Black Island Farms CSA (Community Supported Agriculture)

My friend Kamri tipped me off to this. Black Island Farms is starting a CSA. Since I did not know what one was, I pulled this information off of their website. You can also see it by clicking on this link and going to the bottom and choosing CSA offerings. Make sure to go to their website to print off the form if you're interested in doing this. Even though Black Island Farms is located in Syracuse, it looks like there will be pick up locations from Salt Lake to Eden. This program will run for 18 weeks and be $200 for a half share ($11.11 per week) and $400 for a full share ($22.22 per week) plus all the extra's.

What?
A CSA is a partnership - between us and you, the
consumer. CSA members pledge support to a local
farm operation so that growers and consumers
provide mutual support, sharing the risks and
benefits of food production.

Why?
The farmer benefits by knowing in advance how
much food to grow, which reduces waste, costs and
time. An upfront payment in the spring will help the
farmer when most needed. The farmer in return
provides, to the best of it’s ability, a healthy supply
of of seasonal fresh produce throughout the
growing season.

Members receive a weekly share of the farm’s
harvest. They also receive only the freshest produce
for the best value. Members of CSA’s also enjoy the
satisfaction of knowing the methods used to grow
their food and that they are supporting their local
farmer.

How?
Members purchase “farm shares” in the spring.
during the harvest, the food is delivered weekly to a
location within the community to be picked up by the
members.

About our 2009 CSA Program
Our program this year will be 18 weeks. We will start
late June and run through October. (Weather
permitting it could be earlier or later) Members will
receive a weekly assortment of produce and fruits that
are ready for harvest throughout the season.We will be
using other local growers we know and trust for some
of these items. To ensure the best quality possible, the
produce will be harvested the same morning as
delivery.

Monthly special events
This is the exciting part! We will offer monthly special
events held at Black Island Farms. They will include,
but are not limited to:
Work days- come help transplant cabbage or work a
field.

Educational seminars, concerts, or magic show. Each
will be hosted in our pole barn with, cow train rides,
pumpkin bounce house, farm animals, and hay rides
through out the farm. A dutch oven dinner will be
offered at an additional fee.

How to become a member
Read and sign the application on the back of this
brochure and return, along with payment. As soon as
your payment is recorded, you will get an e-mail
notifying you that your account has been activated,
and give you more information about your first
delivery/ pickup.

What do we offer?
Carrots
Cabbage
Summer Squashes
Cucumbers
Sweet Corn
Cantaloupe
Honeydew
Watermelon
Potatoes
Potted Flowers
Ornamental red peppers, Dwarf Sum
Flowers, Zinnias
Potted Herbs
Tomatoes
And a opportunity to purchase additional
tomatoes for canning.
Chili Peppers
Green Peppers
Roasted Chili Peppers
Fall Squash
25# Bag Storage Carrots
25# Bag Storage Onions
25# Bag Storage Potatoes
Weekly Newsletter
Fall Decoration Package:
Mini straw bale, corn stalks, assorted
pumpkins and gourds.
Family Pass To Black Island Farms Harvest Festival for
up to 6 people. Opportunity to purchase tickets for
Nightmare Acres.
Monthly Special Events

2009 Black Island Farms CSA Sign Up Sheet
Name ________________________________________
Address_______________________________________
City____________________ Zip____________
Daytime Phone __________________ Evening Phone
______________________
E-mail________________________
Half Share $200 ______ Full Share $400______

A letter with the exact address and start dates will be
mailed out at a later date. Please
choose from one of the following approximate pick up
locations: (Check One)

(We are looking for volunteers for each pickup site.
Volunteers will be compensated.)
Tuesday (Pickup after 4:00 p.m.)
____Woods Cross ____Centerville ____South Ogden
____Eden
____ 12th 14th E Ogden ____Syracuse

Thursday (Pickup after 4:00 p.m.)
___Avenues ___1700 S & 1700 E ___3900 S & 3200 E
___Murray ___Draper
___3500 S & 850 E ___West Jordan ___Parleys Way
___9th S and 10th East

Friday & Saturday Special events: Special events will
be announced in the newsletter, along with sign up
information.

We cannot be responsible for missed pickups.
Arrangements can be made to double your full or half
share for the following week with at least one-day
notice.

