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Produce News

Wheatsville wants to provide you the opportunity to eat a ‘rainbow on every plate’ for every meal. Well, this is where the rainbow begins. On any given day we have about 80% organic products but this department changes every single day. We source primarily from local distributors and farmers so when the crop is ready - they bring it in. You can see the constant stream of fresh goodness coming through our back door. Heck, you’ve probably had to pull around their truck looking for a parking spot.

Once those fresh vegetables come in, we carefully prep them so that not only do they look good on the shelf but they last longer in your fridge. We only buy fruits and vegetables that are seasonal. That means you’re not going to find watermelons in the winter. And we are constantly looking for ways to support local food cultivation. Now that we think about it, maybe our produce is the end of the rainbow!

Pickles Please!

How to Preserve Peppers as Pickles & Hot Sauce Pickled peppers are a delicious and tangy addition to any meal. They are easy to make at home and can be customized to your liking.

The basic steps for making pickled peppers include combining water, vinegar, sugar, and salt in a saucepan and bringing it to a boil. Wash the peppers and place them in a clean glass mason jar. If you prefer less spicy pickles, remove the seeds. I recommend wearing gloves if the peppers are of a very spicy variety or if you have a sensitivity to capsaicin. Cover the prepared peppers with the boiled vinegar solution and add in any desired seasoning and spices. Allow the pickles to cool to room temperature before refrigerating. The peppers will be ready to enjoy after 8-12 hours. Sometimes even the pickled variety ends up in the fridge for longer than is ideal. Last year, my pickled peppers languished in the back of the fridge all summer before I found them again while deep cleaning before the holidays. The peppers still had a vibrant color and good flavor but had lost all their crunch and texture. Rather than toss them, I strained and blended them, resulting in hot sauce! The pureed peppers made a serviceable sauce but were much improved with a little seasoning. I like to season my hot sauce with ginger, cumin, and coriander to give it more dimension and flavor.

Once you have blended the peppers, you can get creative with your seasonings. Mellow out a spicy habanero with some pureed bell pepper or add a little sweetness to a Carolina reaper with some pineapple or blueberries. Add more sugar to make a sweeter sauce or add smoked paprika for a smoky taste.  You can also try pickling your peppers in tequila for a boozy hot sauce. There are so many possible variations. I hope this helps you find your perfect sauce recipe.

10-15 washed and trimmed peppers
(halved and seeded if desired)
1 cup white vinegar
(I often mix apple cider and white vinegar)
½ cup water
¼ cup sugar (optional)
2 tbsp salt
3-4 whole garlic cloves (optional)
peppercorns (optional)

1. Place the cleaned peppers into a mason jar.
2. In a small saucepan, heat the vinegar, water, sugar, and salt stirring until the sugar is dissolved.
3. Pour the vinegar solution over the peppers and cover. Allow to cool to room temperature before refrigerating.
4. Enjoy the peppers as pickles after 24 hours or leave until soft and puree into a sauce. Add spices and other seasonings to taste.

- Katie Brown

POS Coordinator

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A message from the General Manager




Howdy Wheatsvillagers,

It’s been a few months since we first announced Owner Extras, our new exclusive benefit for Wheatsville owners. We officially launched the program with the start of our new fiscal year in June, and we’re excited to share that owners are now reaping the benefits with each and every shop!

In case you missed the prior announcement, this program grants owners an additional 10% off all sale items marked with our green Co+op Deals signage. As our flagship sales program, these deals were already some of the best and most numerous sales in our stores, with more than a 1,000 SKUs marked down in any given week. With Owner Extras, they now offer even better savings for co-op owners! If you haven’t taken advantage of this program yet, I would encourage you to check out our latest sales flyer to explore some of your opportunities to save this week.

The success and long-term sustainability of this new owner benefit hinges upon the participation of our ownership. In modeling the cost and impact of this program, we determined that it can pay for itself if each active owner—defined as those who have shopped within the past year—visit our stores just one more time per year on average. We hope that this day-to-day benefit will encourage you to come and see us just a little more frequently. As Board President Brandon Hines notes elsewhere in this newsletter, the strength of our shared cooperative enterprise depends heavily on the regular participation of our community of co-op owners. We literally cannot do it without you!

In addition to highlighting this new program, I also wanted to take a moment to thank those of you who participated in our recent shopper survey. Because this was sent to a random sample of owners and shoppers, many of you reading this may not be aware it was conducted. Nonetheless, we appreciate the candid and insightful feedback of those who participated. We look forward to using your feedback to continuously improve the co-op shopping experience and to further refine our products and services with the goal of better meeting your needs. Serving as the heart of this community is our highest purpose, and your feedback is critical to that process.

