Tuesday, June 30, 2009

Ordering for July 3 ends tonight at 8:00 PM

This is your reminder that you should place your order before tonight at 8:00PM.
Click here to log-in and order: http://baileyslocalfoods.ca/ordering

Items that you have placed in your shopping cart will be ordered on your behalf on Tuesday at 8:00PM. If you do not intend to order, please ensure that your shopping cart is empty.

Someone forgot a pair of "Solar Shield" sunglasses at the church. Please let me know if you lost a pair.

Meat and Cheese prices are approximate on our order form
The exact price of the piece of cheese or package of meat that you choose will be added to your total on Friday. Please ensure that these items are available when you check out so we can add them to your total.

See you Friday,
Rachael
Bailey's Local Foods

baileyslocalfoods.ca

Click here to log-in and order: http://baileyslocalfoods.ca/ordering

Is this your first email from us?
Read more at baileyslocalfoods.blogspot.com.

You are receiving this notification because you are a member of Bailey's Local Food Buying Club.
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Sunday, June 28, 2009

Bailey's Buying Club - Ordering is now open for July 3, 2009

Hi Folks,

Click here to log-in and order: http://baileyslocalfoods.ca/ordering

How's the local eating going? Are you finding foods that make you happy? Let us know how we can make this buying club work for you and your family. We want to make local eating a norm in your life - not a fad. How were the tamales? I haven't tried steaming them myself yet but the ones I've eaten warm from Doug McKechnie were authentically Mexican and extremely tasty. I'm from Indiana so I'm used to GOOD Mexican food. Now I can serve GOOD Mexican food in my house.

Grand Opening
Thank you to everyone who attended and especially to those who volunteered to make this event a success. We are grateful to have you all as part of our Buying Club.

We had farmers talking about local food, we had samples of many of the products that we offer and we had strawberries! Stephen Woodworth (MP from Kitchener Central) shared a farm story from his youth about catching chickens. On his way out he told me to call him if I ever need anything. OKAY! How about... more flexible municipal zoning for local food initiatives? But that is not federal. How about including local food in the light rail? Add an insulated car at the back and move fresh food from Elmira to Waterloo. How about local food vouchers for those living on government assistance? But that is provincial... What should I ask him for? This is my chance!

Strawberries - so fragile and fleeting
We had strawberry shortcake for breakfast. It was a great way to start the day. The berries from Paul and Saloma Bowman were gorgeous. The other ones were obviously not picked Friday morning. Strawberries are so very perishable. The slightest bump or dampness or heat and they start to go downhill. We'll not be ordering strawberries from Obeid or Pfennings for next week since they cannot pick them Friday morning for us. I'd rather have too few berries and know that they are all fresh and scrumptious than offer sad berries.

Soup in a Jar
We have a new product this week: asparagus soup base in a jar. It is just: fresh asparagus, sodium, reduced chicken stock, onion, lemon juice, salt , pepper. Sounds like it would be delish in a bowl diluted with milk or water. I haven't tried it yet since I just picked it up yesterday. It is from Barrie's asparagus and they are going to be also offering broccoli, sweet potato and cauliflower soups in jars! I love it when I hear of local folks beginning to process local food. Tim Barrie is contracting two sisters, Edna and Melinda Brubacher (near West Montrose) to make these soups in their new commercial kitchen. Tim says that there is almost 2 lbs of asparagus in each jar of soup base and it stores on the shelf for 18 months. He also says that many people eat cooked asparagus for medicinal purposes. If you want to read more about this, see http://barriesasparagus.blogspot.com/.

New European Breads
We are also offering new breads from a new bakery. Antony John of Soiled Reputations (who grows us those amazing salad mixes) offered to bring in bread from Neil Baxter at the Rundles Restaurant in Stratford. I got to sample Neil's breads and they were heavenly. Nothing squishy or fake about these breads. This is the kind of bread that you want to just rip off a hunk and eat as you walk home. We'll be offering his sourdough and olive breads for four weeks. Please tell me what you think of them. Then we'll offer his Potato, Seed Bread, and Walnut Raisin. All of the breads with the exception of the potato are cold fermented sour doughs. They are slow fermented for 4 hrs then held overnight to allow the flavour to develop. His flour is from Quebec. He tried local flours but wanted flour milled "the European way" (whatever that is) so he is happy with the Quebec flour.

Broccoli Already?
Paul Bowman tried broccoli in a hoop house (unheated greenhouse) for the first time this year. This is great for us because it means we get to eat broccoli now rather than in a few weeks. The drawback is that it has heated up too quickly in the hoop house and some of the varieties of broccoli have turned a little yellow. Paul is selling us the ones with some yellow on the tips at a reduced price - look for Broccoli Seconds. The firsts are also available.

Hot Jam and More
Edna and Melinda make more than asparagus soup for Barrie's. They also offer a selection of jams and jellies. Including their popular Hot Jams and Hot and Spicy Chili Sauce and Cucumber Relish. They use local ingredients whenever they can. Sometimes they need to go to northern Ontario for blueberries or Niagara for soft fruits but they buy it from as close to West Montrose as possible. I'm thinking that a Hot Jam (or Jelly) would go great with goat cheese and a not-local cracker. Wish we had local crackers...

Goat Cheese is Here
We now have Mornington Goat Cheeses available. They are SO GOOD! Made in Millbank and kindly delivered to us by their neighbour Millbank Cheese. Why try goat cheese? Some people love it because they are lactose intolerant and goat cheese is easier to digest. Others like that it can be lower in fat and calories and cholesterol than cow cheese (depending on what you are comparing it to). Others like that is does not contain rennet. I just love how it tastes. For supper I had the Bistro Salad mix with Old Cheddar Goat Cheese and Grape Tomatoes on it. With a piece of bread, it was a complete and delicious meal. Rachael's family likes the Garlic and Herb flavoured Goat Cheddar the best. We have still not found a local source of Feta. Millbank is working toward beginning production of Feta in 2010. I may send out a Feta survey later to help them know if there is a demand for it.

