Natural Enquirer April 2019

Y O U R

C O M M U N I T Y

THE

N A T U R A L

F O O D S

NATURAL

A Pu b l i cat i o n o f t h e S kag i t Va l l e y Fo o d Co - o p

M A R K E T

ENQUIRER

April 2019 - June 2019

Real Fun with Real Food

by Nicole Vander Meulen

Knock, knock.

Who’s there?

Lettuce.

Lettuce, who?

Lettuce introduce you to the Real Food Show!

It’s a corny joke that draws a mix of giggles, boos, and a few predictable eye rolls from the too-cool-for-school 6th graders in the crowd, but even that’s a sign they’re paying attention.

And that this school assembly is not like the others.

The Real Food Show is an entertaining elementary school assembly designed to educate and inspire children in our community to make healthy food and lifestyle choices. Developed by our friends at Community Co-op in Bellingham in 2014, along with members of the Bellingham Circus Guild, the

Photo: Real Food Show

Real Food Show teaches kids about basic nutrition and exercise through a series of comedic acts, magic, juggling, and other goofy circus skills.

With the increase of dietrelated disease in our country, and our kids, along with the amount of money spent on marketing food to children by food industry giants, we believe real food education is needed now more than ever. That belief coupled with our desire to further our commitment to the sixth and seventh cooperative principles—Cooperation Amongst

Cooperatives and Concern for the Community—is why we partnered with Community Co-op in 2015 to expand The Real Food Show to Skagit County.

The shows are performed at no cost to the school, offered free through co-op sponsorships.

The number of performances in Western Washington now total over 70, with an audience of more than 25,000 kids. We have sponsored 17 shows in Skagit Valley, reaching over 6,500 local students, with two more scheduled this spring at Edison Elementary and Little

Mountain Elementary.

The cleverly designed shows are performed by members of the Bellingham Circus Guild Wren Schultz and Della Plaster, known to young onlookers as Frank N. Stein and Beans Prout, or Frank and Beans! During their routine, these two wild and wacky characters touch on the important topics of reading labels; types of foods (proteins versus carbohydrates and how much belongs on your plate); the amount of sugar in a soda and why they shouldn’t eat cookies for breakfast; healthy (continued on page 13)

in this issue

Board Elections ∙ pg 2

page

6

page

page

14

8

Protein from Veggies ∙ pg 7 Take a Bite for Skagit ∙ pg 9 Community Outreach Index ∙ pg 9 New in the Co-op ∙ pg 11

Hugs from Wellness

Going the Distance to Recycle Plastic

Diggin' It with Garden Jay

from the board

Conversations with Your Co-op

by Kristen Ekstran

There are so many ways that member-owners contribute to our Co-op: a friendly smile and a kind word with others in the check-out line, putting tokens in the jars to support the critical work of local non-profits, keeping your shopping dollars in Skagit to support local farmers and producers, voting in elections for your Board of Directors, and sharing what you learned from a Coop workshop with family and friends. There is no one way to participate, and each and every member contributes through membership.

For those of you looking for other ways to contribute to your Co-op, we have two opportunities coming up this spring. The first will be a listening session on April 18 from 6:00-8:00pm in Room 309 on the Co-op’s 3rd Floor. See the meeting details below.

The second opportunity is to participate in the update of our 2020 Vision statement. At our annual meeting on May 8th, help us test a set of survey questions about the Co-op’s future. The final survey will be made available to the entire membership in early summer. We’d encourage anyone interested to share their thoughts and ideas for the Skagit Valley Food Co-op of 2025.

Look for promotions about the final survey in the store, on the website, and in our e-newsletters in June. Hope to hear from many of you in the near future! Thank you for making the Co-op a special place.

Member Engagement Meeting

April 18, 2019 • 6pm-8pm • Co-op Room 309

Come join a conversation with your Co-op’s Board of Directors about how our Co-op can connect with members more powerfully in the years ahead.

In this facilitated listening session we will:

• Look at the systems our Co-op uses now to communicate and get feedback from members and shoppers • Look at best practices from other co-ops around the country • Identify ways to improve the communication and engagement with our members • Explore what a revitalized Member and Community Relations Committee could do!

All are welcome to attend! Please RSVP at skagitfoodcoop.com/event

by April 14. Refreshments will be served.

2018 Patronage Refund

The Co-op Board is happy to announce a Patronage Refund to Co-op member-owners based on their 2018 purchases. Approximately $150,000 in refunds will be distributed to about 8,500 member-owners this year—up from $105,000 in 2017 due to hard work and growth at the Co-op, C-SQUARE, & Third Street Cafe.

What to Know About Patronage Refunds:

• Patronage refund letters will be mailed later in April.

• PLEASE USE YOUR REFUND! You must redeem your refund by July 29, 2019. Otherwise, your store credit becomes taxable for the Co-op, and you forfeit your refund.

• A refund is not guaranteed each year: the Co-op must profit, and the Board must deem refunds are financially viable.

• The more you spend the more you get back. Everyone gets the same percentage applied to purchases.

• The amount will vary from year to year, as needs and profits do.

• A percentage of the refund is withheld from distribution and stays in the Co-op. It belongs to the members as a group, to further build the Co-op and promote our practices.

• The refund is not taxable income for those who receive it.

Thank you for supporting the Co-op and making refunds possible. It’s great to keep more of our money right here in the community.

Skagit Valley Food Co-op Mission Statement

The Skagit Valley Food Co-op is a not-for-profit organization whose purpose is to provide good food at a low price. As stated in the Co-op By-Laws: “The Co-op shall promote member welfare by utilizing their united funds and their united efforts for the purchase and distribution of commodities in accordance with the following criteria: A. Maintaining the non-for-profit status of the Co-op; B. Offering high quality products which contribute to good nutrition; C. Supporting a low impact, non-harmful approach to the environment; D. Supporting local suppliers and producers; E. A commitment to building a cooperative economy and

supporting others who share that commitment; F. A commitment to educational programs relevant to members and non-members in the community.”

2 Skagit Valley Food Co-op • The Natural Enquirer April 2019 - June 2019

Board Elections

Two incumbent candidates and one non-incumbent candidate are running for two Board of Trustee positions. One staff member is running for the open Voting Staff Representative position. Their candidate statements and the ballot are on the following pages. Candidates were asked to address questions regarding their desire to serve, the Co-op’s connection to community, challenges facing the Co-op, the Board’s role in addressing those challenges, and skill and experience they would bring to the position. All terms are for three years. Active member-owners may vote for two Board of Trustee candidates and one Voting Staff Representative.

ROB SMITH

Incumbent Board Candidate The Skagit Valley Food Co-op is a special place, serving as a vital nexus for memberowners and customers, our local farmers and food producers, and the Skagit Valley community at large. Our Co-op is both a reflection of our exceptional community, as well as a catalyst for change in forging a cooperative and people-centered local economy. Serving on the Board of Directors for the past three years, currently as Board Secretary, has provided the opportunity to engage on a deeper level with our Co-op and to give back to the community I value so deeply.

Since 2014, I have been a Director at Viva Farms, a local farm business incubator program, and an instructor in Skagit Valley College’s Sustainable Agriculture program. I have been fortunate to participate in the local farming community, and as a bilingual (English/Spanish) community educator, I engage diverse people around issues of food and farming, social justice, and sustainability. I have practical experience in non-profit management, strategic planning, budget design and fiscal management, and building community partnerships. Prior to living in the Skagit Valley, I was the Sales and Distribution Manager for a 400+ acre, certified organic produce farm on the coast of California, working with farmers markets, natural foods retailers, co-ops, and distribution companies throughout the organic food industry.

With my background in local and regional food systems, I am well aware of the myriad challenges that co-ops face—increased competition from large retailers, the rise of “big organic” and “greenwashing,” and corporate consolidation from seed to shelf, just to name a few. However, I believe that the Co-op shines as a beacon of hope despite these challenges and is in a strong position to distinguish itself in an increasingly challenging marketplace.

Since I joined the Board of Directors in 2016, we have expanded the Co-op’s business model to include C-SQUARE and Third Street Cafe. The hard work of our amazing and expanding staff has been able to sustain growth year over year while remaining true to our core values. There are specific initiatives currently underway at the Board level that will help sustain our growth and guide the next round of development of our Co-op. These include exploring a Policy Governance structure, strategic planning for our “2025 Vision,” revitalizing our Community Relations Committee to more fully involve engaged memberowners, and looking at how we can increase equity, diversity, and inclusion through all levels of the organization.

It’s been an honor to serve, and I would greatly appreciate the opportunity to serve another term on the Board! Thanks!

KRISTEN EKSTRAN

Incumbent Board Candidate There is a constant buzz at the Skagit Valley Food Co-op, and that is no accident.

It is the result of highly talented and creative staff who work hard every day to bring better food experiences to the community, members who care enough to demand the best, producers committed to the local market, and an experienced Board that knows how to guide the organization. Despite intense competition from

The Skagit Valley Food Co-op Natural Enquirer is a quarterly publication of the Skagit Valley Food Co-op. Opinions expressed are those of the writers and may not reflect Co-op policy. No articles are meant to be used for diagnosis or treatment of illness. The Co-op does not endorse the products or services of advertisers.

