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Creamery T-Shirts: Brand-new Vintage
Get 'em while they last! This week the Creamery took delivery of its final shipment of pre-cooperative T-shirts and sweatshirts. They're available in a rainbow of colors and many sizes and sport the classic rendition of the Hilltowns' most lovable bovine, Camille.
C'mon down and grab a soon-to-be collector's item while the selection of hues and fits is still vast. |
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What's New at the Old Creamery?
The Creamery now offers just the ticket for those fall gardening tasks: West County Gloves. Made of synthetic materials and coming in several varieties and an array of dazzling colors, these may be the best work and garden gloves your hands have ever slipped into. What's more, the new work, landscape, and classic gloves by West County Gardener are now made with a fabric that comes from recycled water bottles. Each pair of West County Gloves will remove two large plastic water bottles from landfills, save energy, and produce at least 40% less carbon dioxide. This new fabric is stronger, softer, and easier on the planet (click here to read more about it).
West County Gardener says that it is "committed to developing high quality,  innovative products that are less harmful to the environment. We are working to reduce the amount of nonrecycled materials used in all aspects of our products and packaging. Our efforts are incremental, but represent small, positive steps toward making a difference for the environment. We hope our efforts spur others to do the same."
The gloves have received rave reviews in publications as diverse as the Wall Street Journal, Huffington Post, and Vogue. Stop by the Creamery today and see for yourself; protect you hands, do good work, and maybe even make a fashion statement. |
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Country Wisdom, in Thirty-two Pages
Now that you're purchasing your new garden gloves at the Creamery, why not  complement them by picking up a copy of Pruning Trees, Shrubs & Vines. A thin volume, it's nonetheless jam-packed with basic information, pruning terms, tips, a pruning timetable, many illustrations, and a "condensed pruning guide." Not bad for thirty-two pages and $3.95!
This is just one of the many, many titles in the Storey Country Wisdom Bulletin series for sale near the Creamery's checkout counter. Others include Baking with Sourdough; Axes & Chainsaws: Use and Maintenance; Build Your Own Underground Root Cellar; Making Cheese, Butter, and Yogurt; Holiday Gifts Kids Can Make; Building Chicken Coops; and Natural & Herbal Remedies for Carpal Tunnel Syndrome.
To top it all off, Wisdom Bulletins are published locally by Storey Publishing of North Adams. The company's mission? "To serve our customers by publishing practical information that encourages personal independence in harmony with the environment."
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Cheese of the Week!
This week, we're featuring Eleven Brothers Cheese from Boston Post Dairy, a family-run farm in Enosburg Falls, Vermont. The farm is named after the Old Boston Post Stagecoach Road, which runs straight through the farm property. The dairy is owned and operated by Gisele and Robert Gervais and their four daughters, Anne,  Theresa, Susan, and Annette. Eleven Brothers Cheese is named after the eleven (yes, eleven!!) brothers of the four daughters (and yes, that adds up to fifteen in all!). The outnumbered ones explain: "As anyone with boys knows, it's a lot of work to raise them, and the same goes for our washed rind cheese. It's a lot of work, but oh so worth it in the end."
Eleven Brothers is a washed rind, semi-hard goat's milk cheese with a rich buttery texture and nutty undertones. It's aged five to eight months. This delicious cheese is a 2011 Gold Medal winner at Eastern States Expo. It pairs well with apples, crisp fruity wines, and lighter ales and is delicious on sandwiches or straight up.
Join us this Saturday and taste a bit of this special cheese. Remember, we'll take 10 percent off your purchase of Eleven Brothers that day. Hope to see you there!
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As California Goes, So Goes the Nation!
Food Democracy Now! reports that late last Friday, biotech chemical and seed giant  Monsanto doubled-down on its bet against America's farmers and citizens.
In a desperate bid to keep Americans in the dark about what they're eating, Monsanto put up another $2.9 million dollars to defeat California's Proposition 37 to label genetically engineered foods. This comes on top of the company's $4.2 million dollar pledge only weeks ago and brings Monsanto's combined total to more than $7.1 million dollars! That's a huge pile of cash and it's dedicated to only one thing: denying you the right to know what's in your food.
