What'sNew at Common Ground?
Jacqueline Hannah, General Manager
 The last of this summer's tomatoes from Blue Moon Farm in Urbana sit on the Co-op's shelves as I write this, a sign that the bountiful fruit and vegetable season is drawing to a close and that winter is almost upon us. As I watch the delicious local crops disappear, I say a little goodbye to the season and turn to appreciate the local bounty of the winter season.
While the eggplant, fresh basil, tomatoes,
peaches may be behind us for this year, I am thrilled to share that
there are still dozens and dozens of products at the Co-op
that come from farms within 150 miles of Urbana.
One of the most exciting things made possible by Common Ground's new
store space at Lincoln Square is how much more room we have in our
freezer, coolers, and our shelves to fill with local foods. We have vastly expanded how much we carry from the farms we have
long-standing relationships with and have been able to develop new
relationships with many local farmers and producers--and we are adding
more every month! Some of the new farms Common Ground is working with
are:
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Catalpa Farm: Now providing the Co-op with wonderful goat's milk soaps made from the milk of the goats on their own farm.
- Country Cottage Farms: This Fisher farm is now
providing the Co-op with fresh eggs every week as well as some terrific
lamb products like lamb brats, lamb Italian sausage, ground lamb, and
lamb patties. You can find the lamb products in the freezer on the top
shelf of the meat section.
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Meyer Produce Farm: If you enjoyed the luscious local pears from the Co-op this season, thank the folks at Meyer Produce Farm. We're
looking forward to partnering with them again next year!
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Meister's: David and Rhonda Meister from Loda now provide the Co-op with gluten-free breads and bulk gluten-free baking flour. Look in the bread section of the freezer for their loaves and in the bulk department for their flour.
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Mileur Farm: Apples, apples, apples! We've had terrific local
apples in all season (and still have a few!) from this Murphysboro's
farm. Check out their booth at the Farmer's Market while you still can
this season.
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Ropp's Dairy Farm: The sweet folks from Ropp's in Bloomington make some terrific cheeses that you will now find in your co-op's dairy
case. Ropp's also offers great educational tours of their farm
for people of all ages and welcome people 5 days a week to their farm.
They'd love to show you where your cheese is made!
Your Co-op is always looking to carry more products from local
farms. Know a local producer or farm that the Co-op is not yet working
with that might like to sell their product direct to the Co-op? Send
them over to the Co-op or give our staff their information and we'll
see if we can work with them as well! Check out the sidebar to your right to see what we have coming up on the local foods horizon!
As always, I love to hear your ideas and feedback. Please drop me any e-mail or stop by the co-op Tuesday through Saturday; I'd love to
talk with you!
In Cooperation,
Jacqueline Hannah
General Manager
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Local Producer Profile: Triple S Farms Q&A with Stan Schutte
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 What does your farm name mean to you? How did you choose this name?
My farm name is my initials: Stan Scott Schutte.
Where is your farm located? How many miles do you travel to reach Common Ground?
My farm is located in Stewardson, IL. We're about 60 miles
south west of Champaign.
How long have you been farming?
I've been farming 40 years, yes I said 40! 10 years in
organic farming.
What do you grow or raise on your farm?
Corn, soybeans, wheat, clover, rye, oats, pastures, pork, beef, chicken, turkey, eggs, and asparagus.
What is your signature product?
I
think everything is good! Chicken was our first product, but I get
the most positive feedback about our eggs.
When and why did you make the switch to organic farming?
I started the move towards organic farming in 1998. Why? I was going broke the
conventional way.
What do you enjoy most about farming?
Morning feeding of the animals. No matter what happened the day before, it's a fresh
new day.
What do you find most challenging about being a farmer?
The weather.
What is your philosophy/perspective on farming and agriculture?
Everyone has to eat
at least once a day.
Is there anything else you'd like Common Ground members to know about Triple S Farm?
I'm just a hell
of a nice guy who likes Old Milwaukee. Ha
Ha!
