La Montanita Coop Connection January, 2013 by La Montanita Coop

New Mexico Organic

FARMING CONFERENCE FEBRUARY 15-16 BY HEATHER ESQUEDA, NEW MEXICO DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE ORGANIC PROGRAM oin the gathering of organic producers, researchers, and those who help move food from farm to fork for the New Mexico Organic Farming Conference at the Albuquerque Marriott Pyramid, February 15-16, 2013. This two-day event will offer practical information for farmers, ranchers, and market gardeners on topics ranging from organic weed management to marketing, and fruit production to livestock health.

Holistic Orchard Management Successful fruit production can’t be confined to managing pests or finding the right fertility practice. Selecting the appropriate varieties, understanding and managing the structure of your trees, achieving good pollination, siting, and many other factors also enter in. Gordon Tooley, 2008 Organic Farming Educator of the Year, will weave the threads together in this session on holistic management. Using Organic Insecticides: When and How Dr. Tess Grasswitz, Integrated Pest Management Specialist at

The keynote address, “Will Organic Farming Save Pollinators or Will Pollinators Save Organic Farming,” will be delivered by Mace Vaughan, Pollinator Program Director, Xerces Society, and Joint Pollinator Conservation Specialist for NRCS West National Technology Support Center in Portland, Oregon. In this talk, Mace Vaughan shares anecdotes from the world of pollinator conservation. He will provide the latest information on the importance and decline of pollinators, and how habitat on and around farms is critical to saving these important animals. You will come away from this talk with a new appreciation for the wide variety of bees that are working hard for farmers all across New Mexico and the US and new ideas for how to help these insects to thrive. In addition to the keynote address, 36 workshop sessions will cover a wide range of topics. Highlights include: Nature’s Chicken Soup: Compost Tea Production and Use Recent research with compost tea shows that it can be effective in fighting plant diseases in addition to providing high quality, readily-assimilated nutrients. Heather Harrell of the certified organic For the Love of Bees farm will report on the system she uses to make compost tea and the results observed from its application. Joining Heather for this presentation will be Brett Bakker, Chief Certifier for the New Mexico Department of Agriculture’s Organic Program. Brett will review regulations governing the use of manure and compost tea in certified organic production systems. Low-Stress Livestock Handling The New Mexico Organic Farming Conference is honored to have Dr. Temple Grandin join us for a morning of discussion of low-stress livestock handling. Temple Grandin is a doctor of animal science and professor at Colorado State University, best-selling author, and consultant on animal behavior. If you are a livestock producer, this session is a must. Drought in the Southwest: The Outlook Every farmer and rancher seems to agree that assumptions about what the weather will be in any particular season no longer serve as a guide for planting, irrigating, and harvesting. Recent studies indicate that we may be entering a period of severe drought. Dr. Dave Dubois, Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences, New Mexico State University; CLIMAS member; New Mexico State Climatologist and Community Collaborative Rain Hail and Snow Network State Coordinator, will discuss the outlook for our Southwestern climate.

VETERAN FARMER

UPDATE BY

ROBIN SEYDEL

BOOTS AND ROOTS! The Second Year Begins! his month marks the first anniversary of our Co-op’s Veteran Farmer Project (VFP) and an exciting year it was. Last January began with a series of classes and moved through a year of skills development both in the classroom setting and with hands on learning. Thanks to the Downtown Action Team the VFP produced food in over thirty 12’ by 4’ beds at Alvarado Urban Farm.

PROJECT CLASSES

Spice It Up—Organic Herb Production Herbs are a welcome addition to any farm. They provide habitat and nectar for pollinators, help diversify a farm’s production, and many are well-suited to the Southwest’s dry and sunny climate. This session brings together two experienced and passionate herb producers who will share their expertise in growing and marketing organic culinary and medicinal herbs. Join Jane Darland

Other workshops include: A Whole Farm Approach to Managing Drought; Playing Chicken—Small Scale Poultry; Who’s There? Pests and the Diseases They Carry; Restoring Pollinator Habitat in the Southwest; From Hoophouses to Hedgerows: Accessing the EQIP Program; Asylum for Avians; Top Bar Bees; Traditional New Mexico: Corn, Beans, and Chile; No Minnie Mouse: IPM for Rodents; Herbal Product Production; Produce Buyers: What They Want; First Steps When Disaster Strikes: Investigating Livestock Disease; Favorite Vegetable Varieties; Digging Deep: Understanding Nematodes and Exploring Biofumigation; Go Nuts!; Home-based Canning; Feed Your Bed; Store It!; Pollinator Conservation Strategies for Organic Seed Producers; Organic Inspectors Bare All; Traditional New Mexico: Acequias; Cover Crops: Tested for New Mexico; Organic Weed Management: Till and No/Low; Plugged-In Technology for Farmers; Four-Legged Reclamation—Goats in Land Restoration; Alternative Health Care for Ruminants; Successful Season Extension—Seed to Market; Traditional New Mexico: Fruit Production; It’s Coming! Preparing for Food Safety Regulation. On Saturday, participants will feast on local and organic food at a luncheon where the New Mexico Organic Farmer of the Year will be recognized. Farm to Table, the New Mexico Department of Agriculture, and New Mexico State University Cooperative Extension Service are organizing the event. La Montanita Co-op Natural Foods Market, Skarsgard Farms, Rio Grande Community Farm, and the Silver City Food Co-op are sponsoring the gathering. Registration for the conference, including Saturday’s luncheon, is $100. For more information call 505-8899921, or look for conference brochures at the Co-op. For hotel reservations, call 877-622-3056 by January 30th. Say you are part of the Organic Conference to get the special room rate. Hope to see you there!

MAKE A CHILD SMILE

giving TREE THANKS

PROJECT Boots on the Ground Taking the lessons learned in the classroom outside, we built our first cold frames last January and began planting seeds in February. Classes continued until early summer and during the spring; Veterans split their time between classes and working in the garden. Thanks to a most generous donor, and with support from the NMDA Organic Program, a number of veterans received scholarships to the Annual NM Farming and Gardening Conference last February. By April, participants were taking home onions, peas, kale, collards, lettuce and other cold weather crops. By June the garden was in full swing and participants were harvesting a variety of vegetables to sell every Wednesday morning at the Farmers’ Market in front of the VA Hospital. This, too, was part of the learning process, as picking, packing, pricing, and marketing, including setting up an attractive farmer’s market stall, are important skills for would-be farmers.

THANK YOU!

Co-op Community!

Once again, you, our fabulous CO-OP COMMUNITY, have come forward to show just how GREAT you are! THANKS TO YOU, over 600 children in need in our communities had their holiday gift wishes come true. From the bottom of our hearts we thank you again this year for your support of this program. We are proud and honored to be able to serve a community with such a generous heart. You’re the best! YOUR CO-OP MEMBERSHIP DEPARTMENT

PROJECT

Veterans cycled in and out during our year-long process with nearly twenty-five veterans participating at one time or another. While a good number of veterans from the larger community participated, overall, veterans in treatment at the VA Hospital, for a variety of conflict related issues, were the most solidly dedicated to the project. Special thanks to John Shields of the recreation therapy department at the VA, for his dedication to the project and for driving veterans living on the VA campus to our garden site downtown twice a week.

VETERAN FARMER

NMSU’s Los Lunas Ag Science Center, and 2012 Organic Farming Educator of the Year, will take on the thorny topic of “natural pesticide” use. Always the choice of last resort, there are times when producers want to turn to a natural insecticide allowed for use in organic production. Tess will discuss the mechanics of some popular pesticides; how to determine the threshold for pesticide use; steps to take to achieve the desired result; and, cautions to observe to protect beneficials and avoid building a resistant population.

of Old Monticello Organic Farms and Sean Ludden of Los Poblanos Organic Farm for some sage advice on organic herb production.

