Time to go shopping! ÂHi. The cart opened at yesterday at midnight and it will close at midnight on Sunday (Jan. 6). Delivery is Thurs. (Jan. 10) at our Des Moines locations and Friday (Jan. 11) at our Ames location. See below for 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. Also, you’ll want to check out IFC President Pete Woltz’s latest blog post (https://iowafood.coop/from-the-president/ifc-presidents-blog-holy-rutabagas-2/) for some important IFC news. |
We still have a nice selection fresh produce listed:
Zaza’s Pasta listed a wide selection of new products: Garlic & Herb Crostini Bread, Rosemary Focaccia Bread, seven types of Biscotti (Spicy Chocolate Cinnamon, Pumpkin Spice, Fig & Walnut, Dark Chocolate Pecan, Cranberry Almond, Chocolate Pistachio, Anise), two kinds of breadsticks (Whole Wheat and Parmesan & Herb), and two frozen entrees (Sundried Tomato & Organic Spinach Lasagna and Baked Penne Pasta). Timber Ridge Cattle Company has relisted their products and added a new one: peppered beef jerky. 7 Pines Farms added two new dip mixes (Creamy Spinach and Sundried Tomato Basil) to go along with their other dip mixes, salsas, sweet jalapenos, and granola products. Holdeman ABF Poultry has a sale on bone-in split capon breasts ($2.75 per lb) and capon party wings ($2.25 per lb). Valley View Poultry added a new product: boneless skinless smoked turkey breast (smoked with hickory and cured with brown sugar and salt; perfect for slicing for sandwich meat). Wedel Grazing Acres added beef rump roasts and Novae Vita added t-bone steaks. Pure Native added grain-free biscotti and grain-free chocolate chip cookies. Hedgeapple Fiber Studio added a nice selection of woven wool products – blanket, triangle shawl, hat/booties/mittens for a 3-6th month old, and four different scarfs. |
All posts by Gary Huber
IFC President’s Blog – Holy Rutabagas!
By Pete Woltz, IFC Board President
On behalf of the Board and all of the IFC producers, I would like to THANK everyone who purchased products during our December cycles. Give yourselves a hearty round of applause. Your coop exceeded its budgeted revenue by nearly 20% and realized one of the IFCâs best months ever! Â
Contributing to the surge was a large listing of nearly 1100 products.  Producers, please take a bow for providing a remarkably wide range of products for a winter month.   In addition to our staple of delicious baked goods, home grown meats, eggs, and cheese, we continued to see fall favorites like Swiss chard, kale, spinach, potatoes, carrots, apples, and rutabagas.   New products included pasta and artisan bacon. Really, IFC producers are the greatest!Â
Board News
The Board met December 17th and was introduced to our new IFC home page. Slideshow graphics and bulleted features are designed to more clearly demonstrate the IFC experience to first time visitors. This is important because Kelly Tagtow and the Marketing committee are launching a âTrial Membershipâ campaign in select locations such as health clubs, restaurants, and churches. We anticipate many new visitors to our site in the near future.
Keep an eye on the new products in the upcoming months. The Producers committee chairwoman, Shanen Ebersole, is aggressively reaching out to area producers offering unique products. Is there a product you would like to see listed? Let us know at info@iowafood.coop.
The one thing we all have in common as members of the IFC is a passion for food.  We love to eat the areaâs best locally grown foods and we love to COOK the areaâs best locally grown foods.  It only stands to reason, then, that among our ranks are some really good chefs. Lisa Bean is on a crusade, as chairwoman of the Consumers committee, to expose our membershipâs culinary expertise in the form of a Chefâs Blog. Do you have a favorite recipe?  Let us know at info@iowafood.coop.
What would a first board meeting be without a group picture?
From left to right are Lisa Bean, Carrie Cook, Dan Beougher, Shanen Ebersole, Pete Woltz and, Joe Monahan. Not shown are Kelly Tagtow and Carrie Williams
The new board officers include myself as President, Shanen Ebersole as VP of Producers, Lisa Bean as VP of Consumers, Carrie Cook as Treasurer, Carrie Williams as Secretary, and Kelly Tagtow as VP of Marketing.
Shop the IFC!
Letâs go for another record month in January. Treat yourself to the best local food on the planet. The cart is open.
Pete Woltz
President
IFC Distribution Postponed!
Given today’s weather, we are postponing our distribution until tomorrow (Friday) from 4 to 6 pm and Saturday from 10 am to 2 pm.
Unfortunately, people who were going to pick up at our Ankeny and West Des Moines sites will need to come to Merle Hay Mall to get their orders. Sorry. It would be very difficult to get those products delivered and find the volunteers to make these drop-offs work.
Also, we will work with our Ames customers at options for their orders (which won’t happen on Friday as planned), and we’ll work with the rest of you who have can’t make our options work into their schedules.
We apologize for the inconvenience. A couple of other things:
1. Daily Bread Bakery (they are in Algona) won’t be able to fulfill their orders. Alison Hill extends her apology. Those products have been outed on your invoices.