Any questions or comments please feel free to give us a
call.: Dorathy Law: 540-7932 Brandon Law: 940-2817

Please fill out the above form and mail along with
payment to:

Black Island Farms
P.O. Box 100
Layton, Utah 84040

Bountiful Baskets Co-op taking orders for 5/2/09

I believe today was the first day you could get in and order your fruit/veggie basket. It's a little confusing to navigate their website so follow this link for more help. I just ordered mine about 2:00 pm on Tuesday and there were 67 slots left. I'm sure these will go fast. Here's the website link. Maybe I'll see you there on Saturday morning.....bright and early

Free KFC on Monday 4/27/09

Yep - The colonel is changing things up a bit and now he has a new grilled chicken. Stop by any participating KFC for a free piece of grilled chicken (managers choice). Yum.....

Now this is a sweet deal - I love couponing!

The one thing I absolutely hate about grocery shopping is taking my kids. I kind of got railroaded this week and guess what - I ended up at the store today with all three kids. Yes, I was that woman shooting daggers at my kids as they played hopscotch up and down the aisles.

Having said that - I hit the jackpot today! My jaw just about dropped to the floor when the Albertson's cashier told me how much I just saved. Here's what I got (you'll have to wait to see how much I saved.....)


Purchase #1

19 boxes of General Mills cereal

5 Betty Crocker cookie mixes

2 boxes of Bagelfuls

6 boxes of Betty Crocker fruit snacks

1 can of Pam (I should have purchased this in purchase #2 below)

3 artichokes

1 pkg of Chips Ahoy cookies

4 boxes of Fiber One toaster pastries

3 cups of mini Chips Ahoy cookies

1 8pk of Coke (it's in the next picture)

Because I had so many boxes of cereal and nothing else would fit in the cart, I paid for this and took it to my car and came back in for more. In total I paid $49.46 and saved $111.68. If you're familiar with this sale you'll know that for every $10 you spend on Kraft items, you save $4 at the register. I saved $32 plus all my coupons.

Purchase #2

1 box Ritz crackers

6 boxes Orville Redenbacher popcorn

3, 4pks of Hunts pudding

10 Marie Callendars pot pies

5 Frozen Healthy Choice meals

2 bottles Hunts Ketchup

2 boxes of Betty Crocker Stickerz (these should have been purchased with purchase #1 above)

2 bags David's Sunflower seeds

As you can see, I made a few mistakes in the sales - that's another reason I don't like bringing my kids. I get easily distracted. My second purchase was $45.12 and I saved $63.39. I also earned $10 towards my next shopping trip. In total I spent $94.58 and saved $175.37. I walked out with a little spring in my step and a smile on my face.

I had a few extra coupons especially for the ConAgra sale. If you receive the Salt Lake papers, there was an insert for Smith's a few weeks back. These were manufacturer's coupons and a lot of them were on this weeks Albertson's sale. Also, if you happened to pick up the May edition of All You magazine from WalMart, there were a few coupons in there as well (it's not too late to get one from WalMart).

Albertson's sale starting 4/21

If you haven't already looked through your ad, I would certainly recommend doing so. There are quite a few 4 and 5 ***** items this week. Especially cereal. That's what I'll be there for.

If you haven't checked out the lists yet - here's a link to PYP and Grocery Smarts.

Happy shopping - if you get some great deals, I'd love to hear about it or send me some pictures and we'll brag about it!

The Future of Food - it will scare you

I saw this posted on a blog that I watch and I sat down to watch it tonight and it really frightens me. This movie is really thought provoking. It takes about and hour and a half, but really worth the watch. It will certainly make you think.

http://www.hulu.com/watch/67878/the-future-of-food

After you watch it, I would love your feedback - What do you think?

Utah Co-op resources

I thought it would be nice to link up a few other co-op resources available in Utah. I mentioned in my previous post that I had wanted to try one of these but had never done one and I think it was because I didn't feel like I knew a lot about them and they weren't convenient for me. Even though there is not a co-op location for all of Utah, there are still quite a few pick up locations.

I'm definately no expert at co-op's, but the last post seemed to generate a lot of interest. So I thought I would post some resources for Utah co-op's.

Utah Co-op
1899 S Redwood Rd, A4
Salt Lake City, Utah
http://www.utahcoop.org/

Crossroads Co-op
*has many different food pick up locations (Ogden to Provo)
http://www.crossroads-u-c.org/cfc/index.html

Bountiful Baskets Food Co-op
*follow the directions in the previous post
http://02b8ce3.netsolstores.com/

If you don't see a convenient location - it's definately worth contacting the website to see what you can do about getting one where you live. I know the people from Bountiful Baskets (the one I tried) said that they are opening up new locations depending on the demand.

This ranks right up there with winning the lottery, but better for you

I read a blog on Pinching Your Pennies about a new co-op that was currently working in Brigham City and Clearfield. Since I'm a Davis County girl, I decided to try this out and I was amazed!

