Appreciation Day Features Discounts, Tastings, Appreciation!
On Sunday, all member-owners will receive a 10% discount on their purchases (excluding newspapers, alcohol, and Little Gallery arts and crafts). Stock up on staples or splurge on that gorgeous bottle of olive oil you've wanted to buy for your mom. As usual we'll have many items on sale as well, so you can save even more. The Creamery will be open its usual Sunday hours, from 9 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.  We're also happy to be hosting a tasting by Goshen's own Appalachian Naturals company. Kyle will be in store from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. with samples of their wonderful dressings, barbecue sauces, and salsa -- made just down the road to the east in Goshen. Founder Kristin Barry is "committed to bridging the gap between local agriculture and the grocery aisle. Their hope is to help sustain northeastern agriculture. Recognized for contemporary, fresh flavors using all natural and organic ingredients, Appalachian Natural's farm-to-table products are simple: just open and serve." Learn more at their website: http://www.appalachiannaturals.com/aboutus.asp. Teaming up with Appalachian Naturals we'll have greens and vegetables for the tasting donated  by Holiday Brook Farm, just down the road to the west in Dalton. We source lots of our local products from this wonderful farm, including those beautiful greens and delicious meats. The farm is "committed to providing our customers with the healthiest, highest quality, most environmentally responsible and humane food around. Our holistic farm practices follow sustainable, natural models to enhance the health and productivity of our crops, livestock, and fields. Although not certified organic, we rely on our more than 30 years of combined organic farm management experience. We are guided by the standards put forth by NOFA and the USDA National Organic Program." Learn more here: http://www.holidaybrookfarm.com/our-practices. Member-Owner Appreciation Days happen four times a year. Not a member yet? What a perfect time to sign up! You can choose to pay in installments of just $15 a month, or go whole hog and invest $150. Either way, you'll be eligible for the great savings this Sunday and will reap the continuous benefits of having a community-owned grocery and deli right here in Cummington for years to come. Your investment in the Co-op helps to ensure a sustainable future for the Co-op. We appreciate you!! |
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Renovations Are Settling Down (at least on the inside) In the past few weeks, the layout of the store has been rearranged to its more-or-less final configuration. The deli has been moved next to the café, and new deli and dessert cases have been installed. The cooks and bakers and produce/grocery areas have all been redone, and two new sinks are in. On the shopping floor, the last row of shelving is in place. We have a great new cheese case and a wider cooler for frozen goods as well. Just this week, our beautiful new coffee station was installed in the café. A separate walk-in cooler and freezer are being installed for the cooks and bakers. Staff members have been fine-tuning their work spaces with a couple more tweaks to go. Next up we will need to reset the shelving near the produce area going toward the back of the store to make the aisles on both sides wider, and we will install a new herbs and spices section. Meanwhile, up on the hillside, oh my goodness! The rains have really put a damper on things. Pete Marcoux can hardly keep his equipment in place, and high on the hill we have brooks that did not exist before. Our engineers are working on revised plans to get this water diverted. While that is being developed (and the hillside hopefully dries out a bit), we will shift our attention to the outside dining area. This will require raising manholes, raising the grade, pouring concrete, building walls, laying patio stones, and installing the ATM. Our plan is to complete this work over the next four to five weeks. Oh, and we expect our new outside sign will be installed during this period as well. Our great crews have delivered wonderful work, on time (when weather has allowed), and have remained sensitive to the store staying open as well as not getting in the way of staff and customers. Our terrific staff has been through a most challenging couple of months and has weathered it well and with humor (see Toni and George in front of the new deli in the photo below). Lastly, our wonderful customers have gracefully endured a perpetual Easter egg hunt for where we might have placed their favorite products each week. We are getting close to having all of our products in predictable and consistent locations. Thanks again for your patience, and please don't hesitate to ask us to help you find something. This week we celebrate our appreciation of you all, especially for the support you have shown our Co-op throughout these many changes. Thank you. |
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Cheese of the Week
This weekend's sampling cheese is Maggie's Round from Cricket Creek Farm in Williamstown.  Maggie's Round is an Italian-farm-style raw cow's milk cheese that's aged more than four months. It has a creamy texture with a flavor similar to that of an Italian Toma. Maggie's Round was a 2011 first-prize winner at the American Cheese Society Competition.
