Join your local CSA!
|
A central tenet of our new cooperative market will be to support our local farmers, and to source as much local goods from them as possible. But even before our storefront is open, there are other ways we can support our local farmers. One popular option is to join a CSA--a Community Supported Agriculture program. A CSA is a subscription service where you pay the farmer upfront for a seasonal share in the farm, and then you receive boxes of fresh produce throughout the season. It's a great way to help farmers have a stable income and increased planning capabilities, while also giving the consumer lovely fresh veggies, typically at lower-than-market rates.
Terre Haute currently boasts two CSAs, both of which are now taking subscriptions for the 2009 growing season:
Please click on the links to visit the sites and find out more about each CSA, and subscribe soon--these services fill up quick!
|
|
|
Greetings!
This issue will be jam-packed; I think that two months is the longest span of time we've ever gone between updates. But things haven't been quiet behind the scenes. On the contrary, our project is now beginning to really pick up steam! The biggest news is the beginning of the site selection process and the completion of our market analysis, but that's not all! In this issue, we announce our next class at Clabber Girl, we have an opportunity to buy local seeds for your spring planting needs, and for your dining pleasure, we include one of our Board Member's favorite wintertime recipes. Exciting times--keep reading for more!
|
|
Market Analysis--check!
 As many of you know, we have been fundraising and membership raising with the immediate goal of having a professional market analysis done for the co-op. On Monday and Tuesday of this week, our selected analyst, Debbie Suassuna, was here in Terre Haute reviewing the area, as well as analyzing several specific sites we have selected as plausible locations for the co-op. We are expecting her finished report within the month. This market study will form the foundation of almost all decisions to come--budgets, financial application packets, business plans, and more. It is a crucial document to have, and will give us a solid foundation for all the work to come. For myself? I can't wait to see it!
Location, Location, Location
That's certainly the hallmark of site searching, isn't it? Although
given that we're working on opening a grocery store, we've been
encouraged to reformat this line to "Location, Location, Parking". As
part of our market analysis, we have been working with a local real
estate agent to find the most plausible sites available on the market
(and in some notable cases, not quite on the market!). Thankfully, we
have a fairly comprehensive list of "want to have's" for our co-op
provided by our market analyst which has been guiding our site
searching. We've narrowed the list down to three potential locations.
It is not guaranteed that our final location will be one of these
sites, but these are the current locations that fit the most criteria
for being a good site for our store. These are also the sites that
were included in our market analysis, so we will soon have very
detailed information on the plausibility of each. With that data, and
a fair amount of number crunching and negotiations, we should be able
to determine the best location for our store!
|
Terre Foods Cooking Class:
Saturday, March 14th, 10a-Noon, Clabber Girl Kitchens
"Bringing Beans Into Your Life: the hows and whys of dried beans"
Everyone knows that dried beans are an economical way to eat healthily, but many people are stymied by the process. How do you cook dried beans? How do you store them? Doesn't it take all day (and all night) to cook them? Who has the time?
You do! In this class, Tammy Tintjer and Robyn Morton will lead you through the basics of prepping, cooking, storing, and eating dried beans; identifying different kinds of beans and what they are good for; strategies for making dried beans easier to include in our already busy lives; and recipes that will make everyone in your family glad you've learned how to conquer the Great Dried Bean!
Date: Saturday, March 14th
Time: 10am-Noon
Place: Clabber Girl Kitchens, corner of 9th and Wabash
Course Fee: $5 for members; $10 for non-members. Fees due at beginning of class.
Fee covers: All course materials, including handouts, recipes, and Clabber Girl kitchen fees.
Register for class: email April Osburn at aosburn@clabbergirl.com
Register deadline: Friday, March 13th
Class size: Registration is capped at 20 students, so register early!
