Another bulk update plus, plus

TVP, or Texturized Vegetable Protein, is being discontinued in the bulk bins. TVP was a very slow seller. We are adding packaged Bob Red Mills organic TVP in Aisle 2A. Bob's TVP is a different texture but it is organic. Vegetarians may rely on TVP as a meat substitute, but it is hard to equate a highly processed product made with non-organic soybeans as health food. I had to resort to Wikipedia to jog my memory as to exactly what TVP is, but I read no further than "fibrous lamination of thermoplastic soy flour.."

The good news is that organic red quinoa is once again available in bulk. And if that isn't enough quinoa diversity, there is now Alter Eco black quinoa in Aisle 6A.

Alter Eco is a company specializing in Fair Trade products from cooperatives around the world.
We have just added two olive oils, "Planted, picked, and processed by fair trade cooperatives in Palestine, Jenin, West Bank," re Alter Eco's website.

Field Day for beans...

Our major health food distributor, UNFI, is developing a line of foods that is "private label," under the name Field Day. This is similar to Whole Foods 365 label. The goal is to develop high quality and less expensive items. They are starting with canned beans. The Field Day beans are guaranteed to be grown in the U.S. Westbrae does not reveal where their beans are grown, probably China. Eden beans are grown in the U.S. Field Day beans are less expensive than both Westbrae & Eden organic beans. We are replacing the Westbrae black, garbanzo, pinto and kidney in the small cans with Field Day beans. Replacing Bearito baked beans is also being considered. (Bearito is part of the Hain-Westbrae, etc. corporation.)

Bulk going local...

As changes keep happening around us, the world of bulk is no exception. Recently we switched three of our dry beans (black, navy and pinto) to locally grown. They are now coming from Cayuga Pure Organics in the Ithaca area upstate N.Y., as opposed to China for the blacks beans and Canada for the navy and pintos. You may have noticed a price increase for these local beans. We feel that it is in keeping with the Coop mission and important to support local growers whenever we can. Cayuga also has other locally grown products that we carry-Spelt Berries-and look forward to their Farro, Vinton Soy Beans, small Red Beans, Barley, Oats, steel cut and groats.

Most of our flours are now local too. Whole Wheat Bread flour is grown and milled in Ithaca at Farmer Ground, near Cayuga Pure. The Whole Wheat Pastry is milled at Daisy in Lancaster, Pa. The Spelt is also from Lancaster grown there and milled at Small Valley Milling. The exciting thing about these new flours is that not only are they local, but they are very fresh. They are usually milled a week or two before being delivered to us.

In a world where availability of products is uncertain, I will continue to bring in more local bulk when I can. Just a footnote: the price of Red Lentils will be coming down soon due to the fact our supplier International Harvest has them available again. They also will be selling us organic Chia (Mexico) and Black Sesame (India) Seeds at a lower price. These products are not grown locally.

Cheers till next time I see you in the bulk aisle

Ron

In the News.....

Who is controlling Organic Standards? Washington Post published a rather dismaying account of how the federal government is--or maybe, isn't--regulating the Organic Standards.

The Brooklyn Paper queried Whole Foods about the status of their proposed new home on 3rd St and 3rd Ave. Last week the Paper concluded that Whole Foods was abandoning the site, this week there is a slightly different story.

NYTimes reported fungal attack on Northeastern tomatoes. Allen & Julie say that so far Amy Hepworth, our major supplier of local tomatoes, has not been hit by this fungus.

Make your own granola

The Coop offers a lot of granola choices, but it is easy to make your own custom granola. You are able to control the amount and type of oil and sugars, plus easily add favorite nuts, seeds , dried fruit and spices. Actually, a good reason to make your own granola this time of the year is to not add dried fruit when there are so many fresh fruits and berries available. You can increase variety by using one or more of the organic Eden flakes now sold in Aisle 7B instead of just using rolled oats. Eden offers barley, spelt, kamut, rye and rice flakes.

Basic Granola (low fat, low sugar)

5 cups of organic rolled oats or a combination of other flakes, including spelt, rye, etc.

1/4 cup of oil. (My current favorite is Rapunzel sesame oil, Aisle 3B)
1/4 maple syrup (or agave syrup, honey, barley malt, molasses, rice syrup--your choice)
1/2 cup boiling water.
optional: 1 tsp of a spice such as cinnamon, or a tsp of vanilla.

4 cups of nuts, seeds, coconut flakes.

Preheat oven to 325.
Put the oil and sweetener in a large mixing bowl, pour in the boiling water and mix. Add the oats/flakes and stir until all are coated. Spread the flakes on a large baking sheet with sides. It takes about 30 min to toast the flakes, but check and stir the flakes to make sure that the edges don't burn.

I reduce the oven heat to 300 to lightly toast the nuts separately from the flakes to prevent burnng. I like a crisp granola, but you can skip this step if you prefer your nuts raw or if you purchased roasted nuts. Spread each type of nut, seed, etc on its own baking pan. Watch the oven like a hawk while roasting nuts. Coconut toasts in a flash. If using seeds, sesame and pepitas are ok to roast, but do not roast flax or chia seeds. Chop the nuts as coarsely or finely as your prefer. For almonds, it is easy to buy the sliced ones, which crumble easily when toasted.

