Spring 2014 - Putney Food Co-op

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The Putney Food Co-op
The Beet
• PO Box 730 Putney, VT 05346 •
802-387-5866
Spring 2014
Spring Membership Drive
Well the long, cold winter ended with
a bang! March was officially Membership Madness month and we welcomed 30 new members. Whenever
we have one of these member drives,
we offer the chance to win a $50 Co-op
gift card as an incentive to take the
plunge-- this month’s winner is Joyce
Sullivan from Westminster, congratulations
Joyce!
It was a close race at the register for the cashier contest with Lulu Lovering and Kelty
Swing Wilton battling it out for supremacy.
On the last day, the final tally was Lulu
with 9 new members and Kelty with 8-Lulu won the gift card and Kelty got a nice
consolation prize. Congratulations to all
the cashiers for their effort!
In addition to a lot of snow and nearly 100
days of below-freezing weather, this winter
brought us the “Food For All” discount
program. Food For All is the co-op’s effort to make healthy food accessible to all
by offering a 10% discount on purchases.
In This Issue:
NFCA Spring Gathering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Jr Iron Chefs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Parish Hill Creamery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Cave-to-Co-op . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
VT Harvest of the Month . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Less-sugar Baking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Putney Mtn. Association . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Herbal Remedies for Lyme . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
In the Garden with Charlie . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
VT GMO Labeling Win! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Fair Trade Now . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Calendar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
If you qualify for SNAP, WIC or SSI you
are eligible for the program. If you are
currently a member simply speak to any
cashier for assistance. If you are not yet
a member we ask that you join the Co-op
for $15. Every year we will send out a
reminder notice to renew membership in
the program and pay another $15 installment (until you have reached the full $75
membership fee).
In the cooperative spirit, we are also
encouraging anyone who would like to
purchase extra member shares in the co-op
at $5 a share to help fund a scholarship
program to pay for those deserving people
who are not able to pay the $15. As a tight
knit community still weathering the storm
of recession, any support is welcome.
in which case you can join for as little
as $15 a year and you would receive
10% off every time you shop.
3) We have monthly, members-only
pricing on many items throughout the
store.
4) We offer a 10% discount on any
case or bulk products and on individual
vitamins and health and beauty products
5) You can sign up to receive our enewsletter, which is full of interesting
recipes, ideas and products and 6 times
a year you will receive our newsletter
“The Beet” in the mail.
6) Yearly dividend checks in November based on your purchases throughout
our fiscal year.
Thanks to all of our members, new and
old, for your patronage and support, Happy
Spring!
A couple of things you may not know
about membership that might make joining
the Putney Co-op more compelling:
1) If you were a previous $25 member,
it’s only $50 to upgrade your membership and become active again, and this
could be done in two $25 monthly
installments.
2) If you currently receive, WIC,
SNAP or SSI benefits you would
qualify for our Food For All program,
ILLUSTRATIONS BY JACKIE FABRIZI • CARTOONS BY GILDAS CHATAL
The Beet
2
Neighboring Food Co-ops Celebrate Third Annual Meeting
On March 29th, the Neighboring Food
Co-op Association (NFCA) held its Third
Annual Meeting, hosted by the Putney
Food Co-op at the Putney School in
Vermont. The meeting brought together
a record 100 co-operators from more
than 40 food co-ops, start-up initiatives
and partner organizations from across
our region including reps from farmer
co-ops, co-op support organizations and
food security organizations. Guests at the
gathering included representatives from the
Cabot Creamery Co-op, CDS Consulting
Co-op, Cooperative Fund of New England,
Cooperative Grocers Network, Food Co-op
Initiative, Hunger Free Vermont, National
Cooperative Business Association, National Cooperative Grocers Association, New
England Farmers Union, and the UMASS
Five College Federal Credit Union.
cal artisan cheese makers and has moved
14 tons of regionally produced cheeses
through our neighboring food co-ops over
the past five years; and progress on healthy
food access work, with three NFCA co-ops
launching new programs making healthy
food and co-op ownership more affordable to low-income community members.
Also, NFCA’s work with the UMASS
Co-operative Enterprise Collaborative to
develop classes on co-ops and a certificate
program at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst.
NFCA President Glenn Lower, General
Manager at Middlebury Natural Foods
Co-op (VT), welcomed attendees. “As
Chair of the Board, it’s thrilling to see such
a large gathering, and especially so many
new co-ops,” said Lower. “It is very exciting to see how far we’ve come in creating
a sustainable organization that connects our
co-ops in so many ways.”
Roger Noonan, President of the New
England Farmers Union (NEFU), was
keynote for the gathering, emphasizing
the collaboration between NEFU and the
member co-ops of the Neighboring Food
Co-op Association to influence policies
affecting family farmers and fishermen in
our region. “The NFCA and its members
represent some the best advocates for local
and regional food,” said Noonan. “And we
look forward to continuing and expanding
this partnership between producers and
consumers to create positive change in our
food system and communities.”
Executive Director Erbin Crowell and
Bonnie Hudspeth, Marketing and Outreach
Manager, reported on the activities of the
past year, and NFCA’s priorities moving forward. Some highlights included
NFCA’s growth, with two new member
co-ops joining in early 2014; an update
on the “Cave to Co-op” partnership with
Provisions International that promotes lo-
Glen Lower honors our own Robyn O’Brien for
three years of service on the NFCA board.
Falls, Mass.
Afternoon workshops offered an opportunity for food co-ops and partner organizations to dig deeper into the topics of
GMO labeling and co-op programs making
healthy food and co-op ownership more
accessible to low-income community
members. Suzi Carter of Food Co-op
Initiative offered a session on membership
development for the start-up members of
the NFCA.
Kristina Israel, Marketing and Education Outreach Coordinator, spoke on the
Healthy Food Access panel about the
Putney Co-op’s new Food For All discount
program. She remarked that this important project may not have been possible to
launch this year without the help, support and resources offered by NFCA, and
the collaboration of CFNE and Hunger
Free VT. The Putney Co-op is one of four
NFCA co-ops to launch this program in the
last 4 months.