Herbal Teas
Karin from Little City Farm has prepared some new loose leaf teas for us. We have "6-Mint Medley", "Sweet Dreams" and "Red Raspberry Leaf" teas available this week. All the teas are grown using organic methods at Little City Farm. A recipe for herbal iced tea will be included with each order.

To Members who live in the Waterloo core (between Westmount-Erb-Weber-Union),
A friend of Nina's, Ellen Desjardins, is doing her thesis on: Food and Place: How People Navigate their Food Environment.

She'd like to interview buying club members. Here is the purpose of her study:

The purpose of this study is to understand why people choose the places where they normally shop for food or eat away from home. This interest stems from the fact that the places where foods are sold in our region continue to change, yet we are not sure how this matters to people in their everyday lives, and what difference it makes in terms of what they normally eat. The study will focus on adult residents of the area surrounding Uptown Waterloo.


Why do I encourage you to make time for a one hour interview with her? How often do you talk to someone and they listen eagerly while taking notes on every fascinating thing you say? Sounds refreshing, eh? Also, you get a $30 food voucher that can be used at Bailey's Local Foods. That is about 10 lbs of asparagus. Or two litres of maple syrup. Or six loaves of artisan bread... Here is her explanation of the perks:

In appreciation for your time and participation, you will be given your choice of a $30.00 food voucher or $30.00 cash upon completion of the third dietary questionnaire. As a participant, you will receive a personal dietary analysis from your questionnaires, as well as a report of the results of this research when it is completed.


Sound interesting? If you would like to know more, email Ellen at: desj2665@wlu.ca

I hope you enjoy your holiday in the middle of the week. We hope to bike up to north of Columbia Lake for a picnic. If you're going to be out of town on Friday, don't order this week : )

See you soon,
Nina
Bailey's Local Foods
baileyslocalfoods.ca

P.S. We can use your strawberry boxes and egg cartons again if you return them.

Is this your first email from us?
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You are receiving Nina's messages because you are a member of Bailey's Local Food Buying Club.
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Click here to log-in and order: http://baileyslocalfoods.ca/ordering

Friday, June 26, 2009

Baileys Local Food Buying Club - Weekly Pickup Reminder

Hi Folks,

We're sorry for the harsh "Important Reminder" at the top of last week's email. Most of you are very understanding, flexible and supportive of us as we organize this crazy venture. Thank you for your encouragement and thank-yous. We're all in this together. Thank you for being a part of this!

Please join us in celebrating our new location, more volunteers, more members, more local food and the possibilities in this, our second season at our Grand Opening Celebration. There will be stories of local food from 3:30 until about 4pm and tasty treats for you to sample thanks to some of our wonderful suppliers.
Fair warning: 3:30-4:30 will be busy. We will have volunteers on hand to help, but it may take longer than usual to fill your order between 3:30 and 4:30 pm.

If you put in an order this week it will be ready for you to pick up on Friday, June 26 from 3:30 until 7:00PM in Hilliard Hall at the First United Church at 16 William Street West in Waterloo.

Some notes about his week's items:
  • Rainbow Carrots, Shelling Peas and Sno Peas from Pfenning's are not available
  • Peameal Bacon is not available this week. It should be back from the butcher in time for our next offering.
  • No Maple Syrup this week. We did not meet the minimum for ordering.
  • All of our Asparagus is no-spray this week (substituted for conventional)
  • No Beef Deli Meat. They sold all of the stock to Vincenzo's. Go to Vincenzo's if you need some. We'll offer it again July 10.
  • No peameal bacon. Not back from the butcher yet.
  • Beef from Shadynook Farm is not available this week.
  • Flower Bouquets: Sweet William will be substituted for Peonies
  • Dried beans will not be available this week
Please enter through the white kitchen door off Caroline Street.

Due to construction on William Street you may have to cross a stream of water that runs through the parking lot. Please wear appropriate footwear to reach the church and your order!

You will find a pickup slip with your name on it listing the items that you ordered this week. Pick up all your items (including those in the fridges and freezer), check out our spontaneous table then head to our checkout area.

We will have extra items for you to purchase on our Spontaneous Table in front of the blue cupboards just in case you forgot anything. Anyone can purchase items from the Spontaneous Table. You don't even have to be a Member!

We will have cookies for sale again this week, so bring some extra change for a treat. There will be room to socialize and mingle. Expect your pick-up to take awhile. Look for multiple checkout tables this week with one for cash or cheque payments and others for payment by cheque only.

In out checkout area, please help us and our volunteers byremoving all items from your bag for the checkout process. Please be patient as this area will likely be quite busy.

We accept payment in cash or cheque (made out to Bailey's Local Foods). The total from your shopping cart is always approximate. We will try to ensure that you only pay for the items available this week as local food can sometimes be unpredictable and items that are priced by the pound are approximate on the order form.

You need to bring your own bags to carry your items home. We have boxes, but do not have any plastic bags. A limited number of cloth bags will be available for sale.

If possible, consider walking, biking or bringing a wagon to pick up your order. If you are driving, please be aware that William Street is currently closed for construction between King Street and Euclid Street. You can access the Waterloo Town Square Parking Lot by Caroline Street, Alexandra Avenue, Willis Way or King Street by the LCBO. We have been asked not to park in the church parking lot.

**Please don't forget to pick up your order! At approximately 6:30PM, if you have not picked up your order, we will call the number you provided (when you registered) with a friendly reminder. At 7:00PM we will pack up your order and add the $15 packing fee to your order total. If you have not picked up your order by 7:30PM (or when we finish cleaning up) your order will be donated - and you still get the pleasure of paying for it. We need to receive payment for this week's order before you can order for the following week.

