Sweet Summer

 

 

Hello Wheatsville friends and fans! Rain and sunshine are two things that help gardens grow and we've been getting good doses of both here in Austin. Our produce department is filled to the brim with summer's harvest - berries, melons, peaches, greens and corn. It's been an amazing year and we hope that you're enjoying all of our local and organic produce that's been available this summer. The next Orientation for Prospective Board of Directors Candidates is this coming Saturday, July 21st  from 12-1pm. If you have ever entertained the thought of running for a seat on our Board, now's the time to find out more. The meeting will last for one hour and be held at Wheatsville's administrative offices (the building just north of the store at 3105 Guadalupe) in the main meeting room. Please direct questions and RSVP to nominations@wheatsville.coop. If you plan on attending (and we hope you do!) please RSVP to boardemail@wheatsville.coop. In other news, we wanted to let you know that we are discontinuing our Coffee and Smoothie Frequent Buyer Cards. Both of these programs were started many years ago when Wheatsville was in a precarious financial situation as a way of building customer loyalty. Today we are able to offer consistent sales, patronage rebates, Owner Appreciation Deals and Co+op Deals and 5% OFF 5 POUND bags of coffee anytime. We know that this may be disappointing to those of you who liked these programs, so as a thank you for your continued loyalty we will be giving you a coupon for: ONE FREE POUND of COFFEE of your choice or ONE  FREE SMOOTHIE of your choice when you turn in your Smoothie or Coffee card with ANY amount of punches between now and September 1, 2012. More information about this change can be found on our blog. Lastly, Niki, our Merchandising Manager, drew the lucky winner of the Weber One-Touch Silver Charcoal Grill today! And the winner is............. Alexandra C. who's been an Owner since the 80's! Congratulations and thanks to Woodstock Foods for sponsoring this great give away! Happy grilling! And thanks to everyone who's voted for Wheatsville in the Best Grocery Store category at Austin 360! We're in first place so let's keep rocking the vote and showing our CO-OP PRIDE! Scroll on down for: This week's One Big Thing ·         Reed Love ·         Chill Out ·         Raw Milk Organic Colby ·         Grill It Up ·         Ruby Redbird ·         New at Wheatsville ·         Co+op Deals ·         Owner Deals ·         Austin Pets Alive! WHEATSVILLE'S ONE BIG THING Every week, Wheatsville staff picks the product we're most excited about right now! This week we are loving Organic Bing Cherries Organic Bings from Washington only $4.99 per pound! Summer wouldn't be the same without sweet, chilled cherries! Wow and amaze your friends! Poke it with a drinking straw and the pit pops out! Reed Love Organic Reed Avocados are back!  We love the Reed for its creamy, smooth texture and sublime flavor.  They're grown in far smaller quantities than the Hass, probably because Hass avocados are more durable and ship more easily.  Reeds are much bigger than their Hass brethren but the pit is about the same size resulting in a much higher meat to pit ratio.  A good deal!  Reed season is limited so grab one and give it a try!  They're great on salads and sandwiches (I add them to BLTs) and they make a decent guacamole, too. Our in-house mixed veggie cups are fast becoming a staff and customer favorite.  Always great paired with a tub of Grandma's Hummus, it's an all-organic mix of celery, broccoli, carrot, and radish that makes a great snack or light lunch. Chill Out We have a new drink at the Deli Counter to keep you cool in the heat of summer! Homemade Watermelon Agua Fresca is pretty in pink and so refreshing! A blend of local red, ripe watermelon, fresh lime juice and organic raw blue agave nectar, this gorgeous drink will quench your thirst in a flash. Look for this delicious, crimson summertime dream in the Deli's icebox, or ask for it at the Counter, just $1.69 for a large cup! Click here to read about all of our Deli's new items, deals & specials! Raw Milk Organic Colby Texas Daily Harvest Raw Milk Organic Colby is here and it is incredible! This is no run of the mill Colby. In fact, this new cheese from the good people over at Texas Daily Harvest may be the best Colby you ever ate. This is a sharp, tangy, and fantastically creamy cheese that is surprisingly complex. The fresh, raw, organic milk used in this cheese gives it a complexity not usually associated with the style. YUM! Grill It Up Our new Rosie Organic Chicken $4.99/lb. is an Oregon Tilth Certified Organic, Free Range Chicken, from the Sonoma County in California. Able to roam and offered a corn and soybean, all vegetarian diet, that