ISSUE #406
SPRING 2015
Printed with soy ink on recycled paper
IN THIS ISSUE
Let Your Voice Be Heard —
Strategic Planning at HWFC
PAGE 5
Albany’s Soul Cafe 11
Creative Muscle 13
Springtime Family DIY 18
open every day
8am - 10pm
Honest
FOOD CO-OP
Honest Weight is a member-owned
and -operated consumer cooperative
that is committed to providing the
community with affordable, high quality
natural foods and products for healthy
living. Our mission is to promote more
equitable, participatory and ecologically
sustainable ways of living. We
welcome all who choose to participate
in a community which embraces
cooperative principles, shares resources,
and creates economic fairness in an
atmosphere of cooperation and respect
for humanity and the earth.
behind the CO-OP
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
PRESIDENT
Bill Frye
VICE PRESIDENT
Kelly Carrone
TREASURER
Hilary Yeager
SECRETARY
Erin Walsh
Weight
Honest Weight is located at 100 Watervliet
Avenue in Albany, New York.
contact us
100 Watervliet Avenue
Albany, NY 12206
(518) 482-2667 [482-COOP]
coop@honestweight.coop
www.honestweight.coop
LEADERSHIP TEAM
(518) 482-2667 + ext.
CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER
Duke Bouchard
(x107)
SYSTEMS LEADER
Lexa Juhre
(x101)
COMMUNICATIONS LEADER
Lily Bartels
(x116)
OWNER SERVICES COORDINATOR Morgaen Hansen
COMMITTEE LIAISONS
(x104)
MERCHANDISING MANAGER
Sandra Manny
(x120)
OUTREACH COORDINATOR
Amy Ellis
(x128)
BYLAWS PANEL
Bill Frye
MARKETING MANAGER
Jennifer Grainer
(x106)
COMMUNICATIONS
Roman Kuchera
EDUCATION COORDINATOR
Colie Collen
(x219)
FINANCE
Hilary Yeager
FRONT END MANAGER
Katie Centanni
(x109)
GOVERNANCE REVIEW
COUNCIL
Bill Frye
BULK MANAGER
Tom Gillespie
(x130)
MEMBERSHIP
Kelly Carrone
INTERIM PRODUCE MANAGER
Brendan Kelly
(x118)
NUTRITION & EDUCATION
Deborah Dennis
INTERIM FOOD SERVICE
MANAGER
Michele Youngs
(x108)
GROCERY MANAGER
David Aubé
(x119)
MEAT MANAGER
Nick Bauer
(x113)
WELLNESS MANAGER
Kevin Johnston
(x122)
STRATEGIC PLANNING
Deborah Dennis
Interested in joining a committee?
Contact: board@honestweight.coop
HONEST WEIGHT COMMUNITY INITIATIVE
Bill Frye
GOVERNANCE REVIEW COUNCIL
want to advertise?
Contact Kim Morton at (518) 330-3262
or kim.a.morton@gmail.com
2
Leif Hartmark, chair
The contents of the Coop Scoop are for information purposes only and not intended to be a substitute for
professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other
qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard
professional medical advice or delay seeking it because of something you have read in the Coop Scoop.
COOP SCOOP
Message from the Leadership Team
table of
contents
STRATEGIC PLANNING
5
OUTREACH UPDATE
6
GROWING SEASON AT THE CO-OP 8
Lily Bartels, Duke Bouchard, and Lexa Juhre make up Honest Weight’s Leadership Team
Spring arrives and most of us breathe
a sigh of relief. We welcome it with
a spirit ready to free itself from the
months-long burden of frigid temperatures, endless rounds of snowstorms
and digging out, and a woeful deficit
of sunshine. Longer days begin, temperatures inch upward, green things
emerge and seek the light. As facile as
it might seem, it’s hard not to see in
this natural progression a reflection of
the Co-op’s own growth and renewal
as we move into a new chapter of
Honest Weight’s future.
June will mark two years since we
opened our new store, and we’re
already looking ahead to the summer
of 2016, when the Co-op will celebrate
its 40th year! Honest Weight has had
a remarkable journey over nearly four
decades. Who could have imagined in
1976 that a small buying club would
eventually grow into a superb market
owned by more than 11,000 members
and serving the entire Capital Region?
And how do we adapt to this new
scale – which we must – while preserving our core values and clarity of
purpose?
SPRING 2015
The Honest Weight Board of Directors
recently kicked off a strategic planning process with the goal of developing a shared understanding of the
organization and creating a vision for
where we collectively desire to go in
the next several years.
Tapping into all of our stakeholder
constituencies – working and nonworking members, staff, management,
non-member shoppers, vendors, the
Board, members of the community
– a conversation is being facilitated
across the region that asks “Why does
Honest Weight matter?” and “How can
we best serve our members and the
larger community?” Preliminary SWOT
sessions were convened with these
groups to identify HWFC’s perceived
Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities
and Threats. From the Strategic Planning Committee emerged supporting
subcommittees to do the work of
steering, communicating, and surveying, as well as planning events to
bring together large groups in dialogue around these questions.
PROFILE:
MEMBERSHIP COMMITTEE
10
ALBANY’S SOUL CAFE
11
PRODUCER PROFILES
13
FOOD ISN’T THE ONLY LOCAL
14
HERBS OF SPRINGTIME
16
SPRINGTIME FAMILY D.I.Y.