VETERAN FARMER PROJECT CLASSES continue in 2013. This year classes are open to the larger community!

So popular was our stand and the VA staff so supportive, that the VFP has been given special permission to sell veggies all year long at the VA. (Special thanks to VA staff Mary Varnado and Reba Brain for their help in making this happen.) To that end, from October through December, we were busy building more cold frames to cover our production beds, composting beds and planting fall crops. While other Vets selling at the VA farmers’ market experienced frosts in September or early October, the downtown area did not experience a full frost until just before Thanksgiving. VFP participants gathered boxes full of green tomatoes, which were laid out to sell as they ripened through the end of December, along with winter kale, collards, lettuce, beets and carrots. In 2012, in addition to financial and organizational support from La Montanita, the project got off the ground thanks to seed (both literally and figuratively) money from the McCune Foundation. In July of 2012 the New Mexico Department of Agriculture provided a generous grant for the continuation of the project through June 2013. The grant provides funds for cold frame materials, seeds, tools, compost and provides a stipend for up to two Veterans for farm management.

January 31: Introduction to the Business of Farming/John Garlisch, Bernalillo County Extension Service Feb. 7: LandLINK—Finding a Place to Grow/Tiffany Terry, MRCoG Feb.14: Growing Good Soil/Joran Viers, Bernalillo County Extension Service Feb. 21: Organic Approaches to Pest Management/Dr. Tess Grasswitz, N.M .S.U. Feb. 28: Organic Production: The Hows and Whys!/Joanie Quinn, N.M.D.A. Organic Program March 7: Succession Planting for Marketing Success/Sarah Wentzel-Fisher, La Montanita Co-op/edible Magazine March 14: Intro to Biodynamics and Wholistic Farming/Amanda Rich, erda gardens CSA ALL CLASSES will take place at the Albuquerque N.M.S.U. campus at 4501 Indian School Road NE, (just west of San Mateo) in room G106.

2013: Another Round of Seasons This year is shaping up to be as educational, healing and fun as last year. Our classes begin in late January and go though March. Although still in the planning stage at the time of this writing, the tentative schedule has classes every Thursday for six weeks with Tuesdays reserved for hands on work in the garden throughout the late winter and early spring, and selling produce at the VA on Wednesdays from 11am-1pm. All veterans, active service and National Guard people are welcome to come to these FREE farming and gardening skills classes. The VA van will be offering rides to both the classes and garden site from the Albuquerque VA Campus. For more information contact Robin Seydel at 505-217-2027, toll free at 877-775-2667 or e-mail her at robins@lamontanita.coop or contact John Shields at the VA at 505-256-6499 ext. 5638 or email him John.Shields2@va.gov.

crafting our

future

La Montanita Cooperative A Community - Owned Natural Foods Grocery Store Nob Hill/ 7am-10pm M-S, 8am-10pm Sun. 3500 Central SE Abq., NM 87106 265-4631

January 2013 2

FOOD POLICY AT THE LEGISLATURE:

HEALTHY KIDS, HEALTHY

ECONOMY

Valley/ 7am-10pm M-Sun. 2400 Rio Grande Blvd. NW Abq., NM 87104 242-8800 Gallup/ 10am-7pm M-S, 11am-6pm Sun. 105 E. Coal Gallup, NM 87301 863-5383 Santa Fe/ 7am-10pm M-S, 8am-10pm Sun. 913 West Alameda Santa Fe, NM 87501 984-2852 UNM Co-op ’N Go/ 7am-6pm M-F, 10-4pm Sat. Closed Sun., 2301 Central Ave. SE Abq., NM 87131 277-9586

NEW MEXICO GROWN

PRODUCE FOR SCHOOL MEALS BY PAM ROY, FARM TO TABLE ave you eaten in your local school cafeteria recently? If you have, you may have noticed a change in the menu. There are more fruits and veggies on the plates, whole wheat pasta items and less chocolate milk. Due to new federal

Cooperative Distribution Center 901 Menual NE, Abq., NM 87107 217-2010 Administrative Staff: 217-2001 TOLL FREE: 877-775-2667 (COOP) • General Manager/Terry Bowling 217-2020 terryb@lamontanita.coop • Controller/John Heckes 217-2029 johnh@lamontanita.coop • Computers/Info Technology/ David Varela 217-2011 tech@lamontanita.coop • Perishables Coordinator/Bob Tero 217-2028 bobt@lamontanita.coop • Human Resources/Sharret Rose 217-2023 hr@lamontanita.coop • Marketing/Edite Cates 217-2024 editec@lamontanita.coop • Membership/Robin Seydel 217-2027 robins@lamontanita.coop • CDC/MichelleFranklin 217-2010 mf@lamontanita.coop Store Team Leaders: • Mark Lane/Nob Hill 265-4631 markl@lamontanita.coop • John Mulle/Valley 242-8800 jm@lamontanita.coop • William Prokopiak/Santa Fe 984-2852 willpro@lamontanita.coop • Alisha Valtierra/Gallup 575-863-5383 alishav@lamontanita.coop Co-op Board of Directors: email: bod@lamontanita.coop • President: Martha Whitman • Vice President: Marshall Kovitz • Secretary: Ariana Marchello • Treasurer: Roger Eldridge • Lisa Banwarth-Kuhn • Kristy Decker • Jake Garrity • Susan McAllister • Betsy VanLeit Membership Costs: $15 for 1 year/ $200 Lifetime Membership Co-op Connection Staff: • Managing Editor: Robin Seydel robins@lamontanita.coop 217-2027 • Layout and Design: foxyrock inc • Cover/Centerfold: Co-op Marketing Dept. • Advertising: Sarah Wentzel-Fisher • Editorial Assistant: Sarah Wentzel-Fisher sarahwf@lamontanita.coop 217-2016 • Printing: Vanguard Press Membership information is available at all four Co-op locations, or call 217-2027 or 877-775-2667 email: robins@lamontanita.coop website: www.lamontanita.coop Membership response to the newsletter is appreciated. Address typed, double-spaced copy to the Managing Editor, robins@lamontanita.coop Copyright ©2013 La Montanita Co-op Supermarket Reprints by prior permission. The Co-op Connection is printed on 65% post-consumer recycled paper. It is recyclable.

CO-OP

YOU OWN IT

This is good news for New Mexico as we have a plentiful supply of fresh fruits and vegetables produced by our own local farmers. This year alone, 53 of our 89 school districts serving 324,000 students purchased New Mexico grown produce providing students throughout the state with sweet juicy apples and watermelons, ripe tomatoes, crisp carrots, salad greens and sprouts, fresh corn on the cob, and more. In addition, great partnerships have been developed to make the program work. Farm to Table, the American Friends Service Committee, and other organizations provide training and technical assistance to farmers, the NM School Nutrition Association provides educational programs to school food service directors and agencies like the Departments of Agriculture and Food and Nutrition Services Bureau provide critical support. These organizations and agencies along with others are part of the NM Food and Agriculture Policy Council, the statewide group leading the push for the state legislative request. This won’t be the first year the Legislature has heard this bill. It has broad support, but has not been well funded to date. Senator Pete Campos is the 2013 bill sponsor; president of Luna College and a true advocate for health, education, agriculture, and local economic issues, Senator Campos is a steadfast champion of this legislation.

school nutrition rules, schools are required to serve twice as many fruits and vegetables as in the past. These rules were put in place to help stave off the growing obesity epidemic in this country. The challenge is that the federal rules were put in place without enough money to pay for the required increase in fruits and veggies.

