Katchkie Farm in Kinderhook - Honest Weight Food Co-op

ISSUE #407
SUMMER 2015
Printed with soy ink on recycled paper
IN THIS ISSUE
Fresh Food Comes from the Farm—
Katchkie Farm in Kinderhook
PAGE 8
The Rejection Project 14
Herbs of Summer 16
The Food for Thought Film Series 18
open every day
8am - 10pm
Honest
FOOD CO-OP
Honest Weight is a member-owned
and -operated consumer cooperative
that is committed to providing the
community with affordable, high quality
natural foods and products for healthy
living. Our mission is to promote more
equitable, participatory and ecologically
sustainable ways of living. We
welcome all who choose to participate
in a community which embraces
cooperative principles, shares resources,
and creates economic fairness in an
atmosphere of cooperation and respect
for humanity and the earth.
behind the CO-OP
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
PRESIDENT
Bill Frye
VICE PRESIDENT
Deb Dennis
TREASURER
Leif Hartmark
SECRETARY
Erin Walsh
Weight
Honest Weight is located at 100 Watervliet
Avenue in Albany, New York.
contact us
100 Watervliet Avenue
Albany, NY 12206
(518) 482-2667 [482-COOP]
[email protected]
www.honestweight.coop
LEADERSHIP TEAM
(518) 482-2667 + ext.
CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER
Duke Bouchard
(x107)
SYSTEMS LEADER
Lexa Juhre
(x101)
COMMUNICATIONS LEADER
Lily Bartels
(x116)
OWNER SERVICES COORDINATOR Morgaen Hansen
COMMITTEE LIAISONS
(x104)
MERCHANDISING MANAGER
Sandra Manny
(x120)
OUTREACH COORDINATOR
Amy Ellis
(x128)
BYLAWS PANEL
Bill Frye
MARKETING MANAGER
Jennifer Grainer
(x106)
COMMUNICATIONS
Roman Kuchera
EDUCATION COORDINATOR
Colie Collen
(x219)
FINANCE
Leif Hartmark
FRONT END MANAGER
Katie Centanni
(x109)
GOVERNANCE REVIEW
COUNCIL
Bill Frye
BULK MANAGER
Tom Gillespie
(x130)
MEMBERSHIP
Kelly Carrone
PRODUCE MANAGER
Brendan Kelly
(x118)
NUTRITION & EDUCATION
Deborah Dennis
FOOD SERVICE MANAGER
Michele Youngs
(x108)
GROCERY MANAGER
David Aubé
(x119)
PERSONNEL
Daniel Morrisey
MEAT MANAGER
Nick Bauer
(x113)
WELLNESS MANAGER
Kevin Johnston
(x122)
Interested in joining a committee?
Contact: [email protected]
HONEST WEIGHT COMMUNITY INITIATIVE
Bill Frye
GOVERNANCE REVIEW COUNCIL
want to advertise?
Contact Kim Morton at (518) 330-3262
or [email protected]
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Leif Hartmark, chair
The cover photo was taken by Andrew Franciosa, Co-op member since 2013.
The contents of the Coop Scoop are for information purposes only and not intended to be a substitute for
professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other
qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard
professional medical advice or delay seeking it because of something you have read in the Coop Scoop.
COOP SCOOP
Message from the Leadership Team
table of
contents
Lexa Juhre, Lily Bartels, and Duke Bouchard make up Honest Weight’s Leadership Team
WELCOME to the Summer Issue of
the Coop Scoop! As we go to press,
it’s safe to say most folks are thinking
about ways to make the most of this
kick-back-and-chill-out season while
it lasts: finalizing plans for that vacay
fantasized about deep in the throes
of winter; getting outdoors to garden,
hike, swim, picnic, bike, or just bask
in the summer sun (don’t forget the
SPF!), and enjoying the delicious seasonal bounty our local farms provide.
And while we, too, are hoping to carve
out some space for some summertime
fun, we’re also well aware that we’re
at the helm of an operation that hums
briskly along daily regardless of the
season, and never takes a break from
forward-looking planning.
Honest Weight is at right around the
half-way point in our organization’s
Strategic Planning Initiative, having successfully staged four public
Community Events in which multiple
stakeholder constituencies came
together in facilitated meetings to
share feedback and ideas about what
they believe the Co-op should be,
looking several years into the future.
SUMMER 2015
These gatherings were at once lively,
serious, inspiring—and fun! Best of all,
they drew large groups who showed
up ready to be engaged, thoughtful,
and fully participatory. All of their collected input will be aggregated and
distilled into data that will serve as an
important component in the creation
of the Strategic Plan that the Board
will bring to the Membership for a
vote this fall. It’s been pretty amazing
watching people come together in
an exemplary exercise in cooperative
collaboration!
STRATEGIC PLANNING UPDATE
5
KIDS IN THE GARDEN
6
FRESH FOOD COMES FROM THE FARM:
KATCHKIE FARM IN KINDERHOOK 8
MEMBER PROFILE
10
OUTREACH UPDATE
12
PRODUCER PROFILES
13
THE REJECTION PROJECT
14
HERBS OF SUMMER
16
THE FOOD FOR THOUGHT
FILM SERIES18
FROM THE SUGGESTION BOX
21
CLOSING WORDS22
MEANWHILE, BACK AT THE
STORE…
Here are just a few noteworthy items
we have the space here to report on:
• We’ve welcomed Stephen
Quickenton and Bryan Preston onto
the Co-op team as, respectively, our
new Store Operations Manager and
new Human Resources Manager,
and are already seeing both bring
enormous value to these roles as we
strive to advance our operational
systems and enhance our HR
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practices. Incorporating industry
best practices and serving our Co-op
staff by ensuring fair and consistent
application of store policies are two
important ongoing goals we’ve
identified as essential to support the
success of the Co-op at our current
greatly enhanced scale.
