Mother's Day

Hi folks!

This week, we'll talk about:

Our expansion project!

Mother's Day!

Local produce and Mushroom mania!

News from the Herb department!

We've had a pretty exciting week at Wheatsville! We had a nice groundbreaking ceremony last week and were on tv! 

Watch it here http://tinyurl.com/694dlr  or here http://www.keyetv.com/news/local/story.aspx?content_id=085EEB5D-4AD1-424D-8BA4-CAC9ACE9C2ED&gsa=true

Board at the ground breaking:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7_XR0-XA1a8&feature=related

We also had demolition work on one of our external storage buildings!

Red Door

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=emFIiaE8eqA

They have also started work on the former InStep building, our new offices and meeting room space.

Next week will be more of the same. You can stay up to date on our project via these weekly e-mails or on the web-site at http://wheatsville.coop/expansion.html

Thank you for your patience so far during the project. I'd like to remind you that you will find it easier to park early in the morning before 11am and after 8pm. We have more parking available behind the store after 5pm during the week and all day on the weekends. One other piece of advice, take the FIRST parking spot that you encounter when pulling into the parking lot. Don't drive around to see if there is a better one. I often see people pass up a spot or two immediately upon entering the lot and then not finding a spot on the other side. If you walk, ride your bike or bus, you should have easy sailing still!

We love our Mothers

My mom is in town this week, so we are celebrating on Sunday with a picnic at Mayfield Park. We're going to pick up sandwiches and beverages to go from Wheatsville and head on over to that delightful park. You can do the same. (But you don't have to go to Mayfield Park, especially if you're afraid of peacocks for some reason... You can just choose your favorite park.) 

Making Mom breakfast in bed can be pretty nice, even if it's just Nature's Path Toaster Pastries or Lifestream Waffles with Organic Maple Syrup. (Little kids can even handle making these!)

Mother's Day will be celebrated in the Deli this weekend with strawberry shortcake, fresh greens and lovely beet salads. Florentine meatballs, barbecued chicken and grilled ahi tuna are back in the deli case as well. 

Wheat-free Wednesdays are still going strong in our bakery with a delicious assortment of baked goods – including our newest addition, delectable Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip cookies – come on in mid-week and try one! 

Don't forget to ask for a sample of our exceptional Fresh in the Deli special recipes from the Community Co-op for May, packed with tangy Greek flavors!

 

Semi-Pedantic Produce Prose from our new produce manager, Johnny Livesay.

 

Wheatsville 's Produces Department Local Produce Selection

 

We're currently carrying a bountiful selection of local organic and conventional produce.

From the kind folk of Buena Tierra Farms of Fredonia, Texas we are presently offering organic loose beets, bunches of basil, yellow squash, and beautiful napa cabbage. We have gorgeous organic loose turnips from Morrison Organic Farms based out of Cleburne, Texas. Reliable Brand organic tomatoes from Cedar Park are looking great and are ready for slicing. The Rio Star organic grapefruit from South Texas are huge, sweet and delicious. We also are carrying some beautiful hydroponically grown Bibb lettuce from Amador Farms from down the road in Dripping Springs. This has been a customer favorite for the past few months around here. The kids from the Eastside continue to deliver amazing looking, and tasting, pesticide-free collard greens through the Urban Roots program. Check them out on the web: http://www.youthlaunch.org/programs/seeds.php

 

Organic Mushrooms are in!

 

We have expanded our fresh organic mushroom selection this week. We currently are offering seven varieties of organic mushrooms! Look for packs of Portabella Caps, Baby Bellas, Maitake (hen of the woods), White Beech, Brown Beech, and King Trumpet mushrooms. All of these varieties are great for sautéing. We also have bulk organic Shitakes, which are great for stir-frys.

 

It's Asparagus season and I have a short video on Youtibe demonstrating how to prep your asparagus for maximum tenderness. (It is shot kind of poorly, but is still informative. (Or so I have heard...)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=djCfwniLecE&feature=related

Herb department news from Health Team Clerk and Herb tender, Miranda!

