Good Afternoon!
I’m always impressed with the story of humble beginnings as I celebrate Christmas. As a farmer with an old barn and feed troughs, and as a woman who experienced natural childbirth three times, I imagine what it would be like to have a baby out in my barn and place him in a feed bunker.
Wholesome Harvest has humble beginnings as well, and businesspeople have sometimes considered those beginnings with derision. "Wholesome Harvest is just an inconsequential little enterprise located in the basement of a farmhouse in Colo, Iowa." Their idea is that if you are
located in a humble place—not only in Colo Iowa, a rural town of 700, but also below ground on a gravel road— well, that proves you ain’t much.
Every work day, four of us gather together in a couple rooms of my farmhouse to work for Wholesome Harvest. I can’t think of a better place to have our "world headquarters" than in an old farmhouse in Iowa, can you? While it would be nice to have a few more colleagues, I embrace our humble beginnings here, because to effect change, it takes gumption, not glitz.
We are earnestly trying to start a grassroots effort to bring about higher standards in organic meat, more traceability in the meat system in general, and domestic fair trade standards for American family farmers. Not a very big agenda for four or so people, eh?
We wrote our mission statement to help people "eat well. . . save the earth. . .and the small farms on it." We are here five years later, still working towards these ends, and I would like feedback from you.
With the start of a New Year, please tell me how you believe I can best serve you here in 2007. You can write back to me here. I hope we can build community and momentum, as we are all interested in safe and healthy food.
Your Friend,
Wende Elliott
Friday, December 22, 2006
Wednesday, December 20, 2006
Answers to some comments
Good Morning Friends!
A couple people wrote in anonymous questions and I wanted to answer them here, hoping that I understand blogging, and that they will get a prompt to return here for the answer!
An organic consumer from Muscatine Iowa wrote asking how to get our products there. Please request the items that you wish from the Hy-Vee meat manager. He can special order you anything you want, including our full pork, beef and lamb line. It is in his computer in the "PDI" warehouse. If you have problems please do call us at 641 377 7777 x105 and we will work with your local store to get the products you wish to eat. We really need your business, to tell you the truth, and we are reliant on customers to push the meat managers who are reticent to make room for yet another product in their cramped shelves.
Another person wrote in, wondering what to give a friend for Christmas. I would suggest either the "gourmet variety package" or a sampler package that is single type of meat, such as the "beef sampler package" or "chicken sampler package". You can find these on our website on the tab on the left ("products") and then scroll down to "variety assortments". We can put in a gift card if you email us to let us know it is a gift.
Check out at this beautiful photo of the northern lights in Iowa. It was taken last week by Stan Richards and is on the NASA website:http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap061218.html along with a bunch more cool celestial photos.
I wish you a great day!
Wende
Tuesday, September 26, 2006
Nomination for People's Choice Awards
Hello !
Did you raise a garden this year? I learn so much from my garden every year. I had a very satisfying time in the garden this summer, mostly due to the fact that my youngest child is now 3 so I could weed for longer period of times between hugs. I think we all have "secret gardens" where we grow our dreams and feed ourselves and others...our garden isn't necessarily food, for me the vegetables I raise are really just a metaphor. I would love to hear about what you learn from your garden. We had our first frost this week, so all the fun is coming to an end in the garden. Next will be drying our popcorn on screens.
Wholesome Harvest has been nominated for the 2006 People's Choice Awards for Green Business of the Year, a contest sponsored by Co-op America! The nominations are tallied to see which businesses are most popular and should advance as finalists, so we need your vote to work our way to the finals! It is a very easy fill-in-the-blank nomination form. All you have to do is go to http://www.coopamerica.org/greenbusiness/peopleschoice/ and fill out the quick form. You may also click the banner above. If you would like to paste in a summary of our mission, ( to save typing a custom nominating sentence ) , here is what one nominator has written about us, "Wholesome Harvest embodies the heart of organics by voluntarily exceeding USDA organic standards while pioneering country of origin labelling, regional food systems, domestic fair trade standards, complete traceability to the farmer, and socially just relationships between all partners in the production of organic food." As an added bonus, you are automatically entered into a drawing for a $300 Coop America gift certificate for green businesses.
