📢 Attention Iowa Food Cooperative Members📢
We’d appreciate your feedback in order to improve + grow as a cooperative.
Click to begin short survey: https://forms.gle/XNfiU38dkpHM39md9
Member Feedback Survey
Category: Community
Save the Date: Annual Meeting and Potluck Cooking Contest
Save the date for the annual Iowa Food Cooperative Member Annual Meeting AND Potluck Cooking Contest!
When: Saturday, December 3, Time 4:30-8:00 PM
Where: Grace United Methodist Church, 3700 Cottage Grove, Des Moines
NEW THIS YEAR, we are hosting a cooking contest. Start thinking about what dish you would like to make for a chance to win in one of the following categories.
Most Iowa Ingredients
Crowd Favorite
Keep checking back at this post for more information or RSVP on Facebook!
A Message From Our President
Hi Everyone,
Wow – what a great year the Iowa Food Coop is having! Our membership is thriving, enabled by our amazing volunteers and our dedicated staff. Producers continue to keep our mouths and tummies happy with their amazing food, and consumer members remain committed to our ongoing success. Thank you for whatever role you play in this wonderful organization.
There are so many things that I want to share with you – ideas that our energetic staff, board members, and other volunteers have for how we can keep growing the IFC so that we can get all that we need to eat in one place, and producer members can provide food in a sustainable way – environmentally, socially, and financially. Instead of writing a novel here – I would like to invite you to attend our annual meeting! We are working to make it a great event where we can talk about the IFC today and in the future, sharing our ideas with you and collecting your input for how to shape the IFC. And of course there is the potluck — and if you’ve been to one of our potlucks, you know that the food will not disappoint. We are even planning a little competition this year – with prizes for dishes:
-
Using most number of IFC ingredients
-
With IFC ingredient best used in unusual way
- Crowd Favorite
Please let us know if you’ll be able to join, and feel free to invite a friend! One of the best ways you can help the IFC succeed is to tell others about us – and this annual meeting would be a great way for someone to kick off a 6-month trial membership right before the holidays! (You can even give a trial membership as a gift – we won’t tell anyone that is free.) Bring a dish big enough to share, invite them along, and we’ll make sure they are thanking you for introducing them to the IFC.
Well, there are so many more things that I’d like to say – but need to go decide what’s for dinner (and what needs to go in my IFC basket this week!). Hope to see you on December 5th, if not before.
Always growing,
Tony
Leadership needed!
Interested in joining our board? This is a fun, challenging, and rewarding position that allows you to have a larger voice in the future of IFC. We have two spots for producer members and one for consumer members. Please let me (Tony Thompson) know if you are interested in applying (or if you have questions) by sending me an email or calling 515-367-0110.
Volunteers needed
If you think joining the board might be too much of a commitment right now, but would be willing to volunteer during our distribution cycles, contact Lisa Bean (lbean1006@gmail.com)Â or Mary Mathiasen (mkmathiasen@icloud.com) to find out about volunteer opportunities.
Driver needed
We are looking for a dependable person to drive the IFC van between distribution sites on alternate Thursday afternoons. This is a paid position. If you or someone you know could help out for a few hours by driving between our Franklin, West Des Moines, and Ankeny sites and loading / unloading products that are being delivered to those distribution sites, please contact Gary – 515-450-6812or gary@iowafood.coop.
Explorations in Culture and Food at Global Greens Farm
When I arrive at Global Greens Farm I walk up to the barn to find farm manager Zachary Couture washing produce with a group of enthusiastic, joyful women. Two of the women, Anastasia and Katie, discuss some beautiful tongue of fire fresh beans.
“You don’t even have to soak them,” they told me. “Just boil for 15 minutes and they’re ready to eat.”
I’m immediately intrigued. My love of eating beans is equal to my hatred of soaking them. I never think to do it ahead and always have to use a quick soak method, which doesn’t always yield tasty results. These fresh beans sound easy to prepare and they’re beautiful to look at.
“Everyone eats beans,” says Zac, as we walk around the farm to see what other beans are out there. We find long beans, which hang like a beaded curtain over a doorway. There are also cranberry beans coming on, which I remember eating in my soups all winter.
