Tuesday, April 27, 2010

Bailey's Update - New Calendar for Weekly pickups!

Hi Everyone,

Have you been enjoying your bounty from the April pickup? Wondering how you'll manage until the May 28th pickup? Starting May 6th you can go to the Waterloo Farmers' and Crafters' Market in the Waterloo Public Square 4-8 pm on Thursdays. Details at http://www.waterloofarmmarket.ca/.

Have you ever wanted to make your own 'canned' beans for a fraction of the cost?  Check out the new recipe up on our website for instructions on how to do it!

Mark Your Calendar!

We created a public calendar for Bailey's Local Foods events using Google Calendar. Check it out on our website at http://www.baileyslocalfoods.ca (you need cookies enabled to view it). I will try to add links for XML and ICal when I get a chance. Here are few highlights:
  • Walkable Local Foods presentation by Nina at KPL - TODAY April 27 at 7pm. Details at http://kpl.org/programs/program_listings/main.html#healthy
  • Ordering opens - Thursday, May 20 at 11:00 pm, and weekly thereafter
  • Ordering closes - Sunday, May 23 at 8:00 pm, and weekly thereafter
  • First Weekly Pickup on Fridays at First United Church - Friday, May 28 from 3:30 until 7pm, and weekly thereafter
  • First Weekly Pickup on Tuesdays at St Mark's Lutheran - Tuesday June 15 from 3:30 until 7pm, and weekly thereafter*
  • Pot Luck Picnic - Sunday, August 15* -All Welcome!
* subject to change

Seedlings grown for us!
If you are interested in buying seedlings grown by Sarah you can check their progress on Sarah's blog at https://ediblelandscape.wordpress.com/. The seedlings should be ready for the May 28 pickup!

Take care,
Rachael Ward
Bailey's Local Foods
http://www.baileyslocalfoods.ca/

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

Monday, April 19, 2010

Baileys Local Food Buying Club - Pickup Reminder

If you put in an order this month it will be ready for you to pick up on Monday, April 19th from 3:30 until 7:00PM in Hilliard Hall at the First United Church at 16 William Street West in Waterloo. You can check your order by logging in at http://baileyslocalfoods.ca/ordering. If you checked the pre-packaing option your order will be packed and ready for 5pm. Items that require refrigeration will not be pre-packed for health reasons but we are happy to help you gather them when you arrive.

Please read through to the bottom for an important message from Nina below!

Items not available and things to look for on the Spontaneous Table:
  • Look for Organic Spinach from Paul Bowman on the Spontaneous Table!
  • Look for Organic Local English Cucumber on the Spontaneous Table!
  • Traditional Foods will have some extra items available. Ask them if you want:
    • Medium eggs
    • Premium bacon
    • Lean ground beef
    • Stewing beef
    • Hamburger patties in 2 lb packages (8 patties)
    • Smoked pork chops
  • Stemmler's is sending regular sized wieners instead of jumbo. Same tasty wieners, just smaller size
  • Braeburn Apples from Martins will be substituted with Red Prince Apples
  • Sunflower Flax bread from Magnolia is not available today. Sorry!
  • Lamb is not available due to freezer issues.
  • No greens (Gourmet, Bistro, Arugula or Asian Braising Greens) from Soiled Reputation due to an aphid infestation (sounds like Antony needs some ladybugs!)
  • Pfennings Cylindra Beets are not available. No beets until they grow again!
  • No Apple Cider from Apple Creek Farms
Samples!
Cynthia from Divinely Raw will have some amazing raw, vegan food for you to try today so bring your tastebuds along and a bit of extra cash in case you fall in love with something raw.

Singh from Local Dairy Products will be bringing his new cheeses and dips for you to try. There is a tzatziki dip (yogurt and cucumber), a goat cheese and olive dip and a creme fraiche and spinach dip. All without fillers! New cheese offerings will include boconcini (all sizes from pearls - 2 g to 50 g pieces), fiore de latte (fresh mozzarella), fresh ricotta and fat free cottage cheese in cubes.

Mark Your Calendar!

We're hoping to have a picnic pot luck for all Bailey's Members on Sunday August 15. All the details will come in time, but save the date so you can join us!

Contest: Meals That Heal needs a new name!

Meals that Heal, established in Guelph in 2004, began as a condition-specific meal service. In response to a strong demand for Josh's delicious meals and recipes, we have since grown to include take-out, eat-in, catering services, prepared foods, and wholesaling to fine retailers.

