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Issue 4 |
October 2004 |
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Turkeys We have access to two suppliers of Local Turkeys this year. Govin’s Meats and Berries will have fresh, never frozen turkeys prepared just in time for Thanksgiving Dinner. The Govin family raises all natural, antibiotic and hormone free turkeys. We’ll deliver them on Wednesday. Size will be somewhere around 12 pounds and we charge $2.69/# delivered to your door. We can also get frozen certified organic turkeys from Gifts from the Good Earth. These are priced at $3.69 and will be delivered before Thanksgiving or sometime in December as you prefer. Voting Everyday with your Dollars We hope you all can make it to the polls on November 2 to cast your vote for sustainable agriculture and healthy, safe food. Another important vote takes place everyday, though. It is how you spend your money. Everytime you order from Just Local Food you are casting your vote for local agriculture, for worker-owned cooperatives, for our local economy. Now grab that ballot, I mean order form, and cast your next vote! More Local Food Soon!As the Farmer’s Markets wind down, we’ve had more time to connect with local farmers. We’ve heard a number of requests from our customers, and we’ll be phasing in new suppliers and more products as we grow. In November look for Organic Chicken from two different farms, honey, maple syrup and snack sticks. These will all be added onto a new order form expected out in mid-November. And keep your eye out in early December for fantastic Local and Fair trade gift ideas - food baskets, toys, fair trade items. Please let us know if you’re looking for something in particular! We’re listening! Special Thanksgiving Delivery We know a lot of our customers want to have a local foods Thanksgiving feast, so we’ll be moving our Friday November 26 delivery to Wednesday the 24th. As the date nears, we will add Tuesday the 23rd if needed to accomodate the increased orders. Darn-near Organic Chicken We’re now offering whole frozen organic chickens from Coon Creek Family Farm just south of Eau Claire. Vince and Julie Maro raise a very special Corndel-Cross variety. This breed is a cross between the traditional Cornish Cross meat chicken and a heritage breed called the Delaware. (Some of the problems frequently seen with the Cornish Cross is that it’s fast growth puts strain on it’s body causing heart attacks and leg problems. The Corndel was bred to grow more slowly to avoid these problems.) From Coon Creek: "Being outdoors allows the chickens access to sunshine, grass and bugs. In addition, they are fed a certified organic feed from day 1 on. These chickens are never fed any antibiotics, hormones or other unnatural additives and preservatives. This special diet and environmental set-up makes for healthier, happier chickens. It also translates into healthier food for your table." These birds will come to you at around 4 pounds, with an average price between $15 and $17. Please Note: We have a general policy of not calling things organic when they aren’t truly certified organic. That’s why we call these "darn near" organic as Vince and Julie are currently working on the paperwork for organic certification of their birds. You can be confident that anything we call "organic" is indeed certified organic. Organic Chicken, Cut-up Another new product now available to you is Organic Chicken, cut up. These certified organic free-range chickens are raised by Gifts from the Good Earth (the Hansen family) in Milladore, just east of Marshfield. Their birds are lean, firm, and flavorful due to the healthy environment, fresh air, water and pasture that is part of their daily routine. They scratch, eat clover and grass, chase grasshoppers, and receive a ration of our own feed mix. No commercial blends are used and their poultry is free from antibiotics as well. Since their birds spend a majority of their time grazing pastures, they only raise turkeys and chickens during the warmer months of the year. We are offering their chickens cut-up and frozen. The processors first cut the chicken up into 2 wings, 2 breasts, 2 thighs, and 2 legs. These parts are then frozen all together into a package that also includes the neck and giblets. Average weight 4 pounds, priced between $15 and $17. Route Changes As you already know, our cooperative is constantly growing and chamging. We’ve done our best to keep the route consistent from week to week, but we are approaching full capacity for our one truck on Friday deliveries. We are exploring several options for how to handle this. We thank you for your patience and understanding as we tweak our routes. If you have any special needs or requests for delivery times, please let us know. We cannot guarantee a specific delivery time, but we will do our best to accomodate your needs and provide a timely, consistent delivery to everyone.
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Space Needs We’re still patiently searching for a short-term warehouse space to house our delivery service. We are looking for 300-700 square feet of heated or semi-heated space with access to electricity and a place to park and plug in our truck. Truck access for one semi per month (for our buying club) is required as well. Bonuses would be good visibility, a small office space, a month to month lease, utilities included and total cost under $250 per month. We will use this space to store one upright cooler and a few chest freezers. On Fridays we use it as a base for our delivery, and once a month we’ll use it for breaking down our huge buying club orders, also serving as a pickup-site for buying club members for just a few hours. If you have any ideas or suggestions for us on our search, please let us know! Great News! The Just Local Food Cooperative has created one full-time and several part-time jobs! On October 19th the Just Local Food Cooperative moved into "phase two". Supported by our many dedicated customers in Eau Claire, we are now employing all four of our workers. After many months of volunteering and investing in our coop, we are now starting to realize the fruits of our labor. Three members will remain at part-time, while Aaron Ellringer will move into the first full-time position. Thanks for supporting the local farmers and our cooperative workers, you ARE making a difference in people's lives by simply ordering Just Local Food! Surveys To get a better idea of where you want our service to go, we are in the process of surveying all of our current customers. Thanks to all of you who take the time to talk with us. More Groceries, Less Money Our buying club is growing every month. This service allows you to place an order for thousands of natural and organic foods through a convenient and informative website or a paper catalog. We sort and package your order then deliver it to your house. This happens every four weeks - call Crystal to start saving and stocking! Mmmmmm. Butter.
Butter Measurements: 2 cups = 4 sticks = 1 pound 1 Cup = 2 sticks = 1/2 pound 1/2 cup = 1 stick = 1/4 pound 1/4 cup = 1/2 stick = 4 Tbsp
Standing Orders Many of our customers have found it convenient to place a standing order with us. Here’s how that works. You call, email or leave an order form to us marked with the items you know you want every week. We mark that order on our upcoming deliveries and you don’t need to call if that’s all you want. If you’ll be on vacation or would like extra items on a particular week, just let us know. The standing order can be changed at any time. It’s that simple. You just need to remember the cooler on Fridays! Our Co-op The Clearwater Collective is organized as a worker owned cooperative. Each member is part owner/investor and has equal decisionmaking power. We chose this model to accomodate our lives (raising kids, other jobs, gardens, etc.) and to provide a sustainable income for ourselves down the road. We are incorporating as the Just Local Food Cooperative. Just as in justice for the farmers, the earth, the workers, and the consumers. Local as in produced nearby in Western Wisconsin and regionally where appropriate. |
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