Friday, January 21, 2011

As Seen at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue earlier this week....


The Black Trumpet Mushroom.

A great french favorite, the "poor man's truffle is widely considered to be more flavorful than a chanterelles. It is commonly used in risottos and cream based sauces, but was served at this week's state dinner with glazed carrots.

The link below has some information & a couple recipes from the NY Times for some tasty ideas.

http://www.wildpurveyors.com/Black_Trumpet_Mushroom_Recipes.html

Wednesday, January 19, 2011

Quinoa


NPR recently reported on the increasing demand for quinoa--Bolivian farmers cannot plant enough. Prices are rising. Red quinoa has become scarce and is no longer available in bulk. We were able to find Eden packaged red quinoa, currently at a price similar to the bulk price. It is being sold on the endcap across from the cheese.

Tuesday, January 18, 2011

The Yogurt from Upstate, the Culture of Bulgaria


When I was approached about bringing in Bulgarian Yogurt, I didn't undertand. I wondered, "was this like skyr? Does every country have it's own yogurt?" Well, I can't answer that question. But Bulgaria certainly does have a style of yogurt - and it's in the culture.

Atanas Valev of Trimona Foods brings Bulgarian Yogurt to us here at the Park Slope Food Coop. He went to Bulgaria to fetch the live active cultures that now flourish in the containers of yogurt on the shelves of our very own yogurt cooler. And let me tell you, Bulgaria's got some good culture.

This yogurt is tangy. It's the word I keep saying when I describe it even though I hate saying it. I'm not sure how else to talk about the flavor. It's a bit sour, but more, it has tang. The ph is different from most yogurts, giving it a longer shelf life (naturally) and the distinct flavor that it has. I now eat it for breakfast everyday and I'm the yogurt buyer (for my family and the Coop).

But you needn't stop there. This yogurt would be fantastic for your savory recipes, too. Tomorrow, I'm using it in Melissa Clark's recipe "Turkish Dumplings, Deconstructed." It'd be great for riata, too.

The yogurt is made upstate at the same creamery where many of our local yogurts are produced with the milk of grass fed, local cows. I like it a lot.

Sunday, January 16, 2011

Lula's vegan ice cream is here...


New in the ice cream freezer, Lula's direct from Manhattan. We started out with four flavors: pistachio, strawberry, birthday cake and maple walnut waffle. Even if you eat dairy, give them a try. The cashew-based flavors are a big step above most soy based ice creams.

The main complaint about Lula's shop on E 6th Street is that it is too small and crowded--so now you can grab a pint and enjoy wherever you find the space.

Almond milk in the news..l



Wall Street Journal does a comparison of non-dairy "milks."

Coop carries both refrigerated and shelf-stable almond milks along with soy, hemp, hazelnut and rice milks in Aisle 3A. We currently sell much less soy milk than we did years ago when the coop membership was much smaller. Then soy milk was the only non-dairy alternative.

Thursday, January 13, 2011