1. No category

A Publication of Wheatsville Food Co-op • 3101 Guadalupe • Austin, TX 78705 • Holidays Issue • Dec. 2006
Make it Easy on Yourself—Shop for Gifts Here!
by Niki Nash, Health Team Manager
It’s been 5 years since I
started buying for the
Housewares department
here at Wheatsville and I’m
still loving it. Positive feedback year after year from
devoted members lets me know that Wheatsville is
valued at holiday time for easy parking, no carols
on the stereo, just the usual amount of pleasant
chaos and a nice selection of unique affordable gifts.
I’ve been sure to include popular favorites as usual
but have brought in lots of new items to pamper
and please your family, friends and don’t forget
yourself. Take a look!
For Heads:
Alpaca wool hats
are warm, fuzzy and
soft. With earflaps
and tassels for tightening, these hats are
the epitome of winterwear. New from Hempy’s,
snazzy waffle-weave hats with a small brim
made from hemp and recycled
cotton. Also, check out the
Hempy’s striped beanies made from hemp,
recycled plastic water
bottles and recycled
cotton. Other hats
include Ecolution’s
100% hemp knit beanies
in a rainbow of colors.
For Feet:
Socks might be the stereotypical
boring gift from Grandma but not
when they’re cozy organic socks.
Treat your loved ones to colorful 100% organic socks from
Maggie’s Organics (featuring
tie dye, knee highs and baby size), the
Wheatsville year-round favorites from
Organic Threads (in 3-packs) or try the brand
new socks singles from India Organics.
For Lips:
Wheatsville offers a
variety of natural lip
balms to soothe your kisser.
They make great stocking stuffers
and I predict stockings full of chicken poop
this year. Yes, Chicken Poop, a new lip balm
from Kansas. Alas, there is no real poop, just
non-GMO soy oil, jojoba oil, sweet orange oil,
lavender oil and beeswax. Yum!
For Body:
Austin Natural soap has
carved itself a niche here
at Wheatsville as the most
beloved locally made soap. These “Texas
size” bars are made with no animal products using only quality essential oils, premium moisturizing oils and organic herbs. They all have
clever names like “Barton Springs Eternal” and “Hippie
Hollow” and make great Austin-based gifts as single bars or
in gift sets. We have several for the season such as “Lone
Star Soap Sampler” and “Flower Power Sampler”.
For Him:
Making a smart move, Burt’s Bees has brought back their
previously discontinued Bay Rum shaving products. A giftready drawstring bag holds a Burt’s Bees porcelain shaving
mug, matching boar’s bristle shaving brush, a round cake of
Bay Rum shaving soap and a stick of beeswax lip balm for
good measure.
For Her:
Also from Burt’s Bees are two limited edition “Green Gifting” Kits, the
Queen Bee Kit and the Busy Bee
Kit. The Queen Bee gift bag contains a royal assortment of facial
products such as the Royal Jelly Eye Cream, Pore-refining
Mask, and Calm Balm as well as a luxurious satin herbal
eye mask, herbal milk bath and a candle scented with lavender essential oil. The Busy Bee set has all of your favorite
products that naturally exfoliate,
deep clean, moisturize and heal.
For Little Ones:
I often watch young
Wheatsville shoppers head
straight for the housewares section in
the front window to see what’s new
and fun. Inevitably they zero in on
the Lanky Cats. Made by
Manhattan Toy, an innovator in making soft toys with unusual fabrics, these
cats have enormous eyes and silky-soft
fur that’s a pleasure to touch. Just for
this season we will have other super-soft
stuffed animals from Manhattan Toy as well as
our usual selection of fun finger puppets.
For Home:
Candles are most beloved this time of
year when their soft glow can warm the
coldest of rooms. Special to this season
are South African hand-painted tapers,
each unique with bright colors and traditional designs. ...Gifts continued on Page 2
Wheatsville Returns a Patronage
Rebate for the Second Year in a Row!
Consumer cooperatives like
Wheatsville are a special kind of
business. We’re so special,
that even the
Federal Government
and the IRS recognize
us in a unique way. We
are allowed to return a
portion of our net savings to
our members when we are sufficiently profitable. This
year we will return our second patronage rebate in a
row and our 4th in the history of the co-op. The
incredible support of our member-owners and the
great work of our staff make this rebate possible!
The cool thing about co-ops is that the return
isn’t based on your investment like it would be in a
typical business, but it’s based on your purchases or
patronage at the co-op. So, we’ll return your rebate
based on your percentage of purchases at the co-op
in the last fiscal year. Eligible Members who spent
more will receive a larger rebate. Pretty cool!
To be eligible you must be a fully invested member (also known as a Gold card member) as of September 1, 2006. Further, you
need to have sufficient purchases in the fiscal year ending May 31, 2006 to receive a
rebate check of $5 or more. We also must
have a good address for you on file.
We’ll be handing out checks from Friday Dec.
15th through Sunday Dec. 16th. You can pick
up your check, use it for groceries, cash it or deposit
it in your bank! Checks not picked up by close of
business Sunday will be mailed later that week.
I look forward to seeing you and handing you
your patronage rebate check! Thank you so much for
your support of your co-op!
—Dan Gillotte, General Manager
In This Issue:
Top 10 Little Somethings to Bring to Dinner
2
News from the Board/Sunshine Community Garden 3
Abundance of Holidays/Say Cheese/New in Grocery 4
Over the Counter- Can’t Touch This Soup!
5
Sounds from Inside the Dairy Cooler
5
Pictures from Third Thursday in November
6
Yellow Bikes Thanks Wheatsville
Member-Owned Business Directory click on
7
Membership Stats & Unicorn Tales
http://wheatsville.coop/memberbusinessdirectory/mbdir.html
6
Easy Gifts ...continued from Page 1
Calendars galore!
