Summertime Wines

by Leigha Staffenhagen

Stuff away your puffy coat, dust off your finest Washington socks and sandals and get ready for long sunny walks on your favorite beach – summer is here in Skagit Valley! And what’s a better way to welcome the warm weather than a picnic with your friends and family?

At the Skagit Valley Food Co-op, we have everything you need to toss together a charcuterie picnic on-the-go: organic crackers and bread, local cheeses, spreads, and sauces, artisan meats, local organic fruits and veggies, and of course, an embarrassment of unique wines from around the world.

If you find yourself in the Co-op pondering the perfect pour for your next summer outing, we’ve got you covered with some warm weather wine suggestions compliments of our very own Wine Department Manager! The only question that remains, is will you Rosé All Day or Wine About It?

Our well stocked wine aisle

Kind Stranger Rosé Kind Stranger Rosé: If you’re looking for a local wine that features local artists on the label and gives back to the community, you’d be hard-pressed to find a better pick. During COVID, this winery gave back a portion of sales to the Restaurant Workers Guild, supporting those who were out of work at the time. This rosé is pale, dry, and crisp, and has notes of sour cherry, watermelon, and bubble gum. Famega Vinho Verde: A Co-op favorite for a reason, this bright and affordable wine from Portugal has a fruity aroma and a slightly spritzy feel. It’s on the dry, crisp side, making it a good accompaniment to a DIY charcuterie board. La Croix Belle Syrah Grenache Rosé: A French rosé perfect for the summer, this pick pairs well with salads, fish, appetizers, and of course, picnic snacks! Dry, yet fruity, this rosé blend is made up of Syrah and Grenache varietals and has notes of strawberry and rhubarb. Backyard Pinot Gris: Dry, yet fruity, this pinot gris from Vancouver, BC features tropical notes of papaya, nectarine, and guava. It pairs well with cured meat, making it a wonderful companion to a picnic basket. Faim De Loup Unoaked Syrah: If rosé or white wine isn’t your style, we’ve got a red that’s still a great option for the summer. Succulent, juicy, fruity, and spicy, this Syrah checks all the boxes without being too much at once. An approachable wine with aromas of cherry, blackberry, and plum, pair it with hard cheeses or barbecue food. Richard Bocking Pinot Blanc: An easy to drink white wine with a clean and crisp palate, this Pinot Blanc goes well with practically any food and has a bright acidity that screams summer. This winery has roots dating back to the early 1600s, and the family still practices traditional winemaking techniques, utilizing only naturally-occurring yeast. Opta Branco Dao: A tropical and balanced white wine with subtle flavors of lemon curd, this summer wine has an incredible mouth-watering acidity and savoriness. It also has floral aromatics that come from the indigenous grapes of Encruzado. Cheers to warm and sunny weather, strolls along the river, and all the long overdue picnics with the people you love most!

vendor spotlight

A Kick of Spice from Seed to Sauce

by Leigha Staffenhagen

There are three types of people in this world: those who like their food as-is, those who like a little dash of hot sauce, and those who like their food so spicy that they shed actual tears over it. Some of these people like hot sauce on their eggs at breakfast, while others like theirs on top of everything, even ice cream. This article is for the people who need sauce! Whether you like a little bit of heat or a big ol’ dollop of fire, if you’re looking for a new hot sauce to spice up yo’ life, we’re totally digging locally-made Funky’s Hot Sauce right now.

Handmade in Bellingham out of locally-sourced peppers, Funky’s prides itself on creating great tasting, well balanced sauces that offer more than just a spicy kick, but a mouthful of flavor, too.

Founder Matt Mini is a Cali transplant, bringing with him the foundation of what has now turned into a family business. Matt has always had a love for both hot and sweet peppers alike, and in 2006 he started a small pepper farm in his 800-square foot backyard in Santa Rosa. As far as the fermentation step of hot sauce making goes, Matt picked up those skills while working at a brewery and was able to mix up all sorts of funky creations that his friends and family loved.

