THE FOOD CO-OP - Port Townsend Food Co-op

��e� ��! THE FOOD CO-OP
COMMONS
www.foodcoop.coop
July/August Newsletter
printed locally
Muse of
Fire
4
Thrifty
Thursday!
5
Fire up
the grill
11
Jennifer White, Aaron Strich, Camille Cody and Nance Castner at Solstice Farm, Chimacum
photo by Brwyn Griffin
fired up about farming
Hot &
Spicy!
12
When the young (and young at heart) go back to the farm
Uncool
DEBORAH SCHUMACHER & BRWYN GRIFFIN, Staff Writers
The United States Department of Agriculture reports that “Half of all current farmers in the U.S. are likely to retire in the next decade”
(USDA website at http://afsic.nal.usda.gov) and a University of Vermont project finds that “about 70 percent of the nation’s private
farm and ranchland will change hands over the next 20 years, and up to 25 percent of farmers and ranchers will retire” (“Life on The
Farm Attracts Green-Spirited Entrepreneurs,” CNBC.com). If you like to eat, you might be asking, “Who’s going to grow the food?”
17
continued on page 2
cover cont. . .
Who are the farm workers?
THE CO-OP COMMONS
a bi-monthly newsletter of
The FOOD CO-OP
PORT TOWNSEND
established 1972
www.foodcoop.coop
414 Kearney St.
Port Townsend, WA 98368
Store 360-385-2883
OPEN DAILY
Mon-Sat 8 am - 9 pm
Sun 9 am - 8 pm
MISSION STATEMENT
Seeking to uphold the health
of our community and world,
The Food Co-op,
a consumer cooperative,
serves our membership by making
available reasonably priced whole
foods and other basic goods
and resources by means
of our life affirming
democratic organization.
PRINCIPLES
1. Voluntary & Open Membership
2. Democratic Member Control
3. Member Economic Participation
4. Autonomy & Independence
5. Education, Training & Information
6. Cooperation Among Co-ops
7. Concern for Community
MEMBER-OWNED
no annual fees
one time $5.00
$2 payments
every month you shop
until $100 capital
investment achieved,
a paid-in-full membership!
memberservices@
ptfoodcoop.coop
EDITORIAL COMMITTEE:
Brwyn Griffin, Editor
Deborah Schumacher, Copy Editor
Mindy Dwyer, Graphic Artist
[email protected]
SUBMISSIONS
of interest to the community
are gladly accepted.
Please drop off articles for
consideration at the Co-op
c/o The Co-op Commons.
Include your contact information.
Submissions may be edited
for length or content.
[email protected]
The CO-OP COMMONS
is printed by The P.T. Leader
using recycled paper
and vegetable-based inks.
Opinions expressed in this
newsletter are the writer’s own
and do not necessarily
reflect Co-op policy or
good consumer practice.
Who is going to grow the food? In 2007,
of 2 million U.S. farmers (down from 6
million in 1910), only 119,000 were under
36 (“Life on the Farm”). Mechanization
has helped make this reduction in the U.S.
farming workforce possible, as well as our
reliance on migrant workers from other
parts of the world. Even so, when family
farms pass from the hands of older farmers
and not into the hands of their children or
other young farmers, that farmland can end
up being developed for non-agricultural
purposes or added to the large acreages of
the country’s largest farms. The benefits
that come from the continuity of family
farms and farming communities is a loss
for all of us.
After all, who wants to plow the fields,
worm the sheep, milk the cows, feed
the chickens, manure the fields, pick the
fruit, pick the vegetables…and do it all
again next year when you can make loads
of money in high tech work? Farming is
not for the faint-hearted—it’s hard work.
Few people stop to wonder who grew
the asparagus they’re eating let alone
appreciate the farmer that tended the field
where the asparagus grows. But we are
seeing a new trend in farming.
Camille Cody , Aaron Strich and Nance Castner (back turned) trimming hooves.
photo by Mindy Dwyer
The good news
Why the change? Farm interns like Camille
Cody, a 22 year old 2010 FIELD intern at
SpringRain Farm in Chimacum, puts it like
this: “I chose to become a farmer because
it is a dying wisdom. With the majority of
our nation’s farmers being over the age of
55, the generational gap between the old
and new farmers is discouraging to say the
least, and disparaging at its worst. Even if
complete self-sufficiency isn’t obtainable,
any degree of separation from complete
dependence is a good thing when it comes
to the food you eat, the clothes you wear,
the way you raise your children and how
you make your living; being a farmer
It seems that we are beginning to enjoy encompasses all of these things.”
a kind of reversal of fortunes in the U.S.
“The most recent USDA agriculture Asked why she chose farming, Camille
census,” according to “Life on the Farm,” replied, “I farm because I value family
shows that “from 2002 to 2007, the number and the ways my ancestors lived in
of farms increased 4 percent, and the new the mountains of North Carolina, with
farmers are younger, with an average age frugality, yes, but also with inventiveness,
of 48. And in one big way, their farms resourcefulness and awareness. When
are very different: they’re half the size of everything you’re working with is real and
the past. Farms founded since 2003 are tangible, you learn to respect and honor
an average of 201 acres, compared to the life, death, bad years and good years. I
overall farm average of 418 acres.” That’s farm because you can always sow another
very good news.
seed.”
It might be that people entering the
workplace for the first time or who have
found their corporate careers disappointing
or disappearing are turning to farming
as an alternative. When we asked Aaron
Strich, a 30 year old FIELD intern at
Solstice Farm in Chimacum, the reason he
chose farming as a field of study, he said,
“I could be in a high tech job, earning big
income. But every day on the farm is about
life and death. Everything you do matters.
I don’t think I would feel the same working
at a desk.”
Idealism and enthusiasm are good things
to have when entering the field of farming,
especially when coming from a nonagricultural background. It can sustain you
during the hard times, which farming has
never been short on. Beginning farmers
fight the usual suspects: weather, pests,
drought, flood, crop failures, crop losses
in the field or at market. But they also
struggle with inexperience, lack of family
or community support, lack of access to
farmland, and an industrial agriculture
system that currently has a hold on the
market. And for the kinds of farming
that inexperienced farmers without a lot
of capital and without much land usually
practice, there’s not much financial
support. Farm subsidies go, not to kale
and beet farmers in Jefferson County, but
to corn and soy farmers in Nebraska and
Iowa.
The day we visited Solstice Farm, the
interns were worming and trimming
the hooves of Solstice’s herd of sheep.
Working together, the four interns, with
the guidance of farm owners Jim Rueff
cont. on page 6
“Man is so made that when anything fires his soul, impossibilities vanish.” - Jean De La Fontaine
THE FOOD CO-OP COMMONS www.foodcoop.coop
2
July / August 2011
cover story cont. . .
from page 2
and Linda Davis, were sloshing
around in urine-soaked hay in a small
corral where 40 sheep were penned
in for their mandatory spa treatment;
some sheep even got foot baths. At
one point, the farm interns all had
their heads bent in concentration
on one lamb when co-owner Linda
Davis pointed out a castration that
had become infected. Not work for
the faint of heart.
FIELD program (see Mar/Apr Co-op
Commons to read more about FIELD),
that is bringing in hopeful young
farmers-to-be from around the globe
and locally. They are working on our
local farms helping to bring the food
we eat to market while they learn in a
formal and structured way how to farm
so they can go forth and be farmers,
too. Solstice Farm is one of the partners
training interns in the FIELD program.
Alternative agriculture
There even seems to be federal support
to develop programs to train new
farmers. In 2010, U.S. Agriculture
Secretary Tom Vilsack called for
“100,000 new farmers—and loan
programs that start to put money where
his mouth is” (“Life on the Farm”).
The USDA introduced the Beginning
Farmer and Rancher Development
Program and in October 2010 gave
$18 million in grants to recipients
like Colorado State University, who
partnered with land-grant universities
in Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Utah,
New Mexico and Nevada to secure a
$750,000 grant to offer short courses in
farming.
Many people “in their 40s [are]…
entering farming as a second career,
after an early retirement or a layoff”
(“Life on the Farm”). Nance Castner,
another FIELD intern at Solstice
Farm in Chimacum, was celebrating
her 60th birthday the day we met.
When asked why she chose farming,
Nance said, “I was definitely called
by the natural world to learn about
farming. It’s important to listen to
your natural self because you’re
going to like it! I walked away from
corporate America when I realized it
wasn’t for me: all the florescent lights
and frenetic work that took away the
sweet side of things; getting rewarded
for ‘knocking things out’ and working
fast. I wanted to be more physically
active and work outside with plants
and animals. In fact, I would have
made a good Amish, their lifestyle
calls to me: Living simply.”
Young farmers unite
Enter The Greenhorns, a documentary
film that “explores the lives
of America’s young farming
community—its spirit, practices, and
needs” and shares “the stories and
voices of these young farmers, [to]
build the case for those considering a
career in agriculture,” (see the film’s
trailer at www.thegreenhorns.net) It’s
a kind of recruitment film to enlist
enthusiastic young people to join in
their campaign for agricultural reform
in the most direct way possible: by
farming.
What a great way to change the
food system. In our county over
the last decade we’ve seen our own
farming community grow, many
prompted by these very interests and
concerns. Most recently, we have a
new farm apprentice program, the
all these interlocking systems relies for
its longevity on the physical strength
and resilience of an individual body, the
body of the young farmer turns out to
be one of the weakest links in the new
food system” (Severine von Tscharner
Fleming, founding member of the
National Young Farmers Coalition and
director of Greenhorns).
