November 2015

Photo of the Month

Just because the harvest is done, doesn't mean the work is. Blair Hansen is getting the tractors ready for the next big job on the farm. Harvesting is a busy time, but once the crops are out of the field, it is time to empty the manure pit.

Each cow eats about 90 pounds of feed and drinks about 40 gallons of water a day. She will produce about 10 gallons of milk a day and about the same amount of manure, making manure management an important aspect of dairy farming. Our manure pit holds one million gallons. Manure from our cows is pumped into the pit every day. Twice a year - before planting and after harvest - we empty the pit by injecting the manure into our 400 acres of cropland. This fertilizes the soil and replaces lost nutrients.

It's Festival of Cheese time again

Hansen's Dairy Moo Roo will again host the Festival of Cheese! This year's event will be on Small Business Saturday, Nov. 28, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Moo Roo, 3015 Kimball Ave., Waterloo. This is a customer appreciation event for all ages! Activities include:

Sample our high-quality cheeses & Hansen's hams
Save 20% off your cheese purchase
Giveaways: Sign up to win a cheese basket or a Hansen's ham
Free Hansen's peppermint soft-serve cones
Free Sidecar coffee and Hansen's hot chocolate
Kids' crafts

We will also have a referral special: Members, bring in a non-member to sign up for a Hansen's membership and each customer gets a free gallon of milk.

Hope to see you there!

Cow of the Month

The November Cow of the Month is Danish. Here she is pictured with her most recent calf, Denmark.

Danish is 11 years old (one of our oldest cows) and has had 8 calves in her life -- five heifers and three bulls. Danish has earned a couple important accolades recently:

She just surpassed 200,000 pounds of milk in her lifetime, and was awarded Gold Medal Dam (mother) Award by the Holstein Association!

This award means that Danish and at least three of her offspring met certain criteria for milk production and body type. There were only 347 Holstein cows across the United States to receive this award in 2015.

Congrats to Danish!

Hansen's Farm Fresh ... gas?!

Did you know Hansen's Dairy purchased the real estate and Conoco gas station next door to Hansen's Outlet in Cedar Falls?

We feel the Outlet store is a convenient location for our customer base, and this purchase allows us to secure our location for the future. Gas is just another necessity we now offer for our customers to make our location a one-stop shop!

Some of our employees work at both stores, so you'll recognize the faces at the cash registers in both stores.

The China Wok restaurant continues to operate from their location as well.

We appreciate your continued support of our businesses. Look for improved selection and more convenience items at the gas station in the near future.

Order holiday hams and turkeys now

Hansen hams are once again available for the upcoming holidays. If you purchased a ham from us last year, expect a call from us to see if you'd like another one this year. You may also stop by or call Moo Roo in Waterloo (319-234-3309) or Hansen's Outlet in Cedar Falls (319-266-3044) to order.

Hansen's Hams come fresh, not frozen, from Webster City Custom Meats in Webster City, Iowa. They are bone-in, shankless, cured only with their own natural juices, certified hickory-smoked hams made especially for Hansen's customers. There are two sizes: half hams (7-9 pounds, serve 10) and whole hams (15-18 pounds, serve 20). The half hams are $4.75 per pound and the whole hams are $4.25 per pound.

Thanksgiving ham orders: If you are celebrating Thanksgiving early, the hams should be ordered by Thursday, Nov. 5 (these hams can be picked up on Nov. 16). The last day to order a ham for Thanksgiving Day is Thursday, Nov. 12. We will make Christmas ham phone calls after Thanksgiving. Feel free to call if you'd like to place an order ahead of time!

NOTE: If you order a ham from the Cedar Falls Outlet, you will pick it up from the Outlet. Customers who order from the Waterloo Moo Roo will pick up at Moo Roo.

We are able to ship hams for you if needed. Shipping and packaging charges will apply, but we are happy to help you.

We also have Thanksgiving and Christmas turkeys. We have two options. All turkeys are minimally processed, no antibiotics are given, and no basting ingredients or artificial ingredients are added.

1. Bell and Evans Turkeys

Bell and Evans heirloom turkeys are raised on a farm in Pennsylvania. The turkeys are fed an all-vegetarian diet, never given antibiotics, and their meat is considered "light" by USDA standards. Turkeys are raised specifically for our order. This year's turkeys are expected to be about the same size as last year in the 6-8, 8-10, 10-12, 12-14, and 14-16 pound range. These turkeys are sold FRESH for Thanksgiving at $3.99 per pound. Unlike most, these turkeys will arrive fresh, never been frozen. Bell and Evans turkeys are available at our stores by mid-November.