Eight years later, with hours of practice under his belt, Matt and his family moved to Bellingham where he learned to grow peppers in a cooler climate, and in 2019 Funky’s was officially launched. While there are many things that makes Funky’s special, what we really love is their dedication to sourcing local, non-GMO, mostly organic peppers for their sauces. All of their peppers are sourced from Seattlebased Charlie’s Produce distributors, with peppers coming from Alvarez Organic Farm in Eastern Washington throughout the summer.

Even better, this summer, Matt plans to source from two local Skagit County Pepper Growers: Boldly Grown Farm and Southern Exposure Family Farm! If you’ve ever spent time browsing our produce or garden departments, you might be familiar with both of those names (and faces!). Funky's Hot Sauce

Boldly Grown supplies our Produce Department with everything from Brussels sprout trees in the winter to a variety of greens in the summer. Southern Exposure provides us with late summer plant starts including organic peppers, specialty tomatoes, artichokes, and more. Jimmy at Southern Exposure is even growing some peppers exclusively for Funky’s, including the infamously-spicy Carolina Reaper.

Offering three different hot sauce flavors with varying levels of heat, Funky’s has a sauce for everyone. Like a little sweetness with your heat? Try Liquid Sunshine. Do you like your hot sauce on the green end of the spectrum? Try Terra Luna! Or if you just like it nice and hot, give Stellar Fuzz a shot. No matter which sauce you go with, every bottle supports a local, familyowned business that has been working towards perfecting the art of sauce since 2006.

Gift Cards… Always the Right Choice

Human Resources Director Co-op Employee Since July 2019

Before starting at this co-op I worked at another co-op for about 20 years. I am so glad that this job was open at the time it was and that I get the opportunity to work here. This is an amazing place, with amazing employees, and a very supportive community. I feel like I hit the jackpot!

Favorite Customer Moment:

As the HR Director my customers are the employees who work at the Co-op. However, I do go down to the sales floor often and when I do I’m helping customers find products or get questions answered. My favorite interactions are when I see people I know from the community and we stop, chat, and catch up on our lives. It always reminds me of how co-ops are so much more than a grocery store.

Favorite Item in the Co-op:

I would love to say it’s the great local produce (and that is one of my favorites), but I would be lying if I didn’t say, hands down, the #1 product that I have purchased the most at the Co-op are the Paqui Chips – Zesty Salsa Verde. I am seriously addicted to these chips. They are packed full of flavor and have the perfect combination of savory and crunchy. I pair them with peach flavored Waterloo seltzer for the best afternoon pick-me-up. If I’m good, I can make the bag last a few days. Unless my son gets a hold of the bag…

Favorite Way to Spend Time Outside of Work:

When I’m not working I’m usually hanging out with my family, walking my dogs in the woods, practicing yoga, reading/listening to books and podcasts, and perfecting my green smoothie and fresh juice recipes.

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

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

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We offer discounts for prepayment. All first-time ads MUST be paid in advance. The ad deadline for the next issue (October 2021) is Friday, August 20.

is a member of the Cucurbitaceae plant family—making it relatives with cucumber, squash, and pumpkin. It took 1,000 years for watermelon to wind its way north, and perhaps at the hands of seed breeders, become the sweeter version we know today.

Both seeds and paintings of watermelon have been found in Egyptian burial tombs more than 4,000 years old. Watermelons were often placed in the tombs of kings to nourish them in the afterlife.

From northern Africa, watermelons were brought to countries along the Mediterranean Sea by way of merchant ships. By the 10th century, watermelon found its way to China, which is now the world’s top producer of watermelons. The 13th century found watermelons spreading through the rest of Europe via the Moors.