“It is exciting to see so much energy and
enthusiasm among New England’s food
co-ops,” said Pat Sterner of the National
Cooperative Business Association, a special guest at the meeting. “The collaborative thinking on future trends and issues for
food-coops is impressive. We’re looking
forward to continuing to work together as
we grow the co-operative economy across
the country.”
The Putney Co-op’s own Robyn O’Brien
was honored by her fellow NFCA board
members at the gathering for her many
years of service on the NFCA board.
Robyn represented Putney at the founding
For more information on the Neighboring
of the NFCA in 2007, and has served on
Food Co-op Association, visit www.nfca.
the board since then. She just finished her
coop.
second three-year term, and was presented
a platter,
depicting the
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Spring 2014
3
Putney Central Jr Iron Chefs Compete in Burlington
Two teams of middle school students from
Putney Central School competed in the
7th annual Jr Iron Chef VT competition on
March 22nd. While they did not walk away
with any prizes, the eleven students who
participated worked hard to create, plan,
execute and refine their two entries over
the course of eleven weeks leading up to
the contest. Once there, they were observed
during almost every minute of the 1-1/2
hours it took to prepare their dishes by
foodservice professionals from all over the
state. The 16 judges, chosen for their love
and knowledge of the culinary arts, tasted
dishes from a total of 64 teams of middle
and high school students. Winners from the
morning and afternoon heats are listed on
the Jr Iron Chef website, jrironchefvt.org.
The Putney Co-op has sponsored a total
of seven teams over the past four years for
Putney Central School, providing ingredients for all of the practices, coaching and
logistical support. Jr Iron Chef is a lot of
work, but the positive feedback we receive
from kids and parents, year in and year out,
is enough reason to keep supporting this
excellent program. It’s also an example of
how we demonstrate the Fifth Principle of
Cooperation: Education and Outreach.
This year’s teammates were:
Conor Bailey
Lauren Fenstermaker
Carl Grumbine
Kai Hammond
Audrey Maples
Jenna Murrow
Angelika Toomey
Ashley Volaitis
Damian Volaitis
Analynn Whaley
Ashlynn Whaley
Spring Rolls with Mango
Barbecue Dipping Sauce
Their dishes, Perfect Pad Thai and Fresh
Spring Rolls with Mango Barbecue Sauce,
were made extra delicious by local ingredients from:
Green Mountain Orchards
Hidden Springs Maple
High Meadows Farm
Lost Barn Farm
Putney Food Co-op
Singing Cedars Apiaries
Vermont Quince
Vermont Soy
Special thanks to Marisa Miller, Howie
Prussack, and Nancy Warner for donating the eggs, cilantro, arugula and Quince
Splash used at the competition! And very
special thanks to Meredith Wade, co-op
member and PCS parent, who stepped up
to coach her daughter’s team. We couldn’t
have done it without her cheer and enthusiasm for great food.
This year’s teams were especially lucky to
practice in a professional kitchen. Thanks
to Alice, Ismail and Liz at The Gleanery for
trusting us with your space and equipment.
It made our practices extra special!
If you are interested in supporting the 2015
Jr Iron Chef teams from PCS, please email
Kristina Israel at pcoopmarketing@gmail.
com.
Original recipe by PCS Jr Iron Chefs
For the Rolls:
10 Spring roll rice wrappers
8 oz. Bean thread noodles
Small beet, peeled and grated
Medium carrot, grated
Apple, cut into matchsticks
Napa Cabbage, shredded
4 Scallions, sliced thin
14 oz Tofu, cut into strips
1/2 cup fresh Mint, chopped
2 Tbs Vegetable Oil
Juice of ½ lime (about 3 Tbs.)
1 Tbs. Tamari
½ tsp. Sesame Oil
1 tsp. Sweet Rice Vinegar
Cook the noodles in boiling water
for 2 minutes, drain and shock with
cold water. Sear the tofu in oil over
medium high heat on all sides.
Toss the carrot, apple, cabbage in a
bowl; add tamari, lime juice, sesame
oil and rice vinegar. Toss to coat.
Dip the wrappers in warm water to
soften; place on a clean surface, fill
and roll and cut in half. Serve with
dipping sauce.
For the sauce:
10 oz. frozen Mangoes
1/2 cup diced Yellow Onion
2 cloves Garlic, minced
1/2-inch piece Ginger, grated
2 Tbs. Vegetable oil
¼ cup Apple Cider Vinegar
3 Tbs. Tamari
1 tsp. Sriracha chili sauce
¼ cup Apple Cider
¼ cup Honey
Salt to taste
Saute the onions in oil over medium
heat until softened. Add mangoes,
garlic, ginger, and stir. Add remaining ingredients and bring to a fast
simmer. Turn heat to low; allow to
simmer for at least 15 minutes (covered, if longer). Stir occasionally.
Puree the sauce in a blender until
smooth. Taste for salt and adjust
seasoning, adding more of what you
like.
For more Jr Iron Chef recipes,
visit our blog at putneycoop.com
4
The Beet
Producer Spotlight: Parish Hill Creamery
To call Parish Hill Creamery the newest
kid on the local cheese scene would be a
bit of a misnomer. Peter Dixon, the bearded
and humble “cheese whisperer” behind the
brand is a bit of a rock star on the national
cheese scene, having already cultivated a
30-year career in dairy consulting and artisanal cheesemaking. His resume includes
the likes of Consider Bardwell, Vermont
Shepherd, Vermont Creamery (formerly
Butter and Cheese), and his own Westminster Dairy, just to name a few of the points
along his journey as a cheesemaker.