Greetings from aisle 5!  I've added some exciting new items to our selection of bulk teas, herbs and spices.  

We now have Organic Ground Chipotle, regularly $26.49/Lb, on sale for the month of May at $22.49/Lb.  

I'm excited to bring in the Organic Chinese Five Spice Blend so many of y'all have requested.  This is a blend of organic cinnamon, fennel, cloves, star anise, and white pepper; perfect for stir-fry.  Regular price is $14.99/LB, on sale for the month of May at $12.99/LB.  

I am also pleased to announce the return of our Organic Detox Tea from Starwest.  We were unable to get this blend of organic burdock, dandelion root, peppermint, red clover, licorice, yellowdock and ginger for a while, but it's back now at $14.99/LB.  

Due to an ordering snafu I have some Conventional Nettles on my hands, and that means a great deal for you!  Get 'em while you can, $9.49/LB til they're gone.

The item I'm most stoked about?  Chia seeds!!  We've been carrying them for a while, but I recently moved these to a large jar on the bulk herbs counter to accommodate demand.  Growing sales have also allowed us to lower the price to $15.39/LB, $13.00/LB for special orders of one pound or more.

Have a great week!

Dan Gillotte

Wheatsville GM and e-mail guy (And Youtube videographer)

Here comes May! Coffee with the board, new specials and more!

Hi Wheatsville friends!

This week, we'll chat about:

Coffee with the board

Expansion/ Renovation update

Save the date for the Tecolote Farm tour!

Product news and sales

Board is seeking interested owners to run for the board

Coffee with the board!

This Saturday from 10-Noon, join some of your favorite board members for coffee and treats under the awning on the patio. 

Talk about the weather, the project, board vision and the transformation of society!

Tecolote Farm Tour

Sunday, May 25th 11am - 2pm

Wheatsville owners and organic farmers, Katie Kraemer and David Pitre invite Wheatsville owners to visit their farm.

Tecolote Farm is a certified organic vegetable farm in operation since 1994. Sundays are harvest days. They harvest for Monday basket deliveries in the morning, then clean, sort, and pack vegetables in the shady wash area after lunch.

Coop members are welcome to join the Wheatsville tour and should bring wide-brimmed hats, closed shoes, and water. Please leave your pups at home.

Click here to sign up for the tour! http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=gPxIzDownQ_2buBJh8TyaQZg_3d_3d

Expansion-asana: week 3!

The work continues on the retaining wall and some other stuff. We've got some video on-line of the back hoe doing some of its work. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CQ5Jj4yItrk

Having a huge piece of power equipment in our parking lot has made parking  a little trickier than we're used to and we've had some traffic jams at certain times of the day. We appreciate your patience in this process. I do have some suggestions, though for better times to shop. 

If you can adjust your shopping, you might find that the auto parking is easier during the the following times: 

Early mornings from open until about 11 or 11:30am. 

Mid-afternoon from 2:30-4

Evenings after 8pm.

After 5pm and on weekends, there is potentially parking to the north side of Wheatsville that you could also try.

All staff are parking off premises or finding alternative transport to get to work to free up as much space as possible for you to shop, but it will still be a squeeze during the busiest times. Once again, I thank you for your patience during our project.

We had a nice ceremony to celebrate the start or our project on Tuesday. We even got some news coverage. We'll post links to pictures and video as soon as we get them!

May specials and other product action!

We're heading quickly into May, so starting on Thursday, our new Co-op Advantage sales will begin! You can download the flyer on-line at http://wheatsville.coop/CAP%20flyers/SW04081.pdf

 

This week in the Beer department!

Samuel Smith ORGANIC Cider now available in the singles cooler!

Also, look for various singles on clearance sale at amazing prices (while supplies last)!

