Coop Scoop Summer 2014

Issue #403

summer 2014

Printed with soy ink on recycled paper

In This Issue

Sowing Seeds of Creativity —

North Troy’s NATURE Lab Page 10

Our New Board 8 Stalking the Wild Mushroom Safe Fun in the Sun 17 Summer Wilds 20

6

open every day 8am - 10pm

Honest

Honest Weight is a member-owned and-operated consumer cooperative that is committed to providing the community with affordable, high quality natural foods and products for healthy living. Our mission is to promote more equitable, participatory and ecologically sustainable ways of living. We welcome all who choose to participate in a community which embraces cooperative principles, shares resources, and creates economic fairness in an atmosphere of cooperation and respect for humanity and the earth.

Board of Directors Bill Frye

Vice President

Kelly Carrone

Treasurer

Hilary Yeager

Secretary

Erin Shaw

(518) 482-2667 [482-COOP] coop@honestweight.coop Lily Bartels, Duke Bouchard, and Lexa Juhre make up Honest Weight’s Leadership Team

leadership Team

(518) 482-2667 + ext.

Finance Manager

Alfred Bouchard

(x107)

Systems Leader

Lexa Juhre

(x101)

Communications Leader

Lily Bartels

(x116) (x104)

merchandising manager

Sandra Manny

(x120)

Outreach Coordinator

Amy Ellis

(x128)

Jennifer Grainer

(x106)

Communications

Roman Kuchera

Education Coordinator

Colie Collen

(x219)

Finance

Hilary Yeager

Front End Manager

Katie Centanni

(x109)

Governance Review Council

Bill Frye

Bulk Manager

Tom Gillespie

(x130)

Membership

Kelly Carrone & Deborah Dennis

produce Manager

Phil Gardone

(x118)

Nutrition & Education

Erin Shaw

Food Service Manager

Donna Quinn

(x108)

Grocery Manager

David Aubé

(x119)

Personnel

Ron Royne

Meat Manager

Nick Bauer

(x113)

Strategic Planning

Deborah Dennis

operations Manager

Jenn Felitte

(x103)

Wellness Manager

Kevin Johnston

(x111)

honest weight community initiative

Bill Frye Governance Review Council

Leif Hartmark, chair The cover photo of Klein’s Kill Farm was taken by Andrew Franciosa, Co-op member since 2013.

2

ready, set, grow!

Update from the Outreach Department

4

Earth Day at Honest weight

5

www.honestweight.coop

Marketing manager

Contact Kim Morton at (518) 330-3262 or kim.a.morton@gmail.com

10-11

Articles

100 Watervliet Avenue Albany, NY 12206

Bill Frye

want to advertise?

sowing seeds of creativity North Troy’s NATURE Lab

contact us

Bylaws Panel

Interested in joining a committee?

Contact: board@honestweight.coop

Feature

Honest Weight is currently located at 100 Watervliet Avenue in Albany, New York.

Owner services coordinator Morgaen Hansen

Committee Liaisons

table of

contents

FOOD CO-OP

behind the Co-op President

Weight

message from the leadership team

The contents of the Coop Scoop are for information purposes only and not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay seeking it because of something you have read in the Coop Scoop.

The Co-op has now crossed the threshold of a full year at our “new” store. By the time you read this, Honest Weight will have marked its first anniversary with a day-long celebration featuring music, local vendors and chefs, kids’ activities, bag giveaways, raffles, games, and a liberal dose of high spirits. Thank you to all who turned out to help us mark the occasion.

We look back on twelve months of exciting achievements, tremendous transition, and enormous growth. It has been a learning experience for all of us, yet we’re pretty sure that will always be the case, since in this business nothing stays static for long!

We’ve recently fielded questions about increased competition in our area. It’s no secret that food shoppers in the Capital Region have more options than ever before. While it’s true that competition can represent a challenge, it can also teach and inspire us, and spur us toward doing even better at meeting people’s needs and engaging with the community.

We believe Honest Weight stands securely on our foundational differences

Coop Scoop

spring 2014

as a homegrown LOCAL business, independent and member-owned.

When you shop at the Co-op, a high percentage of your dollars is circulated back into your community and not redirected to a faraway centralized headquarters. We know that means something to our patrons, who value a strong, sustainable local economy.

Their continued loyalty enables us to support 260 local farmers and 320 local producers, and to offer more than 4,000 local items!

Honest Weight is proud to be an anchor in the community that has nurtured and supported its growth for neary 40 years. More than a grocery store, for many the Co-op is a meeting place that offers a sense of “home.” As one of our staff recently noted, “We open some doors for people that they don’t even know are there.”

Success for its own sake has dubious merit. Success that empowers us to impact people’s lives in meaningful ways is the goal we embrace, and the beacon that leads us forward.

Stalking the wild mushroom food from the woods

6-7

our new board

8

bringing us all together

12

Producer profiles Adirondack Creamery Klein’s Kill Farms Nine Pin Ciderworks

13

let’s pack a picnic

15

watermelon

16

safe fun in the sun

17

Member profile Sharon Wemple

19

summer wilds

20

earth day in review

5

Upcoming Events

5

From the Suggestion Box

21

Closing Words

22 24

kids page

Thank you for making our first year in the new store simply spectacular. Your support helped create a fantastic day!

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upcoming events

ready, set, grow!

by Amy Ellis, Outreach Coordinator Co-op member since 2009

turkish cuisine

July 18, 2014 | Teaching Kitchen

Earth Day at Honest Weight Food For Thought is a monthly evening of food, film and discussion with a focus on films of social, political, environmental and community interest.

JULY 17, 2014

DAM NATION a powerful film odyssey across America explores the sea change in our national attitude from pride in big dams as engineering wonders to the growing awareness that our own future is bound to the life and health of our rivers. Dam removal has moved beyond the fictional Monkey Wrench Gang to go mainstream. Where obsolete dams come down, rivers bound back to life, giving salmon and other wild fish the right of return to primeval spawning grounds, after decades without access. DamNation’s majestic cinematography and unexpected discoveries move through rivers and landscapes altered by dams, but also through a metamorphosis in values, from conquest of the natural world to knowing ourselves as part of nature.

