The Co-operator - May & June 2019

Co operator THE

Volume 30 : Issue 3 • May & June 2019

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www.eastendfood.cooP

GPaAge R4 DENING Favorites

Weatherbury Sandwich Buns

: l a c o l n o t h ig l t spo weatherbury farm Page 5

g n i k a M d a e Br s e p i c e R & Basics Page 7

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Free!

Board Corner Hello EEFC Community!

The East End Food Co-op exists to enhance physical and social health to our community. To these ends, we will create: • A sustainable memberowned business open to everyone; • An ethical and resilient food infrastructure; • A vibrant, dynamic community of happy, healthy people; • A creative vision to transform the future.

Board of Directors Eddy Jones, President Sam Applefield Eva Barinas Karen Bernard Emily DeFerrari Larry Meadows, Jr. Jona Reyes O.E. Zelmanovich

The board meets the third Monday of each month at 7 PM in the POWER/EEFC Conference Room. Members are welcome to attend.

MANAGEMENT TEAM

General Manager: Maura Holliday Finance: Shawn McCullough HR: Jen Girty IT: Erin Myers Marketing & Member Services: Kate Safin Café: Amber Pertz Front End: eric cressley

THE CO-OPERATOR

The Co-operator is a bi-monthly publication of East End Food Co-op. Copies are available in the lobby of the store and online at www.eastendfood.coop.

Editor: Kate Safin Copy Editor: Mike Eaton Design: Molly Palmer Masood Printed with vegetable-based inks on recycled paper by Banksville Express.

Advertise with us

E-mail editor@eastendfood.coop or call 412.242.3598 ext. 142.

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Opinions expressed are the writers’ own and do not necessarily reflect Co-op policy. The East End Food Coop does not endorse the views or products of the advertisers in this newsletter.

The Board of Directors is pleased to announce our new General Manager: Maura Holliday, our current Grocery Manager. We are looking forward to working with Maura in her new role are excited to work together to face what the future holds for EEFC. This was a difficult decision to make because each of the finalists brought very different strengths to the table, but ultimately the board decided that Maura will be the best long-term steward of our co-op, this critical community resource that we have all built together.

Of all the candidates, Maura demonstrated the most knowledge of local food systems. She is also highly collaborative and committed to our co-op and our city. She is approachable and thoughtful, and we believe that under Maura’s leadership all of the store’s stakeholders (staff, managers, board, members, and shoppers) will be able to continue to work together to build our co-op into a great grocery store and a leader on environmental sustainability, collaborative economics, food justice, staff empowerment, transparency, and meaningful member participation.

Please join us in welcoming Maura into her new role!

Special thanks to all of the members and staff who took time to meet with the candidates and share their feedback. The board is buoyed by the efforts of members and staff to be involved in the decision making process and we encourage you to remain or become engaged in an area of your interest. There are several committees within which the board does our work, and we encourage you to become aware

of how we function and to join one of those committees open to member participation.

We meet as a full board usually on the third Monday of the month and we feel supported when you show up!

• The Bylaws Committee is currently reviewing our bylaws to propose revisions.

• The Management Transition Committee recently completed the work of hiring a new General Manager, Maura Holliday, and is now focused on ensuring a successful transition from prior leadership under an Interim Management Team.

• The Annual Meeting Committee will be gearing up soon to plan a meaningful and cooperative Annual Meeting in the fall.

• The Expansion Committee is beginning to investigate the most appropriate avenue for solving our “bursting at the seams.”

• The Finance Committee monitors, advises and analyzes all thing financial.

• The Member-Owner Participation (MOP) Committee explores avenues to strengthen communication between the board and the member-owners and member-owner participation.

• The Board Perpetuation and Elections Committee works toward keeping the board fully seated and the elections robust.

Please contact boardofdirectors@eastendfood. coop for more information or to become involved. The Bylaws, Annual Meeting, and MOP committees are open to members. The Management Transition, BP&E, Expansion, and Finance Committees are currently not open to members. Full committee descriptions are posted online at www.eastendfood.coop/boardof-directors/board-committees.

Living our ends

Educational opportunities and community outreach are ways we create a vibrant, dynamic community of happy, healthy people.

27 community events hosted by 12 co-op members and 39 partner organizations.

6 Co-op Orientations.

103 hours of outreach to connect with 17,943 people in the community.

Fiscal year 2017-18, data collected July 3, 2017-July 1, 2018

STORE news

What’s happening at your Co-op It's finally getting warm and sunny here in Pittsburgh. Our floral department really flourishes this time of year, with lots of local seedlings lining the sidewalk throughout the growing season. This year, we have two new seedling vendors to welcome to the co-op: Who Cooks For You Farm and Blackberry Meadows Farm. These growers are replacing Garden Dreams (who has paused their wholesaling operations) and Rick Contray of Wilmington Gardens (who after 30 years of organic farming and 26 years selling to the co-op is finally "trying out retirement").

We are confident our new growers will meet the high expectations you have for seedlings. Who Cooks For You is a family operated farm located in New Bethlemham, PA that has provided seedlings during our Plant Something Day Sale in the past and is a regular local vendor in our Produce Department.

The farm is Certified Naturally Grown

and going through USDA Organic Certification. Blackberry Meadows is a family operated USDA Certified Organic farm located in Natrona Heights, PA. Despite the change in seedling vendors, we are still able to host our Plant Something Day Sale on Sunday, May 19th. This day-long sidewalk sale generates lots of buzz and excitement at the store. This year, all seedlings will be buy 2, get 1 free. We hope you'll save the date and join us!

Thank you to everyone who came out for our Bulk Sale on Sunday, April 14th.