18
FROM THE SUGGESTION BOX
21
CLOSING WORDS22
(Continued on next page.)
3
This is an exciting, invigorating time
for the Co-op, and it also comes with
its fair share of uncertainty and fear of
change. Honest Weight is a living system, and living systems always strive
for growth, and for stability within the
larger ecosystem. For a values-based
organization like ours, that growth
must always be in service to our mission, while firmly predicated on fiscal
sustainability.
ting to focus our gaze forward and to
advance together into a future where
the Co-op remains vitally relevant, an
ongoing powerhouse resource to our
members and the community at large,
and an organization able to nimbly
adapt, evolve, and embrace change
as we continue on this journey, solidly
grounded in the values and mission
that set us on our path so many years
ago.
We face external and internal challenges requiring will, commitment,
alignment and determination to
boldly meet and overcome.
As the Co-op’s management, we
understand that it is critical that these
changes are made cooperatively internally, so that the organization controls
its own future from within. Paramount
to this vision is a restructuring of
our bylaws to provide a more solid
foundation on which to support our
organization and business at the scale
at which we now find ourselves. That
process will undoubtedly find us asking ourselves, “Who are we now? What
do we want to be? How can we best
fortify ourselves to survive and thrive
in a time of flux? How do we remain
true to our foundational values while
responding effectively to shifting
realities, both internal and external?”
Bonded & Insured
Call us for info
518-207-0427
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Cat Sitting in
Your Home
The confluence of strategic planning and concurrent bylaws revision
will compel us to grapple with these
elemental questions, and necessitate
some collective soul-searching with
the ultimate goal of uniting around a
clearly defined, positive vision for the
future of the Co-op.
By this time next year, we will be
gearing up for a gala celebration, as
Honest Weight reaches the 40-year
milestone of our remarkable journey! We’ll be looking backward at
our “long strange trip,” honoring our
history and the nostalgia it evokes.
At the same time, we are recommit4
COOP SCOOP
Strategic Planning at HWFC
Illustration by Meg Sodano, Co-op member since 2013
HOW FAR does HWFC extend past
the walls of the store?
local farms and 319 local producers,
and we’re also part of the National
Cooperative Grocers, which serves
over 143 different co-ops all over the
country. We’re in a time of increased
competition – no longer are we the
only natural foods game in town.
However, our history and knowledge
base is formidable, and our support of
the local economy is felt in hundreds
of ways, every day.
WHEN Honest Weight opened as a
SO WHERE ARE WE HEADED?
DOES THE CO-OP MATTER TO
YOU? In what ways?
WHAT does it do for you? How well is
HWFC doing things you’d like it to?
WHO do you think is served by the
Co-op, and how?
buying club in 1976, it served a small
community of like-minded people
who wanted, simply, to access more
nutritious food. Now, a community of
over 11,000 shareholders and 1,300
working owners participate in what’s
become a much more complicated
conversation.
We’ve moved to a beautiful new
space, created just for us, in a neighborhood that’s residential and industrial, accessible by people zooming
down the highway and also by those
riding the bus, with a bigger parking
lot that still struggles to contain the
Sunday rush. We support over 285
SPRING 2015
We’ve been moving pretty quickly,
pulled in so many directions. How will
we propel ourselves toward a more
intentional destination, one that can
encompass our diverse community of
interests?
THAT’S WHERE STRATEGIC
PLANNING COMES IN.
On the Strategic Planning Committee, we’re facilitating conversations
and helping to map out a plan. By
engaging in conversations about all
of the questions above, we can lay
the groundwork for a better understanding of where we are and where
we want to go, as a community and a
collective.
WHAT CAN YOU DO? You can
start having these conversations as
well! In the café, at the register, at
home and online. With friends and
with strangers. Ask them what they
think about Honest Weight, what they
want from it, and what their needs
and ideas are.
This spring, we’ll be getting together
in large groups for events that will
require just this kind of thinking and
promise to spark meaningful conversations. The Strategic Planning Committee is reaching out to everyone to
solicit your opinions, ideas and visions
for HWFC. Be pro-active by sharing
your ideas and participating in one of
these large group events. Take ownership of the Co-op’s direction over the
next five years. LET YOUR VOICE
BE HEARD!
5
Throughout the weekend, guests
enjoyed top-of-the-line food and wine
pairings, impressive wine preparation
with cooking demonstrations, and
wine tasting seminars. Many thanks
to our Specialty Foods and Catering
Departments, which did a stellar job
of impressing the masses with their
carefully crafted cheese pairings and
desserts. Proceeds support the Albany
Barn, Albany Institute of History & Art,
Albany Symphony Orchestra, Capital
Repertory Theatre and Park Playhouse.
Outreach Update
by Amy Ellis, Outreach Coordinator
Co-op member since 2009
Saratoga Springs was home to
the 33rd Annual NORTHEAST
ORGANIC FARMING
ASSOCIATION of New York
Conference this winter. This year’s
theme was Soil: The Root of the
Movement. The Co-op was able to
make a contribution of organic rice
to feed more than 1,200 attendees.
The conference offers more than 80
workshops on organic agriculture,
sustainable living, urban farming and
much more. Through the generous
donations of farmers and businesses,
the conference is able to serve
attendees 100% organic meals.
to examine the important historical
role played by food co-ops, their
pioneering quest for organic foods,
and their current efforts to create
regional food systems. Additionally,
the film shows how co-ops strengthen
their communities, enhancing local
economies and food security. The film
was also screened in our Community
Room in February, with a good crowd
and some great conversation.