This young farmer is suggesting that
affordable healthcare is needed for an
organized labor force of farmers and
farm workers. There’s no denying that
they, like all of us who work, must
have access to medical care. But when
she writes that the system “relies for
its longevity on the physical strength
and resilience of an individual body,”
I’m reminded that traditional farming
relied on the combined strength and
resilience of the young and the wisdom
and experience of the old.
I’m also reminded of the importance
to respect the hard work required
in farming, the deep wisdom and
knowledge needed to be a successful
farmer, and the special connection to
the Earth that farmers seem to share to
make the healthy, fresh, local food on
our tables possible. Paying a fair price
to the farmers for our food is essential,
and valuing the presence of programs
like our local FIELD program to train
interested new farmers, whatever
their age, needs to be supported by
our community.
Sources:
“Life on The Farm Attracts Green
Spirited Entrepreneurs,” CNBC.com
Slow Food USA, http://www.
slowfoodusa.org/index.php/slow_
food/blog/
USDA website, http://afsic.nal.usda.
gov
The good, the bad and the ugly
The USDA itself says that “Enlisting
and supporting new farmers is essential
to the future of family farms, the farm
economy and healthy rural economies”
(http://afsic.nal.usda.gov) and progress
is definitely being made. Even
though “most small-farm households
typically…get substantial off-farm
income from wage-and-salary jobs or
self-employment” (“Life on the Farm”)
to supplement farm income, the USDA
predicts that income for U.S. farmers
“probably will jump 20 percent” (“Life
on the Farm”). Whether that trickles
down to farmers struggling to make
a decent living on small farms in
Jefferson County remains to be seen.
And as a young farmer wrote recently
on the Slow Food USA blog, “As we
work to build a business around our
love of farming…we encounter one
scary part of growing up: realizing how
deeply critical our own health is to the
viability of the farm. As young farmers
with brave muscles and big dreams,
we invest our best physical years in
finding, setting up and capitalizing a
farmstead…But when the operation of
Solstice Farm owners Linda Davis (seated) and Jim Rueff training interns Camille Cody (L) and
Jennifer White (red cap) in trimming hooves.
photo by Mindy Dwyer
“Zeal without knowledge is fire without light.” - Thomas Fuller
THE FOOD CO-OP COMMONS www.foodcoop.coop
3
July / August 2011
from the board
Board
calendar
All meetings are held
in the Co-op Annex at
2482 Washington Street unless
otherwise noted.
Committee meeting
dates/times are posted
on our website.
The Commerce
of Food
Growing the
Sustainability Movement
SAM GIBBONEY, Board President
July 5*
Board of Directors
July 8
Member Relations
3:00 pm
July 13
Product Research
3:00 pm
August 2*
Board of Directors
August 10
Product Research
3:00 pm
August 12
Member Relations
3:00 pm
*Check the Board’s board in
the store or our website at
www.foodcoop.coop for Board
meeting time.
Contact the Board at
[email protected]
O for a muse of fire, that would ascend
The brightest heaven of invention …
(Shakespeare, Henry V, Prologue)
Just as Shakespeare’s chorus calls us to imagine a vivid
scenery and backdrop for his play, these turbulent times call
upon us to invoke our imaginations. The word inspire comes
from Latin meaning to breath in or inflame. So on these warm
summer days, let’s stoke the flames of our imagination and
dream of what can be.

Do we have the courage to imagine a food system that is truly
sustainable? Many of today’s leaders argue that the dominant
system of industrial agriculture is the only realistic way to
meet the hunger needs of a growing population. Christos
Vasilikiotis of UC Berkley counters these arguments and
asserts that only organic methods can help small family
farms survive, increase farm productivity, repair decades of
environmental damage and knit communities into smaller,
more sustainable distribution networks—all leading to
improved food security around the world.
Can we also imagine a food system where farm workers
make a fair living wage? I believe that we have to because
otherwise our very sustenance is based upon another human’s
exploitation. I believe that we must imagine a world where
being an organic farmer does not require taking a vow of
poverty.
Many of us also recognize that the shifts in the global economy
are most likely only previews of coming changes. Increasing
fuel costs and the toll on our planet will make changes in
how we grow and market our food absolutely necessary. The
mission and principles that guide the operation of our Coop are our foundation. If we hope to change the dominant
paradigm—if we want to demonstrate that our way of
farming, processing and distributing food is better
for our community and the planet—then I
humbly submit to you that we must grow
as a business.
Now I know the word growth can mean different things to
different people. But I want to be clear—I want the Co-op to
grow with a purpose; a purpose that is guided by our mission and
our principles. Can we grow without diluting that very mission
and those very principles? I believe we can. I have to believe that
our way of conducting the commerce of food can become the
dominant paradigm.
We have before us the opportunity to imagine what we want to
create. We can create the reality where the commerce of food
is alchemy of place and human endeavor; where the work of
producing food is a craft that is honored and valued.
How we do this is up to us. We are starting our process for
strategic planning. A strategic plan at its core serves to concentrate
our focus and align our efforts to create our shared vision. It is
essentially a cooperative and collaborative effort. We need you,
our membership, to join in this effort. It is truly a case where the
whole is greater than the sum of its parts.
So here in the full flush of summer, where everything is growing
and maturing, let’s imagine how we want to grow. That’s what
I’m fired up about this summer. How about you?
“We have before
us the opportunity
to imagine what
we want to
create.”
“A man can be short and dumpy and getting bald but if he has fire, women will like him.” - Mae West
THE FOOD CO-OP COMMONS www.foodcoop.coop
4
July / August 2011
from the G.M.
Thursday
July 21
8 am-9 pm
Thrifty Thursday!
additional 10% off
for owners only...join today!!
(excluding alcohol, ,milk
newspapers, magazines, WIC,
Special Orders & Co-op Staples)
WE’RE ALL FIRED UP
For Growing With Purpose
KENNA EATON, General Manager
As Cooperative Grocer editor Dave Gutknecht
recently wrote (in his editorial in the May/June 2011
issue): “Local food is an essential component of our
future–a future that will be much more constrained,
requiring us to come closer to living within our
resource limits. Support of farmers and producers
is an important part of what has built food coops’ success so far. Co-ops democratically control
Natural food co-ops got their start in the early 1970s; community capital as they contribute to the sharing
here in Port Townsend, we consider our founding that is essential for democracy.”
date sometime in 1972, almost 40 years ago. And
while I was still in elementary school when the A large part of this Co-op’s organizational efforts are
“new wave” of co-ops got started, I’ve heard enough put towards growing our local economy. We partner
stories to know that as the counterculture movement with a wide variety of local groups we feel directly
grew, we recognized we were on the spot—if we enhance the quality of life and strengthen the fabric
wanted things to change, we had to take charge and of our community as well as keeping the money in
begin with ourselves and our food system. And we our collective pockets.
did.
In the store we use the “L-Local” symbol on the shelf
Today in Port Townsend, The Food Co-op is a and on our products to help you identify items as
thriving local grocery store; regionally, new food locally grown and produced (in Jefferson, Clallam,
co-ops are opening their doors and “Organically Kitsap and Island counties). The other day I picked
Grown” has become a USDA certification process. up an item in another grocery store that touted it as
“Locally grown” is now a buzzword. What a story being “local”—guess where it came from? Ohio!
of success!
That’s local somewhere, just not here.
My son calls the newspaper “yesterday news” and
in a way he’s right—now our news comes at us fast
and furious through the TV, radio and internet. Yet
however fresh or old the news is, the message seems
to be unchanging. We are living in a world out of
balance with our resources and if we don’t change
our ways soon, they may soon be changed for us.
“Local” is the future
In contrast, we have all felt the economic downturn
of the global economy on our local shores. Not
one of us is immune to its effects. So what are we,
personally, going to do? Are we going to sit around
waiting for someone to fix it? Or are we willing,
individually and as a group, to take steps to effect
change just as we did 40 years ago?
Peninsula leading the way
Food production on the Olympic peninsula is a
$450 million business and The Food Co-op is
currently experiencing $11 million per year in total
sales. From 2008 to 2010 our purchases from local
farmers and producers increased 19%. In 2010,
we purchased $790,000 in products from local
producers and farmers and worked with over 209
local vendors. Here on the peninsula we consume
four times the national average of locally produced
foods (way to go!). The Food Co-op and our partners
believe that farmer-direct sales in Jefferson County
can continue to grow as our population becomes
even more aware of how food security is linked
to farmland preservation, procuring foods locally
for consumption and ecologically sound practices.
To me this speaks of building a sustainable rural
food system, one that happens without government
assistance, that provides access to high quality food
and sustainable jobs and one that encompasses the
values of “self-help” as well as other cooperative
values.
At this year’s Annual Membership Meeting, our
panel of local partners—representatives from the
Farm-to-School Coalition, Jefferson Land Trust and
Local Investment Opportunity Network (LION)—
spoke of how keeping funds local facilitates greater
economic self-sufficiency, job growth, economic
development, and has a “dollar-multiplier” effect,
whereby a dollar kept within the community can be
spent many times over for a far greater benefit than
a dollar invested outside our community.
This year will be your opportunity to help us through
the strategic planning process, to decide exactly
how the future of this food co-op will interweave
with the future of this community. Look for more
information in our store, on our website (www.
foodcoop.coop) and in the Co-op Commons on how
you can be involved starting this fall.