Cricket Creek Farm is a small grass-based dairy nestled on the slopes of the Taconics. The farm consists of over 500 acres of rolling fields and woodlots, old apple orchards, and sugarbush. The herd of 90 cows is made up of registered Brown Swiss and Jerseys. The mission at Cricket Creek Farm is to continue the tradition of the small farm, raising healthy, content animals in an environmentally sustainable fashion, and producing high-quality dairy products.
Come in Saturday for a sample of this Berkshire County cheese! And remember, we'll take 10% off the regular price all day! Hope to see you this weekend! |
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Hearing Held on Mass. GMO Labeling Legislation
Ed Stockman, Plainfield resident, Old Creamery Co-op member-owner, and cofounder of Massachusetts Right to Know GMOs, writes, "This week, on Tuesday, June 11, a hearing was held at the State House in Boston on proposed GMO food labeling legislation. A 9 a.m. rally organized by MA Right to Know GMOs on the steps of the State House preceded the hearing proceedings. The hearing started at 10 a.m. to a packed room of 200 supporters with 65 people signed up to testify in support of three bills calling for the mandatory labeling of GMO foods. MA Right to Know GMOs assembled an impressive team of testifiers including state legislators, scientists, researchers, medical doctors and other health-care professionals, a nutritionist, faith leaders, business professionals, attorneys, NOFA/Mass and GMO activists, along with moms and grandparents. Leaders from Connecticut, the first state to pass a labeling law, also enthusiastically testified in support. All in all, it was an impressive day of testimony. Now we wait and see if our elected officials will act on behalf of the people. Please call or email your elected officials and let them know how important labeling is to you and your family."
Massachusetts Right to Know GMOs is a statewide network of safe food advocates working together and with our state legislators to reach a critical mass of awareness and support for legislation mandating adequate labeling of genetically modified (GM) foods in Massachusetts. To learn more, go to the Facebook page at www.facebook.com/MARightToKnowGMOs or click here. To get in involved even more locally, send Chris Stockman an email at the Hilltown Non-GMO Working Group; click here for a link to that group and others working to make a difference in the Hilltowns.
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Creamery Co-op Adopts GMO Policy
The Old Creamery Co-op's board of directors this week voted to adopt a "GMO Policy." The text of the policy follows:
"Consistent with our belief that consumers have the right to make informed choices about the food we buy, our Co-op strongly and publicly supports the mandatory labeling of Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) in the food supply.
"Also known as Genetic Engineering, the laboratory process of injecting genes of one species into the genes of another has come to permeate mainstream agriculture over the past two decades, yet there exist no conclusive long-term studies on the health, environmental, and economic impacts of this new technology.
"We believe that our communities have the right to choose what we are feeding ourselves and our families, and to know what those products are and where they come from. We want to give our customers the opportunity to make the most informed choices about the food they purchase, not to take that choice away from them, or make that decision for them.
"Our community market will continue to offer a diverse selection of products at affordable prices, and we are committed to an expanding selection of high-quality products that include labeled GMO-free options, as well as locally grown, sustainably farmed, and organic choices."
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New Sunscreen Guide from EWG Available Now
OK, so there haven't been a whole lot of sunny days hereabouts. But they're coming (we think). So to help you prepare, the scientists over at the nonprofit Environmental Working Group have released their 2013 Sunscreen Guide rating the safety and efficacy of more than 1,400 sunscreens, lotions, lip products, and makeups that advertise sun protection.
This year, 25 percent of products on the market meet EWG's standards by offering strong and broad UV protection and posing few safety concerns. EWG writes, "Because you've been using our guide to buy better sunscreens every year, EWG has seen the market respond -- giving you more options on your safe sunscreen search. Your action matters!"
To get the guide and a whole lot of information on protecting yourself and your family from the harmful effects of the sun and some sun products, click here.
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Book Talk: A New Reality
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 Saturday evening talk in Cummington by Ted Wachtel, author of Dreaming of a New Reality: How restorative practices reduce crime and violence, improve relationships, and strengthen civil society.
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 | Volunteers Ann Kohn and Sarah Prince staff the Creamery Co-op table at this month's
Hilltown Spring Festival. |
We really appreciate the dozens of steadfast volunteers who have helped promote the Co-op in the community, who have helped with mailings and special events, and who have pitched in building shelves and moving products during our building renovations. Our Co-op will have an ongoing need for volunteers, including help with landscaping tasks (soon we hope!), helping with Co-op meetings (like our fall annual meeting), and representing the Co-op at community events. Send an email to volunteer@oldcreamery.coop and provide your name, interests, and contact information if you want to be contacted for future needs.
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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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