Watermelon was found growing in Florida as early as 1576 and in Massachusetts by 1629 and, by the early part of US history, it was being grown by First Peoples from the Mississippi Valley south to Florida. I love to picture this wild vine threading itself through time, across oceans, cultures. Today, Florida, Georgia, Texas, California. And my green thumb neighbor Paul grows a mini-variety watermelon every summer in his greenhouse across the street from us in our temperate Northwest climate. It can be done!

Culturally, here in the US we tend to only eat the red interior flesh. But did you know that 100% of a watermelon is edible, including the seeds. In fact, the first cookbook published in the US in 1796, American Cookery by Amelia Simmons, details a recipe for watermelon rind pickles.

If you want to foray into the world of watermelon rind dishes, as consumed in many Asian and European countries, the US Watermelon Board provides an array of recipes: watermelon rind curry, gazpacho, bruschetta, coleslaw, watermelon rind tzatziki, chutney, stir fry, kimchee and yes, watermelon rind pickles.

Here’s to a refreshing summer, no matter how you slice it.

WATERMELON TRIVIA

• In Japan, a technique for growing square watermelons has been perfected. There, square melons sell for between $75 and $100 each

• According to Guinness World Records, the world's heaviest watermelon ever produced weighed 350.5 pounds and was grown in Sevierville, TN.

• Over 1,200 varieties of watermelon are grown across 96 countries worldwide—including seeded, seedless, mini, orange- and yellowfleshed. China ranks first in overall production; the US ranks 7th worldwide.

• Seedless watermelon cultivars are not the result of genetic engineering, but rather hybridization—the crossing of two different types of watermelons. Bees are needed!

• The world record for watermelon seed spitting is an astounding 75 feet 2 inches and was set in 1995 at a festival in Georgetown, Texas.

• Research shows that room temperature watermelon has higher nutrient levels, but it cannot have ever been refrigerated. But if a watermelon was bought cold, you should continue to keep it cold.

Skagit writer and eater Sarah Stoner is hungry for more adventures with her family —food, travel, and new horizons of compassion. sarahjstoner@hotmail.com

Watermelon Feta Mint Salad

Active/total time: 5 min. Makes 4-6 servings

This classic summer side dish combines sweet watermelon, salty feta and minty mint. A good dose of lemon zest brings out the melon flavor.

• 3 lbs. seedless watermelon (about 1 small or 1/4 large), rind removed, cut into 1-inch chunks (about 2 lbs. of chunks after rind is discarded)

• 1 Tbsp juice from 1 lemon, plus 4 (2-inch) strips zest using a sharp vegetable peeler

• 3 Tbsp olive oil, plus more for drizzling

• 1/4 cup roughly chopped fresh mint leaves

• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

• 4 ounces (110g) feta cheese (see note)

Place watermelon chunks in a large bowl. Finely chop lemon zest. Add lemon juice and half of zest to bowl with watermelon. Add oil and mint (and extras, if using) and toss until watermelon is evenly dressed. The cheese adds saltiness, so season lightly to taste with salt and pepper.

Transfer salad to a wide, shallow bowl or a large plate and spread out evenly. Crumble feta over the top. Sprinkle with remaining lemon zest. Drizzle with more olive oil and a few grinds of black pepper. Serve immediately.

Notes- This dish greatly depends on the quality of the feta. Look for true Greek or Bulgarian sheep's milk feta, which tends to be creamier and tangier than domestic cow's milk versions. Bulk up the meal with other chopped ingredients: try some fresh arugula leaves or cubed cucumbers, halved cherry tomatoes, thinly sliced red onion, and a few small slivers of black olive. Or how about some thinly sliced chili peppers for heat? I heard internet rumors of a version with grilled (and chilled) corn, along with cilantro chopped into the mint. Yum!

Watermelon-Strawberry Lime Cooler

There are few things easier to blend than watermelon. They are 92% water, after all. This quick and easy slushy drink recipe calls for just 4 ingredients, and is delicious way to enjoy watermelon, especially if you find yourself in the fortunate position of having too much on hand.

