From The Ground Up
Greetings from Common Ground Food Co-op!
  
Owner Deals
New to Bakery! Irish Soda Bread loaves and scones

In the spirit of St. Patrick's Day, our bakery will be making Irish Soda Bread loaves and scones all month long! Made with raisins, caraway seeds, buttermilk, and butter, these delicious baked goods go perfectly with a tab of Kerrygold Irish Butter. Shamrock cookies will also be available. 

Also, in celebration of Pi Day (3-14), we will have special deals on whole pies!
Deli Specials

Hankering for a Reuben? Our Corned Beef Reuben is here in the Deli!

Enjoy Smoking Goose Corned Beef,  topped with local Ropp Jersey Baby Swiss cheese, house made 1,000 Island dressing, sauerkraut, served warm and toasted local Great Harvest Pumpernickel Rye bread. If you are v egan or vegetarian, you'll love our Housemade Seitan Reuben!

Irish Stout Stew will be back for the week of St. Patrick's Day, March 12-18th! View our Soup Schedule.

Call in your Sandwich or Pizza Order Today! (217) 239-4525
Prairie Rivers Network

Prairie Rivers Network is hosting the Wild & Scenic Film Festival, at the Art Theatre Co-op, April 4th.  This  festival  will showcase 14 films and expand our community's understanding of water resources and inspire the audience to keep rivers and streams healthy for future generations. 

Film Festival Tickets are available for purchase at  www.prairierivers.org/wsff

Prairie Rivers Network (PRN) was founded 50 years ago by local activists seeking to block construction of a dam on the Sangamon River that would have flooded most of Allerton Park in Monticello. Over the years, PRN has grown into a statewide non-profit organization dedicated to protecting our water resources through research, education, public policy advocacy, and activism. PRN works with other conservation organizations such as the National Wildlife Foundation, the Sierra Club, the Illinois Stewardship Alliance, and many other groups, to draw attention to and coordinate action on threats to the ecology and watersheds of Illinois. 

Recently, PRN has be involved in movements to counter a toxic waste dump in Clinton, to protect 50,000 acres of wetland put at risk by the proposed New Madrid levee, to stop construction of the Dakota Access Pipeline, to force the clean-up of a potentially disastrous coal ash dump on the Middle Fork Vermilion River, to save the monarch butterfly, and to test water for lead at elementary schools and daycare centers.  

Last year, Co-op owners voted to dedicate Round Up For Good proceeds during March 2016 to PRN and we collected over $5,300 in donations. Once again this year, owners voted to make PRN the Round Up recipient for the month of March. Please help support PRN's efforts to defend and increase the quality of our water and the health of our rivers and streams!
In The Flatlander Classroom

This month at Common Ground you can learn:
*How to make pie in time for Pie Day
*How to cook traditional vegan Ethiopian cuisine
*How to make non-gloppy Peanut Noodles
*How to turn plastic bags into a sturdy market tote
*How to make a basic bread dough with Dave from Dragon Fire Pizza

And trade seeds with your neighbors.

Check out the March Schedule here
First Friday: March 3, 4:30-7pm

Kick off your Downtown Urbana First Friday at the Co-op! We'll be sampling Rosés, local beers from Stone Brewing, Autumn Berry Inspired's local jams, and snacks that are sure to get your Friday evening off to a great start.

Rosés spans the spectrum between red and white. The type of grape a rosé wine is made with greatly varies the flavor from deep red Rosatto to pale Granache.

We'll also be sampling Frontier Co-op teas and giving you a sneak peek into some Co-op St. Patrick's Day treats!


Female Winemakers Celebrated

March is Women's History Month, and to celebrate we are featuring wines from female winemakers. On  March 10th  and the 24th at Happy Hour, William from Vintage Wines will be pouring a Portuguese Arinto, a Spanish Albarino and an Argentinian Chardonnay.

Highlighted Wines that are perfect for springtime:
-Quinta de Chocapalha Arinto
-Burgans Albarino
-Bodega Catena Zapata Chardonnay
St. Patrick's Day Sampling

We will be sampling Triple S Farms corned beef and cabbage with some Co-op Bakery Irish Soda bread on March 15th, from 4-6pm near our Deli. 

We will also have special Irish cheeses and beer samples from 4:30-6:30pm, on March 17th, St. Patrick's Day for you to enjoy. 
Seed Swap: Sunday, March 19 from  2-3pm

We are hosting another Seed Swap in our Classroom, March 19th!

Need seeds for this season or have too many? Talk to your neighbor about what to grow this season.

We will have gardening resources for you to take home. 
Art Reception for Chris Evans and Steve Schaberg, March 24th

Come to our free Art Gallery Reception, on Friday, March 24th from 6:30-8:30pm to celebrate our two local artists, Chris Evans and Steve Schaberg!

We will have free beer and food available for you to enjoy. An art wall will also be available for collective doodling. 

To read about Steve and Chris, see their artist profiles
From Charles Our Board Member

People working together. A co-op is an enterprise that is owned collectively and democratically governed to achieve a common purpose.  As such, a co-op has characteristics that set it apart from an enterprise that is owned by investors, either privately or through publicly-traded stock.  In an investor-owned business, profit for the owners is the primary goal in itself, whereas in a co-op it is subservient to the fundamental purpose for which the co-op has been established and the cooperative principles by which co-ops around the world abide, established by the International Cooperative Alliance.

People working together to make our local community stronger. Among the cooperative principles is "Concern for Community:  While focusing on member needs, cooperatives work for the sustainable development of communities through policies and programs accepted by the members."  Thus, for example, Common Ground might choose to a lower the price on essential items in order to make healthy staples such as beans, grains, and fresh produce affordable to people with lower incomes, something a non-cooperative grocery would not do unless it also happened to increase profits.

Another principle that distinguishes co-ops from investor-owned enterprises is "Members' Economic Participation:  Members contribute equally to, and democratically control, the capital of the cooperative. This benefits members in proportion to the business they conduct with the cooperative rather than on the capital invested."  In an investor-owned enterprise, profits and influence accrue in proportion to capital invested.

Common Ground's purpose is described by our Ends.  Although fundamentally grounded in our history, our purpose evolves with time, along with the means of achieving it.  The agents of that evolution, in response to changing conditions and needs, are our owners.
As we look toward envisioning the future of our co-op, the CGFC Board of Directors is in the process of making a major effort to enhance our engagement with Common Ground's owners.  We hope you will participate!


Seed are here!

Our produce section is selling Seed Savers Exchange Seeds!

Grab a few packs of delicious heirloom varieties and organic seeds that have been specially collected for their unique flavors.

From tomatoes, beans, herbs, cucumbers, brassicas, flowers, and many specialty seeds, we've got you covered!
Do you want to grow plants for 
Our Plant Sale?

If you're interested, we are seeking gardeners or plant lovers to grow seedlings for our Plant Sale that promotes our Food For All Program! We will also accept any native and house plants, if you desire to donate.

We would provide seeds, instructions, seedling pots, and resources. Contact us, if your interested!
 Reach us at by Email!

Common Ground Food Cooperative | 217-352-3347 |  www.commonground.coop  | 
300 S. Broadway Avenue Suite #166, Urbana, IL 61801