The Deadline is October 4th so please act soon. As we don't have an advertising budget, we hope the possible publicity by advancing to the finals will help bring domestic fair trade into greater public awareness. After your submission, Please forward this message to a friend with the link at the bottom of the newsletter. You can make all the difference!
Wednesday, June 21, 2006
Visions of Iowa
from the Practical Farmers of Iowa...
Our Vision for Iowa
Food that is celebrated
for its freshness
and flavor
and connection
to local farmers
to seasons
to hard work
and good stewardship
Farms that are prized
for their diversity
of crops and livestock
their wildlife and healthy soils
their innovations, beauty and productivity
their connection to a rich past
and a fulfilling present
where individuals and families
are earning a good living
Communities that are alive
with diverse connections
between farmers and non-farmers
places where commerce, cooperation, creativity
and spirituality are thriving;
places where the working landscape, the fresh air
and the clean water remind us of all that is good about Iowa
Our Vision for Iowa
Food that is celebrated
for its freshness
and flavor
and connection
to local farmers
to seasons
to hard work
and good stewardship
Farms that are prized
for their diversity
of crops and livestock
their wildlife and healthy soils
their innovations, beauty and productivity
their connection to a rich past
and a fulfilling present
where individuals and families
are earning a good living
Communities that are alive
with diverse connections
between farmers and non-farmers
places where commerce, cooperation, creativity
and spirituality are thriving;
places where the working landscape, the fresh air
and the clean water remind us of all that is good about Iowa
Tuesday, June 06, 2006
Advance in the Direction of a Dream
Hello Folks,
I read this today and was encouraged so I wanted to share it with you:
"If one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams, and endeavors to live the life which he has imagined, he will meet with a success unexpected in common hours."
-Henry David Thoreau
Since moving from metro NYC back to our Midwest roots and becoming middle-aged beginning organic farmers, my husband and I have been surprised by how hard it all is. It has been our dream, for a healthy life for ourselves and our children, that sustains our endeavor to homestead here on the prairie.
I took these pictures in my neighborhood here in Central Iowa. It is a Victorian one room school house that some farmers voluntarily maintain, I think as a tribute to the remarkable spirit that settled these parts.
I drive past this one room schoolhouse on the way to my kids' school so it makes me think about their education and future, and how it would compare with the children who attended this building. I am always moved when I see the silhouette a lonely building cuts in the immensity of our prairie horizon here too. It makes me think of how vulnerable and small humans are in the face of the natural elements and time.
Nothing like having children to make us think about humanity's vulnerability, and our own inability to control as much as we would like, eh?
I read this today and was encouraged so I wanted to share it with you:
"If one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams, and endeavors to live the life which he has imagined, he will meet with a success unexpected in common hours."
-Henry David Thoreau
Since moving from metro NYC back to our Midwest roots and becoming middle-aged beginning organic farmers, my husband and I have been surprised by how hard it all is. It has been our dream, for a healthy life for ourselves and our children, that sustains our endeavor to homestead here on the prairie.
I took these pictures in my neighborhood here in Central Iowa. It is a Victorian one room school house that some farmers voluntarily maintain, I think as a tribute to the remarkable spirit that settled these parts.
I drive past this one room schoolhouse on the way to my kids' school so it makes me think about their education and future, and how it would compare with the children who attended this building. I am always moved when I see the silhouette a lonely building cuts in the immensity of our prairie horizon here too. It makes me think of how vulnerable and small humans are in the face of the natural elements and time.
Nothing like having children to make us think about humanity's vulnerability, and our own inability to control as much as we would like, eh?
Tuesday, May 23, 2006
I Met Carlo Petrini!
Hi All,
I had an exciting adventure in San Francisco this month I wanted to share with you, I am still in the glow of it.
I was honored to speak on behalf of Wholesome Harvest at a national conference on socially responsible business organized by Investors Circle that focuses on socially responsible investing. I spoke on a panel about what "slow money", or patient capital investments, for "Slow Food" oriented food companies would look like.
The keynote speaker was Carlo Petrini, the founder of the Slow Food movement. He spoke in Italian and had a translator. Wow! What an orator! Have any other people out there heard him too? Here was my favorite take-away from his speech: “It is a barbaric society that reduces food to fuel. Food is love, food is peaceful relationships with the earth and each other.”