What makes his newest venture at Parish Hill so exciting to us here in Putney is
that, a) he’s using milk from the cows up
at Elm Lea Farm (The Putney School), b)
his cheeses are completely unique to the
market (which by some standards is pretty
flooded) and, c) he employs his wife, business partner and former VT Cheese Council director Rachel Schall and her sister,
Alex, making theirs a family business built
on expertise and love of the craft.
Perhaps most exciting of all, though, is the
fact that the cheeses themselves, mostly of
the hard-aged Italian variety like Provolone, are so delicious, so meticulously crafted
and cared for, that what we have here is
a veteran cheese business that is making
outstanding products right out of the starting gate.
Parish Hill Creamery uses the milk from
the Elm Lea Farm at the Putney School
just five miles south of the West Parish
Cheese House. The milking herd grazes on
hillside pastures from June to October, and
the creamery produces cheese from May to
November taking full advantage of the pastures, which yield milk with high aromatic
quality and creates cheeses with complex,
subtle flavor. Dry hay is fed in May and
November; Fermented feeds are not fed
during the production season of Parish Hill
Creamery cheeses.
In addition to the raw milk they use cultures, traditional rennet, and Maine sea salt.
Bulk cheese cultures are made by inoculating the farm’s milk with pure bacterial cultures. These cultures are propagated continuously to maintain activity and, along
with the raw milk microflora, create the
fermentations that facilitate the cheesemaking and aging processes. Traditional calf
rennet comes from Europe, and their salt is
produced by the Maine Sea Salt Company
in Marshfield by evaporating salt water.
Rachel started delivering cheeses to the
co-op this past winter, and we counted
ourselves honored to be some of the first
to have a taste. The cheese has caught on
quickly, though, thanks to their promotional prowess, word of mouth, and boots
on the ground. Parish Hill has landed
retail accounts like Cowgirl Creamery in
San Francisco, Bedford Cheese Shop and
Saxleby’s in NYC. And they’re just getting
started!
VT Herdsman, Humble Herdsman Suffolk
Punch and Reverie, photo by Rachel Schall
Current cheeses include:
West West Blue
A traditional aged Gorgonzola, West West
Blue is made with whole, raw milk from
Elm Lea Farm and aged 90 - 180 days.
The edible rind surrounds an interior with
openings filled with streaks of blue mold, a
creamy texture and a spicy, earthy flavor.
Humble Herdsman
A whole milk semi-soft cheese, aged 3
to 5 months with a smooth texture and a
smattering of eyes throughout the paste.
Humble Herdsman has a mild, nutty flavor
and a golden-hued, edible rind formed by
brushing the outside with local hard cider
Vermont Herdsman
Whole milk cheese made in the method of
Asiago Grasso Monte. VT Herdsman is
made in the summertime when the cows
are grazing on hillside pastures and aged
for at least 9 months to develop a full,
slightly sharp flavor with hints of pineapple and hazelnuts. The interior texture
is smooth and becomes more granular as
the cheese ages beyond 12 months. The
outside is periodically scrubbed with salt
brine to produce a straw colored, edible
rind. (Available Spring 2014)
Chapman’s Pasture
A part-skim, long aged Parmesan-style
grating cheese. The sharp and sweet flavor
and granular texture develop when the
cheese has aged at least 12 months. The
distinctive black rind is made by rubbing
the outside of the wheel for several months
with a paste of olive oil and vegetable ash.
(Available Summer 2014)
Suffolk Punch
Gourd-shaped, whole milk Caciocavallostyle cheese is a classic pasta filata made
by stretching lactic fermented curd in
hot water to form the traditional shape.
Caciocavallo - cheese on horseback, refers
to the way two cheeses are tied at the ends
of a long rope and then hung over a rod to
age, like saddlebags thrown over the back
of a horse. Suffolk Punch ages for at least
2 months, is rubbed with olive oil and polished during the process to create an edible
rind. The interior is firm and smooth when
young and becomes flaky and drier with
age. The flavor is buttery, tangy, and even
peppery, especially when aged more than 6
months.
Kashar
A Balkan-style pasta filata cheese made in
the same manner as Suffolk Punch, shaped
in basket molds.
Parish Hill cheeses are some of the most
popular in our cheese case! Stay tuned to
our calendar of events, on our website,
where we post in-store tastings with local
producers, like Peter, Rachel and Alex.
For more information, visit the Parish Hill
website at www.parishhillcreamery.com.
Follow Parish Hill on facebook for regular
updates from the cheesemakers!
Spring 2014
5
CAVE TO CO-OP SELECTION FOR MAY
Pyramid Scheme
Pasteurized Organic Cow Milk
Champlain Valley Creamery
Middlebury, VT
Carleton Yoder, Cheesemaker
With a graduate degree in Food Science and a background in wine making,
Carleton Yoder moved to Vermont in the
late 1990’s to make hard apple cider. Today
he finds himself in Middlebury making
award-wining cheese that is produced using
traditional recipes and methods. The milk
for Champlain Valley Creamery cheese
comes from a single herd of crossbred
Jersey and Holstein organic cows in nearby
Bridport, Vermont.
Carleton produces an Organic Triple
Cream, Old Fashioned Cream Cheese and
recently, Pyramid Scheme, which is a yummy truncated pyramid with a vegetable-ash
covered bloomy rind. Similar to Triple
Cream, Pyramid Scheme is dense and
fudgy with the milky sweetness of fresh,
cave to co-op
Pyramid Scheme
organic cow milk
ash covered bloomy rind
rich, creamy, dense
grilled vegetables. For a beverage, Carleton
cave to co-op
himself suggests “sparkling wine, ciders,
some fruit Belgian style ales . . . bubbles
for scrubbing the butterfat!”
Pyramid Scheme
Enjoy the Spring!