 

Fresh in the Deli

Say hello to Tomatillo Fire, Wheatsville's latest salsa of the month! Packed with roasted tomatillos, tomatoes, poblanos, onions, garlic, jalapenos and serranos, this complex salsa packs a sweet and spicy

punch. 

The Deli's new smoothie of the month, Peach Cobbler will tame that heat with a cold and delicious cinnamon-laced blend of peaches and bananas. But, if you'd rather save that smoothie for dessert, our black,
green and hibiscus mint iced teas are in stock and on sale this month with member coupons to help keep you cool! 

For the next two weeks, we'll be featuring these two recipes from the Community Food Co-op in Belligham, WA

Shepherd's salad, a light delicious salad featuring spelt berries, cranberries, feta and walnuts!

Cucumber Kalamata Salad, a great spring salad with the nice flavors of mint, feta, cucumbers, kalamata olives and cherry tomatoes.

Here's the latest from Mike Crissey in the Perishables Department:

 

SAVINGS ON TOP OF CREAM-ON-TOP YOGURTS

 

Brown Cow whole milk Yogurt Cups, the red tops, go on sale for 30 cents off (reg. $.99, sale $.69) starting Thursday for the entire month of May. This is my favorite yogurt because of the layer of sweet cream that sits on the top of the cup. Some people like to spoon the rich cream off the top, but I like to mix in it. Brown Cow is made with milk from Jersey cows, known for producing higher butterfat milk, which are not given artificial hormones. The yogurt is also naturally sweetened, has no artificial preservatives and has live cultures like the rest of the yogurt we sell here at the co-op.

 

THE DOG DAYS OF MAY

 

Fire up your barbeque! Lightlife Smart Dogs and Tofu Pups are going on sale to usher in the grilling season. Save 20 cents all month (reg. $3.49, sale $3.29). These veggie dogs are also ideal for a camping trip. They heat up in minutes in a pot of boiling water.

 

THE FREEZER'S FIRING UP YOUR SUMMER GET-TOGETHER

 

Burgers! Buffalo Wings! French Fries! The freezer is chocked full of savings on summertime fare. Almost every Boca product we carry is on sale in May. Boca Burgers and Meatless Ground Burger are $1.20 off (reg. $4.49, sale $3.29). Save $1.30 on Boca Chicken Patties, Spicy Chicken Patties, Buffalo Wings and Meatless Nuggets (reg. $4.59, sale  $3.29). Boca Italian Sausage and Bratwurst will be on sale for $3.49 (reg. $4.59).

 

Alexia Oven Crinkles are on sale for 70 cents off (reg. $2.69, sale $1.99), while Alexia Waffle Fries are $1 off (reg. $3.69, sale $2.69). Cascadian Farms Wedge Cut Fries, Hash Browns, French Fries, Spud Puppies and Country Potatoes are also on sale ($1.99, reg., $2.49 to $2.89).

 

And don't forget dessert. Pints of Stonyfield ice-cream and frozen yogurt will be 90 cents off for the month of May (reg. $3.89, sale $2.99).

THE NOMCOM WANTS YOU!!

 

Have you or someone you know wondered what more you could do for our cooperative? Then the Nominations Committee of the Wheatsville Board of Directors wants to talk to you. We have four general seats open in the upcoming September election. If you have a gold card (investment ownership) you are eligible to run for the board. Typically, directors spend an an average of one to three hours per week between board meetings and committees they may serve on. If you'd like more information, please contact the Nominations Committee atnominations@wheatsville.coop or contact board member Bob Kinney (bkinney@wheatsville.coop) or Mike Crissey (mcrissey@wheatsville.coop).

I hope that you enjoy this exquisite weather and have a great week!

Dan

Wheatsville GM and e-mail guy

Some large equipment doing some excavation at the co-op!

Better times to shop, Expansion-asana, and food news!

Hello friends,

Scroll down for:

Expansion update!

Better times to shop during this project phase.

Wheatsville Expansion Project opening ceremony this Tuesday!

