Transitions are the truest test of an organization's strength.  Though the Board and management of Common Ground have known (even before the last expansion) that our co-op would eventually need to expand to fulfill its mission, and even though we have been doing a lot of work to understand how expansion impacts co-ops and their communities, the rubber has really started to hit the road this past month.      

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Not Round Up the herbicide - Round Up the donation program! Each month, Common Ground's customers can "Round Up" their change at the register to donate to a not-for-profit organization. The program is entirely voluntary, and has resulted in thousands of dollars in donations over the past year.

The Round Up program began a little over a year ago, following the earthquake in Haiti. Many of you had expressed a desire to donate to the humanitarian efforts in Haiti through the Co-op. So, we researched organizations, chose a very effective one, and collected customers' donations for a month. Afterwards, many customers expressed interest in continuing to donate, and so the Round Up program was born.

Starting this year, the year's Round Up beneficiaries are nominated and chosen by you, Common Ground's owners, in an annual election. Most of the beneficiaries work on issues that relate to our Ends, the goals we strive towards. A month is left free each year, so that if a large-scale emergency occurs, Common Ground can shift the month's beneficiary to the open month, and Round Up for the emergency at hand. This is what we did for this month - due to the earthquake disaster in Japan, we have shifted the Cornucopia Institute's Round Up to May, and are now Rounding Up for the humanitarian organization Peace Winds Japan.

This is almost not a recipe, it's so simple. It's a perfect light, quick lunch for a warm spring day.

Serves 4 as a side dish or 2 hungry spinach lovers as a meal.

The Dressing:

1 shallot, minced

½ teaspoon salt

3 tablespoons apple cider or sherry vinegar, or a combination

1 teaspoon honey

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 tablespoon walnut oil (use more olive oil if you don't have walnut)

black pepper to taste

Put the shallot and salt in a non-reactive container. Pour the vinegar over it and let stand for at least 5 minutes (15-20 minutes is better). Add the honey and mix thoroughly. Slowly drizzle in the oils, whisking constantly. Stir in the pepper and adjust the seasonings to your liking.

The Rest:

about ½ pound fresh spinach, washed well, dried, and de-stemmed

1 handful walnut pieces (optional: toast the walnuts for 5-6 minutes in a 375º oven)

¼ - ½ container Prairie Fruits Farm chèvre, crumbled (hint: to crumble chèvre uniformly and unmessily, drag a fork gently across its surface a few times, then shake the crumbs into a bowl)

Place the spinach in a large bowl and add half the dressing. Toss well and taste. Add more dressing if necessary. Divide the salad into individual portions and sprinkle chèvre and walnuts on each.

Optional: If you like fruit on your salads, add a few sliced strawberries. To make a substantial meal, add a quartered hard-boiled egg to each serving.