Talk to us on
facebook.com/TheFoodCoop
“Fire is the test of gold; adversity, of strong men.” - Seneca
THE FOOD CO-OP COMMONS www.foodcoop.coop
5
July / August 2011
outreach
Cooking Classes,
Will Allen, and FRESH
...Oh my!
LEARN TO COOK
Don’t miss the next International Cooking classes
with Sidonie Wilson. Sidonie teaches her Co-op
classes in the kitchen at the Olympic Hostel at Ft.
Worden on Saturdays and discounts are offered
to Co-op owners. Details are available at www.
olympichostel.net. For reservations or more
information call Sidonie at 385-0655.
International Cuisine Series
August 13, 1-3:30 pm - Slavic Cuisine
Slavic Macedonia is tucked away in the southern part
of former Yugoslavia close to the Greek frontiers.
There has been civilization here for more then two
thousand years. The cuisine is strongly influenced by
Greek and Turkish cooking but with an emphasis on
the lavish use of garlic, paprika, peppermint, black
pepper, basil, and wild oregano.
August 27, 1-3:30 pm- Northern Greek Cuisine
Northern Greece – Macedonia and Epirus; the food
of the north, is a fascinating mélange of dishes –
spicy and earthy, more complex and better seasoned
than in the south. The area is a crossroads of culinary
ideas; Italian, Romanian and Slavic influences from
the Western Epirus while Macedonian dishes have
strong roots in Turkey and the lands invaded by the
Crusaders.
access to fresh, safe, affordable and nutritious foods
at all times. Tickets will be $10 for Co-op owners
A vegetarian, interactive, hands-on cooking class and will go on sale in September. If you can’t wait,
for children and their grownup. Get comfortable you can buy them today at www.brownpapertickets.
in the kitchen and learn to cook an international com/event/177350.
meal. For ages 8 and up with accompanying adult.
Classes held 1-3:30pm and the $25 fee covers one
adult and one child. Additional children are $10
As a prelude to Will Allen’s visit, The Food Coeach.
op will be showing the movie FRESH at the Rose
Dr. Molly Force also has two Co-op classes coming Theatre on Sunday, August 28 at 12:30pm. Featuring
up. For details see the Co-op calendar on page 19. Will Allen, FRESH celebrates the farmers, thinkers
and business people across America who are reinventing our food system. Forging healthier,
sustainable alternatives, they offer a practical vision
The Food Co-op is sponsoring Will Allen at for the future of our food and our planet. To see a
McCurdy Pavilion at Ft. Worden on Saturday, trailer, go to www.freshthemovie.com. Tickets will
September 17 beginning at 7pm. Will Allen’s be $10 and all proceeds will go to the J.C. Farm to
address, entitled The Good Food Revolution, will School Coalition to support the J.C. School Gardens
focus on the power of community agriculture, Program. Sliding scale tickets on a limited basis
featuring stories of inspiration and success from available after August 24 at 385-2831 x308.
his Milwaukee, Wisconsin efforts. Will Allen
grew up as the son of a sharecropper, is a former
professional basketball player, ex-corporate sales
leader and now he’s a farmer. He founded a farm Puget Sound Blood Center will be bringing their bus
and community food center in Milwaukee, WI to The Food Co-op on Thursday, July 14 from noon
called Growing Power (http://growingpower.org/) - 6pm. Please consider donating blood this summer
and promotes the belief that all people, regardless and be someone who saves lives. Appointments at
of their economic circumstances, should have 385-2831 x308 or drop in. Closed 3-4pm.
Cook with Your Kids Classes
August 6, 1-3:30 pm - Cooking the Greek Way
FRESH THE MOVIE
FOOD REVOLUTION
DONATE BLOOD
LOOK FOR
THE LABEL
JULY 28
Keep your eye out for The North
Olympic Salmon Coalition at the
Co-op July 28. They will be
promoting and supporting the
“Salmon-Safe certification
program” that recognizes farm
operations who adopt conservation
practices that help restore native
salmon habitat in Pacific Northwest
rivers and streams.
BRWYN GRIFFIN, Outreach Manager
email board members at
[email protected]
@ptfoodcoop
www.facebook.com/TheFoodCoop
fCO-OP
ood www.foodcoop.coop
THE
PORT TOWNSEND
www.nosc.org
join our email list
memberservices@
ptfoodcoop.coop
LOCAL EGGS!
This year The Food Co-op has had
local chicken eggs for sale every
single day! Approximately 75% are
from SpringRain Farm with Solstice
Farm, Valley Rock Farm, Compass
Rose and Sid Morgan rounding out our
local egg suppliers. For the first time
in many years, we have enough
eggs from local farms to keep us
fully stocked at least until the
chickens molt.
“Success is not the result of spontaneous combustion, you must set yourself on fire first.” - Reggie Leach
THE FOOD CO-OP COMMONS www.foodcoop.coop
6
July / August 2011
staff
Staff Spotlight
Duane King
“Galley Slave”
Yes, it’s hot in the dishpit!
DEBORAH SCHUMACHER, Interviewer
Deborah: Duane, can you please describe your job for our readers?
Duane: I keep all the dishes and pots and pans clean, I put on the soups
and the beans and make sure that the pots are kept filled. I also make
juices—I’m the “Juice Man.” And I help a little with kitchen prep.
Staff
Picks
DS: What’s your favorite part of your job?
DK: Washing dishes…nobody really strives to do this. But it can be
kind of meditative…a kind of Zen thing, a good exercise in meditation.
I also like the people I work with, and the people that come in are fun
and interesting, especially the kids, they’re just funny.
DS: What gets you fired you up?
DK: Music—I get to listen to a lot of music because the speaker is
mounted back by the dishpit. Music inspires me. I have two CDs on
iTunes and CDbaby.com (Searching for Nashville and Welcome to My
Dream) and a single of a Bob Dylan song, “Subterranean Homesick
Blues,” with an interesting twist (you can download them for 99 cents).
DS: Describe your life in 25 words or less.
DK: All my life I’ve played music…made me go to Vietnam and I got
shot at…moved to L.A. and did some music and acting.
DS: If you could have any super power, what would it be?
DK: Music Man! I’d be a musical expert on all the instruments.
DS: What’s your favorite food, and why?
DK: I’m a vegan…hemp seeds is the perfect food. I like to put them on
pancakes. That’s my favorite food.
DS: What one thing do you absolutely have to do before you die?
DK: I would like to have a song that becomes a hit. So that I could make
enough money to buy more instruments and more recording equipment.
DS: What’s the one thing you want everyone to know about yourself?
DK: That there’s more to me than being a dishwasher! I once played in a
band in Detroit (Magic, on the Motown label) and Stevie Wonder came
and played on a couple songs. He sat down and played “You Are the
Sunshine of My Life” before it was recorded.
DS: What one thing do you want our readers to know that I haven’t
asked you?
DK: Music can save the world. Do you know what brought down the
Berlin wall? The Beatles! People wanted to be able to listen to The
Beatles, to listen to music, and eventually it brought the wall down.
Jodi Elekes
Chocolove Almond &
Sea Salt Chocolate Bar
“Best mix of salt, nuts and
chocolate ever thought of!
Consistently delicious, and
there’s always fun poems to
read inside.”
Teresa Swindell
Coconut Secret
Amino Acids
“It’s a great flavoring (slight
teriyaki flavor) for vegetables
and many other things. It’s
made from the sap of the
coconut tree (not the nut)
and is full of amino acids. A
great alternative when you’re
trying to avoid soy.”
Way
to go!
Kenna Eaton and Deb
Shortess for managing the
construction project so
efficiently and quietly!
Hearty
Thank you
Award
May
Scott Marble
Anniversaries
July & August
21 years
Ruth Bascom, Member Services
Deb Shortess, SIPS Manager
16 years
Liz Lindstrom, Wellness
13 years
Mary Jacobs, Food Services
(Happy trails to Mary who left
the co-op in June)
10 years
Walter Harris, Front End
Josephine Holmstedt, Food Services
8 years
Brendon O’Shea, Produce
7 years
Marie Killian, Front End
6 years
Laura Lawless, Grocery
Alyssum Purkey, Front End
5 years
Katy Morse, Finance & Deli
Hank Walker, Grocery
4 years
Dorothy Hoffman, Food Services
Tracy Nichols, Food Services
3 years
Duane King, Food Services
2 years
Abbie Greene, Front End
Mike Jones, Grocery
Fiona O’Brien, Produce
1 year
Jodi Elekes, Front End
Jed Franke, Front End
Edith Gomez, Front End
Barbara Lytle, Maintenance
Daniel Nelson, Food Services
Anniversaries are dated from date
of most recent hire for paid
employment and may not reflect
previous years of employment
or years of work as a volunteer.
“To learn to read is to light a fire; every syllable that is spelled out is a spark.” - Victor Hugo
THE FOOD CO-OP COMMONS www.foodcoop.coop
7
July / August 2011
be well
Infl
ammation
Fired-up in all the wrong places
JAN TOBIN, Wellness Manager
Herbs & Spices
Inflammation, a highly complex process, is the body’s response
to harmful stimuli, including irritants, damaged cells and
pathogens. Inflammation also plays a critical role in wound
healing and elimination of infections. However, sometimes,
inflammation can be triggered inappropriately (e.g., by allergies
or autoimmune diseases) and chronic inflammation can lead to
a number of health challenges and diseases, including allergies,
asthma, atherosclerosis and rheumatoid arthritis. Current research
is examining the link between chronic inflammation and various
cancers and cardiovascular disease. There are some who theorize
that chronic inflammation may be the top factor in the general
aging of the body.
seeds and the oils extracted from them, which are used in
most snack foods and fast foods. Consume more omega-3
fatty acids, found in oily fish, walnuts, flax, hemp, and
sea vegetables. The anti-inflammatory diet also eliminates
consumption of margarine, vegetable shortening and
partially hydrogenated vegetable oils, all of which promote
inflammation.
