Wheatsville Food Co-op

Friday, August 29, 2008

Labor Day, board forum, last chance to vote for Wheatsville!

Hi Wheatsville friends and fans!

The deadline for voting in the Austin Chronicle Best of Austin reader's poll is this Monday. We would love to win Best Neighborhood Grocery. Will you help? It just takes a couple of minutes at http://www.austinchronicle.com/feedback/bestof/08/ Thanks a lot!

The board wants your input on the bylaws

The board is hosting an Owner's Forum to discuss the Bylaws on Sunday, Sept. 7th from 1 to 4 pm in the Episcopal Seminary of the Southwest room 210. Please mark your calendar if you want to participate in the bylaws update process!

You can also learn a lot more about this huge board project on-line at http://wheatsville.coop/bylawsrevision.html

Labor Day specials in the deli!

Labor Day is the traditional end of summer (for us, it's like the midpoint! But, you should still have a picnic or grill out. Why the heck not?)

In the deli, find Picnic macaroni salad, 3 bean salad, vegetarian German potato salad, and Meme's coleslaw.

In the cheese department, we're featuring picnic style cheeses; gouda, cheddar and dill havarti. Look for the nice display in the cheese case!

From the Meat department!

Labor Day is just around the corner and we have some great specials to help make the most of any BBQ! Last chance to get great specials with member coupon on Richardson's Farms pork products; $.50- off this includes bone-in chops, link sausage, pan sausage, pork cutlets. Richardson's farm is a great product, locally raised, and this your last to get the member coupon discount. Also Bison Provisions both varieties $5.99 ea $.25- off with member coupon last chance this month!

Other specials you'll see this week:

Coleman Natural ground round overstock special! Regular $6.29 now $5.79 lb!

Coleman Natural Pork Baby back ribs $9.99 lb. (9-1)

Pederson's Natural Apple smoked bacon $7.29 ea $.25off with member coupon (9-1)

Want something special this Labor Day? Just give Bryan a call and talk. As always we'll have Coleman briskets, ribeye steaks, top sirloins, NY strip steaks, thick pork chops, Buddy's whole fryers (split on request) and more kinds of sausage than you can shake a stick at (or put on a stick and cook over an open flame!)!

Here's a great recipe for some special Labor Day hamburgers, enjoy!

Garden Fresh Hamburger

1 egg, best if free-range
1-tablespoon catsup
¼-teaspoon pepper
½-teaspoon onion salt
½ teaspoon dried basil, crushed
1 cup zucchini, chopped
¼-cup bread crumbs
1-pound ground beef or lamb
Catsup for brushing meat
Hamburger buns
Salad dressing
Spinach or lettuce leaves

Procedure:

Beat the egg. Stir together egg, one tablespoon catsup, the basil, onion salt, pepper, zucchini and bread crumbs. Mix in the ground meat and stir thoroughly. Form into four patties about ¾ inch thick.

Place patties into heavy skillet or grill over low or medium low heat until only the faintest pink remains in center of patties. Turn and brush with catsup once during cooking.

Split and toast hamburger buns. Spread salad dressing over toasted buns. Brush catsup over patties, place spinach or lettuce leaves and patties on buns. Serve while hot.

NEW & ON SALE in the land of beers!

Floreffe Triple and Prima Beers

Floreffe Triple owes its considerable reputation to the pungent hop-bitterness and touch of caramel that are apparent in its flavour. As is the case with the other Floreffe beers, it is not filtered and may appear cloudy when served very cold. Brewed to an old formula belonging to the monks of Floreffe abbey, it is refermented in the bottle with the addition of yeast and sugar.

Prima Melior was the Special Reserve Ale exclusively for the use of the Abbot and his guests.
A brown beer of high strength, it is reinforced with a powerful seasoning of anis and coriander. When the fermentation and clarification are complete, doses of yeast and brewing sugar are added for refermentation in the bottle. This is based upon the brewing tradition of Floreffe abbey. Prima Melior is ideal with a mature hard cheese, possibly selected in the range of cheeses of Floreffe, or perfect when used in the preparation of rabbit.