We have a huge variety
of 2007 calendars this
year. Featuring art, photography, animals, spirituality, crafts, languages, political humor,
childhood characters, cat lovers against the bomb,
astronomical wonders and a countdown until GW
Bush is out of office, there’s a
calendar for everyone. There
are several Austin-made calendars as well, such as the
Austin Calendar 2007 with
over 200 festivals, events and
activities already on the calendar and 10% of profits going to
Keep Austin Beautiful.
The Fearless Critic Austin Restaurant
Guide’s smart slogan is “cheaper than a
bad meal” and they’re right! This book
that’s been a city wide sensation is a
must-have for anyone that loves to try
new places to eat but is too afraid of the
unknown to branch out; they did the
work for you!
Music is loved by all
in this city, so this season we have some
great CDs from Putumayo World
Music (“Guaranteed to make you feel
good!”) for giving as gifts or for setting
the right mood in your own home.
Their newest release, New Orleans
Christmas, is a spirited mix of soul, jazz and blues holiday classics from the Big Easy with a portion of the proceeds to be donated to New Orleans Habitat for Humanity.
As usual, Wheatsville has a large
selection of alternative-wax candles
(soy, beeswax, palmwax); many of
which are locally handcrafted by
Ecolight Candles, Soy Delites, Barth’s
Candles and Yo Soy Candles. Aloha Bay’s
glass jar Chakra Candles make excellent gifts.
There’s one color for each chakra region or the
new rainbow version.
For those that love a good practical gift,
consider giving a 10-stage water filter from
New Wave Enviro. Far superior to regular
pitcher filters, this countertop system has 10
layers of different absorbents and microfilters
that leave nothing but clean, great tasting
water.
Highly popular since their arrival
in September are the Laptop
Lunchboxes. These cute kits are great
for taking to work or school, for child
New Health Team Stocker, Genevieve, shared her Wheatsville-centric gift giving
and adult. Many separate compartideas with me, so of course I had to share them with you:
ments enable you to get creative, storM Make your own bath salts using Epsom salts, bulk Dead Sea Salt or bulk coarse
ing soups to sushi. These are especialsea salt. Mix with 100% pure essential oils from Aura Cacia and any nourishing
ly beloved by parents that want to
oils such as olive, jojoba or sweet almond. Present in a reusable canning jar.
ensure their child gets a wholesome
M Pair a hearty winter ale and a Wheatsville pint glass or two
meal for lunch.
M Fill a Wheatsville jumbo coffee mug with a bag of organic bulk coffee
M A Wheatsville polycarbonate sports bottle paired with a box of Tangerine
Emergen-C is a gift that shows you care
All of these small items can be wrapped in a decorative dishtowel and tied with
hemp twine and they are ALL available here at the co-op.
Genevieve’s Gift Ideas!
For the Hard to Shop
for Person:
Wheatsville Gift Cards are a great way to
give away a fun shopping spree or fill up
someone special’s cupboard and can be
made in any denomination from $5 to $500.
For you:
As always, I, the Health Team, and the
entire staff of Wheatsville want to wish our
members and shoppers the happiest of holidays by creating a stress-free, human scale
environment for your co-operative shopping needs.
Aldia’s Top 10 “Little Somethings” to Bring to Dinner
By Aldia Bluewillow, Breeze Editor
It’s a nice touch for a guest to bring a small gift when
invited to someone’s home for dinner. A bottle of wine is
a typical contribution, but being a non-drinker, I don’t
know enough about wine to make a perfect selection.
Here are a few of my favorite things to bring that
make a party swing!
1. Silk Nog – Nothing says, “Party!”
like nog. This is a very tasty nog, too!
2. Dagoba Organic
Hot Chocolate Mix
Rich chocolate with pure
cane sugar beats the
fakey instant cocoa mixes hands down! Be
sure to also bring milk or soymilk to heat and
mix with this magical powder. For Power Cocoa,
add a dollop of whipped cream. Vegans can
also rejoice in the whipped cream
experience with SoyaToo Soy Whip.
available in bulk. This classic party munchie
of peanuts, sesame sticks, spicy chile crackers and tamari-roasted almonds will be even
more appreciated when presented in a decorative serving bowl.
6. Wheatsville Deli’s Walnut Paté
and Blue Diamond Pecan Nut
Thins crackers are a delicious (and
gluten-free) appetizer.
Yummmmm.
7. Shady Maple Farms
StroopWafel Cookies
Delectable mini-waffles dripping
with maple goodness.
8. Tangerines — A delicious break from rich
3. Martinelli’s Gold Medal Sparkling
Cider is still my favorite among the many
food overload. Too stuffed to eat dessert? A tangerine will give you a sweet bite without overloading your tummy.
sparkling beverages available. It’s really
nice for the non-drinkers to have a sparkling
beverage to toast with when other guests
are drinking champagne.
9. So Delicious DairyFree Mint Marble Fudge
Ice Cream —
4. Green & Blacks Organic
Bittersweet Dark Chocolate with a
Soft Mint Center Bars Oh chocolate,
minty vegan bliss. Improve the quality of life
for cocoa growers while you improve the quality of your dessert.
Page 2
5. Zen Party Mix in a nice wooden
or ceramic bowl — Zen Party Mix is
Icy minty sweetness, a perfect end to a meal. Also
delicious in coffee!
10. Celestial Seasonings English
Toffee Dessert Tea light on calories, until
you add the whipped cream!
