Monday, September 29, 2008

Bailey's Buying Club Oct 3

Hello all you eaters of this land,

Did you see those beautiful purple marbled bean pods on the
spontaneous table on Friday? Those are French Horticultural Beans,
I've learned. Never had them before. On Saturday Mona and I shelled
them (she, quite fast for a three year old) and talked about how
pretty they are and how they don't taste good now but we'll see what
they taste like after boiling and adding butter and salt. They were
lovely! They reminded me of the fava beans my Polish friends would
make and take on picnics. They'd boil them, salt them and then just
take them along like we take carrot sticks. Or potato chips. The beans
from Paul (French Horticultural is such a long name) lost their
stunning beauty in the boiling but we ate them with pasta and tomato
sauce and everyone at the table liked them. Eating those got me
excited for the dry beans we'll be getting from a farmer near St.
Mary's Oct 31. He has a wide variety. More beans, less meat. That's
the way to eat more sustainably, we know. Maybe we can swap favourite
bean recipes for inspiration. Email me a paragraph describing your
favourite easy bean recipe and I'll choose a couple to include in one
of these emails.

We also get to order foods from the Simcoe area this week. Simcoe
was/is a big tobacco growing area where farmers have been looking for
alternatives to tobacco. They have acres and acres of ginseng now (but
what would we do with it?) and a few creative and brave farmers are
branching out into crops like popcorn and peanuts. They have lighter
soils than this area, I hear, and are a bit more temperate because
they are so close to Lake Erie. This is the area I also found the
farmer who sells that lovely golden canola oil we got to try the end
of August. If you want to see that website again, it is
http://www.pristinegourmet.com .

From Simcoe we also have found farmers who sell sparkling apple ciders
(all-juice bubbly beverages with no sugar added) and an amazing black
currant jam. Consider buying a case of the sparkling ciders and
pulling them out for festive occasions. It's cheaper than wine...
Okay, I have to tell you about the black currant farmer. Russell
Blake is a teacher who has planted over nine acres of black currants
and spent the last few years figuring out how to harvest and freeze
them. He uses a blueberry picker that shakes the bushes and a conveyor
sorter where he and his kids sort out the blemished ones and leaves.
Have you ever picked black currants? Their little stems hang on tight
and are a huge chore to pick off. He figured out that if he freezes
them and then dumps them into a milk crate and shakes it a few times,
the frozen stiff stems break off and fall through the holes of the
milk crate. Ingenious! This cuts down on the costs of labour
tremendously. He sells them frozen or as jam. His jam is chuck full of
premium currants. The ingredients are: black currants, sugar and lemon
juice. Consider buying a case of jam (cheaper that way) and having
them on hand for a little gift when you wish you had one.

From Simcoe we also are lucky to get peanuts and peanut butter. Ernie
and Nancy Racz are the farmers, peanut-processors and retailers of
their lovely valencia peanut butter. They are not organic but they do
not use fungicides at all (unlike the peanut growers in the southern
US). I like this peanut butter much better than Picards. It is
creamier. No salt added. Just peanuts. If you know your family eats
peanut butter well, stock up now. We will probably not go to Simcoe
again until after Christmas.

This week we have the last of the last Niagara fruits. Look for
Bartlett pears, Bosc pears, Blue plums, green table grapes, blue table
grapes and wine grapes on the order form. I'll have a a few plums on
the spontaneous table. We also have conventional or organic MacIntosh
apples this week. They are good for saucing or fresh eating. I have
conventional Macs in half bushels. I hope to find an organic apple
orchard or two in the area from which to buy. If you can recommend
one, let me know.

Turns out, only the spelt bread and cookies were made with local flour
last week. There was a mix up and the Bread and Bretzel did not have
the right kind of flour to make whole wheat bread for us. This week
Karen says it really will happen. Prices are changing for the breads
with Oak Manor Farms flour in them because it is organic and local and
costs three times as much as what Karen was using before. If you want
to support a local baker, local mill, and local organic grain farmers
(and a local buying club), we now offer bread that lets you do all
this. I don't know of any other bakery in the area that offers local
wheat breads. The spelt cookies were especially toasted-tasting and
very delicious. Now, if I could just get Karen to use local raspberry
jam...