Want to know more? Check this out: http://www.brasserielefebvre.be/

ON SALE THIS WEEK- regular price: $7.99/ sale price:$4.99

Have a great weekend and go on over to the Chronicle site and vote for your favorite Austin businesses!

Dan

Wheatsville GM and e-mail guy!

Wednesday, August 20, 2008

Yummy beverages and even more local products!

Hi friends!

Our monthly board meeting will be held on Tuesday August 26th at 6pm at the Episcopal Seminary of the Southwest. Go to our web-site for the agenda and directions. This should be the last off-site board meeting as we hope to be ready to be hosting our future board meetings in our new meeting room space! http://wheatsville.coop/bodagenda.pdf

Cold new refreshment!

Virgil's Draft Cola is a new hit among some of us at the co-op. We've long been fans of Virgil's high quality, high flavor Virgil's Root Beer, so it was very excitrng to learn about their newest craft soft drink. Check it out if you are a fan of cola. This one has some real nice notes of vanilla as well as more traditional cola taste.

BEER OF THE WEEK! (again!)

North Coast Blue Star Wheat Beer

It's so great that we're going to feature it again! We love this beer! American barley and wheat malts are combined with a blend of noble hops to create this light, fruity, refreshing beer. Brewed in the style of the American beer renaissance, Blue Star is unfiltered, the yeast adding a complex note to the flavor profile. Delicious!

Words from Bryan, our meat guy!

Well last week I told you folks to get out and grill, and it rained all week. So I'm saying grill all year long! Maybe we'll get some more rain... Don't let the rain put you off, maybe slow it down alittle this week and make yourself a home cooked meal. We have great items still on member coupon.

We have 2 new products in from Richardson farms, pasture raised bacon and pork cutlets. The bacon is uncured and free of hormones and antibiotics, and belive me delicious. Also pork cutlets are great for shinitzle (chicken fried steak). They are very lean and nice small portions. All Richardson farms pork products are $8.49 lb, $.50- off with member coupon. It's a great time to try this fantastic local product!

Also check out our Coleman Natural Sirloin tip roast for $ 5.99 lb, great for slow cooking (crock pot is awesome) with potatoes, carrots and celery. Coleman ground round $ 5.79 lb regular $6.39 lb. Our ground round is 90% lean meat 10% fat, great for burgers and cassaroles with ground meat. Since it's naturally lean you don't have to drain fat because it not greasy.

Here's the latest from Chill Buyer Mike Crissey:

FRESH FROM THE FARMERS' MARKET

REMEMBER WHEN BUTTERMILK!!

We're continuing to add more products from one of our newest Texas farmers in the dairy cooler, Remember When Dairy. Bakers should especially enjoy Remember When's farmstead, mostly grassfed buttermilk in pints ($1.49) and quarts ($1.99). Austin Chronicle Food Writer Virginia Wood and her friends are big fans of the buttermilk. "We are all bakers at heart and spent an entire week regaling each other with stories of tall, feather-light biscuits; tender, savory corn bread; and delicate chocolate and Italian cream cakes made with that marvelous buttermilk," she wrote in her July 11 column. "I'm so besotted with the old-fashioned goodness of the buttermilk that I was inspired to replicate one of my grandparents' favorite treats – a glass of cold, tangy buttermilk with corn bread crumbled in it." We're also going to begin carrying gallons of skim milk ($5.69) in addition to half-gallons of skim and whole milk ($3.59) and gallons of whole milk.

OAK FARMS PHASE OUT

The growing popularity of low-temperature pastuerized, non-homogenized milk from Remember When Dairy has prompted us to scale back our offerings from Oak Farms, our conventional (and local) brand of cow's milk. We will continue to sell reduced fat (2%) in pints, quarts and gallons and whole milk in pints and quarts. Everything else we'll be switching to Remember When Dairy. If you haven't tried Remember When, I'd like you to give them a taste. Half-gallons and gallons of Remember When are only slightly more expensive than Oak Farms was.

