Natural Enquirer October 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

October - December 2019

Photo: Farmers Isa Pacheco (pink hat) and Foncho Cantillo of Coobafrio Cooperative learn how to properly cut bananas to prevent rot.

The Benefits of Fair Trade Banana Farming In the last Natural Enquirer, I wrote about my trip to Colombia in March with a focus on banana production. Now, in honor of October Fair Trade Month, I thought I’d talk a little about what Fair Trade means for farmers and communities in Colombia, and what the practices look like in person.

Fair Trade Certified adds up to a lot more than an extra few bucks for the farmer. Did you know that certified Fair Trade means always non-GMO? And that there are far fewer chemicals allowed than what is permissible for conventional U.S. crops?

by Ben Goe

To review, the basic principles of Fair Trade are: 1. Creating opportunities for small producers in economically disadvantaged areas.

2. Democracy, transparency, and accountability at all levels of business.

3. Freedom of association.

4. Emphasizing the importance of people over profits.

5. Paying a fair price to producers, agreed upon through a participative dialogue.

6. Absolute rejection of child labor and forced labor.

in this issue

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From the Board ∙ pg 2

7. No discrimination for any reason.

8. Promoting skill development, especially to the most disadvantaged and vulnerable.

9. Actively promoting the principles and values of Fair Trade at local, continental, and international levels.

10. Practicing and defending environmental sustainability at all levels of the supply chain.

These are probably all things you’ve heard before, but I was surprised many times by what it (continued on page 14)

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Fall Workshops ∙ pg 4 Support Farm to School ∙ pg 9 Fair Trade Impact Index ∙ pg 9 New in the Co-op ∙ pg 11 History of Meatballs ∙ pg 13

Diggin' It with Garden Jay

Wild Weed Healing

One World Gifts

from the board

General Manager Here to Stay Announces Retirement & Next Steps

by Beverly Faxon

It has been a very busy few months on the Board of Directors! As many member-owners are aware, Todd Wood, the Skagit Valley Food Coop’s General Manager (GM) announced his retirement in July. With deep gratitude for the leadership and guidance that Todd has provided over the past 41 years, the Board of Directors has been diligently working to ensure that the next generation of leadership at the Coop ensures a smooth transition and a resilient, bright future for our community-owned business.

Replacing a General Manager is one of—if not the most—important tasks that a Board of Directors can have at any co-op, and we greatly appreciate the trust that our member-owners have placed in us to fulfill this duty. Our GM search process has been under way since the beginning of the year, and we have brought in an outside consultant with years of experience working with cooperatives to facilitate. We are conducting a national-level search and have posted the position through many different traditional channels, as well as those that are more specific to co-ops. We have a clearly delineated process and timeline in place: by the time this goes to print, we will have evaluated applications received to date, developed our interview process, and decided our top candidates to invite for in-person interviews. This timeline is subject to change, but the goal is to make an offer to an outstanding candidate immediately after our Board Retreat in early October!

At the same time, we have several parallel initiatives underway that will help ease the transition to a new General Manager. First, we are in the process of revising and formalizing our Board governance policies into a system known as, wait for it… Policy Governance! This is an established system used by many co-ops around the country and relates to processes and expectations for GM reporting on various aspects of fiscal and operational stewardship and risk management.

Secondly, we are conducting updated strategic planning for the Co-op, which will become our 2025 Vision. Steps include surveying member-owners and undertaking an iterative process to help capture our collective vision of the Co-op in five years time. Both of these initiatives will greatly inform the work and direction of our new GM as they come onboard.

We have been fortunate to have over four decades of stability in our GM, which has been integral to our success over the years while remaining financially sustainable, and true to our core values. With change comes opportunity, and we are excited for the future of our Co-op!

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 fair 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.”

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, Ben Goe, Jenny Sandbo, Jay Williams, & Todd Wood | Board of Trustees: Brad Claypool, Kristen Ekstran, Mike Hackett, Casey Schoenberger, Rob Smith, Wayne Rushing & Tom Theisen Copyright 2019: Reprints with permission

As I write, fall is still a tease in the morning fog, but in the blink of the ever earlier setting sun, September will curl its leaves and turn October.

Ah, October. An orange month if ever there was one—crisp leaves, and pumpkins, and Halloween candy corn.

And also, fittingly, Co-op Month. Fitting because October is harvest time, and harvest has traditionally been about cooperation. Cooperation in sharing harvest equipment and in sharing the work. Cooperation in the kitchen, both preserving and celebrating the abundance.

But as I think about Co-op Month this year, I also find myself considering the disheartening resurgence of an ungenerous slogan: “Love it or leave it.” Love it or leave it was a popular catchphrase in the mid-20th Century—the same time food cooperatives were forming in the United States. Loving “it” meant loving the whole package. In the case of what went on the table, if you loved the purple mountains’ majesty, and the amber waves of grain, then darn it, you better love the Wonder Bread the grain became.

Yet so many worthy ventures, from co-ops to countries, began because people were dissatisfied with the status quo—whether it was bread with the texture of cotton or an oppressive government.

When our Co-op began, it was almost impossible to find brown rice on a grocery shelf. Honey? Maybe in a small, dusty jar on a top shelf.

Fresh, local produce? Let’s just say I was well into my teens before I had green beans not from a can or broccoli that hadn’t first been frozen.

Freshly roasted coffee beans? Why would you want those when you had the convenience of Nescafé? Tofu? . . . What?

And organically grown anything was flat-out subversive, possibly un-American. Why question the goodness of chemically induced abundance?

I’m glad that those who wanted to eat organic fruits and vegetables, whole grains, and foods without additives and preservatives didn’t just melt into the tree-hugging woodwork when they were ridiculed for seeking a new food system and an alternate economy. Because certainly, the mainstream groceries and growing agribusinesses wanted to send those agitators for good food back to wherever they came from—really wanted them to just “leave it.”

When a side in power pressures those who disagree with them to leave, it stifles the potential for constructive change. It also makes clear that those who are in power believe you only belong, you only get a say, if you are in power.

Building cooperative food economies did not come easily.

(Although, to be honest, it was often fun.) The co-op movement and the food it offered were fringe for a long time. Now the food itself has been thoroughly embraced by the mainstream. The concept of a cooperative food economy is still not high in the public consciousness, but it has living models in our co-ops. Neither might have gotten on our radar if those interested in them had folded their cooperative tents and left when told they or their ideas didn’t belong.

So here’s a thank you to all of those who don’t just leave it when things get hard, whether “it” is the dream of a cooperative economy and good food, a neighborhood in need of loving care, or the country they live in. Here’s a thank you to those who keep working to create places (like the Co-op), where everyone who comes in good faith is welcome, and everyone who joins in gets a say.

2 Skagit Valley Food Co-op • The Natural Enquirer • October - December 2019

diggin’ it with garden jay

If You Can't Nuke 'em, Join 'em: Embracing the Tulip

by Garden Jay Thirty-odd Aprils ago my paternal grandparents came to visit me for the first time since I'd relocated here from eastern Washington. They'd heard about the tulips, too, so of course we went out for a tour.

A stern, hard-bitten old Mormon dirt farmer, my grandfather's only visible emotion like, ever, was a perpetual grumpiness that radiated from him even when he tried to be complimentary or in any way pleasant. Not a bad man, but you had to know him before you could appreciate him. So I was startled when I looked at his face as he stared into a vast field of screaming red tulips and saw... tears? Seriously?! Maybe his retinas died looking into the throbbing, hypersaturated color without eye protection?

No. He said in a low, almost reverent voice that it was the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen.

We're easily jaded when we live here, anger boiling over when we're caught in festival traffic or tourists crowd us out of our Co-op's parking lot, and we lose our appreciation for this internationally renowned marvel of spring we get to live with. Duuuude, have you even SEEN the rest of the country?

Okay, there are probably a few places even more beautiful than the Skagit Valley but mostly not, and nothing quite like what we've got here, especially in enchanted April.

Ever wonder how it happened, why our little valley is the sweet spot for growing them in the US? Where are they Photo by: Garden Jay from originally? Hint: not the Netherlands.

Wild species tulips that all our flashy modern hybrids just delays blooming a bit). If you misplace the bulbs but derive from are mostly native to high elevations throughout find them again in February and they still look good, plant much of the Middle East, especially Turkey, where they get them! They'll still bloom but as with the frozen sprouts, a chilly and fairly wet winters followed by dry, dry summers. few weeks later than first planned. If you wouldn't dream Sound familiar? Other temperate parts of the US have of buying them from a box store, your Co-op will have a wetter summers that can rot them and keep them from nice selection in stock by the time you read this.

