January 2019
Happy New Year!
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In this month's newsletter:
- A Word from the General Manager
- Board Visioning Update
- Friday Feast: Harvest Grain Bowl Event
- ValenWines Day Tasting Event
- Meal Kits Are Back!
- Seasonal Notes for Winter
- Deli Hours Update
- New Items
- 2019 Farm Bill Signed Into Law
- Round Up For Good
- Upcoming Classes
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From the GM
Gary Taylor, General Manager
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Read an update
on the board's visioning progress, including their five directives:
- Bringing food to people where they are
- Promoting healthy living
- Developing a diverse community
- Promoting local production
- Empowering owners and workers
The next meeting of the Board of Directors is Monday, January 14 from 6:15 to 8:15 pm, location TBD. Owners are welcome and encouraged to attend.
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Friday Feast: Harvest Grain Bowl event
Eat a healthy and hearty winter meal for just $5
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Our inaugural
Friday Feast event
(similar concept to our First Friday grill-outs) is Friday, January 25 from 5 to 7 pm near the Deli! We're serving a $5 Harvest Grain Bowl dinner rich in protein, fiber, and essential vitamins:
- Local wheatberries and rye berries
- Local root veggies
- Local greens
- Co-op made veggie stock
- Add roasted local chicken for $3
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ValenWines Day Tasting event
Learn about wine production, regional flavors, and taste delicious wines!
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We've invited local wine experts to pour some of our favorite wines and talk about wine production and regional flavors as they pour!
We're pairing the wines with cheeses, chocolates, and charcuterie which will all be on sale. You can also buy two bottles of wine and get the third half off!
Tickets: $15 per person.
Purchase online here
, at checkout next time you shop, or at the event. Must be 21 or older to attend. Please bring your photo ID to ease entry.
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Our limited run of meal kits last year were really popular so we're bringing them back in 2019!
Each month you can order a 4-serving meal kit and pick it up on the designated day. We shop for all the ingredients and you bring it home to cook.
This month’s recipe is
lemon-rosemary chicken with brown rice and roasted carrots
, featuring only fresh produce and Co+op Basics items.
Pick-up date is Wednesday, January 16 between 10 am and 6 pm in the Flatlander Classroom.
Order your kit online
here
.
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Seasonal Notes for Winter
By Joanne Mierek, Operations Manager
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As we move into winter, our local vendors start experiencing some seasonal out-of-stocks with popular items.
- Some local eggs, especially from Moore Family Farm, become harder to get because the chickens are conserving energy and aren't laying as much. Look for those to appear occasionally on the shelves throughout the winter.
- Local goat milk availability also goes way down when the goats become pregnant. After they kid in the spring, we should see more goat milk on the shelves. Our cheese department has stocked up on Prairie Fruits Farm chevre so we should have enough to take us through the winter.
- Our local fresh herb vendor has gone on vacation, so our fresh herb selection will be very limited probably through February.
- Likewise local greens availability, including the very popular Blue Moon salad mix (stocked in produce and our salad bar) will fluctuate until March.
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Beginning January 2, the Deli counter will close at 6 pm instead of 5 pm.
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New Items Around the Store
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- January Deli feature: London Fog
- Earl grey & lavender tea with vanilla, steamed with your choice of milk
- 12 oz $3.49, 16 oz $3.99
- Local, 100% grass-fed bison is back at the co-op from Lieb Farms in Monticello. We have ground meat, t-bone, NY strip, and ribeye steaks in the meat freezer.
- We now carry Big Fork Sausages from Chicago, IL. Their minimally processed artisan sausages are: naturally encased, nitrate-free, antibiotic-free, gluten-free, preservative-free, artificial-free, hormone-free, antibiotic-free, & soy-free.
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2019 Farm Bill Singed Into Law
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Food and agriculture policy in the US is greatly shaped by the federal farm bill, updated every 5 years or so. The farm bill isn't only for farmers, as it affects nutrition standards and food assistance programs as well as marketing, ag research, crop subsidies, & more.
The 2019 Farm Bill has been signed into law and there are a lot of changes to weed through. Here's a rundown of some of the highlights from this year's farm bill:
- Promotional funds for local farmers markets and research funds for organic farming were both allotted permanent federal support. Their funding had been on a temporary basis until now.
- Efforts to expand composting and reduce food waste in 10 states received funding for 5 years.
- Hemp production for plants under .3% THC is now legal. Hemp is one of the most useful plants, with uses including textiles, home-building, medical treatment, biodegradable plastics, food, body products, paper, fuel, and beyond.
- A compromise over the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) ensures people will still receive benefits, but it left the door open for White House to increase work requirements for recipients which they just announced.
- Conservation funding neither increases nor decreases. We could always use more funding here to incentivize more climate-friendly farming practices.
Overall, the bill contains some helpful updates. But critics are right to point out that it does nothing to move the US food system away from industrial agriculture, which rapidly degrades farmland and rewards scale over sustainability:
"The revised farm bill will ensure that citizens continue to pay for their food at least three times: 1) at the checkout stand; 2) in environmental cleanup and medical costs related to the consequences of industrial agriculture; and 3) as taxpayers who fund subsidies to a small group of commodity farmers deemed too big to fail." -
Civil Eats
There's so much more to read on the 2019 Farm Bill if you're interested. Here are a few different angles:
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Can we top last year's whopping total of $4,686.83 for Daily Bread Soup Kitchen?
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January: Daily Bread Soup Kitchen
Daily Bread Soup Kitchen’s mission is “to feed the hungry of our community regardless of race, religion, or ethnicity. We welcome all volunteers to this service who share an unconditional positive regard for every human being. We provide a safe, respectful, and inviting environment in an atmosphere of hope and dignity.
"We serve a hot meal of soup, salad, entree, dessert and beverage to over 200 guests per day. We are entirely volunteer run and depend on donations from individuals, businesses and local grants.”
Last year, co-op shoppers donated $4,686.83. Help us top last year’s donations! You can also volunteer or donate; visit
www.dailybreadsoupkitchen.com
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January Classes & Events
See what's new for the month of January in our classes email.
You can always sign up online or in-store and classes are listed on the
class calendar.
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Enjoy $2 off your next purchase of $15 or more
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Just bring in this slip or show it on your device. Valid through the end of January. May not be reused or used for sale items, Co-op Basics, or alcohol.
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