Champlain Valley Creamery
organic cow milk
ash covered bloomy rind
rich, creamy, dense
Champlain Valley Creamery
Middlebury, Vermont
Middlebury, Vermont
on special $8.99/piece
on special $8.99/piece
Cave to Co-op is a partnership of the Neighboring Food Co-op
Association, Provisions International Ltd and regional artisan
cheesemakers. For more information, please visit www.nfca.coop
Cave to Co-op is a partnership of the Neighboring Food Co-op
Association, Provisions International Ltd and regional artisan
cheesemakers. For more information, please visit www.nfca.coop
Vermont organic cow milk and the added
complexity of a tiny tang on the finish.
The vegetable ash gives Pyramid Scheme
not only its distinct look but also helps to
neutralize the acidity, aids in the ripening
process and produces an especially sweet
and creamy cheese.
Pyramid Scheme is best eaten on its own,
with a bit of bread and perhaps a drizzle of
honey or your favorite jam. If cook with
it you must, we suggest topping a pizza,
making paninis, crumbling some on top
of your favorite pasta or melting it over
Carleton posted this photo of Cave-to-Co-op
Pyramid Schemes, ripening in his cave, on the
Champlain Valley Creamery facebook page. The
black color is ash, on top of which a bloomy
rind will grow!
HARVEST OF THE MONTH : MIXED GREENS
Arugula Pesto
The Vermont Harvest of the Month program provides ready-to-go materials for
classrooms, cafeterias and communities to
promote the use of local, seasonal foods.
May’s Harvest of the Month is mixed
greens!
Kid-Friendly Eating Tips:
-Give arugula pesto a try as a sandwich
spread!
-Use bib or butterhead lettuce as a wrap.
-Sauté chard, collards, pac choy or spinach
with fresh garlic, olive oil, salt, and pepper;
serve it on its own or add to scrambled
eggs, soup, or a baked dish.
-Toss pea or sunflower shoots in with a
pasta dish or potato salad.
-Taste test a variety of dressings on any
type of green.
To find out more about Farm to School in
your community, visit foodconnects.org
1/2 cup walnuts
1/2 pound arugula, large stems
discarded
4 garlic cloves, smashed
1/4 pound Pecorino or Manchego, coarsely grated
Zest and juice of 1 lemon
3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
Salt and freshly ground pepper
Preheat the oven to 350°. Put the
walnuts in a pie plate and toast for
about 8 minutes, or until golden
and fragrant. Let cool completely.
In a food processor, pulse the
arugula leaves with the toasted
walnuts and smashed garlic
cloves until finely chopped. Add
the shredded Manchego cheese,
lemon zest and juice and pulse
until combined. With the machine
on, add the olive oil in a steady
stream and process to a smooth
paste. Season the pesto with salt
and pepper, transfer to a bowl and
serve.
6
The Beet
Gimme Some Sugah’
Tricia’s Forays into Less-Sugar Baking
I love all things
sweet. In
fact, I practically survive on
chocolate. As
you may have
guessed, this way
of life has led to
a quirky melange of guilt, sugar-induced
mania, and energy crashes. These sideeffects of glorious indulgence have inspired
me to take recipes into my own hands; to
experiment with ingredients, explore my
own creativity, and—best of all—lower the
sugar content of my favorite treats!
When I added up the number of sweets I
consumed on one average day, I found that
the total amount of sugar that included...
really added up. But how could I deny myself the pleasures of a sumptuous brownie
after a hard day’s work? Never! So I decided to find ways to lighten my sugar load
by baking my own delectables with consciously chosen ingredients. I also began to
limit my sweet choices by consuming only
what was absolutely, drop-dead delicious—
no compromises!
My sweet baking all starts with a batch
of pancakes. I make my own batter, with
no added sugar. If you think about it, the
pancake doesn’t need sweetener if you’re
going to top with almighty maple syrup.
Plus, research shows that this liquid gold
(the only food in our diet that comes
directly from a plant’s sap!) contains 54
antioxidants and great trace minerals. Not
too mention, it’s locavore-approved. I also
love to play with the great flours available
at The Co-op. Whole spelt, whole wheat,
and almond meal make a divine combo. Indeed, almond meal is my mightiest weapon
of sweet glory, as I try to infuse as much
protein into my baking as possible. Almond
meal is moist with a natural sweetness, and
gives a fun texture to whatever you throw it
into. Sprouted flour is another palate-pleaser! Of course, the texture of your pancakes
will be different with each new experiment
(especially with sprouted flours, which
have less gluten activation; the trick is to
only flip them once!
One of the most indulgently gorgeous
desserts I make are truffles. I am a fiend
for chocolate, both because of its dynamic
flavor (when it isn’t drowned by sugar),
and because of its endorphin-inducing
compounds, which never fail. I’ve made
vegan versions of these truffles, and they’re
always gluten-free. I start with the co-op’s
supply of 99% Sharffen Berger chocolate
(the other 1% is Madagascar vanilla bean),
I usually use about 2/3 of it, and a pint
(usually less) of organic heavy cream. I
should note, one of my motto’s should be
Fear No Fat. At least the healthy kind. If
you’d rather go vegan and cholesterolfree, I’ve had brilliant success with Native
Organic’s creamed coconut. The trick is to
chop the chocolate up as finely as possible.
Then, once you’ve heated your cream (or
coconut) base until it’s hot (or melted) but
not boiling, take that pot off the heat, throw
in the chocolate, and stir until it’s smooth.
In a separate bowl I usually prepare a mix
of almond meal and only the slightest bit of
raw honey. Then I add cinnamon (known
for leveling blood-sugar), clove, a little
vanilla, sometimes a splash of brandy, and
mix it all together with the now-creamy
chocolate. I let this mixture cool until it can
be shaped into balls without a mess. Then I
coat them in coconut flakes, cocoa powder,
or more almond meal, then dash it off with
some ginger or hot spice. I swear to you,
the deliciousness and feel-goodliness cannot be beat!
I’ve also had some marvelous success
with French macaroons, so much easier
than I expected! I found a great recipe, and
whenever it called for sugar I used the least
refined available (we have some great Turbinado and dark brown sugars), and only
used half of what they asked for. I even
used unsweetened apple sauce! For the
middle cream, I stuck to my truffle recipe,
and the results were soooo satisfying.