2. Locally Sourced- Groothuis Farms Turkeys

Craig and Darlene Groothuis raise free-range turkeys near Nashua, Iowa. As of Nov. 1, we will have 11 turkeys available ranging in weight from 16 to 20 pounds. They are sold FROZEN. Hurry, these will go fast! Groothuis turkeys are available for pickup within 3 days of your order.

We also have a new product that will be available in our retail stores by mid-November: smoked turkey breasts (2 to 3 pounds) from Webster City Custom Meats. No ordering necessary.

NOTE: If you order a turkey or ham from the Cedar Falls Outlet, you will pick it up from the Outlet. Customers who order from the Waterloo Moo Roo will pick up at Moo Roo.

**If you would like a turkey for Thanksgiving or Christmas, please order as soon as you can while supplies last!! We sold out very quickly last year.

Customer of the Month

The November Customer of the Month is Sheila Benson of Cedar Falls. She is pictured here running in the meadow at Hartman Reserve with her greyhound Fly, "who also LOVES Hansen's Dairy products," Sheila says. "She gets a little dollop of yogurt every night as a bedtime treat, and she knows when I pull into the parking lot that she's going to get a baby soft-serve cone and gets really excited!"

What is your favorite Hansen's product ? "Right now, it's chocolate milk -- a great recovery drink after a long run!"

Why do you shop at Hansen's? "I love the quality, and love that it's local."

Thanks, Sheila!

Customers of the Month receive a $5 gift certificate to use at our stores, a free hands-on farm tour pass, and a vehicle decal. Make sure to sign up at our stores for your chance to be selected Customer of the Month!

Cooking with Hansen's

The November recipe is a twist on pumpkin pie.

Try making your own pumpkin puree with the pie pumpkins available at our stores this month. The items with an asterisk (*) can be found at Hansen's stores.

Ingredients (makes 1 pie):

1/2 block (4 ounces) cream cheese*
2 cups pumpkin puree (1 can - 15 oz - of pumpkin puree)
1/3 cup heavy whipping cream*
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
3 large eggs*
1 frozen pie crust shell (9-inch), removed from foil and put in a glass pie pan (or make your own pie crust)

For whipped cream topping:

1 cup heavy whipping cream*
3 Tbsp brown sugar
1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice

Directions:

If you're making your own pumpkin puree, cut a pie pumpkin in half, scoop out the seeds, and roast cut-side down on a baking sheet for about an hour at 350 degrees. When fork tender, remove from the oven and let cool. Scoop out the flesh and measure out 2 cups.

In a large bowl, beat together cream cheese, pumpkin puree, cream, sugar, and pumpkin pie spice. Beat in eggs one at a time until smooth. Pour into pie shell and bake at 375 for 50-60 minutes. Let cool completely.

To make the whipped cream, beat the cream until it starts to thicken. Add the sugar and spice, and continue beating until stiff peaks form. Spread over the cooled pie with a spatula. Garnish with chocolate chips, brown sugar, or whatever else sounds good ... roasted almond slivers? Could be delicious!

Ducks available

Tammy and Rob Faux of Genuine Faux Farm raise pastured Muscovey ducks near Tripoli, Iowa. These ducks CANNOT be purchased through Hansen's stores. They are available for order directly through Genuine Faux Farm. The ducks are fed organic greens and non-GMO grains. Order by size preference - small (around 4 pounds) or large (around 6-8 pounds). Muscovey ducks are very lean, all dark meat. They are sold FROZEN. To order, call Rob Faux at 319-610-9201. For more information, visit their web site.

Hansen's stores will be selling Premium Young Ducklings from Bell & Evans. They are minimally processed with no artificial ingredients, added solutions or injections; they are raised without antibiotics or added hormones and fed an all-vegetarian diet. These are sold FROZEN in stock for $5.29/pound.

Sampling events

In November we will be sampling milk at the following times and locations:
Saturday, Nov. 3, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. @ New Pioneer Co-op, Coralville
Saturday, Nov. 14, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. @ New Pioneer Co-op, Iowa City
Saturday, Nov. 21, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. @ New Pioneer Co-op, Cedar Rapids