Presented on the third Thursday of each month with food samples generously provided by the Honest Weight Food Co-op

AUGUST 21, 2014

Food for Thought events feature food at 6:00 and film at 7:00, plus a panel discussion following the film and live music with Jack Empie and guests

The Linda

Food For Thought co-presented by:

WAMC’S PERFORMING ARTS STUDIO

339 Central Avenue, Albany, NY thelinda.org | 518-465-5233 x4

GROWING CITIES a documentary film that examines the role of urban farming in America and asks how much power it has to revitalize our cities and change the way we eat In their search for answers, filmmakers Dan Susman and Andrew Monbouquette take a road trip and meet the men and women who are challenging the way this country grows and distributes its food, one vacant city lot, rooftop garden, and backyard chicken coop at a time. Join them as they discover that good food isn’t the only crop these urban visionaries are harvesting. They’re producing stronger and more vibrant communities, too.

SEPTEMBER 18, 2014

Presented on the third Thursday of each month with food samples generously provided by the Honest Weight Food Co-op Food for Thought events feature food at 6:00 and film at 7:00, plus a panel discussion following the film and live music with Jack Empie and guests

The Linda

Food For Thought co-presented by:

WAMC’S PERFORMING ARTS STUDIO

339 Central Avenue, Albany, NY thelinda.org | 518-465-5233 x4

4

THE INVISIBLE WAR is a groundbreaking investigative documentary about one of America’s most shameful and best kept secrets: the epidemic of rape within the U.S. military. The film paints a startling picture of the extent of the problem—today, a female soldier in combat zones is more likely to be raped by a fellow soldier than killed by enemy fire. Focusing on the powerfully emotional stories of rape victims, The Invisible War is a moving indictment of the systemic cover-up of military sex crimes, chronicling the women’s struggles to rebuild their lives and fight for justice.

Presented on the third Thursday of each month with food samples generously provided by the Honest Weight Food Co-op Food for Thought events feature food at 6:00 and film at 7:00, plus a panel discussion following the film and live music with Jack Empie and guests

The Linda

Food For Thought co-presented by:

It is said that Turkish cuisine is the original fusion, having been developed from the assimilation of culinary traditions of other cultures. Turkish cuisine is as rich and varied as its history. Come learn how to prepare popular Turkish dishes, and why there is more to Turkish food than “Turkish Delight”! Sign up online at www. hwfc.eventbrite.com

by Colie Collen, Education Coordinator Co-op member since 2008 Outreach Coordinator Amy Ellis and 6th grade students at Giffen Elementary School.

Recently, working member Karol Augspurger and I spent the afternoon at Giffen Elementary School in Albany’s South End neighborhood. We had the pleasure of making organic smoothies with fifty 6th graders! After a morning spent testing, this was a welcome treat for these students! On the menu was Organic Chocolate Banana Smoothies with the option to add strawberries. As an added treat, we decided to get fancy with our cups, straws, and little umbrella decorations. As we blended and enjoyed our smoothies together, we introduced these ambitious sixth graders to the meaning of organic, talked about local dairy farms and milk in glass bottles (delivered directly to home by the farmer), and explained the growing season in upstate New York. This is just one of many days we spend in classrooms around the region. Ready, Set, Grow! is a wonderful way to enrich a child’s mind and get them to think about food in a different way. We have found that the more involved they are in the preparing and cooking process the more likely they are to try new foods…healthy foods!

As summer approaches, we switch gears from the classroom to summer

programming sites in and around the Capital Region. We have a busy summer ahead of us! For community events, check us out at the Delaware Avenue Street Festival on July 12th; Farm & Agriculture Night at the TriCity ValleyCats game on July 18th; Upper Madison Street Festival on Sunday, September 21st; and the Rensselaerville Cycling Festival and Albany Schools Falcon 5K, both on Sunday, September 28th! We have confirmed the Co-op’s own Annual Local Harvest Festival for Sunday, October 5th in Albany’s Washington Park – now accepting vendor applications!

this earth day, more than thirty Co-op members came together to install a gorgeous garden on the east side of the store. Sharon Hoffman, a former Co-op employee who has run her own landscaping business in Albany for years, sourced a huge amount of pea gravel, rich compost, cardboard, mulch, and native plants from various local nurseries for this huge project.

A lot of the work we did was inspired by permaculture, which Bill Mollison has defined as “a philosophy of working with, rather than against nature; of protracted and thoughtful observation rather than protracted and thoughtless labor; and of looking at plants and animals in all their functions, rather than treating any area as a single product system.” We wanted to install something beautiful that would work with the building, the existing landscaping, the sun and the soil. Our hope is to attract pollinators like bees and butterflies to the plants that flower here, and to provide a little bit of beauty for folks walking by, waiting for the bus, and riding their bikes to the Co-op via this entrance.

First we dug out some scraggly grass, then made a deep trench along the length of the garden, filling it with the gravel. This is a version of the classic “French drain,” and will redirect surface water when it rains, reducing erosion on the hillside. We covered the gravel with wheelbarrow upon wheelbarrow of compost, covered the compost with a layer of cardboard, and wet the cardboard. Then we took a fruit and water break, and snapped a photo (see above).

What started as a gray day became bright for the next few hours, and after covering the cardboard with even more compost, we started planting, cutting through the cardboard to place over a hundred plants directly into the fresh soil. We watered all of those plants, giving them a good dose to get their roots growing, and then we all wiped our brows, put our tools away, and went home to take a nap! (At least I did.)

It rained that night, helping establish our new garden. As I write this, it rains again!

And whereas before that rain would have run off the roof in rivulets down the hill, now it’s absorbed by a long line of beautiful, living materials. Thank you, Sharon!

And our heartfelt thanks to all the members and staff who participated. this is just one step toward making this new building feel more like home. spring 2014

singing bowls meditation August 20, 2014 | Community Room

Meditation allows the mind to let go of the past and put aside expectations for the future. The sound of singing bowls helps create that pause.

