Patti Glenn, Seanan Maher, Paula O’Brien, Jason Scallin, Rebecca Torpie
Content Contributors
Rachel Berry, Chris Maher, Seanan Maher, Paula O’Brien, Lauren Scott, Rebecca Torpie, SYRCL staff
BRIARPATCH FOOD CO-OP
290 Sierra College Drive Grass Valley, CA 95945
530-272-5333
Rock Creek Plaza
2505 Bell Rd Auburn, CA 95603 530-65-FRESH
store information, visit briarpatch.coop
Recipes from the Editor
By Paula O’Brien, Editor
D’oh! — Puff Pastry and Fillo Creations for Easy Elegance
When you’ve got puff pastry or fillo in the freezer, it’s like money in the bank. Especially when it comes to whipping up that special something worthy of sharing with family, friends and other folks gathered to celebrate the fall holidays.
Upside Down
Savory Tarts
Makes 6 tarts
Fun to make, since you build them topdown! While they bake, the pastry puffs up nice and crispy.
1 14 oz piece puff pastry
1 egg plus 2 tsp water, beaten 3-4 Tbsp olive oil
½ cup shredded Parmesan cheese
½ onion, thinly sliced
1 tsp fresh thyme, minced
3 cloves garlic, finely minced
1 Delicata squash, cut in half lengthwise and cleaned
½ cup goat cheese, herbed or plain
Optional: 4 slices prosciutto, fresh herbs for garnish
Salt/Pepper
Preheat oven to 400º. Line a sheet pan with parchment.
Cut Delicata halves into half-moons about ¼ - 1/3 inch thick.
In a small bowl, mix together goat cheese, thyme and a few pinches salt and pepper.
Cut puff pastry into six rectangles. Drizzle a little olive oil in six equidistant areas smaller than the puff pastry pieces. Sprinkle salt and pepper across.
In each spot, lay down 3-4 Delicata
pieces, then garlic bits, onion slices and bits of cheese.
Lay pastry piece over the top of the ingredients arranged on the parchment so there's an edge of dough that serves as a border. Crimp pastry with a fork, brush with egg wash, sprinkle with Parmesan. Repeat.
Put prosciutto on a separate lined sheet pan. Bake both pastries and prosciutto about 20 minutes. Pastries will be puffed and golden. Let everything cool. Flip pastries gently using a wide spatula and top with crumbled prosciutto and fresh herbs before serving.
Squash Wellington
Makes 4-6 servings
This one is sure to bring the “wow” to your party. So much goodness rolled up into one delicious, beautiful package.
Butternut squash — about 3 lbs
3 shallots, chopped 14 oz mushrooms, diced
¼ cup dry white wine
5 garlic cloves
1 ½ tsp fresh thyme, minced
1 tsp fresh sage, minced
1 Tbsp soy sauce or tamari
1 Tbsp Dijon mustard
¼ cup dry white wine
2 large handfuls greens, like kale with stems removed or spinach
¾ cup walnuts, toasted
3 Tbsp olive oil
2 Tbsp non-dairy milk
2 14 oz pieces puff pastry
½ tsp salt, plus more to taste
½ tsp pepper, plus more to taste
Preheat oven to 425º.
Trim stem and bulbous section off squash. Peel solid part and cut in half lengthwise. Peel/clean/chop bulbous section, put olive oil on all squash. Add 1/2 tsp each salt/pepper and roast 1/2 hour on a parchment-line sheet pan. Add walnuts to sheet pan and roast everything 5 minutes more. Remove tray to cool.
To a sauté pan, add 1 Tbsp olive oil and shallots. Cook for two minutes, add garlic and cook one minute more. Add mushrooms and fresh herbs, cook until soft. Stir in soy sauce, Dijon and white wine. Allow to cook down. Remove from heat and set aside.
Add 2-3 Tbsp water to sauté pan with greens and pinches of salt/pepper. Cover pan and allow greens to steam. Remove once soft. Allow to cool. Squeeze out excess liquid and coarsely chop. Once everything has cooled, add roasted squash chunks (leave out
two long pieces), walnuts, mushroom mixture and greens to a food processor. Pulse to combine and break down slightly — you want something with texture where you can see bits of the individual ingredients. Add salt/pepper to taste.
Roll out puff pastry on parchment-lined sheet pan. Spoon 2/3 of the filling mixture in a rectangular shape about 4 inches wide and about two inches longer than the squash pieces on either end. Also allow for several inches of filling-free border on the long ends. Lay two long pieces of squash together, slightly offset, on rectangle of filling.
Put remaining 1/3 filling mixture on top and around the long squash pieces, filling in gaps.
Roll out the second piece of puff pastry, place it atop everything. Seal edges by pressing down with your fingers.
Trim off any extra pastry on the ends so there’s just a small border. Seal/crimp with a fork.
Make several small cuts to the top of the wellington so moisture can escape. Brush with non-dairy milk and bake 40-50 minutes until pastry is puffed and golden.
Cool slightly and use a serrated knife to cut.
Check out our digital edition for a great fillo recipe!
Core Beliefs: Sweet Traditions to Start the New Year
Rosh Hashanah — the Jewish new year celebration filled with the sweet sounds of shofar blasts, solemn prayers, and…apple dipping? That's right, folks. When the High Holidays roll around each fall, many Ashkenazic Jewish communities enjoy a delicious array of symbolic foods to usher in a sweet new year.
Apples, specifically dipped in honey, are perhaps the most iconic Rosh Hashanah food. This combination represents the
wish for a “sweet new year” ahead. The apple, with its round shape and seeds inside, symbolizes the cyclical nature of the year — a perfect metaphor for the new year celebration.
But the apple’s importance goes even deeper. In Jewish mysticism, the apple is seen as a representation of the human heart. Dipping the apple in honey is thus a symbolic act of asking God to “sweeten” one’s heart and life in the coming year. It’s a solemn request for a year of goodness, abundance, and positive personal transformation.
This year Rosh Hashanah is October
2nd through 4th. Check out the digital version of The Vine to get our recipe for Apple Flatins, which combine apples, the sweetness of caramel and the symbolic roundness, using puff pastry and some simple techniques that will create that “wow” effect for your guests.
Shanah tovah u’metukah!
Check out our digital edition for an Apple Flatins recipe!
ItA Transformational Time for our Co-op
By Chris Maher, General Manager
was just over a year ago that we opened the doors of our Auburn location at Bell Road and Highway 49. The store was a long time in development and opened only after notable delays in getting some critical components.