And finally, I would be remiss not to highlight the many events we have undertaken at both co-op locations as yet another reason to come and see us. If you haven’t been to one yet, we would love to see you at one of our Party on the Patio events, held each third Thursday of the month on the Guadalupe patio. Come enjoy an affordable meal and beverage (adult or otherwise) along with live local music. Our Taste of Plant-Based sampling was on Saturday, July 22. We went even bigger this year, with sampling and activities throughout the store and spilling out into the parking lot.

Thank you all for your ongoing support and patronage of the only
consumer-owned grocery co-op in Texas. Take care y’all!

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Vendor of the Month: Hi-Fi Mycology

HI-FI MYCOLOGY MUSHROOM FARM

Mushrooms are trying to communicate with us. Turn up the volume and tune in to what they are here for. Hi-Fi Mycology is the first local, urban mushroom farm in Austin. The word Hifi represents Hypha which is the branching filaments which make up the mycelium of a fungus. That is a perfect metaphor of how Hifi started up! An idea that is branching into a full blown operation with the intention to grow in collaboration with the right businesses. Hifi is unique because we do everything in house from spawning, inoculating, incubating, fruiting and harvesting. We also produce mushrooms in many forms. Powders, tinctures, dried whole, fresh and even jerky! We are at most Farmers Markets in Austin. We are excited to expand throughout Austin and work with people that desire to incorporate local, holistic, natural ingredients to further enhance the products and services that they provide for the community!

Our tinctures are produced with top quality ingredients. They are Double extracted with one fraction being a 99% ethanol extraction and another fraction being a water decoction.  They are blended to bring the ethanol content to 33%.  We use a fresh batch of dried material for each fraction to maximize the beneficial compounds in each tincture.

Each tincture is specifically targeted for different health benefits.

Tinctures are the easiest and most direct, potent way to benefit from mushrooms. The key is consistency. All it takes is to add a couple drops into your routine everyday! It’s a gradual process. You can either drop under your tongue or add it into a drink of your choice. We recommend 5-10 drops a day.

The Quiet Tincture

Reishi mushroom blended with organic herbs, Skullcap for reducing anxiety and depression, We also add Chamomile which adds a nice digestive relaxant to the mix.

The Sharp Tincture

A blend with Lion’s Mane & Cordyceps. The Cordyceps adds an extra boost of energy along with antioxidants and anti-aging properties.


We also offer the dried form of all our mushrooms! We have dried whole and powders.

The powders are blended dehydrated mushrooms, they make it easier to add into a soup or tea on the go.

I’ve listed below how to prepare each mushroom whole or powder form that we offer below:


Reishi

Fresh Whole & Powder.

Add to soup or tea.

Flavor composition: Earthy, slightly bitter aftertaste.

Reishi is known for its wide range of health benefits.

3 cups of water for every 1 gram of Reishi

Simmer (not boil) mushrooms for 2 hours

You can reuse whole Reishi until there is no more pigment

Lion’s Mane

Fresh & Powder

Eat fresh whole cooked or add to soup and tea

Flavor composition: Mild, fleshy, crab meat texture

Lion’s Mane is one of a kind, a mushroom with glorious mental benefits. Cooking it in just about every form should be tried! Grilling, baking, sauteing, frying.. Cook till it turns a golden brown color throughout

Make Tea or add to coffee

Add to broth or soup

Steep in hot water to activate benefits, then add to any supplemental drink or savory dish


Lion’s Mane Powder

Start your day with purpose and focus. Add a teaspoon per serving into boiling water and let steep. You can blend with different herbal teas or coffee. It takes the edge off caffeine and adds a nice smooth aroma to balance out the bitterness. It’s known to sustain energy throughout the day and keep your brain active.


Reishi Powder

Give your immune system a boost and treat your body with a nice relaxant. Add a teaspoon of Reishi powder per 8oz serving into boiling water then reduce heat and steep for 15 minutes. Let the Reishi calm your body and soothe your stress with just a cup of tea a day.


Boom Pow

Why not season your mushrooms with mushrooms? Hi-fi’s fabulous varietal mushroom powder is mixed with the perfect touch of savory spices and salt & pepper. With its lacto-fermented shiitake powder, it enhances your dish with an earthy, unique flavor that will have you wanting to try it on everything.