If you are not happy with what you receive, all claims for missing/damaged items must be made at the pick-up site before 7:00PM that same day. After 7:00PM all sales are final.

Thank you,
Rachael and Nina
Bailey's Local Foods

baileyslocalfoods.ca

Is this your first email from us?
Read more at baileyslocalfoods.blogspot.com.

You are receiving this notification because you are a member of Bailey's Local Food Buying Club.
If you do not wish to receive Notifications in the future, please uncheck the Notifications box associated with your email address in Account Settings at https://www.100milesystems.com/baileyslocalfoods.ca/account.php

Tuesday, June 23, 2009

Ordering for June 26 ends tonight at 8:00 PM

This is your reminder that you should place your order before tonight at 8:00PM.
Click here to log-in and order: http://baileyslocalfoods.ca/ordering

Items that you have placed in your shopping cart will be ordered on your behalf on Tuesday at 8:00PM. If you do not intend to order, please ensure that your shopping cart is empty.

***This Friday is our Grand Opening - Please join us for stories of local food from 3:30-4:00PM.***

Fair warning: 3:30-4:00 will be busy. We will have volunteers on hand to help, but it may take longer than usual to fill your order between 3:30 and 4:00 pm.

A few notes regarding this week's items:
Hot Tamales and Tortillas
Have you heard about the tamales offered by McKechnie Foods? Along with the best tortilla chips I've ever tasted they make hot tamales. No, not those red candies, but REAL tamales. Spicy pork or chicken inside masa dough and wrapped in corn shucks (husks). As tasty as they are warm, we will be selling the tamales frozen so that you can steam them at home and enjoy! Doug recommends steaming for an hour from frozen.

Linda is one of our Buying Club members. She can vouch for the Corn Tortillas:
"They're amazing! My husband often goes to Los Angeles on business and is a big fan of "real" Mexican food and he's saying our supper featuring the tortillas has been the best, most authentic Mexican experience he's had at home."

Meat and Cheese prices are approximate on our order form
The exact price of the piece of cheese or package of meat that you choose will be added to your total on Friday. Please ensure that these items are available when you check out so we can add them to your total.

See you Friday,
Rachael
Bailey's Local Foods

baileyslocalfoods.ca

Click here to log-in and order: http://baileyslocalfoods.ca/ordering

Is this your first email from us?
Read more at baileyslocalfoods.blogspot.com.

You are receiving this notification because you are a member of Bailey's Local Food Buying Club.
If you do not wish to receive Notifications in the future, please uncheck the Notifications box associated with your email address in Account Settings at https://www.100milesystems.com/baileyslocalfoods.ca/account.php

Sunday, June 21, 2009

Bailey's Buying Club - Ordering is now open for June 26, 2009

Click here to log-in and order: http://baileyslocalfoods.ca/ordering

Important Reminder:We are not Zehrs, nor does our food come from a factory. Plan on your order never being exactly filled as ordered.  There are too many variables that we cannot control.  We are working hard to control and organize the variables that we have influence over.  Despite this, sometimes something you order will not be available. If this fact stresses you out, you may want to shop in a store where they have HUGE warehouses of stock.

One variable that we can't control is if you take the wrong item. We ask that you check your list and the product name carefully (especially cheeses) and we ask our volunteers at the check-out to check your items to make sure that you got the right ones and did not forget anything.

Hi Folks,
Can you believe it is the end of June already?? And just not enough strawberries to go around - yet! They are coming. The heat this week will mean lots of strawberries for next week. We never know how long the season will last so if you want to freeze some for winter or make jam, don't wait too long.  Erma is making us shortbread this week to go with the strawberries. So now you just need to pick up tall carton of whipping cream and you can have strawberry shortcake for breakfast, lunch and supper.

The end of June means that Canada Day is coming. This is your last chance to pick up local food before Canada Day (unless you go to the market). So, plan ahead, will you want to be roasting hot dogs? Making deli sandwiches? Bringing a huge salad to the gathering? Popcorn around the fire? Cinnamon rolls for breakfast guests? BBQ cuts to grill? Peanut butter brownies?

Special on Salads
Which do you like better, the salad mixes or the lettuces from Selema? This week we are offering the Soiled Reputation salad mixes AT COST to celebrate our Grand Opening in our new location.  If you've been tempted to try the salad before, but the cost scared you away, now is your chance to taste it.  The Gourmet Salad is a bit spicier than the Bistro Mix.

Pancake Mix Goof and Flours
We have flours from Oak Manor and Arva Flour Mills available this week. Flour is only offered every other week. We have buttermilk pancake mix and cream of wheat from Arva this week.  Someone recommended that I get the buttermilk pancake recipe next time I picked up flour from Arva. She said it was "THE BEST".  So my dad was in London last week and I asked him to pick up a load for the buying club. I was in a rush and too busy so I did not phone to ask if the mix was local. It is NOT LOCAL. Nope, not at all. So I goofed. Can you help me out by ordering it anyway (if you are not a 100% 100 miler, of course)? It DOES make super light and fluffy pancakes. We just had them with strawberries for breakfast.  The ingredients are: Enriched flour, wheat starch, corn flour, vegetable oil (shortening), sugar, dextrose, whole egg powder, baking powder, buttermilk powder, salt, vanillin.

The Oat Flakes from Oak Manor are from 212 kilometers away (near Chatham). So that is over the 100 miles (160k) radius. We are including them until we find a more local source. They are still milled locally and Chatham is not THAT far away so if you are not going for 100% local you may still want to order them.

Beef and Pork
Melissa Baer who works with her dad Dennis on their farm in Wellington Township provides us with the organic beef. She apologizes for the messy wrapping that some of the cuts are in. She is not happy with how the butcher wrapped the cuts and will use a new butcher next time. The meat is exceptional - the paper is just a little messy. We ate a roast from her farm this week and it was tender and not too fatty. Even made gravy from it to go on the little potatoes from Pfennings.  My dad thought he'd died and woke up in heaven.

