Brussels sprout stalks

Organic, locally grown brussels sprout stalks are $1.87 a stalk at the food coop. We have hundreds of stalks. I bought a stalk yesterday morning and it barely fits in my fridge. There are 3 brussels sprout recipes in the 101 Thanksgiving recipes article in the New York Times, so stock up on stalks.

Amaryllis and paperwhites

Van Engelen amaryllis and paperwhite bulbs are here. These bulbs come with a flower pot and potting soil and instructions. They are high quality--we've been selling them for years without complaint. If you start them now, they should be blooming in about 6 weeks. They do best in sunny window in a cool room. They should be planted soon as they are programmed to grow and will burst out of their box toward light if neglected. They will keep for a few weeks in the dark in the refrigerator. This is the only shipment of bulbs we'll be getting--they don't ship as the weather gets cooler

Time to Eat Everything!!!

Hey Co-owners,

Turkey Shmurkey I say. This time of year has much more to offer than some big old bird. The freezer alone is a veritable cornucopia of festive vittles. There's familiar faces like Adirondack Creamery's pumpkin ice cream, apple pie from Vermont Mystic Pie Co. and vegan pumpkin pie from Wholly Wholesome. Oh, and don't forget the Tofurkey. What forward thinking host would even think of leaving out their vegan/vegetarian friends. I shudder to even think of it. The freezer would also like to welcome some new members such as Gillian's gluten free pie shells, Vermont Mystic Pie Co. pie shells, and peppermint ice cream from Adirondack Creamery. This ice cream is pretty awesome. The peppermint pieces floating around in there are made just over the river and through the woods (locally).

Go Eat!

Were we hornswoggled by Silk?

Grocers around the country report feeling misled -- "hornswoggled," in fact -- by the reformulation of Silk Soymilk from organic to 'natural'. A recent article from the Fort Worth Star-Telegram depicts the same scenario that we experienced here at the Coop earlier this year.

Holiday Turkey Arrival News!

Buy your 2009 turkey early!!! Why? Because veteran Coop Thanksgiving shoppers know they need to pick theirs early to get EXACTLY the size and style they want. The smaller birds sell out especially quickly.

All turkeys are delivered fresh, except for the frozen Wise Kosher Organic. All are free-range, locally raised, hormone-and antibiotic-free. Some are from smaller farms than others, though NONE are raised by those evil farmers you read about in the papers. Some are certified organic. See listings by date for details.

Tuesday, November 17
FROZEN, Wise Kosher Certified Organic (Pennsylvania)
10 to 24 lbs., $4.85 lb.

Thursday, November 19
Bell & Evans (New Jersey)
8 to 26 lbs., $2.31 lb.

Friday, November 20
Plainville Farms Pasture-raised (New York)
16 to 24 lbs., $2.75 lb.

Eberly Certified Organic (Pennsylvania)
8 to 24 lbs., $4.25 lb.

Koch Certified Organic (Pennnsylvania)
8 to 24 lbs., $3.96 lb.

Monday, November 23
McDonald Farm Heritage Breed (American Bronze) (New York)
12 to 26 lbs., $4.26 lb.

Stonewood Farm Pasture-raised (Vermont)
12 to 20 lbs., $3.12 lb.

Kale Chips... from the 'hood

Behold - new kale chips have arrived at the Coop, and they are made locally. Sure, the Coop defines local as anywhere within a 500 mile radius, but what do you call it if it's made half a mile away? I'd say that's loco local. The new raw kale chips are from NY Naturals, the natural food store on Flatbush & 6th Avenue, and are delivered to us -- freshly made! -- several times a week. They are selling for a very fair price: $4.84 for a 3.5 oz package. Look for them in Aisle 7 in the small chip section.

In the News.....

LA Times has a review of the various "milks" you can find in our dairy case and in Aisle 3A. It gives a nutritional profile of each and, for those of you with allergies, also what each does not contain. Soy is no longer the only non-dairy alternative to milk. The new "milks" have cut into sales of soy milk at the Coop.



Grab a glass of O.J. before rushing out the house each morning? Persuade your kids to drink one too? Buy Tropicana because it is not made from concentrate? "Not from concentrate" seems to be a term of art--it actually is pasteurized, stripped of oxygen and stored in huge aseptic tanks. When it is packaged for sale, "flavor derived from orange essence and oils is added to make it taste fresh," according to Alissa Hamilton, whose book, Squeezed: What You Don't Know about Orange Juice, has just been published by Yale Press. The citrus juice industry is dominated by Pepsi (Tropicana) and Coca Cola (Minute Maid), and the juice is increasingly being imported from Brazil.

The Smart Choices food labeling program is being phased out as reported in NYTimes. A major concern with the program was that the largest food companies (Kelloggs, General Mills) were applying the label to highly processed foods. The FDA is allegedly considering establishing standards for front of the box nutrition labeling.

And in case you missed it, the work requirement at the Park Slope Food Coop made the Metro section today (and the online version, Friday). The online version has a terrific evening photo of the coop compared to the dreadful drawings in the print version. Lots of comments--