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 1220 N. Forest St., Bellingham WA 98225
315 Westerly Rd. Bellingham WA 98226
www.communityfood.coop · 360-734-8158
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An e-publication with your good health in mind
| June 2011
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Food To Bank On Farmers Supply the Co-op
Founded in 2003 with a donation from the Co-op's Farm Fund and now a successful program of Sustainable Connections Food and Farming Program, Food To Bank On (FTBO) farmers participate in a three-year mentorship program while establishing their beginning farms and growing produce, much of which is destined for food banks and shelters. Look for food on our shelves from these FTBO graduates and current participants: Holistic Homestead, Highwater Farm, Terra Verde Farm, and WakeRobin Farm (organic vegetables); Rabbit Fields Farm (organic vegetables, berries, herbs); Uprising Organics Farm and Uprising Seeds (organic vegetables, seeds); Moondance Farm (organic vegetables, sprouts); Misty Meadows Farm (organic eggs); Wildroot Botanicals (teas); Cascadia Mushrooms (organic specialty mushrooms); and Heritage Lane Farm (fresh heritage-breed pork). We love our local farmers!
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 Healthy Connections Classes
with Susy Hymas
Wednesdays:
June 1, 8, and 15
Cordata Co-op
Spiritual Activism
with Marcia MacLean
Thursday, June 2
Downtown Co-op
Mastering Your Triad
of Change
with Kim Haustedt, DC
Monday, June 6
Downtown Co-op
Asian Leafy Greens
with Mary Ellen Carter
Thursday, June 9
Cordata Co-op
Summer Songbird Walk
with David Drummond
Saturday, June 11
Stimpson NatureReserve
Wild Seaweed Cuisine
with Jennifer Hahn
Monday, June 13
Cordata Co-op
Olive Oil: Gift from
the Gods
with Robert Fong
Tuesday, June 14
Downtown Co-op
Hot Topics in
Women's Health
with Elan Keehn, ND
and Kim Sandstrom, ND
Thursday, June 16
Downtown Co-op
Improve Your
Sleep Naturally
with Mystique Grobe, ND
Monday, June 20
Cordata Co-op
Childhood and Spinal Development
with Barney Roca, DC
Tuesday, June 21
Cordata Co-op
Check our website and newsletter for the full lineup of great classes. |
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Favorite Recipes
Find recipes for your favorite Co-op deli salads, entrees, and bakery items on our website.
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It Pays to be
a Co-op Member
Membership benefits include:
Periodic discounts and special offers
Special order pricing on bulk purchases
Member discounts with local business partners
Member pricing for classes
Opportunity to participate in governance
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Member-owner Deals
New items on sale bi-weekly. See the Sales page on our website or stop by the service desk for a list of great deals. |
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Pick up Your Monthly
Newsletter
in the Store
We publish our Co-op Community newsletter monthly. Pick up a copy next time you're in the store. |
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Community Shopping Day update
Appliance Depot received a $1,739 donation from the Co-op for their May 21 CSD. Our next CSD, on Saturday, June 18, will benefit People For Puget Sound. Thanks for shopping the Co-op and helping fund one of our local nonprofits. |
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It's the Great Pumpkin!
Remember last October's giant pumpkin at the Cordata store? It was amazing! Well, thanks to the green thumb of Bob Small of Small's Gardens in Ferndale, we have the descendents of that pumpkin at the Cordata store, and produce manager Wynne Marks is inviting Co-op families to sign up to get a free pumpkin start and participate in a fun contest to see who can grow the biggest pumpkin from those starts. (Limited quantity of starts available; first come, first served.) On October 22, at the Cordata store Member Appreciation Party, we'll weigh in all of your pumpkins and declare a winner.
To participate, pick up your pumpkin start in the Cordata produce department, and sign up to enter into our contest. Then, simply get growing!
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 Small Farmers. Big Change: Creating a Green and More Just Food System
Curious to learn more about fair trade practices, products, farmers, and the impact of the fair trade movement? You can do just that at the Small Farmers. Big Change blog from Equal Exchange. Then, the next time you choose to purchase an Equal Exchange product from the Co-op's shelves, you'll know even more about the positive impact of your purchasing decision.
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Great Seed Robbery
"The seed, the source of life, the embodiment of our biological and cultural diversity, the link between the past and the future of evolution, the common property of past, present, and future generations of farming communities who have been seed breeders, is today being stolen from the farmers and being sold back to us as 'propriety seed' owned by corporations like the U.S.-headquartered Monsanto." -Vandana Shiva, The Great Seed Robbery, Deccan Chronicle (English newspaper in India), April 27, 2011
For the full article, see the Organic Consumers Association website.
