News from Common Ground Food Co-op

July 2009

Expanding Owner Benefits at the Co-op
Jacqueli ne Hannah, General Manager

Ownership at Common Ground Food Co-op offers many great benefits. One of my favorites is the quarterly Owner Appreciation Day! While the 10% discount for owners is a big draw, it's the celebration of Co-op community that really brings in a crowd. Local farmers and producers sample products and meet the folks who support their farms. Terrific local bands charm adults and kids alike, sometimes prompting a spontaneous dance party! Common Ground staff make the rounds with delicious samples of co-op treats. Plus, we always find a little something to give away as a token of our appreciation! All of this combines to create a celebration of everything we love about the Co-op--local farms, great food, and a vibrant community!

Hopefully you made it to Owner Appreciation Day in June, the second Owner Appreciation Day of 2009, but if you missed it, don't fret! We have two more coming up this year, one in August and one in December, and we'll be sure to have great music, sampling, giveaways, and of course, the 10% discount for owners!

Expanding owner benefits in ways that further the Co-op's mission has been on my mind lately, and I've consulted with managers at other co-ops to discover how we might make ownership a more fulfilling experience. One exciting idea I've come across is working with local businesses to create an Owner Rewards Card. This card would feature exclusive discounts for Common Ground owners and give local businesses the opportunity to promote themselves. Not only would this benefit Co-op owners, but it would strengthen the local economy, draw attention to more local businesses, and make shopping at these businesses more rewarding!

One local business owner has already approached me about participating in an Owner Rewards Card, and I imagine that others would love to get on board! What do you think about an Owner Rewards Card? Do you own a business that would like to reach out to Common Ground owners? Can you think of local businesses that might be a good fit for this program? As always, please let me know what you think. I'd love to hear your feedback!

Local Producer: Basil's Harvest

Q&A with Basil's Harvest

How did you choose the name Basil's Harvest? What does this name mean to you? Basil was the name of my black lab, and a huge part of the family for 14 years. He was our first "child" so to speak. Family and tradition has always been very important to me.

Where is your business located? Basil's Harvest is located in Elmwood, a town of 1400 people. We believe in small batch, small town production. How many miles do you travel to reach Common Ground? Elmwood is approximately 1 hour and 45 minutes from Urbana, but we use suppliers from all over central Illinois.

How long has Basil's Harvest been in business? It started as a hobby in 2001 with the production of herbal infused vinegar. From there, we focused our production on re-creating traditional family recipes, like Nona's Rub and Opa's Sauerkraut.

What products do you make? Basil's Harvest makes a variety of high-quality products, such as whole wheat and white pasta, sauerkraut, Nona's Rub, herbal infused vinegar, vinaigrettes, rhubarb chutney, foccacia bread, soups, and other seasonal specialties.

Do you have a signature product? Our brass cut campanelle pasta is quickly becoming a popular product, but our regular customers each have their favorites.

Do you use natural ingredients in your products? If so, where do the ingredients come from? Basil's Harvest philosophy is to know where our food comes from. I source as much as possible from local growers and producers who farm using organic methods. I also work with an organic distributor and utilize a UNFI food co-op.

What do you enjoy most about running Basil's Harvest? I enjoy sharing my passion for great tasting food and memorable traditions with people and listening to their stories. I also enjoy our great staff: Mark, my husband; Emily, my oldest daughter; Maggie, my youngest daughter; and Kelly, our executive chef. All of them work hard to help make Basil's Harvest a success.

What do you find most challenging about your work? The most challenging part of my work is developing a product line that will provide a sustainable future.

What is your philosophy/perspective on farming, agriculture, and sustainability? I believe it is very important to know where our food comes from and who grows it. I work with local farmers to source ingredients, and I would like to continue to grow my network of local farmers to create a community of slow food producers.

Is there anything else you'd like Common Ground members to know about Basil's Harvest? I would like to thank Common Ground for their support and encouragement of Basil's Harvest.

Staff Pick: Local Produce!
Angie Kealey, Produce Assistant and Front End Staff

One of my favorite summertime vegetables is local green onions. I love their subtle oniony taste and slight crunch. And they go great with nearly any summer meal! Here's a list of a few of the million ways to use this beautifully versatile vegetable!

chopped on top of a baked potato
sliced long-ways and wrap around a piece of fish, brush with olive oil, and throw on the grill
mixed in fresh coleslaw
great in any green salad
chopped and mixed into guacamole
cooked with butter and mixed into mashed potatoes
great in miso soup
top on a baked mixed bean dip
cooked into your favorite omelet
sauted with olive oil and mixed into vegetable pasta
fried into hashbrowns
hummus topper

Enjoy local green onions from Blue Moon Farm while you can! Just three more weeks of this delicious veggie!

Local Food Recipe: Da Bomb Coleslaw
Jessy Ruddell, Produce Manager

Makes buckets-bring it to a potluck!

coleslaw

1 small green cabbage, sliced very thinly
1 cucumber, diced
1 bunch cilantro, chopped
A big handful snow or sugar snap peas, sliced on the diagonal
2 carrots, grated
1 rib celery, sliced very thinly
1 red pepper, finely diced
Optional: sliced scallions, pea shoots or other sprouts, grated turnips, thinly sliced red cabbage, minced jalapeno, sliced radishes etc.
2 tablespoons unrefined peanut oil
2-3 tablespoons rice vinegar or lemon juice
Salt to taste
Plenty of freshly ground pepper

Toss everything together in a large mixing bowl. Taste and adjust seasonings. Tastes best after an hour in the fridge.