All those troubles were forgotten as we arrived at the site that day and saw both new and longtime customers excitedly lining the sidewalk and filling
call it behind the scenes) has developed its own unique version of BriarPatch culture. I see this among the staff and shoppers alike. That said, it still shares a strong thread of what makes BriarPatch “The Patch” — that unique blend of friendliness, warmth and slightly quirky, approachable personality that sets us apart. Everyone truly is welcome, and you can feel it.
Speaking of feeling welcome, the
“This has been a transformational time for our co-op. We are excited about the great reception our new store has received and enthusiastic about a bright cooperative future.”
the parking lot. After a short celebration of the moment, our doors slid open and over a thousand people streamed in for that first glimpse of the new community market. What a warm welcome!
Now we have really begun to settle into this new home and the Auburn store (or ‘RCA’ for ‘Rock Creek Auburn’ as we
store has been warmly received by the community, and shoppers are excited to embrace what BriarPatch offers.
2024 will be the first full calendar year of the store’s operation. We are serving an average of 700 customers per day and are forecasting that it will generate about $13,500,000 in gross sales. And both numbers are growing.
While we anticipate that the store will run a net loss into 2025 as we navigate past the costs of opening it, the Grass Valley store continues to operate profitably and offsets the expected losses. We are right on track with our financial planning.
As many of you know, we collect customer feedback through a survey that is randomly generated for a sample of customers at the register. This survey allows us to see how we are doing in real time, gather meaningful feedback and compare ourselves to our past results, as well as those of co-ops across the country. Our results in both stores are fantastic. Comments from new Auburn shoppers have helped us to identify areas of opportunity and to hear what products people are looking for on our shelves. We listen to this feedback and respond to it as quickly as we can. Thank you for providing it.
This has been a transformational time for our co-op. We are excited about the great reception our new store has received and enthusiastic about a bright cooperative future.
Greetings from the New Board President
By Rachel Berry, BriarPatch Board President
Ihavebeen shopping at BriarPatch since 2009, and after six years of serving on the board, I am honored to now serve as Board President.
As you may know, board members don’t manage the day-to-day decisions of operating the business, but we do set broad goals that provide direction for impact and future development, such as voting to build a new store in Auburn! We are delighted by the community growing around this new location (adding over 1,400 new owners) and the financial stability it can offer the business as a whole.
So what’s next for BriarPatch?
During our last board election, owners were asked what they would like to see in the next 5-10 years. Broadly speaking, members expressed a lot of interest in furthering our cooperative values, including the adoption of more sustainable practices, reducing more cost barriers to healthy food, and building in more support for local farmers.
In terms of raising the bar on sustainability, BriarPatch has been recognized as a national leader in this
area, and yet there is always more that can be done, specifically with plastic packaging and single use containers. Our staff continues to find ways to reduce plastic and single use containers and are currently exploring the feasibility
and thanks to our membership in the National Co+op Grocers, BriarPatch can offer many high-quality foods at a lower price than mainstream supermarkets. Our staff will continue their commitment to support values-aligned
“In terms of raising the bar on sustainability, BriarPatch has been recognized as a national leader in this area.”
of providing reusable dishware in the deli for those who aren’t taking their food togo. It’s worth noting that one of the most toxic contributors to global warming, hydrofluorocarbons used in standard refrigeration units, was altogether eliminated from the Auburn store, and a plan is currently underway to do the same in Grass Valley with support of grant funding.
Affordability of high-quality foods is a perpetual challenge, because “cheap” foods typically rely on unhealthy practices that create an inferior product and are out of alignment with our BriarPatch values. Our purchasing staff are routinely looking for ways to bring in lower prices on high quality foods,
farmers and food producers and offer competitive prices on the high-quality foods our members expect.
Some members offered very specific suggestions, such as redesigning the Grass Valley store to maximize the space west of the community room. Indeed, we are exploring some options to develop a master plan for how to best use that space, so there is more to come.
Thanks to all of you who offered your feedback, for your care and creativity in thinking about how we build on our shared values into the future. We will continue to keep you updated on how these efforts develop.
Un-fungi-ttable Shrooms! Un-fungi-ttable Shrooms!
Crimini
These are just a more mature version of the white button mushrooms you’ll find adorning pizzas from coast to coast, with a stronger and more distinct flavor. Also called “baby bellas,” since that's what they’ll be “when they grow up.” An easy go-to shroom that's great with a quick sauté or in a basic mushroom soup.
Oyster
Lion’s Mane
These shaggy shrooms look like they’re ready to let out a roar. Grown in large clumps, their flavor compares to shellfish or lobster and they're sturdy enough to grill and press into a steak.
You won’t find any pearls nestled amongst the fan-shaped, tiered gray caps. It’s their flavor that’s the real treasure, delicate and fishy enough to be included in recipes for homemade vegan fish sauce!
Alba and Brown Clamshell
The difference is in the color of the cute little caps at the end of long stems growing in clusters — albas are white. Crunchier than most, bitter when raw, they cook up nutty and sweet. Aliases include beech, buna- or hon shimeji, and pioppini.
Trumpet Royale
AKA king trumpet, French horn, king brown, and king oyster, these have a thick and meaty stem you can easily cut into sauté-able planks or shred into strands resembling pulled chicken or pork. When sliced into coins, the stem is a worthy stunt double for scallops!
French Onion
Tartine
Makes 4
The flavors of French Onion Soup, but in a sammie! Truffles are a type of fungi that grows underground. Not a mushroom per se, but the earthy-umami vibe is big and bold in these knobby, odiferous little critters. A little goes a long way, so truffle-infused oil, salt, hot sauce, and other condiments are usually where you can indulge relatively cheaply and easily. Truffle hot sauce brings another layer of fun-gi to the party.
1 lb crimini mushrooms, thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 lb sweet onions, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced
1 bay leaf
¼ tsp dried thyme
Dive deep into the world of mushrooms and you’ll find some pretty cool and tasty stuff.
Not only are they purported to have healing properties (looking at you, Lion’s Mane and Shiitake), but they have magical shapeshifting powers — doubling for proteins — and flavor for days.
Shiitake
Chewier than most mushrooms with an intense and almost woody flavor, shiitakes (literally, “oak mushroom”) are a great pairing with or substitute for animal protein. Season and cook up crispy for a vegan twist on a BLT!
Portabella/ Portobello
These are mature crimini mushrooms, named as such back in the 1980’s in hopes they’d become more popular... and they did! The a’s are like mid-size teenagers while the o’s are bigger.