Always at the core of our mission
is our READY, SET, GROW!
programming. This winter we had the
pleasure of visiting all the first grade
students at Thomas O’Brien Academy
of Science and Technology (Albany
City School District). We prepared
healthy snacks with this ambitious
group of students. They were eager to
help and eat! It’s always rewarding for
our team of members when students
get excited about healthy food. As the
Outreach Coordinator, I feel we have
accomplished our goal even if only
one student tells Mom or Dad that
they want to make the recipe at home.
In January, we proudly sponsored the
annual ALBANY WINE & DINE
FOR THE ARTS, a three-day food
and wine festival to raise money
for five local arts organizations!
In February, our Garden Department
created a beautiful display for NEW
YORK IN BLOOM at the NYS
Museum. New York in Bloom is the
signature fund-raising event for
Specialty Department Manager Jonathan Milks, Co-op Member since 2014
IT’S BEEN AN EXCITING
WINTER for the Outreach team, but
we are anxiously awaiting spring, to
say the least!
We ended 2014 with another
successful year of FOOD FOR
THOUGHT films at The Linda
Theater – a partnership now in its
7th year with WAMC radio. Among
them was a movie very close to our
hearts: Food For Change. This film
tells the story of the cooperative
movement in the U.S. through
interviews, rare archival footage, and
commentary by the filmmaker and
social historians. This is the first film
6
the museum’s education programs
for children. And, who could forget
SELMA! Capital Region residents
gathered to commemorate the 50th
anniversary of the demonstrations
for voting rights in Selma, Alabama,
and to call attention to the unfinished
struggle to secure the right to vote
for all American citizens. Attendees
enjoyed a presentation and, of course,
the opportunity to enjoy some
deliciously prepared foods from the
Co-op.
We continue to support community
initiatives like SOUL CAFÉ in both
Albany and Troy. Our work in the
community brings us out to all sorts of
organizations like RPI, Siena College,
UAlbany, Sage, St. Rose, CDPHP, St.
Peter’s Hospital, Independent Living
Centers, Soul Fire Farm, youth centers,
public library systems, public and
private schools and many, many more!
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Community Loan Fund. Help your
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Call us to learn how your friends and neighbors
have been supporting local businesses, nonprofits
and Co-ops (including the HWFC) for years.
255 Orange St., Albany, NY 12210 ◆ 920 Albany St., Schenectady NY 12307
(518) 436-8586 ◆ www.mycommunityloanfund.org
Connecting
socially concerned
investors with local
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entrepreneurs
since 1985
Growing Season at the Co-op
by Cara Benson
Co-op member since 2013
HOO BOY, that was an earnest
winter. Time to celebrate the buds!
The seeds! The green and growing!
And what better way to do it than
to shine some figurative sun on our
Plants and Garden Department?!
While we carry indoor plants all year,
the full Plants Department really
blooms in April and goes through the
first frost in fall. I say, BRING IT ON.
You may have noticed last year’s
amazing abundance filling the
outdoor area and the entrance to the
store. Six-packs of seedlings started.
Potted gorgeousness. Blooming food.
Bales of straw! Then there are the
FedCo seed orders – those little white
packets we can ulitize as a way to get
our own hands in the dirt. The options
are exponential, but that wasn’t
always the case. In fact, the Co-op
didn’t even carry plants until flowers
started “sneaking into Gayle’s pick-up
truck” in the mid-1980s.
This all started at our first retail
location on Quail Street. As with
all good things at Honest Weight,
it happened organically. Gayle
Anderson, the produce manager at
the time, was picking up fresh goods
at the cooperative Farmer’s Market
in Menands on a weekly basis. The
Market was always bursting with
local growers and suppliers. Looking
around at all the flowers one day,
Gayle thought, “that’d be cool.” And
so the first marigolds and tomato
seedlings were put out on display, on
the sidewalk in front of the store.
“It was kind of neat,” Gayle says.
“Suddenly we had an outdoor
presence in the neighborhood. Now
people were coming inside this crazy
place they’d only been walking past.”
Gayle often made buying decisions
based on her own needs as a
gardener. Whenever she was buying
something, she’d get extra for the
8
Photos by Andrew Franciosa, Co-op member since 2009
store. In addition to co-ordinating the
Federation of Cooperatives (FEDCO)
seed orders, she became everyone at
the HWFC’s garden shopper.
From there it grew. By the time Honest
Weight moved to the Central Avenue
location, Gayle had to get her own
cargo van. “I used to pack that thing,”
she says. Rosebushes, potting soils,
flats – her husband Syd had to build
shelves into the van to carry it all
back to the store. It was also around
this time that Gayle started making
arrangements of cut flowers for sale.
Daffodils, roses, tulips … basically
whatever she could get her hands
on at Seagroatt’s. “When it comes to
flowers,” she says, “you have to pick
them out by what looks good.”
At the Watervliet Avenue store, the
department has grown again. In
addition to putting in the biggest
FEDCO order in the country in 2014,
HWFC is working so successfully with
local growers that we now get much
of our goods delivered to our doors.
