As Sandy raged outside the Creamery, Co-op volunteers stuffed envelopes.

Mailers in the Storm

The lights flashed and the refrigeration clicked off and on, but the power ultimately stayed on at the Old Creamery during the storm known as Sandy. The Creamery was ready for the worst, though. We'd like to thank Michael Holden and Ed Konieczny for service above and beyond. For many, many hours on Saturday and Sunday, they helped Amy and Alice prepare the Creamery for the storm. 

In addition, a work party threw caution to the wind and called Sandy's bluff to stuff and label some 550 very fat envelopes for a Co-op member-owner mailing. Volunteers showed up Monday in the thick of the storm and worked until 4:30, when they drove home before it may have been impossible to do so, and then came back first thing on Tuesday to finish. That's dedication!

From Our General Manager, Karen Doherty

First of all: Wow! I am so happy to have landed in such a wonderful community; a huge thank-you goes out to everyone who has given me such a warm welcome! I feel blessed to be here and honored to be your new general manager at the new Old Creamery Co-op. Over the past few weeks I have been busy in the offices upstairs, behind the scenes, working with Alice and Amy and the Board of Directors to make sure all systems are "go" when we open the Creamery next week, newly incarnated as a community-owned hometown store and deli...whoo hoooo!

I'm really looking forward to spending much more time downstairs, in the store, meeting all of you and working with the staff as we move through the many transitions of the coming months. My heart soars when I envision the ease with which you will be able to shop once the cash registers are relocated, as I know this is one of the top things you have told us you'd like to see happen at the Creamery. By next April we should have the renovations completed, inside and out, including a beautiful landscaped terrace, revamped parking areas, and new phone systems (which are going in very soon). The delicious deli food will remain delicious, the staff will be ever helpful, and the Creamery will just get better and better.

Hats off to Alice and Amy, who have created such a warm, inviting, and nourishing place that is the heart of this region, and hats off, too, to all the staff and member-owners who know what a treasure it is and have supported this transition in so many ways. So spread the word...after all, you own it! Not a member-owner yet? It's easy to sign up (click here), and we even have an installment plan of ten payments of $15 per month to become a fully vested member-owner. And beginning November 7, you'll be able to sign up at the registers!

An Important Message to Member-Owners

A reminder to member-owners: the aforementioned postal mailing should be in your mailbox or arriving soon. Please take a few minutes to read this important correspondence from your Co-op and respond appropriately. And remember, you can always inform of us of a change in address, phone number, email address, or other contact information by dropping us a note at info@oldcreamery.coop. Thank you very much!

Old Creamery Co-op on the Air, and Online 

On Thursday last week, Kimberly Longey, president of the Old Creamery Co-op Board of Directors, and Karen Doherty, the Co-op's general manager, recorded an interview at radio station WRSI about the Creamery's new life as a cooperative. The spot was done for CISA's (Community Involved in Sustaining Agriculture) Local Hero Spotlight. You can listen to the interview by clicking here.

And last Friday, Kimberly was a panelist on a live radio show broadcast from River Valley Market in Northampton. She and the other panelists talked about exciting new co-op developments in the region, including our Co-op's imminent purchase of the Creamery grocery and deli. If you missed the discussion, you can play and/or download a podcast of the show: click here and then look for "The Bill Newman Show 10.26." The interview with the co-op folks begins at the ten-minute, ten-second (10:10) mark of the podcast. 

Cheese of the Week!

This week's sampling cheese is Cabot Clothbound Cheddar from Jasper Hill Farm in Greensboro, Vermont. This incredible cheese is aged in Jasper Hill's majestic and awe-inspiring cheese vaults, ensuring a customized aging environment with proper temperature, humidity, and airflow. Aged for ten to fourteen months, Cabot Clothbound has the characteristic texture of an English-style cheddar, with the sweet caramel and milky flavor notes that set it apart from other bandaged cheddars. The flavor is at once buttery, nutty, complex, and perfectly sharp. The texture is crumbly, flaky, and smooth at the same time. Traditional cheddar invites inoculation by wild molds present in the air, so when you see a little blue and green mold, it is desirable. This is everything a fine cheddar should be!

Come by this Saturday and have a taste of this wonderful cheddar. You won't be disappointed! Remember, we'll take 10% off all day! Hope to see you this Saturday.

--Peter

Peri's Recipe: Snickerdoodles

Peri Kelly, our beloved head baker, offers us one of her recipes this week!

Snickerdoodles are yummy cookies I make occasionally at the Creamery. Don't let the name fool you, though: they are no relation to the famous candy bar (not a hint of chocolate or peanuts in these treats). Snickerdoodles are an old-fashioned cookie with a slightly sandy texture, chewy and buttery with a hint of cinnamon. Isaiah, son of our deli's Toni and a familiar and loved presence at the Creamery, waits patiently for the day they are made. He loves them! They are my husband's all-time favorite, too. Try them; they may become your new fave!

(Click here for a link to the recipe.)

Planning for Community Summit

A small group has been planning a community summit to be held on January 19, 2013, at the Cummington Community House. The aim is to build upon the experience of the Hilltown Sustainability Group and its many related and spin-off activities. The group also wants to reach out to the wider community, including folks in town governments, to build bridges and bring focus to what are seen as big challenges ahead. "Community" has been defined by the planning group broadly: while it is focusing mainly on Plainfield and Cummington, it acknowledges many interconnections in the area, so all are invited and welcome!

If you're interested in learning more, providing input, and finding out how you might help, please join together at 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, November 7, at the Village Church on Main Street in Cummington. The group plans to use the normal Sustainability Group time to discuss plans and run a mock facilitation of a group discussion on the topic "What would it mean to create a community where no one falls through the cracks?" For more information, you can visit the website created for the January summit; click here.

California Vote on GMO Labeling Looms

Food Democracy Now! writes this week, "It doesn't get more serious than this. We have just days to pass Prop 37 to label genetically engineered foods in California and we need your help today. After 20 years of deceiving the American public, Monsanto and the biotech companies have finally met somebody they can't bully and they can't buy off: the American people. . . . Next week, voters across the state of California will cast a historic and potentially precedent-setting vote to pass 'Yes on 37' to label GMOs. What happens on November 6 in California affects everyone who eats in the United States and beyond."

There's still time to support Proposition 37. If you have voter friends in California, engage them on the issue. If not, you can add your name, and dollars, to the effort to label genetically modified ingredients in your food; click here.

Vote on Tuesday

Sandy may have shoved the election off the front page, but she did not diminish the importance of voting this coming Tuesday, November 6. We'll elect a president, choose a senator from Massachusetts, cast votes on important issues, and more. Polls are open statewide from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.

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

Check Out Life at the Co-op

Co-opportunity in Santa Monica, California, is a food co-op that's been around since 1974. You can look in on the daily activities at the co-op in a series of videos by clicking here. Get ready for some laughs!

The Importance of Literacy at All Ages

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 listing for a program at the Plainfield library Saturday morning entitled "Literacy for the Ages: The Importance of Reading and Writing across the Lifespan."

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!

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.  

Your continued patronage supports the ongoing success of our 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

445 Berkshire Trail

Cummington, Massachusetts 01026

413.634.5560