Wheatsville Co-op Austin, TX

[Dan Gillotte <gm AT wheatsville.coop>]

Happy Spring!

We are in a great time of year. I hope you're enjoying it! Look for amazing asparagus in the produce section, spring is THE BEST time for eating this delectable vegetable!

Two major holidays are happening this week! Happy Passover and Happy Easter! 

Passover, like most Jewish holidays is a great opportunity for yummy eats! Symbolic foods on the Seder plate tell the story, but Passover feasts can be very diverse. Retelling the timeline of the Jews’ exodus from slavery to freedom, and guiding children through the mysteries of the Seder plate, is the main order of business. Planning a Seder meal can be as simple or complicated as the cook decides. Either way, it pays to have a gameplan so that once the storytelling is through hungry appetites can be satisfied. I've included two recipes at the bottom of this e-mail to get you started; one is a brisket recipe, a typical centerpiece of a passover meal and Charoset, a component of the seder plate.

Here is a link to the Vegetarian Resource Group's Vegetarian Passover page http://www.vrg.org/recipes/passover.htm for some veg alternatives! 

Wheatsville offers B3R brisket, organic fruit and nuts, local honey, matzoh crackers, Jennies Macaroons (for dessert!) and more for Passover.


Easter doesn't have a prescribed meal, but Ham is frequently a centerpiece. This year Wheatsville is offering a natural spiral cut ham from Beeler's, look for a recipe down below. (nothing would keep you from using the brisket recipe below for dinner, either though!)

Colored eggs are a favorite part of Easter and dyeing them naturally is a great environmentally friendly way to do it. Or friends at Frontier Co-op have directions on dyeing your eggs the old-fashioned way! http://www.frontiercoop.com/learn/herbsavvy12.html

Look for Easter cookies in the deli this weekend! I've also included a recipe for Hot Cross Buns, a traditional Spring and Easter favorite!

We are open all day on Easter Sunday.
Enjoy your holidays and the lovely weather!

Co-op Advantage Specials! Lots of great deals, as always... flyers are in the store and look for signs or click the link for a pdf of the specials! http://www.wheatsville.coop/CAP%20flyers/SW0406%20final.pdf
Helping out a good cause!
I wanted to thank some volunteers who came out last week to help us answer phones for the KLRU pledge drive! You looked great on the tee vee! Thank you Ann, Mary Jude, Andrea, Jim, Suzanne, Kathy, Heidi, Mary, Lisa and Maria! If you're interested in helping do this in the future keep an ear out; I plan to do it again for their summer drive!


We hope to see you in the store!

Dan
Wheatsville GM e-mail guy

Anna (Bubbie) Rosen and Lil Speyer's Passover Brisket from http://www.razzledazzlerecipes.com/cooking/passover-brisket.htm

Recipe provided by Roberta Waldbaum. This can be made the day before and reheated for serving. Makes 8-10 servings.

1 large onion, chopped
3 stalks celery, chopped
3 medium carrots, chopped
1 15-ounce can stewed tomatoes
6 pound brisket 
3 cloves garlic, sliced
1 cup water
unsalted beef broth
Fresh ground black pepper
Preheat oven to 300.

Combine onion, celery, carrots and tomatoes.
Make small slits in the brisket and insert garlic slivers. Rub brisket with the vegetable-tomato mixture and place fat side up in a roasting pan with about one cup of water.

Cover and roast for 3-4 hours, basting and adding beef broth as necessary. When cool, remove fat and season with pepper. Slice thin and serve with pan juices.


Classic Apple Haroset from http://www.recipezaar.com/161152

2 cups  shredded peeled  gala apples (about 1 pound) or your favorite apple
1 cup  shredded peeled  granny smith apples (about 8 ounces) or your favorite apple
3/4 cup  coarsely chopped  walnuts 
3 tablespoons   sweet red wine (you can sub grape or cranberry juice)
1 1/2 tablespoons   honey 
1/4 teaspoon   ground cinnamon 
12 servings  2  tablespoons (approx)  Change size or US/metric 
15 minutes prep time


1 	Combine all ingredients; refrigerate 2 hours in an airtight container.
2 	Yield: 2 3/4 cups 

BAKED HAM WITH HONEY-APRICOT GLAZE

10-14 pound spiral-sliced, fully-cooked smoked ham
1 cup honey
1 (6-oz.) can orange juice concentrate, thawed
1/3 cup soy sauce
1/3 cup apricot jam
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves 

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Place ham on rack in shallow roasting pan. 

Stir together remaining ingredients in medium bowl; set aside. 

Bake ham for 30 minutes.

Pour glaze over ham and continue to bake until ham is heated through, about a total of 2 1/2 hours. (about 15-18 minutes per pound.)

Serving Suggestions
A spiral-sliced ham is an easy and elegant start to a holiday meal. Serve with dilled potato salad, fresh spinach salad, biscuits, and angel food cake with strawberries.

Servings: 20-25

Hot Cross Buns from Cooks.com
2 c. milk, scalded
1 c. butter
1 c. sugar
2 env. or cakes yeast
2 eggs
1/2 tsp. salt
8 c. flour, unsifted
2 c. raisins or currants
1/2 c. candied fruit peels (optional)
1/2 tsp. cinnamon or nutmeg

Pour scalded milk over butter and sugar. Stir to dissolve. Cool to lukewarm. Add 2 portions of yeast dissolved in 1/3 cup warm water. Add eggs; blend well gradually beat in salt, spice and flour if using fruit dust lightly with flour.

Place in buttered bowl cover. Let rise until double in bulk. Punch the dough down and turn it out on a floured surface. Make 30 buns. Place on buttered cookie sheets. Cover. Let rise 30 minutes. Make cross with bake of knife. Bake at 375 degrees for 10 minutes. Reduce to 350 degrees. Bake until lightly brown 10-15 minutes longer.  You can use your favorite topping, but a confectioner’s frosting is often used.

Frosting recipe
3 c. sifted confectioners' sugar
6 tbsp. butter
3 tbsp. cream or top milk
1 tsp. vanilla or desired flavoring

Soften, but do not melt butter. Add sugar and blend. Add cream and stir briskly to blend. Add flavoring and beat until light and smooth. This will make enough frosting to cover tops and sides of 2 (8 or 9 inch) layers.