2. Please send an email to distribution@iowafood.coop or call 515-450-6812 if you need to make other arrangements or have questions.
Be safe today.
IFC Distribution this Week – Snowstorm Options
Hello. The weather forecast isn’t looking good for what we’ll be facing come Thursday, so we need to give you a heads up on current plans.Â
We are working with our producers to get their products delivered today (Tuesday) and tomorrow. That way they won’t need to get up early to what sounds like will be up to 9 inches of snow plus signficant winds.
As for picking up, we are considering delaying the time until during the day on Friday and/or Saturday. It all depends on what Thursday looks like when we get up in the morning, plus whether we can get the volunteers needed for these alternative times.
Also, folks who specified West Des Moines and Ankeny as their pick-up sites may need to come to Merle Hay Mall, but we’ll probably keep the Ames pick-up at its normal time (4:30-5:30 pm on Friday).
All of this thinking is subject to change, but we wanted you to know our current thoughts. Also, we’ll work with you to figure out ways we can get you your orders if the options we choose don’t work. You should look for another email either late on Wednesday or first thing Thursday morning with our choices.
Thanks.
IFC Shopping Cart is Open – 1,039 Products Listed!
Time to go shopping! Check out our new pasta and lamb producers!
Hi. This is our last cycle before the holidays, so please take advantage of all the wonderful food and gift options to make your celebrations truly memorable. The cart opened at last night at midnight and it will close at midnight on Sunday (Dec. 16). Delivery is Thurs. (Dec. 20) at our Des Moines locations and Friday (Dec. 21) at our Ames location. See below for updates on new stuff. Note: 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. |
| Zaza’s Pasta (from North Liberty) is a new IFC producer that uses local and organic ingredients when possible (their ravioli in particular features either vegetables or cheeses from local farms and creameries). They’ve started by listing a bread product (Panettone, which is an Italian Christmas Bread), an olive oil product, three pasta sauces, and 15 different kinds of pastas.
Windy Knoll Lambs (from near Riceville) also recently joined the IFC. They are starting out by listing ground lamb, leg of lamb, lamb chops, and lamb shoulder roast. Reichert’s Dairy Air (from near Knoxville) is a seasonal goat dairy, meaning they “dry up” their moma goats for the winter. So, they won’t have any of their cheeses for sale until next April (but Frisian Farms is still selling their Gouda’s, so us cheese lovers still have an option). Corazon Coffee Roasters (from West Des Moines) added four new single-origin coffees (great stocking stuffers!) – Costa Rican, Mexican, Peruvian and an additional Guatemalan coffee. They can also custom grind orders. Just let them know in “Notes to producer” section of your cart, plus the level of grind (fine, medium, coarse, espresso, french press). Wildwood Farms (from Wellsburg) is back this cycle with their full line of products, plus two new trail mixes (Nuts & Berries and Salty & Sweet). 7 Pines Farms (from near Maxwell) added two new bread mixes (Beer Bread and Herb Beer Bread) and three new dip mixes (Toasted Bacon Onion, Bacon Horseradish, and Veggie) to go along with their salsas, sweet jalapenos, granola, and chicken products. Chrisâ Custom Bakery (from Ankeny) updated her frosted sugar cookies to feature holiday themes: Xmas (candy cane, tree, star, bell, holly), Santa (GingerBoy, poinsettia, candy wrapper, ornament, light bulb, Santa), Winter (mitten, snowflake, snowman, snowball, tree), and Sports (football, helmet, jersey, basketball, team pennant). Two Rivers Soap Company (from West Des Moines) added two new soaps: Rosemary Mint and Beach House (both with Shea butter). Lee from The Berry Patch (from near Nevada) writes âWe have lettuce, swiss chard, spinach, red and white kale, plus fresh-cut sweet basil along with potted herbs (sweet basil, chives, curled parsley and plain parsley). We also have mixed bags of potatoes and apple wood for smoking.â Wedel Grazing Acres (from near Riceville) added nine different beef products to their selection of pork products. Griffieon Family Farm (from near Ankeny) added whole grass-fed lambs (for those of you looking to stock your freezer for the winter months). Pure Native (from Des Moines) added Grain-Free Cinnamon Rolls. |
IFC Distribution is Today Thursday, Dec. 6th
Today is the IFC distribution (or tomorrow if you are picking up in Ames). Don’t forget to pick up your order or eat our fill and smile in satisfaction of food that makes your tummy feel good.
Pick up your order on Thursday or Friday of this week!
Hello. We had 147 members order 1,674 different items this cycle. Thanks for your orders.  We’ll see you on Thursday or Friday when you come pick up your orders. If you want to see your invoice, log in and go to the shopping tab, and on the left hand side you’ll see a link titled “View In-Process Invoice”.
To our generous producers
Throughout the past few months we have received so many wonderful donations from many producers for our volunteers – these so greatly  appeciated!!!!
Also special thanks to the Cory Family Farm for being host producer last distribution –  we  truly enjoyed hearing about some of the Cory philosophies and practices as they pursue their passions in farming sustainably.
