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Dear Members and Friends,
A big thanks to our amazing volunteers who stepped
up and represented the Co-op at our booth.
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Congratulations to Glenn Hendrick, the lucky winner of our Salish Sea inspired gift basket that was raffled at the Fair.
Come into the store any time this week to claim your goodies!
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In the Store this Week
Produce
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Gailon from Waldron Island -- it's the best!
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Local:
Nootka Rose: gailon, broccoli, french fingerling potatoes, yukon gold potatoes, red chieftan potatoes, cauliflower, purple cauliflower, napa cabbage, pickling cucumbers
Forage: lettuce mix, wilt mix
Maple Rock: lettuce mix, basil, braising mix
Zach Chan: shishito peppers, jalapenos, cabbage, chard
Blue Moon: blueberries, red onions, sweet onions, garlic
Sweet Earth: cherry tomatoes, padron peppers
Federico: garlic, microgreens
Redwing: blueberries
Aurora Farms: basil and cilantro
Regional:
Skagit eggplants
Desert King figs
Maria's tree fruit from Orondo: apples, nectarines, plums, pluots, maybe pears.
Lots of new products in beer and wine have been added over the last couple of weeks. Here are some of the highlights:
Organic Washington wines: Idiot's Grace Chardonnay and Memaloose Mistral Ranch Red. I've been looking for small, organic Washington producers and I finally found some who are doing great stuff at an approachable price.
Madrone Ciders: Ginger Lime Cider, The Classic Dry and small bottles of The Kingston Blend, from right here on San Juan Island.
Etienne Dupont Cidre Bouche Brut du Normandy: from the home of hard cider, yeasty, lightly sweet and utterly delightful.
Breakside Stay West IPA: an awesome IPA in bottles from Portland. They describe it as a love letter to the west coast.
New
EcoJarz Straw/Brush Set:
Two Classic reusable stainless steel straws and a cleaning brush in a neat little bag for easy transport -- $10.95
Sale
Live Kombucha Cola flavor is 25% off
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Maria's Fruit this Week
We'll have Gala and Sansa Apples, more Sunglow Nectarines, Duarte Plums (the only ones Maria will have this year), the first of her Dino Egg Pluots, and maybe some Bartlett Pears for sale by the pound in our store. Coming Thursday.
Members can special order fruit by the case: Sansa & Gala Apples and more delicious Sunglow Nectarines. Please follow instructions that were sent out late Friday. Contact me; no orders are taken through our Co-op store.
-- Eleanor
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Me at the Fair
Many of us devote hours and hours to working at the County Fair, and I'm one of them. I spend most of my time helping in the food preservation booth. I also help in the fruits and veggies. This year I worked for a number of hours on Tuesday helping entrants fill out their paperwork and setting the jars of jams, jellies, pickles, etc. onto the shelves. It's a complicated affair but so interesting to see what people bring.
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Looks gorgeous, doesn't it?
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In addition to what you might expect to see, we had some unusual entries, including freeze dried items, one of which was freeze dried jello -- yes, that's right folks. We also had three entries of bull kelp pickles.
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Check out the variety of pickles; see the kelp?
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The judges for the food preservation booth come here from Snohomish on the red-eye early Wednesday morning and spend a good part of the day looking carefully at the goods, awarding the ribbons, and writing careful notes on details, suggesting how the entries could be improved. These ladies judge all over the state and I'm so impressed they take the time to come to our little fair. They tell me this is "our kind of fair" and that it's their favorite, much more to their liking than the big fairs in other counties.
Then for the next days we hold jam and jelly tastings where folks vote for their favorite and winners get the "people's choice award." I think this is the most coveted prize of all. It is very popular; people line up to taste. I love looking at their faces as they try to decide which they like the best. My favorite comment this year was from a little boy who said "they all taste just like they are supposed to."