One way buying locally is different from shopping globally is that we
can't expect retailers or Bailey's Buying Club to carry a steady
supply for us to buy whenever we want. We have to think ahead a wee
bit and stock up on things when we are able. I'm not set up to
warehouse a four month supply of peanut butter, jam, and canola oil
for 100 families, for example. It also doesn't make environmental
sense for my dad to drive to Simcoe for food every month or so with a
half-full van. Now is your chance to estimate how much you'll use of
these items in the next four months (or more) and stock up. These
items are what I call "less perishables". They have a long enough
shelf life (at least a year) so that you can buy a bulk amount of it
and use it steadily over the months. This means a higher upfront cost,
but a lower cost over all. It also means less packaging. Even if you
don't have a large pantry, it is easy enough to store a few boxes or
buckets in the basement or under a bed.

I was thinking that in the deep and dark of Winter we could all submit
photos of our food stores and I could put them on my website for an
inspiring photo gallery of local food. I should take a photo of
Miriam Gingrich's basement. She cans their applesauce in gallon jars!
Row after row! Elmeda, who we are buying the MacIntosh Apples from
said that every year she turns 50 bushels of apples into applesauce
for her family (only five children)! Can you imagine ordering 50
bushels (not half bushels) of apples for me and turning those into
applesauce??!! Kind of makes my canning efforts look puny. Or at least
something I should stop complaining about : )

It's going to frost any week now so enjoy the last of summer's tender bounty.
Nina

Bailey's Local Food Buying Club

Hi Local Eaters,

I think this is the most food offered ever in one week!

We've got beef from Jeff Stager near Ayr. No hormones or steroids
used. Mix of pasture and grains as feed. He only uses antibiotics on a
steer when it is sick (a couple times a year). The hamburger is extra
lean and very tasty. I highly recommend it.

It will be busy at pick up time so we'll extend this Friday's pick up
to 7PM and ask that you don't come in a hurry. If you can, (if you
drive) please park on Euclid and we bring a wagon or cart to wheel
your goodies to the car. We also have a wagon you can use.

Here are things to look for in this order form:
peanut butter, canola oil, maple syrup, black currant jam, sparkling
apple ciders, breads made with local organic flour (!), Mapleton's
yogourt, Niagara fruit, and cilantro.

We are working on creating an order form that has categories of foods
and other handy things. It will come eventually. We ask for your
patience with Google DOCS until then.

Happy eating,
Nina

Wednesday, September 24, 2008

Bailey's Buying Club reminder and chicken question

Hi Folks,

You have 37 minutes to order before the deadline.
Did you get chicken on Friday? If so, did you realize that the chicken
was not included in your total? The chicken price was written on the
package. Some people looked at the numbers on the chicken and paid the
price of the pounds rather than the price in dollars. If you think you
made an error in paying for your chicken, please let me know.

I forgot to put the summer sausage on the order form. I have 20 chubs
in the freezer and they will be available for $21 first come first
serve on Friday.

Aren't these days beyond beautiful?!
Nina

Tuesday, September 23, 2008

turkey details

These Oct 10 turkeys are drug free, fed a vegetarian diet from age 2

weeks and up, and are given probiotics and lots of fresh air.
They are 18-22 pounds each and some are bigger. They are $2.75 a pound
(I was able to lower the price from $3.25!).
I cannot guarentee you a certain size and so I ask you to be flexible
about the size you get. Leftover turkey freezes well and makes great
soups and gravies.
Don't forget to email me by Friday midnight if you want your turkey.
Nina

Monday, September 22, 2008

Bailey's Local Food Buying Club

Hi Folks,

Are any of you lucky enough to own a root cellar? If so, we've got
50lb bags of unsprayed potatoes available from Paul.