Five years later, and following our growth, turns out that we need a new name!

We feature internationally inspired meals and side dishes made with the best local and organic ingredients available. We offer gluten-free, seasonal, and nutrient dense recipes designed to please the most discriminating palates.

WAYS TO ENTER:
  1. Include your name, telephone number and e-mail dropped off in person to 297 Woolwich Street @ London Road or at our booth in the Guelph Farmers' Market Saturday mornings
  2. E-mail entries to: mailo:mealsthatheal@hotmail.com with the subject line "NAMING CONTEST"
  3. Become a fan on Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/pages/Guelph-ON/Meals-that-Heal/105280642844321) and send us a message with your entry.
Deadline: May 2nd, 2010

Grand Prize: $250 in gift certificates for our shop (to be shared if more than one person comes up with the selected name)
*There are no limits on the number of entries per person.
*There is no guarantee that we will select a name from the participating entries (we might get clever on our own from now until the end of the contest).
Looking for small canning jars? One of our members has too many and will bring some to share with you. She says: The jars are all 250 ml glass jam/jelly jars.  I'll bring 2 to 3 dozen.  They will all need new sealer lids although the old ones will be on with the metal rings to keep some dust out for now.

What a lovely day for great food!
Rachael

------------
From Nina:
 
Hi Folks,
 
I'm emailing at a strange time in order to be able to tell you about a talk I'm giving at KPL on April 27 and to announce some GOOD NEWS.  Have you ever wished that you could walk to pick up your local food but the pick up location is just too far away?  On the 27th I'll be sharing ideas of how people can start a buying club in their own neighbourhood or start a satellite site of Bailey's Local Foods.  Come on out to learn more.
 
Ideas of what to cook?
I also am hoping that you can give me some inspiration of what to cook.  I find that Spring is the HARDEST time of the year to think of what to make for supper.  I've been making very meat-heavy meals because there are so few vegetable options.  Unfortunately, my hubby is getting tired of the beans I make.  I'm loving the soups but what else is there?? Do any of you have a bean recipe or a dish that is at least half local that you can share?  The best way to share it would be to go to our facebook page (http://www.facebook.com/baileyslocalfoods) or if you're not on facebook you can email me directly.
 
Bailey's Pick Up on Fridays AND Tuesdays starting in June!
I'm happy and a little scared to announce that Bailey's Local Foods will now offer a Tuesday pick-up and a Friday pick up most weeks June 15 - September 14!  Our Tuesday pick-up will be at St. Marks Lutheran (between Grand River Hospital and KCI).  The gym is smaller so we hope that the bulk of the orders will still come on Fridays but we'll let you choose which location/day you want each time you place an order.  Weekly ordering will begin May 28 and then we'll add the Tuesday pick-up on June 15.  The reason I'm scared is because it is more work and more cost.  The City of Kitchener requires us to pay over $500 in licenses and fees just to sell one day a week at a Kitchener location (this is where your membership fees will be going).  This location is one kilometre from our current location in uptown Waterloo but a different City with different regulations!  Kind of makes amalgamation seem attractive...  But, headaches aside, this is exciting to be able to offer you the choice of picking up on Tuesday or Friday each week. You will be able to choose your pick up location on the order form.
 
We're Ready to Grow!
Now that we have a second location secured, we are ready to increase our numbers of members and our numbers of orders each week.  Last season we were at about 200 orders a week from over 400 household members.  This season we are hoping that more of you who already are members will find the Tuesday pick-up helps fit regular ordering into your busy lives.  It's easy to forget to order, eh?  What tips do you have for incorporating grocery shopping at Bailey's Local Foods into your lives?  I'll ask that question on facebook and see if any of you have tips to share. 
 
One thing I'm curious about is why some of you look at the order form and then don't place an order.  What is going on?  Is it like window shopping?  Looking for strawberries? I'm so curious, please email me.
 
We're also ready to grow our volunteer base. If you are looking for a fun way to connect with your community and have a few hours to give on a pick-up day, let us know.  We've had some volunteers in their pre-teens who volunteer with a parent and find it a great bonding activity and chance to pick up skills in serving others and being a useful part of the community.
 
So April and May is the time to spread the word about Bailey's Local Foods. We'll have extra flyers at the check out tables on Monday that you can take for friends and family.  One way to introduce someone to the buying club is to let them order on your account so that they can get a feel for how it works without having to pay the membership fee right away. Another approach is to invite someone to come to pick up with you to see how it all feels and works.

