All posts by Gary Huber

IFC Shopping Cart is Open – 1,059 Products Listed!

October 22, 2013
by Gary Huber

Time to Go Shopping!

The shopping cart opened last night at midnight. It’ll close at midnight on Sunday, Oct. 27th. Delivery is Thurs., Oct. 31st at our Des Moines area locations and Friday, Nov. 1 at our Ames location. Note: if you have a conflict with this schedule, our alternative pick up time from 10:30 am to noon on Sat., Nov. 2nd.

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. Also, there will be one more distribution between now and Thanksgiving (on Thursday, Nov. 21st).
Burr Oak Farm added Grimes Golden Apples and Arkansas Black Apples to go along with their pears and crab apples. 

The Berry Patch added Northern Spy apples to go along with their Chieftain, Macoun, Jonathan, Jonagold, Golden Delicious, and Honeycrisp apples.

Iowa Orchard also has apples (Cortland, Gala, Golden Delicious, Honeycrisp, Jonagold, Jonathan) and various baked goods, apple ciders, apple butter, and dried apples.

From Matt at Holdeman Poultry: “All our ground capon products (properly labeled) are back this cycle, and we are excited to introduce a new product we are sure you’ll love – Honey and Swiss Capon Sticks.”

Lee’s Greens, LLC has arugula, lettuce mix, red and green kale, swiss chard, spinach, and radishes listed.

From Julie at Good Shepard Grass Farms: “We added more pasture-raised chickens for just under $2/lb, plus a limited-time special: purchase 10 lbs of ground beef and receive a free filet.”

Zaza’s Pasta added two seasonal products – Butternut Squash & Besciamella Lasagne (made with handmade noodles, organic ricotta & local butternut squash) and Pumpkin Tiramisu (sweet pumpkin puree mixed with creamy mascarpone, layered with made-from-scratch ladyfingers, and topped with crunchy amaratti cookie bits). Also, their Pumpkin Spice Biscotti is on sale and their Pumpkin Fettuccine is available for a limited time.

Broadhorn Farm has beef brisket from their Belted Galloway herd on sale for $8.65/lb (regularly $9.99/lb).

Gardner’s Harvest added pumpkin turnovers and pumpkin muffins. Her “yeasted” products are on hold because they take a long time to prepare, and the next delivery falls on beggar’s night (which Lisa will spend with her kids). Her breads and other items will be back next cycle.

Horsefeather Farm added two new beef bundles from their certified organic beef herd. 

Yoke S Ranch has both minute steak and hamburger patties from their Corriente beef herd on sale for $4/lb.

Elements of Rejuvenation listed a wide variety of Soy Wax Tarts (wickless, flameless candles that when used in conjunction with a warmer gives off the same fragrance that candles do).

Raccoon Forks Farm added jumbo and large eggs, and they have a special on broiler chickens: “We are running out of freezer space due to a new batch of chickens. Our normal prices is $3.50/lb, but we are selling these 4 to 7 lb chickens for $5 each.”

Pick-up Thursday at DM area sites or Friday in Ames

October 15, 2013
by Gary Huber

We had 136 members order 1,529 different items this cycle. Total purchases were right at $10,000. Pick-up is on Thursday at our Des Moines-area sites or Friday in Ames. Specifics on times and locations are to the left if you are receiving this as an email.

Note: our West Des Moines site will be in the same place as usual, meaning that auditorium at Valley Church on Fuller Drive. We’ll be in this same place until the end of 2013, at which point we may be moving across the street to their new community center.

We have an alternative pick-up time of 10:30 am to noon on Saturday at our Merle Hay Mall location. Please send an email to distribution@iowafood.coop if you are coming on Saturday.

Also, you can access your invoice access by logging in, going to the shopping tab, and click “view in-process invoice” on the left hand side of the page.)

IFC Shopping Cart is Open – Apples, Pumpkins, and More!

October 8, 2013
by Gary Huber

Time to Shop – 1,039 Products Listed!