Mix nuts with flake mixture, add dried fruit if you want, and store in a sealed jar in the refrigerator once it has cooled.

Last week Melissa Clark had a granola recipe in the NYT's Magazine using olive oil and salt. It looks delicious but it has 1/2 cup of packed brown sugar and 3/4 c maple syrup per 3 cups oats. So you can see there are lots of variation in granola recipes. At the Coop, the nutritional content of the granola is on the bulk containers. But if you make it yourself, you know exactly how much sugar you are getting.

The Right Stuff: KBBK

Meet the NKOTB: KBBK - KOMBUCHA BROOKLYN! Coming to your belly "Straight Up" from BK!

We all love local stuff. And most of us love kombucha (I think unless everyone is just pouring it down the drain (which would be an expensive habit considering the thousands of bottles we sell every week)). I figured members of the Coop would LOVE local kombucha. But it's been impossible to bring it to you...until now!

Welcome our newest resident to Kombuchaland: Kombucha Brooklyn. The Brewmaster is Kombuchman. He's been brewing the 'buch for years and now is excited to help you to "drink the revolution" on a large scale starting right here in the Coop. To launch, the flavor is called "Straight Up" - cool like Paula Abdul, tasty like "Original" from the other companies on the block. "Note the taste of the whole stone fruit family," says Kombuchman. The blend of 3 teas is delicate and delicious.

Give it a try. There's more to come where that came from. Look for it in the weeks ahead...

One Crazy Summer (in the freezer)

First of all I want to talk about ice cream sandwiches. I think they're great. You can probably imagine how happy I was when some nice lady from Norwich N.Y. sent us some that she made. We have a vanilla ice cream and chocolate cookie sandwich made with milk from Evans Creamery (way to be local) and a vegan sandwich made with bananas and coconut milk.

So, remember the first time you heard about sweet potato fries and you thought "OMG! The people that came up with this awesome thing must be from the future or something!" And remember the first time you tried chipotle whatever and were like "chipotles are kinda like bacon in that you can put it in or on almost anything and make it taste way better!" Well, I found something that combines these two things and the first time you try them you're gonna scream "The future's gonna be awesome!" and your gonna hi-five the closest hand you can find. Buy the way, the new product is chipotle sweet potato fries from Alexia.

I want to apologize to those of you who thought this post would have something to do with that movie from the eighties with John Cusack and Demi Moore called "One Crazy Summer."

No More Silk Soymilk

The Coop will no longer be selling the half-gallon cartons of Silk Organic Soymilk. We will continue to sell Organic Valley Soymilk in the same four flavors that shoppers are used to seeing from Silk: original (plain), vanilla, unsweetened, and chocolate. This decision was prompted by recent actions taken by the Silk company (described below), and their integrity as a producer of organic soy products continues to be called into question. The major factors influencing our decision not to sell Silk are as follows:

1. In January 2009, Silk – whose soy products were formerly 100% organic -- reformulated their product line by converting almost all their products to conventional soybeans. They did this quietly, without telling retailers or changing the UPC code numbers on the products. Many retailers, including the Coop, didn’t find out about the change until consumers noticed and complained. The non-organic soymilks are labeled “Natural.” When we questioned Silk representatives about the change, we were told “there is a shortage of organic soybeans in North America.” However, it has been argued that Dean Foods (which owns Silk) “helped create these shortages by opting for cheaper organic imports instead of supporting domestic farmers with sustainable prices.1” (For the full report, please read the Cornucopia Institute's Soy Report & Scorecard)

2. Silk does not guarantee that all of their soybeans are free from GMO contamination. Organic Valley’s organic soybeans are 'Identity Preserved' - meaning each batch is tested to ensure there is no GMO contamination.

3. Silk is unwilling to share their sourcing information with consumers. Dean Foods “refused to transparently participate in the [Cornucopia Institute’s] study—depriving their customers of an independently verified review of their practices.” This stands in contrast to many other prominent soy food brands around the country that are fully transparent In their sourcing and production practices.

4. Silk brand is owned by Dean Foods - an agribusiness giant that owns over 50 milk labels around the country including Horizon Organic, a brand that heavily depends on factory farms each milking thousands of cows. Organic Valley is owned by CROPP Cooperative, a cooperative of organic family farmers. The Coop supports other cooperatives, wherever possible, and we try also to avoid companies that source from factory farms.

We will also replace the Silk soy creamers (made from non-organic soybeans) with Wildwood soymilk creamers (made from U.S. organic soybeans).

The Coop will continue to sell the quarts of Silk soymilk because this size is currently unavailable from any other company. Shoppers should beware, however, that these quarts are not organic. The quart sizes of Silk soymilk in plain, vanilla and chocolate flavors are all made from non-organic soybeans. Silk no longer sells their organic soymilk in a quart size carton.

1. Cornucopia Institute. (2009). Behind the Bean: The Heroes and Charlatans of the Natural and Organic Soy Foods Industry (1st ed.) [Report]. Cornucopia, WI: Charlotte Vallaeys.

Rawson Brook Farm Goat Cheeses

From the Great Farming for Justice website:

Every goat has a name. Susan tells me the stories behind each one as she places the milking machine on their udders. I was able to learn the technique very quick, as it takes a few days for some people.

There is quite the rhythm to the whole process.