Ingredients

• 1 cup frozen strawberries

• 4 cups cubed watermelon, seeds removed

• 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice

• Mint sprigs, for garnish

Directions

1. In a blender, combine the watermelon and strawberries.

2. Add the lime juice and puree.

3. Serve immediately with mint sprigs for garnish.

Keep the recipe as-is, or toss in a splash of rum, tequila, or vodka to turn this cooler into the perfect cold summer cocktail!

spring planting. You can also make them in February or March if you want them to be ready for May when you plant out your tomatoes and other warmseason veggies. Truthfully, any time of year will work, but try to give a little time for it to settle before planting.

So, some quick FAQs. “Really…no digging?” In the beds, no! You’ll no doubt be shoveling stuff into a wheelbarrow to take to the beds and dump, and you’ll likely use a rake to spread the layer to cover everything beneath it, but that’s it. No digging into your native soil or churning organic material into it. No more excuses that “I can’t plant anything because my soil is so bad!” Your soil type is irrelevant if you’re building on top of it.

“How do I plant without disturbing the layers?” Not really an issue if you’re sowing seeds and don’t go deeper than the top layer, but for starts, just dibble a hole that’s no bigger than you absolutely need for the root mass of the thing you’re planting. Don’t stir and blend the layers at all if you can help it. Carefully tuck the plants in, water them and move on.

“What about harvesting? How do I protect the layers if I have to dig root crops?” This is where we have to accept that no-dig actually means LESSdig. Obviously you need to pull carrots, beets, onions, etc., and you need to dig potatoes, but the lighter texture of this soil should at least make that easier, possibly even allowing extraction by hand, with less disturbance than a shovel would inflict, anyway. Most of the things that grow their useful bits above ground…? Cut the stem off right at ground level when the plant is done producing, leaving the roots and soil they’re in undisturbed. Not too many will re-sprout, and those that do will get the message if you hack them off a few times until they’re fatally weakened and break down.

“What about weeds?” You’ll still get some, but fewer, and they’ll be 12,000 times easier to pull! Live the dream and pull out a whole dandelion with taproot intact! But remember: dead weeds break down, too, and very few should go to your yard waste bin, which you’ll use less and less as you start hoarding organic matter for your beds. Ideally, throw the weed down by the hole you pulled it from to dry and eventually die in the sun, finally to decompose and become a part of your top layer. Don’t like the look? Understandable. Throw it on a bed you won’t be planting for a while that doesn’t need to show off its pristine compost-y beauty just yet.

“Really, don’t throw away any weeds?” Oh no, there are exceptions. Big grass clumps, buttercups, anything with thorns, bindweed, and horsetail should all go to your yard waste bin but you can pretty much keep everything else, including those uprooted dandelions.

“I’m not interested in growing food – does this work for flower beds?” Beautifully! And it’s far less complicated since you won’t be disturbing the soil after planting.

I found the overall quality of the no-dig YouTube videos I watched to be very good, and I’m confident you’ll find great info there that I either didn’t have the space or the knowledge to present here. Go ahead and kiss a farmer if you need to – ask their permission first to avoid any awkwardness! – but if there was anything you enjoyed about your difficult first steps into gardening, even if it was more work than you thought, maybe it’s time to start collecting cardboard…?

IN-SEASON PRODUCE July

Benton, Chelan, and Rainier cherries, apricots, yellow peaches, white peaches, nectarines, donut peaches from Brownfield Orchards

August

Peaches, Gala apples, Gingergold apples, Zestar apples, Barlett pears, Star Crimson pears from Brownfield Orchards

Blueberries from Bow Hill Blueberries

September

Honeycrisp apples, Early Fuji apples, Cosmic Crisp apples from Brownfield Orchards

