Wednesday, December 03, 2008

Artsfest this weekend at Adams Park!

Hello friends!

This weekend please make a point of heading over to nearby Adams Park for our Annual Wheatsville Artsfest! Normally, we have this event right her on premises at the co-op, but due to the construction, we are moving it off site for this year and into our great neighborhood park at 33 W. 30th Street (near Trudy's and the fire station.)
The Artsfest features 75 local artists and craftspeople personally offering their wares for you to peruse and hopefully buy! This is the perfect way to get great presents for friends, family or yourself (we won't tell!) AND avoid the dang malls! Plus, it's in the recently revitalized and historic Adams Park! (Scroll to the bottom to learn more about the park and how Wheatsville worked out hosting the Artsfest there!

Please consider taking the Number 1, 3 or 5 busses to stops near 3oth street and walk or bike to the site!

Artsfest is put on by the incredible Judith Craft and is co-sponsored by our friends at the Parks and Recreation Department and the Austin Parks Foundation (Hi Charlie and Rosie!) with special thanks to our neighbors in the North University Neighborhood Association!

I hope to see you at the Artsfest this weekend!

The Owners have spoken!
Our elction ended on Monday and was certified by the board. Thank you to all the owners who voted. We're very pleased to announce that the new bylaws and certificate of formation was overwhelmingly approved as well as a welcome to new board members: Ingrid, Steven and Aditya! I'll have a the full rundown of election results next week!

December in the Deli means a new month with new dishes!
Our two Fresh In The Deli dishes this month come from the Moscow Food Co-op in Moscow, Idaho: the Risotto Cakes are fried, panko-crusted patties of risotto, laced with shredded parmesan and fresh spinach. The combination of warm flavors, crunchy breaded crust outside and meltingly creamy rice inside makes these cakes absolutely delectable. They are even more amazing when spread with a spoonful of organic pesto, also available in our Deli.
 
The Broccoli Salad with Goat Cheese features sautéed broccoli florets tossed with salty kalamata olives, sweet red peppers and creamy, crumbled goat cheese in a light lemon dressing.
 
Our salsa of the month, Roasted Tomato Salsa, is a sweet blend of roasted tomatoes, garlic, jalapenos and onions, blended with cilantro and lemon juice for brightness: it's the perfect chip-dipping salsa for these cold weather days.

Of course, in Texas, it's not ALWAYS too cold in December, so have A Very Berry Christmas smoothie! Yes, in keeping with the theme of the season, the Wheatsville Deli's delicious smoothie of the month is indeed called A Very Berry Christmas and lives up to its name: strawberries, raspberries and just a splash of soymilk come together in one festive, rosy and tasty package!
 
And keep an eye out for our ever expanding selection of delicious baked goods – both the vegan Oatmeal Cream Pies and Co-op Chocolate Cream Pies feature chewy, oversized cookies sandwiching between them a sweet and creamy center. Whether you're a vegan, omnivore or somewhere in between, these cookies will have you coming back for more!
 
Thinking Christmas Dinner?
 
Don't forget to pre-order pies for your Christmas feast by December 17th! Just stop in or call the Co-op to fill out an order form!
We will have Grateful Harvest turkeys, both naturals and organics. Preorder deadline for turkeys is December 17th as well. We will be offering quite a selection for you to choose from including Niman petite hams & local ducks!
Swing by or check out our website in order to see our Deli Holiday menu. www.wheatsville.coop
 
 
From the Meat Department:
 
Greeting! Lots of goodies on special this month: Niman beef and pork coupons with a 50 cents member coupon on all Niman Ranch products. This covers it all: lots of great steaks and roasts, chops and ground meats. We will freezer wrap products that you might want to stock up on free of charge.
 
We will also have Grateful Harvest ground turkey this month and a coupon worth 50 cents toward your purchase.
 
 
Rush Hour Recipes
 
With the start of a new month comes a new Rush Hour Recipe! Yay!  This month features Mediterranean Couscous.
Every month we'll feature a new entree recipe (featuring a mix of vegetarian, non-vegetarian and vegan options) at the Deli Counter and on our website. We will keep an archive of recipe cards at the member center as well, so that you can pick one up and use it for your dinner shopping. You can even use these recipes to build your own recipe book. These recipes come from various co-ops all over the States, which is pretty cool. Plus they have been kitchen tested so you trust them to turn out right. Increase your kitchen repertoire with these quick, easy, fresh, entree recipes.  Follow this link to see the Rush Hour Recipes:  http://wheatsville.coop/recipeindex.html
 
 Free Art and Music Festival to Enliven Historic Adams Park

After extensive renovation by neighborhood volunteers, North University
Neighborhood residents were ready to celebrate. When Wheatsville Co-op
approached the neighborhood association with a request to hold their annual
Arts Festival in the park, it seemed like a match made in heaven. A new
location was crucial to the success of the festival, because of the major
remodeling project currently under way at the co-op.

Eighty juried artists will set up in Adams Park December 6 and 7 from 10 AM - 5
PM. The organizers hope to give Austinites a look at the transformation of the
park, which had fallen on hard times in recent years. Wheatsville, will give
the neighborhood a cash donation through Austin Parks Foundation to support
future improvements in the park.

In 1927 Fred Adams bought The Adams Vanilla Extract Company from his dad and
moved it from Beeville, Texas to 2216 San Gabriel, where it remained until 1955
when it outgrew the neighborhood and moved to South IH-35.
Mr. Adams, who lived just around the corner on West 23 Street, employed some of
the neighborhood children and university students to help with bottling and
packaging. When the 8.96 acre park at 201 W 30th Street was donated to the city
in 9 parcels between 1912 and 1929, it was named for Fred W Adams.

"We plan to fill the park with art," said chairperson Judith Craft. The larger
site will allow people to literally stretch out on the grass, while listening
to some of Austin's best live music. The Telephone Company, will perform
children's music and comedy at 10 am both days. Other favorites include The
Studebakers singing 30's harmonies; Ted Roddy and The Backwoods Hipsters, if the
name doesn't get you their music will; and the very young, very talented IMBIBE!
On Sunday don't miss the Diana Cantu Band, featuring special guest, Tomas
Ramirez. See the full schedule of entertainers at www.wheatsville.coop.

I hope that you have a great week!

Dan Gillotte
Wheatsville GM and e-mail guy!