In New Mexico alone, 19 percent of our children are considered obese by the age of eight, and in some areas of the State it is as high as 50 percent; one in four children are considered food insecure. School meals can be the most important meal of the day and support life healthy eating habits.

Food for NM Kids To combat the problem, the New Mexico State Legislature will be asked to help support the school lunch program with a bill requesting $1.44 million to help support the purchase of “New Mexico Grown Produce for School Meals.” This is a “win-win” bill. New Mexico students will enjoy the freshest fruits and vegetables grown right here in New Mexico, our farmers will benefit economically, and schools will have much needed funding to meet the new federal rules.

OUR CHILDREN DESERVE OUR SUPPORT OF THIS LEGISLATION To learn more, contact the New Mexico Food and Agriculture Policy Council at 505-473-1004 ext. 11. During the legislative session (that begins January 16) you can call your legislator at 505-986-4600 and ask that they support the “NM Grown Produce for School Meals” legislation – otherwise known as “Healthy Kids – Healthy Economy.” Pam Roy is Executive Director of Farm to Table and coordinator of the NM Food and Agriculture Policy Council based in Santa Fe. Find them at www.farmtotablenm.org.

DISMAS HOUSE

SECOND CHANCES FOR THE NEW YEAR! SUPPORT for the TRANSITION from jail to society

ismas House New Mexico, a 501(c)(3) organization, was created in 1994 as an answer to the growing need for supportive services for individuals struggling to re-enter society after incarceration. Since that time, Dismas House has developed an effective residential program that provides a comprehensive matrix of services for adults returning to the community after serving time. Dismas House, a beacon of hope and safe passage for adults transitioning from jail or prison into society, is dedicated to providing second chances. More than 10 percent of those entering prisons and jails are homeless in the months before their incarceration. For those with mental illness, the rates are even higher— about 20 percent. NM Department of Corrections spends $31,000 per year to keep one inmate in jail: this equates to $2,583 per month; 46 percent of inmates who leave prison without transitional support return to prison. In contrast only 10 percent of Dismas House program participants return to prison. Dismas House New Mexico currently owns a three-acre campus comprised of five residential buildings that provide 90 to 120 days of service-enriched housing for male residents and a women’s campus that houses six. Onsite residential interns and aides provide supervision, support and assist with evening programs. The mission of Dismas House New Mexico is to assist motivated adults on probation and parole to transition successfully into society. Over the years, they have helped over 1,500 parolees to transition successfully into society and have been able to expand the program with the generous help of the community. The Dismas House Transitional Program is a structured 90-day, progress-oriented curriculum that moves through a series of sup-

portive steps to assist in a successful re-entry into society. The first step in the program includes a detailed orientation of policies and procedures that define Dismas House’s supportive culture, as well as a guided self-examination of personal history, circumstances and needs. This process is supplemented by a series of workshops and group counseling sessions. The program also provides job development support, life skills, housing development, family counseling and after-care plans. The Dismas House Transitional Re-Entry Program consists of the following elements: • An in-depth personal assessment process that includes self-examination of personal history, circumstances and needs; • Education into the nature of addictions, including the long-term health effects of substance abuse on the mind and body; • Relapse prevention awareness; • 12-Step, Alcoholics Anonymous, and Narcotics Anonymous support groups; • Motivational counseling group sessions geared toward encouraging pro-social attitudes, behaviors and responsibilities; • Individualized case management that includes educational opportunities, job development, life skills, housing options, family counseling and health-care referrals; • After-care services provide graduating residents with the support system needed to maintain meaningful employment and ultimately provide graduating residents a place in society that is peaceful and productive. These elements build a comprehensive support system that empowers residents to face life squarely and make the changes needed, empowering participants to achieve a healthier lifestyle that benefits not only the individual but their families and society. For more information, application, or to make a donation go to www.dismashousenewmexico.org or call them at 505343-0746.

THIS MONTH’S BAG CREDIT DONATION

ORGANIZATION

crafting our

future

OBESOGENS:

JEOPARDY

A Generation

Pesticide Action Network’s North America’s New Report BY ROBIN SEYDEL t’s no secret that obesity rates continue to climb, even in very young children, including infants. Back in the early 1990s La Montanita Co-op hosted the first national, public conference on what were then called xenoestrogens, as the science at that time showed that chemicals like DDT mimicked estrogen. Now we know that these chemicals and tens of thousands of others (nearly 80,000 on the market today) disrupt a wide variety of our endocrine system functions, upsetting hormonal balance affecting our health in many ways.

Pesticide Action Network of North America’s (PANNA) new report, A Generation in Jeopardy, documents alarming trends in public health, including childhood obestity to these same chemicals, now being called obesogens. As PANNA points out, “some of these obesogens are pesticides acting at very low doses to interfere with all kinds of physiological processes. This includes, it turns out, triggering increased fat cell production.” While public health science catches up, the commercialization of new untested chemicals used in daily life marches on. And much as in the climate change debate, while scientists argue over the links, public health concerns are escalating. A Generation in Jeopardy points out that our children are sicker than they were a generation ago. • From 1980-2004 OBESITY increased 171% in children ages 6–11 • From 1990-2011 DIABETES increased 53% in children ages 0–19 • From 1975-2004 CHILDHOOD CANCERS, 25% increased incidence, ages 0–19 • From 2002-2008 AUTISM increased 78% in children aged 8 • From 1997-2006 ADHD increased 3% every year, ages 6–17, with a 17% increase overall, ages 3–17 With children affected so early in life, it's become increasingly clear that genetic and behavioral factors alone cannot explain the rising rates of obesity. Scientists are now examining the contribution of exposure to man-made chemicals. THE REPORT NOTES “A recent study of triflumizole (TFZ) suggests that this fungicide is a likely obesogen. In 2010, over 40,000 pounds of TFZ's active ingredient was used in over 6,000 agricultural applications in the state of California alone. Researchers found that TFZ treatment of human stem cell cultures acti-

PROTECT KIDS FROM

vated the pathway leading to fat cell production. Stem cells have the potential to become different kinds of cells (i.e., a stem cell can become a bone cell or fat cell).” The study also examined pre-birth exposure to TFZ in the drinking water of female mice. The lowest dose produced a significant increase in stored fat, while higher doses had no effect. This type of dose response — when different levels of exposure lead to different effects — is showing up in more and more studies, leading the EPA to rethink how it evaluates toxic dose response risks. “In addition, stem cells prepared from the fat of female mice exposed to TFZ had significant genetic changes. Expression of a genetic marker that inhibits fat cell production was reduced, while genes known to promote fat cell production had increased expression.” “The TFZ paper is just one of many recent studies on pesticides and obesogens. While this is a fairly new field of study, evidence is accumulating that chemicals are likely contributors to the obesity epidemic.”

