Issue 1

June 23 2005

Veggies

Organic zucchini from Coon Creek has been added to our list. The raven variety are nice glossy, smooth, cylindrical "black" zucchinis. Darker green skin contains higher levels of lutein, a highly effective antioxidant. These come in a bag of three or so for $3.00. Julie likes to pick the zucchini when small, more flavorful, and before seeds form. We’re still offering bunching onions & chives from Coon Creek as well. This is probably the last week of strawberries (hot weather has been very hard on the berries) From Sunbow, and we continue to carry their kale and swiss chard. If there is any fresh produce you are looking for please let us know.

Beaver Creek Ranch

Doug and Kathy Anderson own an organic farm in Grantsburg. It is here that they grow certified organic crops and raise animals. Their crops are certified organic, the animals are not. Doug is now growing over 100 acres of soybeans for export to Japan – using even more strict standards than organics. Doug and Kathy ensure their animals live naturally with access to the outdoors and are fed an organic diet. Their meat is processed without chemicals, resulting in the area’s only chemical free summer sausage, snack sticks and hot dogs that we’re aware of. We’ll be stocking those in addition to ground chicken, ground turkey, turkey apple brats, and chicken breasts. Doug delivers products himself to be sure that the stores and customers know that they are getting quality products. It has been my pleasure to meet and talk with the Andersons, and I hope you’ll try some of their quality meats.

Boneless Chicken Breast, 1#	$6.99
Ground Chicken,white meat 1#	$5.29
Turkey Apple Brats, 5 links	$6.99
Ground Turkey, white meat 1#	$6.99
Beef Snack Stick, chemical free, 1oz	$1.69
Summer Sausage, chemical free, 12 oz	$6.99
All Beef Hot Dogs, chemical free, skinless, 1#	$5.59

July Bison Sale

It’s grilling season, and the Filla’s down at Golden Hills Buffalo Farm want to make sure you’ve tried some Buffalo. To help you, they are offering some great deals on a variety of their products. In this area since the end of the Ice Age, to eat buffalo is to eat locally for sure. When eating buffalo, nutritionally you are getting more protein and nutrients with fewer calories and less fat. Buffalo is a dense meat that tends to satisfy you more while eating less. Being certified organic means the Filla’s have taken extra special steps to ensure a quality product for you. These are the specials we are offering for the entire month of July.

Ground Bison, 1 pound	Buy one pound get the second half price
Bison Patties, 1 pound	Buy one pack get the second half price
Sirloin Steaks, 2 per pack, 1.5" thick	Regular $13.50 on sale for $11.00/#
Ribeye Steak, 2 per pack, 1.5" thick	Regular $18.00 on sale for $15.00/#
Bison Hot Dogs, pack of 7	Buy one get the second for $1.50 off

Changes and Growth
Our cooperative is owned by the workers, numbering four still today. Being worker owned means that everyone you talk to from Just Local Food is an owner. We care not only about the long-term health of our coop, but also the long term health of our suppliers and our customers. Our goal is to connect local farmers to local folks. We’ve been able to make quite a few connections with our delivery business, but we know we could reach even more people through other means. One of the means we’re exploring is a storefront grocery featuring local food, complimented by regional organic produce and more. We’ve had a lot of customers ask us “where is your store” and “when will you open”? We don’t have solid answers to those questions, but we are working on it. When we open the store, we want to do it right. We want to expand our worker managed enterprise as we grow, so we create sustainable, livable wage jobs for more people in Eau Claire. And we want to open a store that you would be proud to shop in. We’ll be asking you for your help in coming months in preparing and planning for growth. We appreciate any help you can offer.