Wheatsville Co-op Austin, TX

[Dan gillotte <dangillotte AT gmail.com>]

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

We're hoping for an excellent 2010 and so we're really excited about this first e-mail of the NEW decade!
We're also really excited about the big UT football game on Thursday! More about that below.

Scroll down for:

Coffee with the board
Wheatsville Staff Appreciation Party
Super Beer
The deli is rocking the BCS National Championship and Hook(ing) you up with the delish food. 
Cheese and Meat are bringing the yummy, too!
New item in grocery and an item brought in BY YOUR REQUEST!
Staff Picks!
Rush Hour Recipes!

Coffee with the board this Saturday, January 9, from 10-12 under the awning (or possibly up at the front counters if it's too dang cold!) Check in with board members and talk about the weather, your co-op and the transformation of society!

Appreciating our staff!
Wheatsville's annual Staff Appreciation Dinner is coming
up on Thursday January 14th! We'll be closing at 9pm so that all staff can get some appreciating and enjoy fine food, recognition and karaoke! This year we invite you to participate by sharing a joke, a fond memory of
a Wheatsville staff person or just a little "thank you" note. These
will be shared with staff at the event. You can submit one in the
purple box up at the Hospitality Desk any time before noon on January
13th. Thanks for sharing with us, and we appreciate you too!!!

Super special Beer!
IT’S HERE! The new seasonal from real ale is the Phoenixx Double Extra Special Bitter, which was inspired
by the great ales of the UK but brewed with a distinctively American attitude.
English crystal malt gives Phoenixx its subtle toffee and caramel notes, but
this ale is about hops. The blend of English hops, highlighted by its namesake,
Phoenix, yields a complex hop character that dominates this special brew. ABV:
7.2%, IBU: 50 Now available in the Wheatsville Beer case!

From the Deli

Hook 'em (up with delicious platters)!

This week we are holding down the food fort for Texas Longhorns fans!! We will have mini-platters of Popcorn Tofu as well as mini-Crudite Trays for your snacking pleasure during the BCS game against Alabama this Thursday! We’ll also have our usual array of salsas and spreads on hand, so be sure to plan ahead and gather your treats – that way on game day you can just sit back, eat and cheer!

Speaking of salsas, January’s spicy salsa of the month is yet another staff favorite! Our Salsa Verde, a garlicky dip chock full of poblanos, jalapenos and tomatillos, is terrific with chips and adds a definite element of heat to an order of our Rice & Beans or any of our tasty tacos! Yum!

The beginning of a new year also means new Fresh In The Deli recipes from your Wheatsville Deli, on sale through January 15^th!

From the Bloomingfoods Market & Deli in Bloomington, Indiana comes a lovely Creamy Saffron Pasta Salad for our full-service Deli case. We toss bow-tie pasta and red kidney beans with red peppers, green onions, basil and oregano, then add a white wine-garlic mayonnaise made with a pinch of saffron to create a pasta salad with a distinctive flavor and a beautiful color.

And from Mountain View Market, Las Cruces, New Mexico comes an absolutely delicious instant staff favorite called Green Chile Hummus! Green chiles add a spicy and fresh twist to this classic Middle Eastern spread. We blend traditional chickpeas, tahini, lemon juice, olive oil and garlic with hot and mild green chiles. Great as a dip or sandwich spread, you can find this item in our self-service grab’n’go case!

Wheatsville’s smoothie of the month for January is the “PBJ”, a schoolyard-inspired blend of blueberries, strawberries and bananas with a dollop of creamy peanut butter and a touch of apple juice and soy milk to whip it up!

A myriad of soups including some new favorites like Broccoli Cheddar, Crimson Carrot and Lucky Black-eyed Pea are keeping the hot bar tantalizing during these cold days, alongside our ever-present vegan Tempeh Chili.

So come on in and try something delicious!!

From Greg, Captain of Cheese Island

I have some sad news – it is that time of year again!   Pure Luck Farms Goat Cheeses will be absent from our shelves till the beginning of March. Their goats are kidding. I do have a little bit of their feta left and they did say that they will still be producing their Hopelessly Blue, but in small quantities.

From Bryan, the Butcher

If you’re a football fan this has to be your favorite time of the year. We have the BSC Championship coming up on Thursday. Hook’em Horns! If your staying home to watch the game you gots to head by the meat department for the necessary sustenance. What you’re too full from the holidays?! Tough, suck it up. You have teams to support and that takes energy.

Look for these special savings:

Niman ranch beef sirloin ambassador steak $8.99 lb regularly $9.49 lb

Niman ranch beef sirloin full cut steak $8.49 lb regularly 8.99lb

Organic prairie Pork breakfast sausage $5.49 lb regularly $5.99 lb

*this week only* Niman ranch sausages (sweet italian, Bratwurst, and apple gouda) $5.49ea reg $5.99

Did you say snacks? We got you covered for those was well. Try the Niman ranch pulled pork w/sauce.  This has been a real hit with staff and customers alike.  It is easy to heat and versatile.  You can use it in queso, for sandwiches, or just eat it by itsself.