It's great fun to compare tomato jam, grapefruit marmalade, salal conserves, and other interesting treats. I want to encourage you all to not only participate in the tasting next year, but to enter the judging. We can use more products! And I thank my fellow volunteers and our superintendent for standing on the concrete floor all those hours helping out.
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Veggies: Look at those potatoes!
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I also participated in judging the fruits and veggies, and I'm most impressed with the organizational wizardry of the superintendents of that department as well. We muse over a plethora of tomatoes, beans, peaches, and more and more, to award the coveted ribbons. I never get around to entering and each year I kick myself because I don't. I urge you to enter your crops, those of you who do will join me in saying "do it!"
I can't finish without mentioning the youth categories. It's so rewarding to see what the kids enter, both in the food preservation and the produce. These young gardeners and cooks make me hopeful about the future when not much else does. Kudos to all of you.
Even though my feet hurt today, it's all worth it, and I'll be back again next year. Want to join me?
-- Alice Deane
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Island Thyme
Another of Sasha's encounters with producers and vendors:
"Chris Morris of Island Thyme, working his alembic still in the front yard of the house/factory that he, Eliza, and Mandy make their products in. Today he was distilling peppermint oil, which went perfectly with my t-shirt of the day, Wrigley Field. The distillate was breathtakingly peppermint-y and I felt cooler sniffing it -- botanical air conditioning!"
Sasha adds: "Island Thyme is a company that makes botanicals -- face cream, lip balm (like chapstick), soaps, bath additives, etc. The co-op carries many of their products. Their farm is in the hamlet of Olga on Orcas, about 6-8 miles out of Eastsound. They grow a lot of herbs that they use in making things, like lavender and peppermint. They also have goats and bees; the milk and wax are used in their products, too."
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In the News: Twin Brook Farmer, Larry Stapp
This item appeared in Salish Sea News and Weather last week:
Whatcom County agricultural and conservation communities unite in a rescue mission:
During the Dog Days of August, water is worth its weight in gold to the local agriculture community. Without water, most crops won't grow. So what would cause Twin Brook Creamery owners Larry Stapp and Mark Tolsma to voluntarily take water away from their own fields by turning off their irrigation and instead pump water into a stream north of Lynden?
Would you believe fish? That's exactly what they did, according to a Sunday press release
by
Whatcom Family Farmers, in an effort to
save coho salmon, steelhead, resident trout, stickleback and other marine life, including mussels and crawdads, that were stranded along the east side of Double Ditch Road close to the Canadian border. The agriculture community worked alongside the conservation and environmental community Monday to help relocate the fish and agricultural wildlife to the other side of the road, where water was still free flowing.
David Rasbach reports. (Bellingham Herald)
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Diverting well water into the stream to try to keep the stranded salmon and other aquatic life alive until the fish rescue can happen.
[Photo from "Save Family Farming" on Twitter]
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Thank you Fair Volunteers
Chad Coffey
Jan Sowder
Patty Garcia
Christina Sesby
Judy Wesch
Bethery Von Dassow
Marie Hart
Janet Clingaman
Monday 12-2
Tuesday 10-12, 12-2
Thursday 10-12, 2-4
Friday 10-12, 2-4
Saturday 2-4
Sunday 2-4
Other Opportunities:
We are also looking for volunteers for the following:
- Produce department
- Meat/cheese department
- Help with farmers markets and other events
Volunteers earn co-op cash to spend in the store at the rate of $4.60 for every two hours of work. Any hours worked within the quarter will count towards co-op cash. All cash earned during the quarter is to be used during the following quarter, with transactions recorded at the check stand.
If you would like to volunteer, please email Sarah at the co-op with "VOLUNTEER" in the subject line: sanjuancoop@gmail.com.
Or phone the co-op at 360-370-5170. You can also leave a message with the cashier.
Thank you!
-- Sarah
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"Individual preparedness is the first step to being ready for a natural disaster. If you're doing nothing to prepare, it means you're counting on others to take care of you."