Food news!

Board meeting in new temporary meeting space.

Expansion Update!

Our demolition has gone pretty smoothly so far with a seriously huge piece of equipment doing a lot of the work up to this point. They are currently excavating the dirt behind the retaining wall in order to expose it for demolition. It's pretty fun to watch! Early next week should see the demolition of the brick building that we affectionately refer to as the Red Door building as well as the beginning of work on the former InStep space. 

Having a huge piece of power equipment in our parking lot has made parking  a little trickier than we're used to and we've had some traffic jams at certain times of the day. We appreciate your patience in this process. I do have some suggestions, though for better times to shop. 

If you can adjust your shopping, you might find that the auto parking is easier during the the following times: 

Early mornings from open until about 11 or 11:30am. 

Mid-afternoon from 2:30-4

Evenings after 8pm.

After 5pm and on weekends, there is potentially parking to the north side of Wheatsville that you could also try.

All staff are parking off premises or finding alternative transport to get to work to free up as much space as possible for you to shop, but it will still be a squeeze during the busiest times. Once again, I thank you for your patience during our project.

Maybe you would like to join your co-op board at a small ceremony to celebrate the beginning of our long-awaited project? We'll be having a short informal ceremony in the parking lot at 5:30 on Tuesday April 29th. We'll have light refreshments and probably a minimum of speechifyin'. (You might consider parking off premise if possible ; )

Check out our expansion updates with pictures on-line at http://www.wheatsville.coop/expansion.html

Food news!

This is your last weekend to come in for April Co-op Advantage Specials. (We'll have more different specials in May, though!)

In the deli!

The Wheatsville Deli's been celebrating the warm weather with some tasty treats: barbecued all-natural chicken pieces, grilled garlic-butter ahi tuna steaks and curry lime chicken salad! Our bakers have been cooking
up a storm as well: creamy slices of kiwi fruit-topped vegan cheesecake have been appearing in the self-serve case. And another hot weather cooler, cucumber-dill cream cheese, has made its seasonal return to the
cheese case. Try some on a bagel, or spread on a celery stick!

Here's the latest from Mike Crissey, our Perishables Buyer:

 

COLD CASES

 

I am continuing to cull slower movers out of the dairy cooler and freezer as renovation continues. We don't have a clear picture of what may happen in the store yet. Products and departments may be moved to other places and we may have to consolidate all of the refrigerated product in a cooler or two when we get new equipment. I've been working with Dan and Niki to fine-tune our product mix so we can be prepared if we find ourselves short on cooler space. This doesn't mean these products won't come back after renovation is complete.

 

Here's the latest list of items I'm working to discontinue. This week it's frozen:

 

Amy's Frozen Meals: Although most of these meals are popular (they helped me get started on a vegetarian and organic diet), we have a few items that just aren't as popular.

 

Amy's Cheese Lasagna, Amy's Tofu Scramble, Amy's Tofu Ranchero, Amy's Country Meal, Amy's Thai Stir-fry Bowl and Amy's Santa Fe Enchilada Bowls will be on sale for $3.99 ($.50 off) down from their regular prices of $4.49. Also, the Amy's Shepherd's Pie which is on sale for $1.99 this month.

 

Meanwhile, we're discontinuing one of the Amy's pockets -- the Tofu Scramble, which are also on sale for $1.89.

 

Hytop Vegetables: These are by far the least expensive frozen vegetables in the co-op but it seems like we support Woodstock Farms and Cascadian Farms although they're more expensive. We sell three times as much Cascadian Farms and about twice as many Woodstock Farms frozen vegetables as Hytop in an average month. Until we sell out, Hytop vegetables will be 60 to 80 cents off (reg. $1.59 to $1.79, now $.99).

 

Food-For-Life Raisin Pecan Bread: This product is among our slowest moving frozen breads.We sold about two cases of it last month compared to five or six cases for the other Food-For-Life breads and 15 to 20 cases for Ezekiel breads. The FFL Raisin Pecan bread will be on sale for $4.29 (70 cents off) until we run out.