is GMO and antibiotic free, these chickens are humanely raised and given a stress free life. The Southern Style Spice Poultry Rub would make a great way to try this chicken out. We will be happy to split a whole chicken for ease of grilling or roasting. If you are looking for some great grilling beef, try out the Niman Ranch Hanger Steak, $15.99/lb. This is an exceptional steak on the grill with full beef flavor and a great texture. Check out our Teriyaki Marinated Hanger Steak in our Quick to Fix case for a tasty weeknight meal - perfect for the grill pan. Our Niman Ranch Boneless Short Pork Tenderloin is another fantastic grilling option. Pork is great with sweet and spicy marinades so you have a world of options in front of you. The tenderloin is a very lean cut of pork so keep a close eye on it while you cook so that it doesn't dry out. The boneless Leg of Lamb Steak is another premium choice for the grill. I have found this steak to be one of the least "gamey" cuts of lamb. Lamb is always complimented well with Dijon Mustard and bold seasonings. Curries would also make a great start for a sauce. Our Pacific Dover Sole would make another brilliant grilling choice. Sole is a type of flounder and belongs to the same family as other flat fish like Halibut.  Look to the freezer for our Blue Horizon products on Co+op Deals. We have great prices on the Teriyaki Tuna Burger, the Salmon Surf Burger and the Blue Cheese Salmon Burger. These are all MSC certified sustainable products. Ruby Redbird Ok, it's on! Shiner Ruby Redbird six packs are on sale for just $6.99 regularly $7.99 for a limited time. Shiner Ruby Redbird is brewed with genuine Texas Rio Red Grapefruit, fresh from the Rio Grande Valley, and a hint of ginger. This smooth refreshing lager features grapefruit tartness and finishes with a little kick from the ginger. This is a great summer beer! New at Wheatsville When local producer Bola Pizza rolled up to the store last week towing a custom-made mobile wood-firing pizza oven to bake up some samples for us on the spot, we had a feeling they were going to impress, and they did not fall short! Wheatsville is now proud to carry Bola's frozen pizzas, ready for you to take home and enjoy. Click here for a full description and for everything else new at Wheatsville this week. Co+op Deals Perfect for summertime, Sweet Leaf Tea is on Deal now for $1.19, reg. $1.49. Always refreshing, choose from Original, Mint & Honey, Peach, Half & Half Lemonade Tea, Citrus Green Tea or Unsweetened Lemon Lime Tea. They're all available in our drink cooler and several flavors are on ice in the Deli. Click here for more Co+op Deals valid Wednesday, July 18th, 2012 – Tuesday, July 31st, 2012. —Brooks Wood, Co+op Deals Coordinator Owner Deals Have you tried Organic Bistro Meal Bowls in our frozen department? They make single-serving frozen meal bowls balanced with the best sources of lean protein, fiber-rich whole grains, plentiful vegetables and healthy fats. Their wholesome organic ingredients keep their flavors because they're unprocessed. Complete, wholesome and satisfying meals are always an option and ready in minutes. These are on sale now for $4.39, reg. $4.89. Click here for more Owner Deals valid Wednesday, July 18th, 2012 – Tuesday, July 31st, 2012. —Brooks Wood, Co+op Deals Coordinator Austin Pets Alive! One thing that sets Austin apart from other cities is the active lifestyles of its residents, evident by the number of joggers you can see on any given summer day.  Well, shelter dogs love jogging, too and they would love to accompany you on your next run! Austin Pets Alive!, our Community Action Group for July, and local running group Team Spiridon host a great program called Jog-a-Dog at APA!'s Town Lake Animal Center.  Many dogs need a little more exercise than they can get on a daily basis around their shelter, and rarely get to venture "off-campus", away from the stressful shelter environment. As a result of Jog-a-Dog volunteers, the pets are better-adjusted, healthier, and therefore, more adoptable.  The requirements for volunteers of this program are: • Attend a full jog-a-dog training • Submit a signed waiver at training • You must be 18 to walk a dog.  Minors under 18 are welcome, if accompanied by a parent, but you must be 16 in order to hold the dog's leash. If you are interested, visit APA!'s website to learn more. Austin Pets Alive! will receive 1% of the co-op's Wednesday sales in July and additional donations that shoppers make at the register.  Feel free to donate your reusable bag and container credits any day of the week.  If you donate $1 or more, you will receive a free Austin Pets Alive! window decal, available while supplies last! I hope you have a most excellent week! Dan Gillotte Wheatsville GM and e-mail guy

