Co-op in the Community - January 2016

Co-op in the Community - January 2016

A section of the Concord Food Co-op’s mission is to conduct our affairs according to consumer cooperative principles. One of those principals is concern for community.
The Co-op delivers on this objective through outreach; outreach is an activity of providing services to populations who might not otherwise have access to those services. A core component of the Co-op’s outreach is our Community Partners Program, whereby member-owners vote annually to select charitable organizations to provide meaningful support.

Co-op Food Donations: Continued Support

The Concord Food Co-op has been actively maintaining its goal to provide food to those in need and give support to our Co-op community partners.
During the month of December, through generous donations from Chef Rob Cone and his supporting staff, the Co-op was able to feed over 150 people in the Concord community. Over 20 people living in the Friends Program Housing received food donations, more than 100 were fed through donations to the Friendly Kitchen, and an additional 20 were fed at the McKenna House in Concord, NH. Fruits and vegetables, discontinued grocery items, bakery goods, and leftover hot bar meals were among the donations provided.
Would you like to offer your assistance as well?
Use the following contact information to get involved with these wonderful organizations.

Visit www.friendsprogram.org or contact Jerry Madden by email (jmadden@friendsprogram.org) or phone (603)-228-7603.
Visit www.TheFriendlyKitchen.org or call (603)-224-7678.
Visit www.homelessshelterdirectory.org or call (603)-228-3505

Intro to Fermented Veggies with Stephanie Zydenbos-Heino, Ferminista & Owner of Micro Mama's

by Jaimie Jusczyk, Marketing Specialist
At our Intro to Fermented Veggies class with Stephanie Zydenbos-Heino, Ferminista & Owner of Micro Mama's, Stephanie shared her tricks on how to make amazing, health-promoting lacto-fermented veggies that are loaded with beneficial bacteria! She showed us how to make a great kraut with nothing but cabbage and salt and gave us ideas on how to zip things up with different veggies and spices. In this hands on workshop, we all took home a mason jar to finish fermenting.
It really was a hands on class as Stephanie had everyone give their hands a good wash with hot water (apparently soap can contaminate your fermented veggies and they will pick up the taste of soap, yech!) and start prepping carrots and cabbage. We used peeled and cut carrots to weigh down the cabbage, these were picked from the organic Shaker Gardens by Co-op Organic Garden Manager Stacey.
Then we had to shred or slice the cabbage. Stephanie brought in her mandolin slicer to help speed the process along while others sliced and diced with knives.
Once the cabbage was all shredded Stephanie showed us how to "massage" the cabbage with a high quality salt from high altitudes.
Next she started to massage the cabbage and slowly add salt. When she started to massage the shredded cabbage with salt it began to get very watery and bubbly, perfect to start the fermenting process.
There really wasn't much more to it besides making sure the ratio of salt to cabbage was ok for the temperature that the jars will be stored.
So after the cabbage was well massaged it was time to start packing in into jars. Stephanie suggests using glass jars as there is less risk of anything leaking into your fermented veggies, unlike plastic jars. She did recommend using a plastic lid as the ph level of the fermented veggies can rust the metal lids affecting the taste and quality of your finished product. The reason Stephanies products in the store have metal lids is that she fermented her veggies is large ceramic or glass jars and then repacks into the smaller jars for retail. There is less time and risk that these lids will rust.
I guess this was time for the fun and messy part as we grabbed handfuls of cabbage and pushed it in tight, trying to get all the air out to avoid our jars overflowing during storage. The tighter we packed it down the cloudier the mixture looked as more and more juices started to bubble within and this is totally normal, Stephanie assured us.

So once we had packed the cabbage in tight, we pushed in carrots to help keep the cabbage under the liquid. The carrots will also ferment and be delicious when we are ready to open our jars!
It is a relatively messy process, but very rewarding when after a minimum of 7 days you could open your jar to enjoy, but Stephanie suggested waiting 30 days to let more of the good probiotics grow and give you the best bang for your buck!

If you are interested in upcoming Co-op health and wellness classes, check out our website... http://concordfoodcoop.coop/classes/

Making Wild Blueberry Jam with Alice Mullen, MS, RD, LD, UNH Cooperative Extension Specialist

by Jaimie Jusczyk, Co-op Marketing Specialist

The Co-op is a great resource for low-cost and free wellness and food education classes. Last night the Co-op hosted a small group for a hands-on class "Home Canning & Preserving Your Harvest: The Basics of Preserving Food Safely" with Alice Mullen, MS, RD, LD, UNH Cooperative Extension Specialist.

