Fresh Deals, Dec 4-10
Everyone Saves!
December 2024 Change For Community: The Bridge Home
The Bridge Home is a non-profit organization devoted to bridging the gap between homelessness and housing by providing shelter, support, and inspiring a pathway forward for individuals and families experiencing or on the verge of homelessness.
Founded in 1985 to address the growing need of individuals and families requiring shelter, a trend that continues today, we are the only organization in the Two Rivers Region dedicated to ending the cycle of homelessness among single men, women, and families. In the last year alone, we proudly served 2,836 people, provided 10,285 nights of shelter, and served over 22,000 meals.
At The Bridge Home, we are not just dedicated to providing immediate relief. We provide a continuum of care from outreach to housing programs. We offer the tools, resources, and education to empower and guide individuals and families facing the challenges of homelessness towards long-term solutions — free from judgment.
Member-Owner Extras, Dec 3-17
Extra deals just for member-owners!
Preorder sale cases by Dec 12.
Co+op Deals, Dec 3-17
Everyone Saves!
Preorder sale cases by Dec 12.
Co-op Winter Kickoff Party
The Co-op Winter Kickoff Party
AND LOCAL MAKER MARKET
Sat., Dec. 14 from 10am-2pm.
Join us to celebrate the kickoff of the winter season! Stop by the co-op and grab a free 50th anniversary ornament, meet local vendors, enjoy samples, cider, giveaways, live music, crafts and more!
Local Vendors:
10AM-12PM: Clear Creek Orchard, Collins, 37 miles
10AM-2PM: Beeler’s Pure Pork, Le Mars, 183 miles
10AM-2PM: Peverill’s Apiary, Ankeny, 28 miles
10AM-2PM: US Wellness Meats, Iowa/Regional
Local Maker Market and Community Room Craft:
10AM-2PM | Local Maker Market! Browse handmade gifts and crafts by local producers and artists.
Mustard Seed Farm
Ames Main Street Makers
10AM-2PM | DIY Gingerbread House! Join us as we guide you to make and take home your own little holiday gingerbread house. Ours will be made with graham crackers and vegan white chocolate. Edible decorations included, merry make-and-take! (while supplies last)
Community Room is located in the east end of the co-op, past the registers and restrooms.
Local Festive Tunes:
10:00AM-12PM: Holiday Jazz with Two Guys Named Dave & Steve
12:00PM-2PM: Holiday Violin Duo
A Brief History of Pumpkin Pie
November Produce Parable
Adam Calder, Wheatsfield Produce Manager
Sweet pumpkin pie decorated with whipped cream and cinnamon with a slice taken out
Soon, the aroma of baking pumpkin pie will drift out from ovens all across the United States. These pies are often eagerly anticipated at the end of a Thanksgiving feast, and then forgotten for the rest of the year. Why do Americans eat pumpkin primarily as pie, and also usually only around Thanksgiving?
This story begins with the humble pumpkin, around eight to ten thousand years ago in the Mexican highlands of Oaxaca. This is where the oldest orange field pumpkin seeds have been found by archeologists. There are no wild pumpkins, as pumpkins were cultivated from wild gourds that grew in the moist soils of riverbanks and creeks.
Ancient pumpkins were three to four inches around, and had very hard shells. The flesh of these early pumpkins was thin and bitter, so they were likely gathered and planted to eat their seeds. Over the centuries, plants were selected and bred to produce more, better tasting flesh and bigger seeds.
By the year 2,500 BCE, Native Americans in southwest North America grew pumpkins, and by around 1,200 BCE so too did the people living in the east. By the time colonial settlers from England arrived in the late 15th century, Native Americans all over the continent were growing pumpkins.
Native Americans roasted pumpkins on hot cinders, boiled them to make sauce and dried them to make jerky-like strips or flour. In keeping with European cooking traditions, colonial settlers boiled pumpkins to make a thick “porrage” or pudding, which was very similar in texture to apple butter.
Contrary to popular belief, there is no record of pumpkins or pumpkin pie being served at the first Thanksgiving in 1621. The two written records of the event list a menu of Indian corn, barley, fowl, deer, parsnip, carrots, turnips, onions, melons, cucumbers, radishes, beets, cabbage and colewort (a brassica like kale). Not one word is mentioned of pumpkins.