Planting is really easy. You don't need to work the soil going fully dormant, while much of the South can't provide much, just dig the planting holes, drop them in, cover, adequate winter chill. So, we won the contract.

They made it to Europe in 1554, a diplomatic gift from the water once, and you're done. No further maintenance Sultan of Turkey and the Ottoman Empire to the Holy Roman needed before you enjoy them in spring. Of course, if Emperor in Vienna. They soon made their way to Holland, you WANT to make it more work, you can...

Adding fertilizer isn't really necessary, as the whole Europe's newly-risen economic powerhouse, and the plantgeek Dutch were captivated by these new dainties. Breeders point of bulbs is that they're a “deluxe” seed that contains soon created varieties with bigger, bolder blooms and not just a plant but the food it needs to begin life and managed to build a lucrative industry around them, with new beyond. Okay, so what about the bulb food you see for hybrids fetching prices that escalated from high to very high sale, even at the Co-op where Jay puts out boxes of fish to crazy. “Tulipmania” was all fun and games until their futures bone meal and extols its virtues for great root and flower market crashed in 1637, leaving many unlucky peeps in financial development? Yeah, it's great but not needed for tulips ruin. You're short on cash, you trade 12 acres of farmland for a since most people treat them as an annual and just expect the one season from them (more on that in a bit – it ain't single tulip bulb...what could possibly go wrong?!

The Dutch stoically refused to fall out of love with them, always so). What I really push the bone meal for is almost all though, so the hybridizing continues there to this day, and the other bulbs we sell that are more reliably perennial and tulips are still synonymous with Holland. In the early to mid-20th prolific or edibles like garlic and shallots, where multiplying century Dutch immigrants brought them to the Valley, Mount and good individual clove size are important. Tulips as Vernon launched the Tulip Festival in 1984, and now it’s the most most people grow them are truly plug-and-play. There's popular festival in Washington state.

You don't need the likes of me to go all Chamber of Commerce on you and remind you that they pump a gazillion dollars into our economy, but maybe I can convince you to be proud of this thing we're known for and grow some of the madness for yourself?

Plugging in a few bulbs now will bring Essential Points spring splendor and might even help ACUPUNCTURE you grow some love, if love is what you need but never had, or have and want to share. Love the tulip. Embrace Elsa Del Toro, L.Ac. Doctoral Candidate, Pacific College of Oriental Medicine the tulip. Become the tulip. Chop the tulip's little head off when it's no ACUPUNCTURE • HERBS • NUTRITION • TUINA longer pretty. There! Feel better?

Step one, buy some bulbs. The box Personalized Healthcare stores have them as early as August Patient and Community Education Holistic and Preventive Approach and you can plant them then if you Home Visits like, but pros recommend October to December to avoid early sprouting (360) 399-7467 that could damage them when a 613 W Division Street, Mount Vernon, WA 98273 hard, sustained freeze hits (though it www.essentialpointsacupuncture.com should be noted, they'll recover, this

a delayed gratification issue since you've got about six months between planting and bloomtime but not much else about them is distressingly un-American.

Most frequently asked question: how deep do you plant them? In my experience, you won't go wrong with most bulbs if you plant them 4x as deep as they are “tall.” Your average tulip bulb is maybe 1.5”-2” from base to tip so if the base rests on the bottom of an 8” deep planting hole, you've got it. It's fine if you don't go as deep, they'll still bloom and be pretty but there are some potential issues: it's easier for squirrels and other critters to dig them up, they're not as well insulated in the winter, and they may fall over in wind or heavy rain if they're not as deeply anchored.

They look best in oddnumbered groups of 5 or more, or multiples of three which makes 6 or 12 okay, too. More is better, 5 should be the minimum I think. I'm not sure why this is true, it just is. Don't overthink it like I just did. In containers, just stuff 'em full and don't fuss as much about planting depth.

Finally, if you hate that they peter out after the first year and in a not-too-distant spring sprout just a few leaves and no flowers at all, the Google and YouTube can guide you through the tedious process of digging, dividing, curing, re-planting and repeating all these steps for several years if you're so inclined, but I'm not, and I'm guessing you're not either.

You'll find some types, notably the Giant Darwins and the fosterianas (aka Emperor tulips), come back strongly for more years than the others do. Just enjoy them while you have them.

Just enjoy them.

Skagit Valley Food Co-op • The Natural Enquirer • October - December 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.

Feeling overwhelmed? Stress is a normal part of life.

Ayurveda can change how you deal with it. Using wisdom and practical tools from this ancient healing science, you'll learn to reorient your mind, body, and spirit toward ease, and you'll leave with a beginner's toolkit. Isabel Castro is an Ayurvedic Health Practitioner, passionate about empowering others to take charge of their health.

Community Building Through Foster Care with Youthnet Tuesday, October 8, 6:30pm

Interested in supporting your community by becoming a foster parent?

Meet Youthnet's foster care team for a presentation and Q&A. Learn about Skagit's current foster care issues; how kids and teens enter foster care; what it looks like to be a foster parent or respite provider; and how to get involved.

Aromatherapy for the Spirit with Michelle Mahler

Wednesday, October 9, 6:30pm • Free, optional supply fee

Experience a hands-on aromatherapy workshop and learn to blend your own mental and spiritual support aromatherapy roll-on. Therapy massage oils can be applied to the chest (heart) and back of neck (brain) to support spiritual growth and help to energize and motivate.

Class is free—optional fee of $10 to make an organic 1/ 3 oz roll-on.

Peripheral Neuropathy: What It Is & What to Do About It with Dr. Cameron Bigge Thursday, October 10, 6:30pm

Peripheral Neuropathy involves the nerves and blood vessels of hands and/or feet. Symptoms may include weakness, numbness, pins and needles, bunching, pinching, cramping, tingling and pain from nerve and blood vessel damage. Come learn about what can be done to manage and care for peripheral neuropathy.

Bhatki Path of Yoga with Swami Tulsidas Friday, October 11, 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.

Health Benefits of Bathing with Essential Oils & Bath Salts! with Shepard Moon Concoctions Monday, October 14, 6:30pm

Explore the healing powers of essential oils and the health benefits of taking Epsom salt baths with Shepard Moon’s owner Makena Phillips. Learn the basics of blending and how taking baths (not showers) can help with ailments such as diabetes, chronic pain, anxiety, and digestion disorders.

Connection & Belonging: An Intro to Family Constellations with Verena Giebels Tuesday, October 15, 6:30pm

The connection we have as families with our ancestors is often beyond our consciousness. Learn how unresolved issues can travel through generations; how they’re brought to light in Family Constellations; and how to receive strength from your ancestors. Verena Giebels, LMP, CCSP was certified as a Facilitator for Family Constellations in 2004 by the Human Systems Institute.

Cohousing – Fostering Sustainability and Resiliency through Community with Skagit Cohousing Thursday, October 17, 6:30pm

HOURS

People are talking about cohousing. Why? Because it’s an antidote to our culture’s loss of connection and community. In this workshop, learn how Skagit Cohousing is developing a cohousing community to foster sustainability and resiliency here in Skagit County with its new project.

Co-op:

M-Sat 8am-9pm Sun 9am-9pm

Third Street Cafe:

M-F 11am-Close Sat 9am-Close Sun 9am-9pm

C·SQUARE:

7am-7pm Daily

Saturday, October 19, 1:00 pm

Naturally reduce pain intensity and have a more comfortable life using self-hypnosis. You will learn how to open your potential to retrieve your natural endorphins and calm your nervous system for natural pain control.

Holistic Dental Practices with Dr. Janette Carroll Monday, October 21, 6:30pm

Come hear it straight from the doctor’s mouth…Dr. Janette Carroll’s mouth, that is. As a local holistic dentist, she understands how the mouth relates to the overall health of the body. You’re invited to learn more about holistic dentistry and its impact on your wellbeing.

The Gut-Brain-WholeBody Connection with Karl Mincin Tuesday, October 22, 6:30pm

Most disease begins in the gut; heal your gut, heal your whole body.

Get a better understanding of the GI tract; the digestive process and interconnectedness of the gut, brain, heart, liver, and immunity; and how to best select the remedies for your gut ecology.

From Fatigued to Fantastic with Regina Zwilling Wednesday, October 23, 6:00pm

In this workshop, Regina will share how adrenals get drained, hormones get out of balance, and how this can lead to weight gain and zap energy. You’ll leave with a plan to restore your adrenal health, balance your hormones, and learn how to feel great again!