Maitake
Clusters of feather-like caps give maitakes their other name — hen of the woods. Cook up a cluster like a burger patty or pull them apart to roast and enjoy their gamey flavor.
¼ cup dry white wine
¼ tsp Worcestershire sauce
½ tsp sherry vinegar
6 oz Gruyère cheese, grated
¼ cup grated Parmesan
1 tsp salt, divided
½ tsp pepper, divided
3 Tbsp butter
3 Tbsp olive oil, divided
½ tsp sugar
½ cup mayonnaise
1 Tbsp Dijon mustard
4 deli sandwich rolls (like Mexican bolillo bread), or wide baguette bread (1 1/3 baguette)
Optional: Truffle hot sauce, fresh chopped parsley — for serving
Melt butter in a large sauté pan over medium heat. Add 1 Tbsp olive oil, onions, 1/2 tsp salt, ¼ tsp pepper, sugar and bay leaf. Cook uncovered, stirring
occasionally, until onions are gold brown and caramelized, 4550 minutes. Turn heat down and/or deglaze pan with a little water as needed so onions don't stick and burn. Remove from pan and set aside. Clean out pan.
In the large sauté pan, add 2 Tbsp olive oil. Once it's warmed up, add garlic and cook 1 minute. Add mushrooms, dried thyme, Worcestershire sauce, 1/2 tsp salt, ¼ tsp pepper. Toss to coat and stir occasionally. Once mushrooms are pretty well cooked, deglaze pan with white wine. Remove from pan. Mix together mayonnaise, Dijon and sherry vinegar. Split open rolls, or baguette bread
portioned into sandwich size, Toast in oven under broiler until lightly golden. Assemble sandwiches: Spread mayo mix on bread. Top with caramelized onions and then mushrooms. Top each sandwich with grated cheeses and return to broiler until cheese melts. Add optional truffle hot sauce and chopped parsley if using. Serve.
COMMUNITY Spotlight
The patch is giving back! The Patch is giving back!
Every year, BriarPatch staff use their voice to support our community through Round Up at the Register recipient staff voting. Last November, both recipients, CHIRP in Grass Valley and Chapa-De in Auburn, were chosen by our employees. The California Heritage: Indigenous Research Project (CHIRP) was founded to research, document and preserve the history and culture of the Nisenan Tribe. Chapa-De operates two non-profit community health centers
governed by an American Indian Board of Directors providing quality, accessible healthcare for all.
You can receive up to TWO BriarPatch 15% shopping discounts every month through our PatchWorks Volunteer Program by volunteering for nonprofits like Gold Country Senior Services. Volunteers deliver firewood to lowincome seniors in our community, prepare hot and nutritious meals at little to no cost, and so much more!
To learn more about PatchWorks Volunteer opportunities and to apply, visit briarpatch.coop/patchworks.
This May, BriarPatch was able to support the Armed Forces Pavilion and Community Garden through our Apples for Gardens program. “Our beautiful garden is created for veterans and first responders as well as the community, as a place of healing, relaxing, and walking our labyrinth.” says Community Liaison Teresa Axton. She continues, “The money raised restored some of our black metal benches that were showing signs of wear and tear with rust. We invite everyone to come and see them in our garden.”
Apply to be an Apples for Gardens Recipient: briarpatch.coop/apples.
OWNERS’ Info
Board Committees
To find out more about the Board’s standing committees, please add the following Committee names to the subject line when you email us at directors@board.briarpatch.coop.
Why Be a Co-op Owner?
Owner Appreciation Months
Each year Owners can take 10% off one shopping trip in February, April, July, September and December. This schedule is subject to change.
5% off all BriarPatch brand supplements. Be well and save!
Opt into E-Receipts and automatic Register Round Up
Email hellobriarpatch@briarpatch.coop to sign up.
Senior Discount
Owners 66 and wiser may apply to receive 2% off every day and 5% on Wednesday.
Be a PatchWorks Volunteer
Receive 15% off on up to two shopping trips each month when you volunteer at select nonprofits.
Special Orders
Owners can get special savings for case discounts at our Grass Valley location.
Check out more owner benefits at briarpatch.coop/join-the-co-op.
Board Members and Meetings
Board of Directors
Rachel Berry, Kwong Chew, Jonathan Collier, Richard Drace,
Mark Fenton, Katie Ivy, Alana Lucia, Lindsey Pratt, Deborah Yashar
To contact all the Directors, email: directors@board.briarpatch.coop. For individual Directors: first name and last initial (i.e. alanal@board.briarpatch.coop). Letters may be left at Customer Service.
Upcoming Board Meetings
The upcoming meeting agenda is available at least one week prior to the meeting. Owners are welcome to attend Board Meetings. Please contact Mary Hunter for more information: maryh@briarpatch.coop.
Tuesday, September 24, 2024
Tuesday, October 29, 2024 Tuesday, November 26, 2024
Board Development Committee
Finance Committee
Executive Committee
Governance Committee
Ends Policies
BriarPatch Co-op exists so that members of the communities in which we live, work, and serve will benefit in ever-increasing ways from:
• Vibrant and sustainable organic and natural foods grocery stores.
• An inclusive and resilient regional food system.
• An equitable and expanding cooperative economy.
Thanksgiving — TWISTS ON THE TRADITIONAL
How do traditions get started, and how many times does something have to be done for it to be officially considered a “tradition?” That’ll surely get the turkey talk started at the Thanksgiving table, as will these recipes and techniques that take traditional dishes and give ‘em a little twist.
When it comes to cooking a turkey, more folks these days are “flipping the bird.” Cooking it upside down, that is. While some techniques tell you to cook the turkey upside down and then turn it rightside-up after a while, others say it’s ok to let it cook
Just be sure to tuck the wing tips under the bottom of the turkey so they don’t burn.
Interested in shaking up your Thanksgiving stuffing routine?
upside down the entire time. When it’s time to eat, the well-rested turkey (aka 20-30 minutes) will get one final turn so it’s presented in the usual way. This technique is good with any recipe. Why the turkey gymnastics? Word has it that the breast won’t overcook while you’re waiting for the thighs to get done, and the juices will run down into the breast. Remember, if things start getting overly crispy, you can always tent with foil to let other parts catch up.