Thanks to Clabber Girl for allowing Terre Foods to host this class in their wonderful kitchens!
|
Nature's Crossroads Seeds now available
 A local seed-producer and wholesaler is making their spring catalog
available to our membership and interest group for purchase! You can view
the catalog here:
2009 Nature's Crossroads Catalog
(opens a .pdf file)
These seeds are 100% organic; the packets are $2.75 each, which is a great deal
for organic seeds. Of special note: the tomatoes listed at the top
of the catalog are all locally produced seeds! This means that the
seeds have been cultivated specifically for Indiana. Not only does this
support a local farmer, but it also gives you the opportunity to grow tomatoes
that thrive in our climate and soil types.
A shopping cart is now available on our website soon for ordering
seeds. Go to www.terrefoods.coop, and click on the "Shop Online" button on the left-hand side of the main page. Orders and payments are taken via PayPal (you do not need a PayPal account to use PayPal). We will need all orders to be in by March 9th at the latest;
everything will then be ordered in bulk, and we'll split orders up when they
arrive (maybe we can have a "pick up your seeds" party?). The
order deadline is only two weeks away, so start picking your seeds soon!
For myself, I'll be getting those Tigerella heirloom tomatoes in the picture above, and Provider bush
beans, and Kentucky Wonder pole beans, and Pac Choi, and .... and ....
|
Potato, Celery Root, and Leek Soup
 Candace, a Board Member at-large, writes: I've recently become a true believer in celery's aromatic qualities
which is pretty remarkable considering that ever since I was a kid,
I've been picky about it. With the exception of the few, nearly white
stalks in the center, I don't like it raw unless it's completely
covered in peanut butter (everything tastes good when swathed in peanut
butter) and in soups, I prefer it to be cut small and cooked to the
point of mush. It's a vegetable that just hasn't been on my radar
until fairly recently.
It's because of this distaste that I became so enamored with the
celery root, also known as celeriac. They can be tricky to find in a
standard grocery store but are usually with exotic produce (they're a
little easier to find at places like co-ops and Whole Foods). It's a
bulbuous, hairy, ugly thing that baffled me the first time my fiance brought
one home. As he sliced away the skin exposing the siky white interior,
a beautiful scent filled the kitchen. It smelled exactly the way the
inner white stalks taste-sweet and mild and instantly comforting. He
made a potato, celery root, and leek soup and I was instantly
converted. This soup is still my favorite way to eat this
misunderstood outcast of the produce counter.
You can treat celeriac like a potato since its density is very
similar. It is, afterall, a root. Choose a root that is firm and
heavy. They can get spongey in the center if they get too big, sprout
stalks and leaves, or sit around too long. If you don't have celery
root, you can use 4 stalks of celery instead.
1 celery root, about 1lb
2lbs potatoes, preferably Yukon Gold though any variety will do
4 garlic cloves
1 bay leaf
1 and 1/2 quart stock, chicken or vegetable
2-3 medium leeks, white and light green parts only
1 tbs olive oil
1 tbs butter
1/2 cup dry white wine
salt
pepper
2 tbs cream or half and half for each serving
Peel and thinly slice celery root and potatoes (the skins may be
left on the potatoes if desired) and mince garlic. Meanwhile bring 1
quart of stock to boil. Add celery root, potatoes, garlic, bay leaf, 1
tsp salt, and pepper. Bring back to a boil, reduce heat, cover and let
simmer for 20-30 minutes, until vegetables are soft.
While the roots cook, prepare the leeks. Split leeks down the
center and be sure to wash out the dirt that likes to settle between
the layers. Slice leeks thinly. Heat olive oil and butter in a
skillet. Add leeks along with salt and pepper. Saute 3 minutes, cover
and let steam for 10 minutes. Remove cover, add wine, and reduce until
just a few tablespoons of liquid remain, about another 10 minutes.
Add leeks to the soup pot and cook for 15 minutes or so. Remove the
bay leaf and begin pureeing the soup. You can do this with a food
processor, but an immersion blender is a little less messy. I like to
keep about 2/3 of the soup chunky for texture. Return pureed soup to
heat long enough that it's heated through and beginning to bubble.
Remove from heat, ladle into serving bowls and stir in the cream or
half and half. Salt and pepper to taste. Serve right away.
|
|
|
|
Enjoy the first signs of spring!
In Cooperation,
|
Robyn Morton
Terre Foods Cooperative Market |
|
|