Alice gave us a great introduction explaining the importance of following USDA tested recipes for safety and also great taste! So once we all understood the process and chemistry to creating blueberry jam we got to roll-up our sleeves, wash our hands and start cooking!
Alice had picked for us some delicious wild blueberries near Newfound Lake. So the first step was to mash them up. This was really easy, we just used a potato masher in a big pot and did it in small batches.

Then we stirred in the sugar and freshly squeezed lemon juice before placing the pot on the stove top on a medium heat. We took a few turns stirring continuously to make sure the mixture doesn't burn until it started to boil and expand.
Once it had boiled for one minute we added the pectin to speed the process along. You can make jam without pectin but you will need to boil it a lot longer. Once the mixture came back to a boil it was another minute then off the stove and start to place it in the jars we had prepared.

To prepare the jars we boiled them in the canning pot and placed the new lids in a pot of warm water to help soften the rubber gasket so they will seal completely.

Then the fun part begins, scooping our jam into the jars! Alice explained to leave a 1/4 inch head space for the best results and to also wipe clean the top of the jar before placing the lids down to create a tight seal.
To create the seal the jars go back into the canning pot with at least an inch of water covering the top, brought back to the boil and then wait five minutes. Once it has boiled for five minutes Alice suggested we wait another five minutes to let the water and the jam in the jars settle as they cool then take them out of the pot.

We carefully removed the jars and placed them on a terry towel to cool down. As we finished up we could hear the seals "popping" and we knew we had a successful class! Making jam is easy and rewarding! We all got to take a jar or two home with us to enjoy. I can't wait to get some fresh local bread and open my jar!

The recipe we used:

• 4-1/2 cups mashed berries (buy or pick about 6 cups blueberries)
• 2 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
• 7 cups sugar
• 2 pouches Certo Liquid Pectin

Crush berries thoroughly, one layer at a time. Measure exactly 4-1/2 cups prepared berries into large saucepan. Stir in lemon juice. Add sugar; mix well.
Bring to full rolling boil on high heat; cook 1 min., stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Immediately stir in liquid pectin. Stir and skim foam for 5 min. to prevent fruit from floating to surface.

Pour immediately into warm sterilized jars, filling to within 1/4 inch of rims. Cover with lids. Let stand at room temperature 24 hours or until set.

To read more about classes at Concord Food Co-op or to register, click here!

Canterbury Shaker Village Auction Dinner

by Jaimie Jusczyk, marketing Specialist

Last Wednesday night the Co-op had the pleasure of catering the Canterbury Shaker Village Dinner and Auction, one of the Villages biggest fundraisers of the year. The Village has a huge and urgent goal of raising over $96,000 to pay for a fire suppression system to protect the Village. While the Village received grants to cover a huge chunk of this amount they still need the support of private citizens, so the organizing of a charity auction. Their team rallied and there were some amazing and unique auction items including a commissioned piece by Bob Larsen, vacation rentals, Red Sox tickets, and so much more.

As the caterers for the event, Co-op Bakery Manager and Pastry Chef Lori built an amazing contribution for the evening to be given to the highest donator, a cake in the shape of the Dwelling House at Shaker Village. This cake was weeks in the making with all the planning and sculpting of the modeling chocolate.

And then, on top of all that she also created twenty edible table centerpieces that looked like exotic flower pots with the help of Co-op Pastry Chef Amanda, who also taught the Baking with Strawberries class earlier this month. Every cake was amazingly detailed and topped with a different flower. The cakes must have been delicious because there was barely a crumb left by the end of the evening.

But let's not forget Co-op Executive Chef Rob and his team in the Celery Stick Café for their amazing buffet with two prime rib carving stations. Chef Rob also made his own mozzarella for a caprese salad as an appetizer that was divine. Guests also dined on fish, chicken and a vegetarian ragatoui.
It was a fun event to cater and we hope you achieved your fundraising goals!
For more information about catering with the Co-op, visit... http://concordfoodcoop.coop/catering/

Spring Into Healthy Living 2015

Did you make your way to South Main St on Saturday, May 16, 2015 to join the Co-op for their eighth annual Spring Into Healthy Living street fair? Check out the video below and see if you made a cameo!


And check out the photos below...

Posted by Concord Food Co-op on Tuesday, May 19, 2015

Spring Down to the Main Street May 16 for Our Spring into Healthy Living® Fair!

