Tag: local food

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

June 24, 2013
by Gary Huber

We had 139 members order 1,410 different items this cycle. 74 will pick up @ MHM, 27 at the Mickle Center (now is second place), 22 in WDM, 12 in Ankeny, and 4 in Ames. Total purchases were just under $9,000, so our sales are holding pretty steady (although it would be great to see them growing).

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.

Directions for finding specific locations can be found at the top of 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.)

Note: 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.

IFC Shopping Cart is Open!

June 18, 2013
by Gary Huber

Time to Shop!

 

The shopping cart is open. It’ll close at midnight on Sunday, June 23rd. Delivery is Thurs., June 27th at our Des Moines area locations and Friday, June 28th at our Ames location. Make sure you stock up on some of our producer’s wonderful meats for that 4th of July celebration! 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.
Country View Dairy added five new yogurt products. Two are variety packs with a mix of yogurts (so you can try 4-5 flavors with one purchase). Three are 3# family-size tubs (plain, vanilla & strawberry). Give Check these a try and see what members have been raving about.

Doug’s Last Wish Ultimate Steak Seasoning is a new IFC producer with a certified organic seasoning that is especially suited to grass-fed meats (although it’s great on everything in the kitchen from veggies to fish to pork. Try with on the meat you purchase through the IFC for your summer grilling performances.

Griffieon Family Farm added Boneless Leg of Lamb, plus they’ve listed more lamb cuts, and they have five lotions on sale at 10% off (Arabian Spice, Warm Vanilla, Lemon, Lavender, and Lime). LaVon writes: “Our first batch of chickens are finished and I’m traveling to Bloomfield tomorrow with a 23 foot trailer (my maiden voyage) to get chickens butchered, so we will have plenty of chicken for sale.”

Sondra from SalAmander Farm writes: “If anyone wants to our order lamb, you need to get it this cycle. I will be taking off July and most of August for county fair season and won’t be listing again till school starts. Thanks for your business!”

Holdeman ABF Poultry has whole capons with missing wing on sale for $2.39 per lb (regular $2.69 per lb) – “wonderful family get togethers, holidays and reunions; they roast up very moist.”

With all this rain, it’s been difficult for our produce growers. Here’s some info about what they’ve listed this cycle:

  • From Lee at Berry Patch Farm: “We’ve listed strawberries, tomatoes, zucchini, yellow squash, curled parsley, chives, and strawberry hanging baskets.”
  • Chef Connie’s Urban Farms listed limited quantities of beet tops (great chopped into salads to get added texture and “bitter greens” peppery taste), curly leaf parsley, rosemary, spearmint, romaine Lettuce, tyee spinach (longer smooth leaf spinach and has a mild flavor), and curly and regular kale.
  • Pickle Creek Herbal is sold out of tomato seedlings for the year, but they still have pepper and eggplant seedlings, plus an incredible selection of herb seedlings (as well as their amazing herb-infused olive oils & vinegars).
  • Wilted Leaf Farm has Lacinato and Red Russian Kale listed.
  • Wimmer Farms has kale and pink beauty radishes listed.
  • Maxwell Farms has asparagus listed.
  • Pinecrest Farm, SalAmander Farm, and Chef Connie’s Urban Farms all have rhubarb listed (is rhubarb a vegetable?).

 

Wildwood Farms is back this cycle and has added a new item: Breakfast Braid (Danish-like sweet braid with jam filling that makes a beautiful and delicious breakfast treat).

Threshing Floor and Gardner’s Harvest are back as well. Lisa with Gardner’s Harvest writes: “We are back from vacation. If anyone wants to know, we spent the week at a Medieval ‘War’ hosted by the Society for Creative Anachronism.
Anyway, many of the usual items are available, and I’ve added Grain Free Pumpkin/Cranberry/Raisin Breakfast cookies.”

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

June 11, 2013
by Gary Huber

We had 148 members order 1,577 different items this cycle. 88 will pick up @ MHM, 25 in WDM, 21 at the Mickle Center, 7 in Ankeny, and 7 in Ames. Total purchases were just about $9,200. Nice numbers, but we’d like to see them grow.

Pick-up is on Thursday at our Des Moines-area sites or Friday in Ames.

Note: 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, 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”.

IFC Shopping Cart is Open – Get Your Baby Chicks Now!

June 4, 2013
by Gary Huber

Time to Shop!

