the scoop op - The Sierra Vista Food Co-op

THE SCOOP
OP
“If more of us valued food and cheer
and song above hoarded gold, it would
be a merrier world.”
J.R.R. Tolkien
Volume 7, Issue 4 – Winter 2014-15
Inside…
Page 2
Latest news from your
Co-op Board President
Page 3
How to stay healthy
during the holiday
season
Page 5
A warm and hearty
recipe for vegetable &
bean soup
Page 6
Finding love at the
Co-op!
OPEN TO
EVERYONE!
A passion for co-ops
By John Glennon, Interim General Manager
Hello to everyone in the wonderful Sierra Vista Food Co-op community! I
am so excited for the opportunities that have manifested for me over the
last few weeks in becoming Interim General Manager. As most of you
have heard or read, Chris Roland has moved on to Chicago to embark on
another co-op start-up project, much like the one he played a pivotal role
for here in Sierra Vista. There is no doubt that the work Chris put in for
our store is one of the key reasons for our huge success and growth, and
he has left some big shoes to fill. Words can hardly describe how proud I
am to be charged with building upon Chris’ efforts and determination to
serve our owners and the larger Cochise County community in the highest
capacity possible.
My journey to the Sierra Vista Food Co-op has been a true “coming full
circle experience”.
Continued page 4…
CUSTOMER APPRECIATION DAY IS JANUARY 24
We’re getting our new year underway by saying thank you to
our loyal customers. Mark your calendars now and come
down to the store on Saturday, January 24, for our next
Customer Appreciation Day. Members receive 10% off their
entire purchase, and non-members will get a 5% discount.
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A strong team is key to our continued success
The Co-op has a story to share
By Kevin Peterson, Board President, Member/Owner
It’s hard to believe that we are just
around the corner from celebrating
a new year.
We are optimistic that 2015 will
turn out be another banner year for
the Sierra Vista Food Co-op,
building on the success we have
enjoyed since opening in April
2011.
Much of that success is due to the
leadership demonstrated by
General Manager Chris Roland
who, as many of you know,
departed Sierra Vista last month to
take up a new position with a startup Co-op in Chicago. We are
grateful for the hard work Chris put
in to our store and we wish him
well in his new adventure.
Before he left, Chris handed over
the reigns to John Glennon, who
will act as interim general manager
until a permanent replacement is
announced.
A native of Sierra Vista, John has
worked at the store for over two
years and the board is confident the
Co-op will continue to flourish
under his stewardship.
The board would also like to
acknowledge the ongoing
commitment of the staff. We are
lucky to have a great team in place
whose goal is to provide healthy,
natural products to this great
community we all call home.
If you’ve not met all of our staff
members yet, then visit our website
to find out who they are and why
they love working at the Co-op.
Of course, we cannot end the year
without thanking all of our
wonderful members and customers
who continue to patronize the
store. Thanks to your support, we
continue to be successful, allowing
us to better serve you. So, thank
you, Merry Christmas, and have a
healthy and happy New Year.
The Sierra Vista Food
Co-op staff would like
to wish our owners and
customers a very Happy
Christmas and good
health for 2015!
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Healthy tips for the
holiday season
It’s easy to be tempted during the holidays
when it comes to food and drink. We
asked Supplements Manager Pam
Chandler for some advice on staying
healthy during the holiday season.
“Live each season as it
passes; breathe the air, drink
the drink, taste the fruit, and
resign yourself to the
influences of each.” –Hendry
David Thoreau
This quote is really the epitome of
living as fully and unstressed as
possible during the various seasons
of the year. For thousands of years,
our ancestors have eaten and lived
according to the growing seasons
and the various celebrations during
the year. The holiday season is a
perfect example of a mix of the two,
eating with thanksgiving from the
bounty of the land, and celebrating
family and friendships.