Letter from our General Manager, Paula Harris

There’s just something special about spring! And after this year’s long, snow-filled winter, we’re all ready to stretch our legs and enjoy the warm sun. We’re getting ready to celebrate spring Co-op-style with our eight annual Spring into Healthy Living® Fair on Saturday, May 16, 10 am - 2 pm in Concord. We hope you’ll join us for the family-friendly party!

This fair is our biggest event of the year, drawing more than 5,000 people each year to enjoy free food samples from local farmers and vendors, children’s events, live music, and more! This event is SO big, we have to close down a portion of Main Street to accommodate our block party!

We’ve brought back all your favorites that have made this event so special. Of course, the highlight of the event is the free food and drink! Approximately 100 vendors will be on hand to let you try the products we sell and answer your questions.

Here’s just a sampling of this year’s offerings:

• Highland Cow rides with Miles Smith Farm
• Traveling Barnyard petting zoo
• P&R Reptiles
• The Club Soda Band
• The Creation Station
• The Vegetable Ranch seeding pots for kids
• Jake’s Old Fashioned ice cream
• Celery Stick Cafe cooking demonstrations
• Co-op Bakery desserts

Enjoy food and drink samples from a wide range of local and regional vendors including Champlain Orchards apple products and hard cider, Micro Mama’s kimchi, Michele’s Gourmet Popcorn, and much, much more! See our website for more details.

Whether you’re a carnivore or vegan, gluten-free or localvore, health nut or gourmand, you’ll find plenty of delicious treats at the event.

If you try and like it, you’ll want to drop into the store to buy it! You’ll get 10% off groceries in the store during the fair (usual exceptions).

This event will be held Rain or Shine. No matter what, we’ll be cozy under the big top tent. Can’t wait to see you there!

Click here for up-to-date details on the event!

YMCA 11th Annual Spring Social in Good Spirits

By Jaimie Jusczyk, Marketing Specialist

Executive Chef Rob Cone from the Co-op's Celery Stick Café put up quite the culinary fight for last Wednesday's YMCA Spring Social Top Chef competition. Four chefs from four local restaurants went head-to-head to feed the hungry guests who placed their votes for the best appetizer of the evening. All proceeds were to benefit the YMCA's Annual Campaign, making quality childcare and wellness programs accessible to everyone in our community, regardless of their economic status.

Imagine biting into pepper crusted beef carpacio on a grilled crostini with spring pea, pea tendril salad and sun-dried tomato oil balsamic reduction and shaved Parmesan reggiano, all presented on a beautiful plate with swirls of dressing and a bright pink edible orchid! Chef Rob's spring inspired dish was so popular, with the help of Chef Lori, they could barely keep up with the made to order appetizer as guests came back for third and fourth servings but they served all the guests with enough left over to share with the other chefs.

Though he did not win the glory of Top Chef this year, (Congratulations go to the Barley House) Chef Rob certainly made a mark on the taste buds of all that evening. If you are looking for an elite catering service for your next event, large or small, Executive Chef Rob from the Co-op is your chef, call the Co-op kitchen at 603-225-6840.

Supporting The Concord Coalition to End Homelessness

Last September, our members voted to support the Concord Coalition to End Homelessness in our annual elections. Over the years, our Community Partner program has shifted, and this year we’re pleased to support our Community Partners with free tickets to an exclusive high-end dinner to treat their biggest donors. We’re also supporting our six 2015 nonprofit Community Partners on a one-on-one level for various events.

On March 28, the Co-op’s award-winning Celery Stick Café provided our handmade soups for CCEH’s SouperFest! The event was a huge success and included activities for all ages, live music, celebrity chefs, and, of course, lots of soup!

“CCEH is honored to have been chosen by the Concord Food Co-op as a community partner. It will take the entire community of Concord, working together, to create permanent solutions for our neighbors struggling with homelessness, and we appreciate the Co-op partnering with us in these efforts!” said CCEH’s Director Ellen Groh.

The Concord Coalition to End Homelessness works to eliminate the causes of homelessness for the citizens and residents of Concord through a coordinated, committed, and active effort of our many stakeholders. The organization envisions a Concord community where everyone has a safe, decent, stable and affordable place to live.

The nonprofit group began in 2008, born from a collaboration of service providers and faith-based organizations who wanted to help end homelessness in Concord. CCEH runs the Concord Homeless Resource Center at 6B South State Street. The organization has also coordinated financial support for dental care for homeless people, sponsored the Project Homeless Connect, and coordinated cold-weather shelter for families with children.