Green Living: Sustainable Meals

Interview with the The Food Nanny

Passionate about eating locally but have a hectic schedule? Want to take some of the pressure off preparing healthy dinners every day of the week? Consider enlisting the help of The Food Nanny! For just a little more than the cost of takeout, you can have healthy, delicious, LOCAL meals delivered to your door! Learn more about this locally-owned business below!

How did The Food Nanny originate? The idea for The Food Nanny was originally put forward by a community member who was referred to us by Jessy Ruddell. This woman was looking for someone to prepare meals for her family in the style of a personal chef. After some consideration we decided that a model based on the Community Supported Agriculture system would be more efficient for us and more reasonably priced for them. People like our food and I enjoy the relationship-based aspect of the business, which differs greatly from the service-based approach of a restaurant. Our members need convenient, healthy meals and the satisfaction of knowing that they are supporting a responsible business that taps other locally integrated businesses. And we need them to provide us with financial stability, meaningful work, and a burgeoning entrepreneurial opportunity.

What services does The Food Nanny offer? In a nutshell, we offer healthy, delicious meals delivered to your home. We operate as a private, members-only eating club. Membership entitles one to a share of each of the two meals prepared every week. Dues are monthly. Meals are delivered to your home with instructions for final preparation.

Where do you source your ingredients? We take cooking locally seriously and go out of our way to deliver local food to our members. We source produce from anyone at the Farmer's Market or other producers in the region. Our greatest accomplishment last year was being able to put up (with help) so much local produce: we canned 600 pounds of tomatoes, froze 80 pounds of roasted red peppers and 60 of eggplant, and had in storage over 500 pounds total of onions, carrots, potatoes, and turnips, as well as gobs of other produce. We supplemented this with a standing spinach order with Blue Moon Farm, allowing our members to eat almost exclusively local produce all winter and spring. The amount of local food in any given meal easily tops 75%. We order our dry goods in bulk from the Co-op. Dairy comes from Prairie Fruits Farm (we use a lot of chevre) and some of the local and regional creameries. Meats are exclusively local--no compromises here, ever--and mostly from Jim and Diann Moore.

What role do you see yourself playing the local food movement? I see us as being a unique link between growers and eaters in the local food system. We consistently get local foods onto people's plates at a reasonable price (about $13 per person per meal). Our model, the community supported kitchen, is one that can possibly be emulated in other places. I hope to develop the idea further and eventually to share it. Please visit The Food Nanny online for more info!

From Your Board of Directors

Lisa Bralts-Kelly, Board Member

Common Ground's Board of Directors has had a busy summer so far, meeting both as a board and in various committees. Our primary focus right now is preparing the membership for adoption of new, updated bylaws - what's "under the hood", so to speak, of our organization. These changes, if adopted, will affect all members, so we're working hard throughout the rest of the summer to make sure the membership is educated before the vote to adopt these bylaws takes place in October. There will be frequent updates to the board's blog, opportunities to provide the board with feedback at tabling sessions on Saturday mornings, and other chances to ask questions and make your voice heard. Click here to see the latest entries on the blog regarding bylaws (and anything else we think the membership might find interesting!).

Common Ground's Board of Directors meets the second Monday of each month in the Satterthwaite Room at the Urbana Free Library from 5:30-7:30 PM, and we're always available via email at board@commonground.coop. Thanks!

In This Issue

Local Producer: Basil's Harvest

Staff Pick: Local Green Onions

Local Recipe: Da Bomb Coleslaw

Green Living: Sustainable Meals

From Your Board of Directors

JULY 4TH

YES, Common Ground Food Co-op will be open from 7AM to 3PM on Saturday, July 4th. Stock up for your BBQ and then enjoy the holiday!

July Sales!

Check out this month's sales here!

Did You
Know?

Basil is a heat lover, and should always be stored outside the refrigerator. If you buy it in a plastic bag, just set the bag on your kitchen counter. Condensation will collect in the bag after a couple of days; just shake up the basil a bit and leave the bag open for an hour or two to keep the basil from wilting or getting slimy.
If you buy basil in bunches or harvest your own, it will keep for at least a week in a glass of water on the counter.

Sometimes basil stored this way will start to grow roots. You can plant these guys in your garden for a perpetual harvest!

~Jessy Ruddell
Produce Manager

NEW RADIO SHOW ON WEFT!

Tune into WEFT 90.1 FM (and online at weft.org) for "Vegeterranian," hosted by 'Vegan' Linda and 'Meat-Free' Mike! The second edition of a new program which focuses on plant-based diets will give the listener an introduction to some of the local resources here in the Champaign-Urbana area that will help maintain a healthy vegetarian or vegan diet. Monday, July 27, from 6-7 pm!

JULY EVENTS AT COMMON GROUND!

Click here for class and workshop descriptions!

Eating Healthy on a Budget
Led by Jacqueline Hannah
Wednesday, July 15, 6-7 pm
FREE! Pre-registration is required.

Vermicomposting Workshop
Led by Co-op Owner Laura Witzling
Saturday, July 18, 1-2 pm
$20 for owners / $40 for non-owners

Crocheting Plastic Bags Into Bags
Led by Co-op Owner Copenhaver Cumpston
Thursday, July 23, 6:30 pm
FREE EVENT! Sign up or just stop by!

Canning Workshop
Led by Co-op Owner Anna Barnes
Saturday, July 25, 3-5 pm
$15 for owners / $30 for non-owners / Limit 6 participants

Cheese Making Workshop
Led by Co-op Owner Anna Barnes
Sunday, July 26, 3-5 pm
$12 for owners / $24 for non-owners / Limit 10 participants.

Please register in person at Common Ground. Due to the high level of interest in our events, we cannot take registrations via phone or email--thank you for your understanding!