Please look for the three flavors of Rawson Brook Monterey Chevre: Plain, Thyme & Olive Oil and Garlic & Chive.

more new frozen stuff.

Sometimes I feel it's best to start a meal with dessert. That way it can not be withheld should I decide to leave some or all of my vegetables untouched. It is for this reason that I begin this post by telling you all about the new ice cream. I was able to add a bunch of new products to this freezer because Ben or Jerry (I'm not sure who's really in charge over there) decided to get rid of their organic line.

Haagen Daz has come out with a new line called "5". It is called "5" because that's how many ingredients are used. I started simple with Milk Chocolate, Vanilla, and Coffee.

If your not into lactose and you've had your fill of rice, soy, or coconut ice cream, hemp might be worth investigating. Living Harvest has been making hemp milk for a while and has decided to give ice cream a shot. We currently have Coffee Biscotti and Coconut Lime.


<--This lady Gaga is back. Not this Lady Gaga.-->
Gaga's Lemon Sherbetter took off for a while cause there were some problems getting it. Then we got it buy accident one day and I remembered how great it was. Eric, one of the produce guys, actually went gaga over this stuff and had to take a couple days off.

Enough with dessert. A coop member has teemed up with Blue Ribbon to make Naked Nuggets. Naked Nuggets are gluten free, grilled chicken nuggets.

GF PIE SHELLS!!!

So I don 't have tons of time because I have to go back to the freezer (it's the Summer and I get overheated if I'm out of the freezer for too long) and there are oodles of new products to write about but I needed to let some of you know about the new gluten free pie shells from Gillian's Food. The rhubarb and strawberries have been here and the blueberries are commin. Just think of all those potential contestants that could have been kickin butt in pie eating contests for all these years.

Gotta go.

In the News.....

Wall Street Journal has an interesting article on fortified foods--also known as "functional" food. Manufacturers are increasingly pushing this concept. Classic example of overkill: Tropicana orange juice "fortified" with Omega oils. Do you really need fish oil in your O.J? While the taste is being processed out of that fish oil, what is happening to the Omega 3's? Bottom line seems to be: eat whole foods, take a multivitamin if you must. You'll save a lot of money.

And speaking of fish, last Wednesday, the NY Times hosted a discussion on the choices (or lack thereof) facing fish eaters who want to be environmentally correct.

On a happier note, last week Martha Rose Shulman presented a series of recipes focusing on one of my favorite foods: polenta. Interestingly, she led off the series by recommending cooking polenta in the oven. I like to make polenta using DeLaEstancia polenta, sold in Aisle 2A. This polenta only needs to cook for about a minute on the stove and is delicious. Bob's Red Mill polenta needs to cook longer. The corn meal sold in the bulk bins also works and is the cheapest. Sixty of our members opted for the super fast method--buy the cooked polenta in the plastic tube sold in Aisle 6A. We were sold out on Monday. If you are a tube purchaser, make the leap and try the DeLaEstancia. Just bring it to boil and let it cook one minute. You'll never look back.

Christian Science Monitor profiled the CONACADO cocoa cooperative in the Dominican Republic. Equal Exchange purchases cocoa from this cooperative. The Fair Trade premium helps pay for basic needs in their community, including schools and plumbing. We sell lots of Equal Exchange Fair Trade organic chocolate bars in Aisle 7A.

West River Creamery

So, I'm starting a new program. Bringing in a new cheese producer each month (or as I remember) and highlighting all the cheeses they have to offer.

This month I'm featuring West River Creamery in Londonderry, Vermont.

I've brought in five cheeses from them:
Cambridge Classic - A traditional clothbound version of English style farmhouse Cheddar. Aged for a minimum of one year to develop full complex cheddar flavors.
Londonderry Classic - English style farmhouse Cheshire. Dry in texture, peachy in color. Mild and lightly salty when
young. Mature cheese acquire more piquancy with age.
Middletown Tomme - A brushed natural rind cheese. The texture is firm and smooth. Savory, complex with grassy undertones.
Three Mountain - A washed rind cheese. Semi-soft, bold and smooth, velvety, finishing with a salty tang. Aged for 60-80 days.
Equinox - Oil rubbed with a deep orange colored rind. Texture is hard and smooth. Flavor is complex with a strong herbal undertones.

Try all 5!

It's All Good...with Gardein

If you want a quick vegetarian meal and you're not opposed to a food in a pouch, try these products (in our egg/tofu case) from a company called Gardein which makes "it's all good foods":

Veggie Pulled Chick'n and
Veggie Chick'n Good Stuff

If you're wondering what Gardein is, so was I. Here's how the company describes it:

"Gardein is a savory blend of nutritious vegetable and grain ingredients, including soy, wheat, peas, beets and carrots, slow-cooked to have the authentic taste, texture and nutrition of premium, lean meat."

Products being discontinued by manufacturers

Some very popular products are being discontinued by their manufacturers including:

• Vitasoy soy milk
• Good Health Guppies
• Natures Path Heritage O's
• Beth's cookies
  

We're practically giving beer away!

When warehouses need to be cleared we reap the benefits. Weyerbacher Slam Dunkel (22 oz.) was $3.93 and is now $1.71 and Anderson Valley Winter Ale (12 oz.) is regularly $2.06 and is now $0.50! Both beers are considered seasonal but they make for fine drinking on a cool spring night. You could also cellar them and drink them it the fall at these prices. Whilst supplies last.

cheers, Anngel

Fine Dining in the Summertime

Just in time for the Memorial Day summer kickoff, we have Fox Hill Farm's 100% grass-fed all beef frankfurters!