Life Under a Bag Ordinance with Skagit BagBANd Wagon Thursday, October 24, 6:30pm

What happens under a ban of single-use plastic carryout bags? What goes, what stays, what replaces carryout bags? How can we be better recyclers? Not sure if something belongs in recycle or landfill? Bring it!

Learn ways to move towards a Zero Waste lifestyle with this group of Master Composter/Recyclers.

MELT for Hands & Feet with Caryn Boyd Diel Monday, October 28, 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.

Benefits of Hemp-Derived CBD with CV Sciences Saturday, November 2, 12:00pm

Hemp-derived cannabidiol, or CBD, has been receiving a lot of attention for its health benefits, and hemp CBD supplements are even being recognized as a key supplement to improve quality of life. Come learn more about hemp CBD and what exactly there is to know!

Enjoy Peaceful, Grateful Holidays with Reiki Meditation with Valerie Rose Monday, November 4, 6:30pm

Can the holiday season be peaceful instead of stressful, grateful instead of resentful? Yes! Learn a Reiki meditation and some easy breathing meditations to bring calm and joy into your holidays.

The Science of Gender with Skagit PFLAG Tuesday, November 5, 6:30pm

We’ve been taught that gender is a product of culture and have learned how to behave consistently with our sexual anatomy. Science is helping us understand that gender is very complex and has a great deal to do with fetal development. Expand your knowledge to help better understand the world of transgender people.

Thanksgiving:

HOURS

Monday, October 7, 6:30pm

Pain Reduction with Hypnosis with Kathleen Boehm, RN

holiday

Be Calm Now: A Holistic Approach to Anxiety & Stress with Isabel Castro

4 Skagit Valley Food Co-op • The Natural Enquirer • October - December 2019

CLOSED

Christmas Eve:

Co-op: 8am-Close C·SQUARE: 7am-Close Third Street Cafe: 11am-4pm

Christmas Day:

CLOSED

New Year's Eve:

Co-op: 8am-7pm C·SQUARE: 7am-4pm Third Street Cafe: 11am-4pm

New Year's Day:

Co-op: Closed C·SQUARE: Closed Third Street Cafe: Brunch 9am-4pm

Co-op 101 en Español with Rob Smith Wednesday, November 6, 6:30pm

We're inviting the Latino community to an introduction of the Skagit Valley Food Co-op! Co-op Board Member Rob Smith will lead an interactive discussion in Spanish on basic co-op information and principles: what a co-op is, who can shop here (everyone is welcome!), and why we believe healthy food is the building block of a strong, healthy community! Free snacks and children's activities will be provided.

Tokens For Tomorrow

Meet the 4th 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 one of these local organizations.

Viva Farms

Introducción a la Cooperativa en Español con Rob Smith Miercoles, 6 de Noviembre a las 6:30 pm

¡Invitamos a la comunidad latina a una presentación de la Cooperativa de Alimentos de Skagit Valley! Un miembro de la mesa directiva de la cooperativa, Rob Smith dirigirá una discusión interactiva en español sobre información y principios básicos de la cooperativa: ¿qué es una cooperativa, quién puede comprar aquí (¡todos son bienvenidos!), y por qué creemos que la comida saludable es el base de una comunidad fuerte y saludable! Se proporcionarán bocadillos gratuitos y actividades para niños.

Simple Remedies with Essential Oils with Michelle Mahler Tuesday, November 12, 6:30pm • Free, optional supply fee

Learn how to blend and use a topical therapy massage oil to affect all levels of your being! Discuss some of the most common essential oils with the widest range of effects. Optional $10 supply fee to make a roll-on.

Electro-Smog 101 with Regina Zwilling Wednesday, November 13, 6:00pm

Electro-Magnetic Frequencies (EMFs) are everywhere; our wireless devices and networks are creating an environment that makes nearly unavoidable. Regina will explain how EMFs damage your health; why they’re especially damaging for children; and how to minimize the dangers of electro-pollution.

Stress Reduction & Refocusing with Hypnotherapy with Kathleen Boehm, RN Saturday, November 16, 1:00pm

Learn a natural way to decrease stress and increase the quality of life by bringing your life and body back into balance through hypnotherapy.

Hypnotherapy helps you refocus on beneficial thoughts and quickly calms the nervous system.

Own Your Power… Go Solar! with Banner Power Solutions

Viva Farms is a non-profit Farm Business Incubator and Training Program established in 2009 to preserve sustainable farming by creating a strong and just local food system. It operates two locations in Skagit County, and one in King County. Viva lowers the barriers for beginning farmers, and creates the opportunity for success. Viva has educated over 700 small farmers (150+ Spanish speakers) in sustainable organic farming, and is currently incubating 24 independent farm businesses (7 Latino owned).

Skagitonians to Preserve Farmland

Skagitonians to Preserve Farmland (SPF) exists to ensure the economic viability of Skagit County agriculture and its required infrastructure through farmland protection, advocacy, research, education, and public awareness.

Farming is valued and economically successful in Skagit County. The community understands the importance of protecting Skagit County’s farmland base and the farmers who depend upon it, and it looks to SPF as a thoughtful and articulate voice of conscience and pragmatism.

Through SPF’s efforts, a legacy of successful farmers and protected farmland will be guaranteed for present and future generations.

Thursday, November 21, 6:30pm

Skagit PFLAG

As Northwest Power Solutions Experts, the Banner Power Solutions team will be on-hand to answer questions about solar for the home, business, or farm. Learn how solar power, generators, and retrofit lighting work and can cut down your energy bill; and how to lower the cost of your solar project through State and Federal incentives.

PFLAG provides opportunities for dialogue about sexual orientation and gender identity. It works to create a society that is healthy and respectful to human diversity. PFLAG Skagit exists to provide support, education, and advocacy for LGBTQ people and their loved ones who live here among us, in our own neighborhoods and towns, in beautiful Skagit County.

The Bliss & Bummers of Lactation with Morghan Milagrosa Monday, December 2, 6:30pm

Join an interactive learning session on breastfeeding: initiation, common concerns, myths, tips, tricks and techniques, social challenges, and balancing breastfeeding with the demands of daily life. Morghan Milagrosa is a certified nurse-midwife, women's health nurse practitioner, and internationally board-certified lactation consultant who has been in clinical practice since 2005. Babies, children, and partners are welcome.

Make & Take Aromatherapy Gifts with Michelle Mahler Thursday, December 5, 6:30pm • Free, optional supply fee

Learn how essential oils can have a profound and immediate effect on your emotions, mind, and physical health. You’ll discuss simple blending of essential oils to create therapy massage roll-ons for a multitude of health and wellness needs. Optional $10 supply fee to make an organic 1/3 oz. roll-on.

Community Building through Foster Care with Youthnet Tuesday, December 10, 6:30pm See October 8 Description.

How Stress Affects Your Health, Digestion, & Weight with Regina Zwilling Wednesday, December 11, 6:00pm

Regina will explain how chronic stress affects the digestive system, overall health, and weight. Gain practical action steps to help reduce and manage stress and which foods are best to stay healthy under stress.

Sleep Apnea in Children & Adults with Dr. Janette Carroll Monday, December 16, 6:30pm

Learn about sleep apnea and why many people are undiagnosed (especially children). Dr. Janette Carroll will discuss what sleep apnea is; how it’s developed; common indicators; treatment options; and the many medical and dental conditions associated with obstructive sleep disorder breathing.

Neighbors in Need

Skagit Valley Neighbors In Need has been open since 1972 and has served Skagit Valley continuously ever since.

Neighbors in Need is the second largest food bank in the region serving about 2,000 families, totaling about 8,000 people a month. In 2018, Neighbors in Need distributed over 1,322,000 pounds of food through its various services: regular distribution days, Mobile Food program, Backpack programs, and support of local mental and sexual health units.

Tokens for Tomorrow Recap April – June 2019

26,907

Tokens collected at the registers and paper bags saved.

$1,345

Dollar amount given to local organizations.

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.

Skagit Valley Food Co-op • The Natural Enquirer • October - December 2019

5

from wellness

Wild Weed Healing by nancylee bouscher If you look outside right now can you remember summer? There’s a place your eyes fall and imagine some secret bliss. The ways nature changes through the seasons—we all find some pleasure there. What I am remembering is slow growing strange plants popping up in our gravel driveway. I liked their fat stalks and wiry leaves, and as the sun grew hotter, the round heads, blooming petal-less polka dots: Malva neglecta. She likes the dry, compacted soil where nothing else can initially thrive but where, after she brings some moisture and loosens things up a bit, other plants will stretch into slowly like a morning yawn. Yes, neglecta as in “ignored,” yet you have seen her no doubt. But have you plucked one of her pom-poms and squeezed it slightly as you inhale? Pineapple. Straight up.