This photo is me with an organic food leader, Christopher Mann, of the Michael Fields Institute for Agriculture.
I had an exciting adventure in San Francisco this month I wanted to share with you, I am still in the glow of it.
I was honored to speak on behalf of Wholesome Harvest at a national conference on socially responsible business organized by Investors Circle that focuses on socially responsible investing. I spoke on a panel about what "slow money", or patient capital investments, for "Slow Food" oriented food companies would look like.
The keynote speaker was Carlo Petrini, the founder of the Slow Food movement. He spoke in Italian and had a translator. Wow! What an orator! Have any other people out there heard him too? Here was my favorite take-away from his speech: “It is a barbaric society that reduces food to fuel. Food is love, food is peaceful relationships with the earth and each other.”
This photo is me with an organic food leader, Christopher Mann, of the Michael Fields Institute for Agriculture.
Tuesday, April 25, 2006
Earth Day is Everyday
Monday, April 10, 2006
In Amongst the Pigweed
Hi!
It is a bright and warm blustery day on the farm! The kind of day where a person wants to plant some seeds!
In an attempt to get a neater looking garden, my husband Joe is shrinking the size of the plot and enforcing a new rule this year ...everyone can pick their top two favorite garden varieties to grow and be responsible for them. He picked out sweet corn, kohlrabis and popcorn (heh! that is 3!), I chose salad greens and tomatoes, my son Henry chose pumpkins and green beans and the oldest son Sam chose squash and sweet peas.
I must say the biggest garden failure I ever had was the summer after my third child was born. I was still nursing and unable to set the baby down to free my hands for much of anything. Nevertheless, I had fantasies for feeding the family on all the preserved food I could store for the winter, and I had planted my biggest garden ever.
Please write in and tell me what you learn from your garden!
Here is a poem I wrote about the experience:
in amongst the pigweed
in amongst the pigweed
a third child
summer of nursing
unharvested fruits
overripe and wild
my garden teaches me again
about my parenting, my disjointed thoughts,
a desire for self-mastery overwrought by
midwestern children in scratchy, monstrous grass.
losing track of the rows and tools covered in growth
the vastness of the prairie overtakes my hopes for order,
for the bare blackness of control
instead I scavenge with bare hands
and do find good things in the green modesty of my failures
the taste is still sweet when I can feed my family from even this
the smallest watermelon and peppers I have ever seen.
It is a bright and warm blustery day on the farm! The kind of day where a person wants to plant some seeds!
In an attempt to get a neater looking garden, my husband Joe is shrinking the size of the plot and enforcing a new rule this year ...everyone can pick their top two favorite garden varieties to grow and be responsible for them. He picked out sweet corn, kohlrabis and popcorn (heh! that is 3!), I chose salad greens and tomatoes, my son Henry chose pumpkins and green beans and the oldest son Sam chose squash and sweet peas.
I must say the biggest garden failure I ever had was the summer after my third child was born. I was still nursing and unable to set the baby down to free my hands for much of anything. Nevertheless, I had fantasies for feeding the family on all the preserved food I could store for the winter, and I had planted my biggest garden ever.
Please write in and tell me what you learn from your garden!
Here is a poem I wrote about the experience:
in amongst the pigweed
in amongst the pigweed
a third child
summer of nursing
unharvested fruits
overripe and wild
my garden teaches me again
about my parenting, my disjointed thoughts,
a desire for self-mastery overwrought by
midwestern children in scratchy, monstrous grass.
losing track of the rows and tools covered in growth
the vastness of the prairie overtakes my hopes for order,
for the bare blackness of control
instead I scavenge with bare hands
and do find good things in the green modesty of my failures
the taste is still sweet when I can feed my family from even this
the smallest watermelon and peppers I have ever seen.
Friday, April 07, 2006
The Fog
It was a mysterious foggy morning today.
Here are some photos that Susan took on her way to the farm.
Yesterday I saw the biggest badger lope across the road and head towards a creek. At first I thought it was a dark dog, but then it was moving like a bear! I don't think it was a bear....?
Here are some photos that Susan took on her way to the farm.
Yesterday I saw the biggest badger lope across the road and head towards a creek. At first I thought it was a dark dog, but then it was moving like a bear! I don't think it was a bear....?