Way up the Hudson River Valley in the foothills of the Berkshire mountains, Larry and Erna Lampman of Ancramdale raise Heritage cattle breeds -- Red Devon, British White, Murray Grey -- on land that's been in the family for generations. They've long been preparing custom cuts of beef to consumer specifications. And now they're making delicious, nitrate-free hot dogs with a natural casing, which provides that good old-fashioned snap when you bite into 'em.

Brooklyn has always been the Hot Dog Capital of the USA, and the Fox Hill Farm frank is a worthy new addition to our historic sausage culture. A wiener every time.

A Sad Day in Yogurt Land

Yogurt Pioneer Daniel Carasso died yesterday at the ripe old age of 103. You may know him by his nickname "Danny" or, in Catalon "Danon." Yes, he is the Danon behind the international conglomerate the Danone Group - known in America as Dannon. You might find some of his products in our very own yogurt case.

We sell one flavor of Dannon yogurt (Coffee) but we also sell Dannon-owned Stonyfield Farms. It's hard to imagine Yogurt Land without Dannon. Local favorites Evans, Butterworks, Seven Stars, Siggi's and Liberte might get lonely on those shelves...

Cardoons and Rhuuuuubarb!

Okay you Batali fans . . . hold onto your orange clogs, the elusive "cardi" – cardoons to the rest of us – are making a cameo appearance at the Coop.

No need to sub artichokes for this very, very Italian vegetable for a wee while.



Located next to another seasonal gem, organic rhubarb.




Holy cow,
Anngel
photos by Lisa Guido

Something New for Salad Season

New from Follow Your Heart (the makers of Vegenaise): Salad Dressings!

We have two varieties:
Chunky Bleu Cheese ("Thick and delicious, loaded with chunks of luscious organic, rennet-less blue cheese crumbles, you can eat this dressing with a spoon")
and Chipotle-Lime Ranch

These dressings are organic, Non GMO, and Gluten Free.










Look for them on the top shelf of the Egg Case.

These are a few of my favorite beers – Lagunitas

I try not to post strictly based on my own taste but in this case I just can help myself. Lagunitas Brewery of Petaluma, CA has always made really solid beers but this year they are knocking it out of the park with their big bottle series (22 oz.). These are some of the best beers in a bottle that I've had this year and they are an amazing value. The Hop Stoopid quickly became one of my favorite beers because of it's big, juicy, citrusy flavor. I've had it on tap, on cask, and in a bottle and every time it was outstanding. At 7.7 abv it is strong but incredibly fresh, well balanced, and drinkable so tread lightly.

And just when I thought it couldn't get better Lagunitas has released the Correctional Ale, another riff on their run-in-with-the-law series. The Correctional Ale is very similar to the Hop Stoopid but has a little less weight at 6.33 abv. It's fresh and bright and one of the best spring/summer hop backbone beers that one can find in a bottle.

Lagunitas brews whatever they want, whenever they want so, don't expect these beers to be around for long but look forward to Lucky 13 and other great beers at fair prices from these eclectic brewers.

Cheers, Anngel

Picnic-ready Charcuterie for Going A-Maying

A Book of Verses underneath the Bough,
A Jug of Wine, a Loaf of Bread,
A 10-oz. Stick of Parisian-style Saucisson --
And Thou...

If you can sing in the wilderness, you can throw a killer picnic. That new Cavafy translation, a fresh baguette, a bottle of plonk, some cheese, maybe an onion, and all you need to hit the grassy meadows is a few slices of a good, garlicky French sausage.

Local charcutier Daniel of Larchmont Charcuterie offers a delicious, clean, natural alternative to the highly-processed meats and salamis commonly produced. No added nitrates or preservatives here; just top-quality pork and grass-finished beef, garlic, sea salt, and spices, all smoked over real wood. Try both the Pork/Beef Saucisson (Daniel recommends pairing with a full-bodied Medoc) and the All-Beef Spicy Cervelat (a Chianti or Cote du Rhone).

Beer is good, too.

-- Guillaume le Boucher.

Bleu without the Cheese

Looking to add variety to your non-dairy cheese plate? Try these organic cheese alternatives from Sunergia:

Soya Bleu

Soy Feta: Tomato Garlic &
Lemon Oregano flavors

Find them with the non-dairy cheeses in the Milk/Juice Refrigerator.

Pollo Rosso -- Yes, ANOTHER new chicken

"This red-feathered, Italian heritage breed chicken has been imported* by a community of farmers in Pennsylvania Amish Country. Raised humanely with access to pasture, fed a vegetarian diet, with no antibiotics ever administered, every effort has been made to duplicate the stress-free and slow-growth traditions of Italy. The result -- a chicken with firm texture, thin skin, and wonderfully rich flavor." -- Pollo Rosso farmers' press release

*smuggled

Oh, these babies are gooood. That piquant dash of intrigue, knowing you're carving a chicken raised from contraband eggs bootlegged in from Tuscany under cover of darkest night, only adds to the savor. A special occasion chicken you'll want to roast every day.

Have you BOBOed?