It’s through these relationships that
Honest Weight is able to develop a
healthy rhythm with suppliers. With
the hiring of Linda Donegan as the
new Plants and Garden Department
manager (Gayle is still involved
part-time), those connections are
expanding.
“Gayle built these amazing
relationships,” says Linda. “Now I’m
able to go out to the greenhouses
and farms to get to know our growers
even better. This way we can really
help each other. If they know we’ll
take as much kale or basil as they can
get us, for example, they can plan
their growing season better.”
Numerous regional growers have
benefited immensely from working
with HWFC. True to our mission
to grow the local economy, we
have been and continue to be a
tremendous part of the local growing
community. So much so, in fact, that
we now make up a significant portion
of their business.
COOP SCOOP
These “true relationships,” as Linda
calls them, “are just plain pleasurable.
I’m buying jade plants from Orlop’s
Farm and Greenhouse that are
clippings from ten- or twelve-foot
jade trees being cultivated by thirdgeneration growers.”
you’re in the store with any regularity,
you’ll come to recognize their faces.
Say hello! Then get a sunflower or
perennial six pack to take home.
Orlop’s is just one of the companies
Linda works with. Others she
mentions include our organic
seedling supplier Miller’s Crossing in
Hudson and our native plant supplier,
Fiddlehead Creek in Hartford, NY.
Something Linda is also developing
are the “Who Knew?” signs on the
plants. These provide cool bits of
info, like which plants are the best air
purifiers. And coming soon will be a
new “Plant of the Week” feature. Then
before we know it, the full growing
season will be upon us again!
Both Gayle and Linda are quick to
point out that none of this would
happen without a committed crew
of member-workers, many of whom
are master growers themselves. If
SPRING 2015
9
Profile: Membership Committee
by Cara Benson
Co-op member since 2013
THE MEMBERSHIP
COMMITTEE meets monthly to
deal with all things membership.
Whether it’s updating the
Membership Manual to provide
the most accurate information,
or researching possibilities for an
“hours bank” that members can
apply to in emergencies, we’re
always working on things that could
matter to our member-workers,
who are THE BACKBONE OF
THE HONEST WEIGHT FOOD
CO-OP.
We’ll have news on these
developments coming soon,
including proposals for warm
weather events. (HOW ABOUT
AN ICE CREAM SOCIAL? YES,
WE LIKE THE IDEA, TOO!)
In the meantime, feel free to reach
out to us through our Board Liaison
Kelly Carrone at
kellyhwfc@gmail.com.
Not on email? Stop by the service
desk and leave a message.
WE WANT TO HEAR FROM
YOU!
10
COOP SCOOP
Albany’s Soul Cafe
by Greta Dahl Hansing
Co-op member since 2010
REMEMBER THAT TIME when
you were sick and your neighbor
brought you some homemade
chicken noodle soup? Or when you
watched as your mom sat on the
front porch with the neighbors, all
day, playing bridge and drinking
lemonade? How about the smell of
homemade blueberry pie cooling on a
windowsill in your neighborhood? Me
neither.
Is this how communities used to be?
With this question in mind, Albany
Soul Cafe has come together in an
effort to reunite diverse communities
in the Capital District over delicious
Photo by Randall Collura, Co-op member since
and nutritious food, all donated by
called “One World, Everybody Eats”
local farmers, shops, and volunteers
(oneworldeverybodyeats.org).
who share this same dream.
Nationwide, the concept has spread
like wildfire, and we are a part of the
ESSENTIALLY, we’re creating a
trend.
restaurant environment with no prices
on the menu. We wish to create a
space where local people can come
together to discuss common interests,
imagine community service projects,
and have fun.
Though Albany Soul Cafe is not meant
to make a profit, we do not have a
501(c) and aren’t tax-exempt. We are
just people who donate our time to
create meaningful nutritious meals
for those in our community. These
meals have been very successful; the
last dinner nearly ran out of seating,
hosting about 120 people. “We
have been able to feed a lot of our
neighbors some very delicious food,”
Susan Fowler said.
Pay-what-you-can community
cafes like ours are SPREADING
NATIONWIDE. Believe it or
not, Jon Bon Jovi’s wife started
the first community cafe almost
ten years ago in Salt Lake City,
Volunteers from all around the
Capital District donate their time
to prepare, cook and serve these
community dinners. Businesses like
Honest Weight donate vegetables,
Justine Denison of Denison Farms
has been a faithful supporter, and
Roxbury Farm and Rebekah Rice at
Nine Mile Farm are also generous
with their veggies. One of the original
volunteers, Susan Fowler, cultivates a
“friendship garden” with her young
students, who donated garlic for our
recent pizza dinner. Local chefs and
cooks have included Matt Schueler of
Capital Roots, the chef at Troy’s Jose
Malone’s restaurant, Christine Snyder
from the Daughters of Sarah Senior
Community, and Chris Faraci from
Carmen’s Cafe.
IN JANUARY, chef Chris Faraci
donated his time, with Dan McBain
and Oliver Holocek as his sous chefs.
They made amazing Cuban food
and gourmet pizza. On April 27
we’ll feature specialities of Burma.
Vegetarian options are always
available.
We are so grateful to Linda O’Malley
from Oakwood Soul Cafe, who
inspired us with monthly Troy
community dinners held at the
Oakwood Community Center since
2013.
Westminster Church is kind enough
to donate space for this event.
Thank you, Rev. Frances Wattman
Rosenau, for being one of our biggest
supporters in making this happen.