Participants in this meditation session are encouraged to bring a cushion or yoga mat to sit on. A limited number of chairs will be available. Please arrive on time for meditation; it will begin promptly at 6 p.m.

food swap from scratch club

with the

September 14, 2014 | Community Room

An FSC Food Swap is a gathering where home cooks, gardeners, foragers, food preservationists, DIY enthusiasts and bakers come to swap their homemade food and drink products, home and body care, and garden bounty. No money, just great food, is exchanged. To sign up, visit FSC’s Eventbrite profile page at: www.fromscratchclub.eventbrite.com

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food in the community

Stalking the Wild Mushroom:

Lapi recommends using guidebooks to determine what mushrooms are edible and which are not. He notices that once he’s identified something, it’s sure to grow back in the same spot in the following years, given the right weather conditions. And once he knows what a species looks like, it’s easily identifiable when he comes across it again.

by Molly Eadie

food from the woods

Co-op member since 2014

Canajoharie chef and forager Michael Lapi is something of an explorer of the vast and sometimes unmarked world of food.

Lapi has taught a class at Honest Weight about how to find and cook chanterelles, and said he’d like to teach another class in the future.

In 1999, to avoid going home for summer break during college, Lapi landed a job bussing tables at Bois B’arc in Woodstock after a woman approached him in a grocery store, asking if he was looking for work.

“I don’t think they’re difficult to cook but I think they all have their own identity, their own taste profile, their own area where if you plant them they’ll grow,” noted Lapi. “They’re all completely different, and there are different things you can do with them, but you can certainly do a lot of the same things with each one, too.”

A chef at the restaurant noticed Lapi had been watching him plate food, and that’s when Lapi started to explore the art.

“I went to school for fine arts, but realized food was the same thing,” he said.

Lapi has taught American Regional Cuisine, International Cuisine, and Catering as an adjunct professor at SUNY Cobleskill. He now works for Olde Tater Barn in Central Bridge, an event venue and catering company which uses all-local products.

“I took everything I learned in art and channeled it into food and took it to other places. It’s all the same stuff -- texture, color -- and then add in flavor.

It’s an immediate response, too -- when food is created perfectly, there’s an immediate reaction.”

Lapi is mostly self-taught, and says he learned by reading cookbooks, going out to eat, cooking at home, experiencing and buying new things, and immersing himself in all things food-related.

In 2004, Lapi and his wife opened Church and Main, a restaurant in Canajoharie using 90% locallysourced food.

Lapi began discovering new foods and tastes. After he started the restaurant, farmers would come to him, bringing foods he’d never seen before.

“I’d be taking walks in the woods and see a lot of mushrooms, and I started studying the mushrooms I’d seen, and identified many of them,” he said.

Foraging mushrooms has become a hobby for Lapi, who first found mass quantities of chanterelles, then morels, and then others. He’s learned the seasonal appearances of different varieties, and where and when to find them in the Capital Region.

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Lapi lives in the Mohawk Valley, where mushrooms appear up and down the valley during different times of the year -- chanterelles won’t start until the week of July 4th, and morels appear in the last week of May and first week of June.

“I’ve definitely figured out exactly when everything comes up,” he said. He learned this timing by just walking in woods, paying attention to everything he saw.

In addition to those chanterelles and morels, Lapi has found hen of the woods, chicken of the woods, porcini, black trumpets, oyster mushrooms, puffballs and medicinal mushrooms.

Polypore mushrooms, he says, have cancer-fighting and immune-modulating properties. “I recommend fully identifying what you’ve found -- definitely do as much research as you can -- and when you do find something, back it up with field guides and professional advice,” he said. “Don’t go beyond what you know. Start slow.”

Coop Scoop

spring 2014

7

our new Board

Promoting successful homeownership and healthy neighborhoods through:

Recipe clip and save!

Peaches & Peppers

HOMEOWNERSHIP CENTER

Ingredients

255 Orange St. Albany, NY 12210 518-434-1730

4 ripe peaches, pitted and sliced

www.ahphome.org

6 assorted bell peppers, seeded and sliced

4. Caramelize peaches quickly and splash with vinegar.

ML Healey MLHealey.com ::: 518-692-9539 greenmartha@MLHealey.com

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a splash of pomegranate juice, balsamic vinegar, or pomegranate molasses

3. Get the same skillet very hot and toss in the peaches.

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Jean’s Greens

fresh basil leaf

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1 TBS sugar

1. Sprinkle peaches with sugar and set aside. Use a bit more sugar if peaches are not so ripe, and less if very ripe.

Thinking about buying a home? Contact us to register for FREE Homebuyer 101 .

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Homebuyer Education Credit Repair Landlord Training Energy Efficiency Down Payment Assistance/Grants Foreclosure Prevention Assistance

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The Honest Weight Food Co-op Board of Directors, from left to right: Ned Depew, Roman Kuchera, Erin Shaw, Kelly Carrone, Deborah Dennis, Hilary Yeager, Ron Royne, and Bill Frye.

Green Martha Professional Organizing ®

Photo by Randall Collura, Co-op member since 2013.

Sustainability Focused …

Elders and Families a Specialty

Welcome to the new Board of Directors, elected by the membership in April! The Board is responsible for the long-term viability of the Co-op and the supervision of the Leadership Team. The Board seeks member input on the goals and vision of the organization and reports to the members on its activities and decisions. They meet on the first Tuesday of each month at 5:45 pm in the Community Room at Honest Weight. All interested member-owners are welcome and encouraged to attend the meetings! The meeting agenda and minutes are posted on the Co-op website and in the store.

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5. Mix with peppers and serve.

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Recipe by Rose Knightly Co-op member since 2010

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Coop Scoop

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Collard City Growers, neighbors, and volunteers, hard at work planting trees and veggies.