The food that is typically available
during the fall season include: bell
peppers, broccoli, Brussels sprouts,
butternut squash and other winter
squashes, cauliflower, celery, chard,
collards, fennel, garlic, leeks,
parsnips, potatoes, pumpkin,
rutabaga, sweet potatoes,
sunchokes, turnips, cranberries,
oranges, pears, persimmons,
pomegranate, duck, lamb,
partridge, pheasant, quail, venison,
clams, crab, and scallops.
celebrations.
1. Don’t give up on the family
favorites: eat in moderation, taste
only some of the more decadent
ones, and try to substitute
unhealthy ingredients with
healthier ingredients (i.e., plain
Greek yogurt for sour cream), and
introduce some new healthier
items.
2. Offer plenty of salad and
vegetables that people can load up
on along with the other traditional
favorites.
3. Focus group activities around
other things besides food: after the
meal play board games, card
games, and go for leisurely walks
together.
4. Keep your exercise levels up and
maintain a good sleep schedule.
These two items will help keep
your stress levels down and make
this holiday season more enjoyable.
With the holidays upon us, it is
important to have a strategy ready
to use to help cope with extra stress
and calories associated with all the
festivities. I have listed a few for
you to consider as you prepare for
Christmas and New Year
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Building on a strong foundation will help create a better co-op
the health food industry.
Continued from page 1…
I was born and raised here in
Sierra Vista, where I went to
school at Pueblo Del Sol, Apache
Middle School, and Buena. After
finishing high school, I went on
to the University of Arizona and
later Northern Arizona
University to study applied
cultural anthropology with a
focus on community engaged
development, food co-ops, and
I am extremely passionate about
organic and local food production
and the role it plays in health and
wellness for individuals,
communities and the
environment at large. Also, I
firmly believe in the cooperative
model as a tool for bringing
people together with common
goals and aspirations to achieve
sustainable systems for growing
and living.
My goal in this position is to
build upon the Sierra Vista Food
Co-op’s excellent customer
service reputation by always
having an open door and going
the extra mile in every way
possible. To me, the success of
our co-op stems from the on-the-
ground interactions between our
customers and staff where real
relationships are cultivated in our
mutual pursuits of health and
wellness. I plan to build on this
on-the-ground approach by
always finding time to listen to
the stories and concerns of
customers because I know that
each of us obtain a healthier life
in our own unique ways.
As we move forward, I am
excited to further build on the
store’s expansion plans to provide
more of what our owners and
shoppers love about the store.
There are so many great things
happening for our co-op, and I
am truly honored to be right in
the mix of our success and
growth in the exciting future to
come.
Being vegan should be considered mainstream, not different
By Monica Savarese
Owner/Member
When my 5-yearold daughter
recently asked me
"Mom, am I
different?" I
wasn't sure what
she meant. So I
started with the
classic answer,
"Yes, we're all different, just like the
snowflakes, there is not one that
looks like the other... " Then she
asked a more specific question:
"Am I the only vegan kid?"
I avoided the "ask Daddy" reply,
and started explaining to her that
yes, she probably is the only vegan
kid in her class and most likely in
her school, and with her sisters,
there's a good chance they're the
only vegan kids in the entire school
district! But I also told her that
there are many, many other
children who are vegan and live all
over the country and the world,
kids like her, who bring their own
cookies and treats to school events
and friends' birthday parties;
children like her who, instead of
going to the zoo with their class, go
to a children's museum with
Mommy; there are other children
like her who, when a teacher asks
the question, "Who likes turkey?"
raise their hand because they think
about how really cute turkeys are,
not how tasty.
nutrition powerhouse!
Being different can be challenging,
especially when you're five and in
Kindergarten. But I told her the
rewards for being vegan are totally
worth the little sacrifices. I
reminded her how wonderful it felt
when we went to The Gentle Barn
in Santa Clarita, CA, and were able
to hug Buttercup, a cow. How
warm and gentle and sweet she was
while we rested our heads on her,
loving her.