Table grapes from Sauk Farm

Heirloom melons, Japanese and Italian eggplant from Edible Acres

In Season All Season

Herbs, lettuce, corn, cabbage, kale, tomatoes, beans, cucumbers, zucchini, radicchio, broccoli, edible flowers, & so much more. from our local farms including Moondance Farm, Boldly Grown Farm, Waxwing Farm, Well Fed Farm, Skagit Flats, Ralph’s Greenhouse, Highwater Farm, Blue Heron Farm, Napping Lion Farm, The Crows Farm, and Hedlin Family Farm.

by Ben Goe

Summer often finds me hunched over a grill. Charcoal grilling is a skill that I’ve developed over time, through trial-and-error, feeding friends and family many successful meals, and more than a few failures. As I considered this article and the time of year, I realized that I might distill down a few tips for this mysterious art. I won’t get out in the weeds too much, but there are some important things to know when you delve seriously into outdoor cookery. I hope that I’ll provide some ideas and inspiration here for the veteran barbecuists as well.

Buy a chimney. Not the kind that goes on top of your house, but a small metal cylinder that you can pick up at the hardware store (or sometimes the Coop!). It’s vented, and has a grate at the bottom. You set it on your barbecue, fill it three-quarters full with charcoal, and put paper underneath. Light it up, you’ll have hot coals in about 20 minutes. Use hardwood charcoal. Briquettes are alright, but avoid the match light options and look for all hardwood. Natural hardwood charcoal is best in my opinion, though you’ll sometimes have to break up large pieces. There is no reason to use igniting fluid unless you enjoy the flavor.

Have a hotter side and a cooler side of your grill. This will be old hat for most of you, but it never hurts to reiterate. Dump the hot coals on one side of the barbecue and push them around to even them out. That, obviously, is your hot side. You should always have a wire brush handy to clean your grill. As it heats up, give it a good brushing.

Try grilling everything. Firm fruit and vegetables are easier to grill than soft ones. Marinades are overrated. Think about the permeability of the outside. Eggplant? It acts like a sponge when it’s cut. Marinated, it’ll light on fire or turn to mush and fall through the grill. Instead, stuff some garlic cloves into slits in the skin, cook it whole, and then peel it when it’s blackened. Peppers should just be blackened whole and then peeled and seeded when cool. Asparagus, leeks, onions, Brussels sprouts, mushrooms, and lots of other fruits and veggies don’t benefit from marinades. Just toss them with a little oil, salt, and pepper before grilling and then dress afterwards. Produce items like this will go in the middle of the grill so that they don’t blacken before they’re cooked through. Juicy, firm fruits and veggies like pineapple, crisp watermelon, firm peaches, or mangos won’t absorb oil – dust them with salt and spices like chilies, cinnamon, sugar (not too much or that’s another fire), ginger, or Tajín. Cook these on the hot side to char quickly and keep crisp. You can toss with fresh citrus, herbs, feta, and salad dressing afterward. Next: nobody likes a dry dog. Whether they’re meat or plant-based, sausages can dry out quickly. There are a couple things you can do. One trick is to simmer the dogs in liquid beforehand – you won’t want to do this with raw sausages as they will lose too much fat, but hot dogs, veggie sausages, and precooked sausages all benefit. Simmer in some combination of water (hot dogs in particular are fine in just water), beer, cider (fresh or hard), broth, or sauerkraut. The second trick is much more important: have a skillet on the cooler side of your grill with a similar combo of liquids, mostly sauerkraut, that you throw the finished sausages into. You can caramelize onions beforehand, or grill onions and toss them in. You can also add brandy, sherry, kimchi, or rice wine. Keep adding liquid and kraut as it is eaten and evaporates, and you have yourself a triple-S: a sustainable sausage situation.

I love to barbecue, and I do it year-round. I’ll throw you one last southernboy tip: barbecue your corn in the husk after first soaking in cold water! Shake off excess water and put on the grill. This process keeps it from losing too much moisture, and you end up with kernels that burst as you bite them. You can even shuck it afterwards and throw it on the hot side of the grill for a moment to get a little char! Add some Tajín. May your summer be bright and full of friends, family, and good barbecue.