Editor: Nicole Vander Meulen | Layout & Design: Emily Zimmerman Staff Contributors: nancylee bouscher, Rosemary Carter, Ben Goe, Jenny Sandbo, Jay Williams, and Todd Wood | Board of Trustees: Brad Claypool, Kristen Ekstran, Mike Hackett, Casey Schoenberger, Rob Smith, Ian TaylorMixon & Tom Theisen Copyright 2019: Reprints with permission

grocers with less historical commitment to local, organic, and non-GMO products, the Skagit Valley Food Co-op will continue to thrive well into the future.

The past couple of years have been filled with big projects and accomplishments:

•The planning and opening of an ambitious new adventure in food production and experiences with

C·SQUARE and Third Street Cafe • Answered the long-standing request for additional parking • In-house production of specialty items like confections to sell in the main store • A new Basics Program in the store to provide quality staples at competitive prices

• Fiscal stewardship that allowed the Co-op to cover the costs of the expansion without debt

Your Board isn’t taking a breather, however. We have several new initiatives to keep moving the Skagit Valley Food Co-op into the future, and I want to continue to bring my energy, enthusiasm, and organizational skills to the effort.

I was one of four original writers of our 2020 vision, which was based on brainstorming from a group of member-owners. And it is now time to take our collective vision further into the future. In the summer, we’ll ask you to share your ideas for where we should be in 2025. We are also beginning a process to revitalize our Community Relations Committee in order to provide additional opportunities for member involvement. And finally, we are looking to improve our Board effectiveness with policy governance common throughout the co-op world. These are important projects that support the health and vitality of our Co-op and, by extension, our community.

Please participate in the life of our Co-op by casting a ballot in this year’s election.

JAMAL RABIEH Board Candidate

Being elected to serve on the Board of Directors would be both an honor and an excellent opportunity to bring our Co-op on track with the values we as owners expect of it. My priorities are ensuring the Co-op is providing the highest quality organic foods, creating jobs that provide a living wage with room for advancement beyond the standard found in a corporate environment, and upholding our values above profit. As a member of the board it would be my goal to increase transparency, both financial and operational, beyond what current policy allows so that us as owners can rest assured our investment and continued patronage is well spent.

The Skagit Valley Food Co-op has been a local landmark for decades and has garnered an incredible reputation in the community. Its success is a testament to this, and as a board



member its continued success and good reputation would be a factor in every decision I make. My efforts would be spent promoting community events and classes as well as finding reasonable and compassionate resolutions to issues involving people, food waste, and finances.

As the Co-op grows both in size and value the greatest challenge I see for the future is the creeping mentality that profit should take priority over people. We should not tolerate compromises in the quality of our food or the benefits we provide our patrons and employees. Providing living wage careers for all of our employees ensures that we will retain the best and most knowledgeable talent in the industry.

Greater accountability for decision makers and an increase in transparency into the decision making process will allow members to make informed judgments and create a platform in which their opinions will have weight.

I have worked most of my adult life in food service, in chain restaurants as a cook, grocery stores in many different positions including our Co-op as a produce stocker, and as a chef at Riverbanks Zoo, catering various events. With me as a member of the Board comes all of that insight and experience.

As an eight year veteran of the Army and Army National Guard you can expect incomparable fervor and tenacity in pursuing our vision of a great co-op. As a member-owner you can rest assured there are no concessions to my values, and my diligence towards bettering our Co-op will be unmatched.

WAYNE RUSHING

Voting Staff Representative Where I come from, there aren’t reliable sources for locally produced and organically grown food, much less any food co-ops. Soon after my wife and I relocated from Louisiana, we spotted the Skagit Valley Food Co-op and were blown away that something like this existed.

When I started working here, I was equally blown away by the people—the staff and the customers—and the culture and feeling of community.

I would like to be a part of carrying that feeling into the future. One way that I can do that as a staff representative board member is by continuing to do what I do every day: interacting with customers, staff, and local farmers and vendors.

An evergreen challenge is to ensure fair wages and benefits while remaining competitive. My role would be to ensure that the staff always has a voice when the Board is striving to make the most informed decisions possible.

I have worked with people in a variety of retail settings, from small start-ups to big box stores. And one thing I have learned is that being a good listener is the first step to solving problems.

Annual Member Owner Meeting Wednesday, May 8 · 6 pm Room 309 at the Co-op

Light Refreshments Will Be Served

Agenda: • Introductions • Opening Statement • Report from the Board President • General Manager's Report: Overview & Plans • Financial Report • Conversations with Member-Owners • Vision 2025 • Election of Board Members • 4% Friday

Community Shopping Day Presentations

I hope you’ll vote for me.

Ballot for the 2019 Board of Trustees

Eligible member-owners may vote for two Board of Trustee Candidates and one Voting Staff Representative.

Board of Trustee Candidates:

Kristen Ekstran

Rob Smith Incumbent

Incumbent

Voting Staff Representative Candidate:

Jamal Rabieh

Wayne Rushing

Ballots must be received by Wednesday, May 8, 2019!

How to Submit Your Ballot:

• Write your Name and Member Number on the outside of an envelope • Enclose ballot in the envelope and return to the ballot box in the Co-op, OR located at the Board of Director’s Information Board by the grocery registers

• Mail ballot with your Name and Member Number to: Skagit Valley Food Co-op, 202 S 1st Street, Mount Vernon, WA 98273, Attn: Ballot

Voting Eligibility, Verification & Confidentiality: You must be an active member to vote in the Board election. An active member is current in equity payments, has made a purchase in the Co-op in the last 12 months, and has a current address on file. Member name and number are required to verify eligibility, and will remain confidential. Ballots will not be counted without verification. Ballots will be accepted until 5:55pm PST, Wednesday, May 8, 2019. One ballot per active household. Additional ballots can be found in the Co-op or at skagitfoodcoop.com

Skagit Valley Food Co-op • The Natural Enquirer April 2019 - June 2019

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Co-op Workshops Co-op Workshops are held on the Co-op’s third floor (Suite 309) and are free—unless otherwise noted. Please pre-register for these classes online at skagitfoodcoop.com/event. You can also pre-register for classes with Nicole at 360-336-5087x136 or community@skagitfoodcoop.com. You may enter the building through the double glass doors on the southeast end of the building to access the elevator or stairs. Or, come in through the Deli mezzanine and take the stairs to the third floor.

Get to Know Your Digestive Type with Isabel Castro Monday, April 1, 6:30pm

Learn how to read your digestive symptoms to discover your digestive type. Then, gain simple everyday tools to bring it back into balance using Ayurveda.

Neurological Integration System Therapy with Jean Christensen, LMT Thursday, April 4, 6:30 pm

Learn about the Neurological Integration System Therapy technique: NIS is a system of non-invasive healthcare that uses the brain-nervous system connection to optimize function and repair of the body.

Self-Hypnosis with Kathleen Boehm Saturday, April 6, 1:00pm

With this class, you will learn self-hypnosis which is an effective technique for relaxing deeply and focusing on the important things in your life using the power of your inner mind.

Live with Abundance with Susan Pole Monday, April 8, 6:30pm

Your natural state is one of abundance, and your higher self is in alignment with that state. Conflicts can arise that take you out of line with your goals. As a Certified Body Code Practitioner, Susan can help resolve these conflicts.

Essential Remedies: Wellness with Aromatherapy with Michelle Mahler Wednesday, April 10, 6:30pm

Discover how to create your own remedies for physical, emotional and mental well-being. You’ll blend aromatic oils into an organic base oil to suit your wellness needs. Class is free. Optional fee of $10 to make 1/ 3 oz. roll-on.

Planning Ahead for Natural Burial with Jodie Buller Thursday, April 25, 6:30pm

Green burial is a beautiful, meaningful way to return to the earth when you die. This class offers pre-planning ideas and de-mystifies natural burial practices with practical step-bystep instructions and guidance.

Nutritional Balance of Your Special Diet with Karl Mincin Monday, April 29, 6:30pm

Regardless of your special diet’s benefits, you need to be alert to unseen impacts Learn how to achieve overall nutritional balance, including tips to customize any diet program you may be on, including Keto and paleo diets.

Meal Prep Made Easy with Isabel Castro Wednesday, May 1, 6:30pm

Overwhelmed and confused about what to cook? In this practical class you'll explore streamlined cooking for healthy, balanced, wholefood meals, using Ayurveda as a foundation.

Solarize for Smart Biz with Sustainable Connections Thursday, May 2, 12:00pm

Solar Incentives for smart businesses won’t get any better than right now!

Join Sustainable Connections and for a Solarize Social Hour to learn the incredible incentives and benefits of going solar.

Community Building Through Foster Care Saturday, May 4, 10:00am

Interested in becoming a foster parent? Meet Youthnet staff for a presentation and Q&A. You will learn about Skagit's current foster care issues, and what it looks like to be a foster parent.

Pretty as a Pansy with Natasha Clarke

Cultivating Self-Compassion with Amy Pattee Colvin

Learn about harvesting Violets in our area and their soothing, cooling anti-inflammatory medicine. You’ll have the opportunity to try some real candied Violets.