1 large onion, diced
Of course, my hope is that, one
day, being vegan will not be
considered different but
mainstream. I'm sharing
this delicious recipe for a winter-y
and super-tasty soup. And with so
many different vegetables in it, it's a
1 16 ounce can fire roasted crushed
tomatoes
Vegetable Bean Barley Soup
by www.lowfatveganchef.com
Serves 8
2/3 cup dried pearl barley
10 cups low sodium vegetable broth
8 cloves garlic, minced
3 stalks celery, sliced
2 large carrots, sliced
2 medium golden beets, chopped in
¾ inch cubes
2 cups mushrooms, diced
2 bay leaves
3 sprigs fresh thyme
Continued on page 5…
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Cookbook offers good reasons to get keen on quinoa
By Gloria Roka
Member/Owner
1 tablespoon dried parsley flakes
1 tablespoon fresh chopped basil
OR 1 teaspoon dried
1 tablespoon fresh chopped
oregano OR 1 teaspoon dried
2 cups sliced fresh greens (chard,
collards, kale, cabbage, or
spinach)
1 15 ounce can cannellini beans,
drained and rinsed (or 2 cups
cooked beans)
Herbamare or sea salt to taste
Freshly ground pepper to taste
Sprinkle of garlic powder
(optional)
Sprinkle of onion powder
(optional)
Rinse and soak the barley while
you are prepping your
ingredients. (If you pre-soak the
barley for a few hours, cooking
time will be reduced.) Drain.
Place the onions, garlic, celery,
carrots, beets, mushrooms and 4
cups of the broth in a large soup
pot. Cook over medium-high
heat until vegetables are softened
slightly. Add remaining broth,
drained barley, tomatoes, bay
leaves, thyme, parsley, basil and
oregano. Bring to a boil, reduce
heat and simmer for 45-60
minutes until barley and beets are
soft. Add greens (unless using
spinach) and beans, season to
taste and cook for 5-10
minutes. (If using spinach, add it
and heat through at the end of
cooking time.)
For a gluten free soup, omit the
barley and use rice, quinoa,
millet or add extra beans.
Coconut Oil For
Beginners: Your
Coconut Oil
Miracle Guide
(Rockbridge Press
2013 – Wall Street
Journal bestseller)
The books I review vary, not only
in content, but in readability and
reader appeal. Some have valuable
information that is easy to digest
and share; others require additional
research and consideration for
review. Coconut Oil For Beginners
is one that is not only readable and
easy to follow, but very
informative. It is well organized, to
the point, and full of suggestions for
the every day use and value of
coconut oil.
There is a brief summary of the
historical use of coconut oil and a
simple explanation of its antifungal,
antibacterial and antiviral
properties. Of note, are the facts
that coconut oil fat is different from
other fats and is easily absorbed and
converted into energy, and that the
oil can be used (in an emergency) in
place of IV blood plasma.
Sections of the book are broken
down into its use for health and
beauty – including its disease
fighting elements and aid in stress
relief, hair and skin care, and
weight loss. Many recipes are
included, but not all are food
related. There are many for the skin
and hair care as well.
I was unable to procure this book at
the public library, but it is available
online and inexpensive. I highly
suggest it as a must read.
Mango Mania Coconut
Oil Lip Balm
1 tsp virgin coconut oil
1 tsp organic mango butter (not
melted)
1 drop food grade cherry flavoring
oil
In a small dish, combine all three
ingredients. Place in a reusable libbalm pot or a small glass container.
Mango butter has no flavor, so this
will taste mostly cherry with a hint
of coconut. If you’d like other
flavors, just substitute other food
grade oils for the cherry. Make sure
they’re oil soluble so they will mix
with the coconut oil and mango
butter.
Yield: 2 tsp of lip balm.
Island Style Banana Nut Muffins
4 ripe bananas
1 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
¾ cup virgin coconut oil
2 cups all purpose flour
2 tsp baking soda
¾ tsp salt
½ cup walnuts
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line
12 muffin cups with cupcake papers
and set aside.
In a medium size bowl, mash
bananas until smooth. Add sugar
and eggs and beat for 2 to 3 minutes
or until sugar is dissolved. Add the
coconut oil and continue to mix for
another minute. In a separate bowl,
combine the flour, baking soda and
salt. Then add to the banana
mixture and mix for one more
minute. Stir in the nuts and spoon
the batter into the cupcake papers
until they are about 2/3 full.