The first pumpkin “pies” were whole pumpkins with their tops cut off and the seeds scooped out. The pumpkin was then filled with a savory porridge of stewed pumpkin, bread crumbs, apples and eggs. The top was placed back on the pumpkin and the whole thing was baked in an oven. A sweet pumpkin pie of this era would have been a pumpkin stuffed with only apples and baked whole.
The first printed sweet pumpkin pie recipe appears in 1796 in the cookbook American Cookery, and is similar to the modern pies enjoyed today:
One quart stewed and strained pumpkin, 3 pints cream, 9 beaten eggs, sugar, mace, nutmeg, ginger, laid into paste No. 7 or 3, and with a dough spur, cross and cheque it, and baked in dishes 3 quarters of an hour.
This pie likely had the consistency of cheesecake, and was unusual in that it was intended for lavish, high society consumption. For the most part, by this time in American history pumpkins were food for poor farmers and their families. It was easily planted, grew well in a variety of soils, and produced large volumes of food that stored and traveled well. These qualities led to the pumpkin being
widely grown all over New England, and then across the United States as the country grew and the settlers expanded.
As the nation grew and industrialized, young generations left farms for urban life. Pumpkins reminded them of fond childhood memories on the farm. To hold onto that nostalgia, pumpkin pie began appearing at Thanksgiving meals. That tradition grew and spread, and to this day you likely find a pumpkin pie capping off the feast no matter what part of the country you live in.
A New England writer from the early 1800’s wrote the following passage in a Thanksgiving poem, and any who enjoy pumpkin pie will appreciate his sentiment:
And the prayer, which my mouth is too full to express,
Swells in my heart that thy shadow may never be less,
That the days of thy lot may be lengthened below,
And the fame of thy worth like a pumpkin-vine grow,
And thy life be as sweet, and its last sunset sky,
Golden-tinted and fair as thy own pumpkin pie!
Originally posted November 2021
Real Flavors, Real Impact: A Love&Tea Tasting Event
REAL FLAVORS, REAL IMPACT: A Love&Tea Tasting Event
Join us for a delightful tea-tasting event presented by Worldly Goods in partnership with Love & Tea. Discover exquisite flavors blended from the diverse herbs, fruits, and spices that showcase Guatemala’s rich biodiversity. Join us to taste a variety of teas and learn how Love&Tea is creating impact by honoring indigenous and ancestral knowledge, conserving biodiversity, and creating just economic opportunities for Indigenous women. Join us and experience the taste of social change!
If you have specific dietary restrictions, please reach out to us in advance before signing up for the class at [email protected] or by calling the co-op at 515-232-4094 and speaking with Sheba Wright, Education Coordinator.
Limited substitutions can be made during the class.
Instructor
Rachael Cox, who was born and went to high school and college in Ames, Iowa, has worked in various countries in Latin America and Sub-Saharan Africa, leading agricultural research and rural development projects for over ten years. She holds an M.S. in Natural Resource Management and Crop Production from Iowa State University, a graduate certificate in international nutrition from Tufts University, and is a certified project manager. Her B.S. is in Agronomy and International Agriculture. Rachael was a National Science Foundation Graduate Fellow from 2010-2012 for her excellence in social and environmental impact based scientific excellence, and has won numerous awards from the Agronomy Society of America as an undergraduate and graduate student for her excellent track record as an agronomic scientist. Rachael served as a Fulbright Professional Specialist in Colombia (2021) and Vietnam (Nov. 2024).
Rachael worked for CIMMYT from 2012-2016, first as the Collaborative Research Coordinator in the Mexico Conservation Agriculture Program, and later as the Project Leader for a USAID funded project in Guatemala, Buena Milpa. From 2016-2017, Rachael worked for the International Potato Center and led a USAID funded project on seed distribution, economic growth, and malnutrition as related to biofortified sweet potato in Rwanda. Within a year she and her team, with partner organizations, reached 100,000 farm families with vitamin A, highly productive, and drought resistance seedlings.