Will you help me organize a database of members of this wacky and
wonderful buying club? I'd like to make a google map of our addresses
to see where we are located and help decide where the satellite sites
will be. Please fill in the info about yourself at the beginning of
this form. I will not share it with anyone.

I'm not going to carry a wide selection of squash and pumpkins and
gourds. Instead, I'll encourage you to go visit one of the farms that
specialize in that and make a farm visit very fun. We like to go to
Shantzholme but maybe we'll try a new place for us: Pumpkins Galore
just north west of town this year. They are both on the Buy Local! Buy
Fresh! map. I will carry some good eating squash for as long as
possible

Breads from local organic flour (the 100% Whole Wheat, French Wheat
and Spelt breads)! And the spelt cookies too.

Did your Millbank cheese last long? Now is your chance to order it
again. Butter too from Stirling.

I wish I could share with you an idea for something good to cook but
all I can think of is taco salad. Time to make the dishes you love
with fresh tomatoes as we won't have them much longer.

Happy Local Eating,
Nina

Bailey's Buying Club Sept 26

Hi Folks,

Well, Friday was chaos. More than normal! I'm sorry. I'm not sure if
it was because 70 people ordered and that is too much or because I
started my "real" job last week and had less time for the buying club
or because it was an unlucky day. The fruit arriving late was very
unhelpful. The woman who picks it up in Niagara had locked herself out
of the van for two hours so that is why that was so late. Then I made
a spreadsheet error so that your totals were not accurate because it
did not include a few items from Oak Manor (flour and such). I
undercharged you by $509.77! I've emailed those that this effects. I
also had the full box price for the Blushing Star prices switched with
the half box. If you got a half box of Blushing Star, I owe you $15
(you can take this off of your next order). I charged $.75 too low on
the bacon and so lost money on that. Let's see what else can I
confess?

I must confess that the salad mix I sat down to eat in the carport
late Friday with a 1,000 mile pizza was so very delicious. I must
confess that I ordered too many things to preserve this week. What was
I thinking?? I need three of me to get it in the jars and freezer.
Maybe four.

The picnic was fun and almost relaxing. We'll do it again next year.
Miriam and Mervin and their children were so excited to come to the
city and meet all of you. I wish I could be a fly on their wall and
hear what reflections they had on us afterward.

The exciting local news this week is that our bakery, Bread and
Bretzel, is using local and organic flour now in the spelt and wheat
breads!! I'm so thrilled that they are now ordering from Oak Manor.
Let's affirm this move by ordering lots from them this week, okay? The
spelt cookies with raspberry jam are also with Oak Manor spelt. If
they see an enthusiastic response from us, maybe they'll use local
flour for more of their breads, cookies and pastries.

The other newish item is the return of the 100 Mile All Natural Roast
Beef. This is the highest quality and healthiest deli meat I've ever
had. It is from cattle that are never given steroids, antibiotics or
hormones. It does not have msg or nitrates in it! Some think it is a
bit salty but others love it. Because it does not have nitrates in it,
it will not last six weeks in your fridge. The good news is that
Stemmlers just made it this weekend so it is fresh and it does freeze
okay (changes the texture a bit). The bad news is that Stemmlers has
raised their price due to increasing costs so my price is higher too.
The 100 Mile Blackforest Ham is also offered this week. It is from
hogs from Old Order farms (I'm assuming conventional farms) near the
St. Jacobs area where it is slaughtered and then sent to Stemmlers.
Both deli meats are shaved and offered in packages a pound or more (no
halves). The Roast Beef is not available very often so now is your
chance to get it.