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Staff Pick: Sambazon Acai Smoothies
Shasta Homel, Grocery Assistant
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 While traveling through Brazil in 2002, my friends and I discovered
delicious, highly nutritious acai smoothies, made from the local acai berry. We found these tropical delights readily available all
throughout our trip and became quite addicted to them. They
blend these potent little purple berries with mango, bananas and
strawberries. Yum!
The exotic acai berry is very high in antioxidants, has healthy
omega 3-6-9, and is low glycemic. No wonder it makes you feel so good!
Upon returning to the states, imagine my joy in finding Sambazon Acai
smoothies. Founded by two California surfer brothers who discovered the
great energy benefits of the berry and felt moved to make it available,
they were the first to bring this wonderful berry to the U.S. in 2000.
The Sambazon Acai Smoothies are fair trade and certified organic. Plus,
the company utilizes part of their profits to protect the bio-diversity
of the Amazon rain forest and to provide another source of income for
the Amazon beyond de-forestation. I've come to know one the brothers.
He is a spirited, fun servant of the greater good doing something he
believes in.
sambazon smoothie
This treat tastes and feels so good. Don't be afraid to try the
super greens variety. It's also quite tasty with the added green
benefits.
Enjoy! |
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Recipe: Homemade Cranberry Sauce
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 Ingredients List:
1 navel orange
1/2 t grated ginger
4 C raw cranberries
1/2 C (2 oz.) toasted pecans
½ cup agave nectar, raw sugar or honey
1/4 tsp minced or grated fresh ginger
Grate the orange peel and put in a small saucepan with the sweetner and ginger. Add the juice from the orange into the pan and simmer it all over medium heat until the sweetner is dissolved. This will only take a few minutes. Now add cranberries and ginger and cook until the cranberries pop - about 5 minutes. If you've never cooked with raw cranberries before, the skins of the cranberries will split, or "pop" as they cook. When the majority have done so, the sauce is done. Stir in the pecans and then let the sauce cool. The sauce will thicken significantly as it cools, don't give in to the temptation to "cook it down." You can make this sauce a day or two ahead of time and refrigerate, but make sure you let it warm up to room temp before serving it, the flavors come out much better at that temperature.
Which sweetener should you use in this recipe? Click here for more information about the suggested sweeteners.
I don't know about you, but I *love* cranberry sauce. Love it! But what to do with those inevitable leftovers after the holiday? (Or, for those of you who love it as much as I do, what ways can you enjoy it with before and after the holiday?) Click here are some of my favorite ideas and some suggested by my meat-eating pals!
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Green Living: Homemade Dryer Sheets
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One of my favorite childhood memories is helping my mom hang the
laundry out to dry. Of course, I wasn't really working, but rather
throwing wet socks at my sisters and making tents out of the sheets. However, I still enjoy doing the laundry (strange I know), and I'm
always looking for ways to make it more enjoyable. A recent discovery
is homemade dryer sheets!
While they may freshen and release static cling, conventional dryer
sheets are laden with toxic chemicals that adhere to clothing and
are released into the air. Common Ground does sell great
biodegradable dryer sheets, but I think it's more fun to make your own.
Here are a couple of suggestions for giving your laundry a fresh scent
and managing static cling:
To freshen laundry (my personal favorite):
Spritz a washcloth with water and add a few drops of essential oil
(a medicine dropper works well) such as lavender. Throw the washcloth
in the dryer with freshly washed clothes, and viola!, gently scented
laundry. A small bottle of essential oils
will scent hundreds of loads! This method also works great
for freshening damp towels.
To release static cling:
Adding vinegar to the
final wash in the washing machine will do wonders for static cling. Not over-drying clothing, and
separating your natural and synthetic fabrics, also helps. For more persistent static cling, spritz a
washcloth with a mixture of water and vinegar (you can add essential
oils here too!) and toss in the dryer or soak a
washcloth in fabric softener (one of the eco-friendly types of course), wring it out, let it dry, and add it to the dryer. The latter method can be used dozens of times before having to resoak the
rag in fabric softener! What a deal!
Happy laundering!
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Thanks for shopping at Common Ground!
Remember, membership is not required to shop at Common Ground! Anyone can shop in the store, but there are some great benefits to joining and we are always happy to welcome new members! |
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