Deli Meat and Hot Dogs
Did you try the Dogs? What do you think? I heard from one of you that four just weren't enough and you could hardly wait to buy more. I don't know when we will offer the deli meats and hot dogs after this week. Stemmler's makes the beef deli meat and the hot dogs just for us (and Vincenzo's gets the beef too) so they don't have them available all the time. All of these freeze well. Our two pounds of deli meat were gone within two days. My kids like the beef rolled up to eat as finger-food. With old cheddar in the middle of the roll and grape tomatoes on the side, it is an easy picnic. We discovered this on Toronto Island last Saturday. A piece of lettuce is nice inside the beef roll too.

Grand Opening
This Friday is our Grand Opening. If you want to avoid all the hooplah and crowds, come after 4:30. If you want to jump into the fray, come at 3:30. We'll have a few farmers sharing stories from the farm and Peter Katona from Foodlink will be telling us the story of local food in Waterloo. Short stories! And a few songs.  We will be picking a few strawberries together too. You'll have to come to see what that means.

Honey
We have honey available this week! It is from Bauman Apiaries.  It is raw.  We will be offering honey from another apiary too later in the summer when they have more in stock. More varieties of honey will be coming in the next couple of weeks.

Preserves - Pear-Applesauce and more
Just in time for the kick-off of the 100 Mile Challenge, we are offering preserves that were made for the buying club in the Fall.  We have a heavenly pear-apple sauce which is a thinner consistency and really pear-y. It is a nice change from applesauce. My kids love eating it with yogurt  or on their breakfast cereal.  You can also buy BBQ Relish to use on your hamburgers and hot dogs. Erma made us the relish (same person who grows us the cilantro and other fresh herbs).  See the order form for the few other preserves available. (Sorry, we've eaten most of them. They were too good.)

Still in love with life and local food,
Nina
Bailey's Local Foods
baileyslocalfoods.ca

P.S. We can use your strawberry boxes again if you return them

Is this your first email from us?
Read more at baileyslocalfoods.blogspot.com.

You are receiving Nina's messages because you are a member of Bailey's Local Food Buying Club.
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Friday, June 19, 2009

Strawberries - we have enough!

We have extra organic strawberries for today. We should have enough to fill all of your orders!

Mmmmm...
Rachael
baileyslocalfoods.ca

Baileys Local Food Buying Club - Weekly Pickup Reminder

Hello friends,

If you put in an order this week it will be ready for you to pick up on Friday, June 19 from 3:30 until 7:00PM in Hilliard Hall at the First United Church at 16 William Street West in Waterloo.

Some notes about his week's items:
  • We will have a some goat cheese in the cooler at the Spontaneous Table. Look for Yogurt and Sauerkraut there too!
  • Garlic Scapes were not ready this week due to not enough sun.
  • Rainbow carrots are available instead of white carrots.
  • Organic strawberries are in PINTS (smaller) - we are short 100 pints because of the weather.
  • Conventional strawberries are in QUARTS (larger).
  • Peameal bacon is not available this week.
  • We may not be able to fill orders for all the "new" chickens.
Please enter through the white kitchen door off Caroline Street.

Due to construction on William Street you will have to cross a stream of water that runs through the parking lot. Please wear appropriate footwear to reach the church and your order!

You will find a pickup slip with your name on it listing the items that you ordered this week. Pick up all your items (including those in the fridges and freezer), check out our spontaneous table then head to our checkout area.

We will have extra items for you to purchase on our Spontaneous Table just in case you forgot anything. Anyone can purchase items from the Spontaneous Table. You don't even have to be a Member!

We will have cookies for sale again this week, so bring some extra change for a treat. There will be room to socialize and mingle. Expect your pick-up to take awhile. Look for multiple checkout tables this week with one for cash or cheque payments and others for payment by cheque only.

In out checkout area, please help us and our volunteers by removing all items from your bag for the checkout process. Please be patient as this area will likely be quite busy.

We accept payment in cash or cheque (made out to Bailey's Local Foods). The total from your shopping cart is always approximate. We will try to ensure that you only pay for the items available this week as local food can sometimes be unpredictable and items that are priced by the pound are approximate on the order form.

You need to bring your own bags to carry your items home. We do not have any plastic bags. A limited number of cloth bags will be available for sale.

If possible, consider walking, biking or bringing a wagon to pick up your order. If you are driving, please be aware that William Street is currently closed for construction between King Street and Euclid Street. You can access the Waterloo Town Square Parking Lot by Caroline Street, Alexandra Avenue, Willis Way or King Street by the LCBO. We have been asked not to park in the church parking lot.

**Please don't forget to pick up your order! At approximately 6:30PM, if you have not picked up your order, we will call the number you provided (when you registered) with a friendly reminder. At 7:00PM we will pack up your order and add the $15 packing fee to your order total. If you have not picked up your order by 7:30PM (or when we finish cleaning up) your order will be donated - and you still get the pleasure of paying for it. We need to receive payment for this week's order before you can order for the following week.

If you are not happy with what you receive, all claims for missing/damaged items must be made at the pick-up site before 7:00PM that same day. After 7:00PM all sales are final.

Thank you,
Rachael and Nina
Bailey's Local Foods

baileyslocalfoods.ca

Is this your first email from us?
Read more at baileyslocalfoods.blogspot.com.

You are receiving this notification because you are a member of Bailey's Local Food Buying Club.
If you do not wish to receive Notifications in the future, please uncheck the Notifications box associated with your email address in Account Settings at https://www.100milesystems.com/baileyslocalfoods.ca/account.php

Tuesday, June 16, 2009

Ordering for June 19 ends tonight at 8:00 PM

This is your reminder that you should place your order before tonight at 8:00PM. Click on http://baileyslocalfoods.ca/ordering to order.