We'll have organic all-beef summer sausage with no nitrates available
this week. It sausage that the Niagara fruit woman sold me last week
and so I'm sure who raised it but the ingredients look AMAZING. You
could almost call this sausage healthy. Because it does not have
nitrates, it may turn a bit brown rather than staying pink. That is
normal and much healthier than nitrates. Here are the ingredients for
the sausage:

  • Organic Pasture-fed Beef
  • Unpasteurized honey from an organic farm
  • Crystal Salt - low sodium, high minerals (like Celtic or Himalayan but better)
  • Organic Garlic Powder
  • Ascorbic Acid
  • Black Pepper

It is packed in cotton bags and is naturally smoked over Maple chips.
I'm selling it frozen. I will not have access to more of this (I
think) so this is the kind of thing you like, stock up on it.

I was disappointed in the Blushing Star peaches. I'll be asking if
that is normal for them or if they always have that texture and lack
of sweetness. The sweet corn was not as nice as usual either. I'll get
it from Paul again this week.

Always make sure you see a "thank you" message to confirm your order
went in (four people filled out the form this week but I did not
receive their info in my spreadsheet). We're working on finding a
different order form system that will send you an email confirmation
of your order immediately upon submitting it.

Enjoy the last week or so before frost,
Nina

Wednesday, September 17, 2008

Bailey's reminder and mushball

Morning Folks,

If you want to order this week, get your order in by 9PM.

On the spontaneous table at Pick-Up we'll have no-spray cider, pink
table grapes, and organic summer sausage as well as peaches to buy by
the piece.

Bailey's Local Foods has a website now! Maybe you're in one of the
photos of a buying club day. See http://baileyslocalfoods.ca/index.php

Below is an invite from Matthew (my hubby).
See you Friday,
Nina
PS If you want a half bushel of smaller beets ($16), email me.

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

Hi friends

Come on out to a Neighbourhood Mushball Game this coming Monday
evening. Mushball is kind of like baseball except you don't need a
glove because the ball is soft enough to catch with your hands, and
the rules are slightly different to facilitate greater involvement
from everyone. This mushball game will be particularly friendly for
young children (ages 5 and up) and their adults (although adults can
come even if they don't have kids). Younger children can play on the
nearby playground.

When: Monday, September 22
What time: 6:00 pm is the beginning of the game, but you can show up
late. We probably won't play longer than one hour.
Where: Waterloo Park in the grassy area between the splashpad
playground and the curvy road leading to the splashpad parking lot
(beside the large field where people sometimes play cricket)
What to bring: an expectation to have fun
Experience needed: none

Hope to see you there!
Matthew

Monday, September 15, 2008

Bailey's Buying Club September 19

Hi Folks,

Selema said they had a light frost already. That means that any week
I'll have to report that there are no more tomatoes or green peppers
and etc... This is the last week for Niagara fruit. What shall we do?
Get drunk on peaches one last time?? Each fresh salsa, BLTs and peach
pie each night of the week? I'm trying not to feel anxious about it.
It will be a nice break to not have anything else begging to be put up
for Winter (just apples). Seasons come and seasons go... I'm going to
end this one with a few rounds of bacon and tomato slices on toast.
(Bacon from Stemmlers IS on the list this week - nothing organic or
healthy about it. Just crunchy and yummy with a thick slab of
tomato...)

This IS one of the final weeks for preserving a lot of things - if you
are into that. We'll have half bushels of beefsteak tomatoes (if you
want half bushel of beefsteak, tell me that in the comments box) and
paste tomatoes for salsa and other canned tomato favourites, red,
green and yellow peppers (the red ones are amazing roasted and then
frozen in a bit of oil), apples for applesauce, chard to steam and
freeze to use as "spinach" in recipes... Okay, would you rather make
applesauce from apples sprayed with chemicals or apples with a few
worms and bumps in them? I've got both options for you today. The
organic ones have a few red wild apples thrown in to give the sauce a
lovely pink hue and a bit of a tanginess and you can choose if you
want to cut out the worms or just throw them all in the pot (what do
you think humans have been eating since the beginning of time?
Worms!). If you want to borrow my Victorio Strainer to churn out the
applesauce, you're welcome to it.

Even if you are not into canning or freezing, consider stocking up on
garlic this week. Did you know that garlic in a paper bag will keep
until next summer? Then you won't have to buy garlic from China in
January. I'm offering garlic at a bulk price. Put it in a paper bag
and then put it somewhere dry and dark (back corner of a kitchen
cabinet or under the bed).

