What’s the scoop on maca? One of our newest local vendors, Dave Nulson of 44th Parallel Superfoods, hopes to fill us in on the wonders of this traditional Peruvian superfood. Dave resides in Middlebury but makes frequent trips to Peru where he first encountered this nutritional powerhouse. He now supplies gelatinized maca powder to our bulk department and is excited to get the word out about this wonderful new product:
Maca For Vitality
It’s hard to walk more than a block through any town in the mountainous “sierra” of Peru mid-morning without running into a vendor selling “maca”, a warm drink made from water, cinnamon, clove, brown sugar and, of course, maca. Although it has been gaining popularity over the last decade in the natural health community of the United States, many health-conscious people are still not familiar with maca. As someone who is married to an (amazing) Peruvian woman (and therefore married into Peruvian culture), I have been consuming maca consistently now for over ten years and have experienced many of its benefits firsthand. Cultivated by ancient Peruvian cultures for several thousand years, maca is a root vegetable that is grown in a limited geographical area in the Andes Mountains. Entire books have been written about its health benefits, but in an effort to provide introductory information I have compiled a list highlighting some of these benefits. Oh, I forget to mention, on top of all these incredible health benefits, IT’S DELICOUS!
Top 5 Health Benefits of Maca:
Concentrated nutrition – Maca contains high levels of protein, essential amino acids, vitamins A, B1, B2, B3, C, D and E, minerals iron, magnesium, copper, zinc, potassium and calcium. It is also packed with antioxidants and is especially effective in boosting levels of SOD (superoxide dismutase) and glutathione, two of the most important disease fighters in your body.
Increased energy and endurance – Maca is unique in that it has been proven to provide a sustained and even boost to energy while not stressing the adrenal (unlike coffee or tea). It is believed that the energy and endurance-boosting properties of maca are primarily due to its concentrated nutritional makeup (see above benefit).
Mood balance and reduction of stress, depression and anxiety – Recent studies have shown that, when taken regularly, maca has a positive effective on mood and is effective in decreasing stress, depression and anxiety. It is categorized as an adaptogen, which is a term used to describe substances that decrease cellular sensitivity to stress and promote homeostasis.
Increased libido for men and women – Among the traditional Peruvian cultures, maca has been regarded as a potent aphrodisiac. More recently, studies have shown that it is indeed effective at increasing libido in both men and women.
Regulates hormone balance – Maca is an endocrine adaptogen, meaning it does not contain any hormones but rather contains the necessary nutrients to promote hormone balance. It has been proven beneficial for PMS, menopause and hot flashes.
You can find 44th Parallel Superfoods gelatinized maca in the bulk herbs and spices section here at the Co-op. “Gelatinized” refers to a process in which all starch is extracted from the maca, making it more digestible and the nutrients more bioavailable for increased absorption. In Peru, maca is always consumed in its gelatinized form. In addition to the warm drink mentioned above, maca is great added to smoothies, juices, yogurt, oatmeal, baked goods, pancake mix, cereal and more! We hope you’ll give it a try!
The candidates are ready and the ballots are in the mail…you should see one in your mailbox next week. The ballot packet includes information about the election, candidate bios and photos, a preview of our Annual Meeting Celebration and our Annual Report. You can link directly to everything but the ballot (the ballot will only be in your mailbox!), RIGHT HERE. After you’ve filled out your ballot, bring it to any cashier to redeem your Coupon for $3.00 of Any Vermont Product (this will be attached to your ballot). All ballots need to be in before 7pm on May 26th. Happy voting!
Are you looking for an easy way to give back to your local community? Just round up your total at the registers next time you shop at the Co-op. During most of the year, your “spare change” will go directly to our two area food shelves – CVOEO an HOPE. Because we value your experience at the Co-op, we will not usually verbally solicit “round up” donations from you at the register. But four times a year, we just get too excited and hold a Rally for Change!
The Co-op’s Rally for Change program is an effort to promote and raise money for local (Addison County Based) non-profit organizations. Every three months, for one week, we shine a spotlight on a local non-profit organization whose primary mission is to serve at-risk populations. With their help, we share information about the organization, including more ways to become involved beyond donating at the registers. Representatives from the organization join us in the store so that our shoppers can learn more directly from the folks who are on the front lines of delivering help to those in need. At the end of the week, the Co-op will match any donations raised at the registers.
