swiss chard
  August 2013         

Co-op Impacts:  

Common Ground's Co-op Start-Up Workshop
On Sunday, July 21, we hosted our first every Illinois Food Co-op Start-
 Up workshop right here at Common Ground Food Co-op! We had a good turn out-20 people attended from seven different Illinois communities working hard to start their own co-ops. The workshop was one day long and filled with engaging activities. Two of our local farmers, Stan Schutte from Triple S. Farms and Dave Bishop from PrairiErth, volunteered their time (and during this busy season!) to lead a panel discussion about how to start relationships with local farms. We are eager to grow this workshop, and to continue to serve as an inspiration and mentor to other communities in the process of building of their own food co-ops! The success you've been a part of creating at Common Ground is inspiring the building of stronger communities far beyond just C-U! 
 

Strengthening the Cooperative movement

In mid-July our great General Manager spoke at Springfield, IL's first public meeting to organize starting up their own food co-op!  The room  jam packed with community members passionate about making something like Common Ground Food Co-op happen in their great city. They are just getting started, but if the turn out at this meeting  is any indication of where they are headed, they are very likely to succeed.

Creating a Visionary Road Map

Jacqueline Hannah, General Manager    

 

This month marks the 5th anniversary of CGFC moving to Lincoln Square Mall. Just five years ago today, owners and staff were starting to pack up the stock room for the big move while placing the first orders for the larger store. In five years, we've made the dreams of the owners back then, come true...and then some. It is amazing what we've accomplished together as a community. Congratulations to us all - the power of community is truly amazing! But now that we've fulfilled the vision from the 2005 CGFC owner visioning process, it's time for a bigger vision, one that creates even more positive change in our C-U community.

 

In November of 2011, your board of directors held an open owners' event to start the ball rolling for the next wave of visioning. We were in the midst of final architectural drawings for our expanded store, and more than half the owner loans had been made by those who believed in the vision of a full service CGFC. What would be next? What did the owners want their food co-op to accomplish? The board set out to find out. The result of that new visioning process was the following themes for owner's desires for future of CGFC:

  • More education and educational outreach

  • Work on food policy

  • More stores

  • More work with kids/schools

  • More community space/support for local arts

  • Increasing accessibility and affordability

These are the sails we are going to set into the wind, our compass from you, the owners of CGFC, on where to head next. The board has now entrusted these themes to me as the general manager to work with the staff to set concrete directions and goals from these themes. What will these look like in action in five years? 10 years? 11 years?

Wait. What? Why 11 years?

Eleven years from this November, your food co-op will be celebrating 50 years of great food, empowerment, and community....

Getting Involved

 Maya Bauer, Education Coordinator

Co-op owners and customers are some of the most generous and community conscious people that I know. We are always looking for new ways to get involved and participate in building a more vibrant and inclusive community. 

Working with the Eastern Illinois Food Bank as a Round Up for Good organization this month and also supporting them with all of the proceeds from our Ice Cream Social (August 18) is an exciting opportunity for us. 

 

We are food people. 

We love food and think about food all the time. Because of this investment, food insecurity is a big issue. People right here in our communities, neighborhoods, schools, and places of employment are not sure where their next meals will come from.  According to Hunger in America 2010, a study of hunger and organizations working to alleviate hunger, the Eastern Illinois Foodbank provides emergency food for an estimated 100,600 different people annually. That's more than the population of the entire City of Champaign, by nearly 20,000 people. About 12,500 different people receive emergency food assistance in any given weekA third of the members of households served by The Eastern Illinois Foodbank are 

children under 18 years old. 

 

What can we do? Our dollars go a long way (Round Up at the register!), it's true, but our time goes even further. This fall we're going to have a dialog about hunger in our area combined with a volunteer day working with the Eastern Illinois Food Bank. There will be limited slots for this volunteer session, so keep an eye out for sign-up opportunities soon! 100% of pantries, 84% of kitchens, and 75% of shelters in The Eastern Illinois Foodbank use volunteers. Email me if you have any questions or want to get on the list! Get involved!

