Hi Wheatsville friends and fans! We've been having a great September so far and I hope you have, too! This break from 100 degree weather gets us in the mood for heartier fare and cooking! Woo hoo! This week, check out entries from our newest folks, Adam King, produce manager and Riley Luce, recently promoted to Bulk Buyer.
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Chile is king!
Wine for a deal!
Loving local in the meat department
Cheese island
New bakery bars and so much more!
Take a walk on the wild rice side
BEST chocolate bar EVER!
Meet Mark, one of our board candidates
Greetings from the produce department!
This is Adam King, the new produce manager at Wheatsville. I'm still getting settled in here in the produce department, so bear with me! I hail from Albuquerque, New Mexico, where we eat chile, not chili. We do have some yummy hatch green chile in the produce department, which makes me think of home. These days, you can't drive down the street in any New Mexico city without smelling the lovely aroma of roasting green chile. To me, it's the smell of the end of summer, and the approach of autumn.
I think roasted chile is better than any other preparation, and this technique can be applied to any chile pepper (jalapeño, Serrano, poblano, even regular old bell peppers). Unfortunately, this method requires a gas stovetop. If you don't have a gas stovetop, you could use a barbeque grill. You also need one of those collapsible vegetable steamers and a pair of cooking tongs.
Open up the vegetable steamer and set it on top of your gas burner. Put a couple green chiles on it, and turn the burner to a medium-low heat. Using the tongs, turn the peppers over every 10 seconds or so. The pepper is cooked when the skin dries slightly and begins to separate from the flesh. Remove the peppers from heat and let them cool. When cool enough to handle, peel the skins and remove the seeds. Chop them up and eat them any way you please! My favorite applications are atop a hamburger or turkey sandwich, or stuffed to make chiles rellenos.
If chile isn't your thing, don't worry! Several new varieties of pears have just arrived: Organic Star Krimson, Bosc, and Tosca Pears have joined the Bartletts on our displays. These are all new USA crop pears, much better than the South American varieties that've been in storage for so many months. Speaking of new USA crop tree fruit, you'll see more and more USA-grown organic apples on our shelves in the coming weeks. You'll find organic Washington Ginger Gold Apples and 3lb bags ofWashington Gala Apples right now, with more to come.
Swing by the produce department and say hello!
Adam
Don't whine! We have a awesome new WINE deal!
I am happy to announce that we have a new wine deal we are unveiling. Buy six or more bottles of wine and get 10% off. Any wine! Any price! Mix and match! We are also offering a great way to transport your wines with our spiffy new Wheatsville six bottle carrier. These are very cool bags that hold six bottles of your favorite beverages and they are only $1.99 each! Best of all they have the Wheatsville logo on the side so you can bring it to a party with co-op pride!
Loving local
Hey our friends at Richardson's farm are now our grass-fed lamb provider. We'll be offering our members and customers great selection of lamb cuts; Rib Racks $17.99/lb, Loin Chops (2) pack $17.99/lb, shanks $6.99/lb, Bone-in Leg roast $9.99/lb, Shoulder chops $7.29/lb. Richardson's Farm have been our provider of pasture raised pork, which many of you already enjoy. The same care is taken with all the animals they raise.
We got a couple of new sausages. Niman Ranch Apple cinnamon breakfast sausages $6.99 12oz. Stuffed into lamb casing, a traditional breakfast link, with lots of snap when you bite into it. Also new from our friends at Pederson's, try the new Bison Beirwurst $9.89 10oz pack. Great cooked up with cabbage or gilled on a bun this is a great anyway you want it. It's also certified humane!
Hey folks check out a new item in the freezer. Henry & Lisa's Battered Salmon filet, at a introductory price of $5.99. It's made from wild Alaskan salmon, and is gluten-free too. Look for it on the top shelf of the freezer next to the Henry & Lisa salmon burgers. While you're perusing the freezer look for the $1 off Organic Prairie coupon good for any of the Organic Prairie products.
Hey folks we have wild caught Texas gulf shrimp again! We're selling the Jumbo 16-20 ct. for $14.99 lb. The seasoned just started and the shrimp look great. So don't be shy help support our gulf coast fisherman.
Look for great special on Buddy's leg quarters $1.49 /lb, regular $2.99/lb.
Fresh-made shrimp cakes. Made in a crab cake style, these cakes have lots of flavor. Made with chopped shrimp fresh herbs and fresh lemon, there easily pan fried or baked. Pick them up for only $10.49 /lb for an introductory price, regular $10.99/lb.
Cheese Island
We have a few things on sale this month. Organic Valley 6 pk Stringles are on sale for $3.99 each, regularly $4.99. Also we have our New York Sharp Cheddar onsale for $6.39/lb, regularly $9.99/lb. White Mild Cheddar is on sale for $3.29/lb, regularly $3.99/lb. Yellow Mild Cheddar is on sale for $4.29, regularly $4.99/lb.Smoked Goat Gouda is also on sale for $8.39/lb regularly $9.99.
Next Thursday is Dies y Seis De Septiembre, the 200th anniversary of Father Hildalago's grito declaring Mexico free and independent from Spain. Look, in next weeks e-mail,for some wonderfully cheesy recipes to help celebrate Mexico's independence.
September Deli Deals, New Bakery Bars and lots more!