From learning disabilities and autism to childhood cancers and more, a startling number of diseases and disorders are on the rise. The good news is, this is a problem we can do something about. From kitchen tables to state capitals, from school districts to family farms, people are finding ways to better PROTECT CHILDREN'S HEALTH. -KRISTIN SCHAFER

The Full Story To keep our children a healthy weight, we are told to teach them healthy lifestyle choices, feed them whole food, control their portions and make sure they stay active, getting enough exercise. We are not informed that exposure to persistent organic pollutant (POP) obesogens, even in the womb and especially to girls, can cause physiological changes that lead to obesity. Spanish researchers who studied 344 children from birth to age six and a half found that exposure in the womb to the breakdown product of DDT (DDE) was clearly linked to becoming overweight in later life. The Spanish study showed that after adjusting for factors, including birth weight and whether or not mothers smoked during pregnancy, there was a significant link between the sex of the child, prenatal exposure to DDT, PCBs and other POPs and the likelihood of being overweight by age six and a half. No one quite understands why and Spanish researchers say they were surprised to find that when women of normal weight have higher levels of POPs in their blood during pregnancy their babies are twice as likely to grow quickly during the first six months of life and four times as likely to be overweight when they reach 14 months; but there are plenty of animal studies suggesting that some pollutants at very low levels interfere with normal hormone functions to slow the metabolism and cause obesity. Despite the fact that DDT has been banned for nearly 40 years, there is still a level of background contamination of breakdown products that root crops like carrots and potatoes can take up from the soil, and mothers who were exposed as children before the ban can be passing it on to their children during pregnancy and breastfeeding. In fact DDT and its breakdown products can hang around for decades, and 99% of us carry DDT breakdown products in our blood. Though banned in the US, DDT is still used in some countries for malaria control and has been suggested for use in the US for mosquito control due to West Nile Virus. Canadian scientists are now connecting climate change to a possible increase in our exposures to legacy chemicals, including DDT, as pollutants trapped in ice are being released as temperature rises and glaciers melt; thus putting these endocrine disrupting chemicals back in circulation. Kristin Schafer from PANNA writes ,“From learning disabilities and autism to childhood cancers and more, a startling number of diseases and disorders are on the rise. The good news is, this is a problem we can do something about. From kitchen tables to state capitals, from school districts to family farms, people are finding ways to better protect children's health.”

PESTICIDES

THE TOP 10 1. Choose kid-safe foods. Whenever possible, shop for organic fruits and veggies free of pesticides that harm children’s health. 2. Keep homes kid-safe. Use safer, alternative methods to control pests in homes, on your pets, and on your lawns and gardens. 3. Create safer child care. Daycare centers should be free of pesticides known to harm children. Ask your daycare facility about the pesticides they use, and urge them to join the Eco-Healthy Child Care program run by the Children's Environmental Health Network. 4. Make schools pesticide-free, inside and out. Learn what communities across the country are doing to create school environments free of neurotoxic pesticides. 5. Link local farms to school plates. Urge your school district to link with a pesticide-free farm-to-school program to protect children from

DONATE E

January 2013 3

pesticide residues and build the family farm economy. 6. Support green and healthy farming. Our policies should better support farmers who grow healthy, pest-free crops without relying on pesticides that can harm children. 7. Spread the word about pesticides and health. Follow and share the science on pesticides and kids’ health with friends, family, parentteacher groups and neighbors. 8. Press policymakers to put children’s health first. Overall, current rules protect the interests of the pesticide corporations much better than they protect our children. Find out how you can help press for policies that put children’s health first at www.panna.org. 9. Vote for kids’ health. Hold politicians accountable to vote for kids’ health, not pesticide industry profits. 10. Stay informed by staying connected to Pesticide Action Network at www.panna.org or www.beyondpesticides.org.

JANUARY Bag Credit Donations go to DISMAS HOUSE:

your BAG CREDIT!!

Providing support services for people struggling to re-enter society and create healthy, peaceful lives.

donate

Your NOVEMBER BAG CREDIT DONATIONS totaling $1,842.81 were given to Project Share. Thanks to all of you who donated! Keep up the great work!

THEDIME!

Co-op Values Cooperatives are based on the values of self-help, selfresponsibility, democracy, equality, equity and solidarity. In the tradition of their founders, cooperative members believe in the ethical values of honesty, openness, social responsibility and caring for others. Co-op Principles 1 Voluntary and Open Membership 2 Democratic Member Control 3 Member Economic Participation 4 Autonomy and Independence 5 Education, Training and Information 6 Cooperation among Cooperatives 7 Concern for Community The Co-op Connection is published by La Montanita Coop Supermarket to provide information on La Montanita Co-op Supermarket, the cooperative movement, and the links between food, health, environment and community issues. Opinions expressed herein are of the authors and are not necessarily those of the Co-op.

eating healthy:

two views 11

Crafting an Eat

HealthyYear

January 2013 4

POINT PLAN FOR

GOOD HEALTH

3. Choose organics as much as possible to avoid the many endocrine and neurotoxic agricultural chemical residues that affect the quality of your food. This will allow you to peel fruit and vegetables less. The highest con-

BY ROBIN SEYDEL s eating better, getting healthier or loosing a few pounds part of your New Year resolution? For many of us it is. I for one, hate diets! Don’t tell me what I can’t have, tell me what I CAN have. Eating fresh fruits and vegetables will go a long way in helping you do all of the above. And staying off processed and high sodium foods will also go a long way in reducing water retention and high blood pressure. Eating more fruits and vegetables, more grains and beans, foods lower in fat and fewer processed foods are key in any healthier future.

Instead of reaching for that candy bar at 3pm to get you through the rest of the work day—how about a cup of hot green tea and a few dates, figs or jumbo flame raisins for an energy boost and to quiet that sweet tooth? After work instead of grabbing some high fat chips to get you through until dinner is ready, how about some carrots or celery? For a special treat dab a bit of peanut or almond butter on it. There you have the nutrients and fiber of the veggies and the protein of the nut butters. And if life on the go makes you reach for the fast food solution, try a quick fix of healthy food from the Co-op deli or pop some almonds or trail mix into your purse, computer bag or briefcase so you always have a quick and healthy snack. 1. Eat plenty of fiber. Fiber is found in whole grains, fruits and vegetables. Grains are best whole or only coarsely ground. Use rye, rice, barley, millet, quinoa, amaranth and other grains regularly. They help bind with toxins and improve elimination. 2. Eat plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables, especially green leafy ones. These are high in vitamins, flavonoids, minerals, essential fatty acids and fiber.

RETHINKING

EAT!

centrations of nutrients are often in the peels. Cook only lightly and eat some raw fruits and veggies with their important enzymes each day. 4. Cut down on your fat intake. Use animal products as flavorings and condiments rather than as your main source of protein. Choose fish, poultry, whole grains, beans, nuts and seeds rather than red meat and cheese for your major protein sources. Use animal products as condiments and flavorings. Utilize tofu, tempeh and other soy and rice products when possible. 5. Cut down on your sugar intake. Use sugar as a flavoring rather than a food, avoiding cakes, sweets, chocolates, biscuits, puddings, ice cream, jam, fruit canned in syrup, soft drinks, etc.

turous eater, I was challenged to expand my food horizons; the world of vegetables is vast and wide and I have enjoyed exploring new ones!

HOW WE

AMYLEE UDELL few years ago I asked readers to at least CONSIDER the possibility that saturated fat is not what makes people fat. The article received more feedback, positive and negative, than any other I've written to date. Supporters were glad to see a different view than what they usually see in print, detractors touted the ideas presented as irresponsible and referred back to the "established medical fact," supported by "expert" bodies, that a plant-based diet of fruits, vegetables, grains and legumes is the only researched diet to help prevent disease and optimize health. In the few years since writing that article, my own experiences and research has affirmed my belief in the benefits of following a traditional diet that includes plenty of saturated fat from clean sources.

