Produce Buying Club--Opinions??

Fellow Foodies--

I forgot to add the attached Produce Availability List. Oops!

Don't forget to check out the Crop News for plants (i.e. strawberry plants, garlic bulbs, etc.). Also, we can buy FRESH mushrooms grown in PA from Amish and other local farms.

Enjoy--Foodie

 

Fellow Foodies--

Tuscarora Cooperative is NOW delivering 3 times a week. I am canning and freezing our OWN strawberries from our farm currently. I canned today over 25 quarts of strawberries for preserves. Our power was not off last night or today--thank goodness! Plus we have a Guardian generator for our home.

I just spoke to Tuscarora Cooperative an hour ago. There are plenty of berries upcoming and other Organic produce items.

I will post the NEW list tomorrow on this thread. Please PM or post your interest here. You can buy as much or as little as you desire. We can arrange for delivery to Broadlands or Ashburn areas if enough people wish for this schedule. Besides supporting local farmers, you can also get produce and herbs that you do NOT find in the grocery stores.

The season is off and doing well. Also, I can GIVE AWAY FREE BERRIES from our farm if anyone is interested. Just PM me. We have gallons of berries.

Thanks again and support your farmers in Loudoun or PA.

Foodie & Family

 

Fellow Foodies--

Below is the attached Produce Availability list for 06/12/08, etc. With the Salmonella scare for uncooked tomatoes, now is a great opportunity for you to check out the Produce Buying Club. Please note the message about local and Organic produce from the Cooperative. Great way to know where your food comes from.

Some members of the United Natural Foods Buying Club who are also from your own Broadlands neighborhood have expressed an interest in the Produce Organic Buying Club. So if you are interested in the idea--PM me or post your interest (or not??) in the Certified Organic produce.

Tuscarora Cooperative has now started delivery three (3) times a week fresh produce and plants. They also offer veggie and herb seedlings and plants. Even though we grow alot for ourselves, we often buy our plants from them to help support our friends. Do not forget to look at the Master Produce List posted previously on this thread for a timetable of what will be available in the coming season.

You will also find farm fresh Organic eggs from local Amish/Mennonite farms as well as other items you do not see at Wegmans and other stores. Canning and freezing season is now just started here at our farm. If you wish to know how to can or freeze produce from Farmers Markets, etc., PM me and I will provide classes or information.

Thanks again for your interest.

Foodie & Family

 

Foodie, The list looks pretty cool, I do have to say though I don't know what 75% of the items are!

 

Brassy, thepea2001, Sunny, and others--

Brassy--Did you also see the Master Produce Availability List for the growing season? If you need to know what the produce or herb is, feel free to ask me or PM me. Also, you can Google and look for the info. For example, chocolate mint is a great herb that I grow and put into my Chocolate Mint Nut cookie recipe. Yum.

Also, are you interested in the Produce Buying Club, any of "y'all"? Jeff and David from Tuscarora emailed today asking if we were ready to start the Club? Already I have interest in Fairfax and Eastern Loudoun Counties. If you work in Reston/Tysons Corner, Eastern Loudoun County, Ashburn, etc., Jeff said they can arrange a work stop and also a stop in Ashburn area. I have arranged for the Washington Post to interview me about the United Natural Foods and Produce Buying Clubs idea.

Just PM me either way on the Produce Buying Club. Thanks again. Lee, if you read this, I would be happy to give you some free food also.

Foodie

 

Just got an email from Tuscarora Cooperative, they want to know if anyone is interested in starting delivery next week? They deliver up to 3 times a week. See previous posts on this thread for info.

Thanks,

Foodie

 

Now that I finally have a free moment since my daughter who finally went to sleep after her fever broke, (what is that right?--), below is the Produce Availability List for week of 06/16/08. Some people have PM'd me regarding the viability of the Buying Club and how it would work or how cost saving it may/may not be.

Of course, it depends on how many individuals and/or families wish to sign up for the idea. Simply put, we split the cases after everyone agreeing on what we want to buy for that week's delivery and split the costs. Perhaps we could set up a delivery destination in Ashburn/Broadlands area. Also, it depends on TOG's delivery times, etc. I believe we would have a definite day and time (sometimes there may be delays with traffic, etc.) We would have a contact person to talk to for problems, etc. Maybe since American Flatbread uses TOG also--we could coordinate with their delivery dates.

You can bring your bags (storage bags or other ways to carry items) and then I pay Tuscarora with one check. The orders are C.O.D.; and you pay me check or cash the day of delivery. TOG's policy is that their customers are C.O. D.; and for me to pay with one check since I am the Buyer. I in turn would write TOG a check for the order the day of delivery. You would need to bring your payment the day of delivery so I can in turn pay TOG. I would deposit the monies in my account and write a check the day of delivery to TOG. I can provide a simple receipt with what you ordered and the what the total of your bill would be (perhaps someone could assist in doing the computer work). Because we would form a Buying Club, there is no concern about having a business license, etc. from what TOG told me.