Thursday, March 30, 2006
Garden Song
Here is Joe, driving into the sunset!___________________________
Hi Folks!
Here is one of my favorite songs, about tending garden and tending your life.
Garden Song
by David Mallett
Inch by inch, row by row, gonna make this garden grow,
All you need is a rake and hoe and a piece of fertile ground,
Inch by inch, row by row, someone bless these seeds I sow,
Someone warm them from below when the rains come tumbling down,
Pulling weeds, gathering stone, a man is made of dreams and bone,
Feel the need to grow my own, ‘cause the time is close at hand,
Pray for grain, sun and rain, find my way in nature’s chain,
Tune my body and my brain to the music from the land,
Plant your rows straight and long, temper them with prayer and song,
Mother Earth will make you strong if you give her loving care.
March 29, 2006
March 29, 2006
Dear Friend of organic farmers,
Today is my birthday! It has been a fun week on the farm. This weekend past, the family frost seeded oats in the north pasture. We don’t have a fancy seeder so we seeded by driving back and forth in the pickup. The three kids sat with my husband Joe and the dog Lucy in the bed of the pickup while I drove. Joe used a hand seeder that was his grandpa’s (c. 1890), with a muslin supply bag and hand crank.
There is the tiniest bit of snow left in the grassy ditches along the gravel roads. The song birds came back two weeks ago and it is so lovely to wake up to their cacophony each morning again. I will try to send photos next week.
I have great news for you! We got better tariff rates from Fedex and we now have the choice for either one day OR two day airfreight, so you can save money that way when you shop at www.wholesomeharvest.com. We also have new products on our website and hope that you will give them a try.
I want to recognize Jimmy Betts and introduce him to you. Jimmy is a student at Iowa State University working as an intern for Wholesome Harvest this semester. Jimmy is especially interested in health and balance, and he is a blackbelt teacher in a martial arts academy. I really admire his ability to program our website and quickly learn the technology behind our ecommerce sales. Many of you have had the chance to speak with him on the phone and know his kind and conscientious manner too. Thanks Jimmy! You can reach him for ecommerce answers on M-W-F from 9 to 3 CST.
Say, we are wondering what you think of our products and what we could do to win your business. Please let me know by writing back to me today. We need your support. As a way to get your referrals and help us grow, we will give you a free case of gourmet chicken sausage with herbs with your next regular order, for every 3 friends who order for the first time on our website. Just email us the 3 friends’ names, and we will give you a redemption code for the free case, which we will include with your next regular order.
Thank you for your kind wishes and encouragement!
Wende
Founding Farmer
Dear Friend of organic farmers,
Today is my birthday! It has been a fun week on the farm. This weekend past, the family frost seeded oats in the north pasture. We don’t have a fancy seeder so we seeded by driving back and forth in the pickup. The three kids sat with my husband Joe and the dog Lucy in the bed of the pickup while I drove. Joe used a hand seeder that was his grandpa’s (c. 1890), with a muslin supply bag and hand crank.
There is the tiniest bit of snow left in the grassy ditches along the gravel roads. The song birds came back two weeks ago and it is so lovely to wake up to their cacophony each morning again. I will try to send photos next week.
I have great news for you! We got better tariff rates from Fedex and we now have the choice for either one day OR two day airfreight, so you can save money that way when you shop at www.wholesomeharvest.com. We also have new products on our website and hope that you will give them a try.
I want to recognize Jimmy Betts and introduce him to you. Jimmy is a student at Iowa State University working as an intern for Wholesome Harvest this semester. Jimmy is especially interested in health and balance, and he is a blackbelt teacher in a martial arts academy. I really admire his ability to program our website and quickly learn the technology behind our ecommerce sales. Many of you have had the chance to speak with him on the phone and know his kind and conscientious manner too. Thanks Jimmy! You can reach him for ecommerce answers on M-W-F from 9 to 3 CST.
Say, we are wondering what you think of our products and what we could do to win your business. Please let me know by writing back to me today. We need your support. As a way to get your referrals and help us grow, we will give you a free case of gourmet chicken sausage with herbs with your next regular order, for every 3 friends who order for the first time on our website. Just email us the 3 friends’ names, and we will give you a redemption code for the free case, which we will include with your next regular order.
Thank you for your kind wishes and encouragement!
Wende
Founding Farmer
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