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The Newest Rules, courtesy of Slow Food USA members  and Michael Pollan
Recently Michael Pollan asked readers on the Slow Food USA network to submit new rules to be added to his new illustrated edition of Food Rules. Michael was overwhelmed with more than 4,000 submissions and extended heartfelt thanks to all who engaged in the conversation. He said, "Your contributions vindicated the premise of both the book and of Slow Food, which is that the conversation of culture has more to teach us about how to eat healthily and happily than all the nutritional studies, government advisories, and food industry promises. Yeah, Michael!
The new rules he selected for the book are:
- Place a bouquet on the table and everything will taste twice as good. - Gisbert P. Auwaerter, Cutchogue, NY
- Love your spices. They add richness and depth to food without salt. - Claire Cheney, Jamaica Plain, MA
- When you eat real food, you don't need rules. - Mandy Gerth
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In Praise of the Non-GMO Project
Jeffrey Smith, author of the Institute for Responsible Technology blog shared some high praise for the Non-GMO Project, whose executive director is Co-op Board member Megan Westgate. "There's been some high voltage opinions darting about the blogosphere about the Non-GMO Project, which is the new third-party verifying organization for companies making Non-GMO claims. I have been watching and working with this organization for many years and I want to weigh in. I have unqualified support of the mission, tactics, and integrity of the organization. In fact, last year we made the requirement that for any product to be listed as non-GMO in our Non-GMO Shopping Guide or iPhone app ShopNoGMO, it had to be enrolled in the Non-GMO Project."
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Dirt: The Erosion of Civilizations, by David R. Montgomery
Dirt, soil, call it what you want - it's everywhere we go. It is the root of our existence, supporting our feet, our farms, our cities. This fascinating yet disquieting book finds, however, that we are running out of dirt, and it's no laughing matter. Montgomery sees in the rise of organic and no-till farming the hope for a new agricultural revolution that might help us avoid the fate of previous civilizations.
Read more on the University of California Press website. |
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Washington Post Live: The Future of Food
On May 4, The Washington Post hosted a free conference on "The Future of Food." The conference invited leading experts on food from around the world t o discuss trends in agriculture and consumer behavior that are shaping the future of food. Video excerpts of several speakers and four panel discussions are archived on the Washington Post Live website. A few of the featured speakers included Wendell Berry; Eric Schlosser, author of Fast Food Nation; and Prince Charles.
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 What we know - and don't know - about the safety of eating GMOs
Tom Philpott, senior food and agriculture writer for Grist, recently delved into this important issue with this provocative lead.
"Are genetically modified foods safe to eat? The conventional answer is 'yes,' and it's not hard to see why. Since their introduction in 1996, genetically modified (GM) or genetically engineered (GE) corn and soy seeds quickly conquered U.S. farm fields. Today, upwards of 70 percent of corn and 90 percent of soy are genetically modified, and these two crops form the basis of the conventional U.S. diet. Nor are they GM technology's only pathway onto our plates. Nearly 80 percent of U.S. cotton is now genetically engineered, and cottonseed oil has emerged as a staple fat for the food industry. (USDA has figures on this.) Canola oil -- another crop that has largely succumbed to genetic modification -- is yet another common ingredient."
Given the prevalence of GMO crops in our food system, isn't it time for a closer look? To learn more, read Tom Philpott's full story online at Grist.
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Upcoming Events
Meatless Monday at the Co-op Deli: Meatless specials and soup
Every Monday at both stores
Board of Directors monthly meeting Wednesday, June 8, 7 pm, Downtown Co-op Connection Building The Nutritionist Is In Tuesday, June 14, 4-6 pm, Downtown Co-op Thursdsay, June 16, 4-6 pm, Cordata Co-op
3rd Thursday Local Music Series: Vibram Souls
Thursday, June 16, 6-8 pm, Downtown Co-op
Community Shopping Day: People For Puget Sound
Saturday, June 18, all day at both stores
Member Affairs Committee monthly meeting
Wednesday, June 29, 5:15-7:15 pm, Downtown Co-op Connection Building
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Archive E-newsletters from the Co-op
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Tell us what you'd like to see in this e-newsletter.
Forward suggestions to Diana Campbell, Newsletter, E-news, and Web Editor |
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