It's August, and if you are continuing your preparations following the Department of Emergency Management's yearlong calendars beginning in January, this is your eighth month. Here's what to add to your emergency supplies and what to do this month:
Purchases:
A box of crackers or graham crackers, five per person
Dry cereal or instant oatmeal, 2 weeks worth per person
2 boxes of large, heavy-duty garbage bags
Activities:
Make a small preparedness kit for your car. Include food, water, blanket, small first aid kit, a list of important phone numbers.
Secure water heaters to wall studs if not already done.
Starting Now?
If you want to start now, look for the three handouts at the Co-op:
1. 12 month Household Preparation Calendar
2. Neighborhood Preparation Calendar
3. Immediate Response -- "Disaster! Now what?"
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SPECIAL ORDERS
Information about special ordering
Special Ordering is a Member Benefit.
Save on items you use often--bathroom tissue, pet food, canned goods, pasta, bulk beans, and even chill or frozen items. The markup on member special orders is 20% over wholesale for taxable and non-taxable items. You can request a special order information sheet at the store or via email: sanjuancoop@gmail.com
Distributors:
UNFI orders are every week.
Order deadline is Midnight Saturday
Pickup: after 5pm on Tuesday
Please be prompt for chill and frozen items.
Azure Standard orders are every other week.
Current order in transit: Pickup August 24
Next order deadline: Midnight September 1
Pickup: After 10am Friday September 7
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DELIVERIES THIS WEEK
MONDAY:
Mama Bird salad greens, Zach's Fresh Sheet, Federico Farms, The Farm at Roche Harbor, Organically Grown Company (OGC).
TUESDAY:
Daytime
: Blue Moon Farm, Mama Bird tomatoes & cucumbers, Dancing Seeds, Horse Drawn Farm, Barn Owl Bakery, Jones Family Farm, UNFI.
Evening: Jim's Jerseys and Old Silvana Raw Milk, Samish Bay Cheese, Puget Sound Food Hub.
WEDNESDAY:
Maple Rock Farm, Sweet Earth Farm, Fresh Breeze Milk,
Lopez
Island Creamery, Grace Harbor Farms,
THURSDAY:
Daytim
e: Aurora Farms, Local Goods, Mama Bird salad greens, Nootka Rose Farm, Federico Farms, Forage Farmstead, Maria's Fruit.
Late afternoon
: Fairhaven Mills, Sujin's Kimchi, Pablito's Salsa, Jack Mountain Meats & Acme Cheeses,
5b's Gluten Free Bakery
, Organically Grown Company (OGC).
FRIDAY:
Daytime
: Barn Owl Bakery, Jones Family Farm.
Evening: Puget Sound Food Hub, Bakery San Juan, etc.
SATURDAY:
Sweet Earth Farm, Sunnyfield Farm on Lopez, Twin Brook Milk, Maple Rock Farm, Dancing Seeds Farm.
SUNDAY:
Blue Moon Farm, Waldron Island.
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STORE HOURS
Monday - Friday: 10 - 7 // Saturday & Sunday: 10 - 5
Phone: 360-370-5170
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BOARD OF DIRECTORS
August 27, September 17, October 16
Heritage Bank meeting room at 6:30 pm.
All members are welcome to attend meetings.
Any member is welcome to speak at the beginning of Board meetings. Please contact
the Chair or any Board member at sanjuancoopboard@gmail.com about the topic of
interest, with the understanding that due to the amount of business the Board
has to attend to, brevity is appreciated.
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NEWSLETTER
Editor: Eleanor Hartmann
Contributors:
Sarah Benson, Alice Deane, Bethery von Dassow, Jeremy Jennings
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Thank you for supporting your San Juan Island Food Co-op
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Mission Statement
The San Juan Island Food Co-op strives to provide access to local and regional food and goods that are organic, sustainable, and fairly produced, with the smallest carbon footprint.
The Co-op encourages conscientious consumption
and nurtures community connections.
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San Juan Island Food Co-op | Friday Harbor | 360-370-5170
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