Another special thank you to Kristin
Leigh Southworth, office assistant at
Westminster Presbyterian Church, for
her help and patience with helping
us figure out the security code and
providing a key each month.
The suggested donation is $5 for
adults, and $3 for children. All
proceeds go to support our next
meal. Several businesses and farmers
donate what they can, but invariably
it has been necessary to have some
backup funds—especially in the
colder months when local produce
isn’t as plentiful. Nevertheless, if you
do not have $5, for whatever reason—
maybe your budget is too tight this
month, or you had to buy snow tires,
or perhaps you lost your job—we will
not turn you away. That is not what
good community members would do.
No, good community members open
the door for you and welcome you
into their kitchen for some homemade
blueberry pie.
ALBANY SOUL CAFE meets on
the fourth Monday of each month
from 6-8pm (note: this is not always
the last Monday of each month) at
Westminster Presbyterian Church
located at 262 State Street, Albany, NY.
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producer profiles
X’S TO O’S BAKERY
X’s to O’s Vegan Bakery in Troy has the
distinction of being the only totally
vegan bakery in the Capital Region. It
is the creation of Sarah Preston, who
began developing delicious vegan
treats just for herself, her friends and
her family. Eventually she had to move
her operation out of her tiny kitchen.
X’s to O’s specializes in canoe boats
(reminiscent of Twinkies but so much
better for you!), brownies, cookies,
ASGAARD FARM & DAIRY
Formerly the home of the artist Rockwell Kent, Asgaard Farm and Dairy is
now operated by David Brunner and
Rhonda Butler. Located just outside
the Adirondack village of Ausable
Forks, the farm produces meat, poultry, vegetables, cheeses and other
dairy products. The pigs and poultry
are pastured; the cattle are grass fed.
Organic grains are grown as supplemental feed for the animals.
photos by Andrew Franciosa
Co-op member since 2009
SPRING 2015
HAWTHORNE VALLEY FARM
Hawthorne Valley Farm was born
in 1972 when a group of pioneering educators, farmers, and artisans
purchased the Curtis Vincent Farm
in Harlemville, New York. Their mission was to create a place that offered
children from urban centers a handson experience of what it means to be
stewards of the land. Forty-three years
later, Hawthorne Valley is a vibrant,
400-acre working farm with a variety
of diverse enterprises, including a Waldorf school, environmental and social
by Pat Sahr
Co-op member since 2005
cakes, and many gluten-free treats.
At the store in Troy, one can also get
grab-and-go lunch items, freshly
made smoothies, and espresso drinks.
All products are 100% vegan, they
are egg-free, dairy-free, cholesterol
free, and contain no trans-fats, high
fructose sweeteners or artificial
colorings. Sarah says she also strives
to use the best organic and local
ingredients available. Everything is
baked from scratch, with love.
A herd of 44 milking goats regularly
browses in the woods surrounding the
farm. The milk from these goats goes
into the making of Farmstead Goat
Cheeses and is also the key ingredient
in the farm’s award-winning goat milk
caramels and goat milk soap.
The products of Asgaard Farm and
Dairy can be found seasonally at farmers markets in Keene, Lake Placid and
Saranac Lake, and can be acquired
through the farm’s CSA.
research branches, a place-based
learning center, a natural foods store,
bakery, creamery and lacto-fermentation cellar.
The farm is Certified Organic and follows principles of biodynamic agriculture. At Honest Weight, shoppers
will find the Hawthorne Valley label
on whole milk yogurt and on lactofermented vegetables, which contain
significant amounts of vitamin C,
digestive enzymes, and lactobacillus
bacteria (similar to the bacteria found
in probiotic supplements).
13
Meet a Local Artist
by Shanna Goldman
Co-op member since 2013
Ira Marcks in his Troy studio
IRA MARCKS believes that art is the
key to choosing your own adventure.
SG: So you draw cartoons, you’re a…
what exactly do you do?
IM: Actually I’m a writer and illustrator, but folks know me best for my
work drawing cartoons and giving
workshops on cartoon making. I like
to write stories and find different ways
to present them… a cartoon, a video,
a performance.
14
I actually just finished a book that I
can’t tell you about yet…
SG: So mysterious! Well congratulations, I know that that can be grueling
work.
IM: It can get really lonely, and all
encompassing. Teaching classes helps
me stay sane, to stay connected to
people and outside of my head. Otherwise it could be very depressing.
SG: Where do you teach?
IM: In my studio, at the Art Center,
and in schools. Also, through small
grants, I’m able to do workshops at
public libraries and museums.
SG: Do you have a background in
teaching? What is your degree in?
IM: No; I went to college for graphic
design, but by the time I graduated I
was back to comics, thinking I would
just piece it together. I’m lucky that I
can teach, because that provides most
of my income. I rarely get paid for art.
COOP SCOOP
SG: I think that artists are the great
dispellers of the myth of capitalism,
you know, the idea that we all need
competition and that our end goal is
to amass endless amounts of wealth.
Artists seem to be content to just get
by so long as they can do what they
are passionate about.
IM: Yeah, every young person needs
a little bit of art; if you can entertain
yourself, you have more choices.
When I was young, all I really needed
was a pen and paper. Sure, I had video
games and I bought cool sneakers: I
liked stuff. But I could spend a lot of
time by myself. I think it helped me
make the decision not to earn money
just to spend money.
