This next cycle is the second cycle of July. We’ll be running two cycles per month until September! This should make it easier for you to get those fresh veggies!
All posts by Gary Huber
Garlic Scapes
I noticed last cycle, a few of you purchased garlic-scapes, but what do you DO with them? Diane Starkey, has a delicious way to experience their garlicky goodness posted on her blog, in fact, check out her whole blog, she also has plot at Franklin community garden, she might be your neighbor!
Growing potatoes in reusable shopping bags
I was chatting with my friend Amy awhile back, and she expressed a curiosity about growing potatoes in a grow bag. Of course, curiosity is contagious so I had to do a little research of my own. What I found out was that potato grow bags were a little pricey, to me anyway. So I researched a little more. Didn’t want to use garbage bags or trash cans or tires. Then I realized that I could use landscaping cloth and sew up a few, but I didn’t need to buy as much as was in the package, not for an experiment. If I spent that much I might as well buy the grow bag! So I hit on maybe using my reusable HyVee grocery bag, its black and approximately the same dimensions, just square not round, but its porous! And only cost $.99!
So, off to Earl May garden store, picked up 6 seed potatoes, on sale.
Folded down the sides at least 4 inches, filled with soil, and planted 7 “eyes” of my potatoes.
Covered them with 3″ of soil, and watered thoroughly.
We’ll see how this goes, I planted so many in each bag so in case a few questionable “eyes” don’t open.
When the plants are 8″ tall, I will add more soil, then add more again when there’s another 8″ of growth.
Turtle Farm Cohousing Project
Turtle Farm plays an active role in The Iowa Food Cooperative.
Not only is Turtle Farm a wonderful CSA, but current farm manager, Ben Saunders serves as a passionate member of our board. Ben’s enthusiasm for local produce is apparent if you spend but 5 minutes with him.
Turtle Farm Owner, Angela Tedesco continues to be very involved with farm operations. In addition Angela has worked hard to make the following vision come true. Please come learn about CoHousing with Turtle Farm!
Learn About CoHousing & Turtle Farm Cohousing Project – Flyer
Learn about Cohousing & the Turtle Farm Cohousing Project
SPEAKER BIO: Charles Durrett is the leading North American expert on cohousing and has designed over fifty cohousing communities through the U.S. and Canada. With his wife, Katie McCamant, they introduced cohousing to North America with their book Cohousing: A Contemporary Approach to Housing Ourselves. Chuck recently completed The Senior Cohousing Handbook.
For more information on Turtle Farm Cohousing or this presentation, go to www.turtlefarmcohousing.org or contact Nancy Rambo: nancyslist@ramtell.com or Angela Tedesco: angela@turtle-farm.com or (515) 278-4522.
We are creating sustainable communities in Central Iowa. Be part of the movement!
- Sustainable intergenerational neighborhood design
- Individual homes + extensive common areas
- Shared spaces for dining, creating, workshops, etc.
- Energy-e cient and sustainably-designed buildings
- Residents participate in planning & design process
Sponsored by Turtle Farm Cohousing Community, Indigo Dawn, Silent Rivers, and RDG Planning & Design
Thursday, July 14, 2011, 7:00 pm
Windsor Heights Community Center
Colby Park
6900 School St.
(69th St. south of University Ave.)
Des Moines, Iowa
$10 admission
Kick the Can: Healthy & Hearty Soups
The Des Moines Raw Food MeetUp Group and R Studio Fitness welcomes Sheree Clark, health counselor and raw vegan chef, on Wednesday, May 25 at 7:00 p.m. at R Studio, 3988 NW Urbandale Drive, Des Moines for a presentation and demonstration on the raw food diet.
Sheree’s talk, Kick the Can: Healthy & Hearty Soups will cover how easy it is to make soup that’s m-mm good for you! From Pickle Soup to Carrot/Coconut/Lime, these recipes are all vegan, low-cal and souper scrumptious!
Think of them as a savory version of a smoothie—and there’s no crock pot or kettle to wash when you’re done. So grab a spoon and get ready to add some zip to your sip.
The $15 fee includes food samples. For more information and to register, visit http://www.meetup.com/RawFoodDSM, email sheree@fork-road.com or call (515) 249-2992.
You Are What You Eat
The Livewell Clinic and Birthwell Doula welcome Sheree Clark, health counselor and raw vegan chef, on Wednesday, June 1 at 6:30 p.m. at 2614 Beaver Avenue (Prenatal/postpartum center) for a presentation and demonstration on the raw food diet.
Sheree’s talk, “You Are What You Eat,” will cover how easy it is to prepare and eat real, fresh, vegan fare: the foods your body can assimilate most easily.
Best of all, she will offer tastings of some of her yummy raw creations! The $5 fee includes food samples. For more information and to register, visit http://www.meetup.com/RawFoodDSM email sheree@fork-road.com or call (515) 249-2992.
Thank you!