From Your Board of Directors: Bylaws
Ben Galewsky, Board Member
Ben

Bylaws! Those of us who love co-op governance can talk happily about them for hours. Fear not; I'll be brief here.


Bylaws are the legal bedrock on which our co-op is based. In effect they are a contract between Common Ground and its owners and enshrine the cooperative and democratic principles we hold dear, such as cooperative ownership, shared economic participation through patronage dividends, and most importantly democratic control by setting out who is entitled to run for a board seat and how board members are elected.

 

As Common Ground's ownership grows we have to make sure our bylaws keep up and maintain the critical balance between operational efficiency and effective democratic control. The board has just completed a thorough review of our bylaws and drafted some important changes. We will soon be asking you, the owners, to approve them.

 

Read More...get informed about the upcoming VOTE!

 
Want to let your Board know what you think?  They love hearing from you! Contact your CGFC Board at  here. 

click here to sign up or for more details

 

Led By Carey Smith
Sun Aug 4, 3-4pm
$7 owners/$12 non-owners
Thursday, Aug 8th, 5:30-8:30pm 
tickets $20

 

Honey 101
Led by Maggie Wachter
Saturday, August 10th, 1-2pm
$10 owners/$15 non-owners 

 

Kids Cook! Ages 12+
Led by Renee Ray
Sunday, August 11th, 2-4pm
$15 owners/$20 non-owners 
(2nd kid � off! Parents are free!)

 

All About Italian Wine
Led by Domenico Musumeci
$10 owners, $15 non-owners
Tuesday, August 13, 7-8:30

 

Led by Annie Weisner of HeRMES Clinic
Wednesday, August 14th, 6-7:30pm
$15 for owners/$20 for non-owners

 

Vegetarian Indian Delicacies: 

Cauliflower and Potato preparation with Poori
Led by Shuchi Agrawal
Thursday, August 15th, 6-7:30pm
$20 owners/$25 owners 

 

Led by Stefan Johnsrud
Saturday, August 17th, 3-4:30pm
$10 owners/$15 non-owners

 

Ice Cream Social 

Sunday, August 18 4-6pm
All proceeds benefit the Eastern Illinois Food Bank

 

Cooking Healthy on a Budget: 

Mediterranean Stuffed Zucchini
Led by Colleen Wagner
Monday, August 19th, 6-7:30pm
Free, but pre-registration is required. 

 

Common Ground Story Time
Led by Staffer and Lover of Tales Ellen
Wednesday, August 21st, 10:30-11am
FREE! No registration required.

 

Wellness Wednesday
Wednesday, August 21st, 5-6pm
Free, but pre-registration is required. 

 

GMOs and Your Co-op
Led by Co-op GM Jacqueline Hannah
Tuesday, Aug 22nd at 6:30-7:15pm
This class is free to all, but pre-registration is required. 

 

Craft Beer 101
Led by Billy Specialty Dept. Manager
Tuesday August 27, 7-8:30pm
$10 owner/$15 non-owner 

 

Healthy Kids-Fun in the Kitchen
Led by Flavia Andrade, PhD,

 offered by the HeRMEs Clinic
Saturday, August 31st, 1-2:30p
Free, but pre-registration is required 

Featured Food For All Recipe: 
The Co-op's food access program is called Food For All (FFA). Part of this program is a great selection of healthy recipes that you can feed your family with for less than $2 per serving.  These recipes are FREE and available in our store. We also have a Cooking Healthy on a Budget class that we offer FREE each month. Each class focuses on one of our FFA recipes and demonstrated healthy budget-conscious approaches to feeding yourself and your family! This month's class is built around this great recipe:
Mediterranean Stuffed Zucchini 
 
This traditional meal from northern Italy is great for nights you want something easy and light! 
 