Because I had such an abundance of this “rayless chamomile” I started to get curious. Not just curious about what this plant could do for me, but why this plant had found me (or maybe why I had suddenly stopped ignoring her). Turns out, she does everything those big fancy chamomiles do. You can drink her in a tea if you are restless or have an upset stomach or even if your kiddo is teething. She’s not pretty though, and many call her a weed, ripping her out of their yard, tossing her in the compost—or worse buying a chemical poison spray to wither her at the root.

Here she was, greeting me like so many dots for me to number in a string of bright yellow from my front door to my car—for days without fail, without water, without any tending. One day my youngest son sat in the gravel and used scissors to fill a bowl with her tropical-scented heads and we made a hydrosol that has a thin film of her essential oil floating on top. I screw open the jar and breathe in the essence of this weed, and it brightens my mood, lightens my heart and gets me thinking…

We all have gotten compacted and dried out a bit. It’s not because we

are doing anything wrong. It’s just all the pressure of living takes its toll.

In some way—everyone that I talk to as I work in the Wellness Department essentially is looking for their own Malva neglecta. What will loosen me up? How can I shake off this crust of dust that has settled in my bones and clouded my vision? What can I do that will remind me what joy smells like?

Yes, I can show you the Vitamin D that you are probably in need of and will help you fight off viruses. Sure, we have Valerian tincture so you can sleep on the lumpy couch you find yourself on so your Mom can sleep in your bed while she visits from Minnesota or Michigan. We have over 100 items for pain relief, and one of them will help your tense neck. However, the remedy that you need most no matter what is bugging you is for you to BE Malva neglecta. Yeah, I just told you to become the pineapple weed.

Think back to a time when you were content. Seriously, give yourself permission to remember everything about that moment. The sights, the sounds, the smells. Maybe it was a day at Rosario Beach throwing rocks into the water as your kid hunted for agates. Maybe it was holding hands with your wife as you drove to the airport realizing you would miss the way her hair smells most of all. Maybe it was eating the first bite of a meal prepared for you on backyard grill by your favorite uncle who has since passed away. You have had moments in your life when you felt like your heart would burst with love. What an incredible gift.

Now think about what you can do to give that healing feeling of love to someone else. Pick any person in your life and decide to help break up the gravel that’s keeping them stuck. Start slow if you need to—plant a seed of a potential, shifting things with your smile, your arms lifting them up inches as you hug them. See their struggle and remind them of the many ways they have been your Malva neglecta when you needed it.

It takes surprisingly little to accomplish this. For example, when I was sick my mom would cradle my face in her hands and kiss my forehead. She usually couldn’t take off work to stay home with me, so she’d tuck me in and then run to the corner store to buy Verner’s ginger ale. She’d pour it in a glass and tell me to drink it when it was flat. Then she’d rush off to work and call throughout the day—the strain of worry in her voice something I didn’t hear until I had my own kids sick on the couch. My simple plan is to buy her a single bottle of every type of ginger ale we sell and give her a note that says: Thanks for always wanting me to be the strongest I could be.

Your love was the best medicine.

Your love is also the best medicine. Share it. Find a way to do it, and it doesn’t have to be perfect. If it involves buying some jewelry, or ingredients for cookies, or a box of tea, or a bottle of cough syrup—I really hope you decide to come here to buy it. Not just because in a very real way my income is based on you spending money here (it’s called Profit Sharing and one of the perks of working at this cooperatively owned business), but because this cool thing happens when you shop here. You come in and you tell us about your day, your life—not just with your words but with how you shop, what you buy. Your kids make us laugh as they shop into those tiny carts, whisking around with a rainbow of food that delights them. You mispronounce weird herbs and teach us about ones we can’t pronounce.

You share recipes and ask us how to cook celery root. And sometimes we get to see these tiny sparks of love erupt from your smile as you thank us for doing this very sweet job of helping you to be your strongest self while you vote with your money for organic and local. When my days get hard and compacted with the crusty bits of life—YOU are my Malva neglecta.

Keep on blooming, you glorious wild weed.

Give & Take

Whether you’re focused on giving meaningful gifts or taking a little more time for yourself this season, these Co-op favorites are sure to bring a little joy to whoever needs it most.

Wild Carrot

WANDERLUST FOOT CREAM

Let the Wanderlust carry you and this cream restore you. Slather on weary feet, cracked heels, and dry legs. Oregon peppermint revitalizes the skin, and organic, virgin cocoa butter softens and rehydrates.

Host Defense

MYCOBOTANICALS BRAIN & BODY POWDER

Mix this blend of Lion’s Mane, turmeric, reishi, and ginger into your favorite fall food or drink to support brain, heart, digestive, and whole body health.

Gift Republic

ANIMAL ADOPTION ORCA TIN

Help safeguard the future of orcas with a 12-month adoption! This pack contributes to ORCA to protect killer whales and is brimming with facts and figures about this beloved species.

6 Skagit Valley Food Co-op • The Natural Enquirer • October - December 2019

Kavu

ORCA SOCKS

Wear cool socks, save the whales!

Featuring rad killer whale patterns, 20% of profits will benefit the Center for Whale Research, the leading voice for our endangered resident killer whales.

Almost Turkey Time It’s Autumn and soon we will be taking your holiday turkey orders!

At the end of October, we will have Turkey Q&A Info Sheets available at the front registers. The FAQ sheet will provide the necessary information to select your perfect turkey, as well as order and pick-up times.

If you’ve been here during Thanksgiving week in years past, you probably saw cashiers running around with festive headgear, name tags, and big turkeys in their arms.

We call this “turkey running” time, and it is a fun time of year. The aisles are full of holiday food and treats, carts are overflowing, and everyone is preparing to cook up a storm.

Turkey orders start Friday, Nov. 1st. You can order your turkey from any frontend cashier or phone in your order. You pay a $5 non-refundable deposit when you place your order and pay the remaining balance when you come in to pick up your turkey.

We also have ham, prime rib, duck and other meats.

If you prefer one of these options, the folks in the meat department are here to help you out.

Our turkeys come from Diestel Family Farms in Sonora, CA – delivered fresh, never frozen, and directly to us the week of Thanksgiving. All Diestel turkeys are 100% vegetarian fed, raised without antibiotics or growth hormones and contain no preservatives, gluten or artificial ingredients. We will have the following available for order: Original Diestel Turkeys, Organic Diestel Turkeys and if available, the Diestel Organic American Heirloom Turkeys.

Essential Gut Health

by Karl Mincin Most of us have been told to chew our food well because digestion begins in the mouth.

Yes, chewing thoroughly is very important, but did you know that digestion actually begins in the mind?

Close your eyes and visualize biting into a lemon, notice how your mouth waters with salivary amylase, a starch digesting enzyme. With just a thought you have turned on the digestive process! Interestingly, this process also works in reverse: what goes on in the gut very much affects our mind, mood, and thought process.

Let’s take a quick tour of the Gastrointestinal (GI) Tract and its two distinct parts: the Upper GI tract includes the stomach and 30 feet of small intestine, where enzymes work their transformative power on macronutrients, and where micronutrients are absorbed. The colon, bowel or large intestine, is the Lower GI. This is where healthy bacteria work their magic and water is absorbed to form a stool. These two distinct parts are so functionally different that they really should be classified as two separate organs making up one amazing system.

Ordering Size Ranges: We will have several different size ranges for both the Original and Organic Turkeys. Due to nature, we can’t guarantee exactly how large a turkey will grow. If you order an Organic 6-10 lb. turkey, for example, it could weigh any weight in that range. So, if you really need at least a 10 pound turkey, we recommend that you purchase the next size range up: an Organic 10-14 pound bird.

You can pick up your fresh turkey: · 9am-9 pm Sunday, Nov. 24th

· 8am-9pm Monday - Wednesday, Nov. 25th-27th · We are closed on Thanksgiving Day, Nov. 28th.

the physiologic benefits that facilitate the natural digestive process. I do, however, have a Digestion Support packet available with details and examples. · Limit fluid/water intake to less than 4 ounces with, and for one hour after, meals. Too much fluid with a meal dilutes enzymes and interferes with digestion. However, a full cup of water 20-30 minutes before a meal aids digestion.

· Consider a therapeutic trial of digestive enzymes (fancy term for let’s take some enzymes and see what happens), especially if you have any bloating, acid reflux, or other indigestion. More importantly, perform a Hair-Tissue-Mineral Analysis to identify and correct underlying deficiencies of minerals, which are the building blocks of digestive enzymes.