Join Amy for an interactive workshop that includes qigong, guided meditation, and conversation to learn tools that help change your outlook, to feel more at ease in your own skin.

Thursday, April 11, 6:30pm

Bhatki Path of Yoga with Swami Tulsidas Friday, April 12, 6:30pm

“Bhakti Marga” comes from the Sanskrit language, meaning “the Path of Devotion.” Learn about the path of Bhatki Yoga, and please come with a sincere desire to learn and speak about Love.

Holistic Dental Practices with Dr. Janette Carroll, DDS Monday, April 15, 6:30pm

Learn about holistic dentistry, along with alternative solutions to traditional dentistry’s use of fillings, fluoride, and tooth extraction.

GMOs and You with Regina Zwilling Tuesday, April 16, 5:30pm

Join Regina as she explains why Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) are not the innocent and harmless creations agribusiness companies want you to believe.

A Humble Mind is a Powerful Mind: Buddha’s Teachings on Humility with Kadampa Meditation Monday, April 22, 6:30pm

In this class, you will take time to appreciate the value of humility and spend some time meditating on interest in and willingness to learn from others.

Organic Vegetable Gardening with Lynne Ihlstrom, MA Tuesday, April 23, 6:30pm

Get an overview of the 10 secrets of success to growing vegetables, from garden design, soil selection, composting, when to plant, where to plant, pest prevention, and more.

Aura Power & You: Using Your Aura to Discern Your Choices in Your Daily Life with Samantha Parrott Bloedel Wednesday, April 24, 6:30pm

Have you always felt that something is holding you back but not sure what it is? Become aware of how your aura energy affects your life and the world around you.

4 Skagit Valley Food Co-op • The Natural Enquirer April 2019 - June 2019

Monday, May 6, 6:30pm

Neurological Integration System Therapy with Jean Christensen, LMT Tuesday, May 7, 6:30 pm See April 4 Description.

Trust Your Gut with Sarah Nevares Thursday, May 9, 6:30pm

In this workshop you’ll discuss the hub of your health and wellness, your gut, and some tips to optimize your health and alleviate symptoms like fatigue, brain fog, bloating, and acid reflux.

MELT for Hands and Feet with Caryn Boyd Diel Monday, May 13, 6:30pm

Get an intro to the MELT method of self-care, and how rehydrating the connective tissues in your hands and feet can relieve common aches and pains.

Anti-Aging Protocols for Young & Old with Regina Zwilling Tuesday, May 14, 5:30pm

Join Regina as she explains the latest science around how we age. She will give you nutritional, lifestyle, and supplementation strategies to keep yourself young and vital at any age. Part of this class will include gentle movement, so please wear loose comfortable clothing.

Own Your Own Power...Go Solar! with Banner Power Solution Thursday, May 16, 6:30pm

Learn how solar power can cut down your energy bill; and how to lower the cost of your solar project through State and Federal incentives for home, business, or farm.

How to Kick the Sugar Habit with Valerie Hockett Monday, May 20, 6:30pm

Learn all about what sugar does in your body, why you start and can’t stop, and how to transform sugar cravings so you can kick the habit for good.

Skincare for Summer with Essential Oils with Michelle Mahler

Tuesday, May 21, 6:30pm • Free, optional supply fee

Come watch and learn how you can create your own simple, inexpensive and effective Organic Aromatherapy treatments that smell subtle and fresh!

Class includes take-home notes. Optional supply fee 1/6oz ($12) or 1/3oz ($22) skincare blend.

Tokens For Tomorrow

Meet the 2nd Quarter Tokens for Tomorrow groups! With Tokens for Tomorrow, every time you bring in a reusable shopping bag, we honor your commitment to reducing waste with a token worth 5¢ that you can give back to a local organization.

Cascara and the Art of Letting Go with Natasha Clarke Thursday, May 23, 6:30 pm

Learn how to sustainably harvest Cascara, and how Cascara's subtleties go beyond its use as a laxative, as you ponder on chronic disease, stuck energy, tension, and the art of letting go.

Neurological Integration System Therapy with Jean Christensen, LMT Monday, June 3, 6:30 pm See April 4 Description.

Community Building Through Foster Care Tuesday, June 4, 6:30pm See May 4 Description.

Old People Have Sex: Everything You Wanted to Know About Sex and Aging with Alethea Fleming, ND Thursday, June 6, 6:30pm

Join local naturopathic physician Dr. Alethea Fleming for a frank, funny, and genuinely informative discussion on the ways that aging changes sex and sexuality, common concerns, and how to address them safely.

Stress Reduction with Hypnosis with Kathleen Boehm Saturday, June 8, 1:00pm

Find a natural way to decrease stress and increase the quality of your life. You will be taught how to immediately decrease stress levels through hypnosis.

Proper Preparation of Grains, Nuts, Seeds, & Legumes with Nola Bradley Monday, June 10, 6:30pm

Join Nola to learn about the health benefits of properly preparing grains, nuts, seeds, and legumes by soaking and sprouting them.

NAMI Skagit The National Alliance on Mental Illness, NAMI, is the nation’s largest grassroots mental health organization. NAMI Skagit is a part of this organization that provides support, education, and advocacy for persons with mental illness (called consumers or peers) and their families within Skagit County.

NAMI provides support by offering support groups and classes where families or peers can get to know each other. NAMI provides education by offering classes like Familyto-Family, Peer-to-Peer, and NAMI Basics. Peers present their story to the community through the “In Our Own Voice” program and the “Next Generation” program presentations to our area schools so our youth can learn about mental illness.

Stanwood Co-op Preschool Stanwood Co-op Preschool’s mission is to foster a lifelong of learning in each child who passes through its doors. Stanwood Co-op Preschool has been operating since 1976, staffed by professional teachers who work with parent volunteers to operate a successful, stimulating and engaging classroom. The school’s philosophy is that young children learn best through hands-on activities and the social interactions of play.

Bow Little Market

First Aid Kits with Essential Oils with Michelle Mahler

The Bow Farmers Market was started to connect farmers (and makers) with the Bow community. It is a volunteer-run, non-profit, open-air market centered in the Samish watershed. The vision is to build the time and place for our community to meet, provide mutual support, and create local solutions. All are invited to join in creating a fun, family-friendly atmosphere in which to do a little business, barter, find a treasure, and support a neighbor.

Wednesday, June 12, 6:30pm • Free, optional supply fee

Learn how to use essential oils for insect repellents, sunburn, bug bites, cuts and bruises/sore muscles, all types of cuts & scrapes, infections, rashes, viruses, and more! Optional Supply fee 1/6oz ($6) or 1/3oz ($10)

Trust Your Gut & Mind Again with Sarah Nevares Thursday, June 13, 6:30pm

Depression and anxiety are becoming more and more common. Learn how they can be signals from your body of an internal imbalance, and ways to start combating it.

Childhood Airway Concerns with Dr. Janette Carroll, DDS Monday, June 17, 6:30pm

Learn the health implications of obstructed airway in children, and what can be done non-surgically, without drugs to improve facial and airway development through holistic dentistry.

Self-Lymphatic Massage for Vibrant Health & Energy with Regina Zwilling Tuesday, June 18, 5:30pm

Learn why the lymphatic system is critical to feeling and looking your best, along with a simple self-massage technique to help reduce pain and boost energy. Part of this class will include gentle movement, so please wear loose, comfortable clothing.

The Co-op welcomes community use of its classroom space.

While we do choose which workshops to host with discretion, the Co-op enjoys hosting a diverse selection of wellness, nutrition, and holistic living classes. Classes hosted at the Co-op do not necessarily reflect the beliefs or opinions of Co-op Board members, staff, and/or all owner-members.

Co-op Gift Cards…

Always the Right Choice

Friends of the Forest The Friends of the Anacortes C o m m u n i t y Fo r e s t L a n d s i s dedicated to the preservation of the Anacortes Community Forest Lands through education, outreach, and stewardship. They provide a wide range of educational and stewardship opportunities for youth and adults in the local community.

Community education has been the centerpiece of its mission: over 2,000 local citizens of all ages participate in its programs each year.

Tokens for Tomorrow Recap October - December 2018

22,572

Tokens collected at the registers and paper bags saved.

$1,128

Dollar amount given to local organizations.

Use at the Co-op, C·SQUARE, or at Third Street Cafe Skagit Valley Food Co-op • The Natural Enquirer April 2019 - June 2019

5

from wellness

Hugs

by nancylee bouscher In hindsight, there are many things I wish I had counted during my life so I could have a more quantitative way to review them. How many pairs of shoes have I owned? That would be an embarrassingly excessive number. How many hours have I have spent dancing? Not enough. How many hugs have I shared? Again, this could be more. While the numbers might never have been recorded, the impact of some experiences stay with us like the last hug you gave to your grandpa.

Of the many hugs I have shared while working at the Co-op, there are three specific ones that have stayed with me. Yes, there is the hug I shared with another Nancy, as we teared up a little over our mutual love of the scent of Jasmine blooms while standing in the aisles of the Wellness department.