Request for Frame for Signs and Guelph Members
Do any of you have a frame that we could put our big foam-core signs in to set by the church door?  Perhaps an A-frame or another style? 
Another request comes from a member in Guelph who would like to carpool with another Guelphite or take turns picking up eachothers orders.  Anyone out there from Guelph?

Music While You Pick Up Your Local Food
Would you enjoy live music when you come to pick up your order?  If you are a musician or have musical friends who want to informally make some music during pick-up times, give us a shout.

-------
 Self Checkout Reminder
We continue to offer a SELF CHECK-OUT option to those of you who are paying by cheque! We hope that this will help speed up the check out process for some of you who want to work out your total yourself.
We choose to trust our members. You know that if we lose money due to missing items or math mistakes, we won't survive. We will still have the regular check-out option for those of you who prefer it. If you notice an error (ours or yours), please let us know.

Pre-Packed Orders
If you indicated that you would like your items pre-packed when you ordered they will be ready after 5pm. Please ask a volunteer to get your order. Items requiring refrigeration will be added when you arrive.

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 (including those in the coolers, 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!

There will be room to socialize and mingle. Expect your pick-up to take awhile. If you need help collecting your order, please ask!

In out checkout area, please help us and our volunteers by having items available to view 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.

When writing cheques, please ensure that the date is correct (it's 2010!) and that the numbers you write (digits and words) match. Also, if you make your cheque out to anything other than "Bailey's Local Foods" the bank won't cash it. We need you to sign it too! Please help us to avoid these costly errors.

You need to bring your own bags to carry your items home. We have boxes, but do not have 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 park in the Waterloo Town Square Public Parking Lot. 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
http://www.baileyslocalfoods.ca/ 
P.S. We can use your fruit baskets and boxes as well as jars from preserves again if you return them.

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

Sunday, April 11, 2010

Ordering for April 19 ends Tuesday at 8:00 PM

This is your reminder that you should place your order before Tuesday, April 13 at 8:00PM for pickup on Monday, April 19.
 
Click http://baileyslocalfoods.ca/ordering to log-in and order.

From Rachael:

I'm taking some time from working outside on this gorgeous day to add a few items to my order. Organic curds, goat chevre, tortilla chips, some of the new gluten free baked goods and the Fireside Lasagna from Divinely Raw (I already ordered a Tex Mex Tostada to eat on Monday at the pickup!) I thought I'd remind you to get your order in too.

Reflecting on the last year of food, I have decided that I'm great at drying foods. Sometimes it's intentional - like the peaches and pears that I sliced with the mandoline and dehydrated in the late summer and the pear leather I made whenever I had extra pears - and other times I surprised myself with the leeks that dried out in the fridge that still work great in soups. The biggest surprise was the last bunch of grapes from Palatine that weren't so sweet at the time, but dried into the most wonderful raisins (the seedless ones, anyway). I've also decided that storing winter squash isn't for me. While I LOVED eating squash in the fall, I'm not eager to eat them through the winter and the squash that I stored are mostly still there. We froze a lot of fruit over the past year and still have many bags of strawberries and peaches, but next year we'll be freezing more blueberries and cherries too. Now we're working in the garden in hopes of growing tomatoes, brussels sprouts, lettuce, eggplants and other tasty food. The kids are asking when we can pick mulberries, service berries and currants -

Upcoming Pickups

With the April 19th pickup we come to the end of our winter schedule. Have you been wondering what will happen next?

The plan going forward is that we will start weekly pickups after the long weekend in May. This leaves a longer than usual wait for the next pickup on May 28th, but then you'll get another pickup on June 4th and sooner or later we'll be enjoying the first strawberries of the season! Mmmm!

Also, stay tuned for the possibility of a second weekly pickup in the summer. We're looking into a location in Kitchener for the possibility of Tuesday pickups. Let us know if you would like this.

A Couple Notes
  • Sunflower Oil from FlorAlp Farms is back on order form. They promised to deliver some this week!
  • We still offer chocolate from Anna Tolazzi, just in case the bunny didn't leave enough of the good stuff.
  • The grape tomato price will be lower than the one on the order form. Stuart never told me what the special price would be!
  • I increased the number of bags of spinach and mixed greens from Kingwood farm. This weather has made them grow like crazy! The spinach leave will be medium size instead of baby, but they are so mild you won't notice!
  • Karin from Little City Farm as local teas available again! Look for it in the tea section!
  • Gluten Free Cookies (the ginger ones are sooo tasty!) from Magnolia Fine Foods are the same ones we offered previously through Meals That Heal.
  • If you liked the pies that Gerry and Susie of Shakespeare Pies brought last week, don't forget to add one to your order. I'm sure there will be a couple on the Spontaneous Table, but don't take your chances!