Items that you have placed in your shopping cart will be ordered on your behalf on Tuesday at 8:00PM. If you do not intend to order, please ensure that your shopping cart is empty.

***Grand Opening - Please join us on Friday, June 26th for stories of local food from 3:30-4:00PM.***

A few notes regarding this week's items:
Spinach and Green Garlic
We have just added spinach and green garlic to the order form.

Conventional Strawberries
We have not met the minimum order number for these berries right now. Unless orders increase significantly before Tuesday we will not be able to offer them. Sorry!

Traditional Foods Products
I spoke with Aaron and they have some 'old' chicken that  has been in their freezer since last August. We can offer these birds to you for $3.75 per pound. With an average weight of six pounds you can have a tasty roast chicken then make a yummy, inexpensive soup. Throw in some white carrots, green onions, green garlic and anything else leftover from last week's order.

As all the organic beef sold out we have added additional items from Traditional Foods to the order form.

Meat and Cheese prices are approximate on our order form
The exact price of the piece of cheese or package of meat that you choose will be added to your total on Friday. Please ensure that these items are available when you check out so we can add them to your total.

To Members who live in the Waterloo core (between Westmount-Erb-Weber-Union),
A friend of Nina's, Ellen Desjardins, is doing her thesis on: Food and place: how and why people navigate their food.

She'd like to interview buying club members. Here is the purpose of her study:

The purpose of this study is to understand why people choose the places where they normally shop for food or eat away from home. This interest stems from the fact that the places where foods are sold in our region continue to change, yet we are not sure how this matters to people in their everyday lives, and what difference it makes in terms of what they normally eat. The study will focus on adult residents of the area surrounding Uptown Waterloo.


Why do I encourage you to make time for a one hour interview with her? How often do you talk to someone and they listen eagerly while taking notes on every fascinating thing you say? Sounds refreshing, eh? Also, you get a $30 food voucher that can be used at Bailey's Local Foods. That is about 10 lbs of asparagus.  Or two litres of maple syrup. Or six loaves of artisan bread... Here is her explanation of the perks:

In appreciation for your time and participation, you will be given your choice of a $30.00 food voucher or $30.00 cash upon completion of the third dietary questionnaire. As a participant, you will receive a personal dietary analysis from your questionnaires, as well as a report of the results of this research when it is completed.


Sound interesting? If you would like to know more, email Ellen at: desj2665@wlu.ca

See you Friday,
Nina and Rachael
Bailey's Local Foods

baileyslocalfoods.ca

Order at http://baileyslocalfoods.ca/ordering

Is this your first email from us?
Read more at baileyslocalfoods.blogspot.com.

You are receiving this notification because you are a member of Bailey's Local Food Buying Club.
If you do not wish to receive Notifications in the future, please uncheck the Notifications box associated with your email address in Account Settings at https://www.100milesystems.com/baileyslocalfoods.ca/account.php

Saturday, June 13, 2009

Bailey's Buying Club - Ordering is now open for June 19, 2009

Hi Eaters,
How is bean season going? I declared it dried bean season while we wait for strawberries to come, remember? I made a big pot of chili - sort of following the recipe on the bag of Hillbilly Beans - Chili Mix. It was thick and good! I added chunks of sausage from Traditional Foods Farm and my whole family ate it happily. For several meals. It's always a sign of successful cooking at our house when the kids eat something for 2-3 meals without complaining.  We have also had refried beans for a couple meals. YUM! I used the same mixture of beans I had cooked up for the chili. I dumped three pounds of beans into the crockpot and let them soak all afternoon and evening. Then at bedtime I turned on the crockpot and we woke up to the house smelling like someone was making us breakfast. No such luck. But supper was half made. I put half of the cooked beans in the freezer for later in the week.

Sale on Beans
We sort of accidentally stocked up on bean mixes and would like to see these in your crockpots instead of in boxes. To encourage you to jump into bean season, we are offering a sale on bean mixes.  They each come with a handy recipe on the back. Consider buying 3-5 pounds. My family ate three pounds last week. 

Tortillas and Chips!
This week we're offering locally made tortillas and tortilla chips. If you've tasted them, you know how good they are! The corn tortillas are very authentic. We only offer these once a month because we need to meet a minimum order of $500. So buy enough chips and tortillas for four weeks. Will you want to serve them for family gatherings around July 1?

Notes from the farmers
Some of our farmers are part of the Old Order Mennonite community. You won't get to meet many of them so I'll pass on stories when I can. Selema called me tonight asking how many heads of lettuce we'll be wanting a week throughout the summer. Well, how many heads are you and your families going to eat? It's a guessing game. Selema has never grown as many heads as she is now. She has a neighbour who is growing the lettuce seedlings in her greenhouse and then Selema and her family transplant them into their soil. Selema has perfected the art of babying lettuce along so that it stays sweet and tender. She gives them drip irrigation, fish emulsion for a foliar feeding (yes, leaves need to eat too), and lots of hoeing. I told her that 200 heads a week might be enough for us. But who knows??

Paul Bowman, another Old Order farmer, sent me a "Farm Planting Report" that I'll share parts of with you. It is dated June 2, 2009. 
"Ah, springtime! What is so fair as a day in June? Everywhere we look, new growth is seen. The strawberry plants in particular have appreciated the frequent rains of the past season. We have put in considerable effort to protect the blossoms with fabric row cover on several frosty nights. Now we're anticipating a good crop of luscious berries in a few weeks.

This past dry, sunny week we have been busy planting corn and beans. These gentle, warm rains are ideal to germinate and sprout the tiny seeds. It is fascinating to observe these seeds develop roots and push tender green blades toward the warmth and light of the sun.