If you've been hanging around the poultry case lately, you've probably heard the ruckus about Bobo Farm and the amazing chickens they've been providing to the Coop. "The Chinese-American farmer brings these down LIVE from the Hudson Valley to his cousin in Williamsburg, and the Coop gets them the next day!" These fresh magnificent birds come "Buddha-style," with the feet attached, a boon to those who know that feet enrich and add great flavor to soups and stocks.

The Bobo White Feather chicken is a Cornish cross breed, bred for plumpness and lots of breast meat, butchered at a tender 9 weeks, perfect for roasting. The Black Feather is a Silver Barred cross breed with a narrower breast and longer legs and wings: a European-style chicken which lives 12 weeks, yielding a more flavorful meat which responds well to braising and stewing (although it also roasts up nicely). The Bobo Poussin is a baby White Feather....split it and grill it!

GF! LS! HC! WTH!

GF stands for "gluten free." Not only did we get a new gluten free waffle from Kinnikinnik, the freezer finally has doughnuts! These cinnamon sugar doughnuts are also from Kinnikinnik and are also gluten free.

LS stands for "low sodium" which is what Amy's Mattar Paneer meal is. Loaded with all kinds of veggies, Indian cheese (paneer), and exotic spices.

HC stands for "holy cow" which is what some people will exclaim in reaction to the new products.

WTH stands for "what the heck?" which is what some people will say when I tell them that the Henry and Lisa frozen shrimp might have been discontinued. We haven't been able to get them for weeks but our distributor kept on saying "next week." Well, they've changed "next week" to "maybe never again." I'm looking into other enviromentally friendly sources for shrimp.

It's springtime in the produce aisle

Right now we have English peas (peas in a pod)






and fava beans, both organic and from Mexico.






On Friday we are expecting from Lancaster Farm Fresh Co-op from Lancaster County PA, the following organic greens:

loose arugula
loose dandelions
baby red russian kale
baby mache
loose baby spinach
loose wild watercress

And on Monday we expect: organic rhubarb from California!

Life by Chocolate

We've added some new chocolates from Life by Chocolate in Greenville, New York in time for Easter. The bunnies are hopping out of here very fast. (More are coming Thursday afternoon.) We've also added bars with unusual flavors (choc covered smoked peanut butter, anyone?) Some of the chocolate is fair trade and some of the bars are vegan. One of their best selling bars is Bee's Knees, made with honey.

Laissez les bon temps rouler!

The coop has tons of sale beer at not merely good, but amazing prices – 50-70% off kind of prices. Look on the front display rack and/or for shelf labels with little yellow dots.



Anderson Valley Winter (it’s not just for January) $0.76
Rogue Chipotle Ale (smokey but not crazy) $0.76
Otter Creek Raspberry Brown (nice) $0.91
Elysian Pumpkin Ale (restrained pumpin, yummy) $1.41
Corsendonk Gift Packs (2x12 oz. beers plus a glass) $8.97
Schneider Weisse (5x16.0 oz. beers plus a glass) $8.83

Bear Republic Racer 5 and Red Rocket were $1.61, now $1.51 and the Bear Republic Hop Rod Rye was $4.74, and is now $3.93. Krusovice was $1.72, now $1.51

Cheers, Anngel

Lindt Pistachio bar not recalled

Correction, correction. Lindt pistachio bar was not recalled by Lindt. Yuri received a confirmation from our distributor, who confirmed that this bar was not made with California pistachios. They erred on the side of caution.

Pistachio Recall Redux - Lindt Chocolate w/ Pistachio

Please be advised that Lindt Pistachio Chocolate bar is being recalled by our supplier. Bring in any bars to the return desk on the second floor you may have purchased.

Pistachio recall

Here we go again--the FDA is recalling pistachios processed by Setton Pistachio in Terra Bella, California. This is thanks to a heads up from Kraft, which detected traces of Salmonella in the nuts it purchased. Kraft alerted the FDA. The news broke last night and here is the NYTimes take on the issue.

Ron Zisa, the bulk buyer, contacted our two major nut suppliers, and both of them told us that they do not purchase pistachios from Setton. We don't carry a lot of other products that contain pistachios, and the suppliers that we have contacted were not prepared to give an immediate answer.

For example, I called Larabar regarding their raw pistachio bar. Larabar is owned by General Mills, and I spoke with a customer service rep. She did a quick check and then assured me that they didn't purchase any pistachios from Georgia. After I hung up, I realized that the conversation should have been about California not Georgia. I called back and got another representative who admitted that they did not yet have any information on the recall.

Nuts are very nutritious, and I would hope that the FDA would increase inspections of processing plants. During the recent peanut scare, our members did not turn away from peanut butter--sales remained steady. None of the brands of peanut butter that we sell were recalled. But it was also clear that some people were totally unaware of the peanut recall. I had one mother upset that her child's favorite Cliff peanut butter Zbar (which was recalled) was not available.

We'll try to provide information on the pistachio recall as we receive it.

5 year old Parm available for limited time.

Stravecchio Parmigiano-Reggiano aged 5 years will be for sale this week. Look for it on the Cheese of the week shelf. At $17.30 per pound its a lot more expensive than the Vecchio we normally carry, but the added flavor is well worth it for a table cheese of this quality.