Eating as Humans Earlier this year I read Gary Taubes' books, Good Calories, Bad Calories and Why We Get Fat and What To Do About It. Extraordinarily well researched and cited, the former was quite an

6. Cut down on your salt intake. Instead of salt use herbs and spices, including ginger, cayenne, cumin, turmeric, curry, rosemary, cardamom, coriander, chile, garam masala, garlic, lemon juice, tomato puree, onions, mustard seeds, pepper, etc. Check out the wide variety of bulk spices and mixed salt-free spice assortments in the bulk and grocery sections of your Co-op. 7. Cut down or end your consumption of processed food to avoid empty calories and artificial everything, including flavors, sweeteners, MSG, preservatives and other additives. 8. Drink only moderate amounts of alcohol and caffeine. Make an afternoon cup of coffee a cup of green tea instead. Utilize Swiss water processed decaf coffee rather than the chemically processed ones. OR better yet switch to green and herbal tea beverages. 9. Drink plenty of filtered water. Eight glasses a day is recommended for good health. 10. Eat more of your calories earlier in the day. A good hearty breakfast, a solid nutritional lunch and a light dinner refuels the body’s nutrients as they are needed more effectively than eating heavy, hard to digest proteins late in the day or close to bedtime. Why store all that fat for use after 6-8 hours of sleep! Utilize it during the day instead. This will help improve digestion, reduce interrupted sleep, reduce heart burn and indigestion, improve metabolism and help with weight loss. 11. Get enough exercise and fresh air. Get up from that computer, TV or study desk and walk, do yoga, hike or whatever exercise you enjoy at least 3-4 times weekly. It will improve both your body and your mind.

endeavor to get through. I admit the science sometimes crossed my eyes. Why We Get Fat was an easier read and helped drive home some ideas that made me reconsider my own beliefs. As someone with a strong family history of diabetes, I have done much reading on the disease, insulin and what I can do to stay healthy. Yet this book gave me MORE food for thought. With these new ideas, I took another look at what is typically dubbed the Paleo or Primal diet (and sometimes other names, such as Hunter-Gatherer or Caveman diet). The very basic tenet is that eating and moving as humankind did before the advent of agriculture is how we are designed to eat and move. Proponents argue that when we do, our bodies respond amazingly well. And so the following guidelines help achieve that: 1. Eat what was once hunted and gathered, including: veggies, fruits, nuts, seafoods and meats. And while you don't actually need to go out and hunt your own meat, finding free range, pastured sources will bring you even closer to what we are designed to eat. 2. Don't eat grains. Not even whole grains! This is counter to what most of us know to be true. I'm greatly simplifying this here, but paleo enthusiasts point to evidence that gluten, lectins and phytates all make grains highly indigestible and even damaging to our bodies. Damage might include gut irritation, leaky gut, overall inflammation and autoimmune issues, which often lead to other health problems. With a healthy vegetable intake, fiber is typically not an issue in a paleo diet. In fact most people report great improvements in overall digestion when adopting this way of eating. 3. Don't eat these, either: legumes, modern vegetable oils, and processed foods—whatever couldn't have been hunted and gathered. When doing some additional research, I came across a frequently mentioned difficulty. Most people thought this approach was too restrictive to maintain. This sincerely surprised me. There is quite a range of foods to eat and people are amazingly creative in coming up with substitutes. While I consider myself a fairly adven-

4. Eliminate dairy. After some consideration, I opted to keep my raw dairy; but dairy is ALWAYS a very individual choice. For the paleo diet to be sustainable, many people abide by an 80/20 rule, allowing some give for the demands and realities of the modern world. For this to be sustainable for me, dairy is my "compromise.” 5. Movement. You'll hear many paleo diet fans discuss Crossfit as their go-to fitness routine. That is because the program emphasizes the type of movement preagricultural humans would have done while hunting and being hunted: sprinting, lifting and squatting. This actually does not fit my life or personality, so I have only moderately changed my very realistic workout routine. Plus, I thoroughly enjoy my exercise, so don't WANT to abandon it! I found the advice given by Mark Sisson of Marks DailyApple.com (and author of The Primal Blueprint) to hit home for me. A former world-class athlete, he cautions against what he calls "chronic cardio," or consistently pushing ourselves to maximum physical exertion and heart rate for an hour every day. He asserts that our hunter-gatherer ancestors did not do this. He says. "This kind of training raises cortisol levels, increases oxidative damage, systemic inflammation, depresses the immune system and decreases fat metabolism." Since it is difficult for modern people to imitate our ancestors in spending a few hours each day in low-level activity with brief spurts of higher intensity aerobic activity, Sisson suggests 30-60 minutes of moderate aerobic activity (walking, hiking, cycling) a few times a week. Content with my weight I was more interested in blood sugar stability and its benefits. The idea of body weight setpoints really resonates with me so I was surprised when I got on a scale after putting some effort into this way of eating and moving and found myself about ten pounds lighter. And while that is not a lot of weight by some standards, it's a lot for me, especially considering I was eating plenty and enjoying myself and also saw obvious signs that my digestion was improved, I had more muscle tone and a decrease in minor aches and pains. As I have stated before, my hope is that the ideas I share ignite curiosity so that you will further your own exploration and possibly be healthier for it. AMYLEE UDELL is the co-owner of Inspired Birth and Families.

GOat GREEN ! your Get your locally grown GREEN VEGGIES CO-OP

at any Co-op location. Fresh, fair, organic...

food &

health

winter squash: honorary ROOTcrop! BY ARI LEVAUX t amazes me when people claim not to know what to do with squash. Because, other than pour milk over it in your cereal bowl, what can't you do with squash? Can you fry it in bacon grease? Check. Toss the resulting browned chunks in a salad? Check. Simmer it in soup? Stuff it into tamales? Flip it in pancakes? Sweeten it into custard? Spice it into curry? Knead it into gnocchi? Check. Eat squash for breakfast, lunch, dinner, dessert and midnight snack? Check. You can eat the skin, the seeds, and everything in between.

January 2013 5

and other watery squashes. They can work, but they add moisture to the pan, which slows the cooking process, and they shrink during cooking more than I like. As a matter of course I recommend avoiding spaghetti squash as well, not just

If that's too overwhelming a list of options, an easy rule of thumb for cooking squash is "do anything you might do with a potato." While squash behaves mostly spud-like, virtually any root vegetable recipe can be applied to squash. That's one reason I believe winter squash deserves to be considered an honorary member of that family. Technically, though, squash is a fruit. So why do the hard shelled varieties, aka the winter squash, deserve a spot in the pantheon of winter storage vegetables alongside carrots, garlic, onions, rutabagas, parsnips, beets and celery root? In addition to behaving much like roots in the kitchen, winter squash will occupy your kitchen and pantry at the same time the roots do— fall and winter, making squash one of the only non-root storage crops. Like its adopted cousins the roots, squash is kept completely unprocessed, alive and dormant. Pirates used to do something similar with tortoises, stacking them in their ship holds for months, where the animals' slow metabolism allowed them to stay alive with no food or water. When the occasion called, a tortoise would be retrieved and eaten, like grabbing a squash from the pantry. Living storage crops like roots, squash and the occasional Galapagos giant tortoise mean fresh food anywhere, any time. Unprocessed foods are also much easier to put away than pickles, salsa, pesto, chutney or other such value-added products. Like root vegetables, squash basically stores itself. Keep them cool, dry and well ventilated, arranged one layer deep with no individual touching another, and periodically inspect for mold, rot and any other form of damage. Remove any offending fruits before the skank spreads. To demonstrate how completely winter squash belongs among the roots, I'll explain how to include it in that most quintessential of root dishes, oven-roasted roots. Starchy winter squashes like buttercup, sunshine, kabocha and blue hubbard roast best, in my opinion, because the starch adds body and the chunks don't wither away. I tend to avoid pumpkin, butternut,

SQUASH: an unprocessed, LIVING STORAGE CROP, can be used in a

VARIETY OF WAYS! In this recipe, but in all recipes. Spaghetti squash is an agricultural aberration that should have been selected against. Bad flavor, no body, weird stringiness. Bizarre gimmick! After removing the stem and blossom ends, a squash can be cut, basically, like a potato. Slice it in half, cut the halves in half, and keep going until you have cubes. Don't bother removing the seeds from the chunks. They add to the finished product. Like most roots, squash can be cooked with or without its skin. All winter squash skin is edible, but some peels make for better eating than others. Since different roots cook at different rates, I add them to the roasting pan in sequence. I cut the squash and potatoes first, tossing them in the pan with olive oil and placing the pan in the oven. While these roast you can cut carrots, celeriac and parsnips, none of which need cooking at all, and certainly can do with less oven time than squash and potatoes. I like to add a few whole garlic cloves with the carrots, tossing and turning the pan's contents at every opportunity.