We are seeking producers to host each distribution – we welcome you for the whole day or part of it – you will meet more consumers from 4-7 at pick up and we always need help during delivery  and taking goods to our satellites.  All producers are asked to volunteer once each year.  We are excited to get to know you better.  If you are willing to help send us an e-mail at volunteer@iowafood.coop.
From Iowa With Love
From Iowa with Love
By Rita Pray
Being of the age when I need to start getting rid of clutter instead of collecting more, I am inclined to give gifts that are consumable rather than âstuffâ that sits around. Hence, for the last couple of years, I have shopped the Co-op for holiday gifts.  I especially like to send all-Iowa gifts to my family that is flung all across the countryâa sort of âlook what you could have if you lived hereâ reminder.
A recent blog posting on this website listed the wide variety of products that would make great holiday gifts. Obviously, you have to consider things like mailing and timing of the gift-giving when purchasing food-related items. I recently boxed several collections of items to send to out-of-state family—things that wonât be spoiled if they arenât opened for a month.  I love that all of the items show the from-Iowa label.
My finds for a non-perishable, family-friendly, general-happiness gift box were as follows:
Salamander Farms Popcorn on the Cob ($2.00/2 ears)
Elements of Rejuvenation Soy Candle ($7.50)
Fieldstone Farms Beeswax Candles ($6.50/2 3â pillars)
Two Rivers Honey Bear Sample Size ($2.00)
Wildwood Farms Spiced Cocoa Mix ($2.00)
Twin Girls Autumn Jam ($5.50)
Country Harvest Blueberry Jam ($5.00)
Timber Ridge Summer Sausage ($6.00)
Heart of Iowa Soapworks Pot Scrubbie ($2.50)
Fieldstone Farms Honey Straws ($1.25/5)
Approximate Dollar Value=$40.00;
Recipientsâ Iowa-Product Induced Happiness=Priceless.
11/27/2012
IFC Shopping Cart is Open – 993 Products Listed!
Time to Go Shopping!Hope you all had a nice Thanksgiving. We are back from a short respite from our IFC work. The shopping cart opened at midnight, and it’ll stay open until midnight on Sunday Dec. 2nd, with delivery on Thurs. Dec. 6th at our Des Moines area locations and Friday Dec. 7th at our Ames location. See below for updates on new stuff. Note: there will be one more cycle before the holidays, but it would be wise to get your gifts bought now so you can relax. 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. |
| Maxwell Farms (from near State Center) is a new IFC producer offering three varieties of chemical-free potatoes â Red Norland, Purple Majesty, and French Fingerling.  Â
Two Rivers Soap Company (from West Des Moines) is also a new IFC producer offering ten soap products, two of which are limited edition holiday soaps (great for stocking stuffers). Grandma’s Soap (from Madrid) has returned this cycle. Check out their new scents and gift options this holiday season with prices starting at just $3.00. Krieger Greenhouses (from Jefferson) added swiss chard, kale, and baby spinach greens, and Lee from The Berry Patch (from near Nevada) writes âI have updated what we will have to sell. Lettuce, arugula, spinach, red kale, green kale, potted herbs sweet basil, chives, plain and curled parsley, and mixed bags of potatoes.â Iowa Orchard (from Urbandale) was granted a variance to list apples from an orchard they lease near LaCrosse, WI. The variance is valid until next yearâs apple crop is ready, and they are offering two sizes of five different kinds of apples (Cortland, Golden Delicious, Haralson, Honeycrisp, Jonathan). Alison of Daily Bread Bakery (from Algona) writes: âWe’ve added our artisan Holiday bread for this cycle. We grind the grain just before mixing, and then add dried cranberries and walnuts, so it’s great for this season.â Shanen with Ebersole Cattle Company (from near Kellerton) writes âWe added lots of beef inventory & plenty of our Suet Lolli Pops to treat the birds in this cold weather.â Wedel Grazing Acres (from near Riceville) added hams and bacon from their Berkshire herd to their inventory of pork products, and  Griffieon Family Farm (from near Ankeny) added whole grass-fed lambs (for those of you looking to stock your freezer for the winter months). Pure Native (from Des Moines) added grain-free cinnamon raisin bread and grain-free fig & rosemary crackers. Lisa with Gardnerâs Harvest (from Des Moines) writes: âIâve added Decorated Sugar Cookies and Gingerbread Men.â She also has her fresh-baked gingerbread house kits listed. Scott from Hedgeapple Farm (from near Earlham) writes: âWe’re back in business with our lamb products, including ground lamb, lamb chops, breakfast sausage, stew meat, and leg of lamb.â Fieldstone Farms (from near Clemons) added a unique product: natural fire starters (listed under household supplies). Itâs a pine cone imbedded in beeswax thatâs easy to use in your fireplace to start that cozy holiday blaze. Ryan from Wild Rose Pastures (from near Pella) writes: âI have a new product â pre-cooked smoked whole chicken. All you have to do is heat and serve.â |