Kale Chips... from the 'hood

Behold - new kale chips have arrived at the Coop, and they are made locally. Sure, the Coop defines local as anywhere within a 500 mile radius, but what do you call it if it's made half a mile away? I'd say that's loco local. The new raw kale chips are from NY Naturals, the natural food store on Flatbush & 6th Avenue, and are delivered to us -- freshly made! -- several times a week. They are selling for a very fair price: $4.84 for a 3.5 oz package. Look for them in Aisle 7 in the small chip section.

Awesome Foods

New to the Coop this week are some raw and crispy snacks from a local company called Awesome Foods. Fans of the much-loved but hard-to-come-by Kale Chips will appreciate the variety which includes: Kale Tempuraw, Zuchinni Tempuraw, Vegetable Tempuraw, Root Veggie Crackers and Vegetable Almond Crackers. All dehydrated at less than 118 degrees, all vegan, and all gluten-free. Look for them in Aisle 7A, hanging across from the other small chips.

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.