.

Cory Family Farm from near Elkhart added several cuts of lamb and goat for this cycle.

Audubon County Family Farm added brown pullet eggs (some smalls, but mostly medium sized). They may be added more eggs to their inventory on Sunday, so check back then if they are sold out.

Huber Family Farm added two kinds of sweet potatoes: Vardaman and Beauregard.

Scott from Hedgeapple Farm writes: “We have lamb in stock again. We’ve also added grass-fed ground beef and grass-fed ground beef patties.”

The Berry Patch added green beans to go along with their chive and plain parsley plants, eggplant, sweet and hot peppers, and Yukon Gold potatoes.

Pure Native added grain-free chocolate chip cookies and re-listed grain-free chocolate zucchini muffins.

Griffieon Family Farm is offering several products at sale prices: heel roasts ($3.60/lb), rolled rump roasts ($4.50/lb), round steak ($4.60/lb), minute steak ($4.25/lb), lamb neck chops ($7.00/lb), cured hams ($4.40/lb), and ham slices ($4.20/lb). They also have a new product – organ meats for pets at $1.75lb.

 

Shopping Cart Closes at Midnight Tonight!

August 19, 2012
by Gary Huber

Still Time to Shop!

The shopping cart will close tonight (Sunday) at midnight. There’ve been some new products added (see below) to bring the total offerngs to just over 900 different items.

Also, we are a few people short on the help we need this coming Thursday for the 4-7 shift when people pick up their orders. If you can help (it’s fun, and there’s free products from our producers), send an email to volunteer@iowafood.coop.

To shop go to https://iowafood.coop and log in. If you need help with your username and password, please send an email to info@iowafood.coop
The Homestead added Japanese and Italian Eggplant (ready for the oven in Eggplant Parmesaen, the grill for a roasted eggplant, or with Reichert’s Dairy Air Chevre for a tasty salad).

Wildwood Farms added “Black Cherry” Tomatoes (dark purple cherry tomatoes, very sweet and mild).

SalAmander Farms added heirlooom red onions (Russian variety Danilovskiy 301) and heirloom yellow onions (Australian Brown, Ailsa Craig or Strighovskiy), both from seed grown on their farm.

From Becca of Crooked Gap Farm: We just got back from the Downtown Market and have added to sold out inventories, plus a few new products: # 2501 Jowl Bacon; # 1692 Bacon; # 1693 Cottage Bacon; # 3215 Cottage Bacon: Thick Cut. Also, if you order, you can get a free sample of rendered leaf lard with each product ordered. Just add product # 1708 (Free Leaf Lard Sample) to your cart to indicate you would like the sample.

 

IFC Shopping Cart is Open! August 14, 2012

August 14, 2012
by Gary Huber

Nearly 900 Products For Sale! Shop Now for August 23rd pick-up!

Shop until midnight this coming Sunday (the 12th) with delivery on Thurs., Aug. 9th. See below for updates. To shop go to https://iowafood.coop and log in. If you need help with your username and password, please send an email to info@iowafood.coop

Updates #1:

Susan Smith was a consumer member who switched to a producer member. Her “urban” farm is called Sunny Gardens, and she is starting out by listing Lacinato Kale.

Wilbers Northside Market added two kinds of melons (yellow and red), two kinds of tomatoes (big red and cherry) and two kinds of hot peppers.

TableTop Farm added 3# bags of chemical-free Red Norland potatoes.

Olson Family Farm added bi-color sweet corn.

Huber Family Farm is running a Canning Special on 5 lb bags of Maxibel French Filet Green Beans.

Lee from The Berry Patch writes: “We have added new yukon gold potatoes and eggplant.  We also have cucumbers, sweet corn, tomatoes, chive and plain parsley plants.”

Updates #2:

From Daily Bread Bakery: “A customer wanted us to add our whole grain certified organic hamburger buns, so we decided to try it.”

Holdeman ABF Poultry is a new producer from near Riceville in north Iowa offering antibiotic-free capon products (capons are roosters that have been neutered to improve meat quality).

Wild Rose Pastures listed eight grass-fed beef products for the first time, including t-bone, sirloin, and ribeye steaks. “We’ve been pleasantly surprised with this beef, and our customers have strongly agreed”.

From Good Shepherd Grass Farms: “We are offering 10% off our Filet/Tenderloin, Sirloin, NY Strip and Ribeye steaks. Also, our beef sticks make great snacks – give them a try!”

