Member-owner Jamie Gans is not only a first-rate fiddler but, as these beautiful loaves suggest, a fine baker as well. Jamie says of these loaves:

    Both are made with 90-95% home ground 'Fields of Agape' wheat berries. I made a rye loaf too but did not include it in the photo because it was made from Canadian rye berries and not Indiana wheat. It is difficult to see from the quality of the snapshot but the loaf on the left (leaning at a slant)  is made from hard red and the loaf to the right with the darker crust is made from the hard white berries. I don't know if you have tried them (the red and white berries) both yourself, but the 'hard red' loaf has that traditional whole wheat robust flavor (my favorite) and the 'hard white' loaf has a lighter, milder, but still full bodied taste.

With cooler weather coming on, baking and indulgence in hearty fare such as this will be a delight.

Greetings,

The Bloomingfoods Garden Center, located at the Bloomingfoods East store, 3220 E Third St, got off to an encouraging start this year.  Now, as the growing season winds down, we’re already turning out attention to how we can make it even better next year.  We believe that one of the best things we can do is to dramatically increase the number and variety of locally produced flowers, shrubs, and other products (including an enhanced offering of native plant species) we offer our customers. Bloomingfoods is strongly committed to promoting a sustainable, local economy, and one of the ways we do that is by providing local producers a venue for their products.  Abundant evidence of this can be seen throughout all departments of our stores, and next year we want that local presence to extend more prominently into our Garden Center. In conjunction with our expanded plant offerings, we are also considering the development of a gardening education series for both adults and kids.

We know that to do this, we need to begin working closely now with local growers, as you wrap up this growing season and begin to plan what and how much you’ll produce next year. We’d love to be an integral part of your plans, as you will be ours. So to get this relationship started, we’d like to invite anyone who produces a product he or she believes is suitable for sale in a garden center to join us on September 15^th, from 7:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m. at the Monroe County Extension Office Meeting Room (3400 S Walnut). There, we will  explore ideas concerning next year’s plant and product offerings, and we will discuss with local producers how we can cooperate together to bring these items to the Garden Center in a way that is efficient, sustainable, and mutually beneficial for both the grower and the co-op.

Specific topics we’ll cover include:

·      Arranging both wholesale or a consignment agreements

·      Types of plants that will stock

·      Education programs for next year

·      Fertility of plants - what we expect for resale

·      Container sizes for each plants

·      POP Materials - producer supplied or GC supplied

·      Photos of each producer and a write up about them, to be displayed at the GC

·      Plant signage for the Center, and how that will benefit local producers

·      Scheduling for plant materials to be received at GC

We’re delighted by the early success enjoyed by the Bloomingfoods Garden Center, and we’re excited by the prospect of working closely and in harmony with you, the growers, as we offer our shoppers the finest in locally-produced plants and other products.  Please join us on September 15^th so that our work together can begin. If you will be joining us, please call or email JD at the number or email below.

Sincerely yours,

JD Lucas, Manager of the Bloomingfoods Garden Center

812-345-6750   This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

The East store deli department is currently reviewing its baking recipes, and is giving particular scrutiny to the oils it uses.  For many years, canola has been our primary choice. As one resource explains:  "One of the healthiest for your heart and most versatile cooking oil in use today, Canola oil is used widely by both home cooks and professional chefs alike. It's light, clear and has a mild taste, which makes it ideal for cooking, fondues, stir-frying, salads and marinades. And, yes, even baking!"  However, we are aware that "Safflower oil is also one of the best healthy cooking oils for baking, as the gentle, understated taste of safflower oil lets your other ingredients shine through."

If you have strong feelings regarding which we choose, we'd love to here from you. Please email the deli with your opinion.

Thanks,
Kai Bookwalter
Deli Manager

New at Bloomingfoods East, from Australia’s oldest family-owned vineyard, is the Yalumba Vineyards Y Series.  As a vineyard, Yalumba is dedicated to producing quality wines and committed to the preservation of Australia’s natural environment.  The Y Series is a line of varietals including a Cabernet Sauvignon, a Shiraz-Viognier, and an un-wooded Chardonnay made from organically grown, sustainably farmed grapes. 

As we wind down from a hot, hot summer, we look forward to the return of old friends and welcoming new friends to Bloomington and Bloomingfoods.  Stop in and say Hi!  It’ll be good to see you all!  

Some new items to look for at the east store:

FIVE STAR FOODIES
 Refrigerated Cider drinks (made with Indiana apples), Vegetarian Sloppy Joe’s, Vegetarian Harvest Roast and the Gourmet Grillers.  See more about this company at www.fivestarfoodies.com

ORGANIC VALLEY OMEGA 3 MILKS (WHOLE & 2 %)
Whole, Ultra Pasteurized, 64 oz
Think of Organic Valley Omega-3 Milk as "milk-plus"—all the delicious benefits of our organic milk with balanced nutrients to support brain and heart health!
• Complete source of Omega-3 DHA, EPA and ALA
• Excellent source of DHA and EPA- 50 mg per serving
• Organic milk produced without antibiotics, or synthetic pesticides or fertilizers
• Kosher fish oil sustainably sourced from Peru
• Supports brain and heart health

CIAO  BELLA SORBET
 New flavors that we’re REALLY EXCITED ABOUT-peach ginger, prickly pear & wild blueberry!!!!

ORGANIC ACRES
Our favorite local/organic egg supplier is providing us with organic EGG NOODLES made from Organic Acres egg yolks, Organic flour and salt (not too complicated…..)  Haven’t tried them yet – they’re that new!  But, they look amazing.
Also new at the East Store is our new oh-so-special “close out” section.  In place of the bin near the dairy case, we now have grocery shelves near the frozen foods section.  Check it out!  Wael promises to have it filled with great deals on favorites and new items alike.  The selection will be changing weekly so get ‘em while they’re hot!