In other words, an enzyme deficiency may be secondary to a mineral deficiency; correct the mineral deficiency and the body regains its ability to produce adequate enzymes – without ongoing supplementation.

These tips can go a long way to profoundly improve your digestion and also potentially resolve serious digestive disorders, and even reduce or eliminate medication.

Look to the next issue of the Natural Enquirer for more information on the Lower GI, including pre- and pro-biotics, as well as the gut-brain connection. There is much truth to

When you come in to pick up your turkey, just let any cashier know that you have a turkey to pick up, and we will get it for you.

It is helpful if you bring in your turkey order receipt and/or know the last name of the person who ordered your turkey.

Visit skagitfoodcoop.com for more turkey information.

the saying that “all disease begins in the gastrointestinal tract.” Most of this relates to the intestinal flora, or microbiome. Suffice it to say that if you are not having at least one full, complete, easy bowel movement each and every day, it might be time to listen to your gut: I’ll be leading a digestion workshop on October 22nd! See page 4 for description and details.

Karl Mincin is a functional medicine nutritionist and natural health educator in practice locally for 30 years.

360.336.2616 www.Nutrition-Testing.com Instagram: MincinNutritionist Facebook: NutritionTesting1

My top tips to improve your digestion: · Eat only when hungry and relaxed. · Chew thoroughly – and then chew some more! This really is important.

Proper food combinations can make a profound difference not only for digestive health, but also energy and weight management. The first of two guidelines is especially important: eat fruit alone, either on an empty stomach at least 20 minutes before, or two or three hours after any other food. No need to get complicated with head-spinning food charts, arrows pointing every which way; the simple principles are sufficient to achieve Skagit Valley Food Co-op • The Natural Enquirer • October - December 2019

7

A Look Ahead to One World & the Holidays

Fair Trade is about making the right choices the most obvious ones, based on the simple idea that the products we buy and sell are connected to the livelihoods of others. Fair Trade is a way to make a conscious choice for a better world. When you choose Fair Trade Certified™ goods, you’re choosing to support responsible companies, empower farmers, workers, and fishermen, and protect the environment.

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handpicked, hand wrapped… or something not wrapped at all, or rather, you wrapped in a blanket sharing quality time with someone you love, or wine with yourself. Some eschew the pressures of holiday gift giving by not giving any, or by escaping to a tropical destination far away from it all: dreaming of a white sand Christmas qualifies as a favorite thing. And in a season that can be viewed as carelessly consumptive, a future landfill of “stuff,” buying gifts just for the sake of it can feel performative. Yet, there is also something inherently joyful in giving—to watch a child’s universe light up as you give her a new puppet (and then give that

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With fall fresh upon us, the hustle ‘n’ bustle of the holiday season probably hasn’t entered your mind quite yet, but it won’t linger in the periphery for long.

So as you’re savoring these crisp mornings, a gentle steam rising from your coffee as you reflect on the year and welcome a changing of the seasons, maybe you’re also pondering the state of the world, your place in it, and what you can change to make a difference—if only in your own headspace or your home. Because that’s where change begins, isn’t it? An idea for you as you lean into the possibilities and the holidays approach: transform your quandaries, your thoughtfulness into a gift giving season with real meaning.

Th at m e a n i n g f u l n e s s i s yours to decide. Holiday gifts can be handwritten, handmade,

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The Joy of Meaningful Gifts

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puppet your human voice), or to watch a partner’s eyes well up at an unexpected gesture—those are joyous moments.

If yo u, l ike many, find joy in the process, you also have the power to turn your holiday purchases into a force for good, under the tree and around the globe with the Co-op Mercantile’s One World program. One World showcases over 120 companies who give back to life-changing initiatives when you purchase their products. These companies are committed to tackling s o m e o f t h e w o r l d ’s problems, and contribute to causes you care about such as the empowerment of women and girls, environmental protection, clean water rights, and bully prevention. All One World companies meet one or both of these distinctions:

Photo by: Matr Boomi

8 Skagit Valley Food Co-op • The Natural Enquirer • October - December 2019

• Fair Trade Certification.

Fair Trade is a global movement made up of a diverse network of producers, companies, shoppers, advocates, and organizations putting people and planet first.

• Community Development.

One World began when the Co-op first started carrying TOMS shoes, a pioneer of the buy one, give one movement. TOMS’ One for One gives back in a huge way, matching every purchase with donation to communities in need, and while TOMS kicked off with giving shoes, its programs have expanded to eyewear, equality, safe water, shelter, mental health, and ending gun violence. TOMS is a big company with big giving numbers, but we realized, we work with so many other companies whose missions align with the cooperative spirit of community giving. These brands contribute to their communities in obvious and impactful ways, from funding schools and protecting orcas to working with reclaimed goods and cutting down on plastic waste.

Like Fair Trade, One World is intended to encourage a different type of abundance: by highlighting the social responsibility of these companies, we hope to influence the marketplace by encouraging more and more vendors to give back and to inspire you to vote for good with your dollars.

Many of these One World gifts are one-of-a-kind and only available at the Co-op, which makes Mercantile something like a treasure trove and much more exciting than the fluorescent glow of a big box store. There are a few items though, that you might be able to one-click directly to your doorstep, and yes, the pull of convenience is strong, especially when the days are dark and time is short. But as you look ahead to the holidays and the gift-giving season, you as a Co-op shopper already know that where you purchase goods matters, too. A gift from the Co-op gives back in ways an online transaction can’t: a friendly human interaction with our helpful staff and all the warmfuzzies of intentional gift giving.

When the holidays do finally roll around, keep an eye out for our 24 Days of Facebook Giveaways for a chance to win One World products every day before Christmas and a One World in-store giveaway! The list of One World companies, and links to how they give back, can be found on our website: www.skagitfoodcoop.com/shop/ mercantile.

Dig In to Support Farm Tales of Recycling to School Programs Skagit Valley Food Co-op & National Cooperative Grocers As a Skagit Valley Food Co-op shopper, you’ve helped support several local farm-to-school efforts over the years: Anacortes Middle School Garden to Kitchen Classes, Clear Lake Elementary Visions Garden, Concrete Farm to School, Communities in Schools, and Camp Korey Garden Program to name a few. But did you know, when you shop at the Co-op, you’re also advocating for a nationwide farm-to-school movement?

Your Co-op is part of the National Co+op Grocers (NCG), who earlier this year donated over $77,000 to the National Farm to School Network (NFSN) to help increase kids’ access to healthy, local food all across the U.S.! Similarly to how shopping at the Co-op can give children a better idea of where their food comes from, school gardens are an amazing way to connect kids to the food they eat and to the community around them. Giving kids hands-on experience in the garden not only promotes healthy eating, it also increases the understanding of classroom science, encourages play, and builds an awareness and appreciation for the natural world.

NCG led the NFSN fundraising effort as part of its annual grocery and wellness conference and tradeshow, Co+nvergence. A leader in U.S. farm to school movement since 2007, NFSN enriches the connection communities have with fresh, healthy food and local food producers by enhancing food purchasing and education practices at schools and early care and education settings. The money raised at Co+nvergence will be used to fund NFSN’s new equity learning lab, a project aimed at advancing equity within the farm to school movement.

“Food co-ops believe that everyone should have access to good, healthy food and we are excited to support NFSN’s work to impact food access by advancing diversity and inclusion within farm to school programs,” said C.E. Pugh, CEO of NCG. “It is an honor to support this important grassroots work.”

"NCG and its partners’ generous donation will have a big impact at an especially critical time,” said Helen Dombalis, Executive Director of NFSN. “Advancing equity has been a core value of NFSN since our founding. In recent years, on a strategic level, our partners and staff have identified advancing racial and social equity as a key priority for the next phase of our organization. This donation will help us train farm to school leaders from across the country to increase their knowledge of equity principles and strategies and to ensure we maximize impact towards addressing inequities and injustices in our food system."

Industry partners joining NCG in the fundraising initiative include United Natural Foods (UNFI), which contributed $15,000 and Alter Eco, maker of fair trade and organic chocolate you can find in the Co-op, which also contributed generously to the effort.

“Alter Eco is proud to partner with values driven organizations like NCG in supporting National Farm to School Network,” said Mike Forbes, CEO at Alter Eco. “It’s critical that our kids understand where their food comes from and why it matters!”

As a community-owned grocery store, we have the amazing opportunity to protect our food system and planet by connecting our children to real, fresh food through education and outreach programs here in Skagit Valley and beyond. So, next time you dig in to a bite of healthy food from the Co-op, let it be a delicious reminder that together we’re growing healthy communities at home and around the country!