With my new approach to dessert I feel
much better, more level throughout the day.
Do you have any tricks for enjoying the
sweetness of life without the after-crash?
We’d love to hear about it!
--Tricia Hartland
Renaissance Woman
and Co-op Staffer
5 Minute, Raw and Vegan
Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
Hey there fellow Co-opers! I’ve
recently been eating a raw food
diet and I found this delicious
recipe (via averiecooks.com) for
a sweet treat and had to share it.
½ cup dry oats
4-6 pitted Medjool dates
¼ cup raisins (and a little extra for
the topping)
1tsp cinnamon
½ tsp vanilla extract (I used vanilla powder)
First, lightly grind the oats in a
food processor or good blender,
then add the dates and blend
again. Add the remaining ingredients. Form the dough into little
balls, press down and top with a
few raisins. Voila! a tasty, healthy
and easy snack!
--Kim Lefebvre
Assistant Grocery Manager
Putney Co-op Gift Cards
Our gift cards never go out of
style! They are available in any
denomination, and they never
expire.
Check your gift card balances
online, anytime, by visiting
www.mercury-gift.com/NCGA/.
Spring 2014
7
Help Grow Putney Mountain
tain Association
has been given
an opportunity
by the HannumO’Connor family to purchase
property which
has been in their
family since the
1920’s. It is a
144 acre property off Holland
Hill Rd situated between the
Silvio O. Conte
National Fish and
Wildlife Refuge
and the PMA’s
Dine parcel. The
result of this crucial addition will
be over 500 acres
of contiguous
conserved land
- a scarcity in
Windham County
in an area which
is highly desirable for development.
The Putney Mountain Association is
growing: We can do it together
Surely everyone in the Putney community
is aware of the Windmill Hill Nature Reserve and trail which includes property of
both the Putney Mountain Association and
the Windmill Hill Pinnacle Association. It
stretches along the ridgeline from Putney to
Grafton and includes the popular destinations of the Putney Mountain summit and
the WHPA Pinnacle. Both organizations
can be proud of our stewardship of the Reserve which has been described in Montpelier as “...like a small state park run entirely
by volunteers.”
We now have a onetime chance to secure
a valuable property to anchor the southern
section of the Reserve. The Putney Moun-
needed for purchase and all related costs,
including conservation easements. But the
rest is up to us and our deadline of June 30
is near!
Now is the time for our community, as
rich and varied and durable as the land we
inhabit, to come together and protect this
natural resource – to ensure it will be treasured by future generations. We are appealing to everyone in the community to give
what they can, as much as they can - so we
can stretch together towards our goal
Visit our website,
www.putneymountain.org, for more information or to donate on line. Or mail tax
deductible contributions to:
Putney Mountain Association
PO Box 953
Putney, VT 05346.
--Emily McAdoo
Accounting, Putney Co-op
President, Putney Mountain Association
Board of Trustees
The Hannum
Property includes a variety
of habitat and is
part of a valuable
wildlife corridor; it is part of an important
hawk flyway and holds the headwaters
of the Salmon Brook – it would be the
only year round stream on PMA land.
An existing trail connects trails from the
Conte Reserve to the Dine parcel and new
trails could be developed over the property
which sits high on the spine of the ridge.
Its varied terrain gently slopes eastward,
interrupted by plateaus showing evidence
of old fields, with some stony ledges and
steeper slopes.
The PMA has received a sizable grant
from the Vermont Housing and Conservation Board towards this aim. Along with
smaller foundation grants and generous donations from lead donors and the
general public, we are over 80% there
with $340,000 towards the total $407,150
Salmon Brook
8
Holistic Solutions for Lyme
Lyme disease has become a serious health
concern for people with pets and anyone
who loves to spend time outdoors. Deer
ticks, the ticks that carry Lyme, can get
onto you or your pet anytime the temperature goes above freezing, and they are so
small, it’s hard to notice one with the naked
eye. Better to avoid the pesky buggers
altogether!
To prevent deer ticks from finding you and
embedding into your skin, tuck your pants
into your socks when you’re in the woods
or fields. There are several herbal options
to use for your family and your pets, look
for TheraNeem Herbal Outdoor Spray in
the Wellness department, this will help
ward off ticks, as well as biting flies and
mosquitoes!
If you’re a DIY’er, mix:
20 drops of lemon eucalyptus essential oil,
10 drops of organic neem oil (neem is hard
at room temperature, so warm it in your
hand a few minutes to soften), and
2 drops of Dr. Bronner’s pure castile soap
into
2 ounces of almond or sesame oil, and
shake well.
Apply this soothing oil to your exposed
skin, feet and ankles before venturing outdoors, and the ticks will prefer to wait for
someone else to crawl onto.
If you get a tick on you after these preventive measures, completely remove the tick
before diseases can be transmitted. Then
you can place it into a jar or container with
a tight fitting lid and send it off to a lab to
positively identify what the tick may be
carrying, so you know what you’re dealing
with. While antibiotics seem to be helpful in the first month after a deer tick bite,
there is little evidence that antibiotics help
very much after that point.
This is the time to optimize your immune
health. A good spring cleanse would help
alkalize the body to prevent the spread of
tick-borne microorganisms. Try any of
these immune strengthening strategies,
too; avoid sugar and flour for awhile, eat
unsweetened organic yogurt before each
meal, use a Host Defense immune boosting
mushroom combination extract. I’ve heard
of people having success with applying
these mushroom extracts to the bite site,
too. Use a good Elderberry or Astragalus
tincture, and if you need to get out the big
tools, try New Chapter’s Oregano Force for
a couple weeks or more.