• Speaking of enhancements, our two
full years of settling into the Watervliet
Avenue store (as of June 19th—happy
birthday to us!) have given us time to
assess ways in which we can better
meet our members’ and customers’
needs by taking some of our services
to the next level. To that end, by sometime in the fall we hope to be expanding our Deli offerings to potentially
include sushi, rotisserie chicken, and a
burrito bar; installing a free-standing,
fully-stocked olive bar; and doing a
re-set of our Meat Department that
will give us the space to offer more
selection and a larger variety of valueadded products.
Bonded & Insured
Call us for info
518-207-0427
www.twentytoes.com
Cat Sitting in
Your Home
• And, summer or not, our Outreach
and Education Departments, so critical to supporting our mission, don’t
take a break. Our free in-store classes
continue to be one of the biggest hits
in our new store and a great success
story, and Outreach, always in demand, will be bringing its programming and event participation into
libraries, health fairs, schools, and
community meals all summer long. It’s
what we do!!
The wheels keep turning, our forward
motion is strong, challenging and
exhilarating, and we continue to be
grateful and inspired to be part of an
organization and a business that is
dynamic, community-minded, and
impactful.
ENJOY YOUR SUMMER TO THE
MAX!
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COOP SCOOP
Strategic Planning Update
by Rossana Coto-Batres, Member of the Board
Co-op member since 2013
SPRING WAS BUSY, as we planned
for several Community Events as part
of our Strategic Planning process. The
four events, held in Troy, Latham and
Albany, gathered 270 participants
who engaged in focused conversation
about the current trends affecting
Honest Weight, and where we’d like
to see our Co-op go in the next 5-8
years. These events were organized by
over forty members of the Strategic
Planning Committee, which included
Co-op members and staff as well as
members of the Leadership Team and
Board of Directors.
Participating in small groups and
reflecting the various voices in our
membership, participants engaged
in dynamic conversation and shared
their collective ideas about the
contributions they’d like to see Honest Weight continue to bring to its
customers, members, staff, surrounding community and the world. Many
of the participants expressed that
they had a positive experience at the
events, and were encouraged to hear
that many Co-op members shared the
SUMMER 2015
same essential values. Some of the
comments included:
“Thank you for giving us an opportunity for input. The Co-op is important.
Hope we succeed down whatever the
‘right’ road is.”
years. The final piece of our Strategic
Planning process involves a revision to
our Bylaws, which is occurring concurrently and will enable us to successfully implement our strategic plan.
Thanks to all who were involved!
“More fun than I expected!”
“Good experience, met new people
and realized shared values.”
“Everyone worked to give the
most important issues—went very
smoothly—good idea!”
The information gathered at the Community Events will be consolidated to
give us a snapshot of the most prevalent themes identified by participants.
In addition to the Community Events,
our strategic planning process also includes a detailed analysis of the business aspect of running a co-operative
store. When we consolidate the data
at a Strategic Planning Conference
in early August, these two tracks will
come together to form the Strategic
Plan that will guide us in the next 5-8
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Kids in the Garden
by Meghan Breen
Co-op member since 2007
THE SUMMER IS FINALLY
UPON US and the earth is bursting
forth with life! For those of us keeping veggie and herb gardens, that
means the weeds are also bursting
forth, and we need to stay one step
ahead of them if we are going to
have anything to eat at harvest time.
If you have kids, gardening together
can be absolutely delightful (and a
bit crazy-making at times too!). Here
are some ways to make the most of
gardening with little ones:
1. GIVE CHILDREN THEIR OWN
SPACE IN THE GARDEN. This can
relieve you of the worry of what to
do when they want to dig up your
newly planted seedlings. Let them
know that in their space, they can
dig as much as they want, water as
much as they want, and experiment
with growing something they are
interested in growing.
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2. SUPPLY THEM WITH THEIR
OWN GARDEN TOOLS. Remind
them of how to take care of their
tools (not to leave metal out in the
rain) and show them where to store
them. Kids will forget, trowels will
get rusty and left behind. But the
key is remembering that this is a
learning experience for them, and
they might make some mistakes
along the way. And when it is time
for them to use your garden tools,
they should have some sense of
how to care for them. Hopefully!
3. WATER! Water is so fun for the
little ones. Give them a chance to
water some of the things planted in
the larger garden. It’s hard for them
to know how much or how little to
water, and you obviously don’t want
drowned plants, or plants that just
get a trickle of water. So we often
give them a verse of a song to sing,
and when done, move on to the
next plant. It makes it fun for them,
and less stressful for you.
4. WEED PULLING CAN BE A
BIT NERVE-WRACKING in the
early stages of children’s garden
experience, but once the plant is
clearly identifiable, you might be
surprised that kids are quick to learn
which is the weed and which is the
veggie (and they are so excited to
tell everyone who comes to visit the
garden about each vegetable). Plus,
once they know, who couldn’t use
an extra set of hands pulling weeds?