LOCAL PRODUCTS ARE CASH COWS IN THE COOLERS

30% of Dairy Sales Are Local Products

Did you know that on average one out of every four dairy items we sell is produced locally? Did you know that 30 cents of every dollar spent on a dairy item is for a local product? In the first six months of this year, 25.6% of dairy items rung up at the registers was produced locally (in Texas) and 30% of the total dairy sales dollars was from local products. That's pretty encouraging, considering that only 11% of the food available in Central Texas is grown locally, according to the Sustainable Food Center. By some estimates, only 1 or 2 percent of the food bought nationwide is produced locally. It also indicates that we're making progress on the goals we've set for our cooperative. Part of our cooperative's mission is to provide "healthy food and related products, with an emphasis on local, organic, fair trade and sustainable production." I'm proud to offer our array of local products and proud of all of us for supporting these farms and companies. See more details in the upcoming issue of The Breeze.

The board wants your input on the bylaws

You can also learn a lot more about this huge board project on-line at http://wheatsville.coop/bylawsrevision.html

Have a great week!

Dan Gillotte

Wheatsville GM and e-mail guy

Friday, August 15, 2008

Amazing specials and more!

Hello Wheatsville friends and fans!

I'll have more expansion updates next week, FYI.

The board wants your input on the bylaws

You can also learn a lot more about this huge board project on-line at http://wheatsville.coop/bylawsrevision.html

Barbecue, Bread and Burritos! Have we got a deal for you!

There is a new Kettle Chip called Backyard Barbeque which is a delicious new chip. BUT, more importantly, they are doing a cool promotion to support the National Wildlife Federation's Backyard Habitat project. Click here for more information, or read the back of a bag in the store: http://www.nwf.org/kettlefoods/ Great chip, greater cause!

Bread prices got you down? Then stock up now on Rudi's Organic bread. It's at a killer price and it freezes well!

Amy's yummy Burritos are also on an amazing deal this month at a savings of 80¢ per burrito! Wow! Stick up on these for sure!

More deals available through the Co-op Advantage specials on our web-site: http://wheatsville.coop/CAP%20flyers/SW0808.pdf

The deli cooks so you don't have to!

Rainbow chard enchiladas, baked lemon tamari garlic tofu patties, grilled spice-rubbed ahi tuna steaks, broccoli with cashew-tamari, forbidden rice with sweet potatoes and red peppers, beets with feta and honey-herb dressing… these are just a few of the delicious items in today's Deli case, with more homemade goodies coming out of our little kitchen every day! Our self-serve section is stocked with Wheatsville classics like Buddy's all-natural, all-white meat chicken salad, tasty and light tuna salad, tofu-based eggless egg salad, creamy garbanzo bean spread, healthy hemp hummus, rich walnut pate and thick baba ganouj, for a quick and filling take-home fix. Tempeh chili Frito pie, black beans and rice, sandwiches and tacos round out the Deli's classic offerings – there's always something to fit your cravings! And be sure to check out the Bakery's ongoing wheat-free Wednesdays with a growing assortment of gluten-free muffins, cakes, cookies and brownies available to satisfy your sweet tooth!

Mmmmmmeat!

Can't seem to beat the heat? How about turning of those stoves and firing-up that grill! This month we have two great items on member coupon. Richardson's farm pork products are on special coupon for a savings of $.50 off total price. This includes the Link style, bone-in pork chops, pan style sausage, and boneless pork cutlets. Richardson's farm is super special because they are local and their pork is pasture raised. Their link sausage is one of our Deli Manager's all time favorites!

Also Bison provisions sausage, both varieties, $.25 off total price with coupon. These are a must when grilling.

Say Cheese!

Don't forget the cheese department when you're looking for your poolside munchies! Classic cheddar is always great with fruit & crackers or pretzels. Or make it a bit fancier with Holland Goudas or Havarti with Dill!

Check out our "Staff Top Ten Picks" posted throughout the store, we work here and shop here!!! Look for the yellow signs in front of the products.

Featuring Bryan Butler, Meat & Seafood Buyer

Wild caught Alaskan Butterfish. This stuff is awesome, and a great healthy protein substitute for beef or chicken.
Real Ale Fireman's no.4. Great refreshing summer beer, local to boot.
El Milagro tortilla chips. When I'm done with the bag there's always crumbs left, so I use the crumbs to make my own migas for breakfast. Yum!
Organic grapes. My new all the time snack food. Usually out of the freezer is my favorite.
Cashew linguini. Delicious!
Tamari almonds. Another favorite snack food of mine.
Brown Cow Peach yogurt. Really this one is kind of like an addiction.
Smokey Hill medium or hot Salsa. I've eaten lots of salsas but the added flavor of the mesquite makes this one really unique.