The love for this sale continues to grow and our most recent sale was the most successful one to date, with bulk food and bulk herbs accounting for 30% of our daily store sales!

In the coming weeks, we will be performing a waste audit guided by PA Resources Council. This will give

us an accurate sense of where we are with waste reduction, help us establish tracking systems, and aid the development of next steps toward sustainability.

Operationally, we are excited to embrace Maura Holliday as our new General Manager. Maura has been with the co-op for more than 6 years as the Grocery Manager and has been serving on the Interim General Management Team since October 2018. You can learn more about Maura and her vision for the co-op on page 14. The Interim General Management Team will remain in place until our grocery manager position is filled and Maura is fully adapted to her new role as GM. The co-op has experienced a lot of success in the team management structure, and while we are ready to hand the reins to Maura, we also want to ensure we preserve the strength we've developed together.

EMPLOYEES OF THE MONTH Rachael OWen (FRONT END)

LEAH FARINOLA (CAFE)

Rachael started working at the co-op in Juy 2017. She's passionate about sustainability and enviromental justice, and outside of work enjoys reading, writing, and biking.

Leah has been at the co-op since

May 2018. She is a vegetarian who is passionate about sustainability and natural foods. She enjoys

reading, writing, and going on hikes with her dog, Ivan.

register

Round

To support these organizations, tell your cashier to Round Up your total at the register!

Register Round Up Funds raised to date: $141,700.91 April 2013-March 2019

MAY RECIPIENT

JUNE RECIPIENT

Grow Pittsburgh is an urban agriculture organization whose mission is to teach people how to grow food and promote the benefits gardens bring to our neighborhoods.

Bike Pittsburgh is transforming our streets and communities into vibrant, healthy places by making them safe and accessible for people to bike and walk.

GROW PITTSBURGH

www.growpittsburgh.org

BIKE PITTSBURGH

www.bikepgh.org 2

We’re Listening Your voice is heard

I applaud the Co-op staff’s efforts towards achieving Zero Waste in-house. The Co-operator article, “Refocusing the 3 R’s" from 10/31/2018 (https://tinyurl.com/recyling3Rs) was enlightening, and I’m hoping for an update. In particular, there is still so much singleuse plastic packaging in the store that shoppers take home and then must dispose of in a responsible way. That’s getting harder to do as recycling systems break down in the wake of China’s refusal to continue accepting our waste.

I’ve become especially concerned about plastic that comes in contact with my food and beverages (see the excellent comprehensive review by the Center for International Environmental Law of the human health impacts of ingesting, absorbing and inhaling the chemicals in plastic, like endocrine disruptors: https://tinyurl.com/plastichealth). I just don’t even look at whole classes of discretionary items when I’m in the store, like baked goods and prepared deli foods, all of which are wrapped in single-use plastic. It may take some time to influence other producers of foods that the Co-op carries to explore alternatives to plastic packaging – like re-usable containers.

When the Co-op is the producer and packager, we need to get out ahead of the crowd in terms of implementing the healthiest, most environmentally friendly practices.

So, what’s in the pipeline for the Co-op in this regard? What are other stores doing that we might adopt to reduce the amount of singleuse plastics packaging that customers must accept if they want to purchase certain products that are under the store’s control?

pat buddemeyer East End Food Co-operative member-owner and shopper What’sSUP? Single-use Plastics Reduction Challenge 2019 participant on Facebook: “SUP Challenge Pittsburgh” Hi Pat, Thank you for the note and for following along as the Co-op works to enhance our sustainability. The issue of single-use plastics is on the minds of many people these days, including the operators of your Co-op. As you read in the article you referenced, one of our tactics to increase sustainability is partnering with local experts. Currently, Pennsylvania Resources Council is guiding us through a waste audit, providing recycling educational programming and giving technical assistance to aid in future improvements to our current waste management system.

We always strive to do the least harm to our environment and we have many sustainability initiatives already in place. The reduction of single-use plastics is certainly deserving of our attention. As we’ve learned and researched, what we’ve often come up against is a painful realization that there is no perfect solution to this problem. Our world has become accustomed to the convenience offered by single-use plastics and it will take time and deliberate actions by businesses and consumers to back off the plethora of plastic we encounter every day. As the Co-op works to find alternatives, we also encourage all our shoppers and members to be accountable for their own habits. We offer as many alternatives to plastic as we reasonably can. This is evident in our product guidelines that prioritize local, organic foods and items that come in returnable or recyclable packaging. We encourage and even incentive reuse through our 10 cent reusable bag and reusable mug credit. And we offer many alternatives to single-use plastics, like glass jars and canvas produce bags. We have the largest bulk foods department in Pittsburgh, where consumers can bring their own jars to fill with hundreds of products, from pantry staples to soaps. Our zero waste shopping demonstrations are getting noticed, and we are invited into the community to present this shopping method often.

In terms of your specific question about café packaging, we are looking to source compostable solutions that are BPI certified. These are not easily accessible through our distributors without having to purchase large quantities at a time, and we do not have storage space to order that way. This shift may not come quickly, but we are making efforts to reduce our share of single-use plastics.

Thank you for your note. We will continue to provide updates to our membership as we go along this sustainability journey!

Kate Safin East End Food Co-op Marketing & Member Services Manager

Judy Vanderbeck, LMT, INHC Since 1995 Creating Sessions Specific to Your Needs.

Member Hands-On Trade Assoc.

Licensed Massage Therapist #MSG004109

Swedish & Sports Massage, Energy Work, Self-Healing Techniques.