5. MAKE GARDEN SIGNS! This is
great fun and brings so much color
to the garden, while also helping
with writing/reading skills, and serving as a helpful reminder when even
you have forgotten what’s planted
where! We’ve made garden banners: The kids in our homeschool
group decorated fabric squares with
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crayons, drawing pictures of what
a garden needs to be healthy. Then
we sewed the squares together for a
lovely banner/garland to hang in the
garden!
6. GROW SOME THINGS THEY
LOVE AND SOME THINGS
THAT ARE NEW TO THEM. Many
parents find their once hesitant to
eat veggies kids will devour veggies
if they get to gather them straight
from the garden. We have had great
success with snap peas as a fun
snack for the kids to harvest – and
what’s even better is that while they
are snacking in the garden, you can
get some work done while they are
happily occupied doing what all
parents want their kids to do more
of, EAT VEGGIES!
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Fresh Food Comes from the Farm
katchkie farm in kinderhook
by Cara Benson
Co-op member since 2013
THE MOTTO at Katchkie Farms,
and the why of how it all started:
“Fresh Food Comes from the Farm.”
In 2007, Liz Newmark decided she
wanted the best quality food she
could find for Great Performances,
her NYC catering company. So she
reached out to Bob Walker, who
turned what he called a “real bushy
mess” of land in Kinderhook into the
sustainably-farmed, organic acres that
are thriving at Katchkie Farm today.
Of their sixty acres, about 10 to 12
are in cultivation during the season,
producing over 250 different varieties
of fruits, vegetables, edible flowers,
and medicinal and culinary herbs.
But Newmark didn’t want all the food
going solely to catered events, so
she came up with The Sylvia Center.
Katchkie Farm donates two acres to
The Center, which act as a Learning
Garden for growing, activities, and
outdoor cooking with kids. During
the first growing season, one hundred
kids came to the farm to experience
fresh food in the field. These days, the
farm sees 900 kids between May and
October, and The Center provides
off-site programs to an additional
700 in the region, in addition to its
programming in New York City.
“We do the steps of the story of food,”
says Julie Cerny, Farm Education
Director and Garden Manager. In
a four-hour field trip, students will
walk the path from seed to table,
beginning at the greenhouse. First,
students plant their own seeds among
the many starts underway, then head
to the fields to see what the seeds
become as they grow.
“It only takes one carrot pulled out
of the ground for kids to remember
where food comes from,” says Cerny.
“It’s a huge wow moment.” She says
that one of the goals of the program
is to encourage participants to be
willing to try different foods. “When
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Photos by Andrew Franciosa, Co-op member since 2009.
people say they don’t like tomatoes, I
always think ‘Oh, but no.’” As in, don’t
say no until you’ve tried one fresh
from the farm. Eating what’s right out
of the ground is highly encouraged.
The tour continues in the fields,
where there are all sorts of tasting
opportunities – or sometimes not!
One of the facts of farm life is the need
for adaptability. “Sometimes there’s
nothing quite ready to taste,” Cerny
says. But nothing gets wasted. Those
days are opportunities to familiarize
students with how long it takes for
things to grow, and with the concept
of seasonality.
By the time the tour gets down to the
The Sylvia Center’s dedicated Learning
Garden, the kids have their farmer’s
boots and chef’s hats squarely on.
“We invite them to walk like a farmer
and think like a chef.” This helps to
continually reinforce the idea that
eating well is is the ultimate goal. To
that end, the half acre cultivated lot is
shaped in a rainbow that faces onto
the outdoor kitchen and picnic area.
The kids will be led through the
planted rows and guided to help
with any work that needs doing,
from weeding to planting and
transplanting. As always, this can be
another opportunity for tasting foods
that don’t get regularly produced for
chain stores.
“It’s easier to get them to try a red
cucumber if it’s next to the green ones
they’re already familiar with.” Cerny
likes to have a mix, to help increase
students’ willingness to try new foods.
She says 95% of the kids will taste
what she’s offering, and everyone
gets schooled in the “Don’t yuk my
yum” approach to tasting. This way
participants have the emotional room
to find their own preferences without
fear of being judged.
After trying cucumbers or rhubarb
(kids are instructed never to eat
COOP SCOOP
something without guidance, so that
the wrong part of a plant doesn’t
get ingested) everyone takes part in
harvesting something that’s ready to
go. Here’s where the chef’s hats come
in. They take their fresh pickings right
over to the outdoor kitchen area, and
everyone contributes to the meal.
There’s a wood fired stove, and the
kids think it’s “cool” to be cooking with
fire.
The day always closes with eating
what they’ve procured and prepared
together. Cerny says everyone has
contributed to the meal, and always
asks them to name their part in the
project. It helps make it clear to
students that they each authentically
helped put this yummy food on the
table. And everyone also goes home
with a copy of the recipe.
Most of the participants in The Sylvia
Center’s programs, whether at the
farm or off-site, get involved through
word of mouth or Cerny’s outreach
efforts with schools. At a time when
obesity afflicts nearly two-thirds of
America’s children, The Sylvia Center’s
mission to inspire young people
and their families to eat well seems
particularly crucial. For information
on how to participate in or support
these programs, visit their websites:
sylviacenter.org and katchkiefarm.
com.
Sylvia Center Recipe: Garden-Must-Go Fritatta
INGREDIENTS:
DIRECTIONS:
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•
•
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1. Preheat broiler.