9. Bastrop cattle company Grass-fed ground beef. When I do have hamburger this is the only one I buy. Healthy and tasty.

10. Guayaki Yerba Mate. My substitute for coffee and it works!

Recipes in a hurry!

You may have seen the Rush Hour Recipe brochures on the member center counter. If not, check these out. This is a new program that we have, featuring recipes from other Co-ops, plus snazzy color pictures along with a shopping list to help you find the ingredients for the recipes. Some of the recipes that we currently have are vegetarian meatballs, ratatouille, garlic roasted chicken and black bean & corn salad.

BEER OF THE WEEK!

North Coast Blue Star Wheat Beer

Back by popular demand (they have really been demanding it!) Choice American barley and wheat malts are combined with a blend of noble hops to create this light, fruity, refreshing beer. Brewed in the style of the American beer renaissance, Blue Star is unfiltered, the yeast adding a complex note to the flavor profile. Delicious!

I hope that you have a great weekend!

Dan Gillotte

Wheatsville GM and e-mail guy!

Wednesday, August 06, 2008

Bylaws, yummy food, Staff Picks, great beer expansion changes happening soon and still more bloglove!

HI folks!...

Jampacked with information this week!

Scroll down for:

The board bylaws project

Expansion news you can use

Deli update including meat and cheese

Staff Picks

Beer is refreshing

Blog Love!

The board wants your input on the bylaws

You can also learn a lot more about this huge board project on-line at http://wheatsville.coop/bylawsrevision.html

Important Expansion news for you! (Expanion-asana motto: be flexible and remember to breathe!)

We have some additional parking available in the main parking lot along the new retaining wall. It's a dirt area between two fences, but has room for 3-5 more cars. These spaces should generally be available for the foreseeable future.

YOu may have noticed that the new entrance area has had concrete poured in it. They made really good progress and we are nearing a new phase of the project. On Thursday night, we'll be up at the store over night relocating our registers and some other equipment to give the contractors room to install our new sliding entrance and exit doors at the Southwest corner of the building. (Near the first register where bulk pet food is right now.) They will be installing the new doors next week. During that time, you will encounter a slightly more congested front end and some stuff in slightly different places. If you don't see what you're looking for, please ask someone and we'll show you where it is.

Around the 18th of August, the new entrances will begin being used (temporarily) while demolition and new construction takes place on the remainder of the patio. During this time, we will have some seating on the new patio near the new entrance, but it will be a somewhat tight squeeze. Entrance will be through the new doors, so that will take a little getting used to.

We're committed to making the transitions as smooth as possible, but some disruption is unavoidable. We hope that by communicating as much as possible will help make things go as well as they possibly can. If you have Wheatsville friends that aren't on this e-mail list (or don;t read the blog) could you let them know? Thanks!

We'll have some pretty big parking changes coming in September and I'll let you know about that a little later into August.

Thank you for your patience and incredible support through our project so far!

The deli makes food for you!

Beat the heat with our Strawberry Daiquiri Smoothie, as this month's special blends strawberries and lime juice for a creamy, cold treat! Or, if you're in need of a caffeinated wake-up call, Wheatsville's home-brewed iced coffee toddy will fit the bill nicely.

August's salsa of the month, the brown sugar and ginger-spiked Roasted Pineapple Salsa not only tastes great over a black bean taco, but works as a delicious chutney for fish and pork entrees – think Hawaiian!

This week, grilled ahi tuna steaks, locally-raised Loncito's lamb meatballs, and tomato-braised tofu share deli case space with our new Fresh In The Deli special for August, Basil Asiago Chicken Salad, a pasta dish full of chunky chicken and veggies with a tangy, creamy dressing made with Asiago cheese.

And be sure to check out the Deli's self-serve case for grab'n'go dishes of pasta shells with homemade Bolognese meat sauce, made with all-natural beef and pork, and topped with Pecorino Romano and chopped parsley!

