Old Creamery Co-op

Wonderful News from the Co-op Board of Directors

 

A lot has happened since our late-September update. The biggest news is that our application for transfer of the liquor license has been conditionally approved by the Alcoholic Beverages Control Commission (ABCC)! The ink is still wet on the notice received by the Town of Cummington. And, wow, what a long strange journey this has been! We will need to jump through a few more hoops, and are required to document for the commission that none of our member-owners who have provided loans to our Co-op have an interest in another liquor license. We are working diligently on that now.

 

In the meantime, your board is working full steam ahead to conclude the purchase of the Creamery and begin operating as a Co-op. We'll keep you posted on timing of the transfer, which should take place in the coming weeks.

 

Toward that end, our new general manager, Karen Doherty, has begun work at the Creamery (click here to learn a bit about Karen). She will be working closely with the Co-op's new bookkeeper, Kelly Tiedemann, who begins work this week, and with the Co-op's finance committee and board to finish setting up all of the systems necessary to begin operating as a Co-op. We're so fortunate that both Karen and Kelly will have time to receive full training and orientation from Alice and Amy.

 

On Sunday, October 28, the board is hosting a welcome reception for Karen in the store. This is an informal "open house" from 1 to 4 p.m. Please mark your calendars and stop by for conversation and tasty treats. Karen is new to our area, so we hope to give her a hearty Hilltowns welcome!

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Did You Know?

Did you know that the Creamery has a food buying club? You do not need to be a member of the Co-op to use it (though the savings you will rack up over time would help offset the cost of your membership). Each month, United Natural Foods offers special discounts on a wide variety of products. Often, but not always, these are case orders. Orders made one week are to be picked up after delivery the following Monday. The specials are published in a monthly catalog and the order forms are in a binder located in the Sustainability Library on the Creamery's second floor. The ordering system is explained there, too. Know you want to purchase something but don't want a whole case of it? Go in with a neighbor to share. This is a great way to stock up things you know you will use every day and to try something new when it is on sale.

 

You can learn more about how to stretch your food dollars at the Creamery by visiting our website: click here.
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Cheese of the Week!

This week's sampling cheese is Tr�s Bonne. It's a raw goat's milk cheese made by Boston Post Dairy, the Vermont farm that also makes Eleven Brothers, our featured Boston Post Dairy logo cheese several weeks ago.

 

Tr�s Bonne is French for "very good." The flavor is reminiscent of Pecorino Romano but its texture is more like aged Gouda. Its mild nuttiness will make you feel like singing from the tops of the Alps.

 

Try grating this cheese over pasta for adding depth to the dish, or eating it with a baguette and fruit. Superb! Honestly, I could eat this cheese all day! So, come down this Saturday and have a taste. Remember, we'll take 10% off all day! Thank you and hope to see you soon!  --Peter

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Alice's Recipe: Broccoli with Olive Oil and Garlic

I love to see what's remaining in our garden after the first hard, killing frost. It's refreshing, in an odd sort of way, to have fewer choices, to narrow my focus when considering what to cook for supper. My beloved Uncle Mike, my dad's older brother, was a wise man. One of his favorite proclamations was, "You young people! You're like mosquitoes in a nudist colony! You want to have all the choices and you want to have it all!" That's what I feel like during the summer months, intoxicated by the choices and greedy to enjoy them all; I want to prepare a symphony for every meal. But this time of year, my focus narrows and I can prepare simpler compositions.

 

This week in our garden, the small broccoli florets are bright green, crisp, and sweet (even raw). It's one of our most often prepared vegetables, so versatile and delicious. Simply prepared Broccoli with Olive Oil and Garlic is one of our favorites; it's nourishing, quick, and delicious. It goes with most any menu.

(Click here for a link to the recipe.)

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Michael Pollan on the Importance of Prop 37

In case you missed it, this month best-selling author and food guru Michael Pollan wrote an inspiring piece in the New York Times about the food movement and Proposition 37 in California, the ballot initiative to label genetically engineered foods.

 

Pollan writes about the importance of the conversation on genetically engineered foods in the United States and what Prop 37 means for the rise of a new food movement as a political force to change the conversation in Washington. Click here to read Pollan's article, "Vote for the Dinner Party."

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It's Feral Hog Month! 

In our previous two emails, we've written about October being designated as Co-op Month and Non-GMO Month, which are both near and dear to the Old Creamery Co-op's heart and soul. But that's not all, folks! Just in case you didn't have enough to keep track of, here are just some of the other things that October is the month for:

 

All American Breakfast Month, Better Breakfast Month, Computer Learning Month, Cook Book Month, Country Music Month, Disability Employment Awareness Month, Diversity Awareness Month, Emergency Care Month, Family History Month, Filipino American History Month, German-American Heritage Month, Gourmet Adventures Month, Hunger Awareness Month, Hug a Texas Chef Month, LGBT History Month, Mom & Apple Pie Month, National AIDS Awareness Month, Black History Month (UK), National Book Month, National Work and Family Month, National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, National CyberSecurity Awareness Month, National Bullying Prevention Month, National Physical Therapy Month, American Pharmacists Month, Polish American Heritage Month, National Domestic Violence Awareness Month, National Spina Bifida Awareness Month, Healthy Lung Month & Clean Air Month, National Family Sexuality Education Month, National Dental Hygiene Month, Let's Talk Month, National Down Syndrome Awareness Month, Arab American Appreciation Month, Autism Awareness Month (Canada), Pastor Appreciation Month, Adopt a Shelter Dog Month, Apple Jack Month, Eat Country Ham Month, International Drum Month, Lupus Awareness Month, National Pizza Month, National Vegetarian Month, National Popcorn Popping Month, Sarcastic Month, Seafood Month, National Toilet Tank Repair Month, World Menopause Month, Workplace Politics Awareness Month, Rhizomes and Persimmons Month, National Liver Awareness Month, and Squirrel Awareness Month (not to be confused with Squirrel Appreciation Day in January).

 

Yes, there are plenty more . . . and please don't forget to hug a chef from Texas

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Following is one of a series of weekly articles in recognition of the United Nations' International Year of Cooperatives

  IYOC logo

Scientific Studies of Co-ops

If you've ever wondered whether anyone studies cooperatives in a scientific way, the answer is a resounding yes. So if you're up for some weighty reading on subjects ranging from "the position of cooperatives and mutuals in the global economy" to "the socio-political influence of cooperatives and mutuals," click here for a portal to dozens of scientific articles.

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Hear Ye, Hear, Ye! Herbal Remedies Workshop!  

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 a workshop this Saturday in West Cummington where Sarah Stockwell will show you how to make herbal remedies using what's growing in your backyard.

 

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 [email protected]. 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.

 


Kimberly, Hattie, Michael, Susi, Sylvia, Patty, & Deborah,     

your Old Creamery Co-op Board of Directors;

and

Alice & Amy, proprietors   

 

Please pass this message on to your friends  

and encourage them to join our mailing list

 

Click here if you would like to become a Member-Owner 

    Quick Links

Creamery Specials and Sales                    Bulk Purchase Program  

445 Berkshire Trail

Cummington, Massachusetts 01026

413.634.5560