The Wheatsville Breeze, December, 2006
View From the Board
A Wonderful Year
2006 has been a landmark year for our co-op
and your board of directors. Wheatsville’s history began in the mid-1970s. The next benchmark
was 1980 when members remodeled the old KashKarry grocery store at 3101 Guadalupe for the new
home of our co-op. 2006 will be recalled as the
year Wheatsville truly blossomed. Sales perpetually hovering around $4 million skyrocketed two
years ago and neared the $7 million mark this past
year. Members generously pledged nearly threequarters of a million dollars to help underwrite
our upcoming renovation. Enthusiasm for a new
look to Wheatsville sprang from members’ abiding
affection for our co-op.
While land values explode even more along
Guadalupe, we signed a new 30 year lease that
provides for a monthly rent increase of less than
one per cent. Hundreds of folks turned out for the
biggest Birthday Celebration in Wheatsville’s history last spring. An audit of our co-op’s books was
completed late this year by a Wisconsin auditing
firm that specializes in co-op finances – see the
by Bob Kinney, Board Prez
Annual Report/Audit section of this issue of
the Breeze for the great news!
2006 was also a great year for your board
of directors. We worked with GM Dan Gillotte
and finance manager John Perkins on many
items listed above. We stepped into the greater
co-op world by becoming a charter member of
a national board leadership and development
group. We are finishing up revision of our
board governance policies with the help of
Marilyn Scholl, noted consultant to co-ops
throughout the country and GM of Wheatsville
in the mid-1980s. This year ends as we prepare
to revise our bylaws for a member vote next
year. We’re planning on hosting a series of
informational dinners with members, as well
as a member survey next year. 2006 – indeed –
a very good year!
Thanks, Daniel
Daniel Miller leaves our board at the end of
December after one year’s service as one of
two staff representatives. I admire Daniel’s
foundational commitment to co-ops. Thanks,
Daniel.
Community Action Wednesdays
The recipient for December is the
Wheatsville Co-op
Community Fund
Wheatsville now has a
Community fund in our name and
we will be able to use the earning
from our fund to support local community groups.We ll
do this annually and at first, while the endowment is
small, the amounts donated
will be small, too, but as we
grow our fund, our grants
will grow, too! Basically,
Wheatsville members will
have non-profit charitable
giving organization that is
controlled by your co-op.
We will be focusing on
groups that are working
toward a similar mission.
Sunshine Community Gardens—
the Early Bird Gets the Worm and More!
The phrase “Grow Your Own” from the 60s deserves to be revisited in our new
century, this time around, to herald the profound and important option of producing, at least some of, your own fresh produce plus culinary and medicinal herbs.
Spring is right around the corner! In central Texas, January and February are the
months to get out in the temperate weather to weed, till and amend the soil in
your garden beds so that you can plant them in March. With the extreme heat that
comes in late spring and early summer here, we have to start early if we are going
to try for that bumper crop of homegrown produce.
Early is the name of the game when it comes to growing your own in Austin! At
Sunshine Community Gardens (SCG) we are gearing up for Austin’s best loved
Spring Plant Sale and Garden Festival to be held Saturday, March 10, 2006. Our
goal again this year is to be the largest early-bird source for locally raised, heirloom and organic vegetables, culinary herbs, medicinal herbs and ornamentals. So
mark your calendars! Please visit our website at www.sunshinecommunitygardens.org for more information.
Sign up for the Wheatsville
Joining or Supporting Sunshine
With 200 plots available for lease on our 5-acres of land in north central Austin,
Sunshine is one of the largest community gardens in North America. Come visit us
at 4814 Sunshine Drive just north west of the intersection of North Lamar and W.
45h St. It you’re interested in renting a plot phone us at 458-2009 or visit our website through the Wheatsville Community Links (www.wheatsville.coop/partner.html)
or go to www.sunshinecommunitygarden.org. Individual plots are available for annual
lease. All of your water, wheel barrows, tools and sift-your-own compost are covered by a one time tool fee of twenty dollars followed by a rental fee that is less
than eight dollars a month. A full plot measures 20’ x 20’ and costs $80 a year or $45
for six months. A limited number of smaller 10’ x 10’ half-plots are also available.
If you are not a gardener but you are interested in supporting our community
enterprise at Sunshine, you can simply send a tax-deductible donation to “SCG” at
P. O. Box 302349 Austin, TX 78703-0040.
E-mail List!
A few times a month, you ll get an e-mail from us informing you of upcoming events, new products or
changes in the store. So far most folks on the list have been happy with its frequency and informative
nature.We will also begin offering e-mail only deals and other special opportunities. Go to
http://wheatsville.coop/list to sign up!
We will not sell, lease, lend or otherwise disclose your email address to any other entity.
The Wheatsville Breeze
is a publication of
WHEATSVILLE
FOOD CO-OP
3101 Guadalupe
Austin, Texas 78705
512-478-2667
email aldia(at)wheatsville.coop
website http://wheatsville.coop
Editor & Production- Aldia Bluewillow
Contributors Aldia Bluewillow, Kathleen Cobb,
Jane Kurzawa Cravey, Margaret Creswell,
Genevieve Enyert, Mark Filarowicz,
Dan Gillotte,
Charlotte Jernigan, Johnny Livesay,
Bob Kinney, Bryan Lawhorn,
Daniel Miller, Niki Nash,
Dana Tomlin, Nathan Wilkes.
Photos: by Aldia Bluewillow
except where otherwise noted or not known.