Of course there are green beans as well, which Simon & Mariselina Bucumi of Simon’s Plant Collaboration are harvesting in preparation for the sale. Mariselina and Simon fled their homeland of Burundi in 1972 for the Congo and then lived in refugee camps in Tanzania. They continue their lifelong experience as farmers in Des Moines.
Global Greens farmer Beuline Bucumi helps harvest green beans.
Register for the Global Greens Farm Field Day
It’s hard not to go to Global Greens Farm without learning something new or tasting something new and delicious. That’s why Iowa Food Coop members enjoy attending their annual Farm Field Day. Visit the farm and enjoy:
- Cultural dances from Bhutan
- Learning a few words and phrases in a new language
- Trying new foods made by the farmers at our potluck
- A farm scavenger hunt to learn about some of the more unique vegetables growing out at the farm
- A raffle to win Global Greens Farmers’ Market coupons!
Event Details
August 4th from 5:30 – 7:30pm
4444 Fuller Rd. West Des Moines, 50265
It’s a potluck meal – bring a dish to share!
LSI will provide drinks, utensils and dinnerware.
Register here for the field day!
Alt. Thursday Market Offers New Opportunity to Shop Local
Iowa Food Cooperative, your online source for local food, is hosting a farmer’s market in the parking lot of the Franklin Avenue store on August 4 from 4-6:30 PM. The store, which has Iowa made cheeses, milk, yogurt, grass-fed beef, free-range eggs, pastured poultry, artisan flours, and more will be open for business during these hours as well.
The farmer’s market will continue every other Thursday from August 4 to October 27 at 4944 Franklin Avenue in Des Moines.
From our consumer survey we learned that some costumers would like the option to shop IFC more than every other week. This farmer’s market and open store hours is our first attempt to help meet the needs of those costumers. It’s also an opportunity for community members who have never shopped at IFC to come learn what it’s all about–we encourage you to invite your friends! The market and store are open to all non-members during these hours.
Stayed tuned to Facebook for more info on what producers will be there this week!
March Cooking Class at the Des Moines Social Club
This spring Iowa Food Cooperative is hosting the first Locavore Cooking Class series at the Des Moines Social Club. The second class in the series was March 1 and was a fantastic time! We made a healthier Fettuccine Alfredo with noodles from Zaza’s Pastas, greek yogurt from Country View Dairy, bread from Daily Bread Bakery, and chicken breast from Holdeman Poultry. Be sure to join in the fun by registering for our next class on April 5 where we’ll make sausages from Lucky George Farm, potatoes from Grimm Family Farm, and have wonderful Gouda from Frisian Farms.
How the Class Works
Once everyone arrived in class we shared wine and introduced ourselves. Amanda Mae Phillips, Des Moines Social Club’s Culinary Director, took a few moments to teach us all about the five basic tastes: sweet, savory, sour, bitter, and umami. In every meal we cook at our Locavore classes we shoot to have every taste represented, because it leads you to feel fuller and more satisfied at the end of the meal. We divided into teams of 2-3 people to tackle the menu Amanda created for our class. Throughout the class Amanda was available for help, but we learned as much cooking with each other as we did from her!
Tomato Basil Toast with Garlic Rub
We used the tomato herb bread from Daily Bread Bakery, which Ash had to admit she ordered kind of selfishly. We rubbed it with butter and garlic and it made for wonderful toast!
Vegetables with Herbs and Spices
The Des Moines Social Club provided carrots and green beans for the class and we used fresh herbs from their aquaponic display with spices for Allspice to make them even more delicious!
Fettuccine with Chicken
The star of the show was Zaza’s Pastas Fettuccine with herbed chicken breast from Holdeman Poultry. This was a big hit with everyone! It was easy to say it was the best chicken breast all of us had ever had and trying multiple kinds of pasta from Zaza’s was a real treat.
What Did People Say?
Once the meal was complete we sat as a group to enjoy our food and talk about why eating local is so important. It was great to have Bob Howard from Country View Dairy present, as well as IFC members Inger Lamb and Rita Pray. A few students from the first class also joined us. We all agreed that even if it wasn’t good for our environment and community, eating local is still worthwhile because the food tastes so good!