The deep impact that kindness toward strangers has on both sides of that spontaneous gift is magic. Giving and receiving kindness can be a blessing.

The second hug was after I dug out a rumpled dollar bill from my apron pocket to give to a disheveled man, who smelled of stale cigarettes and stale-er beer, when he couldn’t produce the last coins to cover some late night groceries. His eyes, cloudy with drink and age, lit up and he opened his arms and I just stepped into them. I wondered how often he got hugs. It made me sad to think of “all the lonely people” because they don’t come from anywhere—they are all here with us.

The most recent hug, is one I offered to a customer—something I have never done before. One sleepy, snowy morning a regular customer stopped in the department after a painful appointment in a long line of appointments she has, and will, be needing as she heals her body. Her smile is always ready for us and she laughs easily, and I am always delighted to see her. This morning she was hurting, I could tell through her words and the way her body was guarded. I simply asked, “Can I give you a hug?” after she shared with me the details of her morning doctor appointment and she opened her arms, her heart exposed. Mine too.

The hugs I have ached to offer, but didn’t, stay with me too. The man who came in looking for a hand lotion, who flipped my braid and told me how his sister had been buried with her braids, his eyes happy with a memory of the kid she had been before the tumor. The nervous woman who came to ask for a sleeping aid because she was haunted by not knowing where her daughter was. The woman who finally was expecting a baby after years of trying. The family whose fur baby had died while they patted its head and whispered their gratitude and love. I see the sadness of the old man with gnarled hands whose wife doesn’t remember him but he still comes to buy her supplements and her favorite lotion, bringing in the empty bottles to remember exactly what she needs.

To all of these people, and so many more, I have wanted to reach over and wrap an arm around them—rest my head on theirs for a minute and just rest in the space between our hearts. But I don’t. I don’t because I’m at work and I-am-being-professional. I don’t because not everyone likes getting hugs from the stranger in the green apron. I get that.

So, my hug-free offering is to try very hard to listen and to share and to try to help you find something to sustain your spirit through this journey you are on. A big part of that responsibility is educating myself, and my staff doing the same, about the companies we sell so that we can answer your questions and recommend options. Because even in our tiny little department there are so many options.

One of the supplement options is Natural Factors, a Canadian supplement company that now has a facility open in Monroe on the banks of Lake Tyee.

I visited this gold-LEED certified factory, the highest level a manufacturing plant can get, a few months back and listened as the founder of the company,

Roland, rambled on…and on…about this company. He is an older man in old black sneakers that I can imagine being a fun grandpa someday—if he isn’t already—who wasn’t smooth or slick or shiny (which so many leaders of big supplement companies are these days). He talked about his organic acres of blooming Echinacea and the importance of soil health, and then he cooked us all dinner.

Did you know that when big places like Amazon/Whole Foods make demands on natural product companies, most of those companies will do whatever is asked to be on those shelves? For most, this means dropping their wholesale prices and sending their products into distribution centers which often results in them having to lay off their own staff. And no, you won’t see lower prices there, because it’s all about increasing profit for the fat cats that want to be fatter. Natural Factors decided not to jump through those hoops, and instead refocused their efforts on small stores, like this food co-op! Roland also promised not to go into “mass market” so you won’t find their bestselling line of sleep and stress aids at your average grocery store, and he is very clear that his company will be passed on to his children, and not sold to highest bidder. I wanted to hug him and thank him for not going down whatever path leads to the biggest profit, but rather, for following his own compass of morality and just being a nice human. Cheers to the nice humans of the world!

So instead of a hug, I offer Natural Factors as one company you can trust to infuse more goodness into your wellness world. I realize that sounds trite, and in truth there is no product that can take the place of simple human compassion and a good, solid hug—and they aren’t meant to be a substitute.

So, if any word of this has moved you, please stand up and go find someone to hug. Then find another. And another—and don’t forget the fur babies. And self-hugging is totally a thing too.

For a Planet Less Plastic

There are simple swaps you can make every day to help unplastic the world.

Here are a few of our favorite less-plastic picks for spring:

Badger Co. JOJOBA & BAOBAB SHAMPOO BAR Shampoo without the plastic bottle. Be kind to yourself and the planet with this super-concentrated biodegradable shampoo bar. It’s highly portable and perfect for the gym, camping, and traveling.

Dona Flora Herbs

SKAGIT SALVE

Lavender scented with aloe vera added for extra soothing, Skagit Salve comes in a glass jar and is a local favorite for moisturizing and repairing dry, chapped skin—great for cracked gardener’s hands, too!

6 Skagit Valley Food Co-op • The Natural Enquirer April 2019 - June 2019

Luumi

UNPLASTIC STRAWS

Flexible, non-stick, reusable, microwave and dishwasher safe! These silicon straws are easy to take anywhere and easy to clean: just stretch, twist, and rinse them out!

To-Go Ware

REUSABLE BAMBOO UTENSILS Each year, Americans toss out enough single-use plastic utensils to circle the equator 300 times. Rethink your next picnic, and opt for reusable bamboo cutlery instead!

A Shell of Our Former Selves Protein from Veggies

by Beverly Faxon

Protein is not spelled m-e-a-t.

by Karl Mincin, Clinical Nutritionist

Photo by: Beverly Faxon

On our last morning, we return shells to the beach— setting them randomly near the low tide mark— and we thank them. Thank you, periwinkle. Thank you, pink scallop. Thank you, gnome’s hat.

The thanking while letting go is an addition to our beach ritual, inspired

by Marie Kondo, the perky, earnest, tidying-up guru.

(It is so endearing on her Netflix series, the sight of a burly, T-shirted man standing before a pile of clothes in his bedroom, thanking old athletic socks before tenderly consigning them to a black plastic bag.)

So we thank the shells for the weeks we spent together, for anchoring the small table on our tiled patio. And I soon find myself thanking all of it as I say goodbye. Thank you, pelicans. Thank you, panga boats. Thank you even to the vultures scavenging old fish carcasses. The vultures have always made me uneasy.

But this trip, I learned they can digest botulism, and instead of that making them

seem creepier, they now seem to me quite innovative and purposeful. Thank you, hearty vultures.

Mary Oliver writes in her poem, “The Gardener", Have I experienced happiness with sufficient gratitude?” It is one of a series of questions she contemplates before she decides, “Actually, I probably think too much” and steps out to observe a gardener, caring for his roses. She is gently prodding us past our human trait of ceaselessly questioning ourselves instead of just being.

Yet human I am, and it is the question, not the gardening, which has caught me and become a vacation mantra: “Have I experienced happiness with sufficient gratitude?”

Thank you, periwinkle.

Pelicans. Pangas. Goodbye.

Goodbye.

My father-in-law once gave us a lettered art piece on driftwood: “If you love someone, set them free.

If they come back to you, they’re yours. If they don’t, they never were.”

It was the ‘70s, and this saying was floating around, maybe originating in the pop book, Jonathan Livingston Seagull. The driftwood art felt like a co-opted, gift shop version of a ‘70s sentiment that had turned trite. Somewhere along the line, we let it go into a black plastic bag.

The letting go was a bit furtive and guilty. Perhaps we needed Marie Kondo’s instructions for disposing of sentimental things.

Now I regret letting it go, but I know the regret is not for the rough wood art, but for my father-in-law, who was seeking to acknowledge our lives, to bless what he felt his children valued. And now he is, himself, let go.

Did I respond with sufficient gratitude to the gift he offered?

I put down the last shell, almost as large as my palm, but still just a small, ridged fragment of the conch it once was—a long, scalloped edge thick with layers. Thank you, I say. If you love me, perhaps I’ll see you next year.

Or, says my husband, perhaps it will grind slowly down and someday say to us, Goodbye. Now I’m sand.

I won’t see you again.

(With thank you and goodbye to Mary Oliver.)

Beverly (Bee) Faxon worked at the Co-op for 35 years, and still thinks of it as home.

Before you bake that chicken breast after your next workout, take a second look at the protein content of vegetables. Veggies average 5 grams of protein per cup.

Some have as much as 8 grams. That may pale in comparison to a chicken breast (24 grams per 3 ounces), but vegetables far outweigh not only nutritional value but overall health properties. This includes fiber, antioxidant phytonutrients, vitamins and minerals. They’re also more affordable sources of protein and micronutrients than fish and beef.

People who consume higher amounts of vegetable protein are significantly less susceptible to excess belly fat, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, cancer, arthritis, and other diseases than those who skimp on produce, according to a study published in the journal Diabetes Investigation. Another study in Food and Nutrition Research found that plant protein helps dieters feel fuller and less hungry than the same amount of animal protein.

Looking to reap the fat-busting and health benefits?

Listed below are the most popular veggies on your plate, ranked according to their protein content. So whether you’re a vegetarian or an omnivore just looking to pack on the protein without having to scarf down another chicken breast, keep this handy guide to always have your go-to plant-based sources on hand. Adding these veggies to your diet will help you reach your body goals better than meat alone.