The Wheatsville Breeze, December, 2006
The Wheatsville Board of Directors usually
meets at 6pm the third Monday of every
month at the Episcopal Seminary, Room 213. Check
http://wheatsville.coop/pop_bodagenda.html for details
Members are encouraged to attend. Something that
you would like discussed at the meeting? Contact
General Manager Dan Gillotte at 478-2667 or
gm(at)wheatsville.com
_______________________________________
Wheatsville 2006 Board of Directors
President: Bob Kinney
Jane Kurzawa Cravey Jimmy Robertson
Marilyn Fowler
Tony Piccola
R. Daniel Miller
Colin Borchert
Rose Marie Klee
Johnny Livesay
____________________________________
The purpose of Wheatsville is to create a selfreliant, self-empowering community of people that will
grow and promote a transformation of society toward
cooperation, justice, and nonexploitation.
The mission of Wheatsville is to serve a broad
range of people by providing them goods and services,
and by using efficient methods which avoid exploitation
of the producer and the environment.The focus of this
mission is to supply high-quality food and nondoctrinaire information about food to people in Austin,Texas.
The Sustainable Shopper’s Ball
Austin’s Outdoor Green Living Market
Saturday Dec. 9th, 9am - 2pm
Featuring the reunited all-acoustic rock n roll trio Twang Twang Shock a
Boom on a SOLAR POWERED stage, over 60 all-local, green living vendors
and educators, a large children’s play area, fresh organic food, live entertainers, green art, and more!
Hosted by The Sunset Valley Farmers Market in South Austin at 3200
Jones Road, in the Toney Burger Center Parking Lot
Admission is FREE See ya thar!
We Wanna
Adopt Your Mac
Got an old G4, G5, iMac or iBook sitting around since
you got your Intel Mac? Our staff would appreciate the
donation of iMacs, G5s, G4s, or peripherals like CD or DVD Burners, LCD
monitors, USB printers, USB Zip drives or or external firewire hard drives,
etc. We can t offer you a tax-deduction but you will definitely amass some
good karma. Call Mac den mother Aldia at 478-2667 or email her at
aldia(at)wheatsville.coop to place your Mac in a loving home.
We Wanna Adopt Your PCs, too!
Our PC guy says we could use a few speedy PC laptops. Email him at
it(at)wheatsville.coop.
Page 3
An Abundance of Holidays
I won’t lie; Thanksgiving was
exhausting. But as I look back
on it now, with a weekend of
rest under my belt, I realize
that everyone really came
together and made it work. Thanksgiving was a
beautiful example of teamwork and cooperation. We
faced our trials, learned from our mistakes, rolled
with the punches…like rock stars!
I would like to start by expressing my gratitude
to our member-owners and customers. Thank you for
coming to the Wheatsville Deli for your
Thanksgiving. We made and sold a lot of good food. I
know I was running around like crazy trying to keep
everything in order, and I have to say, I think that we
did pretty well. The deli counter staff worked very
hard to give the best service that they could while
juggling multiple demands— hunting for turkeys in
backstock and sorting through special orders for sides
and pies. I sincerely thank the entire deli team for the
role each and every person played in this
Thanksgiving.
With the biggest holiday of the grocery world
looking them squarely in the face, the kitchen met the
very high production demands for our holiday menu
and still kept the food that our member owners look
for regularly in stock. The bakery pumped out over
150 pies, kept the vegan cornbread coming for stuffing, and made some of the best rosemary biscuits I
have ever tasted. With the one oven that we all share
in that little bitty kitchen, 150 pies is amazing.
The meat department handled the onslaught of
turkey preorders with grace and
skill. The preorder program for
turkeys ran smoothly and the whole store assisted
with the taking of turkey orders. When we found out
at the last minute that there was an area-wide nondelivery of organic turkeys, we were able to contact the
30+ people with organic turkey reservations and
arrange for them to get natural turkeys.
The week before Thanksgiving, the cheese
department lost an entire case full of cheese when the
refrigeration failed. They hustled to reorder, cut, and
stock that bad boy cooler and by the week of
Thanksgiving you could barely see any signs of the
previous tragedy. Brand new Cheese Buyer Daniel
Miller did an outstanding job of coping with the situation.
With Christmas coming right up on the tail of
Thanksgiving, the Deli is getting ready for catering
orders. Throughout the rush of Thanksgiving, we still
made lots of trays for people’s parties; one order
included 10 trays—WOW—and they looked beautiful. We’re excited about making more delicious party
trays for the Christmas season. We offer a crudité tray
with our own wildly popular cashew tamari salad
dressing as a dip. For vegetarians and vegans alike,
we have the Mediterranean tray: dolmas, hummus,
and tabouli garnished with cucumbers and lemons
and served up with pita triangles. Meat and cheese
trays come in assorted sizes depending on your
needs. You can get one with simply meat and cheeses
or with sandwich fixings, and with or without veggies. Fruit and cheese trays are great for the holidays.
Popular cheeses are cut into bite size pieces and
served up with freshly cut fruit. You can choose a
domestic cheese tray or you can go with a classy
gourmet cheese tray. The gourmet tray is a
Say
Cheese
for the
Holidays!
by Daniel Miller, Cheese Buyer
If you are like me, the holidays are a great time to get together with those
close to you over meals. For me, the best part is the experience of planning
and creating those meals, and the bonding with family and friends that
goes with it. Not to mention all of the savory foods you allow yourself to
sample over the course of the meals!
Here at Wheatsville, we are gearing up for the holidays by stocking all
sorts of goodies, and the cheese case will be no exception. One of the new
products we are carrying are holiday cheese balls from Full Quiver Dairy,
right here in central Texas. You may have tried their fresh mozzarella and
the flavored cheese spreads we carry, and their cheese balls live up to the
same standards of quality. We are carrying chipotle, jalapeño, and bleu
cheese flavors, which come rolled in either pecan or walnut.
