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Blog & Latest News2017-01-19T21:01:10-06:00
1503, 2024

March 2024 Produce Parable

March 15th, 2024|Categories: Blog|1 Comment

Kaleidoscope of Carrots 

By Adam Calder, Wheatsfield Produce Manager

Perhaps you are already familiar with multi-colored carrots, since we already do sell baby rainbow carrots in the produce department.  Carrots of many colors are also available at Iowa farmers markets.  The vast majority of carrots grown today are orange, but it hasn’t always been this way.

Pollen evidence shows that carrots have been cultivated since ancient Egyptian times 5,000 years ago.  These carrots were likely white, or a purple so dark it looked black.  Images from the remains of temples show Egyptians cultivating and consuming purple plants, which archeologists think are carrots.

According to legend, although not verifiably true, orange carrots arose to popularity in the late 17th century to honor William the Orange, who was a leader of the Dutch independence resistance from Spanish control.

Scholars are not even sure the orange carrot existed before the 17th century.  The first written account of an orange carrot is the Long Orange Dutch from 1721, from which the residents of Hoorn, Netherlands, developed the Horn Carrot.  Modern orange carrots can trace their lineage to these two carrots.  Whether or not the orange carrot came into being because of Dutch politics, the Dutch actually have made use of the orange carrot as a political tool over the years, with both pro and anti-patriotic messaging.

More likely, orange carrots were bred from already existing purple, yellow, and white carrots in an attempt to increase the sweet taste, and to minimize the bitterness.  There are three carrot genes responsible for the orange color, and all three must be recessive in order for the carrot to be orange.

Wheatsfield sells colorful carrots year-round, and for the spring season we also have carrot seeds packets for your home garden.  This year we are excited to share two new varieties from Seed Savers Exchange in Decorah: Solar Yellow and Lunar White carrots!

The Solar Yellow carrots grow to around 7 inches in length.  They are very similar in flavor to orange carrots, with a crunchy bite and sweet flavor.  The juice from these carrots looks like a glass of sunshine on a summer day, and they make a colorful addition to any dish calling for carrots.

The Lunar White carrots can grow up to 12 inches in length, and are also crunchy, though not as sweet as orange or yellow ones.  The flavor of these carrots is brought out by cooking, although they can also be eaten fresh just like their brightly colored cousins.

We also have seeds for purple Dragon carrots, Red Cored Chantenay carrots, orange St. Valerie and Scarlet Nantes carrots.  This kaleidoscope of carrot color would look incredible in anyone’s garden, or on their dinner table.

1303, 2024

March Mini Member Drive 2024

March 13th, 2024|Categories: Blog|0 Comments

March Mini Member Drive

Did you know that member-ownership is a one-time fully refundable investment with some excellent benefits?!

Join the Co-op anytime March 18-31 and receive a gift! Pay your membership in-full and you will be entered to win a $100 gift card!

Membership options:

  • Full Equity Member-Ownership
    Buy a share in the Co-op! You will literally own the Co-op! Join 7,300+ other member-owners in ownership.

    • Full Benefits & Discounts
    • One-time purchase
    • Fully refundable
    • $100 purchase – can pay at once or over 10 months
    • Applies to anyone in household
    • Can withdraw and get your money back at any time!

Current Member-Owners:

Refer a new member and receive a thank you beverage bar coupon. Any current member-owner on a payment plan can pay in-full to be entered in the gift card drawing.

Membership:

  • Helps grow the Co-op
  • Grow local business
  • Supports local producers
  • Promotes the cooperative business model
  • Supports the sustainability of the Co-op
  • Provides local jobs and more!

Ask a cashier and join today, it only takes a few minutes! Or download and fill out our application below.

Student Discount Application 

Equity Member Application

803, 2024

Cheese Madness 2024

March 8th, 2024|Categories: Blog|0 Comments

Let’s get ready to crumble!

Cheese Madness begins Friday, March 15!

What’s Cheese Madness? Only the fiercest formage faceoff! On March 15, 16, 21, 22, and 23, 8 cheeses go head-to-head to earn your votes, but only one will be crowned the winner. Got a hunch on which cheese is the crowd favorite? Brackets are available for pick up in our cheese department or print online.