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
10 eggs
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 bunch scallions, leeks, or other
onions, washed and chopped
8 oz kale or Swiss chard, washed
and chopped
1 small summer squash or
zucchini, thinly sliced
1 bell pepper, sliced
1 large tomato, chopped
1 cup grated cheddar cheese
Salt and pepper to taste
Handful of fresh herbs such as
oregano, basil, thyme or parsley
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2. Heat oil in a large, ovenproof sauté
pan. Add scallions and garlic, and
cook 2-3 minutes.
3. Add other vegetables and greens,
and cook until greens wilt and
vegetables begin to soften.
4. Turn off heat and stir in fresh herbs,
salt and pepper.
5. Beat eggs until frothy. Add ½
teaspoon of salt and some pepper.
6. Add egg mixture to pan with
vegetables. Stir in cheese. Cook over
medium heat until eggs begin to set,
about 7 minutes.
7. Transfer pan to broiler and broil
for 1-2 minutes, until top of frittata
is nicely browned. Serve alongside a
green salad, if desired.
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Member Profile: Dee & Frank Wind
by Shanna Goldman
Co-op member since 2002
GOOD STORIES ARE LIKE TIME
CAPSULES that keep characters,
landscapes, and courageous (or
not courageous) acts alive long
after people have passed on and
landscapes are torn down. Coop
members Frank and Dee Wind
are preservationists, capturing
moments in time and putting them
in the hands of future generations
to tell.
Dee Wind has been telling stories
for over 30 years. With a background
in community theater, the first time
she was exposed to storytelling as a
profession, she felt liberated.
She found it similar to theatre, but
“with less fuss;” as a storyteller, she
was free to do her own thing. Dee
began taking classes and soon was a
storyteller in her own right.
Meanwhile, Frank was working with
a different kind of medium: rocks.
Working for Texaco, Frank examined
soil samples to tell the story of what
lived down below, and to find out
how many layers of what type of
rock drillers would find.
“Frank is an expert on fossils,” brags
Dee. “Kind of like the guy who’s a
tree expert and so they take him to
the forest,” responds Frank. “So they
ask him if he knows any of the trees
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and the guy points and says, ‘Sure,
I know this tree and this tree and …’ “
The two met when Frank answered
Dee’s personal ad. For their first
date, she took him to a storytelling
event. “I can do that,” Frank thought,
and it wasn’t only the beginning
of a beautiful relationship, but the
launch of a storytelling team. “I was
his mentor,” Dee admits. “He still
needs to work on his eye contact
with the audience.”
They call themselves “FrankLee
Speaking,” three different styles for
the price of two. They usually each
tell a story of their own, and then
one tandem story. I ask if it ever
gets tense. For example, what if you
have to perform while you’re in the
middle of a conflict?
“Our relationship never gets to that
point,” says Dee.
COOP SCOOP
“It’s nice to have someone up there
with you,” adds Frank.
Right now, in addition to doing
gigs, they are helping seniors at the
Beverywyck write their memoirs.
Like the fossils Frank used to study,
they are helping people create an
artifact out of their lives so that
something lives on. While rewarding,
it can be difficult and exhausting
work, sifting through folks’
emotional attachments to each
memory in order to find the essence
of the story they could leave behind.
As a reward, Frank and Dee are
taking a trip this summer to one of
their favorite places, Scotland. “We
are members of the Long Lost Tribe
of Scotland, “ says Dee.
I imagine that Dinosaur Skin will find
its way into a FrankLee Speaking
story, like a time capsule passed on
for future generations to learn what
once was.
To find out where Frank and Dee will
be performing, or to attend one of
the house concerts they host with
other storytellers,
email [email protected].
“Of which there are exactly two,”
quips Frank.
Dee is excited to show Frank a
prehistoric dig site. “Frank has
taught me so much.” I ask her
specifically what she has learned.
“I know this rock and that rock
and… “ (Frank shakes her hand; the
mentoring seems to go both ways).
I ask Frank how someone who
shares a common language with
the rocks is affected by the current
state of our environment. He doesn’t
really respond.
Dee, however, prods him further,
“Doesn’t it bother you when
something is defaced or disappears
completely?” This strikes the right
chord, and Frank begins telling
me about the Dinosaur Skin
outcropping. According to Frank,
this was a 10-foot high by 30foot long rock outcropping in the
Hudson Valley that looked like a
giant fossil of dinosaur skin, but
was actually fossilized sea creatures
from 420 million years ago. Frank’s
grief is palpable as he tells me that
the formation is no longer there,
and was taken down in the name of
progress.
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436-1855
Outreach Update
by Amy Ellis, Outreach Coordinator
Co-op member since 2009
THIS SPRING HAS BEEN A
PARTICULARLY BUSY ONE
for the Outreach team. March, April
and May brought us lots of new
and exciting opportunities that
kept us extremely connected to our
community.
Jonathan Milks, our Cheese &
Specialty Foods Manager, and his
team provided attendees with a taste
of some of our best local cheeses
at the NYS Craft Beer Festival. The
event brought together forty New
York breweries (and brewers) from
every region of the state, featuring
up to ninety hard-to-find and awardwinning beers. Making this special
event more exclusive, they featured
food sampling and pairing from local
Albany restaurants and food vendors!
It was a great opportunity to meet
NYS brewers and the movers and
shakers in the local food scene that
are such an important part of the
community.