Now we need to focus on our cucurbit plants. These are vine crops including melons, squash, and pumpkins. The fragile plants that we have nurtured at near optimum temperatures in the greenhouse have outgrown their small pots. They need to spread their roots in the soil. What an adjustment these tender plants must face when they meet the real Canadian climate! Cold, damp weather will chill them and cause root rot.  It takes only one frosty morning to freeze them.  Conversely, a hot, dry wind can scorch and wilt a newly transplanted plant in a number of hours. We try our best to coordinate transplanting on warm days. Floating row covers are also an important tool used to alleviate transplant shock in young plants."


Strawberries
It has been cool enough and a few frosts in May have zapped strawberry blossoms so the strawberry season is later than usual.  I am SO READY for FRESH FRUIT!!!  We got a taste of organic berries on Friday but we're hoping to bring you more this week. We have a limited number of pints of organic berries available, and while we are waiting for berries from Waterloo Region to ripen, we're hoping to get about 300-600 quarts of conventional strawberries from Simcoe for this Friday. If we do not receive enough orders we may not be able to bring them in, so order an extra quart to eat on the way home.

Kohlrabi
Selema has kohlrabi for us this week! My whole family LOVES thin slices of kohlrabi with a touch of salt. It is so crisp and fresh. It tastes like the inside tender part of a broccoli stem - but better!

Grand Opening date clarification

It is the 26th, not the 19th. Sorry for the confusion. For that week we will be offering a special on the amazing salad mixes from Antony John and selling them to you at cost.  Now is your chance to try out these salads.  I'm warning you, though, it will make the imported California salads seem like poor imitations of the real thing.

Happy Ordering.
Keep loving local food,
Nina
Bailey's Local Foods
baileyslocalfoods.ca

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Thursday, June 11, 2009

Baileys Local Food Buying Club - Weekly Pickup Reminder

Hello Local Eaters!

This week's order will be ready for you to pick up on Friday, June 12 from 3:30 until 7:00PM in Hilliard Hall at the First United Church at 16 William Street West in Waterloo.

Please enter through the white kitchen door off Caroline Street.

Due to construction on William Street you will have to cross a stream of water that runs through the parking lot. Please wear appropriate footwear to reach the church and your order!

You will find a pickup slip with your name on it listing the items that you ordered this week. Pick up all your items (including those in the fridges and freezer), check out our spontaneous table then head to our checkout area.

We will have extra items for you to purchase on our Spontaneous Table just in case you forgot anything. Anyone can purchase items from the Spontaneous Table. You don't even have to be a Member.

We will have cookies for sale again this week, so bring some extra change for a treat. There will be room to socialize and mingle. Expect your pick-up to take awhile.  Look for multiple checkout tables this week with one for cash or cheque payments and others for payment by cheque only.

In out checkout area help us and our volunteers by removing all items from your bag for the checkout process. Please be patient as this area will likely be quite busy.

We accept payment in cash or cheque (made out to Bailey's Local Foods). The total from your shopping cart is always approximate. We will try to ensure that you only pay for the items available this week as local food can sometimes be unpredictable and items that are priced by the pound are approximate on the order form.

You need to bring your own bags to carry your items home. We do not have any plastic bags. A limited number of cloth bags will be available for sale.

If possible, consider walking, biking or bringing a wagon to pick up your order. If you are driving, please be aware that William Street is currently closed for construction between King Street and Euclid Street. You can access the Waterloo Town Square Parking Lot by Caroline Street, Alexandra Avenue, Willis Way or King Street by the LCBO. We have been asked not to park in the church parking lot.

**Please don't forget to pick up your order! At 6:30PM, if you have not picked up your order, we will call the number you provided when you registered with a friendly reminder. At 7:00PM we will pack up your order and add the $15 packing fee to your order total. If you have not picked up your order by 7:30PM (or when we finish cleaning up) your order will be donated - and you still get the pleasure of paying for it. We need to receive payment for this week's order before you can order for the following week.

If you are not happy with what you receive, all claims for missing/damaged items must be made at the pick-up site before 7:00PM that same day. After 7:00PM all sales are final.

The fingerling potatoes were not available this week so we have small yellow and red potatoes for you in their place.

Did I mention the strawberries? We will have 48 pints of local organic strawberries on the spontaneous table this week. The cost is $4.75 per pint.

For those of you interested there is a second 100-Mile Challenge Information Event at 7pm on June 15 at the Clay & Glass Gallery. More information at http://www.healingpathcentre.com/events.php

Thank you,
Rachael and Nina
Bailey's Local Foods

baileyslocalfoods.ca

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Tuesday, June 9, 2009

Ordering for June 12th ends tonight at 8:00 PM

Hi Folks!

This is your reminder that you should place your order before tonight at 8:00PM.

Items that you have placed in your shopping cart will be ordered on your behalf on Tuesday at 8:00PM. If you do not intend to order, please ensure that your shopping cart is empty.

Grand Opening - Now Friday, June 26th! Please change the date on your calendar and join us for stories of local food from 3:30-4:00PM.

A few notes regarding this week's items:

Organic Beef!
We have Organic Beef from Vibrant Farms available this week. The farm is certified organic by Pro-cert and the animals are pasture finished for extra leaness.  Dennis and his daughter Melissa are committed to health, wellness and sustainability. Their Limousine cross cattle are drug-free and have been fed natural vitamins and minerals to build strong immune systems, bone marrow mass and optimal health.  Ultimately, this special diet produces highly nutritions, great tasting beef for you to enjoy.

Beans, Beans...
They aregood for your heart. We have some excellent mixes from Hillbilly Beans as well as a variety of other beans. Look for a greater selection soon!

Organic Seedlings
Antony of Soiled Reputation is offering organic seedlings again this Friday. Look for the peppers and eggplants.

Spontaneous Table
We generally do not have refrigerated items (meat, cheese and yogurt) on the spontaneous table. Be sure to order if you want to barbecue on Friday or eat yogurt with granola and maple syrup on Saturday!