Guess the winning bracket and you could win one pound of the champion cheese and perfectly paired gourmet goodies.

Fill out your brackets by Thursday, March 14!

703, 2024

Celebrating Local Women Owned Business

March 7th, 2024|Categories: Blog|0 Comments

International Women’s Day, March 8, 2024

We work with many woman-owned and woman-friendly businesses at the Co-op! This International Women’s Day, we wanted to highlight some of our local women-owned or led businesses. Please join us in supporting them.

We apologize for those local women-owned or led businesses we missed. There are quite a few! 

Agri-Cultured

Dallas Center, Iowa
Sarah Underberg and her husband Eric started making fermented foods to address health problems like joint pain. Today they make raw sauerkrauts, pickles, kimchi, and kombucha – on tap at your Co-op! “We’re changing lives one gut at a time,” Sarah says.

CADO Ice Cream

Fairfield, Iowa
Deb Dowd is passionate about good health. She and her family created Shaktea Kombucha before moving onto their next (and very successful food adventure) CADO Ice Cream. The brand is really making a name for itself nationwide – winning accolades on many blogs’ and magazines’ “top 10” dairy-free ice cream lists. Their avocado base provides a rich, creamy canvas for classic ice cream favorites like mint chocolate chip, dark chocolate & lemon sorbet. Enjoy a whole avocado in every pint!

Clear Creek Orchard

Collins, Iowa
Teresa Conradi and her husband Martin take pride in making jams like grandma used to make. Clear Creek minimizes added sugar and keeps batch sizes small to minimize cooking time and to preserve the aromatic fruit flavor that boils off in commercial jam production. When the business transitioned to Martin, the original owner’s nephew, they transplanted many of the original Clear Creek berry plants to the new production site for consistency.

Dogpatch Urban Gardens

Des Moines, Iowa
Jenny started Dogpatch Urban Gardens in the fall of 2015 with the help of her husband, Eric Quiner.  The main reasons for starting the farm are to promote health/nutrition, enhance community, environmental conservation as well as instill family values for their sons.

Gym-N-Eat Crickets

Ames, Iowa
Local business owner Shelby Smith is trying to change the way food systems in America operate with her company Gym-N-Eat Crickets, which sustainably produces crickets for human consumption. Crickets are dense in protein and easy to farm.

Hanna Valley Protein

Des Moines, Iowa
Hanna Valley protein is an organic, whole food, plant based protein powder that is free from top food allergens and is packed with nutrition. Owner Emily Hanna took great care in creating a formula that contains all 9 amino acids, is free from grains/fillers, and is loaded with fiber and Omega 3’s.

Siberian Soap Company

Ames, Iowa
Ann Staudt is the founder, chief soap formulator, kitchen chemist, graphic designer, sales manager, packaging extraordinaire, and overall operations manager behind Siberian Soap Co.  She holds degrees in both chemical and environmental engineering. Soapmaking provides a wonderfully creative outlet that combines her interests in science, art, and living a simple, eco-friendly lifestyle.

Saltlickers

Nevada, Iowa
Jennifer Knox, a poet, a cook, and a “devoted friend to parrots everywhere” makes unique herb and spice blends with her husband Collin. What started as holiday gifts in 2011 have gradually taken over their lives. They grow some of the herbs and spices and dehydrate them and also source ingredients in bulk, but all are grown in America and are preservative free.

Maytag Dairy Farm

Newton, Iowa
Myrna Ver Ploeg joined Maytag in 2003 and is currently the President of this premier cheese making company. She herself grew up on a dairy farm in Marshall County. Myrna says the business has always operated under three basic principles: be good stewards of whatever resources they are given, be independent thinkers and follow their hearts.

Deb Zisko Cards

Boone, Iowa
Deborah spends her precious spare time creating watercolor collages of the much loved Iowa landscape. A self-taught watercolor painter, she often works on smaller size paintings. The intimacy of space affords her the opportunity to explore layers of color.

Zero Loop

Ames, Iowa
Phoebe Liang D’Allessandro is the owner of Zero Loop, an all natural skin and body care line. Incorporating the fundamental principles of Traditional Chinese Medicine guide her product design and selection. Her belief is to live in harmony with nature and it is the central message of all Zero Loop products.