This year the DEC awarded NL $50,000 to create a series of food forests on the block. This spring, as many as a dozen fruit trees were planted in the garden lot and at Freedom Square. Peaches, apricots, and plums now grow in what was only recently considered a food desert. Also this year, the NEA gave the Lab an additional $45,000 to support the workshop series, “BioArt in an Industrial Wasteland.” This contribution was used to fund projects with a variety of artists, including Natalie Jeremijenko, who created a work at another of the excavated lots - this one called the “L” lot for its layout.

The resultant “butterfly bridges” are tubular bags of organic material that hang along the fence. The experiment is intended to sprout growth that will draw butterflies.

Sowing Seeds of Creativity: North Troy’s NATURE Lab

by Cara Benson Co-op member since 2014

An outgrowth of The Sanctuary for Independent Media, a community arts and progressive media venue, NATURE Lab (North Troy Art, Technology and Urban Research in Ecology) started in 2010 with the donation of an abandoned lot just a few doors down from The Sanctuary’s 6th Avenue location.

The only provision was that the space would not be turned into a parking lot: the last thing the area needed was more macadam. What blossomed instead was a community garden, tilled by volunteers, neighborhood kids, and Collard City Growers – one of the many DIY projects that has sprouted under the umbrella of the Lab. Described as a living learning laboratory, NATURE Lab (NL) has grown to encompass much of just over a one block stretch in what has been viewed as an urban post-industrial wasteland.

Since that first lot, an amalgam of 10

local and visiting artists, educators, scientists, and activists have been steadily engaging with local residents to reclaim and reinvigorate the area through a variety of means, from popup art projects to open-air workshops, from on-the-spot cooking demonstrations to long-term social practice art relationships, and, of course, community gardening endeavors.

It is just this intersection of art and ecology that inspired Kathy High, a bio-artist and Associate Professor of Video and New Media at RPI, to expand the initial scope of the project from the one-lot garden into what NATURE Lab is perpetually becoming today. “There is something very evocative about working with living materials,” says High. “I wanted to share this enthusiasm and encourage younger people especially to approach the pressing ecological problems we face with creative solutions.”

As further testament to the interdisciplinary aspect of NATURE Lab, the project has received significant grants from such diverse sources as The National Endowment for the Arts and the state Department of Environmental Conservation. In 2012 the NEA announced that it would award NL $50,000 through its Our Town program for creative placemaking.

The money supported a number of initiatives on the block, the capstone of which was the building of an outdoor stage in an open lot now called Freedom Square. True to the interactive component at every level of the project’s mission, Freedom Stage was decorated through community workshops with visiting mosaic artist Isaiah Zagar. The result is an explosion of colored tiles featuring sayings, handprints, painted pictures, and photographs that local kids take personal pride in.

Coop Scoop

“As many of the projects are ephemeral in nature,” says High, “it is important that they be presented with detailed educational materials, as well as documented and disseminated.”

This is where having The Media Alliance as an anchor to the Lab exponentially extends the mission. Most of the activities that occur on the block are documented by the Youth Media Sanctuary. There is a wealth of video material and photographs archived at The Media Sanctuary’s website.

FARM to TABLE

Dining, CSAs, Markets

Visit us online!

Next up for the Lab is Uptown Summer, a 5-week series of arts and sustainability activities for young people.

From July 8 to August 8, the block will be filled with opportunities for local kids to stick their hands in the dirt, into paint, and up into the trees for a snack. Bringing art and food into the streets, these weeks are the eptiome of what NATURE Lab is all about.

For more information, check out The Media Sanctuary’s website: www. mediasanctuary.org/naturelab spring 2014

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Bringing us All Together

by Jillian Naveh

around the country and won multiple awards. As a member of my college’s student competition team, I made it to the national championship in Las Vegas’ MGM Grand arena. Students who cook in these culinary competitions are generally led to careers in fine-dining restaurants with white tablecloths and tall chef hats. I soon realized that was not the path for me.

I came to a point where I became fed up with the pretentiousness of the competition world. It seemed obvious that getting judged on the perfection of my 7-sided tourne potato was not going to help make change in our food system.

Chef Jillian Naveh of 9 Miles East Farm

when i see radishes starting to go to seed on the farm, I don’t see future soil enrichment, I see immediate gleaning opportunities to make a roasted radish salad at the next community dinner in Troy.

food justice has become our generation’s civil rights issue. There are many people gravitating toward this work and farming around the country. We recognize that it’s a basic human rights issue: Some people cannot access good food. In the United States, food deserts are widespread and resources are low. My training and experience as a chef gives me a unique perspective on this issue. healthy food has become stigmatized as elitist and sometimes racist. Yet I believe everyone, despite their race, financial background, or access to resources, should have the opportunity to eat well. I came to terms with this after I graduated with a degree in culinary arts. During college, I was a committed member of the American Culinary Federation and cooked in over 15 competitions

After spending a year with Americorps in Troy, working on connecting food pantries in the capital region with local produce via Capital District Community Gardens, I realized that there is a serious disconnect. It’s extremely important to link the vast abundance of food in our area to the large population of people who can’t access any of it. We need to change the way people think about rescuing edible food from going to waste. Not only are food pantries and shelters missing important resources, but schools are in need as well.

The work that I did with The Sylvia Center in Brooklyn’s East Williamsburg and Red Hook communities was eyeopening. I taught elementary-aged children in project-housing community centers six-week cooking courses based around eating local seasonal food. Most of the time, these children were eating government-issued snacks which were barely edible. The cooking classes that we provided were free, and most of the food was donated. We worked with a small budget to make healthy food each week.

Since moving back to Troy, I’ve started volunteering with the Oakwood Soul Café, where we use donated produce

to cook monthly community dinners on a small budget. For the last dinner, I rescued hundreds of pounds of produce from many different places around the Capital Region. As a chef, I now take pride in using my perfected knife skills to cut off the moldy ends of tired-looking eggplants and roasting them to make a giant batch of baba ganoush to feed 100 people. Using my culinary education to properly chop, blanch, freeze or dry rescued food for community-building efforts in Troy is incredibly important to me. The “GMO” fight has a voice, and so do movements addressing other food injustices. My role in this is education through action, cooking, and feeding a community of people that may not even realize they could be eating better.