In 2017, Rachael founded her own consulting company, EarthEmpower, focused on working at the intersection of economic development, environmental conservation, and social inclusion. Through the work of EarthEmpower, Rachael worked together with a team of Indigenous women to launch the company Love&Tea, a tea company dedicated to creating good jobs for Indigenous women and fair-trade markets for diverse plants grown by Indigenous women and cooperatives in Guatemala.
In her time as a consultant, Rachael has worked with the Rainforest Alliance, NASA, The Nature Conservancy, World Wildlife Fund, Catholic Relief Services, numerous local and national non-profit organizations in Latin America.
Date & Time
Thursday, December 19 | 5:30-7 PM
FREE EVENT: Fresh Evergreens Make & Take
Fresh Evergreens Make & Take
Saturday, Dec 7, 10am-12pm
Wheatsfield Community Room
Take home some holiday cheer in this small (approximately 10 x5 inches) hanging swag you will assemble yourself. All materials provided. While supplies last in the community room.
One swag per person, no charge. Happy Holidays!
Nov & Dec 2024 Artist: Brenda Backman
Brenda Backman is a contemporary artist known for her evocative use of color and texture, creating immersive landscapes that explore the interplay between nature and emotion. Based in Story City, IA, she draws inspiration from her surroundings, transforming everyday scenes into vibrant, abstract interpretations.
Brenda’s artistic journey began at an early age, fueled by a passion for painting and a fascination with the natural world. She studied at Iowa State University, where she honed her skills in various mediums, including acrylics, watercolors, and mixed media. Over the years, her work has evolved to reflect her deepening connection to the environment and her desire to convey the feelings that nature evokes.
Exhibiting widely in galleries and at art fairs, Brenda’s work has garnered attention for its unique blend of realism and abstraction. Her pieces invite viewers to experience a dialogue with the landscapes she portrays, encouraging a personal reflection on the beauty and complexity of the world around them.
With a growing body of work and a commitment to artistic exploration, Brenda Backman continues to captivate audiences, inviting them to connect with the beauty of both her art and the natural world.
View Brenda’s artwork in the deli seating area through December.
All Your Holiday Needs: Pies, Sides & More
Preorder Deli Mains and Sides, Bakery Pies, Co-op Made Honey Grain Dinner Rolls to guarantee availability. These items will also be available for sale off of the shelf around the holiday. Preorders are required on cheese trays.
You can preorder over the phone (515-232-4094) or fill out a order form on your next shopping trip to the co-op.
Download the preorder form here!
Preorder Deadline – Nov. 22nd!
Bakery Pies
- Apple, $14.99 (vegan)
- Pumpkin, $14.99 (can be made vegan or no gluten on request)
- Pecan, $16.99 (can be made vegan or no gluten on request)
Holiday Deli Sides
Let us do the cooking for you! Preorder to guarantee availability, all items will be available for sale leading up to Thanksgiving out of the Deli case.
- Maple Glazed Yams $9.99LB (no gluten, vegan)
- Traditional Stuffing $9.99LB (vegan)
- Mushroom Walnut Loaf $12.99LB (vegan)
- Turkey Meatloaf $9.99LB
- Perfect Cranberry Sauce $6.99LB (no gluten, vegan)
- Mashed Potatoes $9.99LB (no gluten, vegan, vegetarian)
- Mushroom Gravy $5.99LB (no gluten, vegan)
Fresh Turkeys
Fresh, Free-Range & Antibiotic-Free
Ferndale Market, Cannon Falls, Minnesota
$2.79LB!
- Secure the turkey size you need! More details on sizes, cooking tips and size needs our TURKEY PAGE.
- Preorder by phone (515-232-4094) or on your next shopping trip. A $20 deposit is required for all turkey preorders.
- Fresh turkeys will arrive on Monday, November 25 and will also be available for sale off of the shelf without a preorder.
- We will be selling frozen turkeys throughout November.
Co-op Made Artisan Honey Grain Dinner Rolls:
- Made-from-scratch with local honey and whole grains.
- 9 pack $5.99
- Preorder to guarantee availability or make a large order.
