Happy Holidays From Your Local Co-op!

Cold Weather Calls For Cozy Soup!

An Easy Soup Recipe From Our Friends at Lost Sierra Food Project

This is our first installment of an ongoing series of recipes we will be sharing! The eventual goal is to create an online collection of local recipes. To contribute, please email your recipe to RMacNeil@featherriver.coop. Thank you!

Megan Mansfield, a board member of Lost Sierra Food Project, shared this affordable and delicious soup recipe with us. We hope you'll try it out on one of these chilly holiday nights.

WINTER SQUASH & LENTIL SOUP

By Megan Mansfield

This is a great starter for a feast or makes 4 big portions for a simple dinner served with salad and bread. It's easy to double too! Suggested squash to use: butternut, red kuri, pumpkin, kabocha.

Ingredients:

1 medium onion

2 cloves garlic

3 tbs olive oil

3 lbs winter squash, peeled and cubed (raw) OR 3-4 cups roasted/cooked squash

1.5 cups red lentils

7 cups chicken or vegetable broth

1 tsp dried sage, or three leaves fresh

1 tsp dried thyme

Salt & pepper to taste

To serve, drizzle olive oil and top with finely chopped fresh herbs like parsley and chives

Directions:

Sauté onion in olive oil in a Dutch oven or soup pot until translucent. Add minced garlic and herbs. Stir and sauté for another few minutes. Add red lentils and stir. Add 2 cups of broth to deglaze the pot. Add winter squash either raw (peeled and cubed) or already cooked. Add the rest of the broth and cook on low heat. Make sure to stir occasionally as lentils and squash will stick to the bottom. Add more liquid (water is ok) in needed. Cook until lentils are soft and everything can be mashed (35-40 mins). Add salt and pepper to taste. Use a blender for a pureed soup or mash by hand with a potato masher and vigorous stirring for a more rustic stew. Enjoy!

Bulk is BACK

Don't have red lentils to make the featured soup recipe? Our bulk section can help!

It's been a long road coming back from the pandemic, but we're happy to announce that we're making the final pushes to restore our bulk back to its former glory.

Most of our dispensers are now filled to the brim, and we just finished stocking up our bulk fridge with organic raw nuts, seeds, yeast, bee pollen, etc. at our Quincy store!

P.S. The sesame sticks in our bulk section are this author's favorite snack.

Giving Tree Program / Tahoe Food Hub Partnership

We are very happy to announce that the Giving Tree donations from our Portola store will be used to purchase boxes of fresh, local produce from our friends at Tahoe Food Hub.

These nutritious produce boxes will be delivered to Portola families in need. This is a wonderful opportunity that connects our local farmers, distributors, and co-op members to foster a more equitable holiday season.

Our Quincy store's Giving Tree donations will continue to be used to support our local food bank.

Please support this amazing program by purchasing a Giving Tree leaf at the register at either store! This program will run until the end of December.

Learn More:

Tahoe Food Hub

Don't Forget to Round Up Your Total To Support These Local Causes:

Learn More:

Quincy Outdoor Theater Project

High Sierra Animal Rescue

Incoming Changes To Non-Member Discounts

A Message From Our General Manager

As we move into the new year, we want to make sure you know about a major change to our discount system that will start on January 1st, 2024. Currently the Tuesday 5% discount and the Wellness Wednesday 10% discount is for all shoppers, regardless of membership status.

Starting on January 1st, we will be moving these great discounts over to be members-only. We’ve come to learn that about 80% of the shoppers using these discounts are in fact members already, so we feel comfortable making this change. Additionally, we stand to save about $9,000-$10,000 in expenses by moving this discount over to our membership. The day of the week for each of these discounts will stay the same, along with the frequency, which is every single week.

If you aren’t a member, or have let your membership lapse, consider joining to receive these great discounts! Membership is as low as $10 for a 6-month period, or $20 for one year, up to $300. Your membership is also refundable if you move away or stop shopping with us.

What are the benefits of being a member?

Quarterly 10% discount
Every Tuesday 5% discount
Every Wednesday 10% discount on wellness and body care items.
Special pricing on bulk orders.
A potential Patronage Dividend each year if it’s financially feasible.
One vote in the Board of Directors elections each year.
Ability to attend board meetings, sit on board committees, and contribute to the goals and future of the co-op.

Additional member benefits that must be separately applied for:

Affordable Food Program – 10% discount for EBT/SNAP users for a period of 6 months. This is renewable at the end of the 6-month period for as long as you continue to be an EBT/SNAP user.
College Food Access Program – 10% discount for all active college students for a period of 6 months. You only need your college ID to qualify. This is also renewable after each 6-month period as long as you are still an active college student.

If you have any questions about this change, please contact the General Manager or a member of the Board of Directors.

General Manager - Marcie Wilde

MWilde@featherriver.coop

Board of Directors

Board@featherriver.coop

HAVE A WONDERFUL HOLIDAY!

We are so very thankful to all our members and local suppliers who have supported us this past year. How lucky we are to be in such a vibrant and caring community. We hope you have a safe, warm, and memorable holiday.

And don't forget to drop by our Portola store between Friday-Monday to pick up one of Whittemore Family Farm's famous pies for your holiday gatherings! Our Quincy store will also be selling delicious house-baked pies from now until Sunday.