A few considerations: first, this might add to the cooking time. Some think it’s worth it, though, to get the crispyskinned juicy flavor bomb that results. Second, if you’re going to flip the bird part-way through cooking, have silicone mitts, a kitchen towel and a big wooden spoon to stick into the cavity for leverage and stability. It’s going to be hot and heavy and you want to have plenty of options to protect yourself as you do it and keep everything in the pan. Also, a turkey cooked upside-down won’t look quite the same (a little flatter), so some folks opt to pre-cut it and serve slices and drums arranged on a platter.
Others swear by spatchcocking the turkey. This involves removing the backbone or otherwise opening up the bird and flattening it out so that it cooks more quickly and evenly. Carving will be a little different, since the turkey is already partly disassembled, but so long as you take the thighs/drumsticks off first, the rest should be pretty straightforward.
While most focus on regular bread cubes or cornbread, think about the other great bread-y creations you love. Why not sub in pretzel rolls, or cubed bagels? Or, cook the stuffing in a different pan, like a bundt ring or muffin tin!
Stuffing Muffins
Makes about 12
With this recipe, there’ll be plenty of crusty edges for everyone to enjoy.
6 English muffins, cut into 1-inch cubes
6 Tbsp European-style unsalted butter
2 cups smoked meat or cooked sausage, diced
2 stalks celery, diced small
1 medium sweet onion, diced small
4 cloves garlic, minced/pressed
1 apple, peeled/diced small
½ Tbsp fresh sage, chopped
½ Tbsp fresh thyme, chopped
½ Tbsp fresh rosemary, chopped
1 Tbsp Everything Bagel seasoning
2 eggs, beaten — divided
1 cup chicken or veg stock, plus a little more as needed
Salt/pepper to taste
Olive oil to grease baking dish and muffin tin
Preheat oven to 325º.
Melt butter in a sauté pan. Toss English muffin pieces with butter in a large bowl. Pan fry English muffin cubes in batches over high heat until golden. Remove from pan.
Sauté onion for a few minutes until translucent. Add in garlic, sauté 1 minute
more. Add in celery and cook until it’s still firm but no longer crunchy. Remove from pan.
Add English muffin cubes, cooked veggies, apple, meat, Everything Bagel seasoning and herbs to a large bowl and mix/fold everything together.
Whisk together 1 egg and 1 cup stock, adding to mixture in the bowl. Add a little more stock as needed — bread should be well-hydrated but not mushy.
Grease a baking dish with olive oil and add mixture, evening out the surface. Bake in preheated oven 35-45 minutes until top is golden brown. Remove from oven and allow to cool.
Cooking Muffins:
Preheat oven to 450º. Grease muffin tin with olive oil. Scoop stuffing into a mixing bowl and mix in remaining egg. Scoop stuffing into muffin tin.
Reduce heat to 425º. Bake 15 minutes and serve warm. Can be refrigerated and reheated.
Cranberry Relish
Makes 8 - 10 servings
Get “boozy” with your cranberries and see what the fuss is all about! Pears make it extra special.
12 oz cranberries
2 ripe pears, peeled/cored/cubed small
½ cup honey
½ cup port wine
¼ cup water
2 thin slices fresh ginger, 1 inch long
1 cinnamon stick
¼ tsp salt
¼ cup Grand Marnier
Check out our digital edition for more Thanksgiving recipes and turkey cooking tips
Combine everything except Grand Marnier in a large saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally.
Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, still stirring occasionally until mixture thickens and all berries are split and sauce has thickened to your liking, about 15 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in Grand Marnier.
Remove ginger pieces and cinnamon stick and allow sauce to cool. Sauce will thicken more as it cools. Store in fridge in airtight container.
TURKEYDAYTIPPLES — BREWSYOUCANUSE
Beer is a year-round beverage, no matter the season or the reason, there’s a beer for that!
Fall, though, is when beer celebrations abound like no other time of year. Oktoberfest is the grandaddy or großväter, rather, in Germany, and other beer-related festivities circle the globe in the northern hemisphere throughout September, October and November.
With all of the great seasonal brews out there, why not work some into the Thanksgiving beverage lineup? Or, maybe there are some everyday ones that’ll pair quite nicely with the festivities. Whatever the case, let’s look at what’ll go with the celebration meal!
Moonlight Brewing Co. Death and Taxes Black Lager — light bodied, refreshing, “drinks like iced coffee.”
Calicraft Brewing Co. Oaktown Brown Ale — notes of dark chocolate and orange zest.
Samuel Smith’s Organic Chocolate Stout — stout meets organic chocolate malt and cocoa. Pair it with a piece of brie for the perfect post-meal experience.
North Coast Brewing Co. Old Rasputin Russian Imperial Stout — Rich, intense, and complex.
Deschutes Black Butte Porter, also available NA — Four types of grains and two types of hops come together for a flavor-packed sip-sperience. NA version is highly satisfying as well!
Guinness Stout, also available NA — Bitter and sweet, chocolatey with coffee notes. NA is produced through cold filtration, protecting the flavor.
Three Forks Purdon Porter — Chocolate, Black and English Brown Malts lend a dry roasted finish.
Auburn Alehouse Gold Country Pilsner — Biscuit flavor balances with subtle hops. Dry finish.
Sierra Nevada Brewing Celebration Fresh Hop IPA — Citrus and pine notes with rich caramel backnotes, for a “Hoppy Thanksgiving.”
NA — Sierra Nevada Trail Pass Golden or IPA — Easy drinking with floral and citrus notes. IPA has a more bitter, hoppy flavor.
NA — Athletic Brewing Co. Atlética Mexican-Style Copper — Easy drinking with light malt, spicy florals and wheat finish.
Join the South Yuba River Citizens League
By SYRCL staff
The South Yuba River Citizens League (SYRCL) was founded in 1983 by grassroots activists determined to protect the South Yuba River from dams. Ultimately, SYRCL won permanent protections for 39 miles of the South Yuba River under California’s Wild and Scenic Rivers Act.
Today, SYRCL is the central hub of community activism to protect, restore, and celebrate the Yuba River watershed. With decades of achievements, 3,500 members, and 1,300 active volunteers, SYRCL is doing great things for the Yuba watershed. Together, we are extending our powerful coalition from the Sierra to the sea.
Through our projects in the forests and meadows of the headwaters all the way down to the Gold Fields of the lower Yuba, SYRCL is working to educate individuals to be stewards of the river, preserve our area’s natural resources, and assist with climate adaptation.
