Open House at Wheel-View Farm: The Creamery's Only Source of Beef
That's right! All of the Creamery's beef, including that in the deli's roast beef sandwiches, is from nearby Wheel-View Farm in Shelburne. It's a family-owned scenic hilltop farm raising USDA-certified natural grass-fed beef and breeding stock from a herd of mostly Belted Galloways  (the "Oreo cows"). These heritage-breed cattle do an excellent job of maintaining open space on land that is not suitable for grain or vegetable crops. Wheel-View chose this type of farming because it is more environmentally friendly, more humane for the animals, and healthier for the consumer. Animals that graze on grass produce meat that has several times more health-promoting omega-3 fatty acids, vitamin E, and beta-carotene, but less total fat and omega-6 fatty acids. The farmers' grandchildren, Tyler and Jesse, are the sixth generation of the family to live on the farm. This weekend, Carolyn and John Wheeler invite you to Wheel-View's Open House and Customer Appreciation Days. You can visit the farm at 212 Reynolds Road in Shelburne on Saturday and Sunday, May 18 and 19, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and check out the view and pat the animals. You can also see the farm's entire line of products, including the beef, pastured pork, maple syrup, cream, and much more. For directions to the farm ("better than GPS"), click here. |
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The Store Was Buzzing
It was indeed a beehive this week with so many contractors and volunteers swarming into the Creamery in wave after wave. Sunday, volunteers moved all the back-stock into the newly completed shed. Carpenters, plumbers, and electricians crowded into the east-side bump-out first thing Monday morning and are getting it ready for the new deli and kitchen sinks and appliances. On Monday evening, we had our largest group of volunteers yet; they emptied most of the remaining old shelving in the store and helped tear it down and get it out so the new checkout could be installed starting Tuesday. Carpenters, electricians, and sheet rockers completed this project in two days, and the checkout is being relocated as we write this email. At the same time, a vendor installed our new phone system. Meanwhile, outside the store, trucks and heavy equipment removed the logs from the hillside and parking lot. Much like you would observe in a hive, we witnessed cooperation at its best from our community.
Check out our new checkout counters (sorry!) in the photo below. The cabinetry was built by Keith Tibbetts of Cummington. Pictured, left to right, are contractors Bob Jensen from Marney Electric and Gabe Shippee from Shippee Builders.
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Food Wagon Keeps Rolling
Thanks to dedicated community members and the Cummington Village Church, the HHuGE Wagon that's been outside the Creamery the last few years has a new home! The Village Church on Main Street will be the new location and be the lead organizer for the wagon, where folks can leave extra produce they grow and others can pick it up at no charge. The wagon will live on the church lawn, under a nice shady tree that faces the little brook between the church and its neighbor. The Creamery will continue to promote the wagon and provide produce for it when it's available.
Of course, it takes people to build and nurture community, such as the service the HHuGE Wagon provides. The Village Church ideally needs six to ten people who would like to help with sustaining this effort. There will be a meeting to brainstorm ideas this coming Monday, May 20, 7 to 8 p.m. at the Village Church. Please RSVP to Pat at patakeith@gmail.com or 413-563-1981.
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Where's the Fish?
Fear not! The fish list in the store and online, as well as the fish signup sheet in the store, will be back as soon as some of the renovation dust settles. For now, Peter assures us that fresh seafood is always available for you to order. Just give him a call at the store: 634-5560.
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Cheese of the Week Is on Vacation
The sampling cheese of the week is taking a break this week as the Creamery's interior renovations continue in earnest. Rest assured, though, that it will be back. Meanwhile, you can still pick up some of the Creamery's fine locally produced cheeses from the cooler. Ask Peter or Corey for ideas on pairing various cheeses with food, wine, and beers.
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Alice's Recipe: Mixed Vegetable Curry
Yahoo! Local foods are beginning to trickle in! It's a wonderful feeling, after a long day of hard work in the garden, to have supper with a little hint of the abundant bounty of just-picked garden foods soon to grace our table. We're planting seeds and tender little seedlings, trusting that they will transform into delicious food for our family, friends, and loved ones over the next year. But while we invest the hours of tender loving care, and hope that the weather cooperates and that the critters that like to share our harvest leave some for us, we have small harvests to sustain us until we feast. We're now picking greens, asparagus, perennial herbs, last year's parsnips and leeks, violets, and a few other odds and ends.
Now is a good time to use up the remaining stored and preserved fruits and vegetables from last autumn. Tonight I'll prepare a Mixed Veggie Curry, accompanied by Coconut Basmati Rice, Dal, Pear Chutney that we canned last fall, Raita prepared with sunchokes from our garden (instead of cucumbers), and a nice pot of my famous Chai to finish the meal. We'll light a candle and think of our Creamery friends and family (as we do every day and night!).
(For a link to the recipe, click here.)
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'Beyond What We Can See, the Journey Continues'
All are welcome to a life's celebration on Sunday, May 26, for Bob Miller, who died in January. Bob was at the Creamery nearly every morning for the past twelve years, truly a member of the Creamery family. The celebration will take place at the Worthington Golf Club, 113 Ridge Road, in Worthington beginning at 1:30 p.m. for refreshments. Remembrances and music start at 2:30, followed by a beef barbecue with potluck sides. Please come and help celebrate Bob.
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Local Heroes Indeed! Our own local heroes over at CISA (Community Involved in Sustaining Agriculture) are featured in  a recent Grist article about widespread efforts to identify locally sourced foods for consumers. You already see "Local Hero" stickers on many products at the Old Creamery Co-op. In the Grist article, Lori Rotenberk writes, "These local branding efforts are 'reweaving a community tapestry undone by industrial America,' says Phil Korman, executive director of the Massachusetts-based nonprofit CISA, which in 1999 founded the groundbreaking 'Local Hero' marketing campaign with the trademarked 'Be A Local Hero, Buy Locally Grown' label. 'We are giving back respect to farmers and changing the culture of where we are as people,' says Korman." To read the entire article, head over to Grist ("A Beacon in the Smog") by clicking here.
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Bring Out Your Seeds, and 'Root Hog or Die'!
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 this Saturday's Spring Seed and Plant Exchange at the Cummington Community House, or here to find out about two screenings this weekend of Root Hog or Die. It's a 1974 documentary about the last of old-time horse farmers in Western Massachusetts.
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Stay in Touch! We Love to Hear from You! 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. |
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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 (for best results, use the "Forward email" link in the white space at the bottom of this page). 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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