As explained in my article "Eat & Enjoy More Vegetables," the current recommendation for servings of produce is nine per day. Since a serving is typically one-half cup, and veggies average five grams of protein per cup, consuming your daily veg quota will supply about 23 grams of protein, the same as a serving of chicken. So don’t forget to factor veggies into your total daily protein intake. Remember, protein is not spelled m-e-a-t.

Approximate Grams of Protein Per Cup

LOW (0.5 – 2 g) • Bell Pepper • Carrot • Beet Greens • Eggplant

MEDIUM (3 – 5 g) • Asparagus • Corn • Sweet Potato • Brussels Sprouts • Mushrooms • Broccoli • Avocado • Cauliflower • Zucchini

HIGH (6 – 8 g) • Green Peas • Russet Potato • Collard Greens • Hubbard Squash • Spinach

Karl Mincin is a clinical nutritionist and natural health educator in practice locally for over 30 years. Join him for his Nutritional Balance on Your Special Diet workshop on Monday, April 29th at 6:30pm. Contact Karl at 360.336.2616 or www.Nutrition-Testing.com.

Skagit Valley Food Co-op • The Natural Enquirer April 2019 - June 2019

7

Going the Distance to Recycle Plastic

by Nicole Vander Meulen Plastic: it’s everywhere. Plastic bags, plastic straws, plastic ocean.

Micro-plastics, macro problem. Like our planet has been inundated with plastic, we have been overwhelmed recently with statistics and information on what we can do about it. Awareness is critical, but it can also make the solution feel impossible—like we should take a deep dive under the Great Pacific Garbage Patch and never resurface, or at least stay down there as long the plastic does.

As a food retailer, it becomes even easier to get bogged down in plastic, because it’s nearly unavoidable. Food preservation, food safety, and food storage often require plastic. Most of our grocery deliveries arrive in some form of plastic film, although we’re working with distributors to cut down on those kinds of “inevitabilities.” Unless someone comes up with a genius alternative to the yogurt cup, some of these plastic problems will persist, but that doesn’t mean we can’t affect change elsewhere. We have chosen to focus on the areas of the Co-op we can control, like shopping bags, straws, utensils, plates, and plastic film.

It’s worth repeating that the Co-op has never carried plastic shopping bags. When we opened our Deli in 1988, we committed from the outset to serve food with real plates, bowls, cups, glasses, and utensils. And here, we make a friendly plug: if you’re dining in the Deli, please skip the waste and grab a plate, you know, because to-go containers are made for going places.

Our long-awaited paper straws are finally here, and you are more than welcome to bring your own cup for coffee, tea, and smoothies. We continue to save, reuse, or donate as much packaging material as possible, which brings us back to the plastic film—a packing material we can’t re-purpose.

Caitlin R. loading plastic film into JoMarie's car.

Plastic film has been another topic of conversation as we continue to think about our Co-op’s role in the quest for a planet less plastic. Plastic film makes up about 12% of all plastic in the waste stream, which makes sense because as already mentioned, almost all of our grocery deliveries arrive on pallets wrapped in it. There’s nearly 4.5 million tons of plastic film in landfills around the world, even though it’s recyclable. So what gives?

The plastic problem here is that while plastic film is recyclable, it doesn’t belong in the regular recycling bin because most recycling companies don’t include it as part of their recycling programs, ours included.

Throwing it away felt wrong, but it also felt like an opportunity to make a change. So last summer, our Grocery Manager, JoMarie, the one whose job is bogged down, or wrapped up, in all those plastic film deliveries, took it upon herself to find a solution to the recyclable-but-not-recycled plastic film and created a program. The program is called “JoMarie Goes for a Drive,” informally. Rather, Jo, who lives in Bellingham researched viable ways we as a Co-op could stop throwing plastic film away, when she came across Sanitary Service Company (SSC) in Whatcom County.

They recycle it! JoMarie started stockpiling plastic film from our grocery deliveries, and after a couple of weeks, stuffed it all in the back of her car to bring to SSC on her way home. The first drop off on July 13, 2018 was 90 gallons, which is the same size as the larger trash can many of you wheel to the curb for trash pick-up, full of compressed plastic film. We have since (and by we, we mean JoMarie) diverted 1,560 gallons of plastic film from the landfill, and we’re on track to divert 2,000 gallons each year.

Grocery Manager JoMarie hauls away plastic film in her car.

CELEBRATE

How to Recycle Right The Skagit Plastic Reduction and Recycling Coalition will be hosting a display at the Skagit Valley Food Co-op on Friday afternoons in April.

The Coalition is a partnership between Friends of Skagit Beaches, Skagit County Solid Waste, and the Washington Department of Ecology. They are working to educate Skagit County residents on the issues of plastic waste in the environment and involve them in taking action to avoid singleuse plastics and to recycle plastic properly. They will have information about how to pledge to reduce your use of single-use plastics, as well as information about how to recycle correctly in Skagit County.

The recycling message is particularly important because even the most environmentally conscious community members often do not recycle plastics correctly.

Plastic recycling is dependent on two things: the recyclability of the plastic item and the market for recycled plastics, which means that even if a plastic item is recyclable, you may not be able to throw it in your bin.

Now, it is more important than ever to Recycle Right. Currently, in Skagit County, if you have curbside recycling you can recycle clean bottles, jars, jugs, and tubs. If you take your plastic recycling to the transfer station, you can recycle clean plastic bottles and jugs, but not cups or tubs. The shape of the container is what’s important, not the number in the triangle.

Visit with SPRRC from 2-4pm April 12, 19, & 26 at the Co-op.

8 Skagit Valley Food Co-op • The Natural Enquirer April 2019 - June 2019

AT THE CO-OP!

ONE FREE TREE PER CUSTOMER

COME IN

monDAY, APRIL 22 AND GET A FREE TREE !

FREE TREES AVAILABLE WHILE SUPPLIES LAST .

WESTERN RED CEDAR

BLUE ELDERBERRY

NUTKA ROSE

Take a Bite for Skagit at Third Street Cafe

by Nicole Vander Meulen

Photo by: Amelia DeField

Third Street Cafe is the only community-owned restaurant in Skagit Valley, and you’d have to travel quite a distance before you found another. If you pause to think about what that means for a moment, it may actually begin to take meaning. It means you, as a member-owner of the Co-op, not only own a share of a grocery store, you own a restaurant, too—a restaurant that seeks to give back to our local community and economy by building relationships with Skagit farmers and producers, keeping hard-earned dollars closer to home.

It means that every time you walk in the door you’re choosing to support your neighbors, while enjoying a delicious meal.

On Thursday, May 16th you’ll have an even greater opportunity to give back to the community when you dine at Third Street Cafe. We’re donating 20% of the day’s sales to the Take a Bite for Skagit Foodie Fundraiser. Take a Bite for Skagit is a county-wide fundraiser, with over 40 participating restaurants all donating a percentage of their proceeds to Community Action of Skagit County’s Food Distribution Center to get fresh produce from local farmers to the tables of hungry families in Skagit County. In 2018, Take a Bite for Skagit raised $13,000 for the Food Distribution Center!

The Skagit Food Distribution Center (SFDC) is the centralized distribution center for all of the food banks in Skagit County. Each year, SFDC works tirelessly to provide

1.5 million pounds of food to fifteen local food banks and four hot meal programs that serve 45,000 Skagit County residents. Beyond its role as the distribution hub, SFDC also works to serve vulnerable populations by coordinating healthy food delivery to homebound seniors and weekend lunches for school children.

SFDC buys produce whose high demand is rarely matched by donation, including beets, cabbage, carrots, green beans, tomatillos, chilacayotes, etc,. The Food Distribution Center also makes opportunity purchases: when a farm has a buyer for produce, but the deal falls through, SFDC steps in as a buyer so farmers can cover their costs, while still allowing SFDC to obtain top quality produce at a discount for distribution. Because produce’s shelf life is much shorter than shelf-stable products, SFDC must store and deliver this produce quickly to ensure freshness. Last year’s Take a Bite donations directly funded the purchase, storage, and distribution of fresh produce items from local farms.

Skagit Food Distribution Center partners with the following farms to put fresh food on the table, many whose produce you can find in the Coop, or on the Third Street Cafe menu. We invite you to Take a Bite for Skagit on Thursday, May 16. All you have to do is show up and eat great food!