Donations
We have a convenient option for you to donate to local food programs through Bailey's. We will be providing local beans to the Waterloo Region Food Bank with the money you donated in January and February. Donations over $10 (from January through June and again July through December of the 2010 year) are eligible for a tax receipt. We will be donating 100% of what you give to the food bank directly or by sending local food from our suppliers in the coming months.

Items that you have placed in your shopping cart will be ordered on your behalf on Tuesday at 8:00PM. There is no checkout button.
If you do not intend to order, please ensure that your shopping cart is empty.

Have a great week!
Rachael
Bailey's Local Foods
baileyslocalfoods.ca

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

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, April 4, 2010

Bailey's Buying Club - Ordering is now open for April 19, 2010

Click http://baileyslocalfoods.ca/ordering to log-in and order. Ordering closes on Tuesday, April 13 at 8:00PM. Please order early so you won't be disappointed!
Please be sure to read the wavier on our website when you log in. It reminds you that items placed your shopping cart are automatically saved (there is no 'checkout' button).

A few notes from Rachael:

Look for Gluten Free and Wheat Free items from Magnolia Catering and Circle of Life Bakery. Magnolia's Gluten Free Ginger Snaps were previously offered by Meals That Heal and now they are offering more of their selection. Circle of Life is a sister company to Grainharvest and Roland think you will like the Circle Of Life Products too!

We are now offering the new crop of Maple Syrup from Snyder Heritage Farms. Here is some information that they have given us about their farm and product:

Snyder Heritage Farms is a 5th generation farm producing Maple syrup for over a 100 years. The equipment we use is all stainless steel where possible and everything else is food grade plastic. We are always improving equipment when new technology is available. Our wood lots are managed to proper forest guidelines. We harvest a few trees every year when the ground is frozen to reduce damage to the woodlot.

In the sugarhouse we use wood from our forest to cook sap (no fuel oil is used) and a reverse osmosis machine is used to remove water before cooking, this saves energy by 50% or more. Kevin has completed courses with the Environmental Farm Plan, Food Safety and Traceability, and the On Farm Food Safety Program. We believe these courses are a important part of our farm so we can produce a high quality product.

Our Maple syrup is pure with nothing added, only the water has been removed. There are guidelines that we adhere to, set out by the Ontario Maple Syrup Association. These guidelines state the number of taps per tree (max of 2) for best forest management practices. We use Certified Organic antifoamers and cleaning methods.

Packaging available for our Maple syrup

  • Brown plastic #2 Jugs (HDPE) 250ml, 500ml, 1L,  2L, 4L, and 10L Bulk Jug.
  • Glass containers 250ml, 500ml 1L Mason Jar, and 4x1L Mason in a box (4L total)
  • 540ml can
All our Maple syrup is hot packed (180 degrees or hotter), labelled, graded and marked for traceability.

Anne and Kevin are the same farmers who sell us turkey and if you're wondering why you don't see dark syrup or 'cheap' plastic containers, here is Kevin's answer:

About the Dark syrup? We've have never made dark syrup, maybe because of our equipment and trees, it's always Amber or better. I won't use cheap plastic containers to save the extra cost because we go to all the work of producing a high quality product and I will only put it into a high quality container. Its our name on the product and we hold ourselves to a high standard.


Please let us know how you like their syrup!

Enjoy this wonderful weekend!
Rachael

------------------------------

Hello Local Food Lovers,
I've just been so in love with our seasons the last few days. Isn't this amazing how our world and our lives are totally transformed by the coming of Spring? I've been outside ALLL day Friday and Saturday. The kids and I planted edible pod peas, shelling peas, romaine lettuce, spinach, radishes and green onions. I love this feeling of waiting for them to sprout. I know they are sitting there loving this warmth and the sun. Their tiny roots are curling down and any day their little heads will appear as dots of green in the dark soil. I'm feeling very pleased with myself that the spinach I planted in late August wintered over so well and grew several inches in the last two weeks. We had our first spinach salad of the season (from our garden) last night with grape tomatoes from Floralane, avocados (Mexico), and toasted pecans (Georgia). It was a hit! My two year old prefers picking the leaves straight from the garden to a salad. If I can't find him, I check the spinach bed and he's usually there munching away.