Another way to add a rich zest to a meal is to serve your fresh breads
with logs of chevre cheese. Chevre is a popular cheese due to it’s rich
creamy texture and hint of sharpness, and it can go well with a wide range
of foods including soups, breads, and cooked vegetables. We will be carrying conveniently sized mini logs of chevre in a variety of types, including
plain, rolled in ash (which reduces the sharpness and makes for a smoother
creamier taste) or rolled in black pepper for extra kick.
And of course, we will be stocking plenty of the award winning
Pureluck goat cheese, also from right here in central Texas, including their
chevre, the Claire de Lune, and their exceptional feta cheeses, so make
sure to show how much you appreciate the fine craftsmanship they put
into their cheeses!
A quick holiday appetizer idea:
Gruyere Topped Mushrooms (goes well with Emmentaler cheese, too)
1 package of button mushrooms
1/4 stick of butter
1/4 lb of gruyere or emmentaler cheese
Parsley to garnish (optional)
This makes a very attractive appetizer to go with a warm meal, and is sure
to please! Take washed button mushrooms and remove their stems. Cook
the mushroom open side up in a skillet over medium heat with butter, and
cover for 5 minutes. When the mushrooms are soft and the butter has
soaked in, place a small cube of the gruyere or emmentaler inside the
mushroom cap, and return to heat for another minute or so, until the
cheese is softened. The rich and slightly salty flavor of the cheese fuses very
well with the base flavor of the mushrooms and butter.
Page 4
by Dana Tomlin, Deli Manager
great addition to any holiday spread. It offers an
assortment of quality cheeses: Brie, a bleu cheese, a
selection of semi-hard cheeses, and an imported
cheese.
With all the talk of trays I would also like to
remind you that you can order any of our deli
foods— such as popcorn tofu, brownies, cookies, etc.
We’re more than happy to make your favorite deli
pasta for you for a holiday potluck. Give us two days
notice and we’ll take care of it for you.
After all the hard work to make everyone else’s
holiday perfect, I had a pretty special holiday to be
thankful for myself. I have an awesome 8-year-old
daughter. My daughter, my partner, and I were
watching Click, a very sad Adam Sandler movie (who
would have known) and all three of us sat on the
couch crying our eyes out, passing around tissues.
My daughter said, “Mom, I’m never going to act like
a sassy teenager.”
Do you think I can hold her to that later? It made
me laugh because I remember saying that exact thing
to my mother. Mind you, I wasn’t a terrible teenager,
but I had my moments. It just reminded me to hold
on to these moments when I am still the best-momever in her eyes. And to pack these memories away,
like crumbs of food, that I can sustain myself on later.
I love my family and they were both very supportive
of me during the holidays. At the end of a long day of
work on Wednesday they brought me flowers, took
me out to dinner, and treated me with special care.
(Thanks guys!)
Have a great Christmas and I look forward to
assisting you make some great holiday memories of
your own!
Merry Choc-ho-ho-ho-late!
by Margaret Creswell, Grocery Manager
Chocolate lovers, this is your season. This month, look for
Endangered Species chocolate bars at $1.69, for Green & Black’s
organic chocolate bars at 2 for $5, or for Terra Nostra Organic
Chocolate Bars at $2.49. Terra Nostra, new kid on the chocolate block
at Wheatsville, offers organic, artisan chocolate bars in a few unique flavors, including
Vegan Rice-Milk Chocolate, Dark Chocolate with Raisins and Pecans, and Truffle Dark
Chocolate. Terra Nostra, Endangered Species, and Green & Black’s all make delicious
bars with attractive labels that make great stocking stuffers.
Now that it’s finally cold enough to enjoy a hot mug of cocoa or tea, we have
many organic choices available. Choice Organic Green Teas will be on sale through
December, as will Traditional Medicinals cold season teas. Dagoba Organic Hot
Chocolate Mixes – Original, Xocolatl, or Unsweetened – are also on sale this month,
alongside Green & Black’s Organic hot chocolate mixes. Enjoy.
What’s New in Grocery!
• Amy’s Organic Soups, now including
Tuscan Bean & Rice and Thai
Coconut
• Ancient Harvest Organic Quinoa
• Baji’s Papadum Chips, staff tested
and approved
• Boulder Organic Tortilla Chips,
entirely organic, even the vegetable
oil in the chip!
• Dagoba Organic Hot Cocoa, now in
Unsweetened Dark Chocolate
• Equal Exchange Organic Baking
Cocoa
• Green Forest Napkins
• Health Valley Trail Mix Granola
Bars
• Himilania Goji Berry Trail Mixes
• Izze Sparkling Apple Soda
• Kettle Baked Pita Chips
• Kettle Potato Chips in Tuscan Three
Cheese and Buffalo Bleu Krinkle Cut
• King Arthur Flours, reputed to be
the best of the baking flours
• Knudsen Organic, Low-Sodium Very
Veggie
• Langers Enhanced H20, by the makers of L & A juices
• Laura’s Wholesome Junk Food in a
new Grandma’s Gingerbread flavor
• Mountain Valley Spring Water, now
in 1.5 liter bottles and sparkling
liters
• Nativa Yerba Mate in 2 lb bags
• Nature’s First Law Ecuadorian, Raw,
Organic Cacao Beans
• Nature’s First Law Raw, Wild Jungle
Peanuts, an ancient toxin free
alternative
• Newman’s Organic Mints, in beautifully designed carry tins
• Pacific Organic Tomatoes in new
aseptic packaging
• Pet Guard Organic, Vegan Dog Food
in cans
• Power Organics Cacao Berry Clarity
Bars
• Rudi’s Organic English Muffins
• Rumford Corn Starch, without GMO
corn
• Tambo Bamba rice and bean mixes
• Terra Nostra Organic Chocolate
Bars
• Winston’s Mangogh Sauce, a “mild”
alternative to his tasty, Austinmade hot sauce
• Yummy Earth Organic Lollipops
• Zambezi Organic, Raw Honey from a
huge, pristine forest in Zambia
The Wheatsville Breeze, December, 2006
Over the Counter By Johnny Livesay, Deli Counter Manager
Hello everybody. I
hope that you
have all recovered
from
Thanksgiving and that the deli was
able to help serve your holiday needs.