Carbohydrate foods also influence the inflammatory
process. In the body, chemical reactions between sugars and
protein produce pro-inflammatory compounds called AGEs
(advanced glycation end products). You can moderate this
process by keeping blood sugar low and stable. That means
Any tissue or organ can become inflamed. Inflammation of a eating less bread, white potatoes, crackers, chips and other
particular body part is named according to the site, with the “-itis” snack foods, pastries, and sweetened drinks, less refined and
suffix appended (e.g., tonsillitis, appendicitis,
processed foods, and by avoiding
dermatitis, arthritis, sinusitis, etc.). Thus many
fast foods and products made with
disease names are really just words that identify
high fructose corn syrup. Instead,
sites of inflammation. Characterized by several
eat more whole grains, beans, sweet
familiar signs—redness, swelling, heat, pain,
potatoes, winter squashes and other
and often limited range of motion—this response
vegetables and temperate region
is one of your body’s principal defense reactions,
fruits such as berries, cherries,
designed to anticipate, intercept and destroy
apples, and pears instead of tropical
invading microorganisms.
fruits like bananas, pineapple,
mango and papaya.
Many common medical treatments (aspirin and
other “anti-inflammatory agents”) are intended to
As far as protein is concerned,
relieve the discomfort and/or reduce the attendant
eat less meat and poultry, both of
tissue disturbance that inflammation may
which contain pro-inflammatory
cause. There are also many natural approaches
fats, and more vegetable protein
to preventing and helping with inflammation
foods, beans, lentils and other
Check out the full article in (soy
and its discomforts. See sidebar for a list of
legumes), whole grains, seeds,
the Co-op Reading Room
natural approaches to managing inflammation.
nuts. If you eat fish, choose
in the Education section on and
the oily varieties that give you
our website
The Anti-Inflammatory Diet
omega-3s (wild Alaska salmon,
www.foodcoop.coop
Achieving a healthy balance of omega-3 and
sardines, herring, and black cod).
omega-6 fatty acids in your diet can have an
For a thorough discussion of the
Stay connected at
anti-inflammatory effect. Most people consume
role of inflammation in initiating
facebook.com/
an excess of omega-6 fatty acids, from which
and promoting disease (and details
TheFoodCoop
the body synthesizes hormones that promote
of the anti-inflammatory diet), read
inflammation. These fats are found in oil-rich
Healthy Aging by Dr. Andrew Weil.
“Consume more
omega-3 fatty acids,
found in oily fish,
walnuts, flax, hemp,
and sea vegetables.”
Boswellia serrata
Bromelain
Curcumin
Ginger
Quercetin
Homeopathy
Arnica
St. John’s Wort
Essential Fatty
Acids
Omega-3
Oleic acid
Vitamin D
Vitamin E
Gamma–Linolenic Acid
Supplements
B-complex vitamins
Vitamin C
Anthocyanins
Selenium
S-adenosylmethionine
Glucosamine sulfate
MSM
“The mind is not a vessel to be filled but a fire to be kindled.” - Plutarch
THE FOOD CO-OP COMMONS www.foodcoop.coop
8
July / August 2011
healthy people & healthy pets
Fired Up
SUN PROTECTION:
About Fleas Not By SPF Alone
DR. ANNA GARDNER, MA Vet. MB
Owner-Member & Holistic Veterinarian
One of the most frustrating problems as a pet owner can be fleas and the
distressing skin problems that can be associated with them. Many pets
are allergic to fleas and develop an itchy rash when they are bitten by
even one flea and this can lead to chronic skin problems.
Flea and skin problems can be worse in an animal that is overstressed
by the accumulation of years of toxins, vaccinations and poor diet. A
natural and raw diet can help with parasite control as well as the use of a
good filtered water source. It’s a fact that when your pet is on a good diet
and a preventative health regime, they will be better able to repel fleas
and not become infested.
If we can strengthen the immune system, we can help the body to heal
itself, rather than suppress it further with steroids and other drugs.
Start with a good multi-vitamin/mineral supplement. It’s also helpful
to add garlic and brewers yeast, which helps skin condition. (Since too
much garlic can cause health problems, I recommend sticking with a
proprietary blend formulated for cats and dogs.) Fish oil added to food
according to the weight of the animal will also help. Certain flower
essences, like Green Hope Farm Flea Free can help with balancing the
body energetically. Regular grooming with a small flea and tick comb is
extremely beneficial and also good for the skin and coat.
Replace the use of dips, sprays and all strong chemicals to control fleas
and ticks with natural flea control like Neem Oil sprays and shampoos
and citrus extract D-Limonene (available in natural commercial formulas
for cats and dogs). Last, but by no means least, there is the question of
environmental control.
It is essential to control the fleas in the house and yard. Natural methods
are preferable to harsh and toxic chemicals. Commercial companies use
formulations of Boric Acid, available pre-packaged by Fleabusters, who
will also treat the whole house. Food-grade diatomaceous earth will also
help control fleas and ticks in the environment, but can be messy to
use and is best not inhaled. The best natural remedy in your yard is a
natural predator for flea eggs. Freeze-dried small worms or nematodes
(available at good natural garden centers) are reconstituted and sprayed
on the yard to combat the flea population.
Anna Maria Gardner MA Vet.MB is a holistic veterinarian based in
Brinnon. Dr. Gardner uses nutrition, homeopathy, acupuncture, flower
essences, and other holistic modalities to bring holistic health care to the
animal kingdom. She can be reached at 360-796-3749 or drgardner@
petsynergy.com or for more information visit her website at www.
petsynergy.com
MOLLY FORCE, N.D.
Owner-Member & Naturopathic Physician
CO-OP
CLASS
Saturday, July 16
2-4 pm
Introducing Food to Babies
Saturday, August 27
2-4 pm
Evidence is mounting that sunscreen alone is not
Food Sensitivities, Allergies
effective in preventing skin cancer. The sun’s
$25 owners
ultraviolet (UV) rays cause free radical damage to
$30 general
your skin, manifesting in burns, premature aging, liver
spots, and some types of skin cancer.
Shield yourself naturally. Protective clothing is best. A hat and shirt will physically
block the UV rays, proving to be more protective than any sunscreen.
Avoid chemical sunscreens. Most of the chemicals used in conventional sunscreens
(like oxybenzone, parabens, and phthalates) are toxic. These chemicals are known
endocrine disruptors; they interrupt your body’s hormone signaling and function.
And the environmental impact is staggering—four to six thousand tons of chemical
sunscreen comes off our bodies each year, poisoning our oceans and coral reefs.
Choose physical (mineral-based) sunblocks. These contain zinc oxide or titanium
dioxide, which sit on top of your skin to physically block the damaging UV rays. Zinc
is the cleanest and most effective active ingredient found in sunscreen, protective
against UVA and UVB rays, with no negative side effects. Some companies are now
using nanoparticle technology to make zinc and titanium sunscreens applications less
white on the skin. Topically, nanoparticles appear to be safe for humans. Lotions are
preferable; in powder or spray form, they can be inhaled, potentially causing organ
damage. Nanomaterials are environmentally toxic to fish and aquatic life.
Don’t trust SPF alone. The Sun Protective Factor number is designed to help you
determine how long the protection you will get from that screen will last when you
are in the sun. Unfortunately, SPF calculates how long UVB rays are blocked, not
the cancer-associated UVA rays. Most SPF for sunscreen is calculated using two to
five times more sunscreen than the average application. High SPF (above 50) often
wears off from sweat/water/towels, misleading users into thinking they are protected
longer than they actually are.
Eat your antioxidants. Protect yourself internally with antioxidant-rich fruits
and vegetables. Dietary antioxidants denature free radicals, significantly reducing
your risk of skin cancer, skin aging, and sunburns. A high-quality multi-vitamin or
supplement rich in antioxidants may significantly protect you against sun-associated
skin damage.
Remember, a little unprotected sun exposure is important for vitamin D levels,
especially for us Northwesterners. Sunscreens block UVB needed for vitamin D
production. Spend 10-15 minutes in the sun before covering up or applying your
initial coat of sunscreen.
Dr. Molly Force is a family practice naturopathic physician who specializes in
combining natural healing with conventional medical diagnosis and therapy. Her
practice Prosper Natural Health is located in Uptown, Port Townsend. She can be
reached at www.ProsperNaturalHealth.com or 360-385-5375.
“One of the strongest characteristics of genius is the power of lighting its own fire.” - John W. Foster
THE FOOD CO-OP COMMONS www.foodcoop.coop
9
July / August 2011
building a local feast
L
SpringRain Farm
John and Roxanne
LOCAL
organic deviled eggs
Short’s Family Farm
Roger, Kevin and Sandy
grass fed beef meatballs
Cape Cleare Fisheries
Rick Oltman
Thai chili poached salmon
Midori Farm
Marko and Hanako
Napa cabbage & field greens
Red Dog Farm
Karyn Williams
bok choy &
strawberries
Dharma Ridge Farm
Zach Wailand
Mt. Townsend
Creamery
Ryan Trail
kale & tomatoes
Truffle Stack cheese
Nash’s Organic Produce
Nash Huber
Anca’s Pastries
Anca Hasson
Red Velvet cupcake
hot Italian ground sausage & carrots
Beautiful plate of local foods prepared by Hadley Nye, Food Services Manager
food photo by Mindy Dwyer
“The starting point of all achievement is desire. Keep this constantly in mind. Weak desires bring weak results,
just as a small amount of fire makes a small amount of heat.” - Napoleon Hill
THE FOOD CO-OP COMMONS www.foodcoop.coop
10
July / August 2011
fire up the BBQ!
