Co-op Gathering Is This Sunday

We know the weathermammal's forecast is for snow--big snow--this weekend. Our Co-op's forecast is for a fabulous afternoon on Sunday at the Cummington Community House. Members of your Co-op's board and our general manager and several volunteers are really looking forward to seeing you on Sunday, February 10, from 1 to 3 p.m.

We'll provide an update on "what's up" with the changes going on at the Creamery, and "what's next" for our Co-op as we continue on the path of transitioning the store to a member-owned, community-supported enterprise. The primary purpose of this meeting is for member-owners and Creamery supporters to ask questions, share feedback, and provide us with input on how best the Co-op can meet the needs of our community.

Barring a Nemo-induced state of emergency, we'll be there. Will you?

Please call the store (413-634-5560) on Sunday if you want to make sure the meeting is still on. There's no need to let us know in advance that you are coming, but do come, and please bring a friend. This meeting is open to all. Light refreshments will be served. Childcare will be provided, so bring the whole family. (If you plan to use the childcare services, please send an email to yes@oldcreamery.coop to let us know the number and ages of your children. Thanks!)

The Cummington Community House is located at 33 Main Street, Cummington center, just off Route 9. 

Thank you, and see you on Sunday!

Snow Alert for the Creamery!!

We anticipate a need to close the store early on Friday, and to possibly open later than usual on Saturday. We want to make sure our staff does not venture out in dangerous conditions! We will be making store-closing decisions based on weather information as it comes in. Please make sure you are well-prepared to ride out the coming storm. It would be wise to call ahead to make sure we're open if you are planning to venture out. We wish you all a safe and fluffy snowstorm.

We made a mistake and scheduled one of this year's four Member-Owner Appreciation Days for September 14, which is Yom Kippur. To rectify this conflict, that month's Member-Owner Appreciation Day will instead be held on Saturday, September 28.

Watch for more information about these appreciation days in future weekly emails, but you can mark your calendars now: March 16, June 16, September 28, and December 7. 

From Karen, Our General Manager:

Get ready, get set . . . dust! Yes, our general contractor, Gabe Shippee, has just let me know the work crew is very close to being ready to break through the walls, meaning a bit of shopping disruption over the next month or so. We'll be kept busy taking things down off the shelves so the crew can get the work done. Our plan is to keep items close at hand in labeled boxes, so if you are in need of a product you don't see on the shelf, please ask! It's likely in a box and we're happy to help you find what you need. Soon we will need to move all the wine in order to make way for moving the produce cooler into its new space. To facilitate this move, we need to temporarily reduce our inventory, so be on the lookout for some super wine sales in the coming weeks!

You may have noticed some items in our bulk section have been unavailable. Please bear with us, as we are completely revamping this section. When the renovation is complete, our bulk department will have its own nook in the store, with all your favorite items available and some new additions we think you'll love!

Also, thanks for all the great feedback on products you'd like to see or have been missing. Keep the suggestions and requests coming (email info@oldcreamery.coop), and if we have room for it, we'll stock it. Keep in mind we still have the Buying Club program going if you have items you'd like to purchase by the case. This is a way for our little store to really be as big as the warehouse of our major distributor, United Foods. You can order anything in their catalog simply by filling out the form. Orders arrive every Monday. The catalog and monthly sale catalog are located in the Sustainability Library room upstairs. Please ask a cashier or give us a call (413-634-5560) if you'd like to learn more about placing an order.

Renovation Update

If you have been by the store lately you have seen the progress on the west-side construction. The inside staircase to the second story is near completion and will be opened into the store next week. This is a critical component of our staged plan that will allow staff to begin to use the second story for back stock and temporary storage as other renovations proceed. The west-side porch addition is the future home for produce and bulk goods and we anticipate this will be opened and in use in about three weeks. To prepare for this initial in-store refit we expect we will have to close for one day while we dig a trench and the power company and telephone company relocate the services to the new outside wall. On this same day we will remove the inside chimney and move the bulk and produce sections to their new home. When this day is scheduled with all of the service providers we will post it in the store and let you know of the date in this weekly  email. Store shelving will begin to be reoriented right after this first move and the new checkout station will be built and in place two to three weeks after. We have several moves/demolition/construction sequences that will follow, and we will do all we can to keep the store open and fully functioning.