New items abound in the Bakery case, including two new vegan bars that have caused a lot of excitement and big grins among staff and owners: salty-sweet Peanut Butter Blondies and chewy, nutty Caramel Pecan Bars! At just $2.49 each, these big bars will satisfy your sweet tooth and then some. Try a sample at Deli Counter – I guarantee you will be coming back for more! We've also brought some other tasty treats back into production this month – Apple Squares and Hansel & Gretel's Ginger Bars, I'm lookin' at you!
Also recently introduced to our Deli's grab'n'go case this week are two hit platters! Tom's Tabooley's Mediterranean Platter has generous portions of hummus, falafel, tabouli, and pita with a stuffed grape leaf for just $7.49. Kala's Kuisine's Nepali Platter features chole garbanzo beans, saag spinach, chapati bread, potato samosa, spinach pakora and two sauces for just $6.49! Both of these plates are ideal for a quick, easy and tasty lunch or dinner, or a picnic-perfect shareable snack for two!
We have one more week to go on this month's Fresh in the Deli recipes! From Community Mercantile in Lawrence, Kansas, we have Curried Cauliflower with Carrots!This beautiful dish pickles cauliflower and carrots in a curry vinegar and tosses those flavorful veggies with cooked potatoes, green onions and olive oil!
And from the Oryana Food Cooperative in Traverse City, Michigan comes Ramen Cabbage Crunch! This Asian-inspired coleslaw tosses shredded cabbage with toasted ramen noodles, green onions and sliced almonds in a tasty dressing of rice vinegar, tamari and sesame oil. More than a side, this is a meal!
This is also the last week of our first round of September Owner Specials! You have one more week to get a deal on our most popular sandwich, the vegan classicPopcorn Tofu Po'Boy, $5.99 each, reg. $6.49! Get all the veggies and a drizzle of our Cashew-Tamari Dressing and your belly will croon with delight! Also on sale until the 15th is our newest beverage, the staff favorite Gingerade, just $1.19 each, reg. $1.69! This incredibly refreshing drink is made with fresh ginger, spices and a blend of three fruit juices, and can be served iced or HOT! To round out this first session of Deli specials, our Green Chile Hummus adds some spice to the menu, $4.99/lb, reg. $5.49. This hot little number is much-loved by our fans of spicy foods and makes a great dippin' companion to a raw veggie plate or bag of pita chips!
Beat the heat with our Acai Superfood Smoothie for just $6.29 each! This month's smoothie special blends acai with strawberries, bananas, apple juice and soymilk for a frozen drink that's good for your body and tastebuds, too! September's salsa of the month, Salsa de Otono, combines smoky ancho and sweet red bell peppers with organic apple juice for a taste that beckons autumn, $4.99/lb – ask for a sample at the Deli Counter!
Also on sale at the Deli Counter are tasty cold cuts: Boar's Head Honey-Maple Ham at $8.49/lb, reg. $8.99 and Muenster Cheese, $4.99/lb, reg. $5.99!
Come on in to your Deli and try something new!
The Wild Side of Rice
This is Riley in the bulk department here to put the spotlight on the wonderful and organic Canadian Wild Rice we have available in bulk. Wild rice is actually the grain harvested from a grass that grows in shallow water, and ours comes from North Bay Trading Co. which harvests theirs from the lakes of northern Canada. Wild rice is a very nutritious and versatile grain and definitely worth giving a try. I've included a simple soup recipe if you're interested:
TEMPEH WILD RICE SOUP
1/2 c. uncooked wild rice
3/4 c. chopped celery
1/2 c. chopped onion
2 cloves chopped garlic
1/3 c. green pepper
1 package Lightlife Smokey Tempeh Strips
18 med. fresh mushrooms
6 cups vegetable stock
2 cans cream of mushroom soup
Salt and pepper to taste
Wash and boil wild rice for 15 minutes. Drain and set aside. Fry tempeh, crumble and set aside. In the same pan, saute celery, onion, garlic, and green pepper until tender. Combine rice, soup, broth, sauteed vegetables and sliced mushrooms. Simmer together 2 hours.
THE BEST CHOCOLATE BAR EVER!-Niki Nash, Wheatsville Merchandising Manager
I know this is not a statement to make lightly but OMG the Chocolove Almonds & Sea Salt in Dark Chocolate is the best chocolate bar I have ever had! Chocolove knows how to do dark chocolate right…..very dark yet very smooth and creamy. They add the right amount of coarse sea salt crystals and almond pieces that complement each other. Rather than adding salt uniformly throughout the bar, there are little bursts of sea salt that really accentuate the toasty flavor of the almonds. BONUS: a lovely love poem is included in every bar. It's usually something by Lord Byron or Keats but I think that someone needs to write an "Ode to the Almonds & Sea Salt in Dark Chocolate Bar". These bars are on sale through Tuesday the 14th, so buy a case of 12 and hand them out to friends, strangers and the ones that you love (and buy a secret case to hide under your bed)
Mark Wochner moved to Austin in early 2006 to accept a position at UT researching acoustics and became a member of Wheatsville and The Black Star Co-op soon afterward. In October of 2008 he was elected to the Board of Black Star and in August 2009 he was elected its president. He is also active in the co-op community as a member of the Austin Co-op Think Tank and as a regular visitor to Wheatsville's monthly Board meetings. He is a regular cook and home brewer and in his remaining spare time he performs around town on the trumpet and bass guitar with both the singer/songwriters Vanessa Lively and Mauricio Callejas. He has a PhD in Acoustics from Penn State University and a BA in Physics from Vassar College.
Have a great week every one!
Dan Gillotte
Wheatsville GM and e-mail guy