This is the first time I've ever offered (or been able to buy for
myself!) Hard Wheat Flour from within 100 miles! Oak Manor has a
limited quantity of this flour from the Wellesley area. If you like to
bake bread, I suggest you stock up on it now as it may not be
available in October. How are you liking the Soft Whole Wheat Flour
from Oak Manor? I use it in everything that is not a yeast recipe. I
just used it for brownies last night and, well, they are gone already.
We've got a wide selection of Oak Manor grains and flours. All from
within 100 miles. I'm looking forward to making granola with a mix of
barley, oat, rye and spelt flakes.

This week is the chicken pick up for those of you who ordered those
earlier. We do not have extras for sale, I'm sorry. It will make
pick-up a little slower to sell the chicken so give yourself enough
time to pick up your food without rushing.

I'm going to try to get the Mapleton's yogurt again. Please consider
ordering twice as much as you normally do. It lasts over a month in
the fridge. I need to order by the case so I'm hoping to get enough
orders so that I can buy at least a couple cases. My family goes
through six 750ml containers in two weeks (I know, I know, I should
make my own yogurt...).

Here is the info on this week's Niagara fruit:
There are 2 kinds of peaches available. One is the Crest haven peach
which is the latest variety available. It is similar to the red havens
and Loring peaches. The other variety is called Blushing star which is
another type of white fleshed peach. It is more like the first variety
of white flesh peach that we had than the White Lady.

The blue plums are still in season. This will also be the last of the
plum availability for this year. They will be out of season by the
time I go for grapes next (In a few weeks grapes will be offered
again)!

The Bartlett pears are still available and now we also have the Bosc
pear. The Bosc pear can be kept into January if kept in a dark cool
cellar. They are more famous for being a 'winter eating' pear. They
will likely need a bit longer to ripen since they are so good for
storage!

For grapes, we still have the Sovereign Coronation grape which is good
for eating or juicing. There is also some other table grapes available
for those who like to try something different.......we have pink,
green and blue table grapes. The green and blue grapes are not fully
seedless but have very small seeds similar to the coronation grapes.
All grapes are similar in size to the sovereign coronation variety!

This Saturday is our potluck picnic. I'm looking forward to tasting
all the dishes you'll be bringing! Also bring your own tablewear
(that means cups, plates, cutlery and such), picnic blankets, and
chairs if you want a chair (and label your dish with the ingredients
and where the ingredients are from). We'll be serving local grape
juice and pear juice and - local water too! At the end of the order
form is a question asking if you're planning to come.

Happy harvest-time eating,
Nina

Bailey's Local Food Buying Club

Hi Folks,

No crying in the peaches now. Just savour them.
You'll also see bulk parsley this week. To dry or to freeze (or to
bathe in?). Just kidding.
See you Friday 3:30-6 for pick up.

Happy Local Eating,
Nina

Wednesday, September 10, 2008

100 Mile Diet book launch tonight

Hi Folks,

There's a neat-sounding event tonight at the Brick Brewery to launch
the One Book One Community (which is The 100 Mile Diet). They are
calling it a celebration of the written and spoken word. I'll be
there because I was asked to "tell a story" about local food. The City
of Kitchener is hosting it. Interesting, eh?

It'd be more fun if some of you were there too. It is 7-9PM. See
attached poster for more details and about the next events in this
series.