We participated in our first ever
International Women’s Day, a
celebration of achievements made
by women throughout the world. The
Opalka Gallery (The Sage Colleges)
hosted an event, during which
women-owned businesses put on
a showcase of their products. Our
12
members shared a delicious sampling
of cookies from one of our local
vendors, Bake For You, a womanowned business here in Albany.
Also this spring, the Co-op held its first
ever American Red Cross blood drive.
We surpassed our goal of 20 donors
with 25 total donors! Thank you to
our staff, members and community
members at large for supporting this
worthy cause.
Bill Benson, our bakery manager,
prepared a delicious chocolate
pistachio torte for the Girl Scouts
Cookie Cuisine event. This annual
fundraiser challenges local culinary
arts teams to craft recipes utilizing
the Girl Scout cookie of their choice.
A panel of Capital Region celebrity
judges chose a winner. Although we
didn’t win, we had a great time for
another great cause!
This season’s organizations have
included All Saints Academy, Arbor
Hill Elementary, Delaware Community
School, Giffen Elementary School,
Montessori Magnet School, New
Scotland Elementary, Saddlewood
Elementary School, Thomas O’Brien
Academy of Science and Technology,
Albany Public Library, East Greenbush
Community Library, Guilderland
Public Library, The College of St. Rose,
HVCC, and UAlbany (several times) to
name a few—phew, that’s a lot of kids
and young adults! Ready, Set, Grow!
has steadily grown since its inception
in 2002. It’s a wonderful program that
connects children and young adults
to local food and local farms, allowing
them to experience the hands-on
preparation of their own snacks!
The Outreach Department is always
in need of hard working members
who are available during the day and
enjoy working with children. If you’re
interested in joining the outreach
member team, please give our
Outreach Coordinator, Amy Ellis, a call
at 482-2667 X128.
Schuyler Mansion State Historic Site
hosts a wonderful “Farm Day in the
City” program every year focused on
agriculture, sustainability, nutrition,
whole foods and green possibilities.
Attendees experienced a farm market
atmosphere in the city of Albany! They
learned about the types of animals
Philip Schuyler would have had
on his farm, and about agricultural
practices of the 18th century. Oxen,
sheep, and poultry were among the
livestock displayed on the grounds,
while demonstrations, farm products,
and gardening techniques were
shared with visitors throughout the
afternoon.
Let’s not forgot our school and
college-age friends! Spring is always
a great time to visit kids and young
adults all over the Capital Region.
COOP SCOOP
producer profiles
BLUE MOON SORBET
Blue Moon Sorbet was first introduced
by John Donaldson and Pamela Frantz
as a dessert in one of Vermont’s finest
restaurants. The public response to
its rich taste and classic European
texture was overwhelmingly positive,
and now, ten years later, it’s sold in
Connecticut, Massachusetts, New
Hampshire, New Jersey, New York,
Rhode Island and Vermont.
DAVENPORT FARM
Davenport Farm is a family-owned
farm market, greenhouse, and wholesale vegetable farm located in Stone
Ridge, New York. The farm has been in
the Davenport family for four generations; a conservation easement now
permanently protects the land and
assures that it will be in agricultural
use in the future.
by Pat Sahr
Co-op member since 2005
These sorbets are made from all
natural ingredients, with the freshest,
highest-quality fruits. Very little
sugar is used, and there is no added
flavoring or coloring. The intense
flavor and vivid color come from the
fruit itself.
Honest Weight has a wide variety of
Blue Moon flavors for sale, including
Mango Passion, Wild Blueberry, Pear
Ginger and Blackberry Lime.
in sweet corn, the crop that seemed
to grow best in this valley. At one
point, he grew over 1,000 acres of
corn! Today his sons Bruce and Barth
Davenport oversee the planting of
50 acres of their specialty sweet corn,
grown conventionally but always with
non-GMO seeds.
With the advent of refrigeration, Gordon Davenport was able to specialize
SAUERKRAUT SETH
Since 1998, the mission of Seth Travins
(a.k.a. Sauerkraut Seth) has been to
make the best tasting fermented
vegetables of the highest quality. He
created and developed Hawthorne
Valley’s line of lacto-fermented vegetables and krauts from 1999 until
2012, and then he started his own
business.
Seth’s products can be found in many
co-ops and retail food stores throughout New York and Massachusetts,
SUMMER 2015
as well as in Flowerkraut, a shop in
Hudson, NY, owned and operated by
his wife, Mairead Rhona Travins.
Among the offerings in the Co-op’s
cooler are Sauerkraut Seth’s Original
Raw, Jalapeño Firekraut, Red Apple
Raw and Caraway Juniper Raw. Seth’s
products are Certified Organic, and
the vegetables are grown by certified
organic farms in Columbia and Ulster
counties. The kraut is unpasteurized
and lacto-fermented. The only ingredients are vegetables, herbs, spices and
unrefined sea salt.
13
The (incredibly inclusive) Rejection Project
by Allison Lerman-Gluck and Alex Hovet
Co-op members since 2014
Photos by Andrew Franciosa, Co-op member since 2009.
LAST YEAR, ALLISON LERMAN-GLUCK DIDN’T GET HER
DREAM JOB.
She’s a local theatre educator, and
this wasn’t the first rejection she
had received, but for some reason, it
stung the most. We—Allison and her
partner, filmmaker and playwright
Alex Hovet—discussed the experience
of being rejected. We talked about
feeling rejected, rejection as a shared
human experience, and how rejection
becomes a part of artists’ identities—
so common that it becomes difficult
to expect success.