G R E AT G L U T E N F R E E G R A I N S !

BENEFITS of Millet and Buckwheat

BY ROBIN SEYDEL iets higher in whole grains, such as millet and buckwheat, have been linked to protection against atherosclerosis, ischemic stroke, diabetes, insulin resistance, obesity, gallstones and premature death. Whole grains are rich in fiber, vitamins, minerals and hundreds of natural plant compounds, called phytochemicals, which protect cells from the types of damage that may lead to cancer.

The term “whole grain” means that all three parts of the grain kernel (germ, bran and endosperm) are included. Refined grains usually have the bran and germ removed, leaving only the starchy endosperm. Brown rice is a whole grain, white rice is not. Millet Millet is one of the oldest foods known to humans and possibly the first cereal grain to be used for domestic purposes. Today millet sustains a third of the world’s population and is a significant part of the diet in northern China, Japan, Manchuria and various areas of the former Soviet Union, Africa, India and Egypt. While millet has been used primarily for birdseed and livestock fodder in Western Europe and North America, it is now gaining popularity as a delicious and nutritious grain that can be enjoyed for its unique virtues. Millet is tiny in size and round in shape and can vary in color from white to gray to yellow to red. It is used in various cultures in many diverse ways: As a cereal, in

porridge and soups, and for making breads. The most widely available form of millet found in stores is the pearled, hulled type. Traditional couscous is made from cracked millet. Consistency varies depending upon cooking method; it can be creamy like mashed potatoes (if stirred during cooking) or fluffy like rice. Millet does not contain gluten, which makes it a wonderful grain alternative for people who are gluten-sensitive. Buckwheat Buckwheat is native to Northern Europe and Asia. It was widely cultivated in China from the 10th through the 13th centuries. It then spread to Europe and Russia in the 14th and 15th centuries, and was introduced to the United States by the Dutch during the 17th century. Buckwheat is widely produced in Russia and Poland, where it plays an important role in their traditional cuisines. Other commercial cultivators are the United States, Canada and France, a country famous for its buckwheat crepes. Buckwheat is a fruit seed that is related to rhubarb and sorrel. Common and tartary buckwheat are popular varieties in the United States. Its name is supposedly derived from the Dutch word “bockweit,” which means "beech wheat," reflecting buckwheat's beechnut-like shape and its wheat-like characteristics. Buckwheat is sold either unroasted or roasted, the latter often called "kasha," from which a traditional European dish is made. Unroasted buck-

When the pan is full, stir in your choice of aromatic spices like oregano, rosemary and/or thyme, and a little or a lot of paprika or red chile powder if desired. I also add garlic powder, marking the second time I add a form of garlic to my roasted roots. I also like to add onion powder, the only inclusion of onion in this dish, as raw onions are too watery. I also forego red beets, even though I love them, because I don't love a uniformly purple pile of roots. I also skip turnips, rutabagas and other spicy roots that disrupt the mellow flavor I'm going for. A final spice: the smallest pinch of nutmeg. Bake at 300, 350, or even 400F if you're in a hurry—the hotter you cook the more vigilant you have to be, and the more frequently you should stir the pan. While it's baking, I make a mixture of raw garlic (mashed, pressed, minced or otherwise atomized) and olive oil in which to toss the roots when they're finished. Eventually the pan will stop steaming as the chunks dry out, and then they will start to brown and crisp on the outside, while softening inside. It takes between 30 and 60 minutes to get there, depending on the temperature. Remove the roots and toss them in your garlic oil mixture, season with salt and pepper, and serve with or without mayo on the side. Within the symphony of flavors and textures, the nutty crunch of roasted squash seeds stands out, perfectly in place. Roasted roots—and squash—can be a meal in itself or a starting point for many others. The same raw ingredients can be added to the pan of a half-baked bird as it's coming in for landing. Roasted roots can be mashed together with fresh garlic and butter for a textured but mushy medley. Roasted roots can be added to soup, where their oven crisp offers a hedge against sogginess. Leftover squash and roots can be refried in bacon grease and served alongside eggs. I suppose you could even eat them in a bowl with milk.

Roasted ROOTS SQUASH

can be a meal in itself!

wheat has a soft, subtle flavor, while roasted buckwheat has more of an earthy, nutty taste. Its color ranges from tannish-pink to brown. Buckwheat is often served as a rice alternative or porridge. Buckwheat is also ground into flour, available in either light or dark forms, with the darker variety being more nutritious. Buckwheat does not contain gluten and is frequently mixed with some type of glutencontaining flour (such as wheat) for baking. In the United States, buckwheat flour is often used to make buckwheat pancakes, a real delight, especially for those allergic to wheat. Like all grains, buckwheat and millet should be rinsed thoroughly under running water before cooking, and any dirt or debris should be removed. After rinsing, add one part millet or buckwheat to two parts boiling water or broth. After the liquid has returned to a boil, turn down the heat, cover and simmer for about 25 to 30 minutes and do not stir. The texture of these grains cooked this way will be fluffy like rice. If you want the them to have a more creamy consistency, stir frequently, adding a little water every now and then.

JOIN

MRCOG’S AG COLLABORATIVE

JAN .UARY 9@9am AGRICULTURE COLLABORATIVE

809 Copper NW Albuquerque

505-724-3619

Special three-Part Meeting! Part 1: Farmers’ Marketing for the 5 Senses Learn how to attract more customers to your farmers’ market booth! Join John Garlisch and Laura Bittner as they “show and tell” how to leverage the five senses for a rich customer experience that will keep visitors coming back for more! A demonstration booth will be set up so you can see/hear/taste/feel/smell for yourself! Parts 2 + 3 will be optional, special sessions about alternative market opportunities for growers, as well as the action plan to make them happen. www.localfoodnm.org

CO-OP news

THE MEANING OF

MEMBERSHIP

in the business of selling memberships. Membership is currently $55 a year for an individual and household. Multiply that times 25 million...

or COSTCO? LISA BANWARTH-KUHN, CO-OP BOARD DIRECTORS am a member of La Montanita Co-op because the quality of the food I eat and supporting local businesses are important issues to me. Saving money is also important. When my children were younger we shopped at Costco. We called it “The Two Hundred Dollar Store.” Membership in Costco made it possible to take advantage of all the great prices on THINGS! Many things we never knew existed but we saved a lot of money if we bought them! There was something for everyone and every room in the house, and cars and vacations, and glasses and gas and tires and food and vitamins and everything! One day, I just couldn’t stand it anymore. I did not need to buy six loaves of bread and 24 rolls of toilet paper and a six-month supply of vitamin C tablets, 42 pairs of socks and 10 pounds of gummy bears.