 

The shopping cart opened last night at midnight. It’ll close at midnight on Sunday, Oct. 13. Delivery is Thurs., Oct. 17 at our Des Moines area locations and Friday, Oct. 18 at our Ames location. Note that if you have a conflict with this schedule, our alternative pick up time from 10:30 am to noon on Sat., Oct. 19.

See below for a special note from Holdeman’s ABF Poultry plus updates on new stuff. 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.
Lee’s Greens, LLC added fresh arugula, leaf lettuce mix, baby red kale, baby green kale, baby leaf swiss chard, and spinach.

The Berry Patch has seven apple products listed (Chieftain, Macoun, Jonathan, Jonagold, Golden Delicious, Honeycrisp, and 20# bags of mixed apples).

Iowa Orchard added seven apple varieties (Cortland, Gala, Golden Delicious, Honeycrisp, Jonagold, Jonathan) to go along with a wide variety of baked goods, apple ciders, apple butter, and dried apples.

Maxwell Farms added six kinds of pumpkins (Baby Boo, Cinderella, Cougar, Jack Be Little, Jack O’Lantern, Knucklehead) to their selection of potatoes.

Fieldstone Farms added Buckwheat Honey (a sweet, delicious dark-colored honey with a distinctive spicy-malt flavor. Darker honeys such as buckwheat also tend to contain more vitamins and minerals in addition to antioxidants than lighter-colored honeys.

Julie at Zaza’s Pasta writes: “Fall is my favorite time of year, so I love making new things for our fall distribution cycles. This time I added Pumpkin Fettuccine and Butternut Squash Ravioli. I’m also having a sale on Pumpkin Spice Biscotti. Yay Fall!”

Horsefeather Farm reduced the price on its organic grass-fed steak and hamburger bundles.

Wild Rose Pastures has poultry products available again: whole and cut-up pastured chicken, pastured stewing hens and pastured turkeys, and small eggs.

Two Rivers Soap Company added several new soaps: Oatmeal Stout Beer (made with real beer!), Oceania, Herb Garden, Fresh Cut Grass, Honey & Oats, and Papaya Nectar. She also two she’s brought back for the holidays – Christmas Tree and Candy Cane – plus a customer favorite: Foot Butter (a rich cream made with natural shea butter, mango button, cocoa butter, and Aloe Vera.

Heart of Iowa Soapworks has Lilac Cream Goat Milk Soap back in stock.

Holdeman Poultry’s ground capon packages came back from the processor missing the official processing plant stickers. This was a mistake. The product was inspected and is safe, but they can’t be sold without these stickers. But they can be given away, so Matt will include free packages of either capon burger, patties, sausage, or sausage patties with orders for other products.

Pick-up Thursday at DM area sites or Friday in Ames

October 1, 2013
by Gary Huber

We had 151 members order 1,790 different items this cycle. Total purchases were $9,650. Pick-up is on Thursday at our Des Moines-area sites or Friday in Ames. Specifics on times and locations are to the left if you are receiving this as an email.

Note: our West Des Moines site will be in the same place as usual, meaning that auditorium at Valley Church on Fuller Drive. At some point we will be moving across the street to their new community center. We will let folks know when that happens.

We have an alternative pick-up time of 10:30 am to noon on Saturday at our Merle Hay Mall location. Please send an email to distribution@iowafood.coop if you are coming on Saturday.

Also, you can access your invoice access by logging in, going to the shopping tab, and click “view in-process invoice” on the left hand side of the page.)

Sorghum–the Local Superfood Sweetener

September 28, 2013
by Gary Huber

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When you meet Jennifer Kramer manning one of her sorghum syrup tables, she will probably invite you to try a small taste of molasses and then one of sorghum. While molasses might not be as popular as it once was, it is still a crucial ingredient in brown sugar, graham crackers, gingersnaps, and even barbecue sauce. A small tasting spoonful (or pretzel stick, another item she uses for sampling) of molasses will be sweet at first, with a little acidic quality, but nothing too remarkable. The next taste of Maasdam’s sorghum syrup, however, will taste monumentally different; smooth, complex, and pleasantly sweet, without being overwhelming or seeming astringent. It’s all in the flavor, and once your tastebuds are awakened, molasses will probably be an ingredient of your past.

What is sorghum?