Bake for 20 minutes or until a
toothpick inserted in the middle
comes out clean.
Yield: 12 muffins.
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The Sierra Vista Food Co-op – where you’ll find more than just organic carrots!
Board Members Jacquelyn Brenner and
Vernon Cross tell us how love
blossomed, thanks to the Co-op!
Jacquelyn
“In October last year I read an email
from the Co-op asking for new board
member applicants. As I had been
teaching raw food prep fairly often at
the store and had a visceral
connection, I thought I’d give it a try.
The next time I was in the store, I
mentioned to General Manager
Chris that I was interested in the
position. The “happy dance” he did
amused and slightly terrified me. He
told me to show up 5:30ish on Oct 29
and pointed to the room where I had
been mixing up goodies for the past
year. So I did.
While I had some preconceived
notions of who I might find at this
first meeting, they did not include an
attractive, tall, toffee-skinned man
diligently taking notes. I was
introduced to the group as a nurse, a
raw food chef, and someone who
had enough interest in the store to
use my time to teach what I knew
about food to whomever was
interested.
Much to my chagrin I kept sneaking
peeks at this fellow who kept writing
down what was being discussed. I
noticed no ring on his finger and,
while embarrassed by the act, I
surreptitiously removed my wedding
band that I had continued to wear for
the three plus years since my
husband’s death and dropped it into
my purse. I think I actually blushed
when I did that, but I never put it
back on. I’m pretty sure that I went
home and told my housemate that of
all the things I might have expected
to experience at my first board
meeting, finding a “hottie” sitting
across the table was not one of them.
Over the next month I occasionally
gave a thought to this person, but I
had just come out of an extremely
tumultuous year complete with
occupational glitches, severe health
issues and the ending of a less than
exemplary relationship. I was not
contemplating much more than a
mild curiosity about Vern and a
pleasant expectation of seeing him
again.
The next meeting was November 19
and there he was again. I remember a
lengthy discussion of subjects with he
and I heartily agreeing on the topics
being discussed. The next day I
received an email from him, which I
happily responded to.
We met at my house for tea and
talked for a few hours. He asked me
out for dinner and a movie on my
birthday last year which I accepted,
having no idea that I would be
married to the man for six weeks by
my next birthday! We talked long
hours into the night, climbed hills
and mountains in search of places
“where God runs our bath water”, as
he likes to say, sang along together to
the “oldies” while traveling, and
snuggled on the couch with my two
large dogs for hours while courting.
It has been a wonderful road of
discovery and blooming love for me,
and it started because of my passion
for “real food” and a commitment to
this place that serves our community
so well.”
Vernon
“The last time I thought to get more
community-involved I was living in
Bisbee as a firefighter. I went to the
co-op there and volunteered to put in
some hours packaging pasta, when a
nurse acquaintance came in. When
she saw me I was told we knew a
mutual friend who would like to meet
me. It was a recently divorced nurse
and I agreed to meet her. A year later
the outcome of that encounter was a
seven-year marriage.
Unfortunately, the marriage was not
successful. But then I met Jacquelyn
at her first Co-op board meeting, and
subsequently called upon her after her
second meeting. We are the same age.
We were the exact same age when
Tommy James hit the charts with
‘Crystal Blue Persuasion’ and we had
a mutual passion for great meals
made with quality food products. We
also had an exceedingly compatible
outlook for travel and alternative
health pursuits (Jacquelyn is the
bomb in that regard). I figured if she
could sit still through an animated
movie like “Free Birds”, there might
be a long lasting friendship possible,
so I made the step to ask her out
unaware it was on her birthday.
We enjoyed our time together. I felt
like we were both looking for reasons
for this to not be any more than
friendship at first, but that melted
away after a month to a definite
awareness we were getting way too
comfortable with each other for even
the best of friendship. I began to
figure ways to show her the region
I’ve called home for 30 or so years,
and nature conspired to make each
outing the finest I ever saw of these
environs. She went places with me I
had been putting off taking in the
whole time I’ve lived here. We talked
about seeing even more when she
invited me to her ancestral home in
northern New England to meet her
kin.