Cheese Trays
Start the festivities with a Co-op Cheese tray! You pick the cheeses, we add dried fruit, nuts and olives. Preorders are required on cheese trays.
- Appetizer for 2 $9.99
- 12in Tray $39.99
- 16in Tray $59.99
- 16in Specialty Tray $99.99
Seasonal Grocery
- Vegan and Vegetarian Holiday Mains (frozen)
- Tofurky Glazed Hams
- Holiday Chocolates
- All the fixin’s you need to complete your holiday meal!
Autumn 2024 Produce Parable: Winter Squash
Winter Squash
By Adam Calder
Savory and sophisticated, yet humble and satisfying all at the same time. These seemingly opposing characteristics are the qualities of winter squash. We’ve been enjoying an unusually mild autumn, and as such maybe aren’t as excited for these seasonal beauties as in past years.
So as not to let these tasty morsels slip from your memory, here is a list of the winter squash varieties available at Wheatsfield:
Kabocha
“Kabocha” is the Japanese word for “squash.” It has bumpy green skin and dense orange flesh. This squash maintains a firm texture and savory flavor when cooked, so it is great for stews and roasts that require long, slow cooking.
Red Kabocha
This is also known as Hawaiian Pumpkin. It has a bright red/orange skin and a similarly colored flesh. This squash is sweet and very pumpkin like in flavor, but with no fibrous strings like pumpkins tend to have. When cooked this squash is soft and fluffy. When pureed into a soup, it has a velvety smooth texture.
Butternut Squash
The most popular winter squash variety at Wheatsfield. Butternuts have a consistent texture and taste. When cooked they are not too soft, nor too hard. Neither too sweet nor too bland and with just the right amount of an earthy, nutty flavor these squash are a tried and true customer favorite. They have a distinctive bulbous bottom that tapers to a long, narrow top. The amber skin is not as deeply colored as the burnt-orange colored flesh.
Pie Pumpkins
Although edible, the pumpkins used for Halloween carving are rarely the same pumpkins people use to cook and eat. The pumpkins most people have eaten are in fact smaller pie pumpkins (also known as sugar pumpkins.) Pie pumpkins are grown for their pumpkin taste and also their high sugar content and thick-fleshed walls. Not as bland, watery or fibrous as jack-o-lantern pumpkins, pie pumpkins are great for cooking into savory or sweet foods.
Spaghetti Squash
Not overly sweet or savory tasting, this squash is actually a fair substitute for spaghetti noodles! Under the bright yellow skin there is a pale yellow flesh comprised of long squash fibers that are about the same length and diameter of cooked spaghetti noodles. This flesh can be baked or boiled and served with sauce on top, just like pasta! This squash is a great alternative for people who love pasta and sauce but want to eat less processed food or who want to get excess carbohydrates out of their diet.
Delicata Squash
This is the only winter squash with an edible skin. When roasted, the squash has a flavor and texture that is very much like a cross between squash and sweet potatoes. The small size (usually under a pound) of this variety makes it ideal for stuffing and baking.
Buttercup Squash
Also known as a turban squash because of the turban-like shape, buttercup looks very similar to Green Kabocha from the outside. When cut, the buttercup smells very much like fresh cut cucumbers and when cooked the taste is mild and the texture dense.
Acorn Squash
So named for its very acorn-like appearance, this squash is best consumed when the rind is green with just a touch of orange on the bottom. The more orange the squash, the more tough and fibrous the flesh will be. This is another customer favorite, although not as popular as the butternut. One acorn squash cut in half, stuffed with rice and baked in the oven will make a warm, wholesome and satisfying dinner for two.
Honeynut Squash
These cute little squash look like a shrunken, more tanned version of butternut. They have all the flavor of a butternut packed into a single serving sized vegetable. These are great if you are in the mood for squash but don’t want several pounds of leftover cooked squash once dinner is over.
There you have it, a list of the great winter squash available at Wheatsfield Cooperative this autumn and winter. All of them are organically grown, and it shows in their excellent high-quality taste, texture and appearance. Be sure to stop in soon and pick up some of this seasonal selection.
Recent Comments