Recipes for Health

When the New York Times speaks, our members shop. We try to keep up to date, but, hey, we didn't know the Times was going to post a recipe featuring farro late Friday. We do sell farro (aisle 6A), but only a case or two a week. So don't expect to find any on Monday--our next delivery will be later in the week.

This week Martha Rose Shulman is featuring recipes using whole grains in her Recipes for Health column. I primarily read the Times online and surprisingly usually do not find this column in the Dining and Wine section. I access it through the Health section. I find her column is a terrific resource--she is systematically going through the vegetables plus other basic foods, usually offering a week of daily recipes of a food, for example beets or even stale bread. These recipes don't require much preparation and include soups, salads, entrees, and sides. The point is that even if you are not a skilled cook and don't have a lot of time, you can make delicious and healthy food. She indicates which ingredients can be prepared in advance, i.e., cook the farro the night before while you are watching TV, and then the dish will be easy to assemble when you get home from work the next day. These recipes are neatly archived on the Times website. Have chard in the fridge? Click on its photo and see your options.

Earlier in the week, she posted a recipe for red quinoa--which she called "royal." Shulman wrote that red quinoa has more protein than white. I did a little Googling, and the nutritional info I came up with showed white and red equally high in protein. Quinoa is one of the highest protein grains. We sell more than 400 pounds of white quinoa/week. Only a case or two of red quinoa (Aisle 6A). Both are organic. I bought extra red quinoa--so give it a try.

Time to get your hands dirty--seeds are here.

Equinox was last week and it is definitely time to start your tomato seedlings. In addition to Brandywine tomatoes, you could branch out and try Amish Paste or Cherokee's Purple. Elinoar ordered seeds from Fedco, a gardening cooperative in Maine. Most of their seeds are organic. We have an assortment of vegetable, herb and flower seeds.

She also ordered small, cheap (25 cents) packets of seeds from Artistic Gardens in Vermont. You only need a few seeds to start tomatoes or herbs. And if you have never gardened before, it is a very economical way to give gardening a try on your fire escape or roof.

In a week or two there will be more flower, herb and vegetable seeds from Seeds Savers Exchange.

Seeds are being sold in the produce aisle near the potatoes. Also look for gardening books in the rack nearby. Topics include container gardening, herbs, organic practices, gardening with kids , etc.

Lactose-free. Gluten-free. Gelatin-free. And Dairy? True Dat!

Those Vermonters, they think of everything.


"What will they think of next?" you ask.

Well, let me tell you: lowfat lactose free yogurt from organic milk of jersey cows from a small family farm just down the street from where the yogurt's made.

"Lactose free?!?"

Yes, it's true. It's TRUE Yogurt.

And if they don't getcha with the snazzy packaging (those fruits look delicious, don't they? And that pretty vanilla flower, so delightful.), try this on for size: all the fruit in the yogurt is made from real fruit pieces, not purees. Organic fruit is used in the yogurt whenever possible even if it doesn't have the li'l logo. The Vanilla is certified organic, and also deliciously custardy, different from most all other vanilla yogurts that we carry. These healthy treats are also gluten and gelatin free.

"You're lying!"

No. It's True. True Yogurt, in the Yogurt Case.

Frozen stuff is way better than fresh stuff!

Spring!!!
I can think of no better way to welcome spring than with new frozen fruits and vegetables from Stahlbush Island Farms. Yep, more sustainably farmed greens (and reds and yellows) from our friends off the coast of Oregon. Look for peas, butternut squash, and whole strawberries.

Amy's Kitchen Empire Still Growing!
I know some of you might have been thinking, "there's just no way this freezer could hold any more Amy's products." Well, I'm glad to tell you otherwise. I somehow managed (magic) to fit two more whole meals in there. I don't know where she finds the time to go to Standford and run a factory but Amy seems to have quite a knack for whippin' up some awsome tex-mex which she proves once again with her new Tamale Verde meals. We have the cheese tamale and the black bean tamale (GF!!!). Both come with rice. So good that Leah gave them an enthusiastic "all right."

rip ))<>((

In the News.....

Lots of Coop members have cats. Most are concerned about the environment. Probably most have not thought about how feeding fish (or chicken that was fed fish) to their cat plays a significant role in diminishing the ocean's resources, further endangering large ocean mammals, like whales. Paul Greenberg, who is writing a book on the future of fish, points out this problem in an interesting op-ed in the NYTimes 3/21/09. The Coop doesn't apply the same standards to fish, poultry and meat in the pet food we sell as we do for the products for human consumption. Something to think about.

The recent peanut scare highlighted how unregulated the food industry is. Both the Wall Street Journal and the NYTimes detail how many manufacturers do not know the origin of many of their ingredients, even when they are required to document their sources.

And the LA Times weighs in about a similar problem concerning pharmaceuticals. Reporter David Lazarus was unable to track down where his generic acetaminophen was manufactured. Unlike the food industry, there is no requirement to cite the source of ingredients in pharmaceuticals, and many sold in the US are manufactured in other countries. China is a major manufacturer.

An independent lab that tests supplements, ConsumerLab, recently updated its review of fish oils. The good news is that the 52 products that they tested did not have high levels of mercury. However, the free summary on the web hinted that some of these products were more like snake oil than fish oil, i.e., they didn't contain the omega-3's the labels cited. Unfortunately, in order to read the full report you need to spend $$ and subscribe.