HOURS

Third Street Cafe:

C⋅SQUARE: Skagit Valley Food Co-op: Memorial Day:

Mon: 11am - 9pm Tues: 11am - 4pm Wed-Thurs: 11am - 9pm Fri: 11am - 10pm Sat: 11am - 9pm Sun: 9am - 9pm 7am - 7pm Daily Mon-Sat: 8am - 9pm Sun: 9am - 9pm

Partner Farms: Bay Baby Produce, Blue Heron Farm, Blanchard Mountain Farm, Cabrera Farm, Cascadian Farm, Foothills Flowers Farm, Forest Farmstead, G & D Wallace, Harts Farm and Homestead, Highland Farm West, Highwater Farm, Knutzen Farms, Lopez Brothers Farm, Mariposa Farm, Norm Nelson Potatoes, NW Green Farm, NW Wild Foods, Osprey Hill Farm, Pollen Folly Farm, Pure Nelida, Rocky Farm Foods, Samish Island Community Garden, Skagit Flats Farm, Sky Harvest Farm, Spring Time Farm, Treehouse Produce, Valley Pride, Waxwing Farm, and Well Fed Farms Food Banks & Meal Programs Served: Alger Food Bank, Anacortes 100 Food Bank, Salvation Army Food Bank (Anacortes), TriParish Food Bank (Burlington), Community Covenant Food Bank (Clear Lake), Concrete Food Bank, Hamilton Community Food Bank, La Conner Sunrise Food Bank, Bread of Life Food Bank (Marblemount), Neighbors in Need Food Bank (Mount Vernon), Helping Hands Food Bank (Sedro Woolley), Stanwood-Camano Food Bank, His Pantry Food Bank (Camano), North Whidbey Help House (Oak Harbor), Friendship House Café (Mount Vernon), YMCA Oasis Teen Shelter (Mount Vernon), Open Door Community Kitchen (SW), and Skagit Domestic Violence & Sexual Assault Services (Mount Vernon) Drinkin’ for the Lincoln In the same spirit of giving, we’ve teamed up with Ninkasi Brewing to donate $1 to the Lincoln Theatre for every pint of Ninkasi beer sold at Third Street Cafe during the entire month of April. Cheers to giving back!

2018

Community Outreach Index

130

Free classes, workshops, and community events hosted at the Co-op

$58,970

Amount given to charitable organizations, including cash donations, food donations, and register donations from Co-op shoppers

7,469

Pounds of food donated to Neighbors in Need Food Bank

91,835

Tokens collected at the register through our Tokens for Tomorrow Program.

It's the same number of shopping bags diverted from the waste stream because you, our shoppers, brought in your reusable shopping bags

April 1-30

300

Free trees given away on Earth Day

$1 WILL BE DONATED

TO THE LINCOLN THEATRE FOR EVERY PINT OF NINKASI SOLD AT THIRD STREET CAFE AND EVERY NINKASI 6-PACK SOLD IN THE CO-OP DURING THE MONTH OF APRIL!

OPEN Skagit Valley Food Co-op • The Natural Enquirer April 2019 - June 2019

9

Photos: Courtesy of 4% Friday recipients

4% Friday Community Shopping Day

Every time you shop at the Co-op, you help support our local economy and community. 4% Friday is another easy way to do your weekly shopping and contribute to organizations you care about. You shop, and together we give 4% of the Co-op's sales on the 4th Friday of each month to a non-profit community organization.

Together we gave: December

$2,280 Community Action's Food Distribution Center

January

$2,456

Skagit County Meals on Wheels

February

$2,437 Skagit Valley College Second Chance Scholarship

Community Action’s Adult Education Program April 26

Community Action fosters and advocates for self-sufficiency among lowincome people in Skagit County. The Adult Education program believes everyone deserves the education they need to succeed and thrive. It offers low cost English Language Acquisition (ELA) and GED prep classes. Unique to the program, is that Community Action also offers a supervised children’s activity program, where children receive a healthy snack and homework help, and participate in engaging, educational activities while parents are in class.

The program serves about 110 students each year, and their 45 children, and it involves approximately 30 volunteers.

More than 75% of Community Action’s Adult Education students are women, many of whom have expressed that they would be unable to pursue classes if it weren’t for the children’s activities. 4% Friday funds will be used specifically to support children’s activities, so parents can attend the Adult Education courses without worrying about child care.

Youthnet - Emerson High School May 24

Founded in 1969, Youthnet’s mission is to provide caring and supportive educational and social services to youth and families to help them attain successful and productive lives. The principle purpose of Youthnet is to serve at-risk children, youth, and families in need. Many of those served by Youthnet have endured childhood trauma caused by abuse and neglect, been in need of safe and stable homes, struggled to complete their educational needs, and required the skills to assist them with transitioning to adulthood.

Emerson High School is one of the programs offered through Youthnet, and because Emerson is recognized as a State Education Center, the school receives no direct State funding. On account of this, student and teaching supplies are often very short in supply. 4% Friday funds will be used to provide needed teaching and learning supplies for the alternative high school.

Communities in Schools of Whatcom-Skagit June 28

Communities in Schools of Whatcom-Skagit partners with public schools to surround students with a community of support, empowering them to stay in school and achieve in life. School-based staff partner with teachers in 5 Mt. Vernon schools to identify challenges students face in class or at home and coordinate with community partners to bring outside resources inside schools. From immediate needs like food or clothing to more complex ones like counseling or emotional support, CIS does whatever it takes to help students succeed.

4% Friday funds will be used to pay for group activity supplies, including art supplies, and healthy snacks for students who come hungry to school and CIS groups and need something healthy to eat in order to focus on their school work, whether it’s before or after school.

10 Skagit Valley Food Co-op • The Natural Enquirer April 2019 - June 2019

new & notable

vendor spotlight

Sweets, Sips, & Hazy Beers

by Jenny Sandbo

Sweets

Fair Trade Chocolate & Cocoa. (Warning: the following statement contains boring business details but ends with delicious chocolate details.) We recently set up a direct purchase relationship with Bay Area-based Guittard Chocolate for the purpose of supplying our bakery with Fair Trade chocolate for use in all our baked goods, ice cream, and confections. The change also gave us the option of replacing some of the commodities we sell in our bulk foods aisle with better quality, fair trade chocolate that we can share with you at a lower everyday price.

Cocoa Chatain is a deep, rich cocoa powder for baking, drinking, and candy-making. On a scale of good-betterbest, the cocoa powder we previously offered in bulk and used in our baked goods was a mid-range “better.” So, we are really excited to make the switch to “best.” Cocoa Chatain is creamier, darker, and more robustly chocolate-y.

We love the richness and complexity it is bringing to our already wonderful cakes, frostings, brownies, and ice cream.

Akoma 55% Chocolate Chips are made from organic cocoa beans grown in West Africa (Akoma is the Adinkra symbol for heart). The flavor is a beautiful balance of sweet and bitter with a hint of vanilla softness. You are going to love them in your homemade chocolate chip cookies and in the Co-op’s own ice cream, confections, cakes, cookies, brownies, and pastries. The switch to Akoma Organic Chocolate has also inspired a new line of confections coming from our bakery soon.

Photo: Hakuna Banana

Hakuna Banana Non-Dairy Frozen Dessert. If you ever saw the Disney film The Lion King, then the name of this frozen dessert is probably giving you musical headworms. I’ve been humming and whisper-singing it for days. If you don’t know what I’m talking about, then all you need to know is that Hakuna Banana is inspired by the Swahili phrase "hakuna matata," which, roughly translates to "no worries." This low-sugar, non-dairy dessert is made from whole bananas, coconut milk, and dates making it a sweet treat you can feel good about.

Healthful Sips

DREAM Oat. Made from supersimple ingredients (water, glutenfree oats, sunflower oil, and salt) this non-dairy milk was one of our top Photo: Oat Dream customer requests this last winter. So, why oat milk? It’s all about the texture—it’s got a creaminess that makes a pleasant and versatile milk substitute in lattes, soups, and baked goods. It’s also a little higher in protein than other plant-based beverages and a good source of calcium. Shelf stable in the beverage aisle.

The Jasmine Pearl Tea Company. Spring in the Skagit Valley means soggy visits to the tulip fields, muddy gardens, drippy hikes, wet hair, spotty glasses, and chilled feet. It’s a good thing our friends in Portland have developed some wonderful new teas for the spring season. They blend traditionally fermented organic tea leaves with potent spices that steep into vibrant full-flavored hot beverages. Look for Jasmine Tulsi, Honey Cup, Black Wolf Puehr, Haiku Peach White Tea, and my new favorite, Burnside Chai (I make it with honey & a splash of cream), in the packaged tea aisle. Go for a hike, then go home and warm up with a cup.

Crazy For Hazy!

Fremont Sky Kraken Hazy Pale Ale. A pale ale even the IPA drinkers amongst us love! Malted with 2-Row Pale, Wheat and Oats and hopped with Citra, Mosaic and Strata, this unfiltered ale pours frothy and white-gold. Tropical fruit on the nose, gentle citrus and summer fruit Photo: Fremont Brewing on the palate, modestly bitter, not too malty, and not too light…it’s just right! This new release from Fremont will be available year-round. Look for the bright turquoise box with the purple sea monster in the beer cooler.

6pk. Brewed in Seattle.

Reuben's Hazelicious IPA. When we first got this beer into the store in February, we were having a hard time keeping it in stock, and I can understand why. This is one of the most balanced IPAs I have had in recent years: juicy and citrusy, with tropical aromas. Hazelicious pours frothy and lusciously golden. It is assertively hopped with Citra, Mosaic and Strata, and finishes with soft velvety malts. Look for the groovy green can in the cold box. 6pk. Brewed in Seattle.

Wander Right Here Right Now Hazy IPA. This New England style IPA will appeal to the hefeweizen drinkers in our midst.

Brewed with citrus zest, it is juicy with soft aromatic hops that skip the “dankness” that defines the PNW style. Mellow and medium bodied with an easy-going malt finish, it pours a creamy deep gold color with low foam. Look for the bright yellow label in the beer cooler. 500 ml. Brewed in Bellingham.