Our Member Deals Spotlight is shining brightly onEarth’s Best this week! Member-owners can enjoy 20% off their full line of organic products from April 27th – May 3rd. Read on to learn more about this Vermont-born company providing healthy, organic foods for babies for more than 30 years:
Their Story
Earth’s Best was founded by Ron Koss and Arnie Koss in Vermont way back in 1985. From day one, they recognized the importance of wholesome, pure nourishment for babies. Embracing fruits handpicked from organic orchards and vegetables cultivated from the earth, Ron Koss and Arnie Koss believed in creating delicious, organic baby food while promoting environmental responsibility. Their initial organic food processing facility had just 20 employees producing three fruit purees and two vegetable purees. Over the past 30 years, the business evolved, outgrowing its Vermont headquarters and expanding its offerings to include cereals, formulas, diapers, wipes, and over 50 different fruit & veggie purees! All of Earth’s Best products are created with care, using pure, simple ingredients found in nature. Made with love from the ground up, you can trust their products to be safe for your baby and safe for the environment.
Their Quality Assurance
To ensure the best ingredients for their food and ultimately the best food for your children, Earth’s Best carefully selects organic growers that treat their crops with care. From careful seed selection to sustainable farming practices, quality is an essential part of their seed to spoon journey. They guarantee that the ingredients sourced for their products do not use potentially harmful chemicals, pesticides, fertilizers, genetically engineered ingredients, or growth hormones from animal-derived products. This rigorous quality assurance process allows Earth’s Best to meet the strict standards for organic certification. Their products are also:
Unsweetened, unsalted, and contain no added modified starches
Kosher certified (excluding meat varieties)
Contain no artificial flavors, colors, or preservatives
Undergo rigorous product testing to guarantee quality and safety
Their infant formulas are produced with milk from cows that are humanely raised and not treated with antibiotics or growth hormones.
Click here to read more about the farms that supply organic vegetables for Earth’s Best baby foods.
Thank you to all the shoppers who are continuing to visit us in the midst of our construction project! We hope you’re not experiencing too much inconvenience and that you’ll let us know how we can make it easier for you to get what you need.
We are thrilled with the progress of our construction team of Naylor & Breen (from Brandon) and their subcontractors. Our north addition is almost complete and will double our small backroom space. We will soon make a temporary delivery door on the side of our building where customers usually park until the new delivery receiving area is completed. The west addition, on the Middlebury Inn side, is our largest addition of about 5,000 square feet. It’s coming along nicely with excavation, foundation, steel framing, and roof trusses almost complete. I’m sure you’ve noticed the long platform overhead near the frozen food area and over cheese and deli. Naylor & Breen created this temporary protection while the sloped roof above is being removed. I asked them to come up with some way to do this work without closing this part of the store to customers and staff. I think their solution was brilliant.
By the time you read this, the construction on the east side (bagel bakery side) will have begun. This will be the most disruptive to customers, but we’re here to help you. On this east side, Naylor & Breen’s team will be enlarging the space for the produce department both on the customer retail floor and the produce walk-in cooler. It will include excavation, foundation work and framing for new walls and a roof. It means that the sidewalk and parking close to the building will be compromised. We’ll create a safe way for customers to enter/exit the building. Please let us know how it’s working for you.
I’d like to thank the amazing Co-op staff for working so well under difficult circumstances…they’re all a super team. There will be a lot more challenges ahead, and it’s exciting to see progress moving along so fast.
Happy spring to everyone.
Glenn Lower, General Manager
Here’s a Look at the New Store Layout:
Note that the dotted green line represents the outline of the current store. The additional space will allow:
A better insulated, more energy-efficient building with 50% more retail space overall
20% more retail space in the Produce department and a more open layout for easier navigation
Improved store entrance with energy-saving air lock
100% increase in the bulk/grocery backstock area
Expanded selection in the Bulk department
100% increase in fresh meat retail space
100% increase in cheese retail space
Improved deli, with 75% more retail space, a hot bar, and more
Enlarged deli kitchen for more prepared foods and faster service
New Co-op Cafe with 100% more seating and a dedicated entrance
New customer service desk
Wider, longer, safer driveway in and out of the parking lot
The most important thing members/customers can do to support our expansion project is to keep shopping during the construction months. Thank you!
Our co-op has put a strong emphasis on Environmentally Sustainable and Energy Efficient Practices (Hint: It’s one of our Ends!). We do our best to pay attention to this End in every aspect of our operation. The easiest place to measure it is the “tailpipe end” of our business: how much energy do we use to heat the store, keep the lights on, keep the food cold, and make the sandwiches in the Deli? But the focus goes on beyond that. Our push for a vibrant local economy means that we source as much of our food from local farmers and producers as possible, thus cutting down the carbon footprint of the food we sell.
When we set out to expand, we did so with an ambitious goal: make sure that the expanded store uses the same amount of energy as the store today. That’s not a small feat; it’s going to be 50% bigger! But with a building as big and complex as our market demands, with an organization that reflects as many values as ours, we need to ask ourselves: how will we measure that?
One measurement is simple: the tailpipe. Will our expanded store–that’s built more tightly than our store is now–use the same amount of gas and electricity? Though we are insulating every wall to its maximum capacity and adding double doors to stop heat loss, we may fall short of this goal.
