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Shutdown Friday - The Stars Are Aligned
A reminder: Due to the Old Creamery's ongoing renovations, the store will be closed this Friday, February 22, until sometime in the mid-afternoon, if all goes according to plan.
We had our last-minute check-in with Shippee Builders, Marney Electric, John Thomas Plumbing, architect Peter Lapointe, and GM Karen Doherty, and we are ready to roll. Volunteer Coordinator Shirley Todd has lined up nine people to spend Thursday evening after the store closes to empty shelves and put stock in the café till midday Friday, move some products and fixtures upstairs for temporary storage, disassemble shelving, move coolers to new temporary locations, and spot clean where required. Amy and Alice will show up a few hours into this "phase-one reset party," and they have committed to stay all night if needed. Note: The builders finished the door from the store to the new inside stairwell this week, which will greatly facilitate moving some of our back stock and old shelving to the second floor.
Early Friday morning the power will be shut off and a temporary generator will power the refrigeration, water, some lighting, and the work to be done that day. First thing in the morning after the power is cut, we will dig a trench from the utility pole to the store for the new service and the electricians will do all the wiring necessary as well as run new phone lines. Meanwhile, in the store, Shippee Builders will be demolishing and removing the chimney and opening the walls to the new produce and bulk sections. Marney Electric will also be active inside the store running temporary power where needed after the demolition. We've made all conceivable arrangements for minimizing dust in the store. After the completion of the demolition phase, the new produce and bulk section will be sealed with plastic. These sections were insulated this week and next week the wallboard goes up. (Sometime shortly after that happens we will be looking for a couple of volunteers for a painting party. Let us know at volunteer@oldcreamery.coop if you'd like to help with this.)
Back to Friday: When the demolition work is complete Creamery staff will be cleaning and restocking the products stored in the café in their new temporary locations. Sometime after noon on Friday we anticipate having the power company come back to connect the new electrical service at the pole. If everything goes well we anticipate a mid-afternoon reopening of the store. Call 634-5560 to make sure before you head down. Oh, and if you can't find what you're looking for, just ask any staff member and she or he will be happy to find it for you.
Thanks for your patience and cooperation, and thanks for your continued patronage during these times of significant and exciting changes.
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Aw, Shucks . . . You Like Us!
Since the Co-op launched its new Facebook page early last week, 230 of you have "liked" the page. Thank you, thank you!
Please consider sharing the page with your FB friends, and do let us know what would be useful to you to include on the page (click on the photo to go to the Co-op's page).
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Cheese of the Week!
This week's sampling cheese is Piave Vecchio. Often likened to the king of Italian cheese,  Parmigiano-Reggiano, Piave is a deliciously nutty, pasteurized cow's milk cheese from the Veneto in northern Italy. It has a concentrated sweet, crystalline paste with a full, tropical fruit flavor and slight almond bitterness. Aged for twelve months, Piave is wonderful as a table cheese, shaved over a salad of bitter greens, or enjoyed with an aperitif. Like Parmigiano, Piave has an affinity for both red and white wine, but is smoother and easier to eat right from the wheel. We also like it paired with an amber ale.
Come in this Saturday and have a taste. Remember, we'll take 10% off the regular price all day! Hope to see you this weekend!
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Keeping GMOs on the Run
From Grist ("a beacon in the smog"): "It's been a good week if you enjoy a little GMO schadenfreude. The FDA has reportedly bowed to public pressure to extend the comment period on its approval of genetically engineered salmon, and Illinois, Maryland, and Iowa are the latest states to buck GMOs by introducing labeling bills into state legislature." (To continue reading, click here.)
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'The Extraordinary Science of Addictive Junk Food'
Sometimes capitalism fails us. In their quest to maximize shareholder wealth and/or realize larger market share and profits, businesses can make us sick, even kill us (tobacco, anyone?), and they can engineer a public health "epidemic." In this Sunday's New York Times Magazine, Michael Moss writes at length about being "inside the hyperengineered, savagely marketed, addiction-creating battle for America's 'stomach share.'" You might not want to miss this one. You can find the article online at the New York Times' website (click on "magazine"), or you can even pick up a print copy of the Times at the Creamery.
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What's in Your Shaving Cream?
Do you know what toxic chemicals might be lurking in your lipstick, or shaving cream, or nail polish? How about that shampoo you use just centimeters from your brain every day?  Companies can dump almost any chemical into their personal-care products, and no one in Washington is trying to stop them. Except the EWG. The dedicated scientists at Environmental Working Group offer their Skin Deep Cosmetics Database, which identifies toxic chemicals in your products so you can make safer choices. Plus, they are asking all of us to petition our government to make companies accountable for what's in the products we put on our bodies every day (click here to find out how to help). Consider adding your name to the effort. And maybe then we can avoid that daily dose of imidazolidinyl urea on our faces.
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Thinking of Going Vegetarian?
Have you been thinking about giving up meat, or perhaps tried but couldn't stick to your new diet? You're not alone, of course. Over at the environmental website Grist, Sarah Miller writes about some reasons for giving up the flesh and her experiences in trying to do so. Click here to read her "Meat Lover's Guide to Going Vegetarian" columns, and don't miss the link to her piece about chicken and fish (or you can just click here).
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Supping As a Community!
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, here to the see the listing for a community supper in Plainfield this Saturday evening--small-town New England at its best!
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Send Electronic Mail to Your Co-op; We Love to Hear from You!
You can stay in touch with your Co-op by using one of several email addresses.
For questions about Co-op membership, product requests, or suggestions or other feedback, please send a note to info@oldcreamery.coop. We'll make sure your note is sent to the appropriate person and that you get a prompt response.
If you'd like to contact the Co-op's Board of Directors, simply send your email to board@oldcreamery.coop. Emails sent to this address are received only by the board.
To reach Karen Doherty, the Co-op's general manager, send an email to gm@oldcreamery.coop. Emails sent to this address are received only by Karen.
If you're thinking of becoming a valued volunteer of the Co-op, you can reach Shirley Todd, volunteer coordinator, at volunteer@oldcreamery.coop. There are many opportunities for volunteers. Emails sent to this address go directly to Shirley.
Stay in touch! It's your Co-op.
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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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