During the third week of September, in coordination with the California Coastal Cleanup and National Public Lands Day, SYRCL will be holding its 27th annual Yuba River Cleanup. The 2024 Cleanup will harness the dedication of nearly 1,000 community volunteers who will work across 80 miles of rivers, streams, and creeks. They’ll put in 3,000+ hours to haul out more than 10,000 pounds of trash and recycling … from cigarette butts to plastic bottles to mattresses. And we need your help. You can sign up to volunteer to clean up your favorite site in the watershed by heading to SYRCL’s website at yubariver.org.
SYRCL’s volunteer activism isn’t limited to one event per year. We have opportunities for engaged volunteers to inspire their community year-round. For the past 23 years, SYRCL has curated and presented the annual Wild & Scenic Film Festival. Held in mid-February at venues throughout Nevada City and Grass Valley, the Wild & Scenic Film Festival inspires activism through film and art. For our upcoming festival, the theme will be “Wild at Heart.”
This theme “speaks
to the power of wild places to spark inspiration, compassion, and understanding of the world around us. Wild is a natural state and place of inspiration, particularly for this festival,” notes Wild & Scenic Film Festival Director, Eric Dunn. The theme encourages us all to work to stay wild in ways that enrich us and our surroundings. The theme also embraces a multitude of meanings of “heart”.
SYRCL’s 23rd annual Wild & Scenic Film Festival will take place on Feb. 13 – 23, 2025. For more information about the festival and opportunities to volunteer, visit the Wild & Scenic Film Festival website at wildandscenicfilmfestival.org
The South Yuba River Citizens League is an integral part of the community, bringing it together to celebrate, protect, and fight for our precious natural resources. Whether it is locally, statewide, or on a federal level, SYRCL is there to be a voice for the Yuba.
Photo Credit: Jason Scallin
Pumpkin Carving PRO TIPS
Take a look at these carving tricks and you’ll have a treat: a gourd-geous creation in no time!
Picking Your Pumpkin
Select a pumpkin with a green, intact stem. The stem provides moisture and nutrients even after the pumpkin is cut from the vine, so yours can stay fresher, longer. Look for ones that have some "personality" to them – scars and other imperfections that can be incorporated into the design and make things interesting. Those gnarly ones'll practically tell you how they want to be carved.
Design
Do a dry run of your design on paper, then onto your pumpkin. Use a grease pencil, dry erase or washable colored marker. Sharpies are cool but you might want something you can wipe off easily.
Tools
Make sure you have the right tools for the job. A spoon to scoop out the innards – a large and serrated spoon works best, or try an ice cream scoop! A variety of tools sharp, heavy and/or nimble enough to handle the curves in your design like a Maserati. If you have a lino cutting set like printmakers use, that’s great! You may also want a pot with a rim size just smaller than the pumpkin, so that it sits nice and snug, and you’re not trying to chase or wrangle it.
We’re Goin’ In…
Cut a hole to access and remove the gloppy strings and slippery seeds. Get out as much as you can, to prevent rot. Some folks swear by going in through the bottom, since the stem stays intact up top and the seeds, strings etc. are anchored down there. Although, any moisture can leak out, so it is best to put the pumpkin on a plate. Ceramics loop tools can also help thin the walls, making elaborate and detailed designs easier to carve and the light easier to shine through.
Light Sources
Candles are the classic favorite, but if you’re using one make sure to cut a venting hole for smoke to get out easily. That’ll keep the top from roasting as much. Battery-powered candles are way more realistic these days, and you don’t need matches. Or ball up LED holiday string lights inside the pumpkin and run the cord to an electrical outlet!
Keep Your Creation Alive Longer
Keep your uncarved pumpkin cool and out of direct sunlight and wait until just before the big night. An uncarved pumpkin can last weeks, while a carved one could be done in a matter of days. After carving, lightly spray cut surfaces with a solution of 1 Tbsp peppermint castile soap and 1 quart water. An 80/20 solution of water/vinegar can work too but will smell funkier. Rubbing salt onto cut surfaces can also work. Consider cutting your entry hole into the back or the bottom — removing the top cuts off nutrients and your pumpkin will dry out faster. Squirrels in your neighborhood? A light dusting of cayenne will deter them from chomping through your masterpiece. If the pumpkin’s small enough to keep in the fridge during the day, that’ll help it last longer too.
Or Not...
Place the pumpkin in a yard or garden and let the decomposition process become part of the plan. As moldy beards grow and smiles slump and everything goes to juice, your garden will absorb the carcass as fertilizer.
It’s JUST a Pumpkin
This is not brain surgery or rocket science! Take the pressure off and just have fun. If it doesn’t go the way you want it to, don’t worry about it and go with what the pumpkin gives you.
I Ain’t Afraid of N
We all love Halloween, but have you ever wondered where it originated? Halloween and many of its traditions go all the way back to the ancient Pagan holiday Samhain.
Samhain, pronounced “SAH-win” (or Sauin depending on how old-school you want to get), meaning ‘Summer’s End’ is a Gaelic festival that traditionally took place on the evening of October 31st and into the morning of November 1st! Celebrated by Gaelic people throughout Ireland, Scotland, and the Isle of Man, it marked the end of the harvest season, since it was roughly halfway between the autumn equinox and the winter solstice.
From a practical perspective, Samhain functioned as a celebration of the end of the harvest. People would take stock of their crops and food supplies, and livestock were brought down from summer pastures
and slaughtered to be stored for the coming winter. Then, great feasts with massive bonfires were held, to celebrate the end of a successful harvest.
But Samhain also connects to the supernatural! The date was said to be a special time where the boundary between our world and the “Otherworld” was at its thinnest. This meant that aos sí (spirits or fairies — say “Ees She”) could easily pass through the veil and into our realm. Rituals would be carried out praying to various Celtic Gods and nature spirits, often with offerings. Leaving food or drink outside for the aos sí in exchange for a safe winter was a common practice.
o Ghosts
It was also a time that those who had passed were believed to be able to cross back into the world of the living. Relatives would set places at the dinner table and by the fire to welcome the souls of family who may return looking for comfort and hospitality — those who were well taken care of might bestow a blessing onto the house. However, vengeful spirits were just as likely to return as kind ones. Later in history, people began to carve root vegetables, like turnips or rutabagas (also called ‘turnips’ by the Irish and Manx), into lanterns to ward off evil apparitions. When Irish and Scottish immigrants made their way to the United States, this became the pumpkin carving tradition we know today!
Another custom, thought to have originated with the Scottish Gaelic, is a practice called ‘guising’, where people went from house to house in costumes, reciting songs or verses in exchange for food.
