In this month's newsletter:

• Labor Day Hours
• Owner Appreciation Days
• Cafe Reopening
• Election Information
• Upcoming Cooking Classes
• Meeting of Owners
• Fall Plant Swap
• New Artist Installation - Jess Beyler
• Round Up For Good
• Recipe Features
• New Products

We are looking for home cooks to teach future cultural cuisine classes at the Co-op! Are you (or someone you know) a passionate cook who wants to share their family's traditional recipes and teach a class at the Co-op? We'd love to talk with you more! Email us for more information or recommend friends: marketing@commonground.coop!

Upcoming Owner Election

By Gary Taylor

2022 is flying past us and election season is here!

No, no, no, not "those" elections.

I am talking about electing our Board of Directors and Round Up For Good organizations for 2023. Beginning on September 22nd you will get to exercise your option to vote for who represents you on our Board of Directors and which 10 organizations Common Ground will support with our Round Up Program! The election will conclude at our Annual Meeting of Owners, affectionately called "the MOO", on September 29th. All of our eligible-to-vote owners are invited to attend the MOO, where the current Board of Directors and I will give a (fairly) short presentation about how the Co-op is doing, sharing our past successes and our challenges in the year ahead. To be eligible to attend, and vote in our election, you must have your equity paid in full and have shopped at the Co-op at least once in the past year as of the end of day August 31st, 2022. If you are eligible you will receive a link via email to vote and an invitation to this year's virtual MOO. We were hoping to be able to finally meet in person but unfortunately we feel that it might still be too early due to COVID.

Please, take a few minutes to check out all of our Round Up nominees before casting your votes. All nominated organizations submit project proposals detailing how the funds will be used, and these will be available for review the day voting begins. We have several very worthy new organizations that made it onto our ballet for 2023. Every year you, our owners, manage to donate around $50,000 to fantastic non-profit organizations and programs that really help our our community, making this a very important responsibility. Without our collective support some of these organizations would either no longer exist or would at least be struggling to survive so please consider your votes carefully.

Help us make our community stronger by supporting Common Ground with your grocery dollars and generous contributions to our community partners!

Thanks for reading,

Gary

Please make sure we have your updated email address to ensure you receive your voting ballot and Meeting of Owners invitation! If you need to update your email address, please email marketing@commonground.coop.

Nigerian Cooking Class & Meal Kit

In partnership with the New American Welcome Center for their annual Welcoming Week, join us for the next virtual cooking class highlighting Nigerian cuisine taught by Ms. Adetutu "Tutu" Fabusoro. Learn how to make Edikaikong Soup with kale, spinach, goat meat, and different types of fish served with Eba made with Garri (cassava flour). Tutu will teach you a traditional dish that reminds her of her home and culture in Nigeria, specifically the Yoruba Ethnic group. The virtual cooking class in on Sunday, September 18th from 3-5pm and comes with an optional pre-portioned meal kit to cook during the class. You can get tickets and preorder your meal kit on our website. Meal kits will be available for pick up on Friday, September 16th from 4-6pm at Common Ground's Flatlander Classroom.

In-Person Class Series with Paul Young

Taste of China Demonstration 3-Part Class Series

Do a deep dive into the world of Chinese cooking with Co-op instructor and self-taught home cook Paul Young as we survey the vast flavors of Cantonese, Sichuan, and Shanghai cuisines. In this hands-on series, learn how to break down the flavor principles of each culinary tradition, deconstruct recipes and customize the ingredients to your liking. Students will have the opportunity to watch demos and participate in the preparation of our dinner party. Do come hungry and thirsty because we’ll be cooking and tasting at the same time. The tuition also includes beer and wine tastings.

Students will leave each session with easy-to-follow recipes of all the dishes on the menu. These recipes have all been adapted for the typical home cook and contain many tips & tricks to help minimize your time in the kitchen while staying true to the spirit of the original flavor profiles. All menu items below will use locally-sourced ingredients but are subject to change based on availability of fresh ingredients at local markets.

Sign up for one class or all three in this series!

About the Instructor

Paul Young is a self-taught cook, educator and graphic designer with over 30 years of experience in the marketing communications industry. His favorite pastime is trying new dishes in restaurants and then attempting to recreate them at home. He's a curious foodie and an adventurous international culinary explorer who has traveled to 25 different countries (so far). He has also been a regular contributor to Smile Politely since 2007.

Keep an eye out for your official email invitation!

New Artist Installation

"Circles" by Jess Beyler

"I painted most of these pieces in 2020, when we were all trapped by Covid, going around in tight little circles inside our apartments, inside our heads, wondering where fate was going to take us. A circle is a metaphor for nowhere and for infinity. It's the round window in the washing machine that we gaze at mindlessly waiting for life to move on and take us with it. It's the moon, it's the whole sky, it's the whole known universe. It's the interior space where we guard the secret thing we hope will be the beginning of happiness." - Jess Beyler.

Owner Drive

Help us reach our goal!

We are striving to get 200 new owners to sign up during September & October. Help us expand our wonderful Co-op community and refer an owner! When you refer an owner, both you and the new owner receive $10 in Radish Rewards, as well as a free gift pack worth $15!

If you refer an owner, you will be contacted once we receive their sign-up form to pick up your free gift pack & redeem your Radish Rewards.

As climate change continues, nearly every aspect of our food system is affected. Vox.com recently published an article about the Colorado River drought and it's implications for the environment, farmers, and consumers. The article offers an in-depth look into these issues and is definitely worth a read.

Image from NPR.org

We have so many tomatoes in the store right now! A huge variety of flavors, shapes & colors to choose from, and they are all from local farms!

Roma Tomatoes from PrairiErth Farm & Miller Farm

Heirloom Tomatoes from PrairiErth Farm & Sola Gratia Farm

Cherry Tomatoes from Sola Gratia Farm, PrairiErth Farm, Havilah Gardens, & Round Tuit Farm

Cocktail Tomatoes from PrairiErth Farm

Red Tomatoes from Sola Gratia Farm & Miller Farm

Local Tomato & Goat Cheese Crostinis

You could really use any kind of tomato for these delicious crostini's, but we opted for the deep red Round Tuit Farm cherry tomatoes. This recipe is SUPER local, and features bread from Central Illinois Bakehouse, goat cheese from Prairie Fruits Farm, basil from Green Pantry Nursery, and honey from Sasse's Apiary!

Co+op Basics:

Sofritas Burrito Bowls

This sofritas burrito bowl with tofu recipe is a light yet hearty meal with just enough spice to give it an excellent kick. It is packed with protein and veggies and is super simple to prepare! The recipe is great on its own, but can always be altered by adding your favorite toppings. It's also super affordable at $2.80 per serving and features 7 Co+op Basics products!