Chronic or long term Lyme can mimic
lupus, arthritis, MS, fibromyalgia and other
painful ailments. Symptoms of Lyme and
its co-infections have also been mistaken
for mental illness, depression and anxiety. If you or a loved one experiences a
long bout of exhaustion, painful muscles
or joints, agitation, brain-fog, outbursts
of emotion, or other symptoms that are
unusual for you, check with your doctor to
see if you may have contracted Lyme.
Now, let’s explore how to holistically address the long term chronic health effects
Lyme can cause. There are too many symptoms for us to address all of them here. But
there are some great herbal products to help
most people feel better and stop their health
from further decline. My longtime favorite
for my joint and muscle pain after being hit
by a car as a pedestrian is Zyflamend from
New Chapter. If I am having a heavy pain
day, I’ll add their Turmeric Force. And if
my emotions are keeping me off-center, I
go to Holy Basil from Herb Pharm or New
Chapter for a real sense of relief.
If you are concerned about the threat of this
debilitating condition, there is hope here
in the world of potent, therapeutic herbal
remedies. Reach out and find lasting solutions to fit your needs. You can safely enjoy
outdoor fun for life!
Cindy Hebbard, Master Herbalist and Wellness
Coach in Brattleboro, VT, is available to help
adults, children, teens and pets with holistic
strategies for chronic
health complaints, including Lyme, by appointment. You may attend
informative talks, cooking
classes, therapeutic cellular cleanse programs,
or herbal workshops on a
variety of health topics, as
well. Visit www.wisdomofhealing.com for more
info, or contact Cindy@
wisdomofhealing.com
The Beet
Recipe: Dandelion Greens
Bitter greens benefit greatly from
a quick blanching in boiling water.
Shock them in ice water to stop the
cooking, then gently squeeze out
the excess water. Chop into small
bundles and saute in your favorite
cooking oil. Grate in some ginger,
and give a few shakes of soy sauce.
Then drizzle with a delicious lemon
tahini dressing (recipe below) and
top with crunchy, toasted nuts and
dried cranberries.
Vegan Goddess Dressing
I make a big batch of this and enjoy
it all week long, at nearly every
meal. It’s delicious on everything!
-Kristina, Co-op Marketeer
1/2 cup sesame tahini
1/2 to 1 cup water (depending on
desired thickness)
1/4 cup coconut oil (don’t worry
about melting it)
1/4 cup grapeseed or olive oil
juice of one lemon (no seeds!)
2 Tbs apple cider vinegar
2 Tbs tamari or shoyu
2 Tbs fresh parsley or cilantro,
chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
Combine all ingredients in a blender
(or use your immersion blender).
Blend until creamy and emulsified.
Taste and adjust seasonings. Add
more water if you like thinner dressing. Pour in a clean bottle or jar
and refrigerate until ready for use.
Keeps for up to a week.
Spring 2014
9
Work Smarter, Not Harder, in the Garden
by Charlie Nardozzi
gardeningwithcharlie.com
Although we all are itching to get into the
garden and start digging, we also know that
after even a little work, aches, pains and
frustrations can set in. Garden fatigue can
turn your May enthusiasm into July malaise. One way to spend more time harvesting, eating and enjoying your garden and
less time weeding, fighting diseases, insects
and animals is to work smarter, not harder.
A little planning and forethought now can
go a long way in reducing the amount of
work you have to do to for a successful
garden. And a successful garden will be
one that everyone wants to participate in!
Here are some tips on working smarter, not
harder this year.
•Make A Plan- While it may be fun to
pop plants and seeds in the garden in
May willy-nilly, making a plan isn’t just
for the uber-organized. Making a plan
on paper of what plants will be planted
where and how many you’ll need will
help you space plants properly and fit all
you can into the space allotted. Too often
we try to fit too many plants in our beds
because we have extra seeds or plants. A
plan keeps you to your word and will be
a good reference. It will lead to healthier
plants that need less maintenance all
summer.
•Grow the Best Varieties- When hunting
for the varieties to grow, look for ones
adapted to your locale. Check regional
seed companies for their recommendations. Look for varieties that will mature
quickly in your area. Check for varieties
that have good resistance to diseases,
such as early and late blight (‘Iron Lady’
tomato), to reduce the need for spraying.
Remember to always rotate crops, not
planting the same family of vegetables in
the same spot for 4 years.
•It’s All About the Soil- I can’t stress this
one enough. Fertile, healthy, organic
soils will be teaming with microbes that
enhance water drainage and retention
and nutrient availability for your plants.
You’ll have to use less fertilizer to cor-
rect problems, because you should have
fewer of them. You’ll also do less watering during droughts.
•Raise It Up- On all but sandy soils consider growing your plants in raised beds. Any
vegetable, except potatoes and sweet corn,
is easily grown in raised beds. The beds
heat up faster and drain water quicker in
spring. The plants can be placed closer
together and you can concentrate your
fertilizing, watering and weeding into a
smaller area. Plus, they’re more productive!
•Water Deeply and Infrequently- If you
must water do use deeply and infrequently. Place the hose under large plants,
such as tomato or squash, and let it trickle
water for 5 to 10 minutes per plant so
the water sinks at least 6 inches into the
soil. Water row plants, such as beans and
lettuce, in the morning so any moisture
evaporates off the leaves before the evening. Wet leaves going into the evening
can lead to diseases.
•Weed Early and Often- Weed between
plants and on unmulched rows early and
often. By weeding thoroughly in late
spring and early summer, you’ll kill most
of the tough weeds so you’ll have to do
less, heavy weeding later in the season.
•Mulch Mulch, Mulch- To save time
weeding and to save on watering, mulch
your paths and around plants once they’re
established. For cool season crops, such
as broccoli, cabbage, pea, kale, lettuce
and root crops, use an organic mulch such
as straw (hay has weed seeds), chopped
leaves, and untreated grass clippings.
These will keep the soil cool and moist,
prevent weed growth and decompose
to add nutrients into the soil. For warm
season crops, such as tomatoes, peppers,
cucumbers, melons, squash, and sweet
potatoes, consider dark plastic mulch.