I I

20% OFF ALL BULK ITEMS!

MONDAY, APRIL 22

Photos: Tony’s Chocolonely

Tony’s Chocolonely Crazy About Chocolate, Serious About People

Here’s something you probably already know: chocolate is delicious! But something you may not know about chocolate is that right now, there are slaves working on cocoa farms in West Africa, and many of these slaves are children.

Say what? Slavery? That’s a scary s-word. Child labor and modern slavery are illegal and unacceptable, but they’re still occurring today. Tony’s Chocolonely exists to change that. Tony’s Chocolonely works tirelessly in Ghana and the Ivory Coast, where the worst exploitation of workers and farmers occurs, to make 100% slavefree chocolate the norm in the chocolate industry.

Tony’s is using its incredibly tasty chocolate as an example to the world: that chocolate can be made differently, and it’s possible to be commercially successful without forcing cocoa farmers into poverty. When you bite into a bar of Tony’s chocolate, you’re making a difference too because you’re choosing chocolate that’s made from traceable beans, purchased right from the farmer.

Tony’s Impact for the 2017-2018 Cocoa Season: • 36,560,690 bars sold • 7,002 metric tons of cocoa beans purchased • 5,021 farmers • 2,283,572 extra premium paid in dollars

∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙

COFFEE ∙ TEA ∙ SPICES ∙ NUTS ∙ SNACKS ∙ FLOURS & MORE! Limited to stock on hand.

Excludes special orders, water & olive bar.

Skagit Valley Food Co-op • The Natural Enquirer April 2019 - June 2019

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12 Skagit Valley Food Co-op • The Natural Enquirer April 2019 - June 2019

staff profile

Kristian Boose

(continued from page 1)

Cashier & Grocery Team Co-op Employee Since November 2017 Favorite Customer Moment:

I can’t pick one moment, but I can think of a few themes of interaction: the simple and beautiful greetings we get each day from customers—and hugs! I love that. There are also the moments when people first sign up to be a member: a mixture of excitement and trepidation of the unknowns, followed by a level of relaxation, when we give them the full rundown. I’ve also been gluten-free for 16 years, and I know that changing diets can be devastating. So, I enjoy sharing my personal, and well-tested, glutenfree recommendations with people and watching their demeanor change when they realize I’ve been surviving, and thriving, without gluten for years—and that they can, too.

Favorite Item in the Co-op:

Ghostfish Brewing Company beers, not just because it’s beer, but because it fulfilled a want after having felt the loss for a tasty beer when I realized I needed to cut gluten out of my diet.

I spent almost a decade drinking bad gluten-free beer. Ghostfish is local, quality, and tastes as good as “regular” beer. It serves as another reminder that life without gluten is doable, and enjoyable! I love that we carry a variety of their beers, so it’s not like we’re all just drinking one variety it because it’s the only gluten-free option.

…snack alternatives; and how to incorporate movement and fun exercise into their day through silly demonstrations on a skateboard or tricycle, or through dancing. It’s pure joy to hear a gym full of students erupt with laughter when Frank and Beans dab and floss, a couple of popular dance moves amongst kids these days. So popular, in fact, if you google “floss,” videos of the dance will appear above search results for the “other” floss we use to clean our teeth every day.

Funny bones tickled to the max, students leave the assembly with energy and excitement, and have been overheard by their teachers discussing healthy food choices for the day, like broccoli for breakfast (seems ambitious, no?), or how many loops they can make with a hulahoop. Kids are also given take-home placemats with fun, educational activities that relate to and reference the show. The placemats serve as a good reminder and a discussion piece for the dinner table.

We are happy to sponsor the Real Food Show, and as a shopper, this is one more way you’re giving back to the community when you choose to vote with your dollars at the Co-op.

Through education, community engagement and your support, we hope to continue inspiring young people to eat real food for a better future for food and for people.

Customer Comments Please bring back bulk dish soaps and other bulk liquids such as shampoos, oils, and vinegars.

Co-op Response: Thanks for your suggestion! We really appreciate your commitment to reducing waste. We recently looked into bringing back bulk dish soap, and there are currently no clean dish soaps available through any of our distributors that meet our buying guidelines. We’ll keep checking. As an immediate alternative, we carry 7th Generation Free & Clear Dish Soap in a 50 ounce bottle (it’s the equivalent of 2 bottles and is very affordable at $5.99).

We also carry Dr. Bronner’s Unscented Pure-Castile Liquid Soap in bulk, which is an all-purpose concentrate that can be diluted for washing dishes.

Bulk shampoo has never been a big seller, so we carry plastic-free shampoo bars in Wellness instead.

The sad fact is, there is rarely a plastic savings when it comes to most liquid bulk items; just because there isn’t plastic in your cart or home, doesn’t mean plastic isn’t being used. Typically, the larger the container, like the ones we’d carry in bulk, require more plastic than fewer smaller containers. And in the case of laundry detergent, it’s a wash: the gallon jug of detergent we would carry in bulk is no different than what’s on the shelf, and it has no pumping mechanism. As an alternative, we recommend a powder detergent in a cardboard box.

The challenge of carrying oils and vinegars in bulk is twofold: one is freshness (good oils gone bad is good for no one), and two is the spill-factor

(avoiding spills cuts down on food waste and what might become the everpresent scent of vinegar in the Co-op). Many of the oils and vinegars we carry come in glass, in a wide range of sizes.

I love getting 10¢ off my coffee when I bring my own mug! Why don’t you let others know about this with a B.Y.O.Mug sign?

Co-op Response: And we love that you bring your own mug! Here we are spreading the good news: hey everybody, if you bring your own mug, you get 10¢ off your coffee! We also put a sign up in the Deli. Done and done.

Skagit Valley Food Co-op • The Natural Enquirer April 2019 - June 2019

13

diggin’ it with garden jay

I Don’t Even Want Roundup in This Title

by Jay Williams

In the last year or so I’ve cut back on social media, and been happier for it. I still post a few pretty pictures to get likes from my friends and colleagues, or maybe give momentary cheer to someone who needs a little beauty and peace in their day, but real life is more fun than I remember so I’m making more time for it now.

I can’t completely quit the strangers behind the screen, though, because some of my interactions with them are still useful and interesting.

Chief of these is a Facebook group I belong to for owners, managers, and key employees in the retail garden center business.

The membership is global but US-centric, of course, and it’s a fantastic resource for keeping me current on trends, new products and suppliers, nuts-and-bolts stuff like merchandising, hiring and training, surviving the off-season, and so much more. It’s interesting to see the differences in regional attitudes and practices, too –most often reinforcing my gratitude that I live and work where I do. We do our best to keep it civil and keep politics out of the discussion as much as possible, but we’re human after all and sometimes disagree. Sometimes the disagreements are big enough to extend beyond two or just a few people until all 100+ of the active members are pretty much divided into two camps. Most recently that’s happened with the re-ignited debate over the world’s favorite herbicide, Roundup, since Costco made the decision to stop selling it.

A surprising number of people in my industry are still living in the past, in my opinion, tone-deaf to environmental concerns and not embracing more earth-friendly solutions to disease, insect, and weed management. By not evolving our attitudes and practices we’re not taking the leadership roles we’re so well-positioned to take in promoting the greener lifestyle that modern people increasingly want. “This organic thing is all well and good but my customers want REAL fertilizers and bug sprays that work!”...”Weedn-feed is your lawn’s best friend”...”I use growth regulators on my annuals so they don’t get rangy” ...”Millennials don’t garden so we stick to tried-and-true things for our older customers that actually do.” ‘Cause, you know, your old customers will live forever—especially with the right chemicals!

Some are actually angry about the message Costco is sending, afraid it will hurt their own sales of the product because of the negative publicity. I hope that’s true, because it’s probably the only thing that will get them to stop selling it.

I wasn’t sure I wanted to jump into this here because I’m not a scientist and I’m biased against Monsanto (and their new parent company, Bayer) to put it mildly; I also like to keep my Enquirer articles light-ish and non-controversial if I can. For my own education, though, I wanted to research this a little better, get my facts a little straighter, and hopefully sound less like a screaming snowflake when I continue to

preach against this stuff. One of my colleagues discounted the anti-Roundup camp as “hysterical moms and their Google-based science.” Do with that what you will but, full disclosure: I googled all my research for this article, honestly not knowing where else to turn. I did learn a lot more, it didn’t change my mind, the information and disinformation will crush you by sheer volume, and it takes a mind more nimble than mine to sort through it all and all the agendas, hidden and not. The sources I chose for my “facts” are credible to me, and that’s the best I can do.

Let’s start with a little history. Roundup went on the market in 1973-74 after Monsanto developed and patented the glyphosate molecule, its active ingredient. It’s cheap and effective. Manual cultivation (pulling weeds) is too much work for a lot of gardeners and impractical for most farmers.

Gardening is supposed to be fun, not work! Farming is too much work already! To be fair the majority of studies on Roundup toxicity and specifically cancer risk have shown it to be very low-risk if used as directed and it’s certainly safer than older herbicides, but it’s ingrained in American culture that “more is better” and that’s part of the problem. We use too much of it, it doesn’t biodegrade as fast as first thought and more than half of us now have at least trace amounts of it in our bodies.