403, 2024

Indoor Composting With Worms

March 4th, 2024|Categories: Blog, Classes|0 Comments

Indoor Composting With Worms

Vermiculture is a process of composting which holds a particular appeal to homeowners and apartment dwellers alike since you can utilize worms, in a bin, to compost food waste year-round. The worms do all the work! You’ll leave this class with specific instructions on what you need to get started with this efficient method of composting and some worms to get you started.

Instructor
Steve Libbey started composting in earnest in the early 1990s turning over, literally, tons of waste as the Coordinator of the Seattle Zoo’s composting/recycling program.  Subsequently achieving neither fame nor fortune, Steve continues to garden and compost in hot piles and with worms. 

Date and Time
Tuesday, April 23, 6:00-7:00pm

Special
Educational

403, 2024

Beginner Bike Repair with Skunk River Cycles

March 4th, 2024|Categories: Blog, Classes|0 Comments

Beginner Bike Repair with Skunk River Cycles

Want to learn how to fix a flat or to oil your chain? Some simple preventative maintenance can keep your bike working well and help you avoid costly future repairs. Join iconic Skunk River Cycles owner, Ronn Ritz, as he talks you through some of the basics of bike repair. Ronn will not have time to work on each bike in the class, but can address specific questions if you bring your bike with you.

Class Location: Store Front Bike Racks (Rain location: East Teaching Kitchen)

Date and Time
Saturday, April 20, 9:00-10:30am

Location
Store Front bike racks

Special
Educational
Hands-On

403, 2024

Starting Solids: Purees and Baby-Led Weaning

March 4th, 2024|Categories: Blog, Classes|0 Comments

Starting Solids: Purees and Baby-Led Weaning

Preparing your baby to start solid foods, or in the midst of it and struggling with baby eating enough or eating the right things? Not sure if you want to try traditional weaning or baby-led weaning? Register for this intro to starting solids class with a registered dietitian to learn about your baby’s nutrition needs, and evidence-based techniques to help your child build a positive relationship with food!

Instructor

Kimberly Baishnab (Korff) is a registered dietitian nutritionist and certified lactation specialist, specializing in infant and child feeding (starting solids, picky eating, and everything in between!), cultural foods and culinary nutrition. Kimberly provides nutrition counseling and local workshops to promote a positive relationship with food for everyone in your family. Join Kimberly in the kitchen and the classroom to learn more about your child’s health and raising adventurous, well-nourished eaters!

Date and Time
Thursday, April 18, 5:30-7pm

Special
Nutrition Education
Baby Feeding

403, 2024

Beginner Bike Repair with Skunk River Cycles

March 4th, 2024|Categories: Blog, Classes|0 Comments

Beginner Bike Repair with Skunk River Cycles

Want to learn how to fix a flat or to oil your chain? Some simple preventative maintenance can keep your bike working well and help you avoid costly future repairs. Join iconic Skunk River Cycles owner, Ronn Ritz, as he talks you through some of the basics of bike repair. Ronn will not have time to work on each bike in the class, but can address specific questions if you bring your bike with you.

Class Location: Store Front Bike Racks (Rain location: East Teaching Kitchen)

Date and Time
Monday, April 15, 6:30-7:30pm

Location
Store Front bike racks

Special
Educational
Hands-On

403, 2024

DIY Herbal Scrubs

March 4th, 2024|Categories: Blog, Classes|0 Comments

DIY Herbal Scrubs

This hands-on, interactive workshop will have you formulating two custom herbal scrubs—a lip scrub and a body scrub, made 100% from scratch. Exfoliation is the name of the game when it comes to scrubs: exfoliating agents like sea salts, sugar, and finely-ground pumice help slough off dead skin cells, while plant-based oils and butters provide deep moisturizing benefits, helping your skin to truly glow!

Instructor

Ann Staudt is the founder, chief soap formulator, kitchen chemist, graphic designer, sales manager, packaging extraordinaire, and overall operations manager behind Siberian Soap Co. She holds degrees in both chemical and environmental engineering. Soapmaking provides a wonderfully creative outlet that combines her interests in science, art, and living a simple, eco-friendly lifestyle.

Date and Time
Saturday, April 13, 2:30-4pm

Special
Hands-On
DIY
Educational

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