Plastic mulches heat the soil quickly to
temperatures these crops love. Although
they don’t decompose to add to the soil’s
fertility, the plastic also prevents weeds
from growing.
•Don’t be Soft Hearted- In our short growing season we need to succession plant to
get the most out of our beds. This means
not being soft-hearted and pulling out or
turning under crops when they’re finished
with their main harvest. Once the lettuce starts to bolt, yank it and plant root
crops. Once the bush beans are mostly
finished, turn them under, even if a few
beans remain, to have room for a fall kale
planting. If a plant has insects or disease
problems that can’t be fixed, it’s better to
pull it than risk having it spread to other
plants.
•Give’em A Boost- Long season vegetables, such as tomatoes and squash, benefit
from a little boost of fertilizer during the
growing season. Sprinkle some organic
granular fertilizer around the drip line
just as the plants are flowering and setting
fruits to increase their yields.
•Keep a Watchful Eye- Visit your garden
as often as possible, even for 5 minutes
a day, to watch for pest problems. If you
catch an insect or disease attack early you
often can fix it without having to spray.
•Put up Your Barriers- Insects can often
be thwarted with simple barriers. Cardboard collars around pepper, broccoli
and basil seedlings will stop cutworms.
Floating row covers over broccoli, cabbage and kale can prevent cabbageworm
adult butterflies from laying eggs. Erect
your barriers early in the season to stop
pests before they become a problem. This
especially goes for 4-legged pests such as
deer, rabbits and woodchucks. Fences are
the ultimate answer, but barriers help with
small plantings.
•Pick Away- A simple way to get more produce from your garden is to stay on top of
the harvesting. Many vegetables such as
tomatoes, pepper, eggplant, beans, squash
and cucumbers will produce more fruits if
you continually pick the ripe ones. If left
on the vine to get over mature, the plant
will stop producing new fruits. So, pick,
even if you can’t use it. You can always
give it away or tuck them into your neighbor’s mailbox.
Developed by Charlie Nardozzi for the
Vermont Community Garden Network
10
The Beet
Vermont Passes GMO Labeling!
MONTPELIER – The Senate gave a decisive 26-2 vote on [April 23rd] for a bill
that would require labeling of foods that
contain genetically modified ingredients,
a strong indication that Vermont could
become the first state in the nation to enact
such a law.
“We are saying people have a right to know
what’s in their food,” said Senate President
Pro Tempore John Campbell, D-Windsor.
Campbell and other supporters argued that
they believe they have written a bill that
is legally defensible. They nonetheless
created a fund in the legislation to help pay
the state’s legal bills, as many assume that
food manufacturers will sue.
The bill would require food sold in
Vermont stores that contain genetically
modified ingredients to be labeled starting
July 2016. The legislation is up for another
vote in the Senate Wednesday before it
goes back to the House, which passed a
slightly different version last year. Gov.
Peter Shumlin has indicated he’s likely to
sign the bill.
Two other states — Connecticut and Maine
— have passed labeling laws, but both
delayed implementation until neighboring states join them, a strategy designed to
insulate them from being sued. Voters in
Washington and California defeated labeling measures there.
Supporters said they hoped Vermont would
lead the way on the issue. “Vermont’s
always first,” said Will Allen, an organic
farmer from Fairlee, citing the state’s ban
on slavery, passage of civil unions and
same-sex marriage as other firsts.
Many foods, including an estimated 88
percent of the corn crop in the United
States, contain ingredients that have plants
or animals that were genetically modified,
typically to increase disease resistance or
extend shelf life. Opponents argue that the
process may be harmful to humans. Supporters contend there is no evidence of that.
Sixty countries, including the European
Union, require labeling.
Sen. David Zuckerman, P/D-Chittenden,
noted as he introduced the bill on the Senate floor Tuesday that questions remain
about the safety of the genetically modified foods because the U.S. Food and Drug
Administration relies on testing done by
the food producers rather than independent
sources.
Sens. Peg Flory, R-Rutland, and Norm
McAllister, R-Franklin, were the only votes
of dissent Tuesday.
Flory, a lawyer, noted that Attorney General Bill Sorrell has said the state is likely
to be sued. Senate Judiciary Committe
Chairman Richard Sears, D-Bennington,
conceded under questioning from Flory
that if Vermont loses the case, as it did with
a similar law that sought to require labeling
of milk containing bovine growth hormones, the legal bills are estimated to be as
high as $8 million.
McAllister, a farmer, argued that labeling
will do nothing but mislead consumers
into believing there must be something
bad about GMOs, which he believes is
untrue. “This labeling bill will not tell them
anything other than ‘GMO something’,”
McAllister said. “This does not educate
them about what they’re eating. The nutritional value is exactly the same.”
Some senators who had been skeptical of
GMO labeling said they were persuaded
that their constituents want the information
clarified on the food they buy. Senators
said they were flooded with emails and
calls from people urging them to pass the
bill.
Sen. Joe Benning, R-Caledonia, said he
came to view labeling of GMOs as akin to
the label that tells him how many carbohydrates are in a bottle of tea. That label gives
him information without declaring that carbohydrates are evil, he said. “I know what
carbohydrates can do to my body,” he said.
“Some people in this room that’s exactly
how they feel about GMOs.”
Under the bill, Benning said, the wording
declaring that a product contains GMOs
could be as small as the carbohydrate list-
ing typically found on food packages.
Sen. Bobby Starr, D-Essex/Orleans, chairman of the Senate Agriculture Committee,
said he, too, had been unenthusiastic about
GMO labeling, but at every public meeting
he heard from Vermonters who wanted a
labeling law. “Lo and behold, GMOs would
float to the top of the debate within those
meetings,” he said.
Contact Terri Hallenbeck at
[email protected].