If everyone had a bit more creative
muscle…
SG: But creativity has become so
professionalized..
IM: You’re not even an artist anymore,
you’re a creative entrepreneuer. And
with programs being cut from schools
because of funding, nobody is getting
to build an art practice. That’s why the
workshops I do are so important to
me. Its about making it accessible and
its also about building community. A
lot of times, we do what I call a Comic
Jam, where we build a comic together.
I throw out a title and we go around
the circle, each person taking a turn,
filling in a panel. It’s great - people
have to riff off each other, and if someone creates a really far out idea, they
all have to work together to figure out
how to bring it back in and make it
work as part of a larger piece. So they
practice building a community that
incorporates everyone.
SG: Community building through
collective storytelling. I think the work
you do could be so useful for some of
the special needs kids I work with.
IM: Absolutely. A teacher had me
come into her classroom to do a
workshop with her students. They had
been reading pretty intense books
around sexual abuse, homelessness,
bullying. We’re still doing a comic
jam, but instead of using a silly title
like,“Monster Pajama Party,” I would
use something like “Escape from the
Invisible Prison.” It was easier for the
students to put it down on paper and
share it that way, and then they were
able to open up and talk about it with
each other.
SG: That’s amazing. Its so inspiring
how much you are able to do with
comics! How can people reach out to
you if they want to hire you or find out
the next time you are holding a comic
jam?
IM: Thank you! They can visit my website at www.iramarcks.com.
Herbs of Springtime
by Mary Theresa Julien
Co-op member since 2011
THIS IS A PARTICULARLY
WELCOME SPRING. Cuddled in
the sun’s warm, golden blanket, the
earth bursts into song and flower,
and our spirits soar. The days are now
warmer, and a proliferation of bright
green spreads across the landscape.
After a long winter with cabin fever
and a comfort food diet, our bodies
tend to be a bit sluggish.
SPRING IS A NATURAL TIME
FOR US TO REBOOT. Our diets,
especially through the cold winter,
can be top-heavy with sugars and
fats. Now is the perfect time for a little
spring cleaning for our bodies. Bitter
herbs can play an important role
in this process. Many nutritionists,
herbalists and health experts believe
that a deficiency in bitter substances
in our diet contributes to diabetes as
well as digestive, inflammatory and
immune-related illnesses.
Maria Treben, a leading authority
on medicinal herbs, recommends
16
the following: “The dandelion is at its
most potent in the spring when it is
in flower, and it’s a good idea to take
advantage of this fact and give your
body a two week treatment with fresh
dandelion stalks. Eat ten raw, freshly
picked dandelion stems every day for
the whole two weeks, washing them
carefully beforehand and chewing
them very thoroughly. Don’t cut
off the flowers before washing the
plants. If you’ve been feeling tired
and listless, this treatment will perk
you up very quickly.” I mince the stalks
and add them to a little honey to
offset the bitterness. Not too much
honey, though, since it is important to
actually “taste” the bitterness.
Dandelion leaves are also an excellent
digestive bitter and blood purifier.
They have very high amounts of
vitamins A and C as well as potassium
and calcium. They also have high
amounts of iron, phosphorus and B
vitamins. My Italian stepfather used to
go out in early spring and pick large
quantities of dandelion leaves. He
sautéed them in olive oil and garlic.
I like to throw them into the mix
when juicing or add them to brown
rice while it’s cooking for a burst of
wholesome nutrition. Dandelion
leaves can be confused with chicory
leaves. Though people sometimes
eat chicory leaves as a garden green,
they do not have the same health
benefits. To identify a dandelion, look
for a smooth underside; chicory leaves
have a hairy midrib on the bottom.
It feels so revitalizing to eat fresh
greens in the spring, and young
nettle leaves are also among the best!
An excellent addition to our spring
diets, nettles aid in detoxification by
supporting our kidneys and bladder.
They can be considered an herbal
bitter and they also stimulate and
support the circulatory system. Their
high nutritional content includes
vitamins A and C, chlorophyll, iron
silica and potassium. The Scottish,
Irish, and French are among those
COOP SCOOP
with a strong old world tradition of
cooking with nettles in the spring.
I go out on spring mornings and
collect just enough for a nettle and
goat cheese omelet. Add lots of
cracked pepper and some sea salt:
Yum! If you are able to identify and
locate nettles in the wild, wear gloves
and use caution when harvesting
them, because their stinging hairs are
quite unpleasant. Fortunately, they are
rendered harmless upon cooking. Be
sure to harvest the tender tops before
they flower. There are plenty of good
resources online to help with positive
identification and recipe ideas.
An infusion can be made by loosely
filling a quart Mason jar with fresh
nettle tops, pouring boiling water
over them, capping and steeping
for an hour or more. Or, use dried
nettle from the Bulk Section at the
Co-op instead. You can strain and
drink your infusion, or if you find
the taste unpalatable as a drink, it
makes an excellent substitute for
vegetable stock in recipes, or for water
when cooking rice. The remaining
fresh-infused herbs can be added
to dishes in much the same way as
you would use cooked spinach. Be
sure to remove the main stalks since
they are rather tough. Fresh nettles
can occasionally be found at farmers
markets as well.