Not a CO-OP! A Costco membership entitles entry into the “membership warehouse club,” dedicated to bringing members the best possible prices on quality brand-name merchandise. With hundreds of locations worldwide, Costco provides a wide selection of merchandise, plus the convenience of specialty departments and exclusive member services, all designed to make your shopping experience a pleasurable one.” Costco’s strategy includes warehousing, limiting variety with a few “Treasure-hunt” items, bulk packaging, and now they offer some organic produce and meats. Low prices keep customers happy. The number of Costco members in the USA increased to 25 million from 18 million just 5 years ago. Costco is

THE PERFECT GRAIN

FOR

A Little Treasure La Montanita is my little treasure. The Co-op sells memberships, too, but the membership does not exclude non-members from shopping and it certainly does not open the door to a multimillion dollar-worldwide-Wall Street tradinggiant warehouse of consumer goods. Can a Co-op membership co-exist with a Costco membership? It is up to the individual shopper if and how they want to honor a decision to support local business. One reason why I no longer have a Costco membership: after selling bonds and borrowing cheap money Costco announced on November 28, 2012, it would pay $3 billion dollars in special dividends to its worldwide stock holders. Shopping at the Co-op allows members and nonmembers access to products that are grown or manufactured locally. The quality and ingredients of the food can be determined by simply asking a Co-op employee. If products come from “outside” we can easily find out from exactly what farm and/or supplier it comes. Our shopping and/or membership dollars provide the capital (I will call them our “dividends”) to help start local businesses and farms, even new local co-ops, like Sweet Grass Cooperative. Our “dividends” help to support our warehouse that provides

HEARTY WINTER MEALS

WHITE MOUNTAIN FARM

QUINOA

From the White Mountain Farm website www.whitemountainfarm.com

hite Mountain Farm is located in an ancient lakebed called the San Luis Valley. It lies between the San Juan and Sangre de Cristo Mountains of the Southern Colorado Rocky Mountains, at an elevation of about 7,600 feet. The farm has been in the family since the 1930s. In the late 1970s and early 1980s, the main crops were organically grown wheat, alfalfa and sheep. In 1984 we started experimenting with quinoa. In 1987, White Mountain Farm started growing certified organically grown quinoa and potatoes. Since then we have added rye and a variety of vegetables to our rotation. In 1987, White Mountain Farm was the first large-scale quinoa operation in North America. Over the past years we have been selecting the best tasting quinoa and potatoes to offer our customers.

a stable, existing marketing and distribution center, supplying regional products to local consumers, restaurants, stores and our Co-op locations. Our “dividends” support the Co-op’s Veterans Farmer Project and encourage members to volunteer in the community and earn discounts. You don’t have to be a member to reap the benefits of the “dividends.” A Co-op membership is only $15 a year for an individual or household, a little more than a $1 a month. This opens the door to Volume Discount shopping, member specials and patronage refunds, our reward for shopping locally. Co-op membership ensures the continued community support and outreach of La Montanita. That is the difference. Our extra dollars benefit the economy of our community. Membership in both Co-op and Costco can coexist. Costco fills a niche in the shopping universe. It supports international and American businesses, borrows lots of money from banks to pay dividends and contributes to the economic success of its investors; it makes Wall Street happy and it does employ local people with an above average wage. But I like a very small shopping universe with local employees and managers, where I can buy what I need when I need it, keep my packaging waste to a minimum and keep my dollar nearby. I like a locally defined universe where I can visit with my neighbors and we know where our food comes from, and we can feel the impact of our dollars cooperating in support of local businesss and the local economy.

than those given above. Dishes ranging from appetizers through desserts can be prepared from quinoa.

QUINOA Quinoa is an annual herb that has been cultivated for thousands of years in the west Andes Mountains of South America. It was a staple food of the ancient Incas and their Empire. Quinoa was such an important food of the ancient Incas that they considered it the "Mother Grain."

In 1982 Dave Cusack was one of the first to introduce quinoa to North America. With the help of Colorado State University, Sierra Blanca Associates, and a few hard working individuals, quinoa is now widely available. Certified organic quinoa that is grown in the high elevations of the San Luis Valley of Colorado has a rich delicate nutty taste that cooks quickly and easily.

Quinoa is a plant that is very hardy and drought resistant. It bears clusters of seed on top of the plant that can range in color from white, orange, red, purple, to black, depending on the variety. The ancestral seed color of quinoa is black and the other colors have been obtained from mutations and breeding. The quinoa seed, about the size of millet, resembles the grain of some cereal grasses, but it is not a grass.

La Montanita offers regionally-sourced, organic quinoa from the San Luis Valley. Find both black and white varieties in the bulk section at your nearest store!

The seeds are coated with a saponin which has a bitter taste. This bitterness is removed by washing in water or by a dry polishing process. Before consumption of quinoa, the seeds should be rinsed to remove any of the saponin dust that may remain on the seeds. The seed of quinoa is an excellent food, rich in protein and high in fiber. The protein is well balanced and is particularly rich in the amino acid lysine, which is difficult to obtain from other vegetable sources. It is also high in calcium, phosphorous, vitamins B and E. Quinoa is a very versatile food plant that can be cooked many ways and tastes excellent. The green leaves can be used in salads or cooked like spinach. The grain can be sprouted, like alfalfa; used as a hot cereal; used in soups, casseroles and souffles; used in the place of almost any other grain, including rice; ground into flour; and toasted. An imaginative chef can find many more uses and ways to prepare quinoa

QUINOA (Basic Recipe) Before cooking, always rinse the grain well, either by using a strainer or by running fresh water over the quinoa in a pot. Drain the excess water. 2 cups water 1 cup quinoa Rinse quinoa thoroughly, either by using a strainer or by running fresh water over the quinoa in a pot. Drain excess water. Place quinoa and water in a quart sauce pan and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer, cover and cook until all of the water is absorbed (about 15 minutes). For light fluffy quinoa do not stir. You will know that the quinoa is done when all the grains have turned from white to transparent, and the spiral-like germ has separated. Makes 3 cups. Use quinoa in tabbouleh recipes or any jeweled grain recipe, or make up your own jeweled quinoa recipes by adding chopped red onion, red bell pepper, cilantro, parsley, peas, corn, almonds, cashews, etc. A dash of tamari, and a dash of olive oil, lemon juice and/or salt and pepper to taste bring out the flavors.

GRASSROOTS INVESTING AND

MICRO-LOAN PROGRAM

SHOP

January 2013 6

• INVESTOR ENROLLMENT PERIOD NOW OPEN • Investment options begin at $250 • Loan repayment terms tailored to the needs of our community of food producers • Loan applications taken on an ongoing basis To set up a meeting to learn more or for a Prospectus, Investor Agreement, Loan Criteria and Applications, call or e-mail Robin at: 505-217-2027, toll free at 877-775-2667 or e-mail her at robins@lamontanita.coop.

the

L A MONTANITA

FUND

GROW THE REGIONAL FOOD S Y S T E M

co-op news THE INSIDE

January 2013 7

SCOOP current conditions, retaining market share has become increasing difficult. Thanks to the dedication of our staff, we have been able to remain competitive in the marketplace and provide our members with the good food they deserve.

It is with sincere gratitude that we enter our 37th year of service this month. Your steadfast support of your cooperative during our many ups and downs over the years is a remarkable testament to your commitment to this wonderful organization. We look forward to serving you during this New Year, and with your support, for another thirty or forty years!

All of our national chain store competitors are selling organic, natural products. It has become the “in thing” to do. La Montanita was first and still the best supplier of organic, natural foods. None of our competitors go to the extent that we do to ensure that your food is safe, nutritious and provides you with the best value possible. And as you already know, none provides the diversity of local products we do. We are truly the local choice when it comes to good, healthy, safe food.

This past year presented many challenges. Albuquerque and Santa Fe experienced the transition of Sunflower Market to Sprouts Farmers Market; a very strong corporate grocery chain. The landscape of organic/natural foods has become more complex. The ongoing issues of GMOs and the Just Label It campaign gained some momentum and lost some momentum with the defeat of proposition 37 in California. However, these causes will continue to be addressed and there is a movement afoot to bring a labeling bill to our State Legislature as is being done in 23 other states.