Don't Leave Home without your Shopping Bag!

Enviro Sax has new print designs for their bags. Their bags are large, waterproof and sturdy with wide handles that slip easily over an arm. EnviroSax bags roll up easily and have a snap. Unfortunately, the company seems to have difficulty keeping up with demand for the most popular designs.




Chico Bags

The new Vita Chico bag is larger, has a wider strap and they say can carry up to 40#--but it still fits in the handy little stuff sac.

The RePete bag is 99% recycled material by weight, containing 7 soda bottles. Even the aluminum for the carbiners is recycled. It is the same size as the original bag, but is still a sturdy workhorse (up to 25#), but in groovier colors. The bag with recycled content is more expensive than the original bag--costs more to process all those useless water bottles.

Three New British Cheeses

And they're all made with vegetable rennet!


Few British cheeses in recent years have quite so impressed the outside world as multi-gold award winning Old Smales. Made in the Gouda-style (with more than a hint of Parmesan about it), Old Smales is aged for 14 months to reach perfection. Full-flavoured, it has an underlying sweetness, and a wonderful crystalline finish that crunches on the tongue.



Park Farm is in Kelston, just outside Bath. Graham Padfield is a third-generation farmer, but the first in his family to make cheese: he started, back in 1993, with Bath Soft Cheese, and this is now the name of the company.

Wyfe of Bath is a succulent, springy cheese which, according to its makers "is redolent of buttercups and meadows"!

Sharpham Cheeses are near neighbours of Ticklemore Cheese in South Devon, and between them they produce a remarkable range of marvellous products.

The 'Rustic' is semi-hard, matured for approximately 6-8 weeks, giving a light-flavoured cheese with a moist, creamy texture. A thin, natural white rind forms during the maturation process. It's a real delight, and and if you haven't tried it, dare I say: you should!

New Items from a New Supplier

Saveur D'Anjou is bringing us freshly made soups in pint and quart sizes, and small pecan and sweet potato pies. Look for these items in the prepared food case.

—Lisa

Savory Soy Selections

Several new products for soy-savvy shoppers!

Look in the dairy case for...

1. Lightlife LightBurgers (currently on sale for only $1.92)
   
2. Lightlife Smart Sausages, Chorizo Style
   
3. Sunergia Soy Feta: Lemon Oregano
   

And check the Egg/Tofu Case for...

• Sunergia Tofu: Savory Portabella
• Sunergia Tofu: Peanut Ginger
• Lightlife Tempehtations, Classic BBQ (Yes, you read that correctly -- "tempehtations" are small cubes of marinated organic tempeh, ready to eat!)

Easter bunny coming?

Divine Chocolate's mini-eggs arrived today. We expect to get larger chocolate eggs next week, in both milk and dark chocolate. Divine is a great company, all their chocolate is Fair Trade. They work with a chocolate growing cooperative in Ghana. The packaging is very attractive, while avoiding plastic wrap.

The name of the cooperative in Ghana is

"Kuapa Kokoo" which in the local language, Twi, means "Good Cocoa Farmers Company". Their motto is "Pa Pa Paa" which means "the best of the best of the best". For more info:
www.divinechocolateusa.com

TONS OF NEW FROZEN VITTLES

It's been so long since I last blogged. I don't blog in real life so sometimes it slips my mind to keep my fellow co-owners up to date on all the amazing culinary breakthroughs the South Pole has to offer (you know that's where we get all our frozen stuff, right?)

GF/DF Pizza
Amy's single serve rice crust pizza I chose the single serve because as Kevin pointed out, it's rare that the whole family is gluten free. This way, everyone can be happy on pizza night(or morning, I don't judge).

Frozen Fruits
Woodstock Pomegranate Kernels What an awesome idea! It wasn't mine but when Janet told me they were coming I freaked out! Just think to what heights the smoothie can sore to on the wings of such a worthy anti-oxidant!
Stahlbush Health Berry Blend more sustainably grown goodies from the delightful little island off the coast of Washington state. The mix contains raspberries, blueberries, and marion blackberries.

Meat and Fish
Tre Bella Organic Turkey Meatballs Since the supply of Shelton's turkey meatballs is inconsistent, I wanted to find an alternative option as a backup. While searching, I stumbled upon this lady to the right. How could I resist?
Royal Asia Cod Fishsticks These are Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) certified and come with wasabi aioli and cocktail sauce. The box has a picture of Chef Martin Yan on the side (you know, the "if Yan can cook, you can too?" guy) so I trust it.
Northern Chef Cooked Salad Shrimp Little cooked shrimp that's also MSC certified.

Waffles
Natures Path Flax Plus Redberry Waffles. The ones without berries sell really well. I figure these will do pretty good also.

Chocolate for Chimps!

Theo Jane Goodall chocolate
We've added two new high quality, Fair Trade chocolate bars from Theo--these bars have Jane Goodall's seal of approval, and the profits support all sorts of good things, including keeping chimps in the wild and not in Connecticut. Aisle 7A, top right shelf.
www.theochocolate.com/products/jane-goodall.php

Acai juice--

Interesting article in the NYTimes yesterday regarding Acai juice. We now have the 32 oz size in the dairy cooler. Diet drink? hmm. Maybe not with 600 calories/32 oz.

-Click here to read the article-

Krazy for Kale Chips?