More recently, CCEH has led community efforts to oppose an ordinance that would’ve banned panhandling and helped lift the voices of homeless men and women who were being thrown out of their campsites on public land and who had no other place to go.

We urge you to learn more about CCEH and support the organization at concordhomeless.org. You can help in many different ways, including donating goods, volunteering, giving money, and lending your voice to advocacy efforts.

Be Mine, Valentine Dinner

Last Saturday night the Co-op hosted a romantic Valentines Dinner at The Shaker Table Restaurant in Canterbury, NH. The Co-op's Celery Stick Café and Bakery Box chefs took over the kitchen with their special five course dinner menu.

Table for two.

With a winter storm warning on the forecast we lucked out and opened to a full house of hungry guests who were willing to brave the elements. As our couples arrived we welcomed them with imported and local domestic gourmet cheese displays with assorted flatbread and crackers. As they were seated they were served with a bottle of award-winning Chloe Wine to enjoy with their meal.
Everyone had selected their courses before arriving, choosing an appetizer, soup or salad and entrée. The selections included oysters Rockefeller, tuna tartare, olive gratin, Hungarian mushroom soup, seared halibut, filet mignon, chicken Marbella, and a savory cocoa noodle lasagna.
After the meal dessert was presented, a trio of chocolate obsession. This included a plate to share with chocolate pot de crème tart with ganache stuffed raspberry, a mini flourless chocolate bête noir with white chocolate sauce and raspberry coulis, and a napoleon vanilla bean puff pastry layered with chocolate cream and candied hazelnuts topped with Frangelico crème anglaise.

Dessert for two.

Co-op staff proudly donned black bistro aprons to serve the diners their meals, running a tight ship to make sure everyone was accommodated to in a timely fashion. The Celery Stick Café chefs and prep cooks worked hard behind the scenes, showing off their 5-star skills for this unique experience.
Tickets sold out only a few days after we announced the event. If you missed out this time, sign up for our email list on the bottom of our website http://concordfoodcoop.coop and be the first to know when we do this again.

A round of applause for the pastry chefs!

Co-op Valentines Sample Evening, 2015

by Jaimie Jusczyk, Marketing Specialist

Love is in the air at the Co-op and we don't need cupid around to make the magic happen. At our free Co-op Valentines Sample Evening on Friday, February 13 there was no need to be superstitious as our Co-op staff presented sweet baked treats, a chocolate fondue dipping station, fresh fruit, cheese and crackers, wine, beer and much more.
Our very talented pastry chefs set up a chocolate fondue dipping station with their ever so light angel food cake and buttery shortbread hearts. Doris and Kristin also handed out fresh strawberries and dried fruits to try in the fondue which was a huge hit with our guests.

If you are looking for romantic beverages, the Co-op should be your only stop! With a huge selection including wine, beer and mead you will surely find what your date desires. Justin was pouring Chocolate Sombrero and Tramp Stamp beers from Clown Shoes Beer.

Chuck was pouring a Shiraz and Chardonnay from Wild Oats that paired lovely with the creamy goats cheese and organic blackberries that the Co-op's cheese buyer Suzy had put out. Steve was pouring a selection of wines including the very romantic Rosa Regal, a sparkling red from Banfi.
Other romantic suggestions we sampled included fresh rolled sushi from the Co-op's sushi counter, Café Indigo chocolate cake with Almond Dream non-dairy dessert, raspberry rose hibiscus tea from Republic of Tea, and lots of goodies from our health and beauty department.
We hope you found some romantic inspiration to woo your Valentine. You can stop by the Co-op to find all kinds of yummy romantic suggestions whenever the occasion arises.

Stay tuned for more fun events at the Co-op, visit www.ConcordFoodCoop.coop/events

 

For more images from the evening check out our facebook page...

 

Post by Concord Food Co-op.

Snowflake Social at the Co-op, 2014

by Jaimie Jusczyk, Marketing Specialist

In case you missed the Co-op's last sampling event at our Concord store, you can catch up on all the excitement here on our blog at the Snowflake Social held on Thursday, December 11. We lucked out and in between icy pellets had a few snowflakes fall to create the perfect cozy atmosphere here in the store, perfect for sipping hot chocolate, enjoying the holiday menu off the hot bar and a prime rib carving station and samples throughout all departments.