I thank you on behalf of all staff at La Montanita for your support and patronage of our stores. Please don’t hesitate to let us know if we fail to exceed your expectations in any way. As always, I can be reached at 217-2020 or terryb@lamontanita.coop -TERRY

The economic conditions are improving but are still not great here in New Mexico. Given all these

January Calendar

of Events 1/15 BOD Meeting, Immanuel Church, 5:30pm 1/31 Veteran Farmer Project classes begin! See page 1.

COMING SOON! Feb. 16, Co-op Rocks youth event at W21! (Santa Fe)

CO-OPS: A Solution-Based System A co-operative is an autonomous association of persons united voluntarily to meet their common economic, social and cultural needs, and aspirations through a jointly-owned and democratically-controlled enterprise.

GENERAL MANAGER’S COLUMN

Sustainability Studies Program:

CO-OPS ROCK COURSE

First Semester Update

BY MAGGIE SEELEY “Co-ops Rock” – UNM Sustainability Studies Program (SSP) students have completed their Fall 2012 semester’s work on “An Exploration of Co-ops and Their Impact on the Local Economy.” UNM/SSP students were asked by the La Montanita Board of Directors to study NM co-ops and to provide some market assistance to the UNM Grab & Go and the Nob Hill stores. Case studies of 14 NM co-ops are available at sust/unm.edu and lamontanita.coop. As a business model, co-ops re-invest their surpluses (“profits”) in members, staff, their organizational infrastructure and the community. The UNM/SSP students reported on the following New Mexican cooperatives: • Fairfield Farms Co-op – Five young farmer members who use Landlink, growing crops on other’s land, was started by UNM students Mona Angel and Anne Carpenter. • LaCasita Co-op Preschool provides a quality learning environment to 22 families in Santa Fe, fostering a positive attitude toward school to establish a basis for future education. • The Permaculture Credit Union gives low interest loans to members for solar panels, hybrid cars, and helps establish Santa Fe Farmers’ Market vendors. There are 1,000 members. • At Greenbriar and Echo Ridge Housing Co-ops in Albuquerque, you can buy a 2-bedroom town home for $10,500 + monthly fee of $400. Quality, community based, low cost housing, and there’s even a swimming pool. 315 families are served by these housing co-ops. • Yucca Art Gallery in Old Town has 40 local artist members, and returns 85% of the art sales to individual artists. Most galleries take 50% commission. • Plateau Communications in Clovis, N.M., provides cell phone, landline and wi-fi to 85% of New Mexico residents. Originally formed in

1949 under the Rural Electrification Act, the 2011 budget was $30 million. There is hardly any turnover among the 287 staff. • The Los Alamos Co-op Market was started with the help of La Montanita in 2011 and has 1,700 members, employing 19 staff and sending members an enewsletter about health and well being. • New Mexico Educators Federal Credit Union pays its members dividends for their savings (instead of charging them). There are 16 locations in New Mexico, one at UNM, serving 133,000 members. • CODECE helps 35 families in Mora, 5 in Pecos and 27 in Truchas to preserve communal land grants and acequias, so that centuries old organic farming can be preserved and practiced. Nature tours and cultural tourism are also offered. • Bountifuel Energies is a biodiesel co-op, started by UNM grad Ragan Matteson. 23 members collect waste veggie oil from restaurants in Albuquerque, recycle it to low-CO2 emission, clean burning fuel. Operating in many garages, it hopes to teach others to make biodiesel on a wider scale. • R. E. I. has 123 sporting goods stores in 31 states including two in New Mexico. 10% of purchases are refunded to members. REI offers many earth stewardship classes and funds a NM Outreach Coordinator. • NM Electric Co-ops is a collaborative of 16 co-ops which serves 210,000 people, employs 975 staff and provides more than $500,000 to high school seniors for their college education in New Mexico. • The Family Farmer’s Seed Cooperative’s thirteen members cultivate hybridized, open pollinated, organic seeds and the cooperative is open to people who live in many western and Central Plains states. This is a unique cooperative organization which just started in 2008. Members of the UNM SSP Co-ops Rock Consulting Team are: Caludia Denton, Noah De St. Croix, Julia Fitzhugh, Robin Hoss, Jill Loniewski, Channell Manglona, Casey Myers, Tyson Ryder, Kyle Stewart, Renae Smith, Peter Tomlinson, Meralyn Werner and Maggie Seeley.

CO-OPs

Rock UNM Course SECOND SEMESTER LEARNING COOPERATION The Sustainability Studies Program of the University of New Mexico is pleased to announce the second semester of the Co-ops Rock Practicum. Learn about the co-ops in New Mexico and how they positively impact our local regional economy. Students can register now for: UNM Course CRN#38203, Sust. 334, Section 001 In this groundbreaking course students will: • Become familiar with co-ops in NM and worldwide (food, housing, electricity, farms, credit unions, schools, art, biodiesel, seeds) • Understand business ethics: cooperation, education, sharing, community economic development • Distinguish co-ops from corporations

• Consider “profit” as a surplus which can be shared with members • Master the concept of “economic multiplier” • Become a consultant, advocate, volunteer at La Montanita Co-op • Get the connection between co-ops and the “Triple Bottom Line” (social justice, ecological care and economic stability) • Connect permaculture principles (people care, earth care, fair share) with co-ops • Write a co-op case study; interview co-opers; conduct surveys; work on a small team; listen to guest speakers; watch videos; plan a Localization campaign • Create PSAs for local foods, local purchasing, local products. Register to learn about Cooperatives today: UNM Course CRN#38203, Sust. 334, Section 001. Tuesdays and Thursdays 11am-12:15pm, Maggie Seeley, Instructor. For more information contact: MSSeeley@unm.edu or 505-268-3339. Members of La Montanita Co-op are most welcome to register!

Come check us out and see what we’re about!

2012 BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Congratulations to Martha, Betsy and Mashall! Also, thank you to Rob for running. The board is finishing up work on our first year of electronic voting. This year was very much a learning experience, and we appreciate your patience while we worked out the kinks. We are looking forward to improving the experience for next year.

*Election

RESULTS! Martha Whitman 237 Betsy Vanleit 202 Marshall Kovitz 189 Rob Moore 174

We would love to hear any input on how voting was for you. Please take a minute to email us at bod@lamontanita.coop

A big THANK YOU to those members who voted! Your participation shows your support of the alternative economic business model that our cooperative represents. GO CO-OP!

DREAM,

CREATE,

CO-OPERATE

CO-OP

ROCKS SAT. FEB.16

11AM-2PM

CO-OP ROCKS IS A COLLABORATION

of The Los Alamos Cooperative Market, La Montanita Co-op, Warehouse 21, Los Alamos Teen Center, Los Alamos High School, Los Alamos Historical Society, Cornerstones.

A day for teens and young adults to enjoy local entertainment and activities. Workshops, art, food tasting/ sampling, bands, DJs, poetry… Workshops include: Screen printing, break dancing, group mural, comedy improv… Music includes: DJs and both rock and acoustic bands, including; Deep Space Lions, Syzygy and As in We.

A fun, FREE, artistic event for teens and young adults. At: Warehouse 21, 1614 Paseo de Peralta, Santa Fe, (across from the Farmers’ Market Railyard Pavillion) For more information: Sandra in Los Alamos at 505-695-1579, outreach@losalamos.coop, Robin in Albuquerque at 505-217-2027, robins@lamontanita.coop or Ana Rose at anarose@warehouse21.org.

Start the new year with

Savin g s!! BIG $5.00 Off! Any Purchase Exceeding $25.00

One Coupon Per Shop

Valid 1/4/13 - 1/31/13