 

The shopping cart is open. It’ll close at midnight on Sunday, June 9th. Delivery is Thurs., June 13th at our Des Moines area locations and Friday, June 14th 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, LaVentosa Ranch is looking for homes for some extra baby chicks they got on Sunday. They are Araucana/American Bantam. Full grown they weigh 1.5#, which makes them great for small yards and first-time chicken farmers. They lay a bluish-green egg, for which they are treasured. The chicks are both male and female, and they’ll have many different color and feather patterns. Normally they cost $3.99 each plus shipping (with a minimum order of 15). Carrie will sell them for $1 each, but you’ll need to pick them up at her farm (near Marshalltown). She has 65 extra. If interested, call Carrie at 641-485-2251.
More fresh produce is becoming available. Here are some new products this cycle. (NOTE: growers sometimes add inventory late in the order period, so check back if something is sold out.)

  • Steak n’ Eggs Farm added collards, kale, red and white radish, and spinach. They also have lettuce and green onions listed.
  • From Lee at Berry Patch Farm: “We have fresh greenhouse tomatoes, zucchini, and summer squash along with potted chives, curled parsley, strawberry hanging baskets, and pink lemonade blueberry plants.”
  • SalAmander Farms added two new fresh herbs (sage and cilantro) to go along with several other types plus a wide selection of lamb meats.
  • Pickle Creek Herbal added several varieties of hot pepper seedlings to go along with their heirloom tomato and eggplant transplants. They also have an incredible selection of herb seedlings (as well as some amazing oils and soaps). Jocelyn writes: “Our herb seedling availability changes from week-to-week as we start seedlings every couple of weeks. So, if a particular herb isn’t available this cycle, it may very well be next time.

Threshing Floor and Gardner’s Harvest are taking this cycle off, but Valley View Poultry is back (they’ll participate the first cycle each month through October).

Paula from Twin Girls Gardens writes: “We’ve added a new jam – blueberry lime – a sweet specialty jam made with blueberries and limes.”

Des Moines Bacon Company added a new product – Hardwood Smoked Cured Bacon. It’s the bacon that won the 2013 Baconfest Grand Champion award.

Yoke S Ranch has hamburger from their Corriente beef herd on sale: $40/ten lb package (regularly $45) and single package price is $4.25 (regularly $4.75). Rick writes: “We are almost done calving, but this wet weather really set up back as far as hay baling. Everything is growing, but we can’t get in to harvest it. Oh well, that is life on the farm, I guess.”

Broadhorn Farm has several products from their Belted Galloway beef herd on sale: 20 lb ground beef bundle is $88 (regularly $100, only five available); Rolled Rump Roast is $4.45/lb (regularly $5.50); Stew Meat is $4.50/package (regularly $5.99).

Heart of Iowa Soapworks has a new product: Iris Soap (a nice light floral scent that smells just like a beautiful Iris flower. Back in stock are Gorgeous Gams Ladies Shaving soap, Pine Tar shampoo, and Allie’s Almond & Oats soap. 

Pick-up Thursday or Friday (Ames only)!

May 27, 2013
by Gary Huber

We had 154 members order 1,759 different items this cycle, with total purchases of almost $9,700, which is good considering we’ve started our every-other-week deliveries.

Pick-up is on Thursday at our Des Moines-area sites or Friday in Ames. Note: 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, 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”.

IFC Shopping Cart is Open – Yogurt Now Available!

May 21, 2013
by Gary Huber

Time to Shop – Three New Producers + Downtown Drop-Off Site!

 

After a bit of a glitch, the cart opened a bit ago at 10:30 this morning. It will close at midnight on Sunday, May 26th. Delivery is Thurs., May 30th at our Des Moines area locations and Friday, May 31st 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, we have a downtown pick-up option: the Mickle Neighborhood Resource Center in the Sherman Hill neighborhood. Just select Mickle Center from the drop down menu when you open your shopping cart.
CVD Yogurt_All_CroppedWe’ve been wanting to offer more dairy products, and so we are pleased to announce that Country View Dairy from near Hawkeye in NE Iowa has joined the IFC as a producer-owner. We’ve heard great things about their all-natural yogurt products. They make both original and Greek varieties right on their farm from their rBST-free dairy herd. Welcome aboard. 