Kris and Kim serving up hot chocolate

We welcomed all our regular shoppers and their guests to try our very own hot chocolate bar where you could choose from a whole milk and half'n'half blend or a non-dairy almond milk option, both made with Navitas Naturals cocoa powder, maca powder, sweetened with raw sugar and given a pinch of cinnamon for an extra special spicy treat. Then to top it all off there was whipped cream, crushed candy canes, chocolate syrup, marshmallows, and sprinkles, all-natural of course!

Sap House Meadery in the holiday spirit!

If you were looking for something a little more adult, Sap House Meadery were pouring samples of five of their best selling meads that you can find at the Co-op. Moat Mountain Brewery happily shared samples of their ales until we sold out! And Derek returned to sample the Co-op wines of the month from Charles Smith Wines and a couple bottles of Gruet Brut to get the party started!

Executive Chef Scott Jones hand carving prime rib for hungry shoppers.

In case you were hungry, Executive Chef Scott prepared with his team a holiday hot bar menu featuring roast duck sliders, creamy seafood alfredo, broccoli au gratin and roasted fingerling potatoes to name just a few things. During the event Chef Scott also hand carved prime rib to order with the hot bar selections.

Pastry Chef Lori handing out snowflake cupcakes to the kids.

The highlight of the night for most was the Bakery Box dessert tables. With their spreads of raspberry whoopie pies, holiday cookies, cream puffs, festive cupcakes and more, everyone found something to enjoy as determined by the very few left overs.
As well as our own creative staff presenting holiday treats, Miles Smith Farm was present sampling their pork/beef mix, Émoi Dips were being scooped up, Angie's Holidrizzle popcorn was crunched away, and cheese and cracker platters devoured.

My guess is that everyone had a great time, there was plenty of holiday cheer and happy full bellies leaving at the end of the night. Thanks to everyone who braved the weather and came out to shop at the Co-op! If you are looking for the full album of photos from the evening click here.
Stay tuned for more fun Co-op events as we prepare our 2015 calendar at the Co-op, click here!

Thanksgiving at the Co-op, 2014

by Jaimie Jusczyk, Marketing Specialist

It's Turkey Time and the Co-op has all your holiday goodies at both our locations, Concord and New London. Yesterday the Concord store opened it's doors to customers with the scent of home-cooked turkey with all the fixings as the hot bar menu featured a Thanksgiving meal menu. Executive Chef Scott Jones and his team in the Celery Stick Café gave us a preview of what's to come when you place your Thanksgiving meal to-go. There was oven roasted turkey, savory gravy, mashed potatoes, sausage apple stuffing, whipped butternut squash, orange cranberry sauce and more like green bean casserole and maple dill glazed carrots. For only $8.99/lb the Co-op hot bar is definitely the biggest bang for your buck in town. To place your orders for a Thanksgiving meal to-go available for pick up Wednesday, November 26 call the Celery Stick Café chefs at (603) 225-6840 and click here to view the order form and menu.

To complete the hot bar meal the Bakery Box and Co-op Bakehouse supplied us with lots of free samples of their Thanksgiving pies and desserts. We were treated to bite sized pieces of apple pie with vegan and gluten-free options (I could barely tell them apart, both were delicious), honey wheat and parker bread rolls with dollops of fresh Amish butter, and pumpkin pie. Café Indigo vegan treats for sample included truffles with different toppings, the coconut was amazing. You can order your Thanksgiving desserts by calling our bakers at (603) 225-6840 and click here to view the order form and menu.

To wash it all down our grocery department was busy handing out samples of eggnog, hot pumpkin harvest tea and hot apple cider with mulling spices. Mmmm, so once we were fully in the spirit of Thanksgiving, we were asked to try Marich candies, apple chips from Terra Chips and lots more! There were over 15 stations throughout the store with all kinds of seasonal goodies to try. I hope you found something new for your next holiday party to share with family and friends.

We also had some of our favorite farmers in to sample their products including Miles Smith Farm and Huckins Dairy. It is always great to be able to stop in and chat with the farmers who supply the Co-op with the products you love. Plus our farmers are a lot of fun :)
Stay tuned for details on our next big sampling event as we prepare for end of year celebrations! The Co-op's Snowflake Social will take place on Thursday, December 11 from 4 pm - 6 pm in the Concord store again. Chef Scott has a holiday hot bar menu and prime rib carving station planned, the Co-op bakers will be bringing in more yummy desserts, there will be wine and mead samples, cheese platters and a hot chocolate bar with all different kind of flavors and toppings to create yourself the perfect and extravagant chocolately delight. There will be the option to purchase a fun Co-op moose print mug to create a full sized treat in, supplies are limited to don't be late! Save the date, you won't want to miss this holiday event! For more details about the Co-op's Snowflake Social sign up to our email list on the bottom of our website or click here.