Certified Reflexologist: in Face, Ear, Hand & Foot Reflexology Certified Health Coach - For Balanced Lifestyle & Non-Toxicity Office Hours by appt. Mon. - Sat. 5850 Ellsworth Ave. Independent at Capristo Wellness Spa

Shadyside - 412/362-9084

www.judyvanderbeck.com Online Scheduling + Purchase of Gift Certificates & Apt. Pack-

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STAFF Pick!

FEATURED PRODUCTS

Get your garden on!

ORGANIC MECHANICS WORM CASINGS

“Let the worms do the work for you!”

Tyler Kulp PRODUCE

NEW Items!

• • • • • • • • • • • •

Tierra Farm Organic Raw Pine Nuts Yogi - Soothing Rose Hibiscus Tea NatureZway - Bamboo Paper Towels Daiya - Meatless Meat Lovers Pizza Unreal - Dark chocolate peanut butter cups U-KONSERVE - Silicone Straws Rubicon - Vegan Cupcakes Upstate Elevator Supply Co. - Full Spectrum CBD Salmon oil for pets Stasher - Resuable Bags Against the Grain - GF Pita Bread Acure Radically Rejuvenating Day & Night Creams Pit Paste - Deodorant Paste-Rockin various scents

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Spotlight on Local

Weatherbury Farm

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If you want true farm-to-table, look no further than Weatherbury Farm. This family owned and operated farm in Avella, PA, is managed by three members of the Tudor family: Dale, Nancy, and Nigel. Their mission is to heal the earth using traditional, sustainable farming techniques and to connect consumers to food through education and transparency. The Tudors have a hand in literally every process on their 220-acre organic farm. They raise grassfed beef and lamb and a wide variety of certified organic grains, including soft & hard wheat, oats, spelt, openpollinated corn, emmer and einkorn. From putting the seeds in the ground to the flour in the bag, all the planting, harvesting, and milling take place right on the farm.

It’s great to have the Tudors and small farmers like them here in the region, sustainably harvesting food for all of our futures. We talked with Nigel Tudor about what makes Weatherbury so special (and got a few recipes, too!).

By using natural recycling and conservation techniques like grazing, crop rotations, and organic farming methods, Weatherbury is able to minimize external inputs and uphold high standards of sustainability. They embrace natural synergies created on the farm; for example they use animal manure to fertilize the fields, and then those fields produce grains that are milled and sold to consumers, used for animal bedding, and fed to their flock of free-range chickens (which produce eggs that the farmers enjoy for breakfast).

The farm was certified organic in 2009, but the family has been farming without herbicides, pesticides, or chemical fertilizers since 1988. Weatherbury Farm was one of two farms selected (from 500+ farms) for the 2012 Pennsylvania Certified Organic Sustainability Award. They have also received the Southwestern Pennsylvania Sustainable Small Business Award (Gold), the Sustainable Agriculture Award from the Center for Rural Pennsylvania, and the 1999 EPA Energy Star Small Business Award.

EEFC: What makes your products or business unique?

Nigel: We grow all of the grains we use and mill them on our farm. We like to call our flour an estate flour (like estate wine) since everything from putting the seed in the ground to putting the flour in the bag is done at Weatherbury Farm.

East End Food Co-op (EEFC): What inspired you to start your business?

Nigel Tudor, Weatherbury Farmer & Miller: We bought our farm in 1986. From 1992 to 2017 we offered Farm Vacations / Bed & Breakfast stays. In 2007 we diversified our farm by sell grass-fed and grass-finished beef and lamb. In 2008 we started growing certified organic grains. In 2014 we added our flour mill.

EEFC: What is the most important thing for customers to know about your products?

Nigel: While our products are local and organic what people like the best about our products is the flavor.

EEFC: How do you source ingredients?

Nigel: We raise all of the grains that we mill.

EEFC: What is the greatest challenge you face/have faced as a local business owner?

Nigel: Getting people to know about us and our products.

EEFC: What is your hope for the future of your business?

Nigel: Early in 2019 we will be launching our “Grain Tracker”. Every package will have a QR code on the lot number label which will take you to a page on our website about that grain that is in the flour bag. The page will show pictures of the actual crop that is in the flour bag at different growth stages, a history of the crop variety, where it was grown and a history of the farm it was grown on. In 2019 we will also be building a wood fired bread oven on our farm. We plan on bringing in bakers to teach bread baking classes. This will help educate the public about using local flours to bake bread at home. We would also like to find a baker who would operate a small bakery off of our farm.

EEFC: Why do you think people should shop local?

Nigel: Shopping local is truly the only way to know where your food comes from.

Learn more about Weatherbury Farm: Web: www.weatherburyfarm.com Facebook: www.facebook.com/WeatherburyFarm/ Email: info@weatherburyfarm.com

WEATHERBURY WHITE BREAD

INGREDIENTS

• ½ cup milk • 3 tablespoons sugar • 2 teaspoons salt • 3 tablespoons butter • 2 packages active dry yeast • 1 ½ cups warm water (105 to 115 °) • 6 cups Weatherbury Farm unbleached bread flour • Yields 2 loaves

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Place milk, sugar, salt and butter into a small saucepan. Heat over low heat until butter melts and sugar dissolves. Cook to lukewarm.

2. Dissolve yeast in warm water in warmed mixer bowl. Add lukewarm milk mixture and 4 ½ cups flour. Attach bowl and dough hook to mixer. Turn to speed 2 and mix about 1 minute.

3. Continuing on speed 2, add remaining flour, ½ cup at a time and mix about 2 minutes or until dough clings to hook and cleans sides of bowl. Knead on

speed 2 about 2 minutes longer or until dough is smooth and elastic. Dough will be slightly sticky to the touch.

