 |
Dear Members and Friends,
It's looking like winter with its own special delights for all the senses. We invite you to enjoy the year's end bounty this holiday season.
|
|
Upcoming Events at the Co-op
Tastings: Friday, December 14th
Em from 5b's gluten-free Bakery and Kari from Kari's Island Elixirs will be in the store sampling.
* Em will be here 12 -3 pm. She'll have a selection of 5b's gluten-free treats
to get people prepared for their holiday
meals. 5b's baked goods are
so tasty that every guest can enjoy
them, even
those without dietary restrictions.
* Kari will be here from 2 - 5 pm. She'll have vinegars, bitters, and shrubs -- both to taste and for sale! This sale is a one time opportunity, since Kari won't be able to provide her products to us as retail just yet.
Herbs: Sunday, December 16th
Adaptogenic Herbs: At 5 - 6 pm, the co-op's own Health and Wellness Coordinator, Adrienne Brooks, will give a presentation on adaptogens -- herbs that help the body adapt to stressors and normalize its processes. Adrienne will explain how adaptogens work with the body, how to choose the right formula, and what herbs are new and available at the Co-op.
Mark your calendars!
|
|
|
|
In the Store this Week
Produce
Local:
Dog Island: shiitake mushrooms
Federico Farm: micro-greens
Horse Drawn: kale, chard, amarosa & french fingerling potatoes, cabbage, cilantro, blue ballet, kabocha squash, broccoli shoots, aji cristal peppers, savoy & red cabbages
Lost Valley Farm: garlic
Maple Rock: beets
Nootka Rose: carrots, chard, cilantro, lettuce mix, spinach, arugula
Sweet Earth: hubba hubba, delicata, red kuri winter squashes, winter luxury pumpkin (great pie pumpkin!), Concord pears, jerusalem artichokes
All Seasons, Langley, BC: crimini mushrooms
Caruso Farm, Snohomish: turnips
Crow's Farm, Bow: watermelon radishes, radicchio
Hedlin Farms, LaConner: brussels sprouts, celery, green beans, white cauliflower
Ralph's Greenhouse, Mt. Vernon: carrots, parsnips, leeks, fennel
Top Hat, Salem & Scio, OR: shiitake mushrooms
Beyond:
Avocado
Bananas
Grapes
Grapefruit
Oranges
Lemons
Limes
Satsumas
Mango
Asian Pear
Belgian Endive
Eggplant
Holiday Candles from Sun Beam: Beeswax tapers, pine trees, decorative carved eggs, pine cones, clove scented, and more to come! Enjoy these beautiful, hand crafted, beeswax candles at your holiday events this year.
Handcrafted, Solar-Powered Candle Making, Certified Living Wage Employer, Carbon Neutral Shipping: https://sunbeamcandles.com/
Ladysmith Baby fresh cheeses are back, oh happy day! These come from Samish Bay Cheese in Bow.
New
Arborio rice from Lundberg in 1 lb. bags
|
|
|
|
|
Never done: hoop storage
|
Done, not done:
There are varying degrees of order and neatness in gardens, mine is on the lower scale. There are things I've gotten done for winter (a few) and things I haven't (mostly.)
So take a look and you will either smile to yourself and say, "Well I've done a lot better than that" or smile to yourself and say "Thank goodness someone else is a slacker in the clean-up department."
First off, let me say that Teddy gets stuff done, so that the water is all turned off and protected and he's been a huge help in getting done what I have accomplished so far.
|
|
|
|
Done: 8 beds covered with black plastic to keep down the weeds; I've got biochar and alpaca poop spread out in there too.
|
|
|
|
|
Done: Garlic planted; not mulched but it hasn't sprouted yet.
|
|
|
|
|
Done: Water tanks waiting for rain.
|
|
|
|
|
Not done: Hoop house. At least I can work on that in the rain.
|
It hasn't frozen yet this year, which is a blessing in that I haven't lost any plants, and a curse in that I haven't finished my winterizing yet. The two flower beds that I perpetually plan on clearing out each fall are yet again sitting there full of weeds. I meant to take a photo of them, but you've seen enough of my waste and ruin already.
-- Alice Deane
|
|
Quake-Safe Food Storage
December arrives Saturday, the last month of our year-long Disaster Preparedness. A long-time co-op member has been working on her food storage, both for pantry items and long-term storage, and asks this question:
"I know you do a lot of canning and disaster preparedness. What do you use for shelf restraints to keep your glass jars from shifting off in a big quake?"
-- Stephanie
Hi Stephanie,
Funny you should ask! I do only a little canning these days, but there are prepared sauces and condiments that come in jars and other items that are best kept in jars. Here's what I did when I worried about that:
I don't have any cupboards on the walls above the kitchen counters so my food is all stored in the pantry. I prefer glass for food storage and my pantry used to be filled with jars of dry beans, rice, dried fruits, and cereals, as well as jarred sauces and condiments. I was pleased when my granddaughter's friend peered into the pantry and, expecting packages of snacks and cans of commercially prepared foods, he exclaimed, "There's nothing but jars in there!"
Then one day, when I began wondering about earthquakes, I looked at all those jars and imagined the horror of everything shifting to the floor. I saw myself having to clean up a mountain of beans, popcorn, rice, nuts, raisins, flour, honey, jam, tomato sauce, canned fruit, powdered cocoa, vinegar, oil, and whatnot, liberally impregnated with shards of glass. Worse, all the food would be a total loss.