Meat and Cheese prices are approximate on our order form
The exact price of the piece of cheese or package of meat that you choose will be added to your total on Friday. Please ensure that these items are available when you check out so we can add them to your total.

See you on Friday,
Rachael
Bailey's Local Foods

baileyslocalfoods.ca

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Saturday, June 6, 2009

Bailey's Buying Club - Ordering is now open for June 12, 2009

Hello Local Eaters,
How's it going eating local food? Have you figured out how to fit Bailey's Local Foods into your weekly routines? Some people mark on their calendar when they will order and when they will pick up.  What percent of your grocery budget do you want to go toward local foods? My goal for last year was 50%.  Percent of grocery budget is different than percent of total food eaten (measured by weighing all the food coming into your house? or how much weight you gain??). It is really easy to invest 50% of the grocery budget into local food if you are a carnivore. Meat and cheese are the pricier items so if your meat and cheese and milk is local (we can sort of assume all milk we buy in Ontario is from Ontario), that could be 25% of your food budget right there, no?  I'm aiming for investing 75% of our grocery money in local food this year.  It almost feels like tithing to me.  I know that the money I spend on local food is going to strengthen my community again and again and again.

Deli Meats
Okay, enough serious talk about finances and percents and tithing. Let's talk about deli meat. Much more exciting! Now, if you're vegetarian or vegan just skip this paragraph.  It is really complicated to get all-local deli meat! I've been working on this for over a year now and it is still tricky. Fortunately, I found the Stemmler brothers who are excellent butchers and are willing to work with me even though I ask annoying questions like "How many miles away is the abattoir?" and "Can you make that without nitrates?"  At my request, they will make us a batch of 72 Mile Natural Beef Deli meat that doesn't have nitrates in it!  They get the beef from the Heleniak family of Norpack Beef near Norwich, ON. The Heleniak family sources beef from many different farmers but this beef they raised themselves without steroids or antibiotics (fed an all-corn diet with no animal by-products). (Did you know that it is considered normal to give beef cattle steroids and antibiotics?)  So, we have the source figured out, the recipe figured out but we need to order a minimum of 50lbs so that it is worth Stemmler's time to make a batch.  20 Mile Black Forest Ham is easier to source because Stemmler's can buy the pork from a small abattoir in St. Jacob's (Reist and Weber) and they insist that the ham needs nitrates in it. Turkey deli meat is the most complicated.  They were making me a local turkey deli meat but I haven't been able to order a big enough batch to make it worth their time. Turkey deli meat is especially expensive because it has to be painstakingly deboned.  Both deli meats we are offering have no msg, no gluten, no allergens. So, the good news is if you love a summer meal of a sandwich with deli meat, tomato and lettuce, this week is your chance to taste the best truly local deli meat. Try it this week so that when we offer it again on June 26, you can plan to stock up on it for the July holiday weekend and the week at the cottage. Both deli meats freeze well to use later.

Stemmler's is also making us All-Beef Hotdogs (nitrate free!) this week. Yes, hotdogs.  The beef is from Norwich.  My family really enjoys cooking these over our back-yard fire.  A hot-dog roast on Sunday afternoon gives me a taste of being at the cottage without the long drive. If you want to see the other great meats and more that Stemmler's sell at their gorgeous store in Heidelberg, stop in for a visit. It is just a 10 minute drive from Waterloo. http://www.stemmlermeats.ca/

Local Food in Jars
I'm putting an order in this week for Erma to make us cases of preserves for this Winter. She's going to make us pickled beets, pickled dilly green beans (my favourite!), pickled cucumbers, chili sauce, salsa, and BBQ Relish. If there is something other local food you'd REALLY like to buy in a jar, send us an email and we'll see if we can do it.

Salad Mixes
Okay, the salad mixes from Soiled Reputations really ARE as good as Antony John claims.  The half pound bag is not cheap but it is packed full of exquisite leaves of the tastiest greens.  They are pre-washed and yet not wet so you are not paying for water - or large stems.  If you put feta and walnuts on top, you may suddenly feel like a gourmet chef.  I was shocked at the price of the salad mixes at first but they really are worth every penny. The Gourmet Mix includes leaves that are a bit spicier than the Bistro Mix.

Grand Opening for Bailey's Local Foods
June 19 will be our "official" Grand Opening at our new site.  We are inviting important and famous people to come: YOU! Maybe we'll invite a mayor or two, as well. Who do you think should be at our Grand Opening? Inviting others to join us for the Grand Opening is a way to spread our joy and excitement of discovering this new way of moving local food into the cities.  Send us an email of who you think we should send a personal invitation to and then also invite that person yourself. We will be sharing stories of local food 3:30-4 PM on the 19th.

Faster Check-out
We will be adding more check-out volunteers to shorten the waiting lines between 3:30 and 5.

Not so sweet
The two white carrots that I tasted last week were not sweet so I'm offering them again with the recommendation that they are best for cooking. I wish I could find other local carrots but no others are available.

Meal Idea
How about burritos with local beans and/or beef, wheat tortillas, cheese, tomatoes, cilantro and not-so-local avocados.

Flour and grains
Oak Manor flours and grains will be available this week. We offer them every other week. This is the place to get your oats for granola or soft whole wheat for shortcake to go with the strawberries that are coming soon.

It's going great
Some of you have asked how things are going with the business. The answer is GREAT!  The second week went WAY more smoothly than the first. Rachael and I are still not able to pay ourselves but we are optimistic that this will be possible soon. Thank you for joining us in this experiment to figure out a new way of getting local food into the cities.  We'd love to see this model spawn babies here in KW and in other cities. I could see five (10?) other churches in KW hosting a local food buying club. Just think of all the people who would be able to walk to pick up their food if there were ten neighbourhood churches hosting buying clubs!