THAT INSPIRED US TO START
WRITING. At the time, Allison was
working on a show called Underneath,
a NYSCA grant-funded theatre project
14
written and performed by a group
of young women from the Capital
District. Creator and co-director Noelle
Gentile encouraged us to apply for an
upcoming NYSCA Community Arts
Grant through the Arts Center of the
Capital Region. With fiscal sponsorship
from The Social Justice Center, The
Rejection Project (518) was born.
THE REJECTION PROJECT (518)
is a theatre piece based on written
material from Albany-area community
members on their experiences with
rejection. These community-sourced
writings were compiled into a script
by the two of us, and the play will
be performed by local community
members.
WE BELIEVE THAT ART IS A
POWERFUL TOOL, capable of
bringing together a community across
various divisions, be they socio-economic, racial, or age- or gender-based.
The Rejection Project is an experiment, with our hypothesis being
that art can be at once accessible, a
forum for self-expression, a tool for
community protest, and a platform to
share personal stories and feel selfvalidation.
PEOPLE HAVE AN INNATE
DESIRE TO SHARE THEIR STORIES and be truly listened to and
heard. Allison teaches her students
about listening as a radical act of love
and care. If we share our stories about
rejection and truly listen to others’, we
COOP SCOOP
of acting experience. This isn’t about
finding the best actors, it’s about
making the arts accessible to the
Albany community. And just like our
philosophy for finding our performers,
no theatre-going experience is
necessary to engage with this show.
The final performance will be a nontraditional one: a mix of video, music,
monologues, poetry, and scenes from
the diverse voices of our community.
The Rejection Project (518) will be
performed July 9th, 10th, and 11th at
8PM at the Albany Barn. Tickets are
$8 and will be available through the
Barn’s website, www.albanybarn.org,
and at the door (cash only).
do something miraculous: we create a
place of acceptance, a place where we
won’t be rejected, even as we reflect
on the experience of being rejected.
Our definition for the word rejection
has been rapidly expanding. At first,
our submissions were about love
and relationships (he scorned me, why
didn’t she love me, it’s not you, it’s me,
and so on). As the project has continued to evolve, we’ve been able to
inspire other types of responses from
people. Rejection is not just about being rejected; it’s also about choosing
to reject. This project is about ways
that we fight back against systems
of oppression. Ways that we reject
people, ideas, societal pressures. Ways
that rejection can be life-saving. Or
maybe, it’s about a time when you
were rejected, and that rejection motivated you to make a different choice
that ended up being even better for
you.
had the opportunity to contribute,
we tabled at public libraries and held
workshops at Albany High School,
The Albany Free School, and The Boys
and Girls Club of Troy. By the time we
compiled the script, we had received
contributions in various forms from
over two hundred community members.
Our casting process for the final
performances of the project has been
unique in that we basically put out an
open call. Our stance was that anyone
who expressed interest in performing
could perform in the piece, regardless
THIS IS A COMMUNITY
EVENT—bring your family, friends,
co-workers, that person you have a
secret crush on, your long-lost best
friend from middle school, your teachers, and your students. This project
won’t work without you, the audience.
For more information, follow us on
Facebook (The Rejection Project, Albany), Instagram (@rejectionproject518),
Twitter (@TheRejection518), or email
us at therejectionproject518@gmail.
com.
We began reaching out to organizations and community members
through email and social media,
and word about the project spread.
We hosted a handful of community
writing workshops and created an
anonymous online submission form.
To ensure that people of differing ages
SUMMER 2015
15
Herbs of Summer
by Mary Theresa Julien
Co-op member since 2011
OUR FLOWER GARDENS are
delightful in so many ways. They
greet us like old friends when they
first emerge in the springtime.
Tending our gentle companions
provides comfort and peace when
our lives get hectic. They welcome us
home, brighten our tables, and they
may have some other hidden talents
worth exploring.
Plants naturally contain a variety
of vitamins, minerals and chemical
constituents and compounds. It is
not without reason that the research
and development efforts of our
modern pharmaceutical industry
consistently look to the plant
kingdom for solutions. Some plants
like CHAMOMILE, which is relaxing
at bedtime, and MINT, which can
relieve stomach upsets, are wellknown, simple remedies. Others are
far more potent, so be sure to use
16
caution and take time to positively
identify the plants that you plan to
ingest or use topically. Though we
are generally familiar with the plant
varieties in our gardens, it is wise to
double-check everything! There is a
wealth of information in books and
online to help you positively identify
the profusion of summertime plants.
used for making perfumes, breath
fresheners and cosmetics, and the
bluish-violet flowers yield a pigment
that is employed in testing alkalines
and acids. It’s long been used
therapeutically for headaches, coughs,
and other ailments.
The lush leaves of SWEET VIOLET
(Viola odorata) can be added to salads
for flavor and when added to soups
helps them to congeal. Nourishing
Sweet Violet leaves provide a vitamin
and mineral boost and are high in
vitamins C and A. Fresh or dried leaves
can be added to teas, or infused for
added benefit. Though violet flowers
have come and gone by mid-summer,
they can be candied in the spring,
and add a lovely touch to fresh
salads and desserts. Commercially,
sweet violet leaves and blossoms are
COOP SCOOP
Cheerful CALENDULA (Calendula
officinalis) is one of my garden
favorites. The “petals,” which are not
true petals but ligulate florets, can be
plucked from the flower and thrown
in a salad to add a visual and tasty
zest. The fresh or dried petals can be
made into tea. Calendula is a garden
annual, but dried petals are available
in Honest Weight’s bulk section if you
haven’t planted your own. Calendula
has a strong history as a therapeutic
plant, traditionally prepared for use in
skin and wound treatments.