We’ve also been working to recruit more fresh produce growers, so we are please to welcome Steak ‘n’ Eggs Farm (from Winterset) and Chef Connie’s Urban Farm (from Des Moines). Steak ‘n’ Eggs Farm listed some green onions (they may add more later this week, but they are playing it safe in terms on inventory for now). Chef Connie’s is starting her farming career with some fresh rhubarb.

Other fresh produce is available. (NOTE: growers sometimes add product to inventories late in the order period when it is easier to predict quantities available on distribution day, so please check back if something has sold out.)

  • SalAmander Farms, Panther Creek Asparagus, and Maxwell Farms have fresh asparagus liste.
  • SalAmander Farms also has various fresh herbs available as well as rhubarb and green garlic (plus a wide selection of lamb meats).
  • Pickle Creek Herbal has spring garlic available, plus an incredible selection of heirloom veggie transplants (tomato, pepper, herbs, eggplant).
  • 7 Pines Farm has two types of lettuce available, plus swiss chard.
  • The Berry Patch Farm has strawberry hanging baskets, pink lemonade blueberry bushes, curled parsley plants, zucchini, yellow summer squash, and salanova lettuce.
  • Iowa Orchard still has two kinds of apples left (Fuji and Jonathan) to go along with a wide selection of cider, pies, crisps, dried fruits, etc.

Becky from the Threshing Floor writes: “I just want to let people know that I will not be selling on the cycle with delivery date of June 13.  They may want to order extra this cycle and put it in the freezer.”

Matt from Holdeman ABF Poultry writes: “I’ve updated my listings. We’ve many of the same popular capon cuts with some great new ones added, such as Capon Roulade’s, which is a half capon rolled in the skin to create a perfect blend of white and dark meat.”

Yoke S Ranch has their beef stix from their Corriente beef herd on sale for $9/lb (regularly $13/lb).

Broadhorn Farm added Sirloin Tip and Pikes Peak roasts to products they are offering from their Belted Galloway beef herd, and they’ve put all their roasts and stew meat on sale (stew meat was $7.99/pkg and is now $4.99/pkg).

LaVentosa Ranch added grass-fed steak and Berkshire pork country style ribs, and their grass fed beef and pepper cheese sticks are on sale for $8/package!

More New Products Added!

May 7, 2013
by Gary Huber
Some new products and other updates are below. Also, the cart will close this coming Sunday at midnight (the 12th) with delivery a week from Thursday (the 16th) for our Des Moines area sites and a week from Friday (the 17th) for Ames. 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.
 
Gardner’s Harvest has added their prezels back (folks have been missing these), plus grain-free chocolate chip Peanut butter cookies.  

7 Pines Farm listed some new certified organic vegetables: 6 oz bags of Arugula, 8 oz bags of Red Leaf Lettuce (Lolla Rossa variety), 8 oz bags of Spring Lettuce Mix, Rainbow Swiss Chard, Winter Density Lettuce (a specialty bibb-romaine mini-head lettuce), and Green Onions (6-8 onions per bunch).

Zaza’s Pasta listed two new products: Asparagus Fettuccine and Basil & Asiago Ravioli.

Wagner Enterprises added several new items: wheat-free bread plus four kinds of sugar-free pie (peach, apple, black raspberry, and cherry).

Ebersole Cattle Company listed lots of new inventory, including their Jalepeno & Cheddar Beef Sticks.

From Matt of Holdeman’s ABF Poultry: We have worked and waited a long time for this, but it has finally arrived – CAPON BREAKFAST SAUSAGE! We are excited to offer this to our customers. Enjoy and thanks for your business.

Pickle Creek Herbal updated their seedling descriptions so you can read more about their different herbs (especially the different types of mint). They’ve also added more herb seedlings, more heirloom tomato seedlings (including some gorgeous red beefsteaks), several varieties of heirloom eggplant seedlings, and spring garlic.  

Broadhorn Farm has sales on several of their grass-fed steaks. T-bones, Filet Mignon and Porterhouse Steaks are $13.60 per pound (regularly $16 per pound) and their KC Strip Steak is $12.75 per pound (regularly $15 per pound).

From Bryan of Iowa Orchard: We are getting low on apples, so this might be the last cycle for ordering them.  We may have some the following cycle, but we are running very low.  We still have lots of pies and bakery items.

Sunrise has listed six different sizes of potted Aloe Vera plants.