Niman Ranch Salamis are great paired with cheese for snack trays.

One of the awesome things about Texas is it’s really never too cold to fire up the grill. With that in mind we have loads of sausages, hotdogs, and grilling steaks ready to hit the grill.

We have a few new products worth mentioning. Locavores will like these:

Bastrop Cattle Company Grass-fed bone-in chuck roast $12.99 lb, Richardson Farms Pork Hotlink $8.99 lb. We also have two new products from Niman Ranch: salt pork, a staple meat for seasoning and rendering—check it out for $4.69 lb. Canadian bacon, a favorite topper for pizza but useful for salads and just snacking—get it for $3.99 for 7oz.

In The Grocery Aisle

Sayde’s Vittles Jams and Jellies:We now have some exciting and delicious Jams and Jellies on your grocery shelves. Sayde’s Vittles are made in Victoria, TX and are available at Wheatsville in 9 flavors including savory jellies like Habanero Apricot and Cranberry Jalapeno. There are also some more traditional flavors like Strawberry and Blackberry. These are all exceptionally tasty. My wife used the Habanero Apricot Jelly as a roast chicken glaze, and it was absolutely perfect. Read more about these products at http://www.saydesvittles.com/

BY OWNER REQUEST-products requested by owners that are on the Wheatsville shelves! For many years we have sold Nature’s Path’s delicious toaster pastries. Recently several owners have requested a specific flavor: Brown Sugar & Maple. SO just in time for a month-long sale we now have this flavor as well as Cherry Pomegranate, Apple Cinnamon, Blueberry, Strawberry and Wildberry Acai! Pop some in the toaster the next time you need an easy tasty breakfast or snack. On sale all of January 2 boxes for $5.00!

STAFF PICKS!

Check out our “Staff Top Ten Picks” posted throughout the store, we work here and shop here!!!

Look for the green signs in front of the products. 

From Christine Stout’s Daughter, Jade (translated from baby-ese)

1. Organic Bananas – no need for an explanation, possible the most perfect snack!

2. Veggie Booty – I know exactly where this is here at Wheatsville, I don’t need any help from mom to make sure it gets into the cart.

3. Organic Apple Juice- nothing better!

4. Kamunt Puffs – delicious healthy snack

5. Sweet Potatoes – YUM!

6. Cascadian Farms Frozen Edamane – perfect in my mac & cheese

7. Quinoa – super yummie with everything – veggies, nuts, & parmesan cheese is my favorite

8. Cabot Cheddar Cheese – lots of flavor, great with apples & mom says it’s a co-op too!

9. Natural Babycare Diapers:  If the cloth diapers are in the wash, this is the next best thing for my bottom.  So soft, and bio-degradable!

10. Burt’s Bee’s Tear Free Baby Shampoo:  Makes my hair super soft, and it smells so o o GOOD!

From Ruby Truesdell, Health Team clerk

1. Organic India Tulsi Tea- Known also as Holy Basil, it is stress relieving and mood elevating.

2. Pre de Provence soaps- Almost everlasting triple milled French soaps made from pure vegetable oils.

3. Lucky Layla's Drinkable Yogurt-Texas raised Guernsey and Jersey cows provide the rich milk used to make this lightly sweetened yogurt.

4. Local Cheese! A most excellent collection. Pure Luck chevre has my heart.

5. Texas Olive Ranch Olive Oils-The perfect vinaigrette needs only quality vinegar, good French Dijon mustard, salt & pepper, and this oil.

6. Himalayan Crystal Salt- Salt from a 250 million year old sea containing 84 trace minerals and elements in colloidal form.

7. Concorde Pears- This juicy, dense, and floral variety is outstanding raw, baked, poached or preserved. Best when firm.

8. Chocolove Chocolates- Organic 73% Dark, and Chilies & Cherries in 55% Dark Chocolate. 

9. Richardson Farms pork products- Pastured local pork. The bone-in chops make a truly special dinner.

10. Eco Towel- A durable alternative to paper towels that with occasional machine washing can last for months.

 

Rush Hour Recipes

 Every month we'll feature a new entree recipe (featuring a mix of vegetarian, non-vegetarian and vegan options) at the Deli Counter and on our website. We will keep an archive of recipe cards at the Hospitality Desk as well, so that you can pick one up and use it for your dinner shopping. You can even use these recipes to build your own recipe book. These recipes come from various co-ops all over the States, which is pretty cool. Plus they have been kitchen tested so you trust them to turn out right. Increase your kitchen repertoire with these quick, easy, fresh, entree recipes.  Follow this link to see the Rush Hour Recipes:  http://wheatsville.coop/recipeindex.html

Have a great week!

Dan Gillotte

Wheatsville GM and e-mail guy!