(quick explanation of what a co-op is: It's a group of people who choose to purchase food as a group to save money)

So I'm going to start from the very beginning (just so you know what I went through).

*Alarm goes off at 6:15 am - almost turn it off, because in that sleep filled mind of mine, did not remember I was going to the co-op.

*Laid there for several minutes trying to gather my senses and leaped out of bed to pull on my clothes, brushed my hair and teeth and jumped in the car and was off.

*Found the park (Which I had never been to before - I went to Kiwana's park in Clearfield. If you need directions let me know, callmestacy@yahoo.com or leave a comment)

*Talked to a few people, they immediately put me to work breaking down produce boxes (note to self, gloves would be helpful next time) so it was fun to talk with others who had done this before.

*After breaking down boxes, they allowed the volunteers to take a few extra fruits and veggies that were above and beyond what was in the baskets (I got 2 mango's, a bag of grapes and a bunch of broccoli)

*They had us line up (those that came early and volunteered, got to go first - Yea!!! I was glad I got somewhere early for once)

*The lady with the clipboard was checking us in and I was told to pick up the produce from the two baskets.

*I brought 2 recycleable grocery bags with me, but wished I had brought something more sturdy, like a laundry basket (note to self - for next time)

*I loaded the contents of the two baskets into my bags (easily 20lbs each) and took them back to the lady with the clipboard and signed the form stating I had picked up my "share"

*We were asked to help cart off the boxes that we had broken down, this is purely a volunteer program so I grabbed several loads and took them to the elementary and dropped them off in the recycle boxes on my way home.

*Got home at 7:20 am and wanted to call everyone to tell them what a great experience I had, but quickly realized it was a little too early so therefore, I am blogging about it.

Here's a few pictures of what I got and some additional details for anyone who wants to try it out.

This was everything I got, below are some closer pictures.

2 bags of green grapes

1 lb of strawberries

1bunch of bananas + 2 extra (I love them green, so they last longer)

1 pineapple (a little green so I can let it sit for a few days while we work on the other fruits and veggies)

10 tomatoes

8 Fuji and pink lady apples

7 mangos

2 large cucumbers

2 bunches of broccoli

3 heads of Romaine lettuce (I will need to use these fast - they won't last very long)

3 yellow squash

8 red potatoes

So here are the details - I am so glad I did this. I've been wanting to try out a co-op for a long time. I will definatley do this again, until my garden grows.

I went to http://www.bountifulbaskets.org/. Once there, the site is a little confusing - they mostly serve Arizona right now and are just opening up in Utah. (A little background: the people who provide the produce also deliver to restaurants so they are selling restaurant grade produce)

Look down the left hand column until you find Co-op Offerings.

Click on the picture and it will take you to another page where you choose your pick-up location, and what you'd like to order.

Submit that information with your credit card number and print your confirmation page (also good to bring with you in case they ask you for it)

Here's a couple of additional things to note:

1- This co-op is only every other week. So the next delivery will be on May 2nd.

2 - On May 2nd, they will open another site in Roy, Utah (North Park - I can give you directions if you need - email me at callmestacy@yahoo.com or leave a comment). Currently they only have 3 sites, Brigham City, Clearfield and Roy (next time).

3 - You are not committed to anything, if you want to participate, you sign up each week.

4 - The first time you participate you are charged and additional $3.00 for the baskets they use to seperate the orders for everyone - these baskets are not to keep, they are for the organizers of the co-op to use each time.

5 - I also paid a $1.50 handling fee and I'm not sure if that is everytime or not.

6 - I paid $15.00 for the produce I picked up (with the addition of the basket charge and handling fee, $19.50 total)

7 - I had the option to also purchase a 40lb box of Washington Pink Lady apples, an Italian Food pack (which was more veggies - I saw mushrooms, but didn't see what else this package had), a 5 pack of Honey Wheat Sandwich bread, a 3 pack of Raisin Cinnamon Round loafs, and a 4 pack of European Rye Oval loafs.

8- I was also told not to be late. Even if you've paid, they will leave if you don't show up on time. Arriving early definatley had it's advantages of being one of the first to pick and being allowed to get a few extra's. It's purely volunteer and some had been there since 5:00 am setting up. My pickup was at 7:00 am.

Each week will bring new and different produce. You never know what you will get and how much - I guess that's why it's fun. I get to try new things or things I would not have picked up at the store.

I hope you found the details of my experience helpful. I had always wondered how these got put together and now I know. Hopefully I'll see you there next time!

