new & notable
Italian-Grown Citrus Effervescence by Leigha Staffenhagen
Did you know that citrus was first brought to Italy as early as 850 A.D.? While it isn’t native to the area, thanks to Italy’s warm climate with mild winters and wind, the sweet, tangy fruit quickly became a mainstay. Nowadays, Sicily stands out as thee spot for Italian citrus cultivation and sales. There’s simply something magical about a grove of orange trees backdropped by the cerulean blue vastness of the Mediterranean Sea. This winter, citrus imported from Italy and extended vacations on the beaches of Sicily might not be within arm’s reach, but a glass bottle with bubbly, fresh-squeezed Italian citrus juice is! While you may be preoccupied with peeling into bright, juicy orbs of winter sunshine in the form of a satsuma or a Rio Star grapefruit, we’re also excited to introduce you to a fantastically fizzy drink that’s perfect for dinner parties, or you know, just because: Organic Sparkling Italian Sodas from CADIA. Available in Blood Orange, Pomegranate, and Lemon, these Italian sodas are gluten-free, vegan, USDA-certified organic, and best of all, made in Italy. To achieve this sparkling drink’s beautifully bright colors and full-on flavor, CADIA only uses hand-harvested fruit that’s picked at peak ripeness to ensure those sweet, juicy flavors are infused into each bottle. Made with just a few simple ingredients, these drinks are delicious on their own, but we recommend trying them in your favorite cocktail or mocktail or poured over a scoop of Co-op vanilla ice cream for a citrusy twist on an ice cream float! And in case you wanted a little Italian soda history lesson, funny enough, though these Italian sodas from CADIA are made in Italy, Italian sodas as we know them actually originated right here in the United States. When Torani, a syrup brand from Italy first came to the United States to start their company, they introduced what became known as an Italian soda to the North Beach neighborhood of San Francisco, California. From then on, bottled Italian sodas started popping up in restaurants and stores and naturally, many people assumed they were invented in the country of their namesake.
staff profile
Matt Terry
Blue Room Team Lead Co-op Employee Since December 2009 Favorite Customer Moment: My favorite customer interaction actually happened on the ferry returning from Friday Harbor. My wife overheard a couple sitting behind us talking about the food co-op and how they couldn’t wait to get some ice cream. I got up to get a drink and my wife happened to tell the couple that her husband was the ice cream person there. They were super excited to meet me, and we spent most of the trip talking about how much they loved the Co-op. Favorite Item in the Co-op: I love getting steaks from the Meat Department. They are delicious and reasonably priced. I also love walking though Mercantile, they always have cool trinkets to check out.
Favorite Way to Spend Time Outside of Work: When I’m not working I like to play disk golf or wiffleball with my children at the park. We also love playing video games and board games together. I enjoy cooking for my family as well. Apparently, I’m good at it too, lol!
NATURE. BODY. MIND. BUILD STAMINA. MOVE WITH NATURE. PRACTICE MINDFULNESS. FARMFIT Personal Training & Health Coaching at Highwater Farm New Yearlong Transformation Journey: 2 days/month in the field +2 hours/week onsite or online
www.fieldsofrecovery.com/love-your-body fieldsofrecovery@gmail.com For more information call
Danielle 360-661-8458 CONNECT TO NATURE • CONNECT TO YOUR FOOD • CONNECT TO YOUR BODY skagit valley food co-op • the natural enquirer • january–march 2022 13