Some costumed young men in Scotland would often threaten mischief should they not be given anything. (‘Trick or treat, smell my feet’, anyone?) These costumes were originally meant to be impersonations of the aos sí, and received food as an offering on their behalf. Disguising yourself as a spirit was also thought of as protection from them, as they would think you were one of their own. Costumes were also sometimes worn by the collectors who would go door to door gathering contributions to the communal Samhain feast.
Unfortunately, there’s a lot that is still unknown about the specifics of ancient Samhain celebrations, as well as Gaelic Pagan practices in general. This is due to the spread of the Catholic Church throughout Europe, and their habit of merging, overwriting, or completely replacing Pagan holidays and religious practices with their own. In the 9th century, the Catholic Church endorsed the 1st of November as All Saints’ Day, a celebration in reverence of the various Saints of Christianity. While many of Samhain’s traditional rituals in turn influenced the celebration of All Saints, much of the Christian holiday superseded the Pagan aspects of Samhain.
While the assimilation of the Pagan holiday into the Christian one and the emigration of Gaelic people from their homelands eventually transformed Samhain into the modern day Halloween we all know today, there are still some who are committed to Samhain’s Celtic roots. Modern Pagans, especially Celtic Reconstructionist Pagans, hold Samhain celebrations which emphasize historical accuracy. They base as much of their celebration as possible on recorded lore and research of the Celts and their religion.
Bonfires are lit, elaborate offerings are left for the aos sí, and the dead are honored. Altars are made for relatives, extra places are set at the table, and candles are left in the window, to guide the souls of the dead back home. Now’s the perfect time to incorporate some traditional Samhain festivities into your spooky season: when you sit down for dinner on October 31st, why not set an extra plate, or make an altar with photographs of relatives who have moved on to the Otherworld? If you’re daring, you could even try to carve a turnip to go with your jack-o-lanterns. And just as they honored the dead so long ago, you too can honor the people who started the whole thing.
Unusual Fall Traditions & Celebrations you might not know about
Halloween and Thanksgiving are the usual suspects for autumnal anniversaries, but what other fall festivities take place out yonder?
Need to finish that novel that’s been languishing on that hard drive? November is the month to do it during National Novel Writing Month, a/k/a NaNoWriMo. In August 1999, writer Christopher Baty and a bunch of friends pledged to get 50,000 words down on paper. The second year, it was moved to November, “to more fully take advantage of the miserable weather.” It’s bloomed into a thriving nonprofit which supports young writers’ camps and meet-ups for BIPOC and LGBTQIA+ writers.
Picture it: Melbourne, Australia, 2003. A couple guys in a pub decided to grow their mustaches all November to raise money for prostate cancer and men’s health awareness. They found 30 willing dudes to help the cause, charged $10 per ‘stache grown and called themselves the Mo Bros. And Movember was born. Since then, the nonprofit has raised over $1.3 billion for myriad men’s health issues such as testicular and prostate cancers and suicide prevention.
If you know the President of the United States, chances are you can get a perk or two. That goes for turkeys, too. Every year, before Thanksgiving, POTUS gives clemency to two turkeys, halting that trip to the Great Roost in the Sky. The tradition of the Turkey Pardon appears to date back to a tom Abraham Lincoln’s son walked on a leash, and thus let go. “Pardoning” the turkey didn’t become the parlance until Reagan used it to sidestep reporters’ questions related to the Iran Contra scandal: “I’ll pardon him.”
Wait — standing in line at 3am the day after Thanksgiving to wait eagerly to wrestle a 60” smart tv out of someone else’s grip isn’t your thing (But it’s on sale!!)? How about giving Buy Nothing Day a go, where consumers are challenged to buy zilch for 24 hours? Started by Canadian artist Ted Dave in 1992, the idea was to directly counteract Black Friday, enjoy each other and think about a less stuff-y lifestyle.
Though paused in 2024 to regroup and reimagine, The Chitlin Strut in Salley, South Carolina is worth mentioning. If you’ve never tried them, this is your chance to try good ones — boiled, fried, and everything in between. Activities abound, including a dance and a parade. There is even a pageant, where one lucky lady will be crowned Mrs. Chitlin Strut!
Are you a lover or hater of all things pumpkin spice? Either way, you might enjoy The World Championship Punkin Chunkin Contest, which claims to be the oldest and largest event of its kind. Originated in 1986, in Bridgeville, Delaware, the sport is quite the spectacle, attended by thousands every year. Pumpkins are entered into weight classes and fired off using trebuchets, catapults, centrifugal machines, and air cannons, all with names like Buffalo Wing Slinger, Live Free or Chunk and Punkin Punisher.
Whether you wanted to know more about the Brown Tarantula for that Jeopardy! audition, or are just a fangirl, consider crawling over to the Tarantula Awareness Festival in Coarsegold, California on October 26th. How else does one celebrate tarantula mating season then pick up trading cards and eat spider-themed cheesecake? You can get more info on the web...
Deli BAKERY AND
We use organic fruits and veggies, grains and beans, and even our condiments are mostly organic! Our meats and poultry in the Deli are non-GMO Project Verified and free of antibiotics, artificial growth hormones, or added nitrates/nitrites. Our fish and seafood are sustainably sourced. Our cheeses are rBGH-free and rBST-free. Email bpcatering@briarpatch.coop to place orders or
Auburn folks! Sign up for a Mountain Bounty CSA box of weekly organic fruits and veggies, and you can conveniently pick up your box at our Auburn store.
Mountain Bounty Farm’s Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) comes to Auburn store
Mountain Bounty Farm is an 18-acre organic family farm located high on the forested contours of the San Juan Ridge near Nevada City. Founded in 1997 by John Tecklin, Mountain Bounty has become a collaborative effort among a team of farmers.
For years, we've been lucky enough to work with Mountain Bounty farmers who feed 650 families a year via their CSA program, and sell at local markets and
Mountain Bounty Farm’s
Spiced Holiday Beets
Makes 6-8 quarts
5 1/3 cups white vinegar
4 cups granulated sugar
4 cups water
2 Tbsp ground cinnamon
1 ½ Tbsp salt
1 Tbsp ground cloves
12 lbs beets, peeled and sliced to fit in jars
6-8 1-quart canning jars with lids*
*Recipe does not need to be canned and processed if using within 2 weeks
In a large pot, mix vinegar, sugar, water,
restaurants. You can find their delicious produce on the shelves in our Produce Departments, May through October. Their broccoli crowns are always a crowd pleaser.