Fresh in the Deli

Come on in to the Wheatsville Deli and check out our recently revamped self-service food bar, and grab’n’go cooler! That’s right, we’ve moved many of the items on the olive bar to grab’n’go and put a bunch of our tastiest, most popular cold salads in their place on the bar, like Cashew Linguine, Potato, Onion and Caper Salad, and Green Beans Amandine. The salad bar has been reset as well, featuring more of your favorite items, crisp, cold and ready for lunch! The entire grab’n’go cooler has been revamped as well, increasing our available selection of Take’n’Bake Pizzas, Dinners for 2, and fresh Sushi!

 We also made room for a new assortment of refrigerated bakery items, so come try a fruity Blueberry Coconut Tartlet, decadent slice of creamy vegan Chocolate Peanut Butter Pie, refreshing Cranberry-Blueberry Muffin Parfait layered with local, nonfat yogurt, a cool, tart Lemon Bar, or our new staff favorite – soy-free, vegan Tres Leches Cake! This delicious cake is just sweet enough, and drenched with a syrup made from almond, coconut and rice milks for a wonderful summertime treat. Come in and check out our sweet refreshers today!

And our bakery’s new Community Action Cookies are here! This month our buttery, hand-decorated sugar cut-out cookies are shaped like cute little animal paws, with a yummy chocolate glaze, to raise awareness for our July Community Action Wednesday donation recipients Austin Pets Alive! Look for them in our bakery case!

 

Looking for a light lunch? Try one of our Deluxe Salads made with organic spring mix from our self-service grab’n’go cooler! These pre-packed green salads will give you the nourishment and energy you need, either veggie-only or made into a meal topped with a protein: strips of tasty baked Mongolian BBQ Tofu, tender slices of Mediterranean spice-marinated and grilled, all-natural Buddy’s chicken, or fresh, soft cubes of mozzarella cheese. Each of these salads comes packed full of organic spring mix, cherry tomatoes, red onion, cucumber, carrot and sprouts, and comes with your choice of our Cashew-Tamari or Cilantro-Lime dressing! And, right now, our Green Salad with Grilled Chicken is on sale for owners, jus0t $4.49 each, reg. $4.99, so save some time, go green and grab a salad for a healthy, quick and filling lunch!

Wow, it is hot out there! So come on in, cool off, and hydrate yourself with a cold Deli drink! Our Grab’n’Go Icebox in front of the Deli Counter is filled with our tasty, icy beverages for you to grab-n-gulp with no wait! You will likely find our house-brewed, staff favorite Gingerade, now on sale for owners, a 16 oz cup for just 99¢, reg. $1.69! This incredibly refreshing drink is made with fresh ginger, spices and a blend of three fruit juices, it’s an allergy-destroyer and tummy-tenderizer all in one, and boy does it taste good too! Also in the Icebox you may find our infamously eye-opening, 24-hour cold-brewed Iced Coffee Toddy, simply sweetened Agave Lemonade and our seasonal favorite, the lean, green Cucumber Agua Fresca! The Cuke Fresca is now joined by the gorgeous Watermelon Agua Fresca – fresh melon, water, fresh lime juice and organic raw agave syrup are blended together into a chilled masterpiece of thirst-quenching bliss, so c’mon in and try this delicious pink drink!

New delicious, seasonal drinks are also available now from our Deli Counter to cool you down this summer! Our Iced Raspberry Mate adds a touch of fruity sweetness to our herby Yerba Mate, adding a touch of raspberry syrup to this popular coffee alternative. Looking for a caffeinated pick-me-up? Sidle up to our organic, fair-trade espresso bar for an Iced Raspberry Mocha, flavored with  shots of organic chocolate and raspberry syrup and blended to perfection with your choice of milk – cow, soy, rice, coconut or almond! Or maybe you’d prefer our Iced Caramel Macchiato! This sweet treat blends our espresso with caramel and vanilla syrups, and your choice of milk to make one fantastic cuppa Joe! Or, try a cup of our classic Arnold Palmer, a refreshing split of our Organic Black Zhi Tea and our Agave Lemonade! Bottoms up!

Also on the cold drink tip, our all-fruit, no-filler featured smoothie is the light & refreshing Strawberry Pineapple, blending those two tasty fruits with frozen bananas & organic apple juice!

Our featured salsa is the A-maize-ing Black Bean and Corn Salsa, a spicy blend of organic black beans, corn, tomatoes, garlic, jalapenos and cilantro, this hearty salsa is one of our most popular! Try some on your taco, or get a tub from grab’n’go to snack on with some crispy El Milagro chips!

Also on sale at the Deli Counter are tasty cold cuts, sliced to order: Boar’s Head Smoked Ham at $8.49/lb, reg. $8.99 and Smoked Provolone Cheese, $4.99/lb, reg. $5.99! C’mon in and stock up on your lunchbox staples – these two make great pizza toppings, too!