SNOB Film Festival Beer Tasting at the Co-op, 2014

by Jaimie Jusczyk, Marketing Specialist

The Co-op participated in celebrating the first night of the Somewhat North Of Boston Film Festival again by opening our doors to hungry movie goers with a pub fare hot bar and free beer samples.
Executive Chef Scott Jones from the Celery Stick Café inside the Co-op, treated us to some good pub grub to complement the beer. We enjoyed pulled pork sliders, loaded potato skins, chicken pot stickers, buffalo wings, dragon balls, cheesy gravy fries and more. With plenty for everyone to enjoy the hot bar was, again, hugely popular.

The first night of the film festival is all about craft brews so what better way to start than with a few friendly drinks with the brewers themselves. In the Co-op we featured Tom from Out.Haus Ales, Jim serving Redhook, Tuckermans and Founders, head brewer Chris from Henniker Brewing serving their SNOB limited edition Reel Ale and Craig from Stark Brewing with their current line up available for purchase at the Co-op.

While we all ate and made merry, many new friendships where formed and old ones reignited as we recognized familiar faces from last years event. Thank you to all who came out to enjoy the food and beer with us at the Co-op. We hope you enjoyed the films at SNOB Film Festival and see you next year.

Musterfield Farm Harvest Day 2014

by Jaimie Jusczyk, Digital Marketing Specialist

After a rainy Saturday, I awoke Sunday morning, October 5, to blue skies and warm sunshine, the perfect day to head on over to Muster Field Farm in North Sutton for their annual Harvest Day event. Muster Field Farm delivers Monday through Saturday to the Concord Food Co-op of New London fresh produce, including a variety of apples, potatoes, red peppers, and different kinds of seasonal squash and pumpkins. I regularly see farm manager, Steve at the Co-op and thought I would go visit his stomping grounds on this beautiful fall day.

View of the Pillsbury Barn.

If you have visited Muster Field Farm before, you will know that it is a very special place with large open fields covering 250 acres and lots of unique buildings from the local area to create a sprawling museum. Every building is packed with vintage farm equipment, quaint signs, horse drawn vehicles, worn housewares, stories from the past and everything in between.

Making fresh pressed apple cider at Muster Field Farm.

The Harvest Day opened the gates for us to explore the grounds, enjoy hot homemade soups, enjoy fresh pressed cider made right before us, chat with a local historian, watch a basket making demonstration (while eating the basket makers birthday cake! Yummy!) and wander the grounds and buildings before hitting the farm stand to stock up on apples. There is plenty of space for the kids and the tractor was hooked up to a hay wagon for rides around the farm. I even tried walking on stilts, which was a lot harder than I imagined it would be!

I had to have some helpful tips from this kid who seemed to have mastered stilt walking.

As well as seeing the fields where the volunteers toil to provide us delicious produce for great prices, Muster Field Farm also has a few cows, pigs, chickens and beehives, making it a great place to bring the kids to meet the animals and see where their food comes from. The drive alone is well worth the visit too as you wind past the Follansbee Inn to take in the view of Kezar Lake, which is stunning this time of year.

Cows enjoying the sun at Muster Field Farm.

To view the visiting hours of Muster Field Farm museum and farm stand, visit their website at http://musterfieldfarm.com and don't forget to look up their next open day, Ice Day in January 2015.
The next time you are at our New London store, say Hello to Steve if he is making his deliveries and try his produce, you'll love it!

Grilling & Chilling Grand Finale 2014

by Jaimie Jusczyk, Marketing Specialist

As summer starts to wind down and the kids get ready to go back to school, the Co-op hosted the last Grilling & Chilling in the parking lot for the season on Friday, August 22. Chef Stephen was out grilling four different worldly themed kabobs, the Mideast Feast, the Old World, the New World and Caribbean Cruise from 11:30am - 6 pm. This time he also served corn on the cob with two different compound butters to choose from and deep fried pineapple with ice cream, which proved popular.

At 3 pm we turned up the tunes and Megafood joined us for free samples of smoothies featuring their latest nutrient booster powders.