Railings on upper shelves area best, but it would be hard to install railings on my pantry shelves, and a lip on the front edge would only protect in the event of a modest shaking, so I moved the empty glass jars from the top shelf to a box on the floor under the bottom shelf and transferred all the dry goods from their jars into empty coffee bags and cotton bags I sewed up for the purpose. Luckily I don't have mice! I use a few plastic yogurt cartons for gooey things.
A few remaining jars are on the lowest shelf. Honeys and jams are back against the wall on a section of wire shelving with the lip turned upward. Oils, vinegars, tamari, and such are in a tray with a 2-inch lip. A big quake would hurl all of it off the shelf though, so I put a thick braided rug on the floor of the pantry to cushion the crashing.
If there is no pantry, supplies for current use are safer in lower kitchen cupboards and drawers instead of upper cupboards. Install child-proof latches on upper and lower cupboards to keep things from falling out.
Home canned and dried foods in jars for storage are safe in the cases with cardboard separators the glassware comes in from the store; keep them on the floor of a closet or barn or garage.
If there is no barn or garage or storage closet, keep foods for long-term storage in a sideboard or under a bench.
Boat are outfitted with ingenious storage suitable for shifting on the sea: low storage under benches and bunks, sturdy bolts or latches for stowage higher up, with items for immediate use secured on shelves with rails and sockets for bottles. Earthquake-proof kitchen storage for the home is an industry open for invention.
A friend shrugged and said, "But the big ones only come every 600 years." I say "Better safe than sorry."
- Eleanor
|
|
Egg Cartons, Glass Jars, & Recycle/Reuse
The Co-op thanks those who help with keeping our supplies of reusable paper bags and clean reusable jars and containers for bulk foods and household/personal care products well supplied.
Please see the lists below of the items we accept and do not. We need to keep organized so our staff can attend to store duties and not have to recycle items we do not collect.
YES: We collect containers -- plastic or glass -- for shoppers to use for bulk food and cleaning products. You can help by bringing in your extras but please make very sure they are odorless and clean.
NO: We no longer accept quart honey or yogurt jars; people do not use them often and we end up taking staff time to sort and recycle them. Thanks for your cooperation and understanding.
YES: Things we collect and return for reuse by vendors/producers:
- Federico Farms egg cartons
- Double Mountain beer bottles
- Sunnyfield Farm goat milk yogurt jars
- Hummingbird honey, coconut oil, hazelnut chocolate spread jars
- Milk bottles returned for deposits: Twin Brook & Fresh Breeze
|
|
|
Sunnyfield Yogurt jars
|
NO: Items we
cannot take back; put these in your home recycling:
- All other egg cartons
- All other honey jars
- All other yogurt jars
- Fruit baskets from berries and such
-- Thank you for your help!
|
|
|
|
Membership Cards
Members who have signed up or renewed their membership this year and have not picked up a new membership card made of non-plastic sustainable recyclable composite material can find theirs at the register the next time they come in to shop. They're piling up!
Your San Juan Island Food Co-op membership card entitles you to shop at member prices at most food co-ops everywhere.
|
|
|
Volunteer Benefits:
In addition to the rewards of donating their time, volunteers earn co-op cash to spend in the store at the rate of $4.60 for every two hours of work. Any hours worked within the quarter will count towards co-op cash. All cash earned during the quarter is to be used during the following quarter, with transactions recorded at the check stand.
If you would like to volunteer, please email Sarah at the co-op with "VOLUNTEER" in the subject line: [email protected].
Or phone the co-op at 360-370-5170. You can also leave a message with the cashier.
Thank you!
-- Sarah
|
|
|
SPECIAL ORDERS
Information about special ordering
Special Ordering is a Member Benefit.
Save on items you use often--bathroom tissue, pet food, canned goods, pasta, bulk beans, and even chill or frozen items. The markup on member special orders is 20% over wholesale for taxable and non-taxable items. You can request a special order information sheet at the store or via email: [email protected]
Distributors:
UNFI orders are every week.
Order deadline is Midnight Saturday
Pickup: after 3pm on Tuesday
Please be prompt for chill and frozen items.
Azure Standard orders are every other week.
Current order in transit: Pickup Friday, 11/30
Next order deadline: Midnight December 1
Pickup: After 10 am Friday December 7
|
|
|
|
STORE HOURS
Monday - Friday: 10 - 7 // Saturday & Sunday: 10 - 5
|
|
|
|
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
December 17, January 21, February 18
Heritage Bank meeting room at 6:30 pm.
All members are welcome to attend meetings.
Any member is welcome to speak at the beginning of Board meetings. Please contact
the Chair or any Board member at [email protected] about the topic of interest, with the understanding that due to the amount of business the Board
has to attend to, brevity is appreciated.
|
|
|
|
NEWSLETTER
Editor: Eleanor Hartmann
Contributors:
Sarah Benson, Maggie Olsen, Alice Deane, Adrienne Brooks.
|
|
|
|
Thank you for supporting your San Juan Island Food Co-op
|
|
Mission Statement
The San Juan Island Food Co-op strives to provide access to local and regional food and goods that are organic, sustainable, and fairly produced, with the smallest carbon footprint.
The Co-op encourages conscientious consumption
and nurtures community connections.
|
|
San Juan Island Food Co-op | Friday Harbor | 360-370-5170
|
|
|
If you would like to subscribe to or unsubscribe from this newsletter,
To unsubscribe from all correspondence,
please click the SafeUnsubscribe link below the newsletter.
|
|
|
|
|