Ingredients:
3 zucchini $5.07 
1 tbsp + 1 tsp canola oil $0.09 
1/2 cup whole wheat couscous $0.61 
Price per
serving
$1.99
Calories per
serving
190
Ready in
(minutes)
50
Serving size
1.5 boats
1/4 cup raisins $0.32 
1 yellow onion, minced $0.97 
1 carrot, diced (from 5 lb bag) $0.21 
1/2 lemon, juice and zest $0.37 
1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped $0.06 
1/4 tsp nutmeg $0.27 
Salt & pepper to taste $0.00

 
Preparation:  
Zucchini
In a medium saucepan, bring about 4 cups of water to a boil. Remove stems from zucchini and cut each in half lengthwise (no need to peel). Using a small spoon or melon baller, scoop the center out of each zucchini, leaving a boat shaped shell about 3/8" thick. Blanch zucchini by dropping them gently in the boiling water. Once water returns to a boil, let cook for 1 minute. Quickly lift zucchini out of water and into a colander. Rinse briefly with very cold water and set aside. Reserve hot water in pot for cooking couscous.

Couscous
Measure out 1/2 cup hot water into a small saucepan with a tight fitting lid. Bring water to a boil and add 1 tsp canola oil and the couscous. Stir once, cover, and reduce heat to low for five minutes. Remove from heat and let stand covered for 10 minutes.

Filling
Preheat oven to 350 F. Pour raisins in remaining zucchini water and set aside to plump. Heat 1 tablespoon canola oil in a frying pan and add onions and carrots. Cook over medium heat until onions are slightly browned and carrots are crisp-tender. Remove from heat. Drain raisins and add to pan with lemon juice, zest, parsley, and nutmeg. Mix well and add couscous. Season lightly with salt and pepper. Generously spoon couscous into zucchini boats and place on a baking sheet. Bake for 15-20 minutes and serve. 

Local Producer Profile: Soaps by Felice
Q & A with Owner Felice Kaufmann

 

What does your business name mean to you? How did you choose this name?

My business started as a hobby making soap for friends and family, so it didn't have a name for 4 or 5 months. I picked a name after several people suggested I make soap available for sale. I knew I wanted my soap to be natural and down-to-earth, with no hidden ingredients, so a straightforward descriptive name seemed like a good fit. That's when I coined my slogan too: Life Gets You Dirty, Soap Gets You Clean.

   

Where is your business located? How many miles do you travel to reach Common Ground?

I make soap in a repurposed laundry room in my home in east Urbana. According to MapQuest I travel 0.69 miles to deliver my soap to the Co-op.  

 

What do you produce? What is your signature product?

I make mild, conditioning vegetable-oil soaps, using animal-friendly natural ingredients, including herbs, fruits, vegetables, and grains. I've developed about a dozen soap recipes that I make regularly, but the two that I receive the most requests for are French Green Clay with Peppermint & Rosemary and Tangerine-Lemongrass Scrub Bar with Strawberry Seeds & Lemonpeel Powder.  

 

For how long have you been making your products?

I made my first batch of soap on August 12, 2011, mostly out of curiosity. I had come across a YouTube video of someone making cold-process soap in their kitchen and thought it looked like fun. It took me a few days to gather the supplies, but after one batch, I knew I wanted to get into it more seriously. Not only was it a satisfying process, but I liked the end results better than the commercial soaps I'd been using, plus I realized I could customize recipes to the needs of family and friends.

 

Where do you get the ingredients for your products?

I purchase herbs and food items (calendula petals, kelp, carrots, honey, oatmeal, cornmeal, goatsmilk, etc.) locally from the Urbana farmer's market, the Co-op, and other natural food shops. I order oils, butters, essential oils, and sodium hydroxide (lye) from online suppliers that cater to small-scale soapmakers.

 

Do you use organic or fair trade (natural) ingredients and practices?

Yes, it's important to me to research ingredients and suppliers and choose vendors that offer organic and sustainable products. I also believe in keeping a small "footprint" by purchasing second-hand equipment when possible. For instance, the local I.D.E.A. Store has been the source for pots, racks, baby-food jars for storing herbs, wooden drawers for use as soap molds, chopsticks for stirring and texturing, tissue paper from dress patterns for packing & wrapping, etc.  Even the stove in my workroom is an oldie-but-goodie that a friend traded me in exchange for soap.  

 

What do you enjoy most about making your products?