Currently I am the chef at 9 Miles East Farm. During the growing season, we have a prepared-food CSA program that delivers enough food for a family of four directly to the customer’s home.

We also deliver meals called Go Boxes to workplaces around Saratoga County and the Capital Region, which are made with some of our own vegetables during the growing season. This is a year-round service that we offer to our customers to make it very convenient for them to enjoy healthy food. Working on a farm that delivers to busy people really changes the way we look at accessing local food. Some of our customers who work in cubicles for eight hours a day say they really look forward to our weekly arrival. Along with Go Boxes, we also deliver Go Bags, which contain basic produce grown on the farm that is in season. Both the Go Boxes and Go Bags are subscriptionfree services, suitable for everyone’s busy schedules.

everyone needs to eat, and should eat good food. Being more community-minded and intentional will only bring us all together.

producer profiles

by Pat Sahr Co-op member since 2005

Adirondack Creamery Paul Nasrani’s love of ice cream took root during his childhood in PA, and flourished through summer vacations spent at Lake George. While his career path eventually led him into the corporate world, his dream of becoming an ice cream maker did not leave him.

In 2002 he began making premium homemade ice creams in his Manhattan apartment for himself, friends and co-workers.

klein’s kill farms In 1921, early in their marriage, Antonio and Jesse Bartolotta purchased the land in Germantown, NY, that would become Klein’s Kill Fruit Farms.

What began as a 225 acre farm that grew six varieties of apples became, over the course of 25 years, a business covering 600 acres of orchards. After Antonio’s death in 1956, Jesse and her six sons carried on the work and saw the farm flourish. Today, 90 years after its founding, Klein’s Kill Fruit Farm Corporation continues to be run by nine pin cider works Nine Pin Cider Works is a new business, located on Broadway in downtown Albany. It is the brainchild of Alejandro del Peral, who crafts award-winning hard cider “from farm to glass.”

photos by Andrew Franciosa Co-op member since 2009

spring 2014

The secret of his success has everything to do with process: It begins with acquiring the best local apples to create just the right blend of flavors, as well as unique apples grown from seed on his family farm. This combi-

Today Adirondack Creamery operates within Boice Brothers Dairy in Kingston, and makes ice cream from hormone-free milk and cream from nine small family farms. The old fashioned recipe for Adirondack Creamery ice cream is simple: cream, milk, sugar and egg yolks. In addition to chocolate and vanilla, Honest Weight sells Chocolate Chip, High Peak Perk, Bark Eater, Whiteface Mint Chip, Black Raspberry and Kulfi Pistachio Cardamom.

three of the Bartolotta sons - Russell, Alfred and Robert - and a grandson, Russell Jr. Now at Klein’s Kill, they grow 19 apples varieties, 3 types of pears, and abundant cherries, peaches and plums. They sell at Honest Weight but also send their fruit to 30 states! The Bartolottas assure their customers that they “rely on the knowledge of experienced horticulturists to implement the best growing practices.”

nation provides the building blocks for Nine Pin’s crisp and refreshing taste.

The apples are pressed at local orchards, then the juice is transported to the cidery in Albany. There it undergoes the trademark fermenting and aging process. Once it has been aged to Alejandro’s exacting standards, the cider is packaged into kegs and bottles and sent out to the world. It can be found at Honest Weight in our beer section.

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Offering classes in: Iyengar Yoga All Levels + Gentle, Senior Vinyasa Flow, Kripalu Yoga , Kirtan and Dance

Recipe

clip and save!

Homemade Sunscreen

Let’s Pack a Picnic!

by Sarah Burblules Sexton Co-op member since 2014

Ingredients

shoo fly, you bother me

¼ cup coconut oil ¼ cup shea butter 1/8 cup sesame or jojoba oil

When you’re picnicking this summer, be mindful of the bugs that can ruin the fun. Here are some suggestions to avoid a few of the peskiest pests.

2 TBS beeswax granules 1-2 TBS zinc oxide powder (optional)

540 Delaware Ave. Albany, NY 12209

1 tsp. red raspberry seed oil 20-30 drops carrot seed essential oil

For Information:

Essential oil of your choice (ex: lavender, rosemary, vanilla &/or peppermint)

www/THEYOGALOFT.NET

Call: Gerry 438-2557 Marge 482-8124

Betsy Mercogliano, CPM, LM (518) 449-5759

directions

Tisha Graham, CPM, CLC

Jess Hayek, CE, Doula

(518) 584-6619

(518) 727-8219

The Family Life Center (518)465-0241 www.albanyfamilylifecenter.org

Hands-On, Hearts Open Care during Your Entire Childbearing Year PROFESSIONAL HOMEBIRTH MIDWIFERY, DOULAS, EDUCATION AND MORE! LOCATIONS IN ALBANY & SARATOGA!

Want to advertise in the Scoop?

Contact Kim Morton at (518) 330-3262 or kim.a.morton@gmail.com

1. Using a double boiler, melt your coconut oil, sesame or jojoba oil, beeswax, & shea butter together.

2. When the beeswax is melted, remove the mixture from the heat and let cool to room temperature. If you’re using zinc oxide, whisk it in at this point. Wear a mask; you don’t want to breathe in the zinc. If there are some lumps, that’s OK. 3. Move the mixture to the fridge for 15-30 minutes.

4. Take the mixture out of the fridge and using a stand or hand mixer, start to whip it. Drizzle in all remaining oils, and continue whipping until the mixture is light and fluffy.

5. Use like sunscreen. Store in a glass container in the fridge between uses.

Recipe by David Iorio Co-op member since 2012

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

    

    

  



 





After a long, hard winter, it’s finally picnic season! So go get out there, but remember these tips for some ecofriendly fun.

if you’re traveling to your picnic spot, limit the garbage you produce and try to take out everything you bring in. Reusable dishes and utensils result in less waste. If ceramics and glass are too heavy to carry, there’s a plethora of lightweight, BPA-free plastics available these days, which can have a lower carbon footprint than compostable products.