Lazzari Mesquite
Lump Charcoal
Master chefs worldwide use mesquite
charcoal because of its pure, natural
wood smoke and high cooking
temperature. 100% natural, nothing
added.
Sustainably sourced from Mexico.
LAURA LAWLESS, Grocery Buyer
Busha Browne’s Jerk Rub
& Sauce
Made in Jamaica with a deliciously authentic
recipe. Add that taste of Jamaica to your next
cookout.
Lazzari Almond Wood
Kindling burns clean and long,
providing a very high heat. An
ecological option to burning native
hardwoods, this almond wood
is sustainably harvested from
California orchards.
Fire on the Mountain Sauces
Bamboo Skewers
(soak first so they don’t burn while grilling)
Made in Portland from all-natural ingredients.
World Centric Plates
Try their delicious Bourbon Chipotle, Buffalo
Lime Cilantro or Hot Buffalo Sauce on anything (made from straw not trees!)
from tofu to tri-tip.
L
Sweet Creek Chili Pickles
LOCAL
Grown in the Willamette Valley and
canned by a lovely couple, these are
a wonderful alternative to
boring pickles from Tacoma.
Some like it Hott!
Liquid Smoke
L
Made right here in
Port Townsend. Charlie LOCAL
collects the liquid smoke
as the peppers sweat while
drying. The quintessential
secret ingredient to your
home BBQ sauce and chili!
Pane d’Amore
Slider Buns
& Panini Buns
The perfect vehicle
for locally grown beef
hamburgers.
Crystal Geyser Sparkling
Mineral Water
Famega Vinho Verde
& Ouro Verde wines
A personal favorite! Mix with juice or
a bit of wine to make spritzers.
Both from the same winery,
they are summer in a glass.
Lightly effervescent with a crisp
mineral flavor, this wine is an
immediate favorite of anyone
I’ve recommended it to.
Copper Hill Pinot Gris
Certified organic and made from
Willamette Valley grapes. Clear
light citrus nose. Nice body, smooth
mouth-feel with some residual
sweetness combined with tartness
for a very pleasant wine.
Amy & Brian’s
Coconut Water
Prometheus Springs
Natural isotonic beverage high in
potassium and other electrolytes.
Spring water flavored with
capsicum, it’s hot and cold all at the
same time. Certified organic and
made by a very groovy young man.
Izze Sodas
All natural, fruit-juice sweetened
without being too sweet.
“Each one of us has a fire in our heart for something. It’s our goal in life to find it
and to keep it lit.” - Mary Lou Retton
THE FOOD CO-OP COMMONS www.foodcoop.coop
11
July / August 2011
eatin’ with the season
What’s in Season
July & August
All fired up about berries, making jam,
kraut & pickles and high summer’s
harvest...
Some Like It Hott!
Charlie Bodony
apples, artichokes
basil, beans
(including favas)
beets, blackberries
blueberries, bok choi
boysenberries
broccoli, cabbage
carrots
cauliflower, celery, chard,
cilantro, collard greens,
corn,
cucumbers, currents,
dandelion, dill, fennel,
garlic
gooseberries, kale, kohlrabi
lettuce, loganberries
marionberries, melons,
mizuna, mushrooms,
mustard greens, onions,
parsley, peas, peppers
plums, potatoes
radishes, raspberries
rhubarb, spinach
squash (summer &
zucchini), strawberries
tomatoes, turnips
Charlie’s
recipes
A SIMPLE GRILL
ly good)
Ingredients:
, root veggies (insane
rk
po
,
en
ick
ch
,
ut
lib
Salmon, cod, ha
at tolerance)*
Olive oil
oice (depending on he
ch
ur
yo
of
er
wd
po
Smoked paprika
ive oil
eat or veggies with ol ed smoked paprika
Spritz your grilling m
g meat with powder
1. Dust your grillin
til tender
or bake in 350º oven un
2. Grill on the BBQ
Don’t forget to treat yourself to a
flower bouquet and plan your fall and
winter garden with cool season plant
starts from Midori Farm.
ber on package
*look for heat index num
“A WONDERFUL THING TO EAT” POLENTA
Ingredients:
Chicken, Italian sausage or eggplant
Smoked paprika powder
Olive oil
Italian seasonings
Polenta (slice prepared polenta or ½-3/4” layer
on bottom of baking pan)
Marinara sauce (from a jar or homemade)
Cheese (parmesan, provolone, mozzarella, asiago)
1. Sauté your meat or veggie of choice in olive
oil, smoked paprika
powder and Italian seasonings
2. Place polenta in a baking dish and top with
sautéed meat/
veggies
3. Cover with Marinara sauce and sprinkle with
cheese
4. Bake in a 350º oven until bubbly
CHINESE
ANCHORS
In the greenhouse he built, Charlie
Bodony grows chili peppers that he
then processes into powdered chilies,
packages, and sells under the Some
Like It Hott! label at local markets. He
is expert in all things chili, from their
history to chili cookery.
All chilies, he explains, originated in
Bolivia in Central America. Chilies
made their way to Europe in 1523
by way of one of Columbus’ sailors,
who returned home with chilies in
his pockets. “And by the way,” he
declared, “Columbus did not discover
America. Chinese anchors off the
coast of Central America indicate that
sailors from Asia made their way to
the continent much earlier, in search of
things like chilies.”
Charlie produces powdered chilies
that are culture specific (jalapeno,
poblano,
piment,
d’Espelete—a
Basque pepper). Chili powder (the
kind we buy from the bulk bins, say),
he explains, is actually a blend of
powdered chilies, probably Ancho
chilies, the most mild, and other spices
like oregano. He would say, of course,
that his Some Like It Hott! powdered
chilies are far superior to your average
chili powder blend. You might give it
a try yourself in one of these recipes
from Charlie.
“There may be a great fire in our soul, yet no one ever comes to warm himself at it, and the
passers-by see only a wisp of smoke.” -Vincent Van Gogh
THE FOOD CO-OP COMMONS www.foodcoop.coop
12
July / August 2011
eatin’ with the season
Preserving 1:
Jams & Pickles
In a jam, In a pickle...
BERRY JAMS
ysenberry,
(blackberry, blueberry, bo
raspberry, youngberry)
7-8 half-pint jars
9 cups crushed berries
9 cups sugar
y to a boil,
es and sugar. Bring slowlalmost to,
rri
be
e
bin
m
Co
s.
jar
ing
ly to, or
Sterilize cann
sugar dissolves. Cook rapid
stirring occasionally until on whether a firm or soft jam is desired. As t
jellying point, dependingquently to prevent sticking. Pour hot jam into ho
mixture thickens, stir fre space. Wipe jar rims and adjust lids. Process 5
jars, leaving ¼ inch header Bath.
minutes in a Boiling Wat
ve, 5th Edition (2006)
Source: So Easy to Preser
Hot new canning items:
Mrs. Wages pickling salt
& pickling lime
(look for these packaged items
on aisle 6)
Summer fruits are here and even
though eating peaches and plums and
cherries fresh is the best way to enjoy
them (and the most nutritious), there’s
something to be said for preserving
their summer goodness. If jam on your
toast is something you enjoy every day, then
you might enjoy even more on a cold January
morning slathering toast with apricot jam you
put up in August. A bumper crop of apples on your
backyard apple tree? If the apples aren’t good keepers and
if you can’t eat your way through them all, putting up applesauce is a good
way to enjoy your apples (and save the cost of buying it in a jar at the
grocery store) all year round. And what if there is an emergency? A pantry
filled with home-preserved food has given folks a sense of security for
generations.
If you’re an inexperienced home food preserver, jams and pickles are
a good place to start. These high-acid foods (most fruits and pickled
foods) can be preserved using a water bath canner (a large pot with
a rack on the bottom). Filled jars are set on the rack into boiling
water, the pot is covered with a lid, and the water is allowed to boil
for usually 5 to 10 minutes (your recipe will give you the exact
time). Low-acid foods like green beans, meat and seafood need to
be preserved at a higher temperature that can only be achieved in a
pressure canner.
Canning isn’t the only way to preserve food. You can also freeze, dry or
ferment food for long-term storage. The most important thing you can
do if you’d like to try home preserving is to invest in a good book on
canning. So Easy to Preserve, published by the Cooperative Extension
of the University of Georgia, and the Ball Blue Book (usually available
where canning supplies are sold) are excellent resources. Both have
detailed instructions on preserving and lots of tested-for-safety recipes.
Watch a short video “Home Canning for Beginners” at http://www.
nextworldtv.com/videos/food-choices/home-canning-introduction.html
Canning jar lids and BPA
Today’s canning jar lids come with a coating on the lid that contains
Bisphenol-A (BPA). If you’re avoiding canned foods and plastic containers
and have considered giving up home food canning to avoid this chemical
that’s been implicated in many health problems, there’s good news. BPAfree canning jar lids are now available. Information about these lids, which
are also re-usable and long-lasting, is available at www.lehmans.com and
www.reusablecanninglids.com (Tattler Canning Lids).
anberry,
dewberry, gooseberry, log
QUICK SOUR PICKLES
About 25 cucumbers, medium-sized
½ gallon cider vinegar (5%)
2 cups water
½ cup salt
½ cup sugar
½ cup mustard seed
Wash cucumbers. Remove 1/18-inch slice from blossom ends and discard.