And, don't miss our new Roasted Eggplant Bruschetta, a delicious topping for toasted bread or crackers, or even a pita sandwich filling unto itself with the addition of some briny feta cheese or olives, lettuce, cucumbers and taratoor sauce.

Come on in and try something new (or your regular favorite/ old standby)!

Words from the Meat department

Hey guys don't miss this month's member coupon specials in the meat department!

We have Bison Provisions sausage (Bison & Pork and the Venison & Pork sausage flavors) regular $5.99 each, with coupon you get $.25 cents off.. Bison provisions sausages are great on the grill or used as seasoning in beans or kale.

Richardson's Farms all natural pork products, this includes the link-style sausage, pan style sausage, and bone-in pork chops. $.50 cents off total price.

Be sure to explore our Sustainable seafood choices:

Wild Caught Alaskan sockeye $17.39lb

Wild caught Alaskan Coho Salmon $15.99lb

Hand caught Wild Mahi-Mahi $12.99 lb

Wild Caught Alaskan Butterfish $24.99 lb

Wild Alaskan Artic Cod fish $14.39 lb

Wild caught Smoked Sockeye Salmon $31.99 lb

Also for a quick dinner with out the fuss, try the American Farmed Ruby Trout from Buhl Idaho. It is crusted with Panko bread crumbs and almonds and easy to prepare!!! with just a little olive oil, pan fried for 4-5 minutes on each side.

How about saying Cheese?

Hey vegan cheese lovers!

The Cheese Department here at Wheatsville stocks an array of vegan delights just for you!

From delicious Vegan Rella to Follow Your Heart Vegan Cheeses (The Parlor uses Follow Your Heart Mozzarella on their vegan pizza and Dan takes his shredded to Salvation Pizza!) we've got you (and your favorite foods) covered! And if you like pesto, P/2 Organics makes an excellent Vegan Sweet Basil Pesto (this makes fast meals in a hurry with some Bionatura whole wheat pasta!).

We also stock the heck out of White Mountain Wheat Roast which is an excellent product for vegans, vegetarians and omnivores.

Check out our Staff Top Ten Picks posted throughout the store, we work here and shop here!!! Look for the yellow signs in front of the products.

This week, Bryan Butler our Meat & Seafood Buyer shares his awesome favorites!

Wild caught Alaskan Butterfish. This stuff is awesome, and a great healthy protein substitute for beef or chicken.
Real Ale Fireman's no.4. Great refreshing summer beer, local to boot.
El Milagro tortilla chips. When I'm done with the bag there's always crumbs left, so I use the crumbs to make my own migas for breakfast. Yum!
Organic grapes. My new all the time snack food. Usually out of the freezer is my favorite.
Cashew linguini. Delicious!
Tamari almonds. Another favorite snack food of mine.
Brown Cow Peach yogurt. Really this one is kind of like an addiction.
Smokey Hill medium or hot Salsa. I've eaten lots of salsas but the added flavor of the mesquite makes this one really unique.

9. Bastrop cattle company Grass-fed ground beef. When I do have hamburger this is the only one I buy. Healthy and tasty.

10. Guayaki Yerba Mate. My substitute for coffee and it works!

Beer of the Week (AGAIN!)

Stella Artois pints were so flippin' popular last week that we're keeping it on as the 'beer of the week' for another week! For years we've offered 6-packs of Belgian favorite, Stella Artois. Now, we have pints in the singles cooler. Stella Artois is famed for its full-bodied and distinctive flavor. Its refined, high bitterness is well balanced with the barley malt flavor, giving it a particularly clean and refreshing finish. Try a pint today!

Also, new Wheatsville Pint Glasses! Keep one frosty cold in your freezer! Only $5.99

Check out this great blog post about vegan Texas beers! It includes many of our favorite beers, I'm pleased to say!

http://vegantreehouse.blogspot.com/2008/08/texas-beers.html

This week's bloglove

Our new blog-friend Deb made good by her promise to come to the co-op after her Tecolote Farms CSA ended and she wrote a really great blog post about it:

http://austinagrodolce.blogspot.com/2008_07_01_archive.html

Have a great week!

Dan Gillotte

Wheatsville GM, e-mail guy and heavy equipment lifter...