  • Sorghum is a syrup made from sweet sorghum cane used as a table syrup and can be used in baking. Example: Use sorghum syrup on pancakes, corn bread, and bread. Use sorghum syrup in baked beans, cookies, BBQ sauce and popcorn balls.
  • Sorghum syrup is made from sorghum cane, not corn or sugar cane or grain sorghum. Sorghum cane grows 12 to 15 feet tall. The stalk is pressed for the juice.
  • Sorghum syrup and molasses are not the same. Molasses is a by-product of the sugar industry. Sorghum is the juice from the sorghum cane that is boiled to produce the syrup.
  • Sorghum does not need to be refrigerated. It does not mold like maple syrup, but could sugar. If this happens, just reheat it back to liquid form.
  • Sorghum is healthy for you. It contains iron, calcium and potassium.

(http://www.maasdamsorghum.com/)

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What is the story behind Maasdam sorghum syrup?

The Maasdam Sorghum Mill is a family owned corporation. The family has made sorghum every year since 1926. The 7th generation is now starting to learn the process of this-old fashioned product.

The Maasdam Sorghum Mill is directly involved in the making of sorghum from start to finish. We raise the cane, harvest it, press it, boil it, bottle it and deliver it. We take pride in the process and want our customers to be 100% satisfied with the quality of the sorghum.

(http://www.maasdamsorghum.com/)

sorgcookie

Not yet sold? Try our recipe for Sorghum Chocolate Chip Cookies, which is also egg-free and dairy-free (and gluten-free if needed).

Check out the entire Maasdam product offering through the Iowa Food Coop shop and taste the difference–the sweet and local difference.

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IFC Shopping Cart is Open – Lots of New Products!

September 24, 2013
by Gary Huber

Time to Shop – Lots of New Products!

 

The shopping cart opened last night at midnight. It’ll close at midnight on Sunday, Sept. 29. Delivery is Thurs., Oct. 3 at our Des Moines area locations and Friday, Oct. 4 at our Ames location. Note that if you have a conflict with this schedule, our alternative pick up time from 10:30 am to noon on Sat., Oct. 5.

See below for updates on new stuff, including a new producer. 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.
Glenwood Century Farm listed two sizes of seedless watermelon, Buttercup winter squash (one of our favorites), and gallon jugs of popcorn.  

Des Moines Bacon Company added two types of uncured, nitrate and nitrite-free boneless pit hams.

Quaking Bog Bontanicals added several winter squash varieties: Golden Nugget, Long Island Cheese, Hidatsa, and Pink Banana Bush (you gotta check out their descriptions).

Daily Bread Bakery added a gluten-free sliced bread (Alison writes that her customers are loving it!).

Black Cat Acres added Dutch and Ruby Red Cabbage, leeks, watermelon, butternut winter squash, and Roma and heirloom tomatoes.

Timber Ridge Cattle Company added a new product – a beef-pork Savory Mustard snack stick (the pork is from Swabian Hall pigs that have been fed flax to help increase Omega 3 levels).

Wilted Leaf Farm listed kale, green leaf lettuce, and Swiss chard.

Maxwell Farms added six different kinds of pumpkins (Baby Boo, Bat Wings, Blue Jarrahdale, Cinderella, Galeus d’ Eysines, Lil’ Pump-Ke-Mon).

Anna’s Place added traditional bronze (Pilgrim) turkeys in three different sizes.

Overhome Farm added four kinds of peppers (Pasilla, Trinidad Scorpion, Mulata Isleno, Cayenne) and four kinds of popcorn (Chocolate Cherry, Robust, Dynamite, Cherokee Long Ear).

Wedel Grazing Acres added a new product – pork sausage. Their ham steaks are on sale (were $7.99, now $6.25) as are their ribeyes (were $17.25, now $14.99).

Red Barn Produce added Chieftain apples, and the Berry Patch Farm added Red Kura apples.

Gardner’s Harvest added whole wheat pita pockets.

Broadhorn Farm has two beef products from its Belted Galloway herd on sale: Short Ribs @ $5/lb (regularly $5.65) and Ribeyes @ $14/lb (regularly $16).