Slice cucumbers lengthwise. Pack into hot jars, leaving ½-inch head space.
Mix vinegar, water, salt, sugar and mustard seed and bring to a boil. Fill jar
to ½ inch from top with boiling hot liquid. Remove air bubbles. Wipe jar
rims. Adjust lids. Process 10 minutes in a Boiling Water Bath.
Source: So Easy to Preserve, 5th Edition (2006)
JALAPENO SALSA
Yield: about 3 pints
& cored tomatoes
3 cups chopped, seeded, peeled s
per
3 cups chopped jalapeno pep
1 cup chopped onion
6 cloves garlic, minced
2 Tbs. minced cilantro
2 tsp. oregano
1-½ tsp. salt
½ tsp cumin
1 cup cider vinegar
l. Reduce heat
e sauce pot. Bring mixture to a boi
Combine all ingredients in a larg salsa into hot jars, leaving ¼-inch head space.
and simmer 10 minutes. Ladle hotminutes in a boiling-water canner.
Adjust two-piece caps. Process 15
serving (2009)
Source: Ball Blue Book Guide to Pre
How about Dandelion Jelly? Find recipe and instructions at
www.prairielandherbs.com/dandelionjelly.htm
“In everyone’s life, at some time, our inner fire goes out. It is then burst into flame by an encounter with another
human being. We should all be thankful for those people who rekindle the inner spirit.” - Albert Schweitzer
THE FOOD CO-OP COMMONS www.foodcoop.coop
13
July / August 2011
farmers
market
news
Mama’s Harvest
The 3 Rarities
WILL O’DONNELL , Jefferson County Farmers Market Director
PORT TOWNSEND
SATURDAY MARKET
9am-2pm
Uptown, at Lawrence &Tyler
One of the largest small town
markets in the nation.
FARMS, FOOD, ARTS, CRAFTS,
MUSIC AND MORE
WEDNESDAY MARKET
3pm-6pm
Uptown, at Polk & Lawrence
FARMS, FOOD, MUSIC
M
K
2010
CHIMACUM
SUNDAY MARKET
10am-2pm
Chimacum Corner
Over 30 local vendors, many
from less than 5 miles away!
Many exclusive to Chimacum.
FARMS, FOOD, MUSIC
John Lennon said, “life is what
happens while you’re busy
making other plans,” and for Kayla
and Hargopal Singh Boyd, life turned
out to be tamales. In 2009, while awaiting
the final permits to begin their now beloved
pickle business, Mama’s Harvest, Kayla found herself
making tamales for Dos Okies BBQ. She asked if she could
sell hot tamales at the farmers market until the pickle business
got going. Having a shortage of hot food at the Wednesday
market at the time, I said “sure.”
though the cucumbers are harder to come by. “This year we
have a whole long row that Karyn planted for us at Red Dog
Farm. She grows them but we harvest them.”
Getting the right cukes requires a lot of discussion with the
farmers (timing, sizing and freshness are critical), which for
Kayla and Hargopal is bonus. They have lived in Chimacum
for over ten years; Haley Wailand of Dharma Ridge Farm was
the officiate of their wedding. They are happiest out amongst
the country acreage. Which is likely why Hargopal especially
enjoys the Chimacum farmers market. “It just has a more
down-home country feel. The farmers market is like our retail
“We had almost given up,” Kayla lamented. They had store, and we love it. But we’re a Chimacum business, so it’s
dreamed of creating a pickle business here in Jefferson nice to be selling direct to your own community on Sundays.”
County for years. Years in which friends admonished them
to sell their fabulous homemade pickles. Years in which Hargopal is in the middle of getting an accounting degree from
they took business classes, applied for permits, licenses, Old Dominion College. He provides backup on any number
bought equipment, remodeled a kitchen, practiced recipes, of tasks and does the bookkeeping. Kayla is the primary chef.
commissioned logos… “If I hadn’t already had the business She makes almost everything in their backyard processing
logo, I think we would have quit, but I loved it so much…” kitchen but everyone pitches in. Their girls, Cianna, 11, and
Eadaion, 8, peel garlic and carrots, scrub cukes and help at
It’s easy to understand why. It’s both simple and sublime, the markets. “We enjoy spending our time together. It’s not
with bold primary colors that are strong without being garish. all walks in the park or playing catch, but we feel like we are
Cory and Catska Ench had helped with the design; in fact, teaching them about work ethic, which is rare nowadays for
Catska’s mother did the original pencil drawing of Kayla kids.”
that became the color image you see on every jar of Mama’s
Harvest pickles.
Almost as rare as a successful family-run food business, or a
local pickle factory, or handmade tamales. Here in Jefferson
Now they sell more tamales than anything else. Hot, cold, County we are lucky to gather all three rarities in one
frozen, wholesale, CSA (they have a subscription pickle and wonderful Mama’s Harvest.
tamale plan—ask them about it), at the farmers markets, at
a few small grocers and more. Pork, chicken, veggie. Amy
Goetz, who works at the JCFM booth on Saturdays, said, “I
used to make my own tamales, but theirs are so good that I
can’t see a reason to do it myself anymore.”
Mama’s Harvest
I feel that way about their pickles. Pickles are not easy to
make, though people seem to think it’s a simple process. You
can preserve anything in vinegar and salt, but capturing the
proper balance of taste and texture in a good pickle is elusive
at best. Mama’s Harvest does it right, and consequently they
have been absolutely unable to keep any dill pickles in stock
longer than a month past making them.
Luckily, they have pickled carrots, beets, and relishes, which,
though equally good, seem to hang around longer. “We
pickled over a thousand pounds of local carrots in the last year
jeffersoncountyfarmersmarket.org and a half,” Kayla declared, “almost all from Dharma Ridge
and Nash’s farm.” They hope to do the same in cucumbers,
Product List:
Dill Pickles,
Bread N’ Butter Pickles,
Pickled Beets, Dill Carrots,
Hot Carrots,
Zucchini Relish,
Curried Chow Chow,
and the tamales, Pork,
Chicken, Veggie and
Cheese, and Vegan.
“Genius is talent set on fire by courage.” - Henry Van Dyke
THE FOOD CO-OP COMMONS www.foodcoop.coop
14
July / August 2011
green community
Composting Heats Up
What Women Want:
& a word about chicken scraps
What’s hotter than a Fourth of July BBQ in Port
Townsend, Washington? Your compost heap at an
optimum temperature of 135°-160° Fahrenheit.
Composting is one of the best ways to recycle
things like kitchen scraps and trimmings and
yard and garden waste. As a food store with a
fully functioning kitchen and deli, we can throw
out lots of inedible food that doesn’t need to
end up in the landfill.
Good compost management applies to what
we’re able to move into the neighborhood
compost stream: stale bread, coffee grounds,
and vegetable trimmings from our kitchen and
deli and fruit and veggie culls from the produce
department. We don’t compost things like eggs,
milk or food that gets scraped off plates.
Where does it all go and where does it all end up?
All compost-ables, from the kitchen team making
deli dishes, sandwiches and juices and from the
produce team prepping everything from lettuce to
melons to squash, are deposited into large garbage cans
on the loading dock. Coffee grounds go into a separate
container. Local farmers and community garden groups
haul away the filled-up garbage cans to use in their
own composting programs. Empty cans are returned to
be refilled again. It’s a perfectly balanced system that
prevents waste and puts cast-offs to good use.
Recently, the Produce Team has had to ask folks not to help
themselves to the contents of the garbage cans in the produce
back room (or at our loading dock) for treats for their chickens
(or rabbits, etc.). This is partly an issue of safety—to avoid a
slip and fall, for example. It’s also a concern as the practice
has become increasingly popular for our members. Local
farmers and community gardeners depend on the quantity of
compost materials they haul away and we found they were too
frequently coming up short. A tip for home chicken-keepers:
in your garden, pass along your own veggie trimmings, throw
them weeds from your garden, and perhaps try planting “a
row for the girls.” Thank you for your cooperation.
Green Cleaners
& better labeling for cleaning products
Adapted from “What Women Really Want in Green
Products” by Erin Switalski (5/24/11)
Women make 95% of the household purchasing
decisions in the U.S. They also have a longer list
of satisfaction criteria—if you’re able to satisfy a
woman with your product, you’re almost guaranteed
to satisfy a man. Women also still do over 70% of the
household work. And of professional cleaners in this
country, 89% are women.
Women are also uniquely influenced by chemicals in
cleaners. Chemicals like phthalates are contained in certain
conventional cleaners and have been linked to higher rates
of breast cancer, infertility, endometriosis and hormone
disruption. Additionally, women are the first environment for
the next generation. Many chemicals stored in a woman’s body
are passed on to her child during pregnancy and later through
breast-feeding.
This makes women especially vigilant about toxic chemicals in their
environment and potential health hazards—and they are taking action.
