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Knee-High by the Fourth of July? Heck No!
We've got local corn grown right in Hadley, right here, right now at the Old Creamery Co-op! It's super-delicious and grown from non-GMO seed. Looking for something new to do with your corn? Try rubbing the ears with a little hot sauce such as Sriracha, then roasting, grilling, or broiling it. Squeeze a little lime juice over the ears just before eating, and listen for the "yum"! For some more great corn recipes, click here.
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You Suggest, We Answer
New at the Creamery Co-op this week is our suggestion board. We supply a place for you to write down your comment or suggestion and then post it for the world to see. We in turn pledge to respond to your comment as soon as possible, and we'll post our response next to your comment or question. We hope that this will help serve to answer many questions in a way that everyone gets to know the answer. We will save the comments and responses in a binder as well, which will be available for customer viewing. Look for the suggestion board the next time you're in, and share your thoughts with us!
And where the heck is the wildlife sightings poster? As things have been jumbled around during the renovation, we have been waiting for the dust to settle to find just the right spot to return this beloved piece that makes the Creamery, well, the Creamery! We are nearing completion but not there yet, so expect to see the reappearance of this in some form soon!
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"Hot Town, Summer in the Co-op..."
It's HOT in here! We know. During this most recent phase of work on the building we have discovered some newly developed deficiencies with the preexisting air-conditioning system, which is struggling to do its job. This have been exacerbated by the weather system that has been  hovering over us for what feels like forever. And we've just now installed the final components of the heating/ventilating/cooling system that was designed to work with the preexisting system. Our architect, engineer, and contractors are working collaboratively and as fast as they can to solve the cooling problems, including revising our plans and adding additional ventilation and cooling capacity.
In the meantime, we know it's just too hot. We are particularly appreciative of the patience and perseverance of the Creamery staff who are working hard to serve customers in this difficult environment. We're also grateful for the customers who continue to come in. We're not happy with the situation, and we're doing everything we can do fix it as quickly as we can. Please bear with us.
-- Kimberly Longey, Co-op board president
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 New Cookbooks Are Here!
OK, I'll be the first to admit it. I suffer from a (somewhat) mild case of CAD, otherwise known as "cookbook acquisition disorder." But I don't feel a bit guilty about it, and I periodically loosen my grip on one or two titles that I pass along to make room for the new. What is it about cookbooks that we find so intriguing? If you are at all like me, you take them to bed with you at night, and prop them up on the table to read while eating your lunch. I find them inspiring, entertaining, educational, and often the perfect gift. There is an explosion of wonderful cookbooks on the market right now, and I hope you will find that those I've carefully selected for the Co-op are the best of the bunch! You'll find them on the shelves just beneath the Little Gallery of local arts and crafts.
-- Karen D., general manager
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Cheese of the Week!
We have a great sampling cheese this Saturday: Hildene Chèvre from Hildene Farm in Manchester, Vermont. Made in the state-of the-art cheese house at the Lincoln Family Home in  Manchester, this chèvre is from the milk of the farm's herd of Nubian goats. The fresh chèvre is drained and formed into a disk that has a sweet and milky flavor with the texture of ricotta: delicate and delicious!
Come in Saturday for a sample of this wonderful cheese! And remember, we'll take 10% off the regular price all day! Hope to see you this weekend!
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"Fermentation Alley" Open House This Weekend!
 You love their kombucha and their pickles, both available at the Creamery Co-op. Now check out where they're made.
Explore the sights and smells of north Wells Street in Greenfield -- otherwise known as "Fermentation Alley"! Artisan Beverage Cooperative (Katalyst Kombucha and Green River Ambrosia) , Lefty's Brewing Company, and Real Pickles will all be open for tours and tastings on Friday evening and Saturday afternoon, coinciding with the SummerFest Sidewalk Sales in downtown Greenfield. Take a walk down Wells and enjoy the fizz and sparkle of our fermented offerings -- beer, pickles, mead, kombucha -- and learn all about fermentation three different ways!
 Stop by 301-324 Wells Street after work on Friday (July 12, 4:30 to 7:30) or come by Saturday afternoon (July 13, 1:00 to 4:00) to see Real Pickles in full production! Stop by to see the crew slicing fresh cucumbers and preparing fresh carrots and ginger for fermentation. Taste a variety of products, including the newest pickles of the season!
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Correction Last week's email misspelled the name of Paddy Flat Farm in Ashfield. Sorry! But no matter how you spell it, Paddy Flat's lettuce is great on Creamery deli sandwiches! |
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Farm to Host Fundraiser to Support Organic Farming Initiatives
Since 1982, NOFA/Mass (Northeast Organic Farming Association/Massachusetts Chapter) has advocated for laws and regulations that support farmers who produce local organic foods, consumers who want access to those foods, and a transparent food system that fully labels  ingredients. A fundraiser to support these policy initiatives will be held on Thursday, August 8, at 6:30 p.m. at Brookfield Farm, 24 Hulst Road in Amherst.
The evening will feature a presentation by Dan Rosenberg, founder of Real Pickles, who was inspired to start making traditional pickles by a workshop at a 1999 Northeast Organic Farming Association conference. Today that hobby has grown into Real Pickles, which makes raw, organic, naturally fermented pickles and other organic products, like sauerkraut and ginger carrots, and sells them through stores around the Northeast.
"NOFA/Mass's policy work is addressing the critical food and agricultural issues of our times," says Rosenberg. "As an established, reputable organization with a strong membership base of organic producers and consumers, NOFA/Mass is an outstanding policy advocate in the effort to build a better, safer food system. As a food producer, we depend on good policy to protect our ability to source high-quality ingredients; to sell healthy and unadulterated food; and to operate as a mission-driven small business in a food system dominated by big business. I am thankful to have NOFA/Mass out there working to improve the policy landscape in pursuit of a better, safer food system."
A reception with local organic foods will begin at 6:30. Dan's talk will begin at 7:30, followed by time for questions and answers, more food, and socializing. Tickets are $40, or $30 for NOFA/Mass members, registrants of the NOFA Summer Conference (August 9-11 at UMass Amherst), or members of the Brookfield Farm CSA. For more information, click here.
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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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