4. Place dough in greased bowl, turning to grease top. Cover. Let rise in warm place about 1 hour or until doubled in size.

5. Punch dough down and divide in half.

Roll out to about ¼ inch thick, pressing out all bubbles. Fold the sides of the dough into the middle so that they overlap by 1 inch or so. Roll the dough again so that it is as wide from folded side to folded side as your baking pan.

Moisten your hands with water and lightly pat the dough so that it is just slightly tacky. Roll the dough up like a carpet. Pinch the seam and lay seam side down in a buttered bread pan. The cylinder should fit lengthwise but should not touch the sides of the pan. Repeat with other piece of dough. Cover. Let rise in warm place until bread is about double in size (~45 minutes to one hour).

6. Bake at 400 ° for 30 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from pans immediately and cool on wire racks.

BENEFITS OF STONE MILLING In traditional stone milling, the movement of stone crushes the entire grain and retains all the vitamins, enzymes, amino acids and fiber contained in the grain. The friction from the stones heats the flour up gradually, preventing the loss of enzymes and vitamins without compromising the baking quality. This method ensures the integrity, quality, flavor and nutritional value of flour is maintained. In its whole state, grain contains a natural balance of starch, protein, vitamins, and fiber.

In wheat, many oils and essential B and E vitamins are concentrated in the wheat germ, the life-force of the grain. With stone milling, the endosperm, bran, and germ remain in their natural, original proportion (unless sifted).

- Weatherbury Farm

WHERE TO FIND WEATHERBURY PRODUCTS AT THE CO-OP! BULK DEPARTMENT: • Unbleached Appalachian Bread Flour • Polenta • Cornmeal RETAIL PACKAGING (2LB BAGS) - AISLE 3: • Unbleached Pastry Flour • Polenta 6

From our kitchen to Yours

By Robin Asbell

BreadMaking BasicS It might be hard to believe that I remember a recipe from 40 years ago. My Mom's battered copy of The Joy of Cooking had several bread recipes, including one for Cornell Formula White Bread. The recipe was for a loaf of white bread with added soy flour, dried milk powder and a little wheat germ. The headnote at the beginning of the recipe stated that the bread had been developed at Cornell University as an easy way to boost protein in the diet. It was created to help feed people in the war rationing times of the 1940s.

While poring over the stained pages of the book, I became fascinated by the idea that some flours were healthier than others.

I wondered, "Why wouldn't you want to eat healthier bread all the time? In fact, why wouldn't all bread be made with these magical ingredients?" My imagination was sparked by that simple idea, and I started experimenting with whole grain breads, adding soy flour and milk powder and wheat germ.

My mom cautioned me about going too far, and in my youthful bravado, I ignored her one winter's day and made a 100% soy flour loaf. The resulting brick of inedible, airless bean-flavored building material ended up tossed in the yard, in the hope that at least birds and squirrels would enjoy its protein-rich goodness. They did not, and when the snow melted that spring, the yellow loaf was still there.

In the many intervening years, I've played around with all sorts of bread baking, experimenting to find that balance between health, texture and flavor. I've baked professionally, pitching yeast into industrial mixers that made 100 loaves' worth of dough, and I've continued to bake at home on a regular basis. Like so many foods, homemade bread is so superior to mass produced bread that it is worth the extra effort. There is nothing quite like a freshly baked loaf or bun, still warm from the oven.

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If you are just starting out with baking your own, there are a few things you should know. First, there are two kinds of breads.

Yeasted breads use living single celled organisms to create the gases that make the bread rise. They also tend to rely on gluten, the stretchy protein in wheat flour that traps the gases in the bread, giving it a nice open texture. That's why most breads are made with higher gluten flour, milled from hard red or white winter wheat. Quick breads are the second kind of bread, and they utilize chemical leaveners, like baking soda and baking powder, to cause gases to bubble up in the dough. Quick breads are usually meant to be more tender than yeasted breads, and often rely on softer flour, called pastry flour, which is lower in gluten. Quick breads are stirred together gently and quickly, to keep them low in chewy gluten, while yeasted breads are kneaded to get the gluten to develop.

So, when you see a recipe that calls for whole wheat flour, know that it means whole hard wheat flour, but if it calls for whole wheat pastry flour, that is the softer kind. I try to strike a balance between whole wheat and unbleached flours, to keep things light. If you want to go with more whole wheat, just substitute it for some or all of the unbleached flour and see how you like it (generally, the more whole wheat, the denser the texture). I also used white whole wheat flour, a wonderful flour made from a paler form of whole wheat, that makes the loaf look, well, less whole wheat-y.

Oh, and if you want to boost the protein in your bread? For every cup of flour, just substitute one tablespoon non-fat dry milk powder or soy flour for the equivalent amount of flour.

Dive in and start baking, and you will be taking part in a timeless ritual, transforming simple ingredients into something magical. Your friends and family will thank you for it.

Authored by Robin Asbell for Stronger Together. Reprinted by permission from StrongerTogether.coop. Find articles about your food and where it comes from, recipes and a whole lot more at www.strongertogether.coop. Robin Asbell writes about food related topics, and enjoying life. Her prose and recipes have appeared in such diverse publications as Better Homes and Gardens, Taunton's Fine Cooking, Cooking Light, Mother Earth News and Vegetarian Times.

Member Submitted Recipe!

Savory Swedish Star Bread

By MaCall Scott

Member Submitted Recipe!

Buttermilk Cornbread

By Christine Bruening

Member Submitted Recipe!