NCGA Applauds Vermont on
Passage of GMO Labeling Bill
The National Co-op
Grocers Association
congratulates
Vermont as the first state
in the nation to enact a “no
strings attached”
mandatory GMO labeling
law. This is an important
step in the movement
toward federally mandated
GMO labeling. Studies
consistently show that over
90% of Americans want
GMOs to be
labelled. Yet, Congress is
considering a bill known as
the Safe and Accurate Food
Labeling Act of 2014 which
would deny
Americans the right-to-know
and deny states like
Vermont the right to enact
their own GMO labeling laws.
NCGA urges
Congress not to support this
misguided bill and to instead
pass the
Genetically
Engineered Food Right-toKnow Act.
Spring 2014
11
Engaging in Trade Policy Transformation this World Fair Trade Day
by Dana Geffner
Fair World Project contributor
World Fair Trade Day is May 10, 2014
Wouldn’t it be great if public policies benefited the public, so everyone could prosper, and so-called “free trade agreements”
valued our precious resources rather than
exploiting people and the planet? As
consumers, we have the power to vote with
our dollars, as well as to engage in local
and federal policy reform in order to help
change and transform our global economy
to protect our people and planet.
World Fair Trade Day (WFTD), May 10,
2014, is a wonderful time to be inspired by
the great work that many mission-driven
companies are doing to support a just
economy. While governments and transnational companies favor corporate globalization that benefits only the top 1%, creating
larger economic gaps between the rich and
poor, you can feel confident that when you
purchase products from our WFTD partner
brands (Alaffia, Alter Eco, Canaan Fair
Trade, Divine Chocolate, Dr. Bronner’s
Magic Soaps, Equal Exchange, Farmer
Direct, Guayaki and Maggie’s Organics),
these ethical businesses put people and the
planet before profits. Purchasing their
products is a first step towards an ethical
and sustainable marketplace.
Fair World Project is calling on civil society to go beyond marketplace action and
the power of ethical purchasing to engage
in the political process. There are several
ways to engage, such as signing online
petitions, writing letters to Congress, and
organizing events in your community to
boycott big transnational companies that
put profits before all else.
It is only when the values of our market
initiatives and our public policies match
that we will see true transformation to a
just global economy which puts people
and the environment before profits. “Free
trade” policies, for example, generally
harm small-scale farmers. After the passage
of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), more than two million
small-scale corn farmers in Mexico were
forced off their land, as highly-subsidized
U.S. corn flooded the market, decimating
local rural economies and forcing hundreds
of thousands of people to migrate. Reports show that incomes have dropped for
most farmers in North America since the
implementation of NAFTA. A new, broader
agreement called the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) is expected to have similar
effects on farmers in the twelve participating countries.
In addition, the U.S. Farm Bill allows
subsidies for large-scale farmers. For example, U.S. cotton subsidies totaled $32.9
billion from 1995–2012. Because of these
subsidies, small-scale cotton farmers in the
Global South are forced to compete in an
unequal global market. Impoverished cotton farmers in four West African countries
have been internationally recognized as
victims of trade injustice due to the effects
of U.S. farm policy.
Unfortunately, some brands take advantage
of fair trade marketing niches, “fairwashing” their image, while continuing to passively support — or even actively advocate
for — unjust policies that actually harm
farmers. For example, Nestlé markets its
“Partners’ Blend” coffee as 100% fair
trade, representing a very small percentage
of their total sales, with the vast majority
of their coffee being conventional, “unfair”
coffee. Nestlé is a member of CropLife
and the Grocery Manufacturers Association (GMA), both of whom have lobbied
in favor of free trade policies. Starbucks
even has a representative on the advisory
committee guiding the U.S. negotiations on
the TPP, one of the
elite 600 corporate
advisors who have
been granted access
to the secret text.
Oxfam America, in
a comprehensive
study of the top ten
food companies
in the market, has
noted that Nestlé
does not support
farmers’ organizations, does not insist
that suppliers do business fairly, and has
not committed to zero tolerance for land
grabs. Nestlé, and companies like it, may
point to their fair trade products as “proof”
of their support for small-scale farmers,
while behind the scenes they promote
policies that are very harmful to farmers,
workers and consumers.
That is why Fair World Project is working
with dedicated brands on WFTD — brands
that are committed to a holistic vision of
fair trade that supports small-scale farmers
every step of the way.
Fair World Project started the WFTD
retailer initiative to bring awareness to
consumers that their purchasing dollars
can make a real difference. Last year was
a great success, with over 850 natural
product retailers signing on to offer their
consumers discounts on products produced
by our WFTD partner brands. This year the
retailer initiative continues during the first
two weeks of May, with retailers around
the country offering discounts from our
nine partner brands to celebrate WFTD.
Fair World Project supports these partner
brands and others like them, advocates
for just policies and insists that brands not
fully committed to a just economy continue to improve their practices and make
only authentic claims of fairness. Visit our
campaign page to find out ways that you
can take action to push brands to act more
fairly, advocate for fair policies and support the pioneering brands that are leading
the way to a truly just economy.
equalexchange.coop
The Beet
12
If you qualify for WIC,
SNAP or SSI, join the
Putney Co-op Food for
All program and receive
a 10% discount, every
time you shop! Renew your
membership annually, and
pay as little as $15 a year! To
find out more, see a cashier,
or call us at (802)387-5866
x 110.
www.putneyfood.coop
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May 10
World Fair Trade Day
May 11
Mother’s Day
May 17
Landmark Graduation
May 23
Summer hours begin,
7am-9pm every day!
May 25
Putney Farmers
Market Opening Day
May 26
Memorial Day
June 6-7
Greenwood End of
Year Celebration
June 8
The Putney School
Graduation
June 12
The Grammar School
Graduation
June 15
Father’s Day
June 19
Last day of school
(WSESU)
June 21
Summer Solstice
The Putney Food Co-op
8 Carol Brown Way
PO Box 730
Putney, VT 05236
Join Food For All!
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The Putney Co-op
is making healthy food
more accessible
to everyone in our community!