We still have Christmas and New Years
to get through, so pace yourselves. We
will be taking orders for pies and sides
up until the 21st of December. Pick up
one of our holiday menus for ideas on
how to please your family and friends.
By now you may have tried one of
our new sandwiches. They have been
well received for the most part, and are
quite delicious. My favorite is the
Italian Stallion. It’s a funny name for a
sandwich, sure, but it is very tasty. The
popcorn tofu po’boy is pretty popular
as well.
It is cold outside, or at least trying
to be, so that means that it’s time to get
your soup on. We have several tasty
soups that we rotate through, that will
warm you to the core. I am quite fond
of cooking soup, and like most things
that come out of my kitchen it can be a
most serious endeavor, often taking
several hours just to prepare the stock.
But it’s really good stock, and well
worth the wait. The secret is using
‘packaged’ stock as the base to make
the stock and roasting the holy trinity
of onion, carrot, celery of Mirepoix
fame (with a ratio of 2:1:1) with a whole
head of garlic, that you then use to
make the stock. I won’t go into tooooo
much detail because I have included
my recipe for this delicious vegetable
soup with this article. Trust me it is
worth the time and effort and is very
tasty.
Anyway, we here in deli-land have
been trying to come up with ways to
spruce up the case, and our offerings.
We have been trying to use different
levels in the case for a more visually
appealing appearance. Also, through
collaboration with Bryan Butler, the
king of meat-land, we are trying to find
ways to have some snazzy new meat
entrees in the case, such as the turducken-esque Quabason (Quail-BaconBison). This is a tasty little combination
of meats, each coming from sources
here in Texas. We are trying to do some
bratwursts and kraut, cooked in beer,
then grilled for deliciousness. Bryan
has some good ideas about stuffed pork
tenderloins and other meaty victuals
for all you carnivores out there.
Don’t worry though; the
Wheatsville Deli is all about inclusion.
We are always trying to find new
recipes to compliment our massive
selection of vegan and vegetarian
entrees and salads. We have recently
added a nice Ratatouille to the case,
and it is delicious served over rice or
just eaten with a slice of bread for dippin’. This time of year all of our
fall/winter seasonal recipes come out
of hiding, like Leek Roasted Carrots
and Tempeh, Roasted Fall Root
Vegetables. The cooks also get into the
season by trying out new recipes of
their own. Try Diana’s Vegan Potato
Leek Soup, and Jefe’s new Rosemary
Russet Squash dish. Both are savory
and delicious. If you have any suggestions, or a favorite recipe, email me at
fikus(at)ecomail.org.
Well, the next time I write this article we’ll be livin’ in the future. I hope
you have a safe and happy holiday
season, and a glorious New Year.
Peace on Earth, good food in bellies.
The Wheatsville Breeze, December, 2006
Can’t Touch This Vegetable Soup
The Stock:
For the stock (prep time 15 min, cooking time – 1.5 hours)
2 packs of Imagine No Chicken Broth
2 lbs of onions
1 lb of carrots
1 lb of celery
1 bunch of parsley
1 bay leaf
2 Tbs of tomato paste
2 Tbs of olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
1 head of garlic
Coarse chop onions, carrots, and celery. In a large bowl mix
veggies with tomato paste, olive oil, salt and pepper, ensuring
that all veggies are coated well with tomato paste. Pre-heat
oven to 375°, and arrange veggies on a cookie sheet, or roasting
pan in an even layer. Place head of garlic on pan. Roast veggies
for 45 minutes, or until caramelized.
In a large stockpot, combine No-Chicken broth and roasted
veggies. Squeeze out head of garlic. It may help to use a stockpot that has a pasta strainer. Over medium heat, bring contents
to a simmer. Add bay leaf and parsley. Simmer for at least 45
minutes.
Strain out the vegetables, and press them to push out all of
the remaining liquid from within. This is your mighty stock.
The Soup:
For the soup (prep time 30 min, cook time 45-60 min)
1 lb carrots, chopped
1/2 lb of celery, chopped
1.5 lbs of potato (your preference, remember that New Potatoes get
mushy faster), cubed
1 lb onions, chopped
1/2 lb of winter squash (kabocha or sweet dumpling are my favorite),
peeled, and cubed
1/2 lb parsnip, half moons
1/2 lb sweet potato (optional), cubed
1/2 lb of zucchini, half moons
1/2 lb of green beans, trimmed
2 leeks, chopped
1 can of cannellini beans, or great northern
1 bunch of lacinato kale, chopped
crusty bread!
Prep all veggies into the size that you would like. Bring stock to
a simmer and toss in onions, carrots, celery, potatoes, leeks, and
parsnips. Cook for 10-15 minutes then add the first round of
‘softer’ veggies, including, winter squash, sweet potato, and
green beans. Simmer for about 10 minutes then add the zukes,
and the cannellini beans. At this time, smash a few pieces of
potato against the side of the pot, this will help thicken the
broth. Cover and let simmer for ten minutes, be careful not to
let the zucchini get too mushy. About two minutes before turning off the flame, add the greens, giving them just enough time
to get tender. Remove from heat. Serve with crusty bread.