Nina

-----------

behind
the
scenes…
a free series for and with creative people

Wednesday, September 10
at the Brick Brewery
7-9pm
Celebrate the written and spoken word!
One Book One Community kick-off.
181 King Street South
Waterloo, Ontario

Tuesday, September 23
at the Barrister Lounge,
Walper Terrace
7-9pm
Songwriters circle. Writers will share their unique
creative processes, challenges and songwriting
successes, while telling personal anecdotes about
their favourite songs. Cash bar.
1 King Street West
Kitchener, Ontario

Friday, October 24
in partnership with
Kitchener Waterloo
Art Gallery
TGIF friday night. After hours at the gallery for creative
and the curious. Mix and mingle, check out the culinary
arts served by the ARTBAR. Light refreshments and
entertainment. Cash Bar.
RSVP to carrie.kozlowski@kitchener.ca for
complimentary tickets.
101 Queen Street North
Kitchener Ontario

Tuesday, September 9, 2008

Bailey's Buying Club - Grapes!

Hi Folks,

Okay, I just can't resist offering big boxes of luscious local
no-spray grapes this week! I'm getting a few boxes to eat fresh and to
juice. I can just imagine how good that grape juice will taste in
Winter with a big bowl of popcorn.

I have a juicer that makes it super easy. My mom gave me that juicer
when I left for college and I don't think I've used it more than once
or twice. I never had a source of no-spray grapes before! I can lend
you the juicer if you're willing to work around my schedule of using
it.

Another way to can grape juice without a juicer (and it is still super
easy) is to fill sterile jars about half way with grapes and then pour
boiling water over it (most people add a half cup of sugar to each
jar). Put on the lid and ring, and process in a hot water bath to seal
the jar. (Just needs to boil for 10 min). In January you open your
jar and pour the grape and water mixture through a fine sieve and
there you have it: concentrated local grape juice (without sprays!).
You can add water (and maybe sugar) to taste. Matthew likes to drink
it straight up - on the rocks. No sugar no water.

This week there is the sovereign coronation grape. It is similar in
taste and size to the concord grape but it has a smaller seed. There
is also a green table grape which is also similar in size to the
concord but again has a very small seed. They are both good for eating
and juicing!

Come a little later on Friday to give me a chance to get the grapes.
Between 4 and 8PM is good. It will be self-serve. I'll have a box to
leave the cheques in.

Happy juicing,
Nina

PS There will be grapes for sale next week too.

Sunday, September 7, 2008

Bailey's holiday week - Niagara fruit next week

Hi Folks,

I just found out that we can still buy fruit on Sept 19 so I will not
be taking Niagara fruit orders this week. We're up to our eyeballs in
pears and pearsauce! Need a breather before doing grapes.
See you next week,
Nina

Wednesday, September 3, 2008

Bailey's Reminder and Clarity re confusing chicken/turkey orders

Hi Folks,

Reminder that this week's order is due today at 9PM.
No buying club next week.

I've received a number of questions which tell me I need to try to
clarify the Thanksgiving turkey order.
If you ordered Thanksgiving turkeys, your order still stands for a
Thanksgiving turkey (or two), I am filling that order with a drug-free
turkey rather than a pasture-raised turkey (at a lower cost). If you
do not want a drug-free turkey substitute, email me and I will cancel
your order for a Thanksgiving turkey.

Now, want to order a pasture-raised turkey for pick-up November 7?
Turkey breasts, turkey parts and turkey meaty bones for broth are also
available on Nov 7. Use the form I sent on Monday to order or email me
requesting another form.

Want to place a second or third order, go ahead. I will combine the
multiple orders under your name (please use the same name for each
order).
With respect,
Nina

PS Thinking of joining in the salsa canning workshop Sept 11 at 7PM
with Matthew and Paul? You can be the new King or Queen of salsa in
your household! Email Paul or I to reserve
your spot in this workshop. It's $5 and only 10-12 people can join.

Monday, September 1, 2008

Bailey's Local Food Buying Club

Hi Folks,

Remember, no buying club next week so get enough for two weeks.

This week we have cheese from Millbank, the last of fruits from
Niagara (!!), cinnamon rolls for Saturday breakfast, popcorn, honey,
maple syrup (BIG jugs this time too), local apples called "strawberry"
and most of the glorious veggies we had last time.

We have a few half bushels of Roma paste tomatoes. More will be coming.