Smith's is serving up some good deals this week

It feels like I haven't been grocery shopping in weeks. I guess I've picked up a few of the perishables and that's all. As I looked over the grocery lists this week, Smiths' seemed to have a lot of the things I was looking for. Here's a couple of pictures of what I picked up.





1 8 pk of Coke

1 loaf of Country Oven bread

5 bottles of Softsoap (these were $.64 each w/coupons from SS 3/29 - expires 4/18/09)

2 bottles of Kroger Alcohol

1 bottle of Kroger Hydrogen Peroxide

1 gallon of Minute Maid orange juice

1 box Kellogs Apple Jacks (each box of Kellogs cereal was $.68 w/coupons from RP 4/5 - expires 5/17/09)

1 box Kellogs Pops ($.68)

1 box Kellogs Fruit Loops (.$68)

4 bottles Suave shampoo/conditioner (3 bottles were $.30 each w/coupon from RP 3/1 and one bottle was $.88 - expires 5/24/09)

10 cups of Yoplait yogurt

6 Totino's pizzas

5 Grill Mates seasonings (FREE w/coupon RP 3/15 -expires 5/31/09)

1 head of broccoli

1 box Kellogs Raisin Bran Crunch ($.68)

1 box Kellogs Special K blueberry ($.68)

3 oranges

1 bunch of bananas

2 bags Don Julio corn chips

1 Pillsbury cresent rolls

1 bag of grapes

I paid $48.14 and saved $22.14 (that's 45%). I purchased 48 items, so that was about $1.00 per item. For not having gone shopping in a while - this was a pretty good trip to the store.

Want to share your great deals? Email me at callmestacy@yahoo.com and I'll post it!


*** Stay tuned, I signed up with a co-op and am getting my first delivery of fruits and vegetables on Saturday morning. I will post pictures and details when I get it. ***

Printing your blog

My friend Tonya sent me a great tip for printing your "Blogger" blog. I know this is a way of journaling for a lot of people. What a great way to keep those memories, pictures and precious moments.

Check out "In the Trenches of Mommyhood." Tonya found the information she was looking for on this blog. Tonya ended up printing her blog and was very happy with the results!

So for all of you that are interested, the deal gets even better. Check out "In the Trenches of Mommyhood" for all the sweet deals she's offering as well a chance to win a Target gift card.

Thanks Tonya - this is a great deal, especially for everyone wanting to preserve all their hard work they've put into their blog!

Walgreen's has 10 cent prints through 4/18/09

This is a great deal - especially if you have a bunch of pictures from Easter to print. Click on this link to take you to Walgreens.

Cute Townhome for sale....

I have some friends that are trying to sell their townhome. It's located in West Haven, UT (Weber County)- a nice quiet community. It has 3 bedrooms, 1.5 bath, central air, no yard to maintain and was built in 2006. This complex has a pool and clubhouse. They are willing to include kitchen appliances (fridge, oven, microwave & dishwasher) and even their washer and dryer if you're interested.

They are asking $133,900.

If you'd like more details, take a look at this link.

Free Precious Places DVD - Mattel

If any of you ordered the Planet Hero's DVD, Mattel has come up with a new series for girls called Precious Places. You can get these DVD's for free at this link. It takes about 12-14 weeks for delivery, but very fun for your kids to get in the mail.

I know every time we've gotten a new free DVD, my kids have to watch it about 3 times before they will let me turn it off. You can also preview the DVD online at the link above.

Babies R Us one day sale (Friday, April 10th)

Friday, April 10th

*92 ct or higher

*Gift card available after purchase at checkout

My peep, Tracie sent me this great deal - Thanks a bunch!

Easter Walgreens Coupons

My friend Tracie sent me a link for some great Easter coupons at Walgreens. The E.B. is coming soon.....take advantage of these great deals.

http://www.walgreens.com/dmi/instorespecials/default.jsp?ec=hn1009_getcoupons

Thanks Tracie for the great link!

A special offer for anyone living in the Layton, Syracuse area

I have a friend that lives in Syracuse, UT that is putting together an order for 40 lbs of chicken (4, 10lb bags - per box). He can get it for $1.39/lb. That's a fabulous price!!!!

If you're interested, here are a few details:

Orders need to be placed no later than April 13th (next Monday). You can call Doug at 801-773-5219 to order and get pickup information. The chicken will be delivered on April 20th about 7:30 pm. This means you would need to pick it up shortly thereafter (probably no later than about 8:00 pm). He will not have room to store any chicken that is not picked up. This offer is open to anyone that is interested (you don't need to live in just Layton/Syracuse area, you just need to make sure you can pick up the chicken before it spoils).