It's hard to say, since I actually enjoy every aspect of making soap. I like researching herbs and natural colorants and planning new recipes; I like all the hands-on aspects - the weighing, mixing, stirring, pouring, the suspense of waiting for a batch to set up and then cutting it into bars to cure. I enjoy trying out each new batch, savoring and evaluating the color, texture, fragrance, and lather. Probably one of my favorite moments has to be when someone tries a soap and tells me they want more. Also, it's fun to embark on a whole new area of learning: even three years ago, I could never have guessed that my current summertime reading would be Scientific Soapmaking: The Chemistry of the Cold Process.

 

What do you find most challenging about making your products?

My biggest challenge is keeping a balance between soapmaking and the rest of my life. I'm always interested in reading more and trying out new recipes, and there never seems to be quite enough time to squeeze it all in.     

 

What is your perspective on locally made goods/farming and agriculture?

To me the movement toward using local goods and products seems one of the sanest trends taking place right now. I think our community has made a lot of progress in recent years, both in what's available to us and in overall awareness of the issues.  The Co-op has been a big part of this - it will be exciting to see where we are in another 10 years. 

  

Is there anything else you'd like Common Ground's customers to know about your business/farm?

I've learned that people's soap preferences and tolerances are as unique and diverse as we are. If anyone has special requests in terms of ingredients or recipes, I'm always happy to get feedback and try something new. Feel free to contact me through the Co-op or by email at [email protected].

 

Co-op Ice Cream Social

 

Sunday, August 18, 4-6pm

Fundraising Event

All Proceeds go to the Eastern Illinois Foodbank

Location: Common Ground Porch

 

Everyone is invited to come out to our second annual Ice Cream Social! This year all donations will go to the Eastern Illinois Foodbank. Did you know that about 12,500 different people receive emergency food assistance in any given week from the Eastern Illinois Foodbank and that 49% of clients served by the Foodbank report having to choose between paying for food and paying for utilities or heating fuel? Contrary to popular belief, the holidays are not a time of great need for food relief agencies. In fact, summertime is generally a time of highest demand, because children are out of school and there are increased financial pressures on parents. Let's be part of the solution to hunger in Illinois.


Gather on our porch with your friends and community for a good cause, and build your own ice cream sundae for a donation. How much you donate is up to you. We will have multiple flavors of ice cream for you to choose from, followed by mounds of toppings like bananas, berries, honey, chocolate, gluten-free graham cracker crumbles and more! Vegan and soy free options will be available by request. Get down to live music by the Church Street Ramblers, and enjoy performances by Michael and Satina Braswell- "The Extreme Variety Act" including juggling, magic, hula hooping, balloon animals, face painting and more! Last year we came together and raised $900 for the national No Kid Hungry Campaign, way beyond our expectations! Now that we know what is possible, let's raise the bar for our local Eastern Illinois Foodbank.
We have set a goal of $1,200. We can do it!
In This Issue
From Your Board of Directors
August Classes and Events
Food For All Recipe: Black Bean Burgers and Southwest Pilaf
Local Producer Profile: Green Pantry Nursery
Ice Cream Social!
Co-op Art
August Sales! 
Check out our current sales here!
Next Owner Appreciation Day 
Tuesday
August 27th
All Day
Our next Owner Appreciation Day is around the corner! Owner Appreciation Days are fun & festive events that we hold four times a year for our owners to say "thank you for investing in your 
Co-op"
  • 10% off all day for co-op owners! 
  • free samples & vendor demos
  • meet your local farmers & producers 
  • kid activities & more for everyone
  • If you are not an owner, this is a great day to sign up!
Co-ops = Democracy
Being owner doesn't just mean that you get discounts around the store. The most important part about being an owner is that YOU have democratic control. YOU elect the board of directors. YOU can run for the board of directors. YOU are responsible for the direction of the Co-op.
 
Let Your Voice Be Heard

August 26 | Run for the Board
-Any owner can apply to serve on the board of directors.

September 17, 6:30-7:30pm | Board Candidate Info Session
Location: Flatlander Classroom inside Common Ground
-Meet the board and ask them questions about running for the board.