(Compostables only degrade in a commercial composting facility, so if there isn’t one in your area, they’ll just end up in a landfill.) If you must use disposable dishes, try to find some made from recycled paper.

but what to eat? You can enjoy lots of foods without utensils, so pack items like nuts, fruit, cheese, breads and crackers, vegetable crudité, and/ or precooked meats like chicken or sausages that can be enjoyed cold.

Also, water-rich foods – such as cucumbers, celery, melons and berries – will help keep you hydrated. spring 2014

If there’s a farmers’ market nearby, grab your basket or reusable shopping bags and load up on fresh, ripe, locally-sourced foods on your way to your picnic destination. You might even find some local wine or beer to bring along, but make sure your picnic spot permits alcohol on the premises, and that you’ve got a designated driver.

Most of all, enjoy being outdoors!

Walk or bike to your destination, if possible. Bring easy outdoor games like a Frisbee or ball to toss. Books about local flora and fauna are perfect if you’re planning to hike or going to a park or nature preserve. Or, head to the lake and try a new activity like kayaking or paddle-surfing to work up an appetite.

This is the Northeast, though, and the weather can at times be fickle. So, if it’s rainy, don’t miss out on the fun – just opt for an inside “carpet picnic” instead!

Ants: Food attracts ants, there’s no question. Using containers with lids – and keeping them closed when they’re not in use – will help you avoid an army of them. Many people also report success using natural repellents like vinegar, lemon juice, cinnamon or peppermint. Try using one in a water solution and use a squirt bottle to spray the perimeter of your picnic spot. Bonus: Peppermint and cinnamon, along with chili, are also known to repel bees and wasps.

Mosquitoes: You’re outside, you’re active, you’re going to sweat. And that attracts mosquitoes, which carry diseases like West Nile virus in this area. Avoid areas with standing water, where mosquitoes breed. Plus, if you’re concerned about exposing your body to chemicals, don’t suffer needlessly – there are many effective DEET-free and herbal repellents available.

Ticks: These disease-carrying pests don’t fly or jump, and typically are found near ground level in tall grass and wooded areas, so they transfer to your skin or clothes when you brush against the foliage they’re on. Check yourself carefully, especially in skin folds and creases. If you find a tick, don’t squeeze its body to remove it – that makes it expel the contents of its stomach, where pathogens reside.

Use tweezers and grasp near the head, close to your skin. Pull gently, and it will eventually release its grip.

15

Safe Fun in the Sun

by David Iorio, Nutrition Education Committee Co-op member since 2012

help prevent sensitivity to sunburn.

Supplementing your diet with powerful antioxidants such as lycopene, resveratrol, green tea, vitamins C & D3, and coconut oil can also help.

another way to protect your skin naturally from the sun is the use of carrier oils, applied directly to the skin. Coconut oil has been used as a sunscreen by Pacific Islanders for thousands of years. In fact, many carrier oils have a natural SPF. some of my favorites:

Watermelon

by Carmelle Sanders Co-op member since 2012

summer is here! With it comes the heat that we’ve been waiting for all winter long. This is a time to focus on staying hydrated. Instead of buying popsicles or fruity drinks this summer, which can be filled with sugar or other unhealthy additives, let’s combat the summer heat by eating right!

One of the best summer foods for hydration is watermelon. Chock-full of vitamins, minerals, and a high water content to boot, it is easy to see why this fruit was and is a staple food for much of the world’s population.

While a watermelon is about ninety percent water, staying hydrated depends on much more than water. Hydration, a balance of water and minerals in the body, is dependent on a few key minerals, vitamins, and electrolytes, many of which can be found in watermelon. This fruit is a nutritional powerhouse when it comes to keeping us hydrated! And paired up with a few other good food choices, it can provide complete hydration for the summer heat.

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Photo by Randall Collura, Co-op Member since 2013

To remain hydrated, our cells must be bathed in specific macronutrients, micronutrients, minerals and trace minerals. The macronutrients we need are mostly protein, carbohydrates, and fiber. Carbohydrates provide the sugars the body needs, and watermelon contains about 5.1g of fructose, 2.4 g of glucose, and 1.8 g of sucrose. These saccharides control water traffic into and out of the cell. The fruit is also loaded with micronutrients. Watermelon also contains water-soluble vitamins, like B-complexes, biotin, choline, folate and vitamin C, and fat-soluble ones like vitamins A, E, K, carotenoid, beta-carotene, lutein and lycopene. Lycopene is really the star: It exists in high concentrations in watermelon, and has important antiinflammatory properties.

The combining of raw, fresh, local foods boosts the potency of watermelon to keep us hydrated. There is no one-size-fits-all solution when it comes to hydration. Nutrient needs depend on each person, her lifestyle, and her activity level. For instance, a body with a higher fat content, or that of an older person, is more prone to becoming dehydrated.

So start your journey to hydration by taking in more than the recommended sixty-four ounces of liquid per day, and by combining foods high in water and minerals and low in carbohydrate content. Stay hydrated this summer by picking up a watermelon once a week and making your own watermelon popsicles—simply wash, cut and freeze!

how to select a watermelon: The melon should be quite heavy (because it’s full of water!) and the “ground spot” where it was resting as it grew, should be a creamy yellow color. Give it a thump—it should sound deep and resonant, like a bass.

Watermelons store best between 50 and 60 degrees, so a cool cellar or pantry is optimal.

where our watermelons come from: At the Menands Farmers’ Market, we buy from Mike Campbell, in Stuyvesant Falls, and Davenport Farms in Stone Ridge, New York.

Our organic watermelons come from Mighty Food Farm in Pownal, VT. Coop Scoop

it’s summertime again! After a particle, the higher the chance a long cold upstate winter, we are all ready to spend more time outdoors.

Yes, it’s time for bathing suits, sandals and sunscreen. Right?

the answer isn’t quite so easy. Although commercially

Red Raspberry Seed Oil SPF 28-50 Carrot Seed Oil SPF 38-40

it can be absorbed into the body.