We will have several opportunities for work parties to relocate product and shelving as well as to paint some of the new sections. Volunteers doing this work will help keep the contractors on schedule as well as reduce expenses on the overall project. Some of this work will be done after regular store hours and possibly on weekends. Please email volunteer@oldcreamery.coop if you can be available to help with these needs.

We are very excited about the many store improvements that will be unfolding over the next couple months. We'll continue to keep you updated as the project picks up momentum.

Cheese of the Week!

This week's sampling cheese is Garlic Peppercorn by Plymouth Artisan Cheese of Plymouth Notch, Vermont. This is Plymouth's original raw cow's milk cheese made zippy, aromatic, and savory with the addition of green peppercorns, onion, garlic, and red pepper.

All of Plymouth's milk comes from a farm that engages in the best dairy practices and humane treatment of its single herd. The Plymouth Cheese Factory is one of the oldest cheese operations in the United States and was founded by John Coolidge, the father of the thirtieth president of the United States, Calvin Coolidge.

Its line of granular curd cheeses is made to the same exacting recipe handed down through the generations that the first European settlers brought with them to the New World. Granular curd cheese is very rare and time intensive, and Plymouth may be the only cheesemaker that still produces this distinctive American heritage cheese and makes it available to the public. Unlike many other cheeses, granular curd recipes require enormous amounts of direct handwork, which explains in large part why it has become so rare. According to the cheesemakers, Plymouth's original cheese, the base for this week's sampling cheese, was Julia Child's favorite cheese.

So strap on your snowshoes and come down this Saturday to have a taste. You won't be disappointed! Remember, we'll take 10% off the regular price all day! Hope to see you this weekend!

Recipes: Hurricane and Sazerac

This week's recipes come from Co-op member-owner and weekly email compiler Bill Latimer.

One of our country's great celebrations culminates next week on Mardi Gras, or Fat Tuesday. My mind drifts back to the early '70s when I first made the acquaintance of that unique place named New Orleans, and its signature cocktails. I was working in Miami that winter and living in the city's Coconut Grove section; well, living in my bedroom on wheels, a '64 Ford Econoline van parked in a friend's driveway. On not much more than a whim, I decided to sell the van and anything that wouldn't fit into a duffel bag and stick out my thumb. Destination? Mexico City, where I had but one stop in mind, its famous National Museum of Anthropology. I figured I'd go on from there to explore the country's pyramids and rich history.

Hurricane

So on a blinding sunny day soon after, I hitchhiked up US Route 27 in interior Florida with only Mexico in mind. After a day of one short ride after another, I was about to crawl off into a nearby cemetery to unroll my sleeping bag (I figured no one would bother me there) when a sun-faded Oldsmobile with Saskatchewan plates pulled over. I hopped into the backseat. The two young Canadians in front told me they were on their way home after a Brazilian adventure to procure a bag of uncut gemstones. Hmmm, okay. Then they told me they were making a detour on the way home, to New Orleans. "Tomorrow is Mardi Gras!" the driver shouted. I replied, "I'm with you. It's on my way."

We drove all night, got to Louisiana in the wee hours, and pitched a tent in a Slidell campground for a couple hours' sleep. Shortly after first light, it was on to New Orleans and one of the craziest days of my life. But, alas, those tales will need to wait for another day. (And I did eventually make it to that Mexican museum and the pyramids; likewise, those stories are for another time.)

What's your favorite recipe? Submit a recipe and a little story and we may share it right here in the Recipes section. Just send it to info@oldcreamery.coop. 

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.

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445 Berkshire Trail

Cummington, Massachusetts 01026

413.634.5560