October 4 | Board Applications are Due

October 12 | Voting Begins (Big Year!)
*One vote per owner number
-Vote on board candidates
-Vote on the 2014 Round Up for Good organizations
-Vote yes or no to changing Common Ground's bylaws

October 19 | The MOO Party (Annual Meeting of Owners)
Time and location: TBA
-This is also the last day to vote

AUGUST ROUND UP FOR GOOD

The Eastern Illinois Food Bank
The Eastern Illinois Foodbank exists to alleviate hunger in eastern Illinois by providing a reliable source of food for the hungry through cooperation with a network of food pantries and agencies.
It's easy to "Round Up," your transaction to the nearest dollar (or more) at the register, or put some change/dollars in the Round Up For Good box by the door on the way out of the store! 
Round Up logo
COMMON GROUND GIVES BACK

As part of our mission to build community:
Cooperatively
we have raised
OVER $550

for the  Prosperity Gardens


 Thanks to everyone who participated in our monthly Round Up for Good!

Special Orders at
Your Co-op!

Looking for something you don't see on the shelf? Want to stock up during a great sale? Place a Special Order! We can order hundreds of products that we don't usually carry. You can save money by ordering a case of your favorite staple items while they're on sale, and Owners receive 10% off orders of regularly priced items. Stop by our Welcome Desk or click HERE to email for more information!
Local Flavors 
 
The Illinois Stewardship Alliance coordinates a series of lunches and dinners with restaurants throughout the state to inspire an increase in local sourcing. The series is called "Local Flavors," and many of your great local restaurants are participating, check it out:
Lunches
Aug 6 - Milos
Sept 3 - Cracked

Dinners
Aug 15 - Bacaro
Sept 19 - Destihl
Oct 17 - Big Grove Tavern
Prepared Foods 
One of the best parts about living in the Midwest are the Summers.  The skies are blue, the air is warm, your shoe-soles are sticking to the pavement...Well, the Summers are OK.  But even the toughest Central-Illinoisan needs to cool down once in a while.  And for times such as these, your Prepared Foods department has you covered! 
If you're looking for a light, refreshing and COOL option for your Summer dining, look no further than our Grab 'n Go case!  We've got over a dozen compound salads, gazpacho, fresh lunch wraps, hummus and salsa, all made in-house using local and organic ingredients.  We've got cold drinks such as iced coffee and iced tea.  And, of course, we have the only all-organic salad bar in town! 
So the next time your stomach is grumbling in the Summer sun, give your Co-op a visit and we'll cool you down!
Back to School 
 It's Back-To-School time! We now have lunchboxes, thermoses, bamboo utensils, cotton snack bags, and recycled BPA-free food containers. Bring your lunch to school or work in style and reduce landfill waste at the same time.
Know Your Wine:
Sleepy Creek Vineyard
 When you think wine country, you think east central Illinois, right? Of course you do! Joe and Dawn Taylor started their 10 acre vineyard in 2002 and opened the winery in 2007.  They grow grape varieties that are suited to our cold winters, which means you probably won't recognize these unique wines - which means a whole new wine experience for you.  Why not grab a few bottles to share with friends and raise a glass to the good life here in wine country?!

Sleepy Creek will be here for Owner Appreciation Day, August 27th
 4:30-6:30!  
New Gallery Art
Zelda Galewsky  Days ago our Art Gallery saw the installation of the work of a new artist. Zelda Galewsky's whimsical
Habitat show will be in our gallery for the next two months with a celebration for the artist
Sept 27, 7-9pm 
Hope you'll join us in supporting local art!
Veggie Spotlight

Donut Peaches


This spectacular peach is appropriately named for its most recognizable attribute, the strangely squashed appearance which resembles the shape of a donut. It has creamy yellow skin with a faint red blush and is less fuzzy than most varieties, white flesh, and a pit that doesn't cling to the flesh so you can just pop it out with your thumb. Donut peaches are juicy, firm, and abundantly fragrant. They are sweeter than regular peaches and have a hint of almond flavor, making them the perfect dessert! You can leave them on the counter to ripen quickly if they aren't ready at the time of purchase and they can be refrigerated for as long as 3 days after fully ripened. The season is over at the end of August so pick some the next time you are in and try them fresh or in a pie before they disappear for the year!