Some people feel that this also makes sunscreens unsafe, as not enough research has been done on long-term effects from absorption.

Wheatgerm Oil SPF 20

so what does a person do? You have to be smart about sun

Coconut Oil SPF 4-10

produced sunscreens have been around for almost 100 years, they are not necessarily safe. The Federal Drug Administration has approved 17 different ingredients for use in sunscreens. Fifteen of them are chemicals that absorb UV light, nine of which have been shown to interfere with the normal functioning of hormones.

These chemicals get used up as they are exposed to the sun, which is why many sunscreens encourage you to reapply after an hour. Additionally, as they degrade, they mutate and become free radicals, which can be cancer-causing.

exposure. Some sun exposure is good, even necessary. About 20 minutes in the sun boosts our Vitamin D levels, which not only improves our mood but is associated with a reduced risk of certain types of cancer. More than 20 minutes, however, may weaken our immune system and cause premature aging and skin cancer. Moderate your sun exposure during peak times (10 am – 4 pm), and if you are going to be out in the sun for long periods of time, clothing is still your best protection.

Cover up with long sleeves, pants, and a hat.

The other two FDA-approved ingredients are zinc oxide and titanium dioxide. These are minerals that sit on top of the skin and reflect UV light. They are generally white and gooey, which can make them seem unattractive. In order to make these sunscreens more clear, companies have ground the materials into smaller pieces called nanoparticles. Unfortunately, the smaller

The role of diet is also very important in sun protection. Sunburns are a form of inflammation. Foods such as grains, sugars and polyunsaturated vegetable oils can make your skin more prone to inflammation and, consequently, sunburn. A diet low in such inflammatory foods and high in healthy saturated fats, green leafy vegetables, omega-3 fish, and antioxidants can

Soybean Oil SPF 10 Shea Butter SPF 6-8 Macadamia Oil SPF 6 Hemp Seed Oil SPF 6

So enjoy your summer, get some sun and be safe!

member forum

Join the conversation!

Did you know there was an online place to share your ideas, comments and suggestions with your Co-op community?

Join the conversation by going to: www.hwfccoopcomm.boardhost.com

member profile

Save the Date for our

sharon wemple, Multiple Depts.

Co-op member since 2008

Member Picnic!

Interview by Shanna Goldman Co-op member since 2002

July 16th in Bleeker Park

Talking with Sharon Wemple I learned some valuable lessons. ...Butternut squash is for amateurs ..The Capital District has a lot going for it, especially when it comes to theatre ...The best things in life really might come to those who wait

More details to come!

Sharon wanted to introduce more variety to her family’s diet. So she started working in the Produce Department at HWFC, to learn how to cook vegetables, so that her family would stop complaining about bland food. Over the last six years, she’s learned that greens taste better when cooked in veggie broth instead of water, buttercup squash is so much better than butternut, and she’s figured out what in the hell to do with celeriac. She sees the overall project as a success, since all of her kids are members of the Co-op themselves now, and she’s managed to cut back 75% of the cholesterol medications she was taking while still keeping her level down by 50 points!

Illustration by Meg Sodano, Co-op Member since 2013.

Sharon lives in Rotterdam with her wife Mary Ann, one dog and nine cats. She has three children, three granddaughters and three stepchildren. Everyone is reeling from the loss of their family

Honest Weight’s 5th annual

Harvest Fest

dog, Amethyst, a Labrador/Norwegian hound mix. When it was time, all of the kids came over and told stories.

“I joke that we’re not Jewish but we sat shivah. I can understand the ritual now.” Everyone found comfort in it except Quincey, the cat, who is still sad about losing his best friend.

After retiring, with a bit too much free time, Sharon was “enouraged” by Mary Ann to start volunteering. Working at the Cat Rescue for 11 years helps explain the nine cats, although one of them just showed up in her driveway one day: “He meowed at me, I meowed at him, he meowed at me, I meowed at him, he threw himself on his back, I rubbed his belly and that was that.”

But cat rescuing was getting in the way of a new passion: set design for theaters. After the first night working with the Schenectady Civic Players, she told them, “If you want me to come back, I’d be happy to, but if you don’t think its helpful... and they said ‘what are you crazy?’.” This year her set for Young Frankenstein received an Outstanding Achievement award.

“If I build a set and I have nobody to act, its just a set; if you come out and act and you don’t have a set, all you have is a bare stage. When you come out and act, and you have a set... It’s a beautiful thing.”

Probably the most rewarding project that Sharon has been involved in recently is her search for her 6 siblings, who were all separated at birth. She tells the story of meeting Walt, her 65-year-old brother. He lives in Utah, but still owns a home in Olmstedville (about 80 miles from Albany) and just happened to be there when the names were matched. “We talked on the 13th, and on the 16th of April I got my very first hug.” She found her last sibling, Kevin, who is 67, this January.

“I can’t believe it has taken 34 years, but we did it.”

In talking to Sharon, it seems like 65 may be the new 25! In the midst of our 30s, 40’s and 50’s we are so focused on raising families and working on careers. We burn ourselves out trying to do it all at once. With Sharon, at 64, life is just beginning...again!

will be held in Albany’s Washington Park on Sunday,

October 5th

Bonded & Insured

Call us for info 518-207-0427 www.twentytoes.com

Mark your calendars!

18

Cat Sitting in Your Home Coop Scoop

spring 2014

19

from the

suggestion box Q: Thank you for making crispy

Q: Please explore obtaining nutri-

tional analysis for deli-prepared foods. I’d eat them more if I knew calorie/fat/protein/carb content!

This is a caption for the photo above Illustration by Meg Sodano, Co-op Member since 2013.

Summer Wilds

by Mary Theresa Julien

Co-op member since 2011

around the time when the robins are scouting out just the right spot for their nests, we can begin to spot bounty in the grass. Once spring arrives, if you are able to carve out a little patch of grass and let it go un-mown and untreated, watch what happens! The plants that pop up can provide more than just wonder and beauty. They may reveal surprising and wholesome hidden virtues.