So I can vouch for the certainty that
being involved with the Co-op here in
Sierra Vista might just take you places
you never dreamed of going. After six
weeks of being married I have now
taken in New England tidal estuaries,
as well as the Black Hills’ forested
meadows.
Thanks to Chris, past manager of our
blessed co-op marketing movement,
for inviting me to get involved with
the Board of Directors and helping to
introduce me to my Jacquelyn.”
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Dirty Dozen vs. Clean Fifteen
Board Member Vernon Cross discovers some
conventionally grown produce is more likely
to contain pesticides than others...
I heard only a couple of months ago the terms
dirty dozen and clean fifteen from my wife, as
she expounded on our plant food sources. It
conjured images of food commandos
perpetrating a black ops, slow kill with our
produce supply vs. pure-as-the-driven snow,
optimism-generating partiers in support of a
more healthful leaf and pulp. The idea that
some fruits and vegetables are inherently,
relatively resistant to chemical barrage inspires
me to memorize the clean fifteen list, and soon.
I’m reminded of leaner times when I picked
apples in Washington’s central valley region.
After a day of harvesting premium, golden
delicious orbs that appeared just a little dusty
with the darkish soil, I learned the black smear
all over my hands evidenced not dirt, but a
pernicious pesticide residue meant to repel deer.
It appears from the list that no amount of
packing warehouse baths could salvage the
integrity of those apples. For those blessed with
an Hercluean immunity to the effects of chemical
toxicity, bless your good fortune. At 61 years old
I’d better become a bit more thorough over
choosing relatively non-contaminated foods.
Though the good word heralds that it’s not what
goes into one’s moth that defiles a person, but
what comes out, nonetheless what goes into our
bodies has more and more to do these days with
our quality of life.
Whereas I’ve thought in years past it might serve
me well to learn the ancient yin/yang attributes of
what I eat, maybe to help balance my sweet tooth
urge to splurge, I can now heed more diligently
the importance of grasping the dirty dozen vs. the
clean fifteen concept. Happy and healthful
feasting!
The Environmental Working Group recommends
buying organic if in doubt about the pesticides an item
may contain. Visit ewg.org for more info.
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Ongoing Events
Sierra Vista Farmers Market: Every Thursday, 10 a.m. – 2
p.m. at Veterans Memorial Park. For more information call
market manager Diane Jones (520) 678-2638.
Sierra Vista Community Market: Saturdays, 10 a.m. – 2
p.m. at Veterans Memorial Park.
Co-op Promotions
Senior Discount Day: First Tuesday of each month. All
seniors will receive a 5% discount.
Wellness Wednesday: First Wednesday of each month.
Members receive a 15% discount on vitamins and
supplements. Non-members receive a 10% discount.
Military Appreciation Day: First weekend of each month.
All active duty and retired military will receive a 10%
discount.
Customer Appreciation Day: Saturday, January 24.
Members receive a 15% discount, non-members 10%.
THE SCOOP
www.sierravistafoodcoop.com
520-335-6676
96 S. Carmichael, Sierra Vista AZ
Open Monday to Saturday, 8 a.m. – 8 p.m.
Sunday, 10 a.m. – 7 p.m
Like us on Facebook!
The Scoop is published thanks to the help of Co-op
members. If you would like to contribute an article or
photograph, or maybe share a recipe using some of the
great products available at the store, email them to
Amanda Baillie at [email protected]
Interim General Manager: John Glennon
Board of Directors: Donna Boe, Janet Brady,
Jacqueline Brenner, Jeffrey Crandall, Vernon Cross,
Dan Gavin, Jim Hust, Kevin Peterson
Printed by Alpha Graphics
Mission Statement
Serve the community with a
unique member supported
market that emphasizes a
high quality, diverse
selection of sustainable local,
natural and organic products
while promoting health
and well-being.