"It's also appalling! And a sign that Monsanto is panicking. If we didn't know better, we'd think Monsanto had something to hide. (In fact, we know they do)," says Food Democracy Now! "The good news is that we have a passionate grassroots army of farmers, moms, dads, scientists, and everyday citizens who are dedicated more than ever before to defeating Goliath for our health and for our future."
Unfortunately, defeating Goliath these days comes down to dollars rather than common sense, science, the will of the majority, or a small stone. To help in the campaign to know what's in your family's food, click here.
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Alice's Recipe: Tomatillo and Fresh Corn Soup
We plant LOTS of tomatillos. One of our staple breakfasts is fried eggs, over easy, with salsa verde and Monterey jack melted on top. We can (and use!) dozens of jars each year. We also dehydrate tomatillo slices for winter use. If we've preserved all the salsa verde we want, and we still haven't had our first hard frost, the tomatillos keep producing like crazy and we look for new and exciting recipes. A couple of autumns ago, our friend Madelaine (cook extraordinaire!) prepared what has become one of our very favorite recipes, Tomatillo and Fresh Corn Soup. The combination, and balance, of sweet, sour, and spicy is fantastic. I've messed around with the recipe, which originally came from Deborah Madison's Field of Greens cookbook.
When Amy and I freeze our corn for winter use, we freeze some of the water used to cook the corn, and even some of the cobs, to use in this recipe. Enjoying this soup on a cold, snowy, winter's night brings back a vivid taste of these precious autumn harvest days.
(Click here for a link to the recipe.)
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Following is one of a series of weekly articles in recognition of the United Nations' International Year of Cooperatives.
Co-ops Take the Center Ring
Cirque du Soleil will be helping to spread the word about the cooperative business model in its own unique way: by putting on a special performance during the 2012 Quebec International Summit of Cooperatives in early October. Click here to watch a video interview with Cirque President and CEO Daniel Lamarre.
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Help Wanted!
The Old Creamery is looking for Part-time Deli Staff: must be able to work hard and have fun; and must be good with people and food. Talk with Alice or Toni for more information, at the store or by calling 413-634-5560.
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Time to Check the Calendar
The Old Creamery's Community Calendar is your place to post, and check for, happenings in the Hilltowns. The Community Calendar can be found on the Old Creamery's website under "News & Events." You can click on any event in the calendar to pop up an expanded information box. For instance, click here to see the expanded listing for the Franklin Land Trust's Apple-Picking and Cider Day this Saturday.
We'd also love to hear from you with any suggestions, compliments, gripes, or other comments about the Old Creamery Co-op's weekly email and website. You can email them to info@oldcreamery.coop. Thank you for your help!
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Help us spread the word! Consider encouraging your friends to sign on to receive the Creamery's weekly email newsletter. Better yet, encourage them to become member owners of the co-op. You can forward this email to your friends and relatives, and rest assured, we won't clog their inboxes and we will respect their privacy. We will not disclose your or their email addresses to anyone else. You can unsubscribe at any time. Thank you for your interest, commitment, and support.
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Many items are on sale every week at the Creamery. Look for the brightly colored shelf tags. These items are 15%-45% off regular prices. Click here for a list of all the items that have recently gone on sale. In addition to the items on the list, there are always dozens of additional items on sale. Enjoy the savings!
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Your continued patronage supports the Creamery's transition to a community-owned, values-based cooperative. Thank you for supporting the Old Creamery Co-op as a member-owner, as a shopper, as a friend. We value every contribution to the success of the Old Creamery Co-op.
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Kimberly, Hattie, Michael, Susi, Sylvia, Patty, & Deborah, your Old Creamery Co-op Board of Directors; and Alice & Amy, proprietors |
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445 Berkshire Trail
Cummington, Massachusetts 01026
413.634.5560
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