Gluten Free Zucchini Quick Bread

By Pamelas Products

Sandwich Buns

By Weatherbury Farm

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INGREDIENTS 5. Adding the buttermilk first will • ½ cup butter lower the risk of • 1 cup white sugar scrambling the • 1 cup buttermilk eggs.

• ½ tsp baking soda 6. Stir in cornmeal, • 1 cup cornmeal flour and salt until • 1 cup all-purpose flour everything is well • ½ tsp salt blended. This is where you’ll have PREPARATION to be a little careful 1. Preheat oven to 375°. so the ingredients 2. For this recipe I don’t spill out of the like to use a 10 skillet but I think it’s inch cast iron skillet worth it to have to “one-pot-meal style” clean one less dishbut you can always amiright? substitute with a 7. Then pop it into your 10in baking pan. preheated oven.

3. Melt your stick butter 8. Bake in the oven in a large skillet. for 25-30 min (but Remove from heat honestly your nose and stir in sugar until will tell you when it’s incorporated. done).

4. Whisk in eggs, buttermilk and baking soda.

DOUGH • 2 1/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour, sifted • 3/4 cup + 2 to 4 Tbsp. lukewarm milk • 4 Tbs unsalted butter, at room temperature • 2 tsp instant yeast • 1 Tbsp. sugar • 1 tsp salt

INGREDIENTS • 4 cups Weatherbury unbleached Appalachian Bread Flour • 2 1/2 cups Weatherbury unbleached Pastry Flour • 1 Tbsp. yeast • 4 tsp. melted butterå • 1 cup warm water • 4 Tbsp. honey • 1 cup warm milk • 2 tsp. salt • 2 large free-range eggs

INGREDIENTS

hook and knead until dough no longer sticks to the sides of the bowl for about 2 minutes.

You may need to add 1/4 cup flour is dough is too sticky. Dough should be slightly sticky and spring back when touchedåç 6. Shape your dough into a bow. And allow to rise until double (~1 hour).

7.

Once risen, divide the PREPARATION dough in half. Divide 1. In a small bowl, add the each half into 8 pieces. yeast to warm water 8. Shape dough into a and allow to sit for 10 ball (hamburger) or minutes. cylinder (hot dog).

2. In a stand mixer, Brush with melted combine the milk, eggs, butter and allow to rise melted butter, honey 30 minutes. and salt.

9. Once risen, bake at 3. Add the yeast mixture 375° for 18 minutes and stir until combined. until tops are nice and 4. Add the flour. Mix with paddle attachment on golden. low until flour is just 10. After baked, brush incorporated with the tops with butter and wet ingredients. cool on a wire rack.

5. Switch to the dough

into a 10" circle. Place the remaining strips of the circle on a piece dough so that you end of parchment, brush a up with eight pairs of thin coat of beaten egg strips. on the surface, then 8. Pinch the pairs of strips spread with 1/3 of each together to create a of the filling ingredients: star-like shape with pesto, caramelized eight points. Remove onions, walnuts, goat the cutter. cheese, prosciutto 9. Transfer the star on (leaving 1/4" of bare the parchment to a FILLING dough around the baking sheet. Cover • 1 large egg, beaten perimeter). the star and let it • 1/2 cup pesto 5. Roll out a second rise until it becomes • 2 large caramelized circle the same size as noticeably puffy, about onions the first, and place it 45 minutes.

• ½ cup chopped walnuts on top of the filling10. While the star is rising, • 4 oz. soft goat cheese covered circle. Repeat preheat the oven to crumbled the layering process 400°F. • 12 thin slices prosciutto — pesto, onions, 11. Brush the star with a walnuts, goat cheese, thin coat of the beaten DIRECTIONS. prosciutto, dough circle. egg. Sprinkle with 1. To make the dough: Repeat layering a third sesame or poppy Combine all of the time, topping with a seeds (optional). Bake dough ingredients and dough circle — leaving it for 12 to 15 minutes, mix and knead — by the top circle bare. until it's nicely golden; hand, mixer, or bread 6. Place a 2 1/2" to 3" the center should machine — to make a round cutter in the register 200°F on a soft, smooth dough. center of the dough digital thermometer.

2. Place the dough in a circle as a guide. With lightly greased bowl, a bench knife or sharp 12. Remove the loaf from the oven and allow it cover, and let it rise for knife, cut the circle into to cool for about 10 60 minutes, until nearly 16 equal strips, from minutes before serving. doubled in bulk. the cutter to the edge, Serve warm or at room 3. Divide dough into four through all the layers. temperature. equal pieces. Shape 7. Using two hands, each piece into a ball, pick up two adjacent 13. Store any leftover bread, well wrapped cover and allow to rest strips and twist them in plastic, at room 15 minutes. away from each temperature for several 4. On a lightly greased or other twice so that the days. Freeze for longer floured work surface, top side is facing up storage. roll one piece of dough again. Repeat with

beat eggs, oil, and vanilla on medium-high until frothy, then • 1¾ cup (245 g) Pamela's Alladd sugar and mix completely.

Purpose Flour Artisan Blend Add zucchini and pineapple • 2 teaspoons salt and mix well. Slowly add flour • 2½ teaspoons baking powder mixture and nuts until well • 1 tablespoon ground combined. cinnamon 4. Pour batter into prepared pan • ½ teaspoon nutmeg and spread evenly. Bake 70 to • ¼ teaspoon allspice 78 minutes, until bread is firm • 2 eggs when gently touched, the sides • ¼ cup oil are just starting to pull away • 2 teaspoons vanilla from the pan, and a toothpick • 1 cup sugar inserted into middle comes out • 1½ cups grated zucchini, not clean. Allow bread to rest in squeezed dry (from about the pan for at least 15 minutes three 6-inch-long zucchinis) before removing to a wire rack • ½ cup crushed pineapple, to cool completely. Slice bread drained and serve.