There is a new raw food snack in the Coop, but it's so popular that it never seems to stay on the shelf for more than a few hours. So what's the story with these mysteriously appearing and disappearing Kale-in-a-Krunch Chips? Late last year, Alive & Radiant Foods (a small company in Berkeley California) introduced this unusual savory raw snack: organic curly kale, covered in spices, dehydrated to the texture of a chip. They became an instant hit here at the Coop. So why can't we keep them in stock? The answer is that Coop members aren't the only ones who have discovered Kale Chips, and Alive & Radiant Foods can't keep up with the skyrocketing demand. These chips have been blogged about extensively, generally hailed as the tastiest raw vegan snack ever, and even referred to as "kale krack". We increase the order amount every week but every week they sell out within a day or two of delivery. We spoke with Blessing (the founder of Alive & Radiant Foods) and she is moving as quickly as possible to increase supply. She recently purchased two new dehydrators and added a second production shift. She has also created three new flavors: Ranchier, Thai High, and Pleasing Pesto. We will try to stock these flavors as they become available. In the meantime, get them when you see them. They hang in Aisle 7 near the other small bags of chips. And when you can't find them, try making your own -- recipes for raw kale chips are all over the web.

Vegan Treats

Vegan brownie-eaters may have noticed the disappearance of the Smart Treats Brownies. The Smart Treats company transformed itself in 2008 into a dedicated gluten-free facility, which required changes to many of their recipes. Sales of their brownies then slowed significantly until our supplier stopped distributing them entirely. Not wanting to deprive vegans of their brownies, we have begun stocking Frankly Natural Baker Brownies in three vegan flavors: Chocolate, Misty Mint, and Wacky Walnut. The mint and walnut flavors are gluten-free as well as vegan.

Also new are the vegan Betty Lou's Fruit Squares in two flavors: Apricot & Blueberry. You can try one for less than $1.

Look for these new vegan treats in Aisle 7 near the other vegan cookies.

Tofu & Tempeh, totally new

We recently began carrying a new organic tofu made by a worker-owned cooperative located on 400 acres in central Virginia (which makes them local by Coop definition). Twin Oaks Community Foods happens to be one of the businesses of the economically self-supporting Twin Oaks Intentional Community, which has existed since 1967. Twin Oaks also supports local agriculture by using only Virginia grown soybeans. You can find Twin Oaks Extra-Firm Fine Herb Tofu in the Egg & Tofu Case.

Another delicious addition to our selection of soy foods is also from Twin Oaks. Vegetarian Chorizo Sausage can now be found in the Dairy Case near the other non-meat "deli" items.

Tempeh lovers now have a second option in addition to the Lightlife brand. Look for organic Soyboy 5-grain Tempeh in the Egg & Tofu case.

Jasper Hill Farm Cheeses

From the Jasper Hill Website:

Constant Bliss is based on a Chaource recipe, which we modified to suit our production schedule and cheesemaking facility. The result is a cheese which hardly even resembles a Chaource. It is a slow ripened lactic curd made only with fresh, right out of the cow, uncooled, evening milk. We actually begin the cheesemaking process before the cows have finished milking. Constant Bliss is made with raw whole milk. This is not a double or triple crème cheese as is sometimes thought. Seasonal variations in the milk result in variations on the surface and flavor of the cheese. We like to use Constant Bliss to highlight our milk, and rather than overpowering the natural microflora of our milk with cotton white mold, we prefer to see a mottling of diverse molds and yeasts, which are prevalent particularly in the summer months when the cows are out on grass. It is aged 60 days before it leaves the farm, and is a ‘sell it or smell it’ item for retailers.

We named Constant Bliss after a revolutionary war scout killed in Greensboro by native Americans in 1781. He was guarding the Bayley Hazen Military Road with his compatriot Moses Sleeper, who died with him.

Bayley Hazen Blue is a natural rinded blue cheese. It is made with whole raw milk every other day, primarily with morning milk, which is lower in fat. Ayrshire milk is particularly well suited to the production of blue cheese because of its small fat globules, which are easily broken down during the aging process. The paste of a Bayley Hazen is drier than most blues and the penicillium roqueforti takes a back seat to an array of flavors that hint at nuts and grasses and in the odd batch, licorice. Though drier and crumblier than most blues, its texture reminds one of chocolate and butter. It is aged between 4 and 6 months. We developed this recipe by starting with a Devon Blue recipe, changing its shape, and altering the aging process to end up with a stable rind that will hold up under typical retail conditions.

Bayley Hazen is named after an old military road that traverses the Northeast Kingdom. The road, commissioned by General George Washington was built to carry troops to fight the English on a Canadian front. Though no battle ever took place, the road brought Greensboro its first settlers and continues to be used.

Look for these on the shelf today!

Meyenberg Goat Cream Cheese

New to the Co-op! Just in this week! Goat Cheese Alert!


This creamy goat cheese spread is available in the cheese case on the shelf that the other cream cheeses are sold from. Don't overlook this product to use in place of regular cream cheese, or in recipes that call for regular cream cheese.

$4.63 for a 5oz tub. Buy yours today . . .

Smoked Paprika

We have these three Spanish smoked paprikas available in aisle 2A, above the other teas and spices. $1.94 for a 2.83 oz size tin. Delicious!