Fair Trade Index

By JoMarie Jensen, Grocery Manager In July 2018, we started taking 30-gallon bags of shrink wrap and plastic film to Sanitary Services Company, Inc. in Bellingham to be recycled as part of our continual effort to minimize our impact on the environment. Based on the first few months of recycling, we anticipated recycling 2,000 gallons of film in one year. That seemed like a lot, but after 6 months, the Produce Department started bagging up their plastic film, too. So in our first year we recycled over 3,000 gallons of plastic film!

I had a funny experience one time when I was dropping off the plastic film. A PSE (Puget Sound Energy) truck was parked in the entrance to the SSC, Inc. recycling area) to make a quick electrical repair to one of their lines. I was parked behind their truck waiting to get in and the driver told me that he would only be a few minutes; I said that was no problem. Then I overheard the driver jokingly telling some of the SSC, Inc. employees that he’d better hurry, because he had a recycler on his ass. I could hear them laughing, and I laughed, too.

I’ve been asked by some of our customers where I go to recycle the film so they can also take their plastic film there. It’s the Sanitary Services Company office at 1001 Roeder Ave in Bellingham.

They charge by the bag, so I recommend packing the bag as full as you can when you go. Yeah, and don’t let anyone get between you and the recycling bin.

Fair Trade USA empowers farmers and workers to fight poverty in ways that improve lives and protect the environment.

1.6 MILLION

Number of farmers and workers around the world who are part of the Fair Trade movement

$441,000,000 Amount Fair Trade producers have earned since 1998 to enable sustainable livelihoods across the globe

70

Countries where Fair Trade products are sourced.

Coffee is the leading Fair Trade category, with 142 million pounds imported by the U.S. and Canada in 2016.

$44,000,000

Community development funds earned in 2016 to invest in schools, medical clinics, child care, and other community projects around the world

6,600+

Items in the Co-op that are Fair Trade Certified or made using Fair Trade ingredients

Anacortes Middle School Garden to Kitchen Students

Based on Fair Trade USA’s 2016 Annual Report and 2019 SPINS Report.

Skagit Valley Food Co-op • The Natural Enquirer • October - December 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: June

$2,632

Communities in Schools

July

$2,490 Million Waves Project

August

$2,320 YMCA Oasis Teen Shelter

Helping Hands Food Bank October 25

The mission of Helping Hands Food Bank is to nourish the community with kindness and respect with no judgment. The purpose is to fight hunger insecurity in Skagit County. Helping Hands Food Bank had over 16,000 unduplicated clients in 2017 alone. It serves the community through several programs including food distribution, mobile food delivery, and CHOW “Cutting Hunger on the Weekends,” a program that serves children who are on reduced or free school lunches when school is closed.

Helping Hands Food Bank will use 4% Friday funds to increase the client load in its Mobile Food Program. Currently, it serves 33 people, but so many more need help. These people are clients who need the food assistance, but are physically incapable of making it into the Food Bank to get services. Instead, Helping Hands Food Bank delivers food to them.

La Leche League November 22

La Leche League USA helps parents, families, and communities to breastfeed, chestfeed, and human milk feed their babies through parentto-parent support. LLL USA encourages, informs, educates, supports, and promotes the use of human milk and the intimate relationship and development that comes from nursing a child for as long as mutually desired. La Leche League provides support to breastfeeding mothers and their nursing children. It holds monthly support meetings, has an online discussion group, makes presentations, holds playgroups, and answers help calls.

La Leche League is made up entirely of unpaid volunteers. Materials are either purchased by leaders or received through donations and fundraisers. 4% Friday funds will be used to pay dues to the greater organization; purchase books, materials, and toys for meetings; pay rental fees for meeting spaces; and save the excess to cover the same recurring costs each year.

Skagit Adult Day Program December 27

It is the mission of Skagit Adult Day Program (SADP) to provide high quality, compassionate care in a safe environment to those who have diagnoses of a dementia or Alzheimer’s disease. The activities and social interactions are designed to stimulate cognition, improved or maintain mobility while meetings the social needs of the individuals. SADP provides respite, support, and education to the caregiver.

The Skagit Adult Day Program provides homecooked meals at both Bradford House and Gentry House, cooked by its staff. It also provides the same for various support and educational groups for client’s caregivers throughout the region. 4% Friday funds would be used to help sustain these efforts.

10 Skagit Valley Food Co-op • The Natural Enquirer • October - December 2019

New & Notable

by Jenny Sandbo

Drinks & Snacks

Waterloo Sparkling Water. Let’s start with the nos: no calories, no sugar, no sodium, no caffeine, no GMOs, no BPA. Now for the yeses: bold flavor yes! natural fruit yes! refreshing yes! bubbly yes! Whole 30 approved yes! Waterloo is based in Austin, Texas where many bold revolutions have taken root, and we think these guys are going to give LaCroix some serious competition. A new Co-op favorite, there are lots of excellent flavors, but we especially love watermelon, grape, and grapefruit. We don’t have space for all the flavors on our shelves so we will have all flavors on display in store while we figure out which are your favorites.

Bob's Red Mill Oat Bars. This employee-owned, Oregonbased natural grain milling company is known around the world for quality, whole-grain foods, so it’s no surprise that they are mixing up their own batches of hearty whole-grain oat bars. Made with gluten-free, Non-GMO oats, peanut butter, and organic honey, they provide a tasty balance of protein, fat, and high-fiber that fill your belly and level your blood sugar. Satisfying like a cookie, nutritious as a bowl of oatmeal. In the snack bar aisle.

Delicious Dinner Ideas Kite Hill Dairy Free Ravioli. Soft pillows of pasta filled with creamy almond milk ricotta. Vegan, soy-free, dairyfree, and Non-GMO. Kite Hill is one of the innovators in the plant-based diet movement, and we are pleased to see them expand beyond yogurt. Easy to prepare, just drop in boiling water, wait a few minutes, drain, then top with other stuff you enjoy like sauce, pesto, sautéed veggies, olive oil, and pine nuts. Choose from mushroom ravioli, spinach ravioli, and original tortellini. In the freezer.

Capello's Grain Free Pizza. Made with hearty real food ingredients like almond flour, cage-free eggs, coconut oil, whole milk mozzarella, natural pork sausage, and turkey pepperoni, these tasty pizzas are also glutenfree, grain-free, soy-free and yeast-free. Crisp crust and a brain-satiating amount of healthy fats and protein. 11 grams of protein per serving. 3 servings per pizza (that’s up for debate). In the freezer.

I

vendor spotlight

Boldly Grown Farm

Photos by: Boldly Grown Farm

Hello, fellow Co-op members! This is Amy and Jacob from Boldly Grown Farm in Burlington. We’ve been supplying tasty, certified organic veggies to the Skagit Valley Food Co-op since we started our farm in 2015. Starting on one acre, we’ve since expanded our production to 12 acres, primarily focusing on fall and winter crops to feed our community through our wet Northwest winters, but our cut flowers and Roma tomatoes are also available at the Co-op in the summer months. We are currently located at Viva Farms, a local farm incubator program, while we look for a farm here in Skagit to call our own.

We love selling to grocery stores (and especially our local, hometown Co-op!) because it’s where most people buy their produce, and we feel like it gives us the greatest chance to make an impact on our food system. We are certified organic because—although it’s not a perfect system or guarantee of sustainable practices—we think it’s the best standard we’ve currently got, and that it’s important to be part of the organic movement and work toward improvements.

Winter squash is one of Boldly Grown’s products you’ll see at the Co-op in the fall and winter months. We grow many varieties, including butternut, delicata, kabocha, red kuri, acorn, spaghetti, blue hubbard, carnival, pie pumpkins, and more!

Delicata squash is one of our favorites because it tastes great and is just so easy—no peeling required! We love hearty fall and winter salads, and this recipe below features one of our other favorite veggies—radicchio (look for it at the Co-op now!).

We so appreciate the Skagit Valley Food Co-op, and you, for supporting the many fine, local purveyors just like us in Western Washington. Happy eating this fall and winter!