This “casual but gently overseen” framework led to lots of fun conversation, wine and opportunity to learn cooking tips and locavore lore from Amanda and other attendees. When we were done cooking the dishes were laid out buffet style so we could load our plates and sit down to enjoy the results of our efforts. We chose from chicken breasts in a Greek yogurt –based “cream” sauce, cinnamon carrots, balsamic green beans, vinaigrette-tossed salad, several pasta flavors and garlic bread. All were delicious and made all the better for having been part of our very recent cooking party.
It was a great opportunity to have a nice meal while meeting other people interested in cooking with local foods.  Many kudos to Ash and her team – I’ll be at the next event in this series, on April 5!
-Inger Lamb, IFC member and class attendee
That was a lot of fun last night. And what a great meal they all ended up putting together. Fun to be around so many “Locavores”
-Bob Howard, Country View Dairy producer and class attendee
As local food lovers it was refreshing to enjoy an amazing meal without having to do all the work, pick up a few new tricks, and get to take home leftovers. Included in the course fee was culinary instruction from DMSC’s Culinary Director, wine, a delicious meal, leftovers to take home, and a great selection of yogurt from Country View Dairy!
Register for April’s Class Here!
An Inside Look: Country Roads Produce
The Seals Family at Country Roads Produce wanted to give Iowa Food Coop customers an update about what’s happening at their farm. They’re cutting back on their sales through IFC for the next few cycles while they prep their high tunnel for the first crop of tomatoes. We thought we’d take the opportunity to give you a behind the scenes look into a veggie grower’s life.
Country Roads Produce has provided us with amazing, high quality produce throughout the winter, including carrots, Chinese cabbage, kohlbrabi, lettuce, and more. We know our customers (IFC staff included) have looked forward to fresh veggies from Country Roads’ heated high tunnel.
Baby tomatoes germinating in the greenhouse.
As consumers who have spent most of our lives shopping in conventional grocery stores it’s easy to forget that farmers grow food according to seasons and weather. At IFC we’re lucky to have several producers growing year-round in greenhouses and high tunnels, which means we can all enjoy fresh lettuce during a blizzard! The downside is that we have producers fall off for periods of time while they prepare for the next season. The old adage is really true in this case: A farmer’s work is never done.
High tunnels are not just a place for growing veggies on our farm, but also a great place to “grow” better ball players. The first game of catch for 2016.
While we’re sad we won’t see Country Roads Produce listing for the next few weeks, we are excited for what is to come. This summer they will have tomatoes, peppers, zucchini, squash, sweet corn, and cucumbers. They specialize in high tunnel tomato and pepper production, and hope their customers can enjoy a great tasting tomato in June. We can’t wait!
Locavore Cooking Class at the Des Moines Social Club
This spring Iowa Food Cooperative is hosting the first Locavore Cooking Class series at the Des Moines Social Club. The first class in the series was January 5 and was a fantastic time! The theme was cooking with storage vegetables and featured frozen corn and apples from Iowa Choice Harvest, fresh greens and sweet potatoes from Lee’s Greens, and carrots from Huber Family Farm. Be sure to join in the fun by registering for our next class on February 2 where we’ll make Fettuccine Alfredo using Country View Dairy yogurt, Zaza’s Pastas, and Pickle Creek Herbal Garlic!
How the Class Works
Once everyone arrived in class we shared a champagne toast and introduced ourselves. Amanda Mae Phillips, Des Moines Social Club’s Culinary Director, said every time you cook it’s a celebration. We agree, especially if you’re cooking with fresh local ingredients! We divided into teams of 2-3 people to tackle the menu Amanda created for our class. Throughout the class Amanda was available for help, but we learned as much cooking with each other as we did from her!
Salad with Corn-Apple Topping
One team created a warm topping for our salad mix from Lee’s Greens by heating the frozen sweet corn and apples from Iowa Choice Harvest and adding in pomelo, champagne, and seasoning for extra flavor.
Sweet Potato Wedges
We sliced our sweet potatoes from Lee’s Greens and coated them thoroughly with olive oil and spices from AllSpice. Then we grilled them until they were crispy but soft.
Carrot Gratin
The star of the show was Carrots Au Gratin made with Huber Family Farm Bolero carrots, WW Homestead Dairy Butter, and La Quercia pancetta. This was rich, creamy, and delicious!
What Did People Say?