In 2007, Women’s Voices for the Earth released “Household Hazards,” a
report citing the numerous chemicals contained in cleaning products—
everything from drain cleaner to air fresheners. The public uproar and media
pressure around this report and subsequent ones have spurred thousands of
women to make their own nontoxic cleaners and numerous corporations to change
their ways. S.C. Johnson started their “What’s Inside S.C. Johnson” bilingual
website, listing all chemical ingredients (except fragrances). Clorox has removed
phthalates and synthetic musks, which can impair the body’s defense system against
other chemicals, from their products.
The one piece missing is the information consumers need to make comparisons
between products to make informed decisions. Right now, no cleaning products
are required to list all ingredients on the label. We need commonsense, consistent
policies that require all cleanser manufacturers to label their products so
shoppers can make simple, in-the-aisle choices, just as they do with cereal.
We also need a progressive federal policy to encourage discovery, testing
and marketing of safer alternatives to chemicals that are shown in
independent study to be associated with long-term health impacts.
Check out the full article in the Co-op Reading Room
in the Education section www.foodcoop.coop
“Through our great good fortune, in our youth our hearts were touched with fire. It was given to us
to learn at the outset that life is a profound and passionate thing.” - Oliver Wendell Holmes
THE FOOD CO-OP COMMONS www.foodcoop.coop
15
July / August 2011
food for thought
Who’s A Farmer?
What’s A Farm?
Defining Terms In Changing Times
DEBORAH SCHUMACHER, Staff Writer
“Farming” can be many
things: production agriculture
that produces commodity crops for the global market; traditional
farming of the past that produced cash crops and food for the table;
subsistence farming (the way most people in the world farm) that focuses
on growing food for the family and perhaps selling the excess to a local
market. Today, farming might also be backyard farming, urban farming, rooftop
farming, and more.
According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary (online at www.learnersdictionary.
com), a farm is “a piece of land used for growing crops or raising animals” and
farming is “the job or business of running a farm.” Scott County, Iowa defines a
farmer as “A person or persons actively engaged in farming and deriving taxable
income from such activity” (http://www.scottcountyiowa.com/planning/farmer_
ag.php). Scott County has a rather definite set of parameters for what may be
called a farm and it’s not anything under 40 acres, except “by making application
to the Zoning Board of Adjustment in accordance with the Board’s
procedures for Appeals of Interpretation.” In our own county,
the Jefferson County Farmers Market Guidelines (available
online at www.jeffersoncountyfarmersmarket.org) define a
farmer as “one who raises the produce, plants or animals,
or animal products on land they own, rent or lease in
the state of Washington, or harvests seafood or other
approved wild edibles, which they sell at the market.”
According to the USDA definition, a small farmer is
defined as one that grows and sells between $1,000 and
$250,000 per year in agricultural products (Small Farm
News, http://ucanr.org).
Thinking about who and what is a farmer isn’t just an interesting thought
experiment. Depending on where you live, local zoning ordinances may limit
the scale of your operation or what you can raise on your farm. Your town
or city will permit some farm animals: hens but not roosters; pigs but not
goats; goats but not sheep. There may be hoops to jump through or costs to
incur. Does the city or county you live in give you legal status as a farmer?
How does this designation—or lack of—affect your access to water, tax
breaks, federal dollars to subsidize your operation, to the ways you
get to use your land?
“...you
might have
ten acres or
one acre...”
How we define a farm
Putting aside the various institutional definitions of this
fundamental occupation, if you are using a piece of land to
produce food, you are farming. You might own and operate a farm
of many acres to produce food for a local or regional or national or even
global market. You might have 10 acres or one acre or a greenhouse on a city lot
where you raise and sell a farm product through a CSA, local farmers markets,
and local and regional retail markets. You might hire yourself out as a “personal
farmer,” cultivating other people’s backyards to provide food for their table. Or
it might be your “job” in the labor market of your household to weed the garden
in the backyard.
The good news
Two hundred years ago, most of the U.S. population was
farming. Today, that number has dwindled to 2% and the
average age of a farmer in the U.S. is 55. The good news
is, in the last few years, there’s been an increase in the
number of farmers, mostly in organic agriculture, and more
young people are interested in farming as an occupation
and a way of life. But because access to land, especially
good farmland, is so limited, young and beginning farmers
are having to find new ways to enter the field.
For this reason, it may be time to think about how we define
farms and farmers both culturally and legally. In our hearts and in
our government let’s enlarge the definition to include those who farm in
places or in ways that haven’t been traditionally seen as “farms” or “farming.”
Should the global agricultural project fail, more of us may be pressed into the
service of providing food for our families, our neighbors, and for others in our
community. The way we will “feed the world” will likely be the way we feed
ourselves—supporting and even subsidizing all the ways we grow food will
be a necessary part of the new food economy.
“It takes two flints to make a fire.” - Louisa May Alcott
THE FOOD CO-OP COMMONS www.foodcoop.coop
16
July / August 2011
food for thought
Bottled Water
The New Uncool
DEBORAH SCHUMACHER , Staff Writer
In the history of good ideas, bottled water will one day go down as…not
such a good idea. According to “The Story of Bottled Water,” consumption
of water sold in plastic bottles is down while the sale of reusable drinking
bottles is increasing. In this eight minute clip about the history of bottled
water (you can view it at www.storyofbottledwater.org) it’s predicted that if
the trend continues, drinking water from a single-use plastic bottle will soon
be as uncool as smoking cigarettes.
Americans drink their way through a lot of plastic water bottles (a half-billion
a week, or enough to circle the globe five times); about 80% of them end
up in landfills or are burned in incinerators (“The Story of Bottled Water”).
Plastics in the landfill leach chemicals that can end up in soils and
drinking water. These same chemicals are released into the air when
plastics are incinerated. And too much plastic (and not just water
bottles) migrates into our waterways and eventually into the ocean,
where it’s accumulating in the “Great Pacific Garbage Patch,” an
area of high concentration of debris in the northeastern corner of
the North Pacific Subtropical Gyre (Algalita Marine Research
Foundation).
Plastics, like diamonds, are forever
Trawl research from the RV Alguita studied plastic debris in the
NE Pacific Gyre in 1999 and found the plastic to zooplankton
ratio in the ocean was 6:1— six pounds of plastic to one pound
of food. In 2008 they returned to the region and discovered the
ratio had increased to 46.4 pounds of plastic to one pound of
food (“Marine Debris: The Pelagic Plastic Plague”). That’s an
astonishing fact in itself. More disturbing is that sea animals
confuse our plastic refuse for food and eat it. This can result in
intestinal blockage if the plastic doesn’t pass through the intestinal
tract and in some cases “starvation occurs because the plastic
makes the animal feel full without having had any nourishment”
(Algalita Marine Research Foundation).
Manufactured demand
Why do we buy bottled water? According to “The Story of
Bottled Water,” after soda sales started to level off, bottled
water manufacturers deliberately created a need where none
existed before. Thanks to “manufactured demand,” people
were convinced through advertising that bottled water is safer
and better tasting than what comes out of the tap. In a couple
generations, they’ve been so successful we’re willing to spend
about 2,000 times more for bottled water than for tap water.
Despite labels that picture mountains and streams, one-third
of bottled water is filtered tap water, including Pepsi’s
Aquafina and Coke’s Dasani (“Story of Bottled Water”).
In a survey conducted by the Environmental Working
Group (EWG), more than half the bottled water products
surveyed failed their “transparency test”: 18% didn’t say
where their water comes from and 32% didn’t disclose
any information about treatment or the purity of their
water (“Best and worst bottled water brands”).
“1/3
of
bottled
water is
filtered
tap
water”
Pre-production plastic dust and plastic pellets, called “nurdles,” also
end up in the waste stream, in our waterways and finally the ocean. Nurdles
look like fish eggs (food) and contain toxic concentrations of PCBs and
other chemicals up to 1,000,000 times the levels found in ambient sea water.
Human health is affected when we’re exposed to these toxic chemicals when
we eat seafood and fish (“Marine Debris”).
Many of us try to do the responsible thing and recycle our plastic bottles.
But what happens to the tons of plastic bottles that don’t go into our county
landfills? They might be shipped to places like India, where mountains of
plastic bottles are accumulating in other people’s backyards. Are they being
recycled? According to “The Story of Bottled Water,” not necessarily. They
might be “down-cycled” into cheaper products that get thrown out later or,
after a long trip across the ocean, thrown away.
Water from your tap, on the other hand, is regularly tested
and you can find out about your local water either online
or by contacting your public utility company. Filtered tap
water gets the highest score (an A) from EWG’s grading
of the 10 top-selling U.S. bottled water brands “because if
you can change your filter regularly…it is purer than bottled
water, plus it saves money.”
Clean water for all
Water is properly a part of the “commons,” a resource that people
share, not a commodity sold by private companies to “consumers.”
It was a very clever colonization of the commons when corporations
like Coca-Cola, Pepsi and Nestlé bought into public water systems so
they could turn around and sell water back to citizens for 2,000 times
the cost of water from their own kitchen tap. Maybe it’s time to “take
back the tap.” Some suggestions from “The Story of Bottled Water”: demand
investment in public water infrastructure, lobby for drinking fountains, switch
to reusable bottles, and boycott bottled water.