MINT is a huge plant family
SCARLET MONARDA (Monarda
didyma), also called Oswego Tea,
Bee Balm or Red Bergamot, has
large flowers that vary in color from
deep pink to purple to red. Bee Balm
was used by colonial settlers as a
substitute for imported tea, which was
in short supply following the Boston
Tea Party. As a kitchen herb, the dried
leaves can be used in tomato dishes
and also in place of sage. It’s aromatic
flowers are popular with butterflies,
hummingbirds and bumblebees. I had
a hummingbird last year who visited
my Bee Balm every day, and got so
accustomed to me that he would fly
from flower to flower while I worked
with hundreds of members—it’s
uses are many! In addition to
peppermint, and spearmint, the
mint (Lamiaceae) family includes
BASIL, ROSEMARY, LAVENDER,
or added fresh to salads, tabouli or
other dishes. It too has traditionally
been used as a remedy. I’ve heard of
people who have averted a migraine
by chewing a fresh Lemon Balm leaf at
the first indication of migraine onset.
It makes great tea too!
YARROW (Achillea millefolium) can
also be added to tea and is another
highly beneficial herb worthy of
investigation.
Most plants can be dried for future
use as well. Gather them at their peak
of freshness on a dry morning. Hang
them upside down in loose bundles in
a cool place with good air circulation
and out of direct sunlight. When they
are crisply dry, they can be stored in a
jar or paper bag. Don’t forget to label
them to avoid mid-winter mysteries!
TAKE A CLOSER LOOK AT
YOUR OWN GARDEN to see if
you have any treasures waiting to be
discovered. Next time the birdsong
lures you out on a summer day, you
may return to your kitchen with a
bunch of very influential new friends.
MARJORAM, SAVORY, AND
CULINARY SAGE. Identifying
features of mints usually include
square stalks and opposite leaves.
One member of the mint family which
often graces our flower gardens is
Scarlet Monarda.
in the garden, right beside him! Bee
Balm makes a delicious, aromatic,
spicy vinegar, livening up salads and
other dishes. Simply pick blossoms
and leaves at their freshest, fill a jar
with the plant material and then fill to
the top with apple cider vinegar. Label
the jar with the date and a description
of what it contains. Let it steep for two
to three weeks, strain out the plants
and it is ready to use!
LEMON BALM (Melissa officinalis)
is another amazing mint that can
be made into a tasty herbal vinegar
SUMMER 2015
17
The Food for Thought Film Series
by Mary Alice Pasanen
Co-op member since 1998
Food for Thought’s doors opened
for the first time in 2009, on the 3rd
Thursday of January, with the showing
of “The Garden,” a documentary based
on a 14-acre community garden
in a once-blighted Los Angeles
neighborhood which became
targeted for bulldozing after the city
sold the land to a developer. It looked
at backroom deals, money, poverty,
power and racial discord while
opening up challenging questions
about liberty, equality and justice.
THIS WAS JUST THE START
FOR US: Over 60 films, highlighting
topics such as sustainable food, fair
trade, water rights, autism, hospice
care, the health of soil, and the history
of co-ops have flashed across the
screen over the past six years.
Photos from last November’s Food for Thought by Co-op Member Randall Collura
AS WE CELEBRATE the second
was developed in 2008 as the
collaborative brainchild of Honest
Weight and WAMC, Northeast Public
Radio.
Since both organizations were already
invested in community-oriented
work, the union was a great match for
the presentation of socially relevant
cinema. The Linda, with the ability
to screen films and present music,
was the perfect venue. And Honest
Weight’s food, which nourishes the
body and mind, helped create a good
atmosphere for attentiveness and
engagement.
The Co-op is committed to providing
the community with affordable, high
quality natural foods and products
for healthy living. Our mission
is to promote more equitable,
participatory and ecologically
sustainable ways of living. The Linda,
WAMC’s Performing Arts Studio,
brings relevant social issues to the
public through the performing arts.
Graeme McKenna, the General
Manager and Programmer of
The Linda, and Karisa Centanni,
then Education Coordinator for
Honest Weight, were the original
collaborators. Graeme remains the
Food For Thought film programmer,
and Amy Ellis, our Outreach
Coordinator, now represents Honest
Weight.
anniversary of the new store on
Watervliet Ave., we want to highlight
one of our longest-running programs:
the Food for Thought film series.
FOOD FOR THOUGHT
18
Every month, live music is provided
by local artist and composer Jack
Empie, often accompanied by
Peter McGowan on bass. Jack has
periodically brought in other guests,
performing on various instruments
from violin to bagpipes. During this
social hour, Honest Weight serves a
sample menu of snacks and drinks
for your enjoyment. Food selections
for the evening are often chosen
to correlate with the film topic,
emphasize regional and seasonal
foods, and/or highlight a great deal
the store is offering that month.
AT 7 PM THE LIGHTS GO
DOWN and the documentary begins.
Films are immediately followed by
a panel discussion with audience
participation. Graeme brings in an
excellent array of panel members,
who are able to shed further personal
and professional light on the film
topic. At certain times we are even
privileged enough to have the
filmmaker, editor or cast member join
us for this panel. Professionals and
organizations in a given field inform
the audience on ways to be involved
at both local and broader levels.