Roasted Squash and Radicchio Salad with Buttermilk Dressing (adapted from Melissa Clark, New York Times) • • • • • • • • • • • •

2 medium delicata squashes, halved lengthwise, seeded and cut into 1/2-inch slices 1 tablespoon honey 1½ teaspoons kosher salt ¼ teaspoon smoky chile powder, such as New Mexico or chipotle 6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 1/3 cup buttermilk 2 teaspoons lemon juice 2 teaspoons finely chopped tarragon 1 large garlic clove, grated 2-3 heads radicchio, cored and shredded (8 cups) 2/3 cup chopped toasted pecans 1/3 cup thinly sliced scallions

1. Heat oven to 425 degrees. In a large bowl, toss squash with honey, 3/4 teaspoon salt, chili powder and 2 tablespoons olive oil. Transfer to a large rimmed baking sheet. Roast, tossing occasionally, until tender and golden brown, 35 to 40 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, whisk together buttermilk, lemon juice, tarragon, remaining 3/4 teaspoon salt and the garlic. Whisk in remaining 4 tablespoons (1/4 cup) oil.

3. In a large bowl, combine radicchio, squash, pecans, and scallions. Toss in buttermilk dressing; taste and adjust seasoning as necessary.

Note: The original recipe calls for 1 head/4 cups of radicchio and 4 cups arugula, but we like the bitter flavor of radicchio on its own. Feel free to swap out or adjust ratios as desired. It would also be great with some dried cranberries thrown in!

Peanut Butter Cups

Alden's Organic Ice Cream "Squatch On". I do not like the name, but I looooooove what’s in the pint. Formally known as Sasquatch Tracks, this is Alden’s version of Moose Tracks. Creamy vanilla ice cream, fudgy swirls and salty-sweet peanut butter cups. Ooooooh yeah. In the freezer, of course.

Lily's Sweets Sugar Free Peanut Butter Cups, Baking Chocolate, & Chocolate Chips. Fair trade chocolate sweetened with stevia, inulin, and erythritol. We’ve carried Lily’s Chocolate Bars for many years and recently added more varieties. We are very excited to see sugar-free peanut butter cups and expanded options for baking.

Cups in the candy aisle. Chips in the baking aisle.

Skagit Valley Food Co-op • The Natural Enquirer • October - December 2019 11

12 Skagit Valley Food Co-op • The Natural Enquirer • October - December 2019

Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs:

A Brief History of this Much-Beloved Round Protein

by Sarah Stoner

On top of spaghetti all covered with cheese I lost my poor meatball when somebody sneezed It rolled off the table, it rolled on the floor And then my poor meatball rolled out of the door…

By the time this reaches your mailbox, Rosemary will be on her way to the East Coast, but we wanted to take the time to thank and recognize her for her hard work at the Co-op over the years!

- 1963 Children’s Song by songwriter Tom Glazer

I’m not sure how our meatballs slowly grew in magnitude after landing on our shores – and how they ended up being served with pasta and red sauce.

Maybe these immigrants unknowingly tuned in to a ‘food field’ from long ago, where ancient origins of this food were served in simmered sauce. Food historians’ best guess is that meatballs were first rolled up in Persia as far back as the 4th century, as a dish called ‘kofta’ (translation: ‘pounded meat’). Kofta today can be found rolled like a cigar or into tiny balls (much like the polpettes of Italy). (continued on page 16)

Customer Comments Is our bakery’s baguette made of Non-GMO grain?

Co-op Response: Great question! We make our breads at CRUST & CRUMBS using Shepherd’s Grain. All Shepherd’s Grain flours are Non-GMO Verified. Additionally, each grower is certified by Food Alliance™ for sustainability and adheres to strict standards for land improvement and soil regeneration.

Dear Skagit Valley Food Co-op,

Thank you very much for including The Friends of the ACFL as one of the Tokens for Tomorrow Program recipients. We were blown away by the outcome and the generosity of shoppers

Rosemary Carter

(former) Cashier Manager Co-op Employee Since May 2008

Sing the words, “On top of spaghetti…” to most any child of North America, and I’ll bet they can sing the next few lines of the ditty:

When the weather turns, I turn to the kitchen.

And what better food for gloomy skies than round balls of meat that might mythically roll off your plate and out the door to grow a giant meatball tree… meatball songs and meatball movies. We Americans dearly love our meatballs!

As you might guess, Italian-American immigrants in the United States are to thank for today’s meatballs on top of spaghetti. But make note: U.S. meatballs are completely different than the ones found in Italy. First of all, we roll ‘em big.

Italian-American meatballs are much larger than the Italian version, known as polpettes which even sound small. Depending on the region of Italy, polpettes can be small as marbles, and made with anything from turkey to fish.

And don’t go looking for meatballs on any menu in Italy – they are considered a homecooked food. One more difference: Italian meatballs are eaten plain or in a light soup broth.

Serving meatballs with pasta and tomato sauce is distinctly American.

staff profile

who connect with our mission. It’s inspiring to feel the community’s support while also reducing the use of single-use shopping bags! This contribution will help us to continue to offer and expand our range of all-ages community programming in service to the Forest Lands.

Thank you!

Co-op Response: Thank YOU for continuing to protect and maintain our forest lands! We are as moved by our customers’ commitment to reducing waste and protecting the environment as you are. It’s our great pleasure (and duty) to offer programs like Tokens for Tomorrow that help empower our shoppers to give back in a meaningful way each time they shop at the Co-op. Every bag makes a difference!

Favorite Customer Moment: You know...I like the family feel in our store and how we all share the positive and the negative and get through it all with understanding and patience.

I've never worked at a business where smiles and hugs are the norm. Thanks to everyone to allowing me to be a part of it.

What Rosemary Will Miss Most About Co-op Customers: Our Co-op customers are unique in so many ways. I'll miss seeing folks who genuinely seek belonging to such a wonderful venture as their local Co-op. They care about our growth, the well-being of our staff, and keeping the Co-op strong and accountable to the environment. And our wonderful customers even bring their carts back in the store after loading their cars.

Favorite Item in the Co-op: Are you kidding!? I've been here 11 years and some of my favorites are: our organic homemade ice cream coffee flavor! Mineral Fusion makeup in wellness, the beautiful jewelry selection in mercantile, our meat department's sweet Italian sausage - makes a yummy omelet! The gorgeous greens in produce and Iron Horse Beer!!

Outstanding Customer Service Celebration (a shout-out from a shopper): Good day, bad day she goes out of her way to help!

Skagit Valley Food Co-op • The Natural Enquirer • October - December 2019 13

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The Benefits of Fair Trade Banana Farming looked like on the ground. Fair Trade encourages minimal use of dangerous agricultural chemicals as well as the development of alternatives. A cooperative of smaller Fair Trade farms decided that research and development of biofermentation, a process developed in Japan, was a promising use of Fair Trade funds: biological products like chili peppers, garlic, seaweed, vinegar, sulfur, seawater, and annatto are fermented with bacteria from local mountains.

They developed two mixtures, one for use as a fertilizer, and one for use as a natural pesticide. The farms found that not only did both products work better than they’d hoped, but the pesticide was effective against fungal infections plaguing the banana trees. The cooperative decided to fund a fairly large-scale biofermentation plant and is sharing its products and knowledge with fellow farmers.

I was able to visit several schools and projects funded partially or entirely by the Fair Trade premium. There is a center for developmentally disabled children and adults.

The families of the adults pay a small attendance fee, but there are scholarships available to ensure they can. The center provides safety, social interaction, vocational and life skills, and an opportunity for play that many of the individuals otherwise lack; most of the people at the center would have been kept locked at home most of the time for their own

ORGANIC PRODUCE

∙ Non-organic Brussels sprout trees — from Pioneer Potatoes ∙ Assorted varieties of garlic — from Oroville Farm

∙ Chard, assorted bell peppers, assorted chili peppers, yellow and red onions, pink and red shallots, beets, winter squash, Jack-o-lantern pumpkins — from Hedlin Family Farm ∙ Purple cabbage, green and red dandelion, bunched, bagged, and bulk

carrots, kale, leeks, bunched spinach, parsnips — from Ralph's Greenhouse ∙ Turnips, green tomatoes, assorted winter squash, bunched and bulk beets, salad greens — from Well Fed Farm ∙ Gala apples, early Fujis, Honeycrisp apples, Pinova apples, Granny Smith apples, red and green D'anjou pears — from Brownfield Orchard

∙ Assorted eggplant, assorted melons, Seckle pears — from Edible Acres ∙ Taylor's Gold Comice pears — from Gary Moulton ∙

Sunflower sprouts, Brussels sprouts, tomatillos, bunched purple daikon radish, bulk white daikon radish, Padron peppers, Shishito peppers, Hungarian hot wax peppers, celery root, bulk turnips, assorted winter squash, squash ground cherries (AKA cape gooseberries) — from Moondance Farm

∙ Garlic, broccoli, radicchio, assorted herbs — from The Crows Farm

∙ Green onions, beets, fennel, potatoes, kale, Brussels sprouts — from The Highwater Farms

∙ Red Russian garlic, broccoli, Hot Banana peppers, Pascilla peppers, Guajillo peppers, globe eggplant, Napa cabbage, radicchio, gourds, mini pumpkins, cauliflower, winter squash — from Boldly Grown Farm ∙ Garlic, winter squash — from Blue Heron Farm

∙ Shiitakes, oyster and shiitake kits, dried reishi, petite shiitakes — from Cascadia Mushrooms ∙ Gallon, half gallon, and pint cider — from Cedardale Orchards

∙ Pea shoots, spicy mix microgreens, mild mix microgreens — from Dahlia Depot

∙ Dragon mix microgreens, broccoli microgreens, fava shoots, Napa cabbage microgreens — from Tops and Bottoms Farm ∙ Quince, Karmijn de Sonneville apples — from Willowrose Bay

∙ 1lb cubed Sugar Hubbard squash — from Sherman's Pioneer Farm

Produce Ben making friends with a student at one of the Fair Trade school visits in Colombia.

safety. The center also has a state-of-the-art commercial bakery, a new shipment of computers, art supplies, and large grounds with gardens and space to run and ride bikes.