Options
I like to add some other things depending on what I have lying
around at the time. If you want you can toss in some pasta, rigatoni is my preferred choice, about twenty minutes before it is
done (careful, this will thicken the broth, and you may want to
watch it more closely). Rice is also a welcomed addition to the
soup. I have even used tofu for some extra protein goodness. I
like to freeze the tofu (for optimal porosity) then defrost it, press
it, deep fry it until rock hard, yet golden, and set aside. Add this
about ten minutes until the end; it will become soft and saturated with soupy goodness. Additions of cayenne are perfect, and
any savory herb you have around. This is a rock solid
base to make any kind of soup, vegan or carnivorous.
—Enjoy
Sounds from Inside
the Dairy Cooler
By Mark Filarowicz, Dairy Buyer
Hello refrigerated shoppers, the daily happenings in the cooler are still the same: tens of
kombuchas sold each hour, whipping cream
sales on the rise as the temperature drops, tofu
and milk and soy milk sales round the clock.
However, some noticeable changes have taken
place since the last time I wrote. At the top of
the list is the disappearance of Pom Wonderful
juices. I recently learned that the company’s
products are not fit for sale at our co-op, due to
poor company conduct. Pom Wonderful tests
its juices on animals! Yes, it sounds absurd,
because it is. Pom Wonderful has pumped
much money into research and development
(perhaps that was why their juices retailed for
almost five dollars!) that relied on animal testing. The whole situation strikes me as so
unnecessary. When I imagine a juicing business, I think of something like Good Flow: an
operation that involves fruits, vegetables,
juicers, delivery drivers, et cetera. Nowhere
does there seem to be a need for injecting lab
rats and rabbits. On a more positive note, let
me take this time to thank the membership for
voting on the animal testing boycott year after
year. In this manner at least, we show that we
Wheatsvillagers care. And fear not, Organic
Frützzo pomegranate juices are available,
including 100% Pomegranate, Pomegranate
Blueberry, and Pomegranate Passion Fruit.
The chill but humid late Austin autumn is
already leading to foggy goggles…but so is our
dairy cooler and your refrigerator at home. (In
dairy speak this means, “Nog has returned.”)
Y’all seem to have found it, so I need not say
more. Many have asked where the Silk Nog
half gallons are this year. The unfortunate
answer is that Silk chose not to produce the
half gallons this season. This decision cannot
possibly be based on unpopularity at WV, since
they were the most popular item in my cooler
last December. Well, we will get by; we just
need more faces for the quarts. And for the few
Soy Dream loyalists, who want to know where
this slow-moving product has gone, know that
the Soy Dreams are just hibernating for this
last month of fall. They will be back in early
winter when the nog goes out. Finally, I will
try to answer the last nog question that I am hit
with every year: why doesn’t WV stock the
dairy and soy nogs year-round? Well, noghead, that is because the companies only produce them for one month not because we at
WV are anti-nog. (I know your pain—I wish
the deli made pumpkin pies all year.) Enjoy it
while you can, take the day off and fog your
goggles with some nog.
Since my Breeze articles usually discuss
events that have already transpired (and I am
told that reports of shortages and the like are
outdated and irrelevant by the time they reach
print) –I will leave you on a futuristic note. In
only a couple months, it will be the heart of
winter and that means citrus in the juice cooler
and fruit bins. I can’t wait to eat a blood orange
or drink a Good Flow tangerine juice. Or for
the renovation to start!
Page 5
ON GUADALUPE
Third Thursday
Wheatsville and the other local merchants on
Guadalupe hold Third Thursday on Guadalupe on
the Third Thursday of each month. Businesses from
29th St up to 32nd Street host special activities
6-10pm to encourage folks to “do da loop on
Guadaloop!” At Wheatsville, we present live music
and free food samples and have sidewalk chalk on
hand for the artistically inclined among us!
Artist Jeff Miller displayed his many paintings.
The Nematoads kept us
rocking in the cold with
their excellent surfy
sound.
I hope we can invite
them back when we get
some surfier weather.
Check em out online at http://www.nematoads.com
or http://www.myspace.com/surfnematoads
Hope to see yah
at the upcoming
Third
Thursday
on Guadalupe
on Dec 21st
for a mini Arts
Festival!
An alien being was spotted
standing on our roof
Big and little kids
created artwork
in chalk.
Dan served samples of our deli
pasta salads, holiday dips n chips,
and Salsa of the Month.
Our Community is Strong by Bryan Lawhorn, Member Records Keeper and a dad who like to make up Unicorn stories
Our community is strong, stronger than you may
have imagined. Together we are stronger than a
unicorn possessing the magical powers of the
sunrise rainbow. Our sales growth is the leading
indicator of our strength but I would like to direct
your attention to another number, our number of
total active memberships. It is a number
that lurks beneath the
surface waiting for an
opportunity to be
brought into the light
and shine for you.
As of November 17th,
2006 there are 8868
total active members at
Wheatsville. In 2002,
there were 5197 total
active memberships.
I’ve included a graph
to help you visualize.
I love graphs I really
do, I’m not just saying that to get closer to you, I
love graphs and that won’t ever change about
me. What do you love? You can tell me, I’ll listen,
that’s what I do here, I listen.
Page 6
Anyway we’ve had 613 invested (Gold and Green Card) memberships join us since January 1st of this year and 179 of those are
Green Cards. Don’t get me wrong, Green Card people are great,
I love them and I want them to stay and many of them do eventually meet their capital requirements, but many times the Green
Card people forget. How can I encourage the Green Card people
to cooperate? How
can I help them be
the best Wheatsville
member they can
be? They are looking
for a way to fit into
our community and
I must be failing to
help them find their
place.
You belong to this
community and we
belong to you, its
okay, we’re not
some weird cult or
anything, we just
want to get real food
and we want to get it in a non-exploitative way, that’s all.