Crooked Gap added Breakfast Ham Steaks, Maple Breakfast Sausage, Bacon Ends (unsliced), Cottage Bacon Ends, and Jowl Bacon Ends (unsliced). They are also offering a free leaf lard sample for each product purchased this cycle. To get a sample, buy a product and then add product #1708 to your cart.

Dalla Terra Ranch has added honey and grass-fed ground beef for the first time to go along with their lamb products.

 

A Loss So Deep

August 13, 2012
by Gary Huber

To all of our IFC members:

Over the years we’ve become connected to each other’s lives. That can have good parts, but hard as well, some so much so that it pains deeply. On August 6th the family of Mabel Chupp (Country Lighthouse Bakery) experienced a tragedy in the loss of Mabel’s three-day-old granddaughter, Aubrelyn Rene Chupp.

Our deepest condolences go out to Aubrelyn’s parents, Michelle and Levi Chupp, and to Don, Mabel and the rest of the family. Memorial contributions for Aubrelyn may be made in Michelle and Levi’s names to City State Bank, 105 East 2nd Street, Madrid, IA, 50156.

Iowa Food Cooperative

August 13, 2012
by Gary Huber

Some people argue that it is too difficult to buy local products.  It is rare that everything you need is together in the same place and trips to many different stores may be required.  Local products are also limited by season – certain products, especially produce, are only available during specific times of the year.  In the end it’s just easiest to purchase what’s available, regardless of whether it came from a different state or country.


Iowa Food Cooperative is a unique way to purchase local products on a regular basis and allows you to shop from the comfort of your own home. Launched in 2008, the IFC has grown to 650 member-owners, more than 100 of which are producers.  Members can shop online, choosing from almost 1000 products.  Twice a month, members can pick up what they’ve purchased from one of four metro area locations.  Sales over the last two years have exceeded $150,000, 90% of which goes directly to local farmers and producers.  100% of the products sold in the IFC are locally grown and produced.  We have been proud members of the IFC for over a year now and have loved the products that have been available to us.

 

The cost of joining the IFC is $50 with a $10 fee annually after that.  In a recent price check of 28 products against Whole Foods
, it was found that the IFC prices were 22% lower.  Whole Foods aims for 20% of their products to be locally grown or produced (as opposed to 100% at the IFC).  All money spent at the IFC stays in Iowa.  We asked IFC General Manager Gary Huber what buying local means to him;

“Buying local means knowing the people and farms who raise our food – who they are, what they do, where they live, what they value – and caring for them in ways that affect lives for the better, both theirs and ours.”

 

 

 

Pick up your order this Thursday, August 9th!

August 6, 2012
by Gary Huber

Hello. We had 99 members order 937 different items this order cycle. That’s down nine members and 125 products from last cycle – perhaps not surprising given that a new Whole Foods store opened since our last order cycle. We went to thank those of you who ordered through your Iowa Food Cooperative. We really appreciate that you use your cooperative for your food needs. We’ll see you on Thursday when you come get all those great products from our producers.

Comparison Shopping Whole Foods and The Iowa Food Cooperative

August 6, 2012
by Gary Huber

David and Gary went comparison shopping to see how Whole Foods offerings compare to similar products available from Iowa producers accessible to members of The Iowa Food Coop

The opening of the new Whole Foods store in Des Moines has generated a lot of interest. Rekha Basu wrote a piece in the Des Moines Register recently titled “Opening of Whole Foods shows D.M. has arrived”. (Seems like some kind of inferior complex going on there.)

Having more shopping options is usually better, but we think the Iowa Food Cooperative has some benefits that Whole Foods doesn’t, such as:

  • Price. A check on 28 comparable products at Whole Food found that their prices were on average 22% higher than the Iowa Food Cooperative.
  • 90% of what you pay for food bought through the Iowa Food Cooperative goes straight to its farmer-owners (the other 10% helps run the business). Whole Foods can’t do the same.
  • 100% of our products are locally-grown or produced. Their goal is 20% (yes, only 20%).
  • 100% of your money stays local (as opposed to being shipped off to Texas). Every dollar you spend helps build our local economy (one of the most direct things you can do to make our communities better).
  • Finally, our producer and consumer members own the Iowa Food Cooperative. Ownership is ours. It’s our business to hold, cherish, patronize, and promote.

 

If you haven’t already joined, please become a member and help us build our commuities from the inside out. We’ve got incredible products (nearly 9oo different items are available at the moment from our on-line store) from truly amazing local farmers.