I also visited two elementary schools funded by the Fair Trade premium, one of which had nearby low-cost housing also built with Fair Trade contributions. Employees and their families were able to take very low interest loans to purchase their own houses within walking distance of the school, and as they repaid the loans they were able to expand the houses by building additional stories onto them. The schools provide education to children who otherwise would not have had the opportunity. There is also a music and dance school funded jointly by Fair Trade and the Japanese consulate. I met young athletes, musicians, dancers, and scholars who would never have been able to find or afford the facilities available without the Fair Trade system, and these athletes, scholars, and performers are making good on their gifts. Children from small, poor villages are able to compete and win medals on a national and international level, towns where kids frequently turned to crime and drugs because of a lack of options.

I drank many small cups of hot, sweet, cinnamon-flavored coffee with impassioned farmers, workers,

managers, owners, husbands, wives, and children, as they told me what they’d been able to accomplish and what they were going to accomplish. Any worker or farmer in a co-op can suggest projects that should be researched and funded. Bridges are being built, solar generating systems installed in villages with no paved roads, community distribution centers that double as community centers are being established. When there’s a disaster, Fair Trade organizations can immediately pull funds to help. Farmers who have slaved away for others for most of their lives can purchase their own land and not only make a fair wage, but have a voice in their community.

You can help continue these efforts by purchasing Fair Trade Certified food.

14 Skagit Valley Food Co-op • The Natural Enquirer • October - December 2019

Classifieds Dependable House & Dogsitter

Available any time.

Call Marlee Mountain: 360-317-3353 Yuzi tree for sale.

"Inchandrin Sudachi Hybrid."

Japanese citrus, hardy to 10˚F Zone 7 here. Survived winter 2018 in Seattle.

One gallon pot 2 1/2'-3'. $28.

Call Mrs. Bentley: 360-387-1916

Ad Rates & Sizes Contact

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 ad deadline for the next issue (January 2020) is Friday, November 22.

Gift Cards…

Always the Right Choice Use at the Co-op, C·SQUARE, or at

Third Street Cafe

Skagit Valley Food Co-op • The Natural Enquirer • October - December 2019 15

Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs like a meat cookie. Makes sense that cultures around the world love their meatballs.

Two of our family’s favorite recipes are included here, one from my life as a mom and one from my childhood. Another recent favorite can be found with a quick internet search for ‘One-pan ginger chicken meatballs in peanut sauce.’

Be warned: it’s not particularly kid friendly - unless you remove the spice or their palates are advanced/ conditioned enough to appreciate the diced jalapeños in the meatballs and the sriracha in the sauce. This dish is comfort food with a kick.

Asian Turkey Meatballs with Lime Sesame Dipping Sauce

Did you grow up eating meatballs? My family may not have Italian ancestry to claim, but I can tell you this: there sure is an unmistakable delight burned into my kid memory, the delight of biting into round balls of meat.

As an American who lived in Morocco as a child, I’ve gobbled up my fair share of kofta. And one bite can tell you everything you need to know.

The decadent yet simple red sauce, shimmering with just the right amount of fat, moves your taste buds back in time along the trade routes through Greece, North Africa, and Spain.

“Perhaps pinpointing the exact origin of the meatball is less significant than acknowledging its global popularity,” says an article from The Atlantic, ‘A Food That Transcends Culture: The History of the Meatball.’ Nearly every major culture has its own version of the meatball: Spanish albondigas, Danish frikadellar, Dutch bitterballen, Chinese lion’s head, Vietnamese bo vien found in pho or fried up at a street stall. And kofta is served up everywhere from Morocco to India.

Turns out, meatballs can be made with just about any meat – fish, pork, beef, ostrich, chicken, you name it – combined with spices, fillers like bread or rice, and maybe egg. Cultures used what meat was in abundance: China’s abundance of pork meant plenty of pork meatballs while early Roman eaters rolled up peacock, pheasant, and rabbit meatballs. Cheap cuts of meat (or scrap leftovers before meat grinders came on the scene) can be transformed into something delicious.

Across the world, meatballs vary widely while they all share one feature: they are easy to eat. Food that you can pick up and pop into your mouth? It’s

A kid and parent favorite in our house. We’re all about the sesame-lime dipping sauce tang plus that ginger meatball bang. Four servings (12 meatballs, roll em big):

• 1/4 cup panko crumbs • 11/4 lbs 93% lean ground turkey • 1 large egg • 1 tbsp. ginger, minced • 1 clove garlic, minced • 1/2 tsp. kosher salt • 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro • 3 scallions, chopped • 1 tbsp. soy sauce of Bragg's • 2 tsp. sesame oil

For the Dipping Sauce:

• 3 tbsp. reduced-sodium soy sauce • 11/2 tsp. sesame oil • 11/2 tbsp. fresh lime juice • 11/2 tbsp. water • 1 tbsp. water chopped fresh scallion

Preheat oven to 500°F. 1. In a large bowl combine the ground turkey, panko, egg, salt, scallions, garlic, ginger, cilantro, 1 tbsp of the soy sauce and 2 tsp sesame oil.

Gently mix with your hands until combined well.

2. Shape meatballs 1/4 cup in size and transfer to a baking sheet. Bake until cooked through and browned, about 15 to 18 minutes.

3. For the dipping sauce: mix the lime juice, water, soy sauce, and remaining 2 teaspoons of

16 Skagit Valley Food Co-op • The Natural Enquirer • October - December 2019

oil in a bowl. Add the scallions and set aside.

4. Transfer the meatballs to a serving dish. Stir the sauce, then drizzle the meatballs with a little of the sauce. Serve the meatballs with the remaining sauce on the side.

Moroccan Kefta (Meatballs)

Serve kefta with triangle-shaped slices of Moroccan bread. This dish is also traditionally served with several soft-fried eggs laid gently over the meatballs. For a true Moroccan experience, serve this dish in a tagine platter—eat sitting in a circle on the floor, around a low table.

Meatballs: • 1 onion • 5 green onions (tops only) • 2 eggs • 3 tsp. salt • 3 lbs. ground chuck (lean, coarsely ground) • 1 cup parsley • 2 tsp. white pepper • 1/3 cup water

Sauce:

• 30 oz. tomato sauce

• 1 stick butter (sub. 3-5 tbsp. olive oil, if preferred • 1/2 tsp. black pepper • 1/2 tsp. salt 1. Grate the onion on a cheese grater, finely chop parsley, chop green onion tops, and press the garlic. Mix together with the ground chuck in a large bowl.

2. Make a well in the center of the meat mixture.

Add the eggs, white pepper, salt and water.

Knead like bread with hands until well mixed. Set aside for one hour or for as long as overnight in the refrigerator.

3. In a large stock pot, add tomato sauce, butter, black pepper and salt. Stir. Bring to a boil. Simmer without stirring for 15 minutes.

4. Roll meat mixture in the palm of your hands into small balls, about the size of a U.S. quarter. The balls should be fairly compressed. Add to sauce one by one as you make them. Do not swirl, stir, or shake pan to make more space for meatballs.

5. Simmer for 30 minutes—covered if you want to have lots of sauce, uncovered if you don’t.

6. Serve on a tagine-style platter if you are lucky enough to have one, or borrow one from a friend.

Sarah Stoner grew up in Uganda, Morocco, Belgium, and Thailand and lived in the U.S. for the first time at age 18. Catch her rolling along in the Skagit or at sarahjstoner@hotmail.com.

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