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Giving Thanks
Now that we are finally operating the Old Creamery as a member-owned, community-supported cooperative, it's time to step back, reflect, and give thanks. Our Co-op came to be because the vision of a few people rang true to many, and because the work to make it happen was bolstered by the advice, guidance, support, and encouragement from hundreds.
We have a store bursting with abundance, a community that is even more connected, and vision that is far reaching. And we have a tremendous sense of  hope for the next phase of our work together. As we move past start-up to sustainability we will do so with the awesome responsibility to serve as a shining example of all that a small rural co-op (with a cow on the roof) can accomplish. And we will measure our success against the triple bottom line of people, planet, and profit.
So this Thursday, we will give thanks for the staff, who navigate their day-to-day demands while also being flexible to accommodate the physical and operational changes needed to position our business to grow. We will give thanks to the dozens of farmers, growers, food producers, service providers, and suppliers who help us keep our store stocked and keep our money circulating in the local economy. We will give thanks to our member-owners, who through their equity investment and democratic participation will help ensure that the Co-op meets their-and the wider community's-needs. And we will give thanks for our customers--from near and far, both long-time and new--who will visit our new Old Creamery and who will spread the word about what we have to offer and share their input and ideas so we can keep striving to be the best we can be.
And every day we will give thanks for the opportunity to be the new Old Creamery, your Hilltown community market--and so much more than a store. |
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Green Friday at the Creamery
Wondering what to do the day after Thanksgiving? Forget about Black Friday . . . come to GREEN Friday at the Creamery Co-op! We'll have lots of eco-friendly items on sale starting on Friday, November 23, and running through Sunday. Stock up on organic chocolate for the holidays from Endangered Species Chocolate, which donates 10% of net profits to organizations that support species, habitat, and humanity. Have relatives coming? Then you'll need extra toilet paper! GREEN-brand bath tissue will be on sale; it's 100% "treeless," made from sugar cane by-products and quick-growing bamboo, reed, or grass that regenerates in as little as six months. A very green alternative! Want to support local businesses? Our Just Soaps will be on sale. Buy several and bundle them with a nice ribbon for a lovely gift. All of our wonderful books will also be on sale for 10% off...bring the whole family and look for other Green Friday sale items throughout the store. See you at the Co-op!
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Cheese of the Week! This week's sampling cheese is Maggie's Round from Cricket Creek Farm in Williamstown, Mass. They've been making cheese for less than 10 years, but their  quality is renowned and their cheeses are highly respected in the cheese world. They milk 20 to 30 jersey/brown swiss cows, which are pasture-fed half the year and fed hay produced on the farm the other half. Maggie's Round won first place in the 2011 American Cheese Society Competition. It's made with raw cow's milk and aged more than 60 days. It is a semi-firm, whole-milk cheese inspired by the toma cheeses of the Italian Alps. The flavor is sharp and bright with citrus notes. The rustic rind adds earthy tones. Try pairing it with a bright white wine or a honey mead. Come down to the Co-op this Saturday and have a taste! You'll be happy you did, and remember, we'll take 10% off the price all day! Hope to see you soon! |
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Give the Heat, Get the Heat, at the Old Creamery Co-op
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Donate here at the Creamery.
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Please consider sharing the wealth and the heat by donating to Tapestry Health's winter drive. Many of the Florence-based health agency's clients are homeless and cannot afford basic survival items such as clothes and blankets. And when you put something in the bin by the door at the Creamery, you can enjoy a free cup of coffee or tea!
This year, Tapestry needs all sorts of new and reusable winter items, but especially men's clothing. Some of the items that will help keep others warm and clean are coats, gloves, hats, scarves, socks*, jackets, mittens, blankets, boots, tents, sleeping bags, bath towels, wash cloths, underwear*, and long underwear* (*new items only, please).
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Bill's Recipe: Cranberry-Pecan Pound Cake
This week's recipe comes from Bill Latimer, who compiles this weekly email and works one food-prep shift a week at Creamery.
Full disclosure: I've never made this cake. However, I know several people who have made it, including my mother, and I've enjoyed my share (or more) of it over the past couple of decades.
In the early '90s, I worked at a couple of small-town weekly newspapers in the eastern part of the state. Twice a month or so, I'd drive down to the Cape, where my mom would cook and bake up a storm for her five "kids" and their spouses and ten grandkids and anyone else they cared to bring along for Sunday supper. She made sure to make a lot, so that everyone had something to take home. I'm not talking about some snacks or a to-go plate--no, I often drove the 97 miles back up Route 495 with the back seat crammed full of baking dishes of Mexican chicken and lasagna, tubs of buttered veggies and rice and mashed potatoes, plates of brownies, whole and partial cakes and pies--not to mention a shopping bag or two of canned and jarred goods.
Quite often, I'd bring the "imported" baked goods to the newspaper office the next day, for which the staff loved (and hated) me. One Monday it was Cranberry-Pecan Pound Cake. It was a big hit, so much so that Ann Levison, the editor of one our papers, had me get the recipe and then published it in the weekly "Harvard Gourmet" column. Soon after, my mom was bowled over when she saw the paper and received a $25 paycheck. I asked her how she liked seeing an old family recipe in print. Her response? "What do you mean, 'family recipe'? I tore it out of the Cape Cod Times years ago!" (As promised, full disclosure.) I guess all family recipes have to start somewhere.
(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.
Cooperative Decade
Manchester, UK; October 31, 2012--The International Co-operative Alliance (ICA) today outlined an ambitious strategy to make cooperatives the fastest growing business model by the end of the decade.
"We want to see cooperatives rise to the top of global business as the fastest growing business model by 2020," said Charles Gould, director-general of the ICA. "Actors on the global economic stage are seeking answers to pressing financial and social problems and this model provides many of the solutions they seek." (To read more, click here.)
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Gorge after Gorge Run and Walk
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 5k trail run this Sunday at Chesterfield Gorge and here for the family fun walk that follows it.
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. We work hard to find bargains on many different items, including staple groceries, treats like chocolate, juices, refrigerated items, personal care products, and supplements. The shelf tags indicate when the sale price expires. Some sale items are one-time opportunities that remain on sale until sold out. Many are purchasing opportunities that can be replenished over several weeks at great prices. Enjoy the savings!
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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.
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