Happy Local Eating,
Nina

Bailey's Buying Club Sept 5

Hi Folks,

Welcome back to "real life." Some of you may be ready to dig into
this local food stuff now that you're into regular schedules. If so,
good timing! Did you know that September is Local Food Month? It's
true! The 100 Mile Authors will be speaking at WPL on Sept 16 (I
think that's the evening). One thing to consider is joining in a
workshop. We've got a workshop on canning salsa Sept 11 7PM at Erb St.
Mennonite Church (corner of Erb St. and Dunbar).

Join Paul Born and Matthew Bailey-Dick for an evening of salsa
canning. Matthew and Paul will demystify the process of canning and
you will learn (hand-on!) how to make salsa in your own kitchens.
Bring $5 to cover supplies and take home a jar of your own salsa. To
register email paul ASAP! (if you can't make the date but are interested, email Paul). Tortilla chips and tissues provided. While the jars are in the canner you can discuss other
things you want to can and talk about starting a community canning
centre.

Local Food Workshops and Events
Have you ever wanted to collect buckets of honey from your backyard or
rooftop? Little City Farm is offering a workshop on beekeeping on
Sept 27. Matthew and I are excited to attend since we've talked about
having a few hives on top of the carport. Also, if you're thinking
about going to the Taste Local! Taste Fresh! in Victoria Park on
September 21, get tickets before it is too late. Go to the foodlink
website http://www.foodlink.ca/index.php?first=41100ddb5337c It'd be
fun to see you there.

Our 100 Mile Potluck Picnic is Sept 20 at 5PM here at 72A. You are all
invited. Bring a dish to share and include a label with the recipe on
it and the origins of the ingredients (at least the ones you know). It
is not a purist 100 Mile picnic. If you use olive oil, I'm not
complaining. It is a chance to feast on the bounty of local foods
that are available in September. Also a chance to pick up a few new
favourite recipes. Please bring: a dish or two to share depending on
the size of your group (with recipe label), your own tablewear, lawn
chairs, and/or a picnic blanket. If it rains, we will postpone it to
another day so check your email for updates.

No Pasture-Raised Turkeys for Thanksgiving
Bad news on the turkeys, folks. No, they were not all eaten by
coyotes. But we won't have any pasture-raised turkeys from Miriam and
Mervin because the the butcher is too busy to butcher them. So, the
earliest you can taste a pasture-raised turkey is November 7. I'm
assuming that most of you have a Thanksgiving meal where you wan to
serve turkey. Good news! I've found a farmer who can sell us
drug-free turkeys that will be ready Oct 10. So, I'll lower the price
per pound to reflect this farmers' lower costs and have your turkey
here as planned. Kevin Snyder from Breslau mixes the feed himself so
he knows exactly what goes in. (If your heart was set on a
pasture-raised turkey and no other kind will do, email me before
Friday and I'll cancel your order.) The other good news is that Kevin
has a few extra so if you still want to order a turkey for
Thanksgiving, it is not too late.

To order a turkey for the new pick up time of Nov 7, see the order
form I'll be sending out again. If you want to order more than once,
go ahead, I'll combine your orders in the spreadsheet. When you get
the link to the poultry order form, you'll also have a chance to order
some of the world's best sausage. Turkey sausage made from
pasture-raised turkeys. Here are the ingredients for the sausage:
turkey, potatoes, oatmeal, water, sea salt, black pepper, ascorbic
acid, and garlic powder. It's even better than Stemmler's sausage. I
know, hard to believe : ) I'll see if I can have some for sampling at
the potluck picnic.

Waiting List to Join Buying Club
Do you know others who want to join this buying club? If so, have them
email me. Our website will be ready next week and you could pass that
on to others too. Right now I will put new members on a waiting list
to join October 30. We are at our maximum capacity right now but by
the end of October we can welcome more people who want easy access to
a variety of local foods all Winter. The Winter pick-ups will be once
a month. The last summer pick-up is Oct 31 and then the next ones are
Nov 28, December 19, and January 16. I'm attaching the schedule for
the pick-ups and when certain items are offered.