• ¾ cup chopped nuts (optional) 5. To store bread, wrap well in parchment paper and then in a plastic bag. Bread will keep PREPARATION well for three days. Makes 1. Preheat oven to 350° with rack great toast the next day. in the middle of oven. Spray an 8 x 4-inch loaf pan with NOTE: Many recipes with nonstick cooking spray. zucchini call for grated zucchini 2. In a medium bowl, whisk to be squeezed to get rid of together All-Purpose Flour Artisan Blend, salt, baking extra moisture, but not here. powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, Use the grated zucchini as is and allspice; set aside. for a moist bread.

3. In the bowl of a stand mixer with paddle attachment, © Pamela's Products, Inc.

food for Thought

By Jon Steinman

Regenerating our Communities on the Shelves of the Grocery Store In the age of monolithic grocery giants, food co-ops offer a promising alternative.

I live in one of the hundreds of communities across the U.S.A and Canada that is home to a community-owned grocery store – owned by the people who shop at the store.

It’s quite incredible really. I co-own my grocery store! Once a year, I gather with my fellow co-owners and we elect from among ourselves a group of people to lead the store on our behalf. When I have a question or concern about an existing product or a request for an item not yet on the store’s shelves, my grocery store listens with earnest and eager attention. I know the names of most of the people who work in the store and I recognize half of the shoppers each time I pass through the automatic sliding doors. The same energy and social engagement that attracts me to the busy farmers’ markets here is the same incentive that draws me into my grocery store. My grocery store is my community.

As you read this, there are over 100 of these retail food co-ops in their formative stages – organized groups of eaters who are inspired to democratize a segment of the food system that has become highly concentrated into the hands of the ‘grocery giants’. Eaters, food producers and food businesses are effectively ‘Over Growing the System’ by over growing their grocery stores! This is hands-down a genuine ‘movement’ and one deserving of substantially more attention than it presently receives – particularly among those of us who ‘dream of the more beautiful world our hearts know is possible’ (to quote Charles Eisenstein).

Why are food co-ops deserving of more attention?

Access to eaters for food producers who prioritize sustainability In rural and urban communities alike, from land to sea, there is a groundswell of people who want to grow and

harvest good, clean food. They produce and gather this food using approaches that are in tune with the cycles of the earth and they are applying regenerative approaches to food production. Alongside these primary producers, wildcrafters and fishermen, are the new generations of food processors and manufacturers – the butchers, the bakers, and the kombucha makers who are supporting our local producers and coming up with creative ways to market those foods. They too are confronting the dominance of ‘big food’ – the big meat-packers, the industrial bakeries and the highly inefficient long-distance transportation of ready-todrink beverages. So how might we come together to create a perpetual market for these foods? How do we come together to make these foods more easily accessible to more people? How do we alleviate the often insurmountable challenges that these food warriors confront when trying to get their food onto the shelves of the chain grocers?

Farmers markets, CSAs and other innovative distribution models are excellent options but they’re not for everyone and many of them are saturated. Today, upwards of 94% of the food purchased in communities continues to be purchased through food retailers. In the United States, 60% of those purchases end up in the hands of 4 companies.

In Canada, 80% ends up in the hands of 5 companies.

So to truly expand the market for good, clean food, the bottleneck of power that is held by the grocery giants needs to be broken. Retail food co-ops and their member-owners understand this and they in turn devote significantly more shelf space to these foods while developing personal relationships with the people supplying them.

Continues on page 13.

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HEre’s to your HEalth

by Michelle Soto, Cutting Root Apothecary

Growing your own medicine If you have a vegetable garden, you know that nothing compares to the taste of a homegrown tomato or a strawberry plucked right from the vine. It’s just so satisfying to harvest your own lettuce for your salad and excitedly wait for that watermelon to ripen.

Have you thought much about growing your own medicines, though? Food is medicine and I’m all about growing your own food and buying local but I just concentrate on growing medicine. By "medicine," I mean herbs and plants that have been used traditionally to help restore balance in the body, such as peppermint, elderberry, yarrow and burdock.

Many of the herbs that we purchase in stores, in tea or tincture form, as bulk dried herbs or the herbs in our skin and beauty products, come from massive farm operations in far away places. "Numen the Healing Power of Plants," a documentary following the supply chain of herbs from around the world, leaves us with a profound sense of the importance of community herbalism, ecological medicine and local plants.

Before I started growing herbs, I didn’t consider myself a gardener, a farmer, a person with a green thumb, or any of those words that would indicate I'd have any success starting an herb farm. It’s still hard for me to label myself with those words because I just feel like my main work is an observer and a tender of these plants, sometimes giving a gentle nudge and sometimes changing the plan altogether. So I’m outlining some herb gardening tips that I’ve sussed out over the past six years of herb farming to help folks tend their own medicinals at home. These plants are generally easy to grow (I mean, did you see me mention burdock before? I also grow dandelion, chickweed, elecampane, nettle and comfreythese plants won’t need anything from you once established),

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they look beautiful and often they are perennials that stick around for at least a few seasons so you’ll have a beautiful garden without constant bed building.

First, identify what you want to grow. What are the herbs that you like to use in your skin care routine? Calendula, comfrey and plantain come to my mind. What kinds of teas do you like? Maybe peppermint, lemon balm and holy basil?

Are there medicines you want to make for yourself and your community that you’ll need later this year, like an immune tea for the wintertime or a tincture to help ease stress? If you’re not sure, visit the bulk herb section at the co-op and try some Cutting Root herbs for inspiration; you’ll taste the difference when you use these fresh, local herbs.