Sommer Sharon, Owner/Consultant
Website Management,Writing, Social Media Marketing
sommer@sleighconsulting.com
www.sleighconsulting.com
515/779-5376
Study Underway for Shared-Use Kitchen Incubator Facility
The Iowa Food Cooperative is working with several local small business owners to determine the feasibility of developing a shared-use commercial kitchen incubator facility in the greater Des Moines metropolitan area. This facility could be used by small businesses to add value to locally-produced foods, which in turn will stimulate business development and create local jobs.
“We’ve had inquiries from a wide range of people asking if there are licensed facilities they can use to process various foods for local markets,” says Iowa Food Cooperative General Manager Gary Huber.  “Whenever you have lots of people asking for something, that’s evidence of a demand. But to know if it is feasible, we need to know more about their needs.”
An online survey is being used to gather information on the needs of potential tenants (www.surveymonkey.com/s/foodprocessing). Â To date 38 surveys have been completed, but organizers would like to double this number before beginning the next phase.
“We need more responses, “noted Karen Hegge, owner of Victoria’s Table, which produces artisan jams and jellies. “Once we have a good handle on who wants to use a facility for what purposes, we can start to match up this information with potential sites.”
Organizers will work over the next several months to further develop the concept. Anyone interested in learning more about the shared-use commercial kitchen incubator facility should contact Gary Huber at gary@iowafood.org.
More News
Producer Member Profile Ebersole Cattle Company is located on 160 acres in southwest Iowa near Kellerton. This majestic land is the home farm to Shanen, Beau, and their three children along with their herd of Main Anjou cattle and working quarter horses. Shanen refers to their slogan “Happy.Healthy.Beef” to describe their style of farming. She says their cattle are happy when they get to play and be cows. She and the kids make sure the calves have plenty of exercise and room to play. Their beef is healthy because it’s simply natural.  The harvested cattle are never given antibiotics and are grass fed or pastured-raised. Pasture raised beef has received less than 2% of their body weight in grain. Grass fed means they are never fed grain. Ebersole Cattle is an animal welfare approved farm.Read more about the Ebersole family.
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Local in FebruaryThis month you can chose from local eggs, potatoes, spinach, beef, pork, chicken, delicious pies and other baked goods, frozen-custard (including dark chocolate cherry!), whole grains, popcorn, honey and more.Prochaska Farms has listed 6” pots of ferns for February that can be transplanted into a 10″ or 12″ hanging basket and will be ready for you to hang outside in the spring. Antler Ridge Elk has a whole new line of elk mittens in case winter isn’t really over! These are so warm and soft you will never wear anything else to shovel snow again. |
Co-op RecipesEven though it has seemed like spring for most of January it still pays to have a couple of tried and true recipes for winter needs. Here are a couple of cold weather recipes that can be made with products available through Iowa Valley Food Co-op! Simple Roasted Chicken Directions Place chicken on pan; rub with oil. Coat chicken thoroughly with seasoning garlic/salt/pepper and rosemary. Place quartered lemon in the cavity. 1. Roast on center rack of oven 15 min; reduce heat to 350 degrees. Roast about 1 hour, 30 min, until internal temp is 165 degrees (check by inserting thermometer halfway into thickest part of the inner thigh where the leg connects to the body, away from any bone).
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Ginger Honey Tea Take a 1-inch piece of peeled ginger root, 6 cups water, 1/3 cup honey, the juice of one lemon and four bags of your favorite tea. Add the rind if your lemon is organic. Slice the ginger into coins, combine with the lemon juice, the lemon rind, water and honey and bring to a boil in a small pot. Add the tea bags and steep for a few minutes. Strain and serve. Keeps well for a few days in the refrigerator and can be made with all kinds of tea, including white, green or black. |
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Shopping for March
 Reminders
When you open your cart, select your pick-up site (Merle Hay Mall, the Village of Ponderosa in WDM, First Family Church in Ankeny, or Prairie Rivers RC&D in Ames). Note: Rather than offering an alternative pick-up time of 4-5 pm on the Saturday after distribution, we are now keeping business hours at our space at Merle Hay Mall. This means people with a conflict with the regular time should send an email to orders@iowafood.coop to arrange an alternative pick-up time. The easiest ways to find specific types of products the “Products Sorted by Category” button. Send an email to info@iowafood.coop if you have any questions or comments. |
We are back in business!The shopping cart is now open! Shop until midnight on Sat., Feb. 25th, with delivery on Thursday, March 1st. See below for updates from producers. We’ve completed the move to our new space, which is just inside the south entrance to Merle Hay Mall near Younkers (there’s a big Kohls sign above the door). Note: we are going to a three-week delivery cycle until the growing season, and then delivery will be every other week until Thanksgiving. We’ll place a calendar with our new schedule on the website. Several producers are taking a break: Krieger Greenhouses, Heavy Horses Farm, Live Now Rest Later, Twin Girls Gardens, Grinnell Heritage Farm, Hibbs Farms, Del Gloria Elk Products, and LaVentosa Ranch. Also, Jasper Winery decided to stop offering their products (you can still buy Iowa wine through the IFC from Rosey Acres). Katie with Jasper sent this note: “Thanks so much for the opportunity and good luck with the success of the coop!”. |
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News from the IFC for the Spring of 2012
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Pie with a link to Poundcake
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