Once the meal was complete we sat as a group to enjoy our food and talk about why eating local is so important. We all agreed that even if it wasn’t good for our environment and community, eating local is still worthwhile because the food tastes so good!
It was so fun learning new ways to cook with local food! I love that the IFC is doing this and definitely plan to attend future classes.
-Shelene Billups, IFC member and class attendee
This class was both entertaining *and* educational! I learned how to turn locally sourced ingredients to fancy-pants dishes that could impress friends and family alike! The best part was sitting around with my classmates, enjoying the delicious foods we prepared and extolling the virtues of local veggies and the perfect egg sandwich. I will definitely be attending future classes.
-Liz Johnson, class attendee
As local food lovers it was refreshing to enjoy an amazing meal without having to do all the work, pick up a few new tricks, and get to take home leftovers. Included in the course fee was culinary instruction from DMSC’s Culinary Director, champagne, a delicious meal, leftovers to take home, and a bag of salad greens from Lee’s Greens!
Register for February’s Class Here!
What’s in Lisa’s Basket?
What’s in Your Basket is a new feature of “The Dirt: IFC’s Blog,” where we feature a consumer of IFC and what is in their basket that week. Want to be featured on What’s in Your Basket? Send an email to Ash.
If the “Iowavores” were a baseball team on their way to the World Series right now, Lisa Bean would have to be our most valuable player. As board president it’s natural that she supports IFC, but Lisa feeds her family and guests almost entirely from locally produced food.
“Most of my shopping is done through IFC and I never buy meat anywhere else. I have to know that the animal was raised well outside,” -Lisa Bean
Lisa added that all of her produce comes from her personal garden or IFC, and because she buys fresh produce it lasts 2-3 times as long as food bought from the store.
Since Lisa is a long-time #Iowavore she must have it figured out. We asked her how she’s using the items in her basket for the next couple of weeks and well… we think we want to go to her house for dinner this week!
Breakfast
Raisin Bread from Threshing Floor
Milk & Butter from WW Homestead Dairy
Coffee from Corazon Coffee
Snacks
Apples from Berry Patch Farm
Yogurt from Country View Dairy
Cheese Curds from Frisian Farms
“I also love the Aged Gouda or Sneed from Frisian Farms. “It’s divine, nutty with great texture!” -Lisa Bean
Salad
Lisa says her family eats a lot of salads, and that leafy greens from IFC will easily last two weeks. They make their regular salads more exciting with additions like
- Brats (For spicy she suggests Timberidge Spicy Italian or Lucky George Spicy Merquez Sausage)
- Roasted Vegetables, right now that means carrots, squash, peppers, or potatoes roasted with olive oil, salt, pepper, or some Curbin’ Cuisine!
Soup
Another staple meal in Lisa’s family is soup. Right now they’re enjoying creamy potato soup with kale or braising greens from Wabi Sabi, creamy squash soup with greens, and bean soup made with beans from Global Greens and greens, carrots, onions, and garlic.
Curry
“Almost any meat or vegetable can be curried. Add a dollop of plain yogurt and you have a perfect meal.”-Lisa Bean
She was nice enough to share her standard curry recipe from her old boss Rafia!
What’s Your Veggie IQ?
How did you do? Have you purchased any of these via the Coop?
Why I Appreciate the Iowa Food Coop
Member Patrick shares with us why he chooses the Coop:
I feel much better purchasing food from local producers who openly disclose their farming practices. I am not just a consumer of meat, eggs, and vegetables. I want grass fed beef, range fed chicken eggs and organic, non-GMO vegetables. Before placing my order with a new producer, I review the information they provide about their products and decide what to buy based on their farming practices.
I do this first of all for my own good health. I’m convinced that the practices used by concentrated animal feedlot operations result in inferior-tasting products that are also polluted with antibiotics, synthetic hormones, residues of GMO toxins and pesticides. Non-organic fruit and vegetable producers are allowed a certain “safe” level of pesticide residue in their products, but I’ve yet to see a food label that provides information about what specific pesticides they used. I would rather not assume the risk to my health by consuming these products. Thanks to Iowa Food Co-Op, I don’t have to.
I’m glad to support producers who have invested time and effort to make grass-fed, range-fed, organic, non-GMO products available; because without them, what choice would there be?