Lastly, this novel idea for using
dandelion flowers can help ensure
that we don’t end on a bitter note! A
steaming hot cup of bright dandelion
flower tea can provide a very springlike mental lift! Go out into the
sunshine and pick about eight fresh
dandelion flowers. Pluck off the flower
heads and immediately steep them
in boiling water for five minutes. Of
course, honey is a very nice addition.
I love seeing these yellow darlings
cheerfully strewn across an expanse
of grass! Dandelion flower tea always
seems to inspire the same sunny
disposition in me when I drink it. Try it
and you’ll see what I mean!
Toddler – Middle School
ADMISSIONS
Open HOuse
saturday, April 18 12:30 - 3 pm
Meet the faculty; tour the campus
and discover how the proven
excellence of a Montessori education can help your child achieve
a lifetime of outstanding results.
Montessori 101 presentation at
1:30 pm.
limited Openings fOr
fAll 2015 scHOOl yeAr
2015
June 22 August 28
Join us for a summer filled with Art Mania, Spanish
Culture, Summer Fun, Sports, World Traveling
and more! Space is limited so register today.
WOOdlAnd Hill mOntessOri scHOOl
100 Montessori Place • North Greenbush, NY • 518.283.5400 • www.woodlandhill.org
Springtime Family D.I.Y.
HOMEMADE NO KNEAD
BREAD:
by Meghan Breen
This recipe is all over the internet.
It’s a fabulous bread, and so easy,
which really works well for parents
who have little time to ‘dough-sit’ a
batch of bread through many rises
over the course of the day. Not that
there is anything wrong with good old
fashioned bread making and the fun
work of kneading the dough (which
kids really love to do), but this is a tad
more realistic for anyone hoping to
consistently have fresh bread at home.
Four ingredients, no preservatives,
and easy. (Sorry, folks with gluten
intolerances; this will not be of use to
you. BUT there are lots of options for
GF recipes online.)
Co-op member since 2007
AS A MOM of four kids, I am always
looking for ways to cut costs and
save time. Wow, that sounds like a
commercial for laundry detergent
or something! Well, it sort of is, but
for laundry detergent and for all
the other things you can make from
scratch at home (with many of the
ingredients found in the Co-op’s Bulk
Department).
HOMEMADE LAUNDRY
DETERGENT (LIQUID):
We have been making our own
laundry detergent for a while. I tweak
it here and there, and this recipe is
the latest concoction. I’ve read that
recipes similar to this are great for
cloth diapers. I haven’t yet tried them
on cloth diapers, but soon enough
I will have another babe, and will
definitely test it out myself!
18
Ingredients: 1 ½ Tablespoons yeast,
1 ½ Tablespoons salt, 6 ½ C Flour (we
have been loving Mt. Marcy Bread
Flour, which is very yummy and
local - 5% off for members), and 3 C
lukewarm water
Ingredients: 1 cup grated bar soap (we
use Dr. Bronner’s castile soap), 2 cups
washing soda, 2 cup Borax, and 1 cup
baking soda
Directions: If you have a good food
processor, you can put the bar soap
in that until it becomes a powder.
Otherwise grate the soap and heat it
in a saucepan with some water until
the soap is completely dissolved. Then
add all ingredients to a five gallon
bucket and add very hot water. Fill to
top. Stir to combine, and then as you
think of it for the first day or two, stir a
few more times. Add one tablespoon
to ¼ cup to laundry.
Directions: Add all ingredients to a
large (5 liter or more) bin or bowl. Let
rise until it flattens out or collapses.
You can either take some out now to
start your first loaf, or stick it in the
fridge and leave it there until ready
to bake bread (up to one week). On
baking day, take out a few handfuls of
dough with wet hands and shape into
a large ball, then place on a floured
cookie sheet or baking stone. Preheat
oven to 450 degrees. Let dough rise
for 30 minutes, then bake for another
30. If you can wait to cut it until it’s
cooled a bit, that’s best. But we can
never wait! This amount of dough
should yield about three small loaves
in loaf pans (or 3 round boules –
French for ‘ball’). With a large family, I
make the boules rather large and find
that it only yields enough for 2 boules.
When I am making baking the second
batch, I usually whip up a new batch
to get it rising so we will be ready for
fresh bread the next day.
COOP SCOOP
HOMEMADE NAPKINS: Ok, so
this may not save time – initially – but
it can be fun and save money over
time, if you’ve been buying napkins
and paper towels. You can either
repurpose fabric for this, or check out
local thrift stores for fabric bundles.
If you don’t have a sewing machine,
barter some homemade bread with
a friend who does, and ask them to
help! Bonus: If you have kids, they
can get in on the fun by choosing
fabrics for ‘their’ napkins and, once old
enough, they can help you sew!
Directions:
1. Wash and iron fabric. Cut 12 squares
of matching fabric, about 45 x 45 cm
(18 by 18 inches) for a regular napkin,
35 x 35 cm (14 by 14 inches) for a
child-size napkin.
2. Place your fabric down with the
wrong side facing you. Fold down one
side of the napkin about 1/2 inch and
press down.
3. Fold down the same side again
about 1/2 inch, press, and pin.
4. Do this for the remaining three
sides.
5. Use a sewing machine to sew down
each side. Trim off the left over thread
and you are done.
With whatever handmade/homemade
task that awaits you, I wish you well.
HAPPY SPRING!
SPRING 2015
19
Want to advertise in the Scoop?