Below are some information from the woman he is placing the order with.

"I run a small local food storage Co-op in Idaho. I have brought in Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts several times for our local wards for canning and freezing. This time my sources went from $1.39 lb to $1.69 lb. So, I spent the last month calling poultry farms all over the USA. Everyone said the wholesale prices went up to $1.69 lb. I told them I could buy it retail for less than that. They said, that was because the stores are selling previously processed chicken bought months ago at the lower price. And all the freshly processed ones are now $1.69 lb. So, the prices will be hitting the stores soon.I finally found an Oregon farm that still had some frozen breasts for $1.39 lb. I need a min. order of 100 cases. I have 61 ordered so far. So, I need 39 more to go. If anyone is interested here is the info:
This is 10 oz or larger Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breast for $1.39 lb.(These are not injected with water or broth before freezing like most chicken breasts. So they won't shrink to half size when you cook them. You get true weight.)They are packaged in 4 – 10 lb bags per case. (40 lbs per case.)That will be $55.60 a case, plus 6% Idaho Tax = $58.94 a caseOrder deadline: April 15th.Delivery is April 20th evening in Lehi, Ut and April 21st morning in Preston, Id. (Other drop off locations can be added of 10 cases or more)(To store: refreeze in smaller qualities: Thaw out, place individually on non-stick lined cookie sheets, freeze, and put into freezer bags. Or can with chicken broth.)
Current Local Retail pricing (As of April 3rd, 2009):

Maceys - $1.59 lb (broth injected)

Smith's - $1.69 lb

Albertson's – Buy one, get one free $4.99 lb ($2.50 lb)

Stokes – $3.49 lb

Theurer's - $1.69 lb"

This would make some great food storage or chicken for canning. You definately can't beat the price. Remember to contact Doug to order 801-773-5219.

Kents Early Bird Sale - Saturday April 4th, 6am to noon

There's a few things you need to know before going....

1- The store will be packed!
2 - It will be hard to find a parking spot
3 - Grocery carts will be hard to find - if you see one in the parking lot - snag it.
4 - Please bring your patience.....the lines will be long
5 - The lady at the customer service desk also advised getting there at 5:45 am.

With these things in mind, here are some great deals!

Golden Ripe Dole Bananas 3lb/$.99 per lb
WF 24 Pack Drinking Water $2.88
Quart Strawberries $.99
Family Pack Boneless Extra Lean Beef Stew Meat $2.49/lb
Meadow Gold Fudge or Orange Dream Bars 4/$5.00
8-9.5oz Cheetos, Crunchy Cheetos, or Fritos Corn Chips 3/$5.00
Family Pack Bone in Pork Shoulder Roast $.99/lb
White or Wheat Farm Bread 24oz 4/$5.00
C&B Maddox Turkey Steaks $7.99
WF 15 Roll Towels or 36 Roll Bath Tissue $6.77
Asst Tony's Pizza's 6/$10.00
Rogers One Dozen Large Eggs $.99
Boneless Beef Whole Rump Roast $1.89/lb
Assorted Armour Sizzle 'n' Serve Sausage $.79
Kent's Bakery One Dozen Asst Jumbo Muffins $3.99
Family Pack Boneless Beef Swiss Steaks $2.29/lb
10lb Bag Extra Extra Extra Diet Lean Ground Beef $1.99/lb
6oz Asst Meadow Gold Yogurt 3/$1.00
Kent's Deli Black Forest Ham $2.99/lb
Nabisco Asst Oreos 2/$5.00
One Dozen Fresh Glazed Donuts $2.49
WF 2lb Medium Cheddar Cheese $3.99
Kent's Deli Honey Roasted Turkey Breast $2.99/lb
Asst 24oz Don Julio Tortilla Chips $1.79
Armour 2.6oz Asst Lunch Makers $.79
Family Pack Bone in Pork Shoulder Steaks $1.29/lb
Farr's Asst 1 Gal Ice Cream $4.99
Asparagus $.99/lb
Cow 16oz Butter Quarters 2/$3.00
Kent's Deli Italian Roast Beef $3.99/lb
Boneless Beef Rump Roast $1.99/lb
Kent's Deli 5lb Bag Shredded Cheddar Cheese $10.99 each
20lb Box Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts or Tenders $35.80
Pepsi Asst 6 Pack 24oz Bottles 4/$10.00

(I went to this sale last year and while I was working my way through the store, they were marking things down even further than the published price).