“Once they got their organic certification, the doors flew open and we’ve been bringing in large volumes of their produce, which is reliably at a high standard of quality,” says Cia, the Coop's produce buyer in Grass Valley.
In 2020, with community support of a partnership called Forever Farms, Bear Yuba Land Trust (BYLT) purchased Mountain Bounty farmland on Birchville Road to protect it in perpetuity from
cinnamon, salt and cloves together. Bring to a boil and stir until sugar dissolves. Stir in the beets and simmer until tender — around 30 mins (your house will smell amazing)
Using a slotted spoon, pack beets into sterilized jars and pour in remaining beet liquid until ¼" from top. Remove air bubbles.
Pour in more boiling water if necessary. Process 30-35 minutes. Remove and allow to cool.
Give these spiced beets as lovely gifts, or use as a tasty addition to your party's charcuterie platter.
development and keep farm access to the land affordable. Forever Farms includes BriarPatch Food Co-op, BYLT, Sierra Harvest and Tahoe Food Hub.
Did you know Mountain Bounty Farm is the largest and oldest Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) farm in the Sierras? When you enroll in Mountain Bounty’s CSA program, you’ll not only receive delicious produce week after week, but you'll also have that good feeling of supporting the economic sustainability of our rural community. Learn more and sign up today.
mountainbountyfarm.com
Cooking with the Not-So-Basics
Butter.
Eggs. Flour. Sugar. We are hurtling headlong into “Baking Season,” and whether your faves include pies, cookies or other goodies, here’s a chance to find out more about the alternatives out there to the long-time basics, to give your goodies the crunch, the fluff, the sweetness you crave, in a whole new way!
BUTTER
So many butters, so little time! You’ve got a great selection to choose from, so why not make an informed choice? Of course, you have salted and unsalted dairy-based butter, and there’s butter with higher fat content out there, like European and Irish butter that clock in at 82% fat (vs 80% for Americanmade sweet cream butter). Use those for butter-forward baked goods (pound cake, shortbread), spread on bread or to finish dishes...places where the flavor will really make a difference. Non-dairy butter acts nearly identical to regular butter when baking, and you can replace it 1:1 in recipes. Best to let it warm up a little when baking, just like when you’re going to cream dairy butter with other ingredients but do keep an
eye on it since if it gets too warm and starts to separate, the oils won’t blend back together again when refrigerated.
EGGS
When you want to use an egg substitute, make sure it matches the role of eggs in the recipe. Eggs can act as a binder and/or as leavening that provides structure to your baked goods. Here are few of the egg substitutes out there.
Just Eggs — Usable in baking, most of the time you just use 3 Tbsp per each large egg. It gives you the leavening and binding qualities that chicken eggs do. You can also use it in savory dishes that need eggs to bind them together, like meatloaf and burgers. Made from mung beans.
Bob’s Red Mill Egg Replacer — Made from potato starch, tapioca, baking soda and psyllium husk fiber, you add water in varying amounts depending on if it’s substituting for a whole egg, yolk or white.
Banana — Good to use in brownies, muffins, bread and cakes, 1/2 cup mashed banana for each egg. Best for dense recipes, not so much for meringues.
Flaxseed Meal — 1 Tbsp milled flaxseed and 3 Tbsp warm water will create a “flax egg.” Let this combo sit for an hour in the fridge before using. Works well for dense recipes like scones and pancakes, but not that great for recipes with a gentle flavor profile since flax’s flavor can overpower.
Applesauce — For each egg, use 4 Tbsp mixed with 1/2 tsp baking powder. Good for moist, chewy baked goods, like cookies, cakes and breads. Not for anything you want to be light, hard or crispy.
Chia Seeds — 2 1/2 Tbsp water and 1 Tbsp chia seeds can stand in for one egg once you’ve let it sit for an hour in the fridge. Good for dense recipes but not for things where a light, smooth texture is desired.
Baking Soda and Apple Cider Vinegar — Mix 1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar and 1/2 tsp baking soda and you’ve got yourself an egg substitute. Good in cookies, pancakes, cakes, muffins. Don’t use in burgers, alt-meat recipes, pastries.
Tofu — 4 Tbsp silken tofu can bring the creaminess of an egg to smoothies, puddings, quiches. If you want the fluff of eggs, like in soufflés and cakes, tofu isn’t the answer.
FLOUR
The “bouquet of flours” has grown considerably these days, with plenty of powdery possibilities for your cooking and baking pleasure. Let's take a look at some of what we have on our shelves.
Mochiko/rice flour — Flour made of glutinous/sweet rice, but it doesn’t contain gluten. The name comes from its sticky/chewy consistency, which is similar to gluten-containing foods. Usually used to make chewy, sticky
Not-So-Basics
mochi desserts. It has a mild, neutral flavor and works great as a gluten-free thickener for soups, sauces and gravies, or for coating fried foods.
Almond — Made from blanched almonds that are ground and sifted so the texture is very fine. Substitute 1:1 for wheat flour, but baked goods will tend to be flatter and denser as it lacks the gluten that helps baked goods rise. Use in place of breadcrumbs to coat meats.
Coconut —Dried coconut meat left over from the production of coconut milk, ground to a fine powder. Absorbs moisture very well and can make the texture of baked goods dry and crumbly. Adjust for this with more liquid in the recipe, up to 2 Tbsp extra liquid for every 2 Tbsp coconut flour sub’d for wheat flour. Also best to substitute only 20% of wheat flour for coconut. Good for thickening soups, coating fried foods.
Cassava — Gluten-free flour made from the cassava tuber. It has a neutral taste, smooth texture and white color. Substitute for wheat flour at 1:1. Buy cassava flour from a reputable brand to ensure it’s processed adequately. Unlike tapioca flour although it also comes from cassava, because it contains the fiber from the entire cassava root and not just the starch.
Tapioca starch/flour — Extracted from the cassava root through a process of washing and pulping that allows the starchy liquid to be extracted and then dried into flour. Gluten-free but allows for binding of ingredients together, so baked goods are fluffier, light, airy and crispy. Use also as a thickening agent in soups and stews by creating a slurry to then add to your recipe.
Tiger Nut — Roasted tubers from the chufa sedge (also named “tiger nut”) are ground into a fine powder. Sweeter than wheat flour, it’s best to mix with another flour (coconut or almond) for best baking results. Use as a binding agent in savory dishes like meatloaf and veggie and black bean patties.