In love with life and local food,
Nina for the folks at Bailey's Local Foods
baileyslocalfoods.ca

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Friday, June 5, 2009

Niagara Farm Tour Tomorrow!

June 6 visit to Niagara Farm
Those of you who were part of the buying club last year will remember the amazing soft fruits from Eva and Rene Schmitz' farm in Niagara. They are inviting us to visit their farm on June 6 - before their busy season. Here is more info about the visit: 
 
"The name of the farm is Palatine Fruit and Roses and we meet at 11:00 am at the farm (this means you will need to leave the KW area about 9:00 am). Rene will be available to walk the orchards with us and answer any questions you have (and I mean ANY questions you have....you will learn a great deal from him!). Eva will be tending to the garden centre which is where we will meet! You can either bring a picnic lunch to enjoy after the tour at the orchard, or you may choose to take your family and make a day out of the Niagara region......!!"
 
The address for you to Mapquest or GPS is 2108 Four Mile Creek Rd., Niagara-on-the-lake, Ontario.

Items not available this week
Unfortunately we are short on some bean orders this week and did not receive the strawberries or the peameal bacon.

Be sure to look at the Spontaneous Table before you check out. We have lots of great offerings including yogurt and butter that will be listed on a sign and kept cool elsewhere.

Enjoy this sunny day!
Rachael
Bailey's Local Foods
baileyslocalfoods.ca

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Thursday, June 4, 2009

Baileys Local Food Buying Club - Weekly Pickup Reminder

Hi Folks,

This week's order will be ready for you to pick up on Friday, June 5 from 3:30 until 7:00PM in Hilliard Hall at the First United Church at 16 William Street West in Waterloo.

Please enter through the white kitchen door off Caroline Street.

You will find a pickup slip with your name on it listing the items that you ordered this week. Pick up all your items, check out our spontaneous table then head to our checkout area.

We will have extra items for you to purchase on our Spontaneous Table just in case you forgot anything. Anyone can purchase items from the Spontaneous Table. You don't even have to be a Member.

There will be room to socialize and mingle. Expect your pick-up to take awhile. It is our first time doing this in a new place so we won't be as efficient as we will be in the coming weeks.

In out checkout area, our volunteers will help ensure that your total payable amount reflects all the items that you received. Please help us by removing your items from your bag for the checkout process. Please be patient as this area will likely be quite busy.

We accept payment in cash or cheque (made out to Bailey's Local Foods). The total from your shopping cart is always approximate. We will ensure that you only pay for the items you receive as local food can sometimes be unpredictable and items that are priced by the pound are approximate on the order form.

You need to bring your own bags to carry your items home. We do not have any plastic bags. A limited number of cloth bags will be available for sale.

If possible, consider walking, biking or bringing a wagon to pick up your order. If you are driving, please be aware that William Street is currently closed for construction between King Street and Euclid Street, You can access the Waterloo Town Square Parking Lot by Caroline Street, Alexandra Avenue, Willis Way or King Street by the LCBO. We have been asked not to park in the church parking lot.

**Please don't forget to pick up your order! At 7:00PM, if you have not picked up your order, we will call the number you provided when you registered, pack up your order and add the $15 packing fee to your order total. If you have not picked up your order by 8:00PM (or when we finish cleaning up) your order will be donated you still get the pleasure of paying for it. We need to receive payment for this week's order before you can order for the following week.

Thank you,
Rachael and Nina
Bailey's Local Foods

baileyslocalfoods.ca

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Tuesday, June 2, 2009

Organic Seedlings from Soiled Reputation

The details are in!

You can order online today and have your own gorgeous seedlings on Friday!

We are offering Cherry Tomato, Beefsteak Tomato, Sweet Pepper and Basil plants. Look for them under plants in the menu.

Cherry Tomatoes - $1.25 for pack of 4
sungold - orange
sunsweet - red
chocolate drop - almost black
red pear
 
Beefsteak Tomatoes - $1.25 for pack of 4
green zebra
red zebra
Pruden's Purple - an amish brandywine type
Pantano Romanesco
Cherokee Purple
Black Crim
Japanese Black Truffle (pear shape)
 
Sweet Peppers - $.50 each in tiny peat pot
Super Shepherd - Italian Ramshorn variety (shaped like a horn)
 
Basil - $1.25 for pack of 4
Genovese
Italian Large Leaf
Purple

Enjoy this lovely day!
Rachael
Bailey's Local Foods
baileyslocalfoods.ca

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Ordering for June 5th ends tonight at 8:00 PM

Hi Folks!

This is your reminder that you should place your order before tonight at 8:00PM.

Any items in your shopping cart on Tuesday at 8:00PM will be ordered on your behalf.

Some people did not receive our email on Saturday, If you did not receive the weekly email (we had problems with out mailer) you can read it here.

A few notes regarding this week's items:

EGGS!
We have Eggs from Traditional Foods this week in the Other category. These will only be offered monthly.

Meat and Cheese prices are approximate on our order form
The exact price of the piece of cheese or package of meat that you choose will be added to your total on Friday. Please ensure that these items are available when you check out so we can add them to your total.

Millbank Cheese will now be priced by the pound.

Jeff Stager at Shadynook Farm has frozen packages of meat that are weighed individually and priced accordingly.

Traditional Foods allows you to specify the number of pounds of some items. When ordering steaks, roasts, chickens, ribs, sausage etc, an exact number of pounds can't be guaranteed. Traditional Foods will do their best to provide items that match the pounds requested as closely as possible.

Organic Tomato Seedlings
Antony of Soiled Reputation is offering organic tomato seedlings this Friday for sale. I don't have all the details yet, so if you have questions, please send them to us or wait for Thursday's pickup reminder.

Cheers,
Rachael
Bailey's Local Foods

baileyslocalfoods.ca

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