I don’t have time or space

14 Skagit Valley Food Co-op • The Natural Enquirer April 2019 - June 2019

in this piece to get into “Roundup-ready crops” but can recommend it as a topic for further exploration. It’s in the food supply, big time.

The National Institutes of Health 2016 Statement of Concern puts it succinctly: “We conclude that: (1) GBHs [glyphosate-based herbicides] are the most heavily applied herbicide in the world and usage continues to rise; (2) Worldwide, GBHs often contaminate drinking water sources, precipitation, and air, especially in agricultural regions; (3) The half-life of glyphosate in water and soil is longer than previously recognized; (4) Glyphosate and its metabolites are widely present in the global soybean supply; (5) Human exposures to GBHs are rising; (6) Glyphosate is now authoritatively classified as a probable human carcinogen; (7) Regulatory estimates of tolerable daily intakes for glyphosate in the United States and European Union are based on outdated science.“ Animal experiments have shown toxicity to mammals in very large doses, reproductive abnormalities, organ damage including liver and kidney damage/failure and some evidence tying it to cancer.

Last year in California there was a multi-million dollar jury award to a former school groundskeeper with nonHodgkin’s lymphoma, who was exposed to high levels of glyphosate for four years, including two times he was completely doused with it. Monsanto disputes the evidence and, no surprise, is

appealing the ruling.

Many studies with no industry ties have concluded it’s “probably safe” to “probably carcinogenic.” NO studies that I could find linked to various manufacturers (glyphosate is no longer patented so there are many brands now) found any likelihood that it was carcinogenic but they wouldn’t go on record as saying it was definitely safe, either, because it could leave them open to legal action down the road if/when it’s declared harmful.

In fairness to them, the other side doesn’t face legal action if they’re proven wrong so have more leeway to make stronger statements.

So yeah, it’s complicated.

Corporations have megabucks at stake, we all have our health at stake and it can be hard to ascertain the sources of the information we’re getting because of the overwhelming amount of it. The stuff works, it’s relatively cheap, the alternatives just aren’t that great as far as ease or effectiveness and this whole mess can leave you feeling pretty helpless the more you read about it. My gut feeling, not related to any scientific FACT I can point to: I am creeped out by the very thought of this molecule that didn’t exist 50 years ago being in so many of us, probably in all of us before long. All the conflicting studies do not inspire confidence that we know enough about it to declare it safe in any quantity at all. That’s good enough for me to applaud Costco’s decision, even if it’s motivated more by economics than any great concern for our health.

I’ll leave you with a quote that (to me) summarizes the debate as it stands now from J. Glenn Morris, director of the Emerging Pathogens Institute at the University of Florida: “How do you convey the idea that [there] may be a risk but don’t worry about it?”

Classifieds

Cantabile Chamber Choir Spring Concerts Friday, May 3, 7:30pm, Depot Arts Center, Anacortes | Saturday, May 4, 7:30pm, Christ the King Lutheran, Snohomish | Sunday, May 5, 5:00pm, St. Paul’s Episcopal, Mount Vernon Tickets: www.brownpapertickets.com $16 General $14 Senior/Military/Student At the door: $18 General $16 S/M/S

Summer Art Camps for Children and Teens Celebrating 30 Years in the Valley

Weekly, June 24-August 1 Register now at BellinghamArt com or phone us at 360.738.8379

Services Dependable Housesitter Available.

Call Marlee Mountain at 360.853.7346.

Please leave a message.

Elder Care Help. Do you have a parent or loved one who needs help with: Paying monthly bills? Managing medical payments and insurance? Balancing their checkbook? Maintaining important records? Care you can trust! Annie Walker, BA, ATA Balanced Bookkeeping and Accounting Services 856-5474. balacctsvc@cnw.com. Professional References.

For Rent Quiet cozy treatment space available in popular established MV wellness center.

Perfect for massage or bodywork.

Available 2-4 days a week. All utilities included. For more info: Barb 360-3366809 or Jayne 360-708-0804

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The Natural Enquirer at nicole@skagitfoodcoop.com or (360) 336 5087 ext. 136.

Or visit our website at www.skagitfoodcoop.com /learn/stay-connected We offer discounts for prepayment.

All first-time ads MUST be paid in advance.

The deadline for all ads for next issue (July) is Friday, May 24.

Skagit Valley Food Co-op • The Natural Enquirer April 2019 - June 2019

15

Going Green with Your Greens

ORGANIC PRODUCE

by Ben Goe

We’re learning more and more about how eating a plant-based diet is good for you and the planet, and there are many ways to reduce your waste and carbon footprint in the produce department. Here are some tips to minimize your impact when shopping for, and using, fruits and vegetables.

Pay attention to where your food is from. Eat seasonal, eat local. Large-scale organic agriculture is generally not much more ecologically sustainable than conventional agriculture. Smallscale local farms put emphasis on sustainable farming practices such as crop rotation, low- or no-till, on-site composting, managing water use wisely, building and maintaining healthy soil, and minimizing pollution. There’s also the obvious point that food from further afield has to be moved by trucks. Some produce is even shipped by air such as Hawaiian pineapple. In our produce department, we put small blue tags on items we are getting directly from a farm. Although bananas are imported, they are a surprisingly low carbon footprint food. They grow in natural sunlight and are shipped by boat. Boats emit only 1% of the CO² per pound of freight that an airplane does.

Reduce your waste. Bring reusable produce bags, or skip the bags altogether. If you must use a bag, we have options. We carry reusable cloth produce bags. Of the three sizes of paper bags available in

produce, the smaller and larger ones are made of 100% recycled paper. The mid-sized paper bags are very durable and can be reused many times before recycling, and the green Co+op branded plastic bags are made of 100% post-industrial recycled resin. Buy only the produce that you will use in the next handful of days, and freeze anything that you might not get to. Vegetables can be cut and blanched (dunked in boiling water for up to a minute) and then frozen. Save any peels and trimmings from root vegetables (not potatoes), onions (skins too!), and celery for soup stock. Herb stems are great, too. Keep a container going in the fridge, and when you have a pint or two, make a batch of stock. To do so, get a stock pot quite hot, add a couple tablespoons of avocado or other high-smoke point oil, and throw your trimmings in with salt, pepper, and maybe a couple bay leaves.

Stir often and get some caramelization going. It’s okay if stuff sticks to the bottom and it starts to smoke a little. Once everything’s a bit browned (five to ten minutes), cover with water, reduce the heat a little, bring to a boil, and simmer for at least half an hour. Strain the vegetables out and compost them. The stock can be canned or frozen for later use.

How the produce department goes green.

Along with the grocery department, the produce department recycles the plastic film that our pallets come wrapped in. We re-use and recycle boxes and packing materials. Foam packing materials are passed to the Mercantile, where they are given to suppliers for reuse. Produce is often shipped in boxes that have been heavily waxed to make them sturdy and waterproof, and these cannot be recycled, so we save as many of these as possible for reuse by local farms, along with tomato, apple, and squash boxes. Some of our farms also deliver produce in reusable plastic totes, which we return to them. Produce that is bruised or imperfect but still perfectly edible and delicious is passed to the deli, cafe, and employees. All trim and produce that is too far gone to eat (about 200 pounds per day) is used for animal food or non-industrial compost.

With your help, we look forward to continuing to reduce our waste as a community.

April ∙ Purple Sprouting Broccoli — from Skagit Valley ∙ Rhubarb — from Living Rain Farm ∙ Shiitake Mushrooms — from Cascadia Mushrooms ∙ Leeks — from Ralph's Greenhouse ∙ Microgreens — from Dahlia Depot and Tops & Bottoms ∙ Cauliflower — from Hedlin Family Farms

May ∙ Asparagus — from Living Rain Farm and Canales Produce ∙ Wild Harvested Morel Mushrooms — from Organic Antics ∙ Radishes — from Ralph's Greenhouse and Moondance Farm ∙ Sunflower Sprouts — from Moondance Farm ∙ Clover Sprouts — from Happy Valley ∙ Bunched Spinach — from Ralph's Greenhouse

Save The Date!

16 Skagit Valley Food Co-op • The Natural Enquirer April 2019 - June 2019

June ∙ Greenhouse grown heirloom & slicer tomatoes (not certified organic) — from Hedlin Family Farm

∙ Spicy Mixed Greens — from Blue Heron Farm ∙ June Bearing Strawberries (Totem, Puget, Rainier, and Shuksan varieties) — from Hedlin Family Farm ∙ Lettuce — from Skagit Flats Farm ∙ Salad Mix — from Moondance Farm ∙ Red, Green, and Lacinato Kale — from Ralph's Greenhouse ∙ Radishes — from Well Fed Farm

Jake Goedl working in produce

June 15 ∙ July 13 ∙ August 17

FREE SHOE PAINTING EVENT

APRIL 20 ˚ 11AM - 3PM during the street fair

Buy a pair of TOMS classics and get them painted for free by a local artist!