Contact Kim Morton at (518) 330-3262 or
kim.a.morton@gmail.com
ally
Loc ted!
s
Roa
Sunday, April 26, 2015 • 10:30am - 2:30pm
FAIR LOCATION: Albany JCC • 340 Whitehall Road • Albany, NY
518-438-6651 x112 • www.albanyjcc.org
Bulk
Nuts, Seeds, Granola,
dried Fruits, and Coffee.
Try our new
Chocolate Almond butter
with Honey
FREE
HEALTH SCREENINGS
•
• Information Booths
• Refreshments
• Drawing Prizes
• Therapeutic Massage
• Snack Bag 10:30am - noon
(while supplies last)
• Quick Adult Haircuts
“Ah, yes, Collins. Party of two.
Nonsmoking, low sodium, high fiber section.”
Vaad Hakashruth
of the Capital District
Albany Jewish Community Center
340 Whitehall Road, Albany, NY 12208 www.albanyjcc.org
Contact: Claire Sigal 518-438-6651 x112 ClaireS@albanyjcc.org
20
COOP SCOOP
from
the
SUGGESTION BOX
Q: Why isn’t there a cash register at
the Deli counter?
A: We have explored this possibility
several times and are pursuaded that
our existing set-up does not support a
register. Please speak with a deli manager to discuss your concerns, and we’ll
explain our process.
A: Thank you so much! We’re glad you
liked it. We’re excited about May, which
is National Bike Month. We’ll announce
some bike-based events soon! The jerseys may make a comeback...
Q: Can the Deli please make sushi?
A: We are looking into it! Stay tuned.
Q: Let’s make email receipts an
Q: Colombian coffee beans?
A: We have Colombian coffee beans
A: We’ve been thinking about this for
available in our Grocery Department.
You can also order 5-lb bags of Colombian beans via the Bulk Department - just
ask a worker for more info.
option!
some time and we’re working out the
bugs.
Q: Open seasonal entrance!
A: The seasonal entrance remains
Q: Can we get some apple cider
in glass bottles (to avoid plastic,
which could leach chemicals)?
priate receptacle - trash or single
stream?
A: The paper containers can be recycled
and placed in the single stream container. You can leave the plastic utensils
in the dish bin, for wash and reuse or
for composting, as they are made from
compostable materials.
Q: Consider selling frozen wheat
grass shots.
A: We’ve had them in the past. They
came in from Canada but the current
USDA enforcement policy prevents
them from being imported. We hope
to obtain it again, or to find another
source.
closed in cold weather to maintain a
comfortable temperature for people in
the Front End and Cafe. It is still available for emergency use, and will be
open when it’s nice out!
a farmer that is willing to use glass to
bottle their cider.
Q: Please offer Co-op member
cards in a kay tag form!
Q: Please carry fructose and also
Q: Would it be possible to make
A: We love this idea and it is definitely a
future goal of ours.
other diabetic-friendly foods.
A: We’ll look into carrying fructose in
our Bulk Department, but we have had
difficulty finding GMO-free fructose. We
currently carry other sweeteners that
are suitable for diabetics. Please feel free
to speak with a Bulk Department worker
for assistance.
Q: Love the horizontal aisles and
new spaciousness of the Produce
Department. Rock on, y’all!
A: We’re really glad you enjoy it! We’ve
worked hard to come up with what we
feel is the best solution.
Q: Would love to see the return of
the Honest Weight bike jersey (like
the one in the 2014 raffle). I’d buy
one!
SPRING 2015
A: Unfortunately, we have yet to find
some baked goods with honey or
agave instead of sugar?
A: Our vegan muffin, Zen Cookie, breakfast bar, and cranberry almond bar are
all made with local maple syrup. We’ll
continue to develop more sugar-free
recipes.
Q: I’d like it if we sold “Co-opoly,
The Game of Cooperatives,” put
out by the Toolbox for Education
and Social Action. It’s great for the
holidays!
A: Great suggestion! In time we hope to
bring fun stuff like this into our selection.
Q: Can hot food containers (paper)
& plastic utensils be recycled? I
never know which bin is the appro-
Thanks to those who’ve made suggestions! You can see all the suggestions and
responses on the Suggestion Board posted
near our Co-op Cafe.
21
“
By plucking her petals, you do not gather the beauty of the flower.”
Rabindranath Tagore
Photo by Andrew Franciosa, Co-op member since 2009
CENTER FOR NATURAL WELLNESS
SCHOOL OF MASSAGE THERAPY
CONTINUING
E D U C AT I O N
NEED ce hours?
Now offering a full line of classes and workshops for
ALL Allied Health Professionals
TYPES OF
CLASSES
?
Medical Massage, Shiatsu Massage, Reflexology, Myofascial Release,
Energy Healing, Aromatherapy, Self-care, and many more…
HOW TO
SIGN UP
?
Easy and secure ONLINE registration makes signing up for classes
fast! Visit: cnwsmt.com/redpines.php for info about classes and to
register.
CONTACT/
MORE INFO
?
Contact Grayce Ray, Director of Continuing Education:
518-489-4026 or email: redpines@cnwsmt.com
LOCATION: Unless otherwise noted all classes are held at
The Center for Natural Wellness School of Massage Therapy
located at: 3 Cerone Commercial Drive, Albany, NY
518.489.4026 • www.CNWSMT.com/redpines.php
Co-op Kids!
SPRING THAW
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