I believe since they are from PA and providing the services that we would not have to do the VA sales taxes. I will get final details once I know if people are serious about ordering. I would post the Produce Availability List and then you let me know what your order(s) would be for that week's delivery. I would set up a separate email account just for this Produce Club to keep it separate from my other email accounts for simplicity's sake.

Maybe a Yahoo Group or similar--may be someone could help me with the details--I would deeply appreciate the extra legwork if you (or a group of volunteers rotating the duties) are committed to this Produce Club. I cannot be responsible for doing all the work, etc. This is the way most Buying/Cooperative Clubs work by volunteers not with just one person doing all the work or it will not be successful.

Once we commit the orders you would need to be sure to be on time and meet to pick up your orders so that we don't have an overage or spoilage of produce. Once we have an established delivery destination, the members would need to commit to meeting the truck at the agreed time and delivery destination to help unload the orders and split to cases, etc. With the United Buying Club, we only spend about 2 hours for wrapping up details.

If we find that members of the cooperative do not wish to order certain weeks or certain products, we just skip a week or you can take a "break" and rejoin us later if it works out for your needs. Even though we grow alot of our own produce, there are some things that we don't grow like apples, plums, peaches, and potatoes.

Also, until my own gardens produces, I supplement our own food budget with the cooperative. Lambs quarters are wild greens that tastes similar to spinach; and we don't grow this yet.

This is an opportunity to avoid high commodity prices on foods. As of this post, I will let you contact me if you want try it or work out details. If you want me to post the List after this week, please post here.

I won't post any more info until we have at least 8-12 committed members to make this work for a minimum membership. The more that joins the better the savings. It is a commitment for you to participate since I (as others) have other commitments. We don't have to order weekly.

Sorry my post was too long--like Lee's--just kidding. No sleep since I had a sick kid. Have a good night.

Thanks--

Foodie

 

Forgot to mention to look at the bottom of the attached Produce List for surcharge info. Split cases are $2.00 charges and I think a $5.00 fuel surcharge/per delivery. $15.00 for orders under $150 order. Just double check for info.

Sorry--

Foodie

 

Fellow Foodies--

I thought I would post the latest Produce Availability List from Tuscarora Cooperative. David emailed me the list yesterday. We are seeing if any of you are interested in participating in the Produce Buying Club.

Produce will be available throughout Summer and Fall 2008. Some Winter produce will also be available later in the season. Great way to can and freeze certified organic produce from PA farms. I already have harvested over 15 to 20 bushels of fruit and veggies to can and freeze from our own gardens. With alot more to do--:scaredeyes:

We are flying down to Sarasota, Florida to help out my grandparents on their farm. My grandmother fell off a stepladder this week and broke her arm. while she was washing her house windows outside. Thankfully, she is okay. My grandfather is out of business for a month; and we have to fly down with kids in tow to help with harvesting on their farm. What a way to have a family reunion--

Anyway, seeing that we won't return for two or three weeks, I thought I would post the Produce List for you to mull over if you are interested. Just post here or PM us. I will have my laptop with us to do some work on our Mennonite Cafe business ideas, etc. so I can check our email, etc.

Have a good week or so--

Foodie

 

Did you ever end up trying this?

 

JLC and others--

Well, Spring has "Sprung" on our farm and at our Certified Organic Farmers Cooperative (TOG--Tuscarora Organic Growers). Boy, are we going to have a great season this year!

To answer your query, JLC, we are members (as well as our relatives and friends of this PA cooperative). Therefore, Fellow Foodies, if any of "y'all" are interested in the upcoming fruits and vegetables that we will be offering for a Produce Buying Club, just let us know. I will be happy to post 2009's Availability List of Certified Organic Fruits and Vegetables that we will be selling. Also, we will have Organic plant seedlings for your own gardens.

The procedures for a Buying Club will work the same way that I previously described on this thread. We can arrange a "drop-off" destination for pickup in Broadlands area if necessary. Hubby is not involved in my "foodie" ventures. Still working and traveling with NG.

Anyway, just let me know. Also, on a sidenote, I will post on my other threads recipes for veggies/fruits. Also, think about a Dairy Buying Club, Eggs, Butter, Yogurt, etc. and/or farm-raised meats and poultry from PA Amish and Mennonite farms. Some of the farm products will come from our family farms in PA.

Thanks,

Foodie (& Family)