Sources:
Algalita Marine Research Foundation website at www.algalita.org
“Best and Worst Bottled Water Brands,” Lori Bongiomo (www.shine.yahoo.com)
“Marine Debris: The Pelagic Plastic Plague” (www.nextworldtv.com/videos/
what-isnt-working-1/oceans-of-plastic.html
what-isnt-working-1/oceans-of-plastic.html)
“The Story of Bottled Water” (www.storyofbottledwater.org)
www.storyofbottledwater.org)
“Education is not the filling of the pail, but the lighting of the fire.” - William Butler Yeats
THE FOOD CO-OP COMMONS www.foodcoop.coop
17
July / August 2011
take back your food
Food
Concerns
Check the kiosk at Member Services for updates
Material collected by DEBORAH SCHUMACHER, Newsletter Staff
REGIONAL
WORC, DRC CHALLENGE GM ALFALFA
Western Organization of Resource Councils (WORC) and Dakota Resource Council
(DRC) joined the Center for Food Safety in a lawsuit filed March 18 challenging the
U.S. Department of Agriculture’s decision to allow unrestricted planting of genetically
modified (GM) Roundup Ready alfalfa. The suit states the agency violated the National
Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and the Plant Protection Act by approving GM alfalfa
without adequate analysis or measures to protect farmers and ranchers who want to
grow organic or conventional alfalfa. Source: WORC Alert (4/6/2011)
NATIONAL
ORGANIC FAMILY FARMERS SUE MONSANTO
On behalf of 60 family farmers, seed businesses and organic agricultural organizations,
the Public Patent Foundation (PUBPAT) filed suit on 3/30/11 against Monsanto,
challenging the chemical giant’s patents on genetically modified seed. Organic Seed
Growers & Trade Association, et al. v. Monsanto was filed in federal district court
in Manhattan and assigned to Judge Naomi Buchwald. Plaintiffs in the suit represent
a broad array of family farmers, small businesses and organizations from within the
organic agriculture community who are increasingly threatened by genetically modified
seed contamination despite their best efforts to avoid it. Source: Cornucopia Institute
(4/3/2011)
FARM PHOTO BAN BILLS FAIL
Legislators in three states — influenced by Big Agriculture — were trying to
criminalize taking photos or videos of farm facilities. Nearly 33,000 people signed
Slow Food’s petition to stand up for transparency and the right to take pictures of
farms. Since then, the bill has failed in Florida and will hopefully fail in Minnesota and
Iowa. Source: Slow Food USA (5/26/2011)
FDA DECLINES LABELING TOXIC FOOD DYES
A Food and Drug Administration (FDA) advisory committee examining the link
between food coloring and hyperactivity narrowly voted against recommending
European-style warning labels on products containing artificial food colors in the
U.S. The Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) had urged the committee to
recommend warning labels on packages alerting shoppers to the alleged risks raised by
eight approved artificial food colors. Speaking ahead of the hearings, CSPI executive
director Michael Jacobson said: “The evidence that these petrochemicals worsen some
children’s behavior is convincing, and I hope that the committee will advise the agency
to both require warning notices and encourage companies voluntarily to switch to safer
natural colorings.” Source: Washington State Food & Farming Network (4/1/2011)
FARM BILL NEWS
Philip Brasher at the Green Fields Blog (Des Moines Register): “The budget agreement between
the White House and Congress largely spares farm subsidies from cuts and takes money instead
from conservation programs, nutrition assistance, research and other areas of the Agriculture
Department’s budget.” A detailed analysis of agricultural spending (posted at the Sustainable
Agriculture Coalition Online) states in part that “No other mandatory spending from the 2008
Farm Bill is given the same rough treatment as conservation.” Source: FarmPolicy.com (4/13/2011)
Follow the progress of the next Farm Bill at www.foodcoop.coop (link is on the homepage).
FARM BILL
BUDGET
CUTTING
BY BRIAN DEPEW, Center for Rural Affairs
(April 2011 newsletter)
Congress is preparing to take up both farm
bill renewal and budget cutting legislation,
making the next two years a critical time to
focus on priorities that take common sense
steps to cut spending.
For farm programs, that means placing a
hard cap on payments made to the largest
farmers, payments that effectively subsidize
them to drive small and mid-sized farmers out
of business. Enough money could be saved
by these reforms to reduce the deficit and
invest in the future of family farming, land
conservation, and in building a bright future
for small towns.
We [The Center for Rural Affairs] propose a
three-part plan.
First, Congress should place a hard limit of
$40,000 on direct payments to the largest
farms in tough years, and further ratchet
down that limit to $13,000 in the best years.
A hard limit on counter-cyclical and loan
deficiency payments and a requirement that
farmers be actively engaged in farming to
receive payments are all needed as well.
Second, we support a one-third acrossthe-board cut in direct payments. Direct
payments are bid into higher land and rent
prices, driving up costs for beginners and
smaller farmers.
Finally, we propose eliminating half of
the payment on cash rented land owned
by landlords with income over $500,000.
Though paid to tenants, the money passes
through their pockets to landowners in the
form of higher cash rent. High-income
landowners are already ineligible for federal
farm payments on crop share leases. They
should not be able to get around that by cash
renting.
Together, these reforms would reduce the
deficit, while protecting investments in
conservation, small business development
and beginning farmer programs.
“A house is not a home unless it contains food and fire for the mind as well as the body.” - Benjamin Franklin
THE FOOD CO-OP COMMONS www.foodcoop.coop
18
July / August 2011
co-op calendar
July
Fiddle
Tunes!
at Centrum!
Fridays
2:30-5pm
WSU
Master Gardners
Plant Clinic
free
Co-op Alcove
Saturday 16
2-4 pm
Babies:
Introduction
to Foods
Dr. Molly Force
CO-OP
CLASS
$25 owners $30 non-owners
360 385-5375 x4
Annex
Thursdays
11am-7 pm
All classes
require reservations.
Cape Cleare Please pick up your
Salmon Cart class schedule with
descriptions
InSeason Catering complete
in
the
brochure
rack
Co-op south parking lot
at the store.
Printed by the
P.T. Leader
on Recycled
Paper
CO-OP
CLASS
8am-9pm
12-6 pm
(closed 3-4 pm)
additional 10% off
for owners only...
join today!!
look for the Bus!
(excluding alcohol,
magazines, WIC,
Co-op Staples)
north parking lot
385-2831 x308
CO-OP
CLASS
Fri - Sun
12, 13, 14
6,13, 27
Learn to Cook International Cuisine
$25 owners, $35 non-owners
Olympic Hostel at Ft. Worden
reservations at 385-0655
www.olympichostel.net
Rock the Flock!
The Food Co-op sponsors
Sunday 28
12:30 pm
Rose Theatre
Saturday 27
2-4 pm
Food Sensitivities,
Allergies &
Intolerance
Dr. Molly Force
Saturdays
Culinary Arts w/ Sidonie
J.C. Fair
Blues at Centrum!
Time to plan
winter gardens
Thrifty Thursday!
Food Co-op
Blood Drive
Save
the Date!
Sept 17
7:00 pm
$10 co-op members
$12 non-members
McCurdy Pavilion
Thursday 21
Thursday 14
August
The Food Co-op
Sponsors
Will Allen
CO-OP
CLASS
the movie
www.freshthemovie.com
$10
a fundraiser for the J. C. Farm to School Coalition
& the J. C. School Gardens
$25 owners $30 non-owners
360 385-5375 x4
Annex
Tickets available August 13 at the Member Services Desk
385-2831 x 308
“O! for a muse of fire, that would ascend the brightest heaven of invention.” - William Shakespeare
THE FOOD CO-OP COMMONS www.foodcoop.coop
19
July / August 2011
what’s
kids on store tours
HOT
what’s
NOT!
biking to work
shopping directly
into your co-op bag
cooperative ownership
plastic bags
school gardens
Beans for Bags
farming
community gardens
buying bulk
YOU!
grazing in the
speeding through
bulk section
the co-op parking lot
plastic bottles
the weather!
recycling/
repurposing
all uncivil actions
Finnriver’s Hot! We Believe
There’s so much happening at Finnriver Farm these days
it’s hard to keep up! Owners Keith and Crystie Kisler
have three new ciders for us to enjoy. And they just won a
double gold medal from the prestigious 2011 Seattle Wine
Awards in the sparkling wine category. Congratulations
Crystie and Keith! On July 9th they are also participating
in the newly formed Northwest Cider Association’s
Summer Cider Day, Sponsored by The Food Co-op (see
ad this page).
Finnriver is also supporting the Clemente Course by
hosting “Thinking Through the Land: Benefit Discussion
Series.” Meets five consecutive Tuesday evenings,
July 12 to August 9, from 7-9 PM. $125 tuition will
benefit the Clemente Course, a free, accredited
college humanities program. Lively discussions
led by Clemente professor Sydney Keegan and
special guests Tom Jay and Robert Greenway.
The series investigates our cultural ideas about
farming and our relationship to the land. Final
session includes a farm feast. Sponsored by the
Jefferson County Clemente Course, Finnriver,
WSU Jefferson County and the Jefferson County
Farmers Market. For more information, contact
[email protected] or 360-732-6822.
In Beans!
Jessica and P.T.
Playschool students
celebrate their bean jar
on a trip to the Co-op.
Northwest Cider Association’s
SUMMER
CIDER DAY
FORT WORDEN STATE PARK
JULY 9TH 2011, 11AM TO 7PM
The Kisler Family at their farm.
photo by Brwyn Griffin
Tickets are available at Alpenfire Cider,
Eaglemount Cider & Wine, Finnriver Farm,
and The Food Co-op Port Townsend.
“Someday, after mastering the winds, the waves, the tides and gravity, we shall harness for God the energies
of love, and then, for a second time in the history of the world, man will have discovered fire.”
- Pierre Teilhard de Chardin
THE FOOD CO-OP COMMONS www.foodcoop.coop
20
July / August 2011