Then, spend a little time thinking about or observing the habitats and how these plants like to grow. Do they like full sun or shade? Are they thirsty every day or can they make do with what they’ve got? How large will they get? That’s an important one--most plants will get WAY bigger than that little seed you put in the ground, so you’ve got to plan your space for this eventual growth. There’s some Cutting Root seedlings in the live plants right outside the co-op so check ‘em out if you want something already semi-established.

After you have a few plants in mind, go for it! Don’t be scared or worried! Try something new! These plants are resilient, they’ve been growing in all sorts of conditions for a long time (just think about that dandelion you saw in the sidewalk crack or the teasel growing basically out of the building down the street). Growing your own medicine can be a beautiful part of healing. I think every time I touch the herbs we grow on the farm, I absorb a little bit of their power, I give them some of my own in the form of care and love, and then I pass them along to the next person who needs it.

Michelle is an herbalist, educator, gardener, dog lover, and community organizer. Michelle cooperatively manages Healcrest Urban Farm in the Garfield neighborhood of Pittsburgh, PA, cultivates Cutting Root Farm and Apothecary in Butler, PA, and practices and teaches with the Stonefruit Community Herbalists in Pittsburgh, PA and the Stone Cabin Collective in Black Mesa, AZ. Learn more about Cutting Root Apothecary at www.cuttingroot.com.

Do it Yourself DIY Garden Markers

Mason Jar, Ruler or stick and seed packet

Wooden shims or paint stirrers

Rulers and scrabble tiles

Painted Rocks

corks and chopsticks

broken terracotta or pottery

Find these supplies and more at Pittsburgh Center for Creative Reuse!

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Continued from Page 10.

Plugging the leak in our local economies

Co-op Throwback

The economies of smaller cities, towns, rural areas, and even neighborhoods within large urban centers, have notoriously had their economies hollowed out and their main streets exchanged for chain retailers and shopping malls.

The most important businesses, services and financial institutions have been placed under remote control. As for the sacred food dollar, the grocery giants have effectively become an underground tunnel for the economic and social wealth of our communities. At the grocery checkout, the dominance of the big chains has made it difficult to prevent those food dollars from leaking out of our neighborhoods and economies. Community-owned grocery stores on the other hand keep more of those food dollars from escaping. My local food co-op as just one example recorded $21.9M in sales last year and purchased $3.8M in products and services from local businesses with $2.6M of that going to foodmakers and artisans. Any profits generated by food co-ops are reinvested back into the co-op or distributed equitably among the co-op’s member-owners.

Making grocery stores public institutions By no means are food co-ops the only type of retailer providing access to good, clean food. There are many privately-owned retailers run by people with big hearts and conscientious minds who care deeply about their communities and the planet. There is, however, an inherent risk to any community that relies too heavily on privately-owned purveyors of good food. The future of those stores as long-term contributors to good health, strong local economies and vibrant food cultures, ultimately rests in the hands of a single person, family or company. Any decision to sell the business is their decision to make, it’s not a decision made by the people who rely on the store. Amazon’s recent acquisition of Whole Foods is a reminder of this risk. Whole Foods might not be your mom-and-pop natural food store, but Whole Foods has notoriously amassed its power in the food system by acquiring smaller independent food stores and chains. Take note, that those locally-owned grocery stores that were acquired by Whole Foods, are now owned by one of the 10 largest retailers in the world, joining the likes of Walmart, Costco, Kroger, Lidl and Aldi. The more successful that ‘natural’ grocery store in your neighborhood is, the more likely it’s on the radar of the grocery giants.

This is what sets the cooperative model apart from the rest. Food co-ops offer greater assurance that the grocery store we love and support will retain those characteristics that make us proud to call it our own.

The food co-op movement is decisively de-privatizing the food system one co-op at a time by turning our local grocery stores into public institutions.

Who owns the grocery store you shop at?

JON STEINMAN is the author of Grocery Story: The Promise of Food Coops in the Age of Grocery Giants (New Society Publishers, May 2019) and is the past-President of the Kootenay Co-op in Nelson, British Columbia.

Jon will be on tour with his book throughout 2019. Be sure to visit him when he stops at the East End Food Co-op on Tuesday, June 25th. Learn more about the project at www.grocerystory.coop [A version of this article first appeared on Over Grow the System, August 13, 2017. Updated December 17, 2018]

The East End Food Co-op on Fairmount & Penn Avenues in Garlfield (the one "near Babyland" as many of our long-time cooperators like to say). Membership was $2, and our database specialist Leslie Clark recalls working on the store's only computer, which was kept under lock and key.

Co-op Fun Fact Did you know...the Co-op sold 5,147 organic seedlings during our famous Plant Something Day sale last year.

Member Center Do you have questions about membership benefits? Need to update your records? Drop us a line at info@eastendfood. coop, call 412-242-3598, or visit: www.eastendfood.coop/ member-center/ 13

MEET THE GM

by Maura Holliday

I am excited and honored to advance my career with East End Food Co-op as general manager. Having spent the past six-and-ahalf years working as the grocery manager, I have come to truly appreciate the role that we play in the local community and food system. Some of the most rewarding parts of my role at the co-op have been getting to know our local farmers and producers and working side-by-side with the passionate people who have helped grow the co-op through decades of service.

In search of becoming even more involved in Pittsburgh’s local food system, I came across the grocery manager position at the co-op. While working here, I completed my Master of Science in Sustainable Food Systems at Green Mountain College of Poultney, VT. My master’s program, in addition to my natural-foods experience, allowed me to learn more intimately the strengths of our food system and the areas that need advocacy. In my years of service at the co-op, I have further strengthened my skills in category management, leadership and team-building, and I have experienced first-hand the many roles the co-op plays in the local food community.