SUGAR
Gimme some sugar! Uh, what kind? Besides granulated, light and dark brown, powdered and caster sugar, you'll also find a lot of other sweeteners to choose from when cooking and baking. It basically depends on the source and the amount of processing that goes into the finished product.
Turbinado — Raw sugar cane juice stripped of natural molasses and impurities/vitamins/minerals. Can be sub'd 1:1 with brown or white sugar in baking.
Sucanat/Panela — Minimallyprocessed, dehydrated sugar cane juice. Its deep molasses-y flavor means a little goes a long way and you use less to get your desired level of sweetness. Can sub 1:1 vs white or brown sugar in baking.
Date Sugar — Caramel-butterscotch flavor. Made from dehydrated dates ground to resemble granulated sugar. The presence of fiber leaves a tiny grit that won’t dissolve in hot liquids or baked goods, so best to use it as a topping for oatmeal, muffins or pie.
Maple Sugar — Made by removing the moisture from maple syrup, it’s a great way to get that lovely maple taste into all kinds of goodies. When using it in a recipe, don't immediately substitute 1:1 but add a little at a time. You may find you use less!
Alt-Liquid Sweeteners
Agave — Derived from the core of the agave plant, it’s sweeter than traditional sugar and has a mild, neutral taste. If subbing into a recipe, go with 2/3 cup agave for 1 cup sugar.
Stevia — Highly concentrated sweetness, sub 1/3 - 1/2 tsp for 1 cup sugar. Because you’ll lose a lot of bulk consider bumping up neutral ingredients to even out texture. Stevia has a somewhat bitter flavor, so opt for using it in dishes that have other strongly flavored ingredients like coffee or chocolate. Safe for dogs but unpleasant in large quantities.
Rice Syrup — Glucose-based sweetener derived from brown rice. A good thickening agent for sauces, gravies, and pies - in place of flour or cornstarch. Also, a vegan alternative to honey.
Honey — The syrupy liquid that honeybees make from plant nectar.
Erythritol – Touted as a good substitute for sugar such as cakes, cookies, brownies, quick breads — and it'll brown like sugar in baked goods. Along with xylitol, good to enjoy the baked goods made with erythritol the day they’re baked since things won’t stay moist for long and you’ll feel a “cooling effect,” like you’re sucking on a mint. Start slow with eating this, since your GI system can have issues if eaten in excess. Not immediately toxic for dogs but maybe don’t give it to them.
For the full list of alternative ingredients visit our digital edition
By Lauren Scott, BriarPatch Sustainability Coordinator
BriarPatch’s Waste Characterization Study
On an unseasonably warm day in early June, a handful of BriarPatch staff gathered in the receiving bay of our Grass Valley location to perform a waste characterization study. What may have looked to outsiders like a raccoon cosplay gathering, was in fact, a significant endeavor aimed at understanding the composition and volume of materials destined for the landfill.
The intrepid foragers sorted 457 pounds of waste collected over twenty-four hours from all parts of our operations. Waste was logged by its origin and sorted into the following categories: recyclable, plastic film, single-use food service ware, food waste, and landfill.
The objective of the waste audit was threefold: to reduce waste, improve our diversion rate, and validate the accuracy of our current diversion efforts. BriarPatch has set an ambitious sustainability target for 2025, aiming to achieve an 80% diversion rate from landfill. Our 2023 diversion rate was approximately 67%.
This commitment extends across all facets of our operations, encompassing materials ranging from food
waste and cardboard to plastic wraps, packaging, equipment, uniforms, electronics, old shopping carts, and display fixtures. Our strategy revolves around recycling, composting, and facilitating donations to ensure that at least 80% of these materials are repurposed instead of being disposed of in landfills.
What were the key takeaways from our waste audit? First, we discovered our staff and customers are commendable recyclers! Only 3.6% (16 pounds) of the 457 pounds audited could have been diverted to mixed recycling bins. Similarly, plastic film waste was surprisingly low at just 9 pounds, despite the prevalence of products arriving at BriarPatch wrapped in multiple layers of plastic film, including pallet and case wraps. The majority of our plastic wrap is collected separately and recycled by a distributor, UNFI. Food Waste represented 17% of total waste- something we are working hard to eliminate entirely from sending to the landfill.
Another insightful finding was the substantial presence of waxed cardboard, comprising 24% of the total waste. Waxed cardboard poses a unique challenge for a grocery retailer specializing in fresh produce, as it cannot
be recycled through typical waste management or cardboard recycling channels. Currently, our only viable recycling option for waxed cardboard involves shipping it to Envirolog in Georgia for specialized processing. Moving forward, we are committed to exploring additional recycling avenues for waxed cardboard and encouraging our suppliers to adopt reusable or more easily recyclable alternatives.
Beyond itemizing the waste components, we also tracked their origin within the store to tailor diversion strategies to the specific needs of departments. These insights will inform staff training, signage, and bin placement while also driving exploration into new recycling opportunities and advocating for replacements of materials that currently lack recycling options.
Protect yourself from
SOLAR POWER
Lower your energy bills
Protect your home from power outages
Reduce your environmental impact
BATTERY BACKUP
Maintain power when PG&E is down
Store power for times without sunlight
Gain independence from the grid
HOME GENERATOR
Reliable backup power for your home
Charge your battery during periods without sunlight
Keep the essentials running during power outages
Dates: Friday, Nov. 1 and Saturday, Nov. 2, 2024
Time: 10am - 4pm
Location: Buck Hall At Emmanuel Episcopal Church Address: 235 S. Church Street, Grass Valley, CA 95945, (tel) (530) 273-7876
Visit: emmanuelgv.org
The Victorian Christmas Faire benefits Outreach to our Community. Come do some shopping for the Holidays or that special occasion. Items for sale include: Homemade Jam, Jellies, Handcrafted Gifts (scarfs, quilts, etc.), Homemade Baked Goods, Jewelry, Gift Baskets, China/Crystal, Holiday Decorations, Stocking Stuffers, Children’s Puzzles, Games, Books and More!
Our Christmas CAFÉ will be open 10am - 3pm both days serving yummy lunchtime items for purchase — come sit and eat (take out available!)
290 Sierra College Drive
Grass Valley, CA 95945
September October November
The Brät Pack — Auburn store 9/19/2024, 5-6:30pm
“Farming While Black” Documentary Screening — at The Onyx Downtown/ Nevada Theater, Nevada City 10/8/2024, 7pm