Meet Jennifer Miller, IFC’s New Communications Coordinator

May 3, 2013
by Gary Huber

Jennifer Miller 1We are pleased to announce that Jennifer Miller has agreed to help us with our marketing efforts.  She’s originally from Chicago where she was most recently a baker at a gluten-free bakery. She’s spent the last few years in Iowa where she’s pursued her interest in food. She’s designed and written food blogs (CinnamonQuill.com) that center around gluten-free and vegetarian eating, including a monthly column with Martha Stewart’s Whole Living website.

Her love for food has now ventured into a love for growing food as well. She’s spent time working on organic farms in Missouri, California, Iowa, Iceland, and Costa Rica. She’s currently starting a community market garden to grow vegetables and herbs in her small yard in Windsor Heights.

Jennifer will be updating our website, increasing our social media presence, and producing our e-newsletter. We greatly appreciate her enthusiasm and skills. She will be a wonderful addition to our team. Please welcome her aboard. You can contact her at wayofbaking@gmail.com.

IFC Shopping Cart is Open – 1,191 Different Products Listed!

May 3, 2013
by Gary Huber

Time to go shopping – Transplants Galore!

The cart opened at last night midnight. It will close at midnight on Sunday, May 12th. Delivery is Thurs., May 16th at our Des Moines area locations and Friday, May 17th 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.
Spring is (almost?) here! Time to get that garden planted.

Wabi Sabi Farm, Pickle Creek Herbal, SalAmander Farm, Berry Patch Farm, and 7 Pines Farm have collectively listed 66 different types of tomato transplants, plus 17 types of pepper transplants, 47 different herbs, and an assortment of other transplants (swiss chard, cabbage, broccoli, cukes, okra, winter squash, scallions, onions, and blueberries). Many are heirloom varieties, and those from Wabi Sabi Farm and 7 Pines Farm are certified organic.

Carrie of LaVentosa Ranch writes: After using the winter to get our animals raised, we now have products available. New this year: 100% all natural, hormone and antibiotic free Berkshire pork and 100% Grass Fed, all natural, no hormone or antibiotic Beef.

Yoke S Ranch has added beef short ribs from their herd of Corriente cattle, and Wedel Grazing Acres has their beef stew meat on sale again this cycle.

Scott from Corazon Coffee writes: We are ready to roll and have a new offering – a Guatemalan named “Huehuetanango” from the Asobagri Cooperative. This is a quality bean that we are roasting on the dark side of medium.

SalAmander Farms has listed lamb bundles for your freezer or grilling, and Tesdell Farm Fresh Produce has listed ground lamb and lamb chops.

Broadhorn Farm added Flank Steak, Porterhouse Steak and Stew Beef as well as a Premium Steak Bundle from their Belted Galloway beef herd.

Raccoon Forks Farm added spinach and whole stewing hens.

IFC Shopping Cart is Open!

April 12, 2013
by Gary Huber

Time to go shopping! 

The cart opened at last night midnight. It will close at midnight on Sunday, April 21st. Delivery is Thurs., April 25th at our Des Moines area locations and Friday, April 26th at our Ames location. See below for updates on new stuff.

As always, 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, if you haven’t signed up for our eNewsletter, you can access it at IFC News.
Wildwood Farms is back this cycle, as is Valley View Poultry and Country Harvest Jams.Get your greens and eat healthy!

The Homestead listed their signature lettuce mix and Berry Patch Farm listed lettuce, spinach, swiss chard, and Salanova lettuce heads.

SalAmander Farms listed 22 varieties of heirloom tomato transplants, six varieties of heirloom sweet peppers transplants, and one each of kale, Chinese cabbage, and kohlrabi.

Herb transplants are available from 7 Pines Farm (Thyme, Sage and Italian Large Leaf Basil) and SalAmander Farms (Basil, Oregano, Thyme, Sage, Marjoram, Parsley).

Berry Patch Farm listed hanging strawberry plant baskets, two kinds of blueberry plants, plus and chives and curled parsley in 4.5″ pots. Also, see www.berrypatchfarm.com for info on a 4/20 workshop on growing blueberries.

Wedel Grazing Acres added sirloin and minute steaks, plus they have ground pork available again and their beef stew meat is on sale @ $6.99/lb.

Yoke S Ranch’s Corriente filet mignon steak is on sale for $13/lb (regular price $15/lb).

Holdeman ABF Poultry has all their capon products on sale this cycle except for hindquarters.

Griffieon Family Farm has one new product – a quarter beef.