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Summer Stone Fruit

Summer is upon us! Aside from the hot weather, this also means it is stone fruit season. Fresh, cooked, pickled, juiced or dried, all these fruits are the perfect treat for the season. Named for the large pit inside, which contains the seed, these fruits generally are in season from late May to early September and are at their peak during the summer months. With such a short growing season they are a great option for canning, preserving, and freezing to enjoy year-round. While picking a perfectly ripe stone fruit can sometimes be difficult, there are a few tips and tricks to aid a discerning shopper: Try gently pressing against the stem of the fruit, a slight give should indicate a ready to eat stone fruit.The skin on the fruit should be smooth and plump, the fruit itself should also feel a little hefty for its size. Once you have picked out the perfect fruits, the best way to store them is on the kitchen counter in a paper bag. Whether it be cherries, peaches, plums, apricots, nectarines or any of the in-betweens now is the time to stock up.

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Vendor of the Month: Bouldin Food Forest

What does sustainably grown mean? It means being an excellent steward of the land. Focusing on soil health. Creating a diverse ecosystem. Treating animals humanely. Using water and energy responsibly. Caring for the welfare of farm workers. And growing beautiful, nutrient-dense produce.

At our farm in Rogers, Texas, we practice no-till/low-till farming. By limiting soil disturbance, we keep biology rich and alive, which is good for soil health and your gut health. It’s a long-term strategy, but it is essential to healthy and vibrant plants, minimizing pests and leaving the land in better shape than we found it.

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Fall Vegetables

As summer ends, bring on all those beautiful, comforting fall vegetables. From September through November, the fall season brings many delicious fruits and vegetables that pack a ton of health benefits and warm the soul. This season offers a variety of produce from squash, sweet potatoes, apples, pumpkins, and more. Many of the vegetables harvested at this time are hearty root vegetables, meant to help tide us over until the spring harvest.

To keep up with the increase in demand, most grocery stores must often resort to trucking produce from different parts of the world. If, however, you make the choice to focus on consuming local fruits and vegetables instead of produce with a long transport time, you help to both reduce your carbon footprint and support your local community.

Wheatsville looks to not only bring in as many organic produce items as possible, but also tries to focus on supporting local farmers, as well. This year, we are particularly excited about partnering with Pecos Farms a well-known Texas Farm to bring in pumpkins.

We always are grateful to the community and Wheatsville Owners for their support.

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Vendor of the Month: True Harvest

True Harvest - Locally Grown Fresh Produce. In the Heart of Central Texas. Our growing facility allows us to grow multiple varieties of premium head lettuce and microgreens. Our production greenhouse operation consists of a 58000 square foot facility dedicated to leafy green production, packaging, cold storage, and shipping docks. Not just organic but beyond! Grown in biodegradable materials, non-GMO seeds, organic soil, and no harmful pesticides. Generating a safer and more natural product.

Utilizing a combination of sustainable and organic materials, our automated facility carries our produce from seed to harvest with a zero- waste footprint on the environment.

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Local Farmer of the Month: Buena Tierra Farm

Steve Kramer and Carey Burkett have been farming for 25 years. For 17 years they’ve been farming 100 acres of fertile, high-iron, red sandy loam near Fredonia, Texas about 107 miles west of Austin.

A jack-of-all-trades, Steve taught himself how to farm. He and Carey incorporate their Do-It-Yourself spirit and solid values into everything they do on their land. They take great pride in the quality of the produce they provide for the community and it shows.

  • Buena Tierra Farms brings spring items such as
  • Lacinato and Green Curly Kale
  • Red and Green Leaf Lettuces
  • Zucchini and Yellow Squash
  • Bunched Basil

We are proud to share the fruits of their labor with Wheatsville shoppers. Buena Tierra Farm is our favorite example of what hard work, integrity, and honesty can do for the local food community. Wheatsville Produce Coordinator Elias Valerio appreciates that Buena Tierra will not ship unless the produce is superior quality.

Favorite uses of Buena Tierra Basil:

Buena Tierra Basil is really extraordinary. Fresh, local and organic, it is lovingly hand bunched and ready to make you and your favorite basil recipe extremely happy.

The classic combo of basil, tomato and fresh mozzarella is a favorite. Make cute little appetizer stacks of tomato, basil and fresh mozzarella drizzled with a flavorful cold-pressed olive oil and a sprinkle of sea salt.

If you're wanting something more substantial, go with a grilled caprese sandwich on a fabulous Wheatsville Bakehouse Baguette. Lightly chop the basil and add some fresh garlic, olive oil and sea salt then just layer it with tomato and mozzarella slices and into the grilling pan. Both of these quick recipes are super easy, super delicious and super snazzy.

Be sure to check out the Buena Tierra Basil next time you stop by. It is the best. You and your stomach will be glad you did!

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