You see, each of us is a spoke on the wheel; if one of the spokes is
broken the wheel can’t turn properly. How can there be progress
towards a more just society if the cart wheels are jammed? When
every spoke makes it own self “true” our cart
will race down the path, to the river, and down
the river in canoes we’ll go, until we will reach
the ocean. At the ocean’s shore we will meet
ourselves, the Unicorn People. Magical rainbows and juicy soft fillings and candy and
baby sheep and talking goats and puppies licking us all over, that puppy smell, I love that
puppy smell.
Here are the latest gold joiners:
A.P. David
Kavan Modi
Laura Speck
Joe Bailey Jr
Louise Ducote
Thomas Graves
Kindra Welch
Darek Young
Chandra Muller
Kisla Jimenez
Leena Laul
Michele Orr
Ben Gibbs
Leena Batra
Dom Strauss
Tia Miller
David Wilson
Dolores Gonzalez
Jennifer Golech
Lizabeth Kelley
Michael Carrington
Mary Sue Rose
Cynthia Keohane
Ruth Kellner
Brenda Galloway
Sheila Carver
Katherine Jensen
Kate Houlihan
Alcyr Coelho
Colin Ingarfield
Luisa Silva
Catherine Moore
Mathew Bickley
Darrell R Windham
Marjorie Cartwright
Wendy Ann Corbett
Black Star Co-op
Mary M Standifer
Chrysteen Shafer
Annie Taylor
Cynthia Thompson
Victoria Garza
Matt Smith
Lindsey Peebles
Michael Robertson
Tammy Sajak
Deborah Collier
Ed Fiedler
Blaine Walker
Brenda Galloway
The Wheatsville Breeze, December, 2006
Yellow Bike thanks Wheatsville for years of Support and Cooperation!
The Austin Yellow Bike Project (YBP) is a community supported ALL-VOLUNTEER 501(c)(3) non-profit organization dedicated to providing humanpowered transportation for the people of Austin, running a community bike
shop, and educating kids and adults. People-power is a way to limit the
traffic congestion of a rapidly growing city. It also provides a sane, inexpensive, and sustainable alternative to the reliance on motor vehicles. Our project promotes
cleaner air, land,
and water, while
encouraging people to meet their
transportation
needs through an
active lifestyle
and community
participation.
For several
years Wheatsville
has generously
provided space
behind the store
where we have
operated our
community bike
shop. The coming
year will brings
many changes for
both Wheatsville
and Yellow Bike.
While
Wheatsville
begins its muchanticipated addition to their store,
Yellow Bike will
be moving our shop to accommodate the store’s expansion. Over the next
month we will be working to move the shop to its new location next to
Treasure City Thrift at the intersection of 12th and Salina on the East side of
Austin.
The move is bittersweet for us. We are sad to leave Wheatsville and the
area but are excited about the possibilities of our new space. We have fond
memories of Yellow Bike releases, test riding rehabilitated bikes in the parking lot, and grabbing tasty treats from the store during shop hours. While
Wheatsville will be hard to replace, Treasure city is a collectively run thrift
store operating to aid community projects and we are happy to again be
neighbors with another like-minded business.
This is not the only shop that we will be replacing this year. Our main
shop located on the Mueller Airport property off of 51st Street, which has
been provided for the last eight years by the city, will be demolished at the
end of next year as part of the ongoing development. While a 350 sq ft satellite location like the Wheatsville shop can be moved in a matter of months,
moving our 4,500 sq ft main shop is an imposing task. Our main shop,
where we keep hundreds of to be fixed bikes, have an extensive collection of
sorted parts, and help over 20 people fix their own bikes per night, is truly
the heart of our organization.
We have until late 2007 to find a new home for Yellow Bike. Our all-volunteer organization is composed of people that are committed to a vision of
a bike friendlier Austin and a better world because of it.
Other than the workshop facility, we have few financial needs to carry on our work.
We are announcing a Capital Campaign in which we hope to raise $300,000 to facilitate the purchase of a new space. While this sum might not be able to replace our current facility in size, we feel that it would secure for us a home that allows us to continue
our current operations with room to grow.
We feel lucky to have a year
to make this goal a reality.
We encourage anyone who
is interested in helping to get
involved. It is the strength of
our volunteer base that will
allow us to continue offering
our shop services, volunteer
opportunities and raise the
Yellow Bike
required funds to meet our
51st Street Shop
photo by Blake Gordon
goal.
If you love bikes or are
interested in working on
them, please stop by during
our shop hours. During open
shops anyone can bring in
their personal bike and learn
to maintain and repair it with the help of our experienced volunteer mechanics free of
charge. We have work stands and tool sets for visitors to use. If you are interested in
volunteering to help out one of
our projects we also have volunteer only nights. Visit
www.austinyellowbike.org for
more information and details
about current projects. Contact
us by email at
austinyellowbike(at)gmail.com
with any questions or stop and
see our shop.
The Yellow Bike Project
would like to extend its deepest
thanks to the Wheatsville Coop, its Board and its Members
for the wonderful space that
we’ve enjoyed utilizing so
much. We wish Wheatsville the
best of luck in their continued
growth.
-The Austin Yellow Bike Project
FREE MAMMOGRAMS
for Low-Income Women
The Community Women’s Wellness Center
offers free breast exams and mammograms to
low-income women 50 and older, residents of
Travis County, with limited or no health insurance. Women receive comprehensive breast
examinations, learn how to do breast selfexam, and get blood pressure & weight checks.
Call 232-4707 for eligibility and appointments.
A project of the University of Texas School of
Nursing.
The Wheatsville Breeze, December, 2006
Page 7