 

French Meadow Sunflower-Flax bread: This is another of our slower moving frozen breads. We sold about two cases last month. It will be on sale for $3.99, down from its regular price of $3.99.

 

Your board at work

Our next board meeting is this coming Tuesday APRIL 29TH, following the ceremony at 6pm in our new temporary meeting space at 406 West 30th. It's on the northeast corner of 30th & Fruth (two short blocks east of Guadalupe), directly across the street from Trudy's and just down the street from Spiderhouse. The meeting is from 6-9 and you are invited to attend.

THE NOMCOM WANTS YOU!!

 

Have you or someone you know wondered what more you could do for our cooperative? Then the Nominations Committee of the Wheatsville Board of Directors wants to talk to you. We have four general seats open in the upcoming September election. If you have a gold card (investment ownership) you are eligible to run for the board. Typically, directors spend an an average of one to three hours per week between board meetings and committees they may serve on. If you'd like more information, please contact the Nominations Committee atnominations@wheatsville.coop or contact board member Bob Kinney (bkinney@wheatsville.coop) or Mike Crissey (mcrissey@wheatsville.coop).

Sports news!

COOPERATION BEATS THE CHRONICLE

 

I had a lead-off triple and scored the go-ahead run in the 10th inning as Bookpeople beat The Chronicle 13-9 Monday night. The Filthy Animals jumped out to an early 4-0 lead but The Chronicle tied it at 5 all in the fifth inning and jumped out to a 9-6 lead in the sixth. Bookpeople whittled away the lead, tying the game at 9 in the top of the ninth innning. I hit a line drive down the third base line for a triple and was driven in with a single to right field to put Bookpeople ahead for good in the extra frame. The next three Filthy Animals all scored, driven in by an in-the-park homer by Bookpeople's second baseman.

 

LET'S PLAY BALL

 

I have temporarily joined Bookpeople as they play other independent Austin businesses in softball, but I'd really like to get a Wheatsville team together. In past years, we found enough employees to make a squad, but this year we haven't been so lucky. Anyone who'd like to play softball -- even if you've never played -- should send me an e-mail at mcrissey@wheatsville.coop. We typically practice Wednesdays or Thursdays and Sundays. We have to have the most healthy and fit folks in town. Let's play ball.

 

 

I hope that you have a great week!

Dan

Wheatsville GM and e-mail guy!

 

Breaking news! Project starting and Earth Day Wine Tasting Tuesday!

Hi Wheatsville friends!

Two quick things!

One, we now officially have huge equipment in our parking lot and we will see them begin to use it on Tuesday!!! Wow! This equipment does take up some of our parking, so be prepared during busy times to find some traffic issues. If you drive through the regular entrance and don't see a spot, you can head toward the back parking lot and you may find some there. Walkers, Bikers and bussers shouldn't have any issues at this stage. 

Earth Day Wine Tasting

Tuesday is Earth Day and we had a short notice opportunity to do a wine tasting at the co-op in honor of it. We'll be featuring the wines of Parducci, America's Greenest WInery! They are the first carbon neutral winery. They buy grapes from family farms. They use solar power. They farm some of their land organically and bio-dynamically, too. On Tuesday, we'll have tastings of the Parducci Pinot Noir, the Parducci Pinot Grigio, and the Parducci Petit Sirah.

Save the date! 

The board and I will be having an informal commencement ceremony for the project at 5:30pm next Tuesday April 29th. You are welcome to attend. We'll have our April board meeting from 6-9pm afterward at our temporarily rented house on 30th and Fruth. Agenda and directions will be posted on the web-site soon!

Have a great week! (I think that I will have one extra e-mail to you on Friday this week and then we'll resume with our regular weekly e-mail after that!)

Dan Gillotte

Wheatsville GM  and e-mail guy