New at Wheatsville

When local producer Bola Pizza rolled up to the store last week towing a custom-made mobile wood-firing pizza oven to bake up some samples for us on the spot, we had a feeling they were going to impress, and they did not fall short! Wheatsville is now proud to carry Bola’s frozen pizzas, ready for you to take home and enjoy. Read on for a full description and for everything else new at Wheatsville this week.

Bola Pizzas

After hosting regular Tuesday night pizza parties for years, Austin food bloggers Christian and Jamie Bowers decided to get serious. A wood-fired oven from Italy was purchased and mounted on a custom trailer, and Bola Pizza-- named after the couple's official crust-taster and dog-- was born. Once the fire was lit, there was no turning back. The dough is their famous three-day, cold fermentation process yielding a crispy yet chewy crust topped with the highest quality local and imported ingredients.

The GodMother

The GodMother is here to protect you from typical frozen pizza! Smoky and rich; pairs well with full-flavored wines like Nero d'Avolas and Brunellos. Topped with Tomato Sauce, Smoked Mozzarella, and Caramelized Onions. 17.2oz, Reg. $12.99

The Truffle Daisy

Pure and simple. The Italian name 'Margherita' translates to 'Daisy' in English, and Bola's version is finished with a dash of earthy truffle oil. The Truffle Daisy pairs delightfully with Pale Ales. Topped with Tomato Sauce, Fresh Mozzarella, Truffle Oil, and Love.16.5oz, Reg. $12.99

Mom’s Best Organic Multigrain Hot Cereals Plain Grain, Cinnamon Plum Spiced

Say yes to the best! Mom's Best Hot Cereals are pure whole-grain delicious-ness. These certified organic cereals are free of artificial flavors, colors and preservatives, and contain no hydrogenated oils or high fructose corn syrup. What they do contain, however, is 32-41 grams of whole grains and 200 mg of ALA Omega-3 per serving, thanks to a high fiber grain blend consisting of oats, barley, quinoa, rye, wheat, and whole flaxseeds. Mom's Hot Cereals are also an economical choice for breakfast: at five pouches per box, each serving works out to a mere $.46!

To prepare, simply empty the contents of one pouch into a bowl, add cold water (the pouch itself is the measuring cup), and microwave. How much easier does it get? 7.5oz, $2.29

Pacific Natural Foods Hemp Milk 

Original, Vanilla, Chocolate

The hemp seed is a nutritional powerhouse-– packed with vitamins, minerals and 10 essential amino acids, it also features a balance of omega-3 and -6 fatty acids. Sweetened with brown rice syrup, Pacific Hemp Milk boasts a smooth, luscious mouth feel, delivers 4 grams of protein, 50% of the RDA of Calcium, and is an excellent source of Vitamins D, B12 and Riboflavin.

32oz, Reg. $3.99

Coffee and Smoothie Frequent Buyer Cards

Dear Customers,

We’re going to be ending a couple of long term programs and wanted to let you know about it. As of now, we will no longer have a coffee and smoothie frequent buyer card program. We know that this may be disappointing to those of you who liked these programs, so as a thank you for your continued loyalty we will be giving you a coupon for:

ONE FREE POUND of COFFEE of your choice or ONE  FREE SMOOTHIE of your choice when you turn in your Smoothie or Coffee card with ANY amount of punches between now and September 1, 2012.

So, why the heck are we ending the cards?

Coffee: We started out (many many years ago) wanting to let people know about our fantastic fair trade, organic bulk coffee selection and couldn’t offer many sales prices. The frequent buyer card was one way to reward loyal shoppers.  Today, we have great sales on at least one bulk coffee at all times AND offer a 5% DISCOUNT ANYTIME for purchases of any 5# bag.

Smoothies: When we began making our frosty smoothies all those years ago, we wanted to let people know that we made delicious, all-fruit and no-ice drinks.  Over time, we have continued to offer competitive prices and have expanded our selection to include alternative milks and mix-ins. We think our smoothies are really a good value and we will continue to have periodic specials.

Both of these programs were started long ago when the co-op was in a precarious financial position and was doing anything possible to build customer loyalty.  We didn’t have the many other sales and programs we offer today.  Co-op Deals and Owner Deals didn’t exist.  Neither did Owner Appreciation Days, and the co-op was not in a position to offer Patronage Rebates. Today, we have all of those things plus much stronger customer service, and we are always looking for new ways to deliver better value to our customers.

We know that this decision may be disappointing but we hope that you can understand our reasoning and enjoy your free smoothie or pound of coffee on us.

Thank you for your continued loyalty and patronage.