Areas where a diversity of plants naturally thrives indicate the presence of nutrient-rich soil with vitamins and minerals available for uptake by roots. This is great news for us, because some of those plants are edible.

Did you know that grass-dwellers like chickweed, dandelion, and violet are nutritious additions to dishes that you may already prepare? For a wholesome, very locally grown boost, collect the tops of some green, leafy chickweed (stellaria media) to use as a cool and refreshing addition to green salad and tabouli.

It provides bio-available calcium, vitamin C and minerals, and is known as a heart strengthener. I use dandelion leaves for weeks in the spring as 20

a cleansing tonic after a long, Northeastern winter. Add dandelion leaves throughout the summer to omelets, stir-fries, stews or anything that will nicely accommodate a hint of bitterness. Another common grass-dweller, plantain, has a highly regarded tradition of easing pain from wounds, stings and bruises.

Always be sure that you have positively identified the supplemental plants which you are about to befriend!

There are many good books and websites to help with this and it could quickly become a new hobby. Most plants will have a singular characteristic by which you can confidently distinguish them from look-alikes.

Chicory, also edible, can be confused with dandelion, but chicory leaves have hairy midribs on the undersides, while dandelion leaves are smooth underneath. You can distinguish the stellaria media chickweed variety by the single line of hairs running up the stem. Plantain leaves usually have five “ribs” running their length. When collecting these green treasures, avoid chemically treated areas as well as those frequented by dogs. Also, be sure to use caution if you suspect allergies.

Here’s a great summertime project to do with children: Red clover (Trifolium pratense, L.) can easily be made into lovely, nutrient-rich vinegar. Vinegar effectively extracts and preserves vitamins and minerals from plants. To make this herbal vinegar, you’ll need to collect some red clover blossoms at the peak of their bloom. Discard the greenery and any blossoms with browned petals.

Fill a jar to the top with blossoms but don’t pack them down too much. The vinegar will corrode metal lids, so a jar with a plastic top is best. Fill the blossom-packed jar to the top again with apple cider vinegar, cover, and let it infuse, out of direct sunlight, for up to six weeks. As it infuses, it will turn a beautiful pink color. After infusing, strain off the vinegar and be sure to discard the blossoms. Your herbal vinegar should be good until you can make next season’s batch, although it probably won’t last that long!

Health benefits aside, there are more reasons to enjoy your anti-monoculture meadow oasis. A natural variety of plants will sustain the honeybees as well as the earthworms who work so hard to make the soil healthy. So, if you wake up some summer morning to hear a robin singly sweetly outside your window, he might be saying thank you!

Coop Scoop

A: We have purchased a program that will allow us to provide that kind of nutritional information. It will take several months to input the data to make it available to our customers. Thank you for your patience as we work to improve.

Q: Can we please do gift registries

for weddings/baby showers, etc?

A: As lovely as this idea is, we do not have the infrastructure in place to support this kind of program at this time.

We’d love to revisit this idea at some point down the road!

Q: Why not have blow dryers for hands in the restrooms?

A: We chose to use touchless paper towel dispensers that provide recycled, oxygen-bleached, high absorption paper towels in order to minimize waste.

Blow dryers are not a sanitary option as they may harbor bacteria.

Q: Please label coffees that are Fair Trade.

A: Thank you for your interest in Fair Trade! All of the coffees we sell are Fair Trade, so you can have your pick.

Q: Food that isn’t produced locally

should not be labeled Local, but could maybe be labeled “Manufactured Locally.”

A: Our signs that indicate “Local” cover

multiple categories: grown, raised, or produced within 250 miles of the Co-op.

spring 2014

Q: I love the gender-neutral bath-

room! The way all bathrooms should be. Thank you. Thank you for making a safe space for people who may not feel comfortable using a men’s or women’s room.

A: Thank you for your positive feedback!

We take great pleasure in being able to provide this facility.

Q: Please carry Fair Trade unsweetened chocolate bars, such as Divine or Sunspire. And please stop carrying Ghirardelli products, because they are made by child slaves.

A: Thank you for raising this issue. As indicated by our sponsorship of the film “There’s Nothing Like Chocolate,” we remain committed to effect positive change through education concerning buying decisions. Ghirardelli does employ 3rd party verification and has recently moved their production to Ghana. Our other options for Fair Trade 100% cacao bars are found in our Specialty Foods Department.

Q: Please consider having a new recipe book with your delicious soups, rice, salads, etc.

A: Thanks for your interest in our Co-op Cafe recipes. We do not foresee having a book available in the near future. In the meantime, you may want to attend our monthly class: “Secrets of the Coop Cafe.” You can sign up for this class online at www.hwfc.eventbrite.com.

zucchini salad. I’ve been asking for it for months!

A: We try to target our menu items to seasonally appropriate produce. We are approaching zucchini season, so expect to see a lot more of this salad! We’re so glad you like it!

Q: Please do not pack green beans

in plastic bags -- they sweat and rot and the plastic is unhealthy!

A: We pack them in bags to facilitate customer selection. We take care to ensure that our produce is packaged to industry standards, and include a paper towl with the beans to absorb excess moisture. You may extend their shelf life by opening the bag at home, and putting in a fresh paper towel.

Q: The seed card catalogs and

plant display look really nice!

A: Thank you for noticing! We like them too.

Q: How is reducing meat consumption not listed in “19 Tips for Earthday Everyday?” Most of these tips make a smaller impact.

A: Thanks for looking at our materials and thanks for pointing out this oversight. We will definitely include this in the next version of this list.

Thanks to those who’ve made suggestions! You can see all the suggestions and responses on the posted Suggestion Board near our Co-op Cafe.

21

“

You can only become truly accomplished at something you love. Don’t make money your goal. Instead pursue the things you love doing and then do them so well that people can’t take their eyes off of you.”

Maya Angelou Image from our Anniversary Celebration. Thank you to everyone who made it such a great day!

co-op kids summer snacks word search C B L U S E V I D N E Z W T H C C Y B Z

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