New Offerings
We have butter from Alliston. This butter is made within 100 miles of
us and the milk is probably from within 100 miles but I cannot be
certain since milk is pooled from many farms. We also have North
American Saffron from Lydia Bauman near St. Jacobs. She says it is
milder than the imported saffron but still gives a lovely yellow hue
to food. See also heirloom tomatoes and big jugs of maple syrup.

Preserving Idea
Make your own sundried tomatoes. Widemans are offering bulk grape
tomatoes this week. These tomatoes are excellent for drying. My 3 and
6 year old kids like to cut them in half and put them in the
dehydrator trays. They can do at least 10 pints in a sitting!
This is a great year for pears. Our tree just gave us 6 bushels. We
can pearsauce and apple-pearsauce from them and our kids ask for it
all year. I think we canned about 60 quarts last year and it was gone
by the end of May. They like it on yogurt and cereal. We figured out
an easy and nutritious way to make it: stem and core them, cook em in
a bit of water, and then blend them in the blender. This way there is
no peeling needed and the peel adds extra goodness. Pour puree into
hot sterile jars and put into a hot water bath for 30 min.

Challenges
Those mushrooms last week were not Crimini and were not from within
100 miles. Sorry about that. I'm trying to be careful to only order
local foods from Pfennings but that one slipped through.

Has anyone else had trouble with their raspberry jam not sealing and,
therefore, moulding? One person did; I'd like to know if it is a
wide-spread problem.

No Buying Club September 12
No buying club next week so order enough for two weeks. My dad will be
gone next week and it is too hard to do it without him.

Happy Eating,
Nina

Bailey’s Local Foods Buying Club Schedule for 2008

Fresh vegetables every pick-up day plus the following items on certain pick-up days.

Pick up

day

Honey &

Maple

syrup

Frozen

chicken

Frozen

turkey

Frozen

beef

Peanut-

Butter,

Popcorn, black currant jam, Canola oil & Sparkling Apple Ciders

Grains

&

Flours

Baked

goods

Preserves Southern

fruits

Sausage Cheese
June 6 x x
June 20 x
June 27 x x x
July 4 x x x x
July 9 x x
July 18 x x x
July 25 x x x
Aug 1 x x x x
Aug 8 x x
Aug 15 x x x x
Aug 22 x x
Aug 29 x x
Sept 5 x x x x
Sept 12 x
Sept 19 x x x
Sept 26 x x x x
Oct 3 x x x
Oct 10 x x
Oct 17 x x x
Oct 24 x x
Oct 31 x x x x x x x
Nov 7 x
Nov 28 x x x x x x x
Dec 19 x x x x x
Jan 16 x x x x x x
Feb 20 x x x x x x
March 20 x x x x x x
April 17 x x x x x
May 22 x x x x x x x

Bailey's Buying Club - Local Pasture-Raised Turkey and Chicken

Hi Friends,

I've updated the chicken order form with the dates for pick up. We are
no longer taking orders for chickens as they are all spoken for. The
pick up dates have been pushed back to allow the birds to get a little
bigger. The next one is Sept 12 and then Oct 17 will be the last
delivery of chicken. The turkeys for thanksgiving (formerly delivered
Oct 3) will be ready for pick up Oct 10 and are drug-free rather than
pasture-raised.

The pasture-raised chicken and turkey is raised by Miriam and Mervin
Gingerich near Newton (25 min drive from Waterloo). The unique thing
about this turkey and chicken is that it is raised ON PASTURE. This
means that the birds are happier and healthier than indoor birds. They
also produce better-tasting and healthier meat. The Gingerichs have
the birds slaughtered at a licensed facility. All the meat is frozen.

The drug-free turkey is raised by Kevin Snyder near Breslau. His
barns offer lots of fresh air and he mixes his feeds himself so he
knows exactly what goes in them.

If you have any questions, email me at ninabd@gto.net.

The farmers and Bailey's Local Foods thank you,
Nina