But consider the energy used before the tailpipe: a big part of our expansion is to improve store operations. We want the staff to have a better place to work thereby helping us, the member-owners, have a better shopping experience. Thus, this expansion has real potential to increase our membership so that more people can make more environmentally friendly choices. This means our local farms have the chance to increase production to feed more people locally, offsetting the food that comes from far away. We are expanding our offerings so you won’t have to stop at Shaw’s or Hannaford after the co-op to get the food the store doesn’t carry, which in turn means fewer and shorter car trips. All of these outcomes have a real effect on the net-energy that goes into our food production, not just our store.
The tailpipe easily draws our attention: it smokes right in front of our face, and it’s loud as it turns on, but that can distract us. When more people shop at the co-op, the ratio of energy-in to food-out improves. It is also important to note: before embarking on the expansion, options were considered that would have been more resource intensive such as building or renovating an existing space. And, it might have meant giving up our prime in-town location, which is bike and pedestrian accessible AND on the Addison County Transportation Resources (ACTR) Bus System. By expanding at our current location we continue to reduce the number of cars on the road because our staff, member-owners and other customers can access our location car-free.
While our expansion includes tremendous improvements and upgrades to our energy efficient practices, there will always be more to do. That is why we need to consider all of the data when we assess our energy consumption, not just the tailpipe. – RJ Adler is a Co-op Board Member
Green Up Day: A Vermont Experiment in Co-operation
Early on the morning of Saturday, May 6th, thousands of Vermonters will rise, slip into some well-worn apparel, cram some work gloves in their pockets and head off to their towns’ pick-up centers for maps and bright green trash bags (and let’s not forget the free donuts and coffee!). If you’ve lived here long enough, you might assume that this routine is being played out across the country. In fact, Green Up Day is a Vermont creation and has never been replicated in the same way in any other state.
So, how did this happen? Green Up Day was born on April 18, 1970, as a statewide effort by Governor Deane C. Davis to clean up roadside trash. Vermont happens to be the only state without an Adopt-A- Highway program (there we go again!). In Green Up Day, we have found a truly Vermont-style and co-operative alternative. Paid roadside crews are replaced with local volunteers of all ages, income levels, and affiliations, all working with the same goal in mind.
As an experienced Green Up day volunteer, I can attest to the sense of satisfaction that comes from driving by roadsides that you’ve tended and knowing that you’ve helped to make your community a better place to live.
In 1979, Green Up became a non-profit organization. Ten percent of Green Up Day is now funded through the state, while the vast majority is covered by the non-profit. While the main focus of the event is still to “green up” our roadsides, it has also become an opportunity to bring attention to other environmental issues.
If you’re new to Green Up Day and would like to find out how to get involved, you can find information about volunteering at greenupvermont.org
Happy Earth Day!! In honor of Mother Earth, it’s a perfect time to green up your Spring cleaning routine with Earth Friendly Products & ECOS! They’re featured in our Member Deals Spotlight this week and all of their products are 20% off for member-owners from April 20th – 26th. Read on to learn more about this family owned and operated company offering safe, effective cleaning products for people and the planet for nearly 50 years.
Their Story:
Earth Friendly Products, makers of the ECOS line of cleaning products, has been a family owned and operated business since 1967. Their team is made up of mothers, fathers, chemists, visionaries and pioneers who passionately uphold the idea that everyone should have access to delightful, affordable cleaning products.
Making ECOS products in their four carbon-neutral plants has enabled the company to keep prices low and quality high, shattering the myth that buying “green” has to be expensive.
Formulated with pure, thoughtful science and manufactured using Zero-Waste guidelines, ECOS is made in facilities powered by renewable energy. Created with mindful ingredients that are safer for people and the planet, ECOS is the delightfully Plantlicious™ way to protect your family and home.
Their Promise:
“We promise to make green cleaning a reality for all by using sustainable practices that protect people and the planet. By formulating products from the goodness of plants in facilities powered by 100% renewable energy, we empower a natural clean at a price you can afford. Made with love from the inside out, we hope you’ll experience the difference in each bottle of ECOS™”
Our Co-op Spotlight is shining brightly on Kimball Brook Farm! Their full line of products are 20% off for member-owners from April 6th – 12th. Read on to learn more about one of Vermont’s finest family-owned organic dairy farms:
History
Kimball Brook Farm was first settled by Daniel Kimball in the late 1700s. Daniel and his sons continued running the farm until it was purchased by Edward Danyow in 1960.
The DeVos family purchased the farm in 1967 and on June 1, 1968, John De Vos Sr. and his son John De Vos Jr. moved their complete herd (50 cows), machinery and households from Monroe, New York to the Kimball Brook farm in North Ferrisburgh, Vermont.