Christina brought in her Fender Blender and customers and kids could peddle their own fresh smoothie. The first recipe was fresh cut pineapple, spinach, OJ and featured Daily C Booster powder. The second recipe was local peaches, vanilla coconut milk, banana and the Daily C Booster from Megafood. Both recipes seemed to be a hit for adults and kids.

Charlene from Megafood, Deb from Garden of Life and Connie from Amazing Grass were also creating yummy smoothies to showcase the Nutrient Booster Powders with their own awesome products. The Megafood Nutrient Booster Powders are so easy to add to your daily routine, you don't need to take anything away, just add them to your fave smoothies, shakes, juices or even into some yogurt with granola. So easy and convenient.

So while we were all having fun outside, adults could make their way inside to enjoy free beer and wine samples. Josh from Horizon was pouring a selection of reds and whites that would be perfect to serve during your Labor Day long weekend party.

Jim from NH Distributors was serving up some Pumpkin Porter from Redhook that was surprisingly refreshing. Find 6-packs in the Co-op beer fridge.
Sebago was present with free samples of their Bonfire Rye. You will definitely need a 6-pack of this for your Labor Day party if you plan on sitting around a fire.

And Stark Mill Brewing treated us to samples of the Milly's Oatmeal Stout that will satisfy any stout fan. Look for their 1 Pint sized bottles in the Co-op's beer fridge.
So now that summer is almost over, stop into the Co-op to see what fall beers are coming in and get your immune system ready for the cold season with Megafood Daily Booster Powders.

Should We Start a Co-op Farm?

Where do you see the Concord Food Co-op in the future?

The Co-op staff have been thinking out of the box! With the recent acquisition of Cafe Indigo on Hall Street in Concord - now called The Co-op Bakehouse - the Co-op staff see that the Co-op has limitless possibilities with the enthusiasm of our General Manager, Paula Harris, guiding us. Some of us have been here long enough to have witness multiple Concord store expansions, purchasing our Concord building, and the start of our New London store. We're constantly chatting with our fellow member-owners and customers and listen to their requests. This inspires us to keep thinking outside the box for the Co-op's future. And, in this case, that means thinking outside the building!

Watch this video to see what some of our Co-op staff envision...



So, could the Co-op's very own farm be in our future? A place to cater gorgeous weddings with our very own catered meals? State-of-the-art classrooms to support classes large and small, including hands-on cooking workshops? Teaching gardens, kids day camps, and a place to grow our very own organic veggies, raise chickens for eggs, bees for honey, goats for milk and cheese? A smokehouse and brick bread oven? CSA shares? 

We want to know what you think? Do you agree that a farm is the ideal next step for the Co-op? Or do you see something entirely different? What matters most to you?

Have your say in this survey!

Create your free online surveys with SurveyMonkey , the world's leading questionnaire tool.

Co-op Staff Vision for the Future

by Jaimie Jusczyk, Marketing Specialist

Our General Manager, Paula Harris, has achieved a lot in the nine years she has been with the Concord Food Co-op while following the Co-op’s mission from the Board of Directors. So where do we go from here? Paula asked me to interview the Co-op staff to see their vision of the Co-op in the not-too-distant future and present it to the Board of Directors via a video. Watch below to see what the Co-op staff imagine the next big step for the Concord Food Co-op to be…

http://youtu.be/G4Xibple2SI

What do you think? What would you like to see in the Co-op’s future? Share with us in the comments.

Video credits:
All music by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

Images courtesy of Concord Food Co-op or found using Google Image search to help viewers envision the ideas.

Spring Into Healthy Living 2014

by Jaimie Jusczyk, Co-op Marketing Specialist

The day started with a few morning showers but the clouds blew away to reveal a beautiful warm spring day for the Seventh Annual Spring Into Healthy Living street fair on May 10, 2014. With over 90 vendors set up to sample and chat about their products under the big tent, there was definitely something for every one of the 5,000 people who stopped by to enjoy. The Club Soda Band had us all tapping our toes and singing along as we wandered up and down the aisles. Even the animals from the traveling barnyard and reptile display seemed to enjoy the good vibes.
Miles Smith Farm where present with two Highland cows generously taking kids for rides down Main Street, a treat they won’t be forgetting soon. Word on the street is that the Concord Police Department may have a new mounted rider combination.