Food has been the center of my entire professional career. My path in the food industry began in high school, where a vocational culinary class showed me how much I enjoy cooking. Continuing my training in culinary school, I found extreme satisfaction in making healthy food that serves a purpose to our bodies and our overall wellbeing. Luckily, I was able to work in the restaurant business in Providence, RI, while earning my Bachelor of Science in Culinary Nutrition at Johnson & Wales University.

The co-op plays an important role in our local food system, and I'm excited to be a part of that as we continue to grow. As we evolve as an organization, I would like to see us transition from a focus on the “triple bottom line” (People, Planet, and Profit) to a quadruple bottom line — also looking at our Purpose in the community we serve. As a cooperative business, this should be an easy transition. I see us working together with staff, our board of directors and our members to strengthen our culture to be more inclusive and transparent. Being connected to where our food comes from is important, and my intent is to connect our members and shoppers with our farmers, to show each group how important they are in creating a resilient local food system. My goal is to continue to grow our financial stability so that we can explore our options to serve our staff, members, and shoppers even better.

This will likely include looking into improving our current location or finding one that better suits our needs, like serving as many shoppers and local producers as possible.

In 2005, I moved to Pittsburgh to complete my dietetic internship, and I became a certified Registered Dietitian-Nutritionist in 2006.

The next six years were spent working in healthcare as a clinical dietitian, food service director and retail manager in local hospitals.

In these roles, I developed my managerial and team-management skills. I worked with financial budgets, inventory management, menu planning, staff development and scheduling. During my time as the retail manager at UPMC Magee-Womens Hospital, I became more interested in the way the food industry sources and grows its food and in the impact it has on our environment.

For example: I was part of the initial setup of Magee's organic courtyard program, where we grew organic vegetables and herbs to be used in the cafeterias.

In many of my positions, I have had the opportunity to create and re-think processes and procedures in order to generate and improve results. As a leader, I have implemented and taught new systems to the teams I have led, as well as increased sales and profitability. I have used existing tools for data analysis, along with new tools I developed, to determine the success of promotions, sales, and programs.

I am grateful and eager to begin as the general manager of our co-op. I feel that we have an exciting future ahead of us!

2019 ANNUAL EQUAL EXCHANGE

SUMMIT

YOU’RE INVITED!

Save the date for Equal Exchange’s annual gathering bringing together worker-owners, farmer partners, and you! We believe you are an integral part of this movement and we need your participation to succeed. Join our community for two days of workshops, celebration, and planning as we advance our vision of building a better food system, together.

JUNE 20-22

Wheaton College NORTON, MA

SUMMIT DETAILS & UPDATES:

EQUALEXCHANGE.COOP/SUMMIT fpondolph@equalexchange.coop • 508-527-5225

Can’t attend the summit, but interested in joining our citizen-consumer network? Visit: EQUALEXCHANGE.COOP/ORGANIZING

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Events & Sales CONTAINER GARDENING Sunday, May 19, 2 PM – 4 PM Robert Grey, Grow Pittsburgh POWER/EEFC Conference Room $10 Co-op & Grow Pgh Members / $15 Non-Members Don’t have space for a full garden? Learn the basics of growing vegetables in pots, including site selection, possibilities for pots, making potting mixes and choosing what to grow for spring, summer and fall enjoyment.

Participants will create one small selfwatering container!

AIR QUALITY: SOURCES, SYMPTOMS & SOLUTIONS Wednesday, June 5, 7 PM -8 PM Chelsea Hilty, GASP POWER/EEFC Conference Room FREE-Please RSVP Learn about air pollutants common to our area, how to spot and report air pollution, and ways to protect yourself and loved ones from pollutants that pose a threat to our health and environment. Non-profit advocacy group GASP will also share ways you can get involved and make a difference in creating cleaner air for all of Southwestern PA.

CO-OP ORIENTATION Sunday, June 2, 2 PM - 3 PM POWER/EEFC Conference Room FREE – Please RSVP Orientations ensure our members feel completely comfortable using our store and participating in our co-op. They provide an opportunity to ask questions, meet other members and staff, review member benefits, and learn more about the cooperative business model. Non-members welcome!

BOOK TOUR: GROCERY STORY Tuesday, June 25 in-store 11 AM-4 PM meet the author/ 6:30 PM talk & book signing Jon Steinman, author & journalist POWER/EEFC Conference Room FREE – Please RSVP Who owns your grocery store? Join author Jon Steinman as he deconstructs the food retail sector, shares inspiring stories, and makes a case for food co-ops as an alternative to grocery giants. Whether you strive to eat more local and sustainable food, or are in support of community economic development, Grocery Story will leave you hungry to join the food coop movement in your own community.

All classes take place in the power/ eefc conference room. PLEASE RSVP at: eastendfoodcoop.eventbrite.com

WELLNESS Wednesday

10%* off wellness & body care The first Wednesday of every month!

Co-op Deals

May 1- May 14 May 15 - June 4 June 5 - June 18 June 19 - July 2

Senior Discount Days (5% courtesy discount for 62+) Every Tues. & Thurs.

quarterly discount

Members, be sure to use your 10% quarterly discount by June 30th! *No additional discounts or sales may be stacked with this offer

BUTTERMILK CORNBREAD, page 8!

Open to everyone, every day from 8 AM - 9 PM 7516 Meade Street . PGH, PA 15208 412-242-3598 . www.eastendfood.coop

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