COOP SCOOP
Everyone takes away some fresh new
awareness or information to ponder.
Offering classes in: Iyengar
Yoga
All Levels + Gentle, Senior
Vinyasa Flow, Kripalu Yoga ,
Kirtan and Dance
WHATEVER YOUR THOUGHTS
OR INTERESTS, Food for Thought
invites you to come out and be a
part of what has become so much
more than just a documentary film
screening.
Think about joining us at The Linda
when the next third Thursday comes
around! Tickets available at www.
thelinda.org, or by calling 518-4655233.
540 Delaware Ave.
Albany, NY 12209
For Information:
www/THEYOGALOFT.NET
Call: Gerry 438-2557
Marge 482-8124
Betsy Mercogliano, CPM, LM
(518) 449-5759
Tisha Graham, CPM, CLC
Jess Hayek, CE, Doula
(518) 584-6619
(518) 727-8219
The Family Life Center
(518)465-0241
www.albanyfamilylifecenter.org
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255 Orange St., Albany, NY 12210 ◆ 920 Albany St., Schenectady NY 12307
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Want to advertise in the Scoop?
Contact Kim Morton at (518) 330-3262 or
[email protected]
20
COOP SCOOP
from
the
SUGGESTION BOX
Q: Can we carry lard?
A: We do! We normally have The Pig-
Q: Let’s make email receipts an
gery lard stocked with our smoked deli
meats, and Leaf Lard by Hudson Valley
Harvest in the Meat Department freezer.
Ask a staff member for help finding
them.
option!
Q: On the plant display, can we list
are too high on the shelf for some
short individuals. Please lower
them.
whether a houseplant is toxic to
cats, dogs, or free-roaming reptile
pets?
A: Thank you for the opportunity to
let people know about a list that we
already have posted, right near the
seasonal entrance. It’s from the ASPCA,
and contains information about various
houseplants that fall into the “toxic to
pets” category. We hope it’s helpful!
Q: Please, no canola oil in soup or
at the hot bar.
A: We’re working toward using only
Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil in all of our
dishes.
Q: I have noticed that the old Co-
op sign still hangs at the Central
Ave location. Have you considered
incorporating this part of our Coop history into the new store? It
would be pretty cool!
A: We have taken down the sign and are
preserving it as part of our history. We
think it’s cool too!
A: We’ve been thinking about this for
some time, and we’re just working out
the bugs. Stay tuned!
Q: The liquid vanilla, anise etc.
A: Please do not hesitate to ask one of
our staff or member workers to assist
you in reaching items that are on a high
shelf.
Q: Please add lemon (just plain
lemon) as a possible dressing for
the salad bar - especially for us
“healthy-minded” folks who avoid
oil!
A: We can’t make lemons available on
the salad or coffee bar because of their
quick deterioration at room temperature. Lemon wedges are available at our
juice and java counter though - just ask!
Facebook and to Twitter. Posting seedlings is a great idea, but we’re unsure
how we could keep up.
Q: Can Albany Med employees get
a discount?
A: Many groups have requested that
we extend a discount to them. While we
appreciate the work of all these groups,
it would be economically infeasible for
us to extend discounts to every worthy
group. We encourage shoppers to become owners to become eligible for our
various discount tiers.
Q: Please put mozz sandwish back
on the deli menu! It’s a fan favorite!
A: We will be bringing this back this
summer when tomatoes and basil are in
their peak season. Yum!
where a better selection could be
available, unpackaged. There was
one at the other store - why not
here?
A: We plan on bringing one in this year!
Q: Dr. Joseph Mercola: I’m looking
for fermentation starter kits from
him, or from anyone!
A: We’re working on it! Have you tried
A: We just ran out of our kombucha kits,
our turkey meat balls? Watch for more
new recipes.
and plan to get more in stock soon. Is
this what you want to ferment? We also
stock yogurt and kefir starter kits with
our probiotics.
SUMMER 2015
A: We post our daily menu options to
Q: The Co-op needs an olive bar
Q: More Paleo options at hot bar
please!
Q: On the website, can you list the
seedlings that arrive each day, and
the menu options?
Thanks to those who’ve made suggestions! You can see all the suggestions and
responses on the Suggestion Board posted
near our Co-op Cafe.
21
“
Above all, I have been a sentient being, a thinking animal, on this
beautiful planet, and that in itself has been an enormous privilege
and adventure.”
- Oliver Sacks
FORT ORANGE GENERAL STORE
A neighborhood shop carrying curated home goods, accessories,
kitchen wares, cards, natural apothecary, and more. We hold a
special place for handmade goods created by independent artists,
makers and companies from nearby and across the country.
visit:
write:
view:
ring:
2 9 6 DEL AWA RE AV E. A LBA N Y, N Y 12 2 0 9
FORTOR A NGEGENER A L@ GM A IL .C OM
FORTOR A NGEGENER A L S TORE.C OM
+ 01 (518) 7 2 9 -3 7 0 3
follow us for regular updates:
SHOP HO URS: TUES -S AT: 11 - 8 / SUN: 12- 6
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Instagram it with the hashtag #coopshowoff to enter!
8
Con tac t AM Y at: (51 8)- 482 -CO OP x12
Am y@ hon est we igh t.co op
Co-op Kids!
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