Concord Mounted Police Department

Executive Chef Scott from the Celery Stick Café demonstrated cooking with real cedar wood wraps. He prepared salmon with a peppercorn rub, then wrapped and tied it in the cedar before grilling it and serving samples. The cedar wraps created an inviting fragrance while cooking and really added to the flavor of the salmon. You can find the cedar wraps in the Co-op and Chef Scott is always happy to give advice on how to use them.
As well as all the activity going on outside there were more samples inside the store like beer, wine, chocolate, and sushi. But the day wasn’t just about food and drinks; it was about healthier and better living. The Co-op’s Wellness Educators were on hand to answer health, nutrition and lifestyle questions as well as promote their practices with coupons and give-aways. Several of the Co-op’s Community Partners also set up tables with information on the important work they do in our community.
If you missed out this year on the Co-op’s biggest FREE event, sign up to receive our weekly emails to stay in the loop what’s happening at the Co-op, click here.

Post by Concord Food Co-op.

YMCA Charity Auction & Top Chef Competition

by Jaimie Jusczyk, Marketing Specialist

Executive Chef Scott Jones along with Chef John Riccelli from the Celery Stick Café accepted the challenge at the YMCA Charity Auction to compete in the Top Chef Competition on April 16th, along with three other top restaurants in Concord, The Barely House, Granite Restaurant, and O’s Steak & Seafood.

Chef John and Chef Scott ready to serve the guests.

Chef Scott was serving a fresh sushi grade yellowfin tuna tartare complimented with avocado & lemon ginger dashi gel, topped with wasabi cream on a wanton crisp. This bold choice was beautifully presented on layers of glass with a bouquet and seashells. It was easy to just pick the whole serving up and pop it in your mouth to enjoy the Asian inspired textures and flavors.
As the guests enjoyed the chef’s creations they also sipped samples of wines, beers, & cider, while placing bids on silent auction items and also participating in live auctions to benefit the Concord YMCA. To vote for their favorite restaurant, the guests placed tulips into bowls on the tables which were tallied up at the end of the evening.

Chef Scott's beautiful presentation of fresh Yellowfun Tuna Tartare.

After hearing raving reviews about the tuna tartare and beautiful presentation of his table, Chef Scott from the Celery Stick Café was announced as the winner of the Top Chef competition.  Congratulations Chef Scott, we are proud to have you as the Executive Chef in the Celery Stick Café and look forward to trying your latest culinary creations.

Counting the tulips before announcing the Concord Food Co-op as the winner!

 Come on in to the Concord Food Co-op and taste for yourself the fresh and all-natural selections made daily on the hot bar, deli, olive bar, and bakery. If you have any questions our chefs are always happy to answer them.
Our World Cuisine Tour on the hot bar is also being extended to include a US Regional Cuisine Tour to bring our Celery Stick Café chefs home, Thursday through May 29th – June 19th. Stamps can still be collected to redeem for Free Co-op Event Tickets in your Co-op Passport. For full details come into the Co-op on Thursday’s from 10:30 am – 7 pm to talk with our “Customs Officer” who will have Free Co-op Passports so you can join in the fun or click here.

Winners are Grinners!

by Jaimie Jusczyk, Marketing Specialist

Welcome to all our new Co-op member-owners who signed up during the Concord Food Co-op’s new membership drive at the beginning of the year. As the Co-op grows bigger and stronger, more opportunities present themselves for us to fulfill and move with our mission of providing all-natural products to the community and supporting the quality standards we strive for.
If you would like to get more involved in the Co-op, all our member-owners are invited to the next Board of Directors meeting, Wednesday April 16th. Email board@concordfoodcoop.coop for details on attending.

Thanks S & W Sports.

As a part of the new membership drive, the Co-op held a major prize raffle with two awesome prizes to get active outdoors. The first prize was a mountain bike supplied by S&W Sports of Concord and was won by a very generous member, Jodi who thinks someone else will get a lot more use out of this sweet ride and donated the bike to the Friends Program in Concord, NH. The Co-op is a sponsor of the Friends Program Charity Auction that is coming up in May so we find this very fitting. For more information about the Friends Program, click here.

Congratulation's Terry and thanks to EMS!

The second prize was a kayak supplied by EMS in Concord which was won by Terry who had already been searching for a new kayak. We wish Terry lots of fun on the water this summer with her ideal prize.  Will we see Terry on the water at the Co-op's Lakeside Luau Summer party this July?

Congratulations to our winners and we will look forward to seeing all our new members in the Co-op!
Stay tuned for our upcoming Mothers Day and Fathers Day competitions for more fun prizes from the Concord Food Co-op.