Now in Season
So what does April mean for local food in Waterloo? No asparagus yet but we will have grape tomatoes and cluster tomatoes from Floralane. To apologize for forgetting to deliver last month, Stewart is selling us the tomatoes at a reduced price. He dropped off some for my family last week and the seven boxes only lasted seven days because I hid them from my family. The cluster tomatoes were so pretty I put a cluster on my windowsill by the kitchen sink. As good as a bouquet.

April also brings us SALAD GREENS from farmers who overwintered greens like I did - on a larger scale. Paul says he'll also have green onions! For Bailey's Local Foods, April brings us a new supplier: Divinely Raw. Owned by Cynthia, Divinely Raw has a local kitchen where Cynthia and her 'angels' make a beautiful and creative array of raw foods. I was not familiar with raw foods before trying the samples last week. YUM! Many of the foods are made from "live" almonds or chick peas which means they are sprouted and then ground. Sprouting increases the nutrient content of the foods. Raw foods are so popular because eating raw is super healthy. Eating raw is also a great way to avoid eating gluten and many high-carbohydrate foods. The asian wraps and the Chocolate Macaroons were my favourites, I think. It was hard to choose. Matthew snarfed down the samosa before I could taste it - we should have them on the order form next month. Oh, the almond hummus was amazing too! My hummus never tastes that good! Rachael's family does not eat gluten so we are excited to make gluten-free GOOD food conveniently available for her family and others of you who are looking for healthy ways to eat. The amazing thing is that most of the raw foods I sampled don't taste "healthy" - they just taste good. Cynthia uses local foods whenever she can - and often organic foods. We'll update the ingredient page soon with the foods from Divinely Raw. If you have questions, email us.

BBQ Season?
Is it BBQ season already? We had a cookout over the backyard fire last night with sausages and hot dogs. Felt like summer. If you're excited to grill again, try some of the great grillables in our meat section. We had the smoked farmers' sausage which were excellent. We opened a jar of Erma's BBQ relish and a Chili Sauce from Country Flavour.

Local Bean Donation
Check out the PILE of beans we together donated to the Food Bank. Rachael and I matched your donations and then Team Leadership Waterloo Region - Class of 2009, including buying club member, Tracy Suerich, used the beans in a "canstruction" to raise awareness of the issues of food insecurity and encourage more donations. The beans were the "snow" around the Inukshuk. Click here to see a photo:canstruction: http://www.thefoodbank.ca/Canstruction2009Structures.shtml

Digging into Local Food with more than a fork

I was just reading Antony's blog (from Soiled Reputation) and encourage you to take a break from your to-do list and listen to his farmer/chef voice. I particularly like his blog titled "The Real Value of Local Vegetables." at http://soiledreputation.com/blog/ He said he wrote it in response to all the excuses people have made over the years for why not to buy local food. He also writes on "terroir" - the belief that the soil and climate of an area influences the flavour of the wine (and food) from that area. If you prefer something less philosophical, check out Foodlink's website. Have you wondered about the terms used for local food and what they mean? Foodlink now has a "Local Food 101" on their website (along with a very handsome chicken). See: http://www.foodlink.ca/index.php?p=local_food_101

News
  • Nutty Bakers are making us a new savoury pie that is vegetarian: Spicy Vegetable Curry. Plus, good news, they are making chicken stock from scratch now so no more tartrazine and other not-so-pretty ingredients (from the chicken bullion they used to use)!
  • You may have noticed that the all beef hot dogs from March's pickup say pork on them but that was a labelling mistake. They are all beef.
  • Cooking onions will only be on the spontaneous table this month (from Traditional Foods)
  • Martin's Apples will have Braeburn apples - but no more Ambrosia
  • Last chance to buy lamb for awhile (there will be a gap until the next batch is ready)

Join us in a new growing season here in our little spot on the planet. Man! This is a great planet to live on. I'm so thankful I'm here: on Earth, in Waterloo. I'm thankful to be a part of a group of people who want to see our "spot" flourish with farmers and food and healthy happy people. Let's ring Spring in! Shall it be with an inaugural salad? A roll in the dew? A planting of a few seeds? Inviting friends over for a picnic? Making dandelion gravy?
Happy Spring!
Nina
Bailey's Local Foods
www.baileyslocalfoods.ca

P.S. We can use your fruit baskets and jars from preserves again if you return them.

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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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