John De Vos Jr. and his wife Sue operated the farm for over 30 years raising three sons and one daughter on the farm. The eldest son, John De Vos III (JD) and his wife Cheryl took over the business in 2001, expanding the herd from 80 cows to 200 and added a milking parlor.
In 2003, JD and Cheryl began transitioning the 220 cow farm to an organic operation and Kimball Brook Farm became one of the largest certified organic dairy operations in the State of Vermont. The first shipment of organic milk was in September 2005. In 2010, they began the process of pursuing another dream of opening their own creamery in the former Saputo Cheese plant in Hinesburg. This would allow them to assemble, bottle, and package all of their own products. In June of 2011, they were awarded the VT Dairy Farm of the Year award and by May of 2012, they were celebrating the official opening of Green Mountain Organic Creamery.
At the Co-op, you can find a broad selection of Kimball Brook Farm’s organic products including Whole Milk, Cream, Chocolate Milk, Maple Milk, Mocha & Coffee Flavored Iced Cappuccino, Butter and Iced Teas.
The Herd
The herd at Kimball Brook Farm consists of Holsteins, Jerseys and Jersey/Holstein crosses. During the growing season, their cows and heifers(teenagers) can be found happily grazing on the lush grasses their pastures provide. The cows that are being actively milked also get some mixed legumes and grains at the barn to provide them with the extra energy they need to produce rich, organic milk.
The Devos family believes that by maintaining the health of the land and the health of the cows, they can provide a fantastic organic milk free of Growth Hormones, GMO’s, Pesticides, Herbicides and Antibiotics for consumers to enjoy.
Check out this fun video showing how Kimball Brook Farm milk gets from the cow to your kitchen table:
Events at the Farm
Throughout the summer months, be sure to check out the fabulous farm dinners and other events at Kimball Brook Farm! Stay tuned to their events page for dates and details.
Investing in Local Organic Dairy
You eat local and you drink local, but what about Investing local? Kimball Brook Farm has an offer for those looking to make a deeper commitment by investing in their organic dairy farm and creamery. This offer is for Vermont residents only. Click here to read more about it.
A polyculture of corn & sunflowers grown as food for the herd at KBF
Searching for healthful options to treating disease and pain that restore health rather than merely treat symptoms? We invite you to check out our April Co-op Connection Business of the Month- Natural Medicine of Vermont! Card-carrying Co-op member-owners can enjoy 10% off their 1st visit and $5 off subsequent visits!
Natural Medicine of Vermont (NMV) is an integrative naturopathic medical facility whose goal is to provide comprehensive and expert health care services. NMV, located in Middlebury, Vermont, is owned and operated by Dr. Karen Miller-Lane, N.D.,L.Ac.
Dr. Karen Miller-Lane is a Naturopathic Physician licensed in Chinese Medicine & Acupuncture and trained in Craniosacral Therapy. Her expertise lies in providing an integrative, compassionate and individualized approach to women’s health, endocrine, gut and immune support, and to the challenges of chronic disease. She received a Doctorate of Naturopathic Medicine (2001) and a Masters of Acupuncture (2002) from Bastyr University. She received certification in Craniosacral therapies in 2000. In addition, she spent four years (2008-2010, 2012-2014) studying advanced Chinese medicine and pulse diagnosis with the acupuncturist and scholar Lonnie Jarrett. She also trained with Eileen McKusick, and was certified as a Biofield Tuning practitioner in 2016. These multi-cultural, multi-modal teachings provide a rich foundation for her practice of medicine. Prior to becoming a Naturopathic Physician, Dr. Karen worked in the field of international development and education with a focus on women’s healthcare issues. Currently, she is particularly interested in the developing field of epigenetics and nutrigenomics, as she continues to embody a commitment to being an innovator in the ever emergent field of healthcare in the 21st century. She finds joy in her family, friends, the patients she works with and finding the humor and wonder in everyday situations.
Thanks to her diverse clinical background, Dr. Karen MIller-Lane is able to unite many different complementary practices into one visit. This integrative approach provides the best possible treatment and outcomes natural medicine has to offer. Read on to learn more about these particular approaches from the Natural Medicine of Vermont website:
What Is Naturopathic Medicine?
Naturopathic Medicine is a distinct profession of physicians trained in primary health care who are oriented towards prevention, education and promotion of optimal health rather than just treatment of disease. Naturopathic doctors (ND’s) integrate centuries-old knowledge of traditional, non-toxic therapies with the best of modern medical diagnostic science and standards of care. ND’s complete pre-med education followed by a 4-5 year residential curriculum with 4,500 – 5,000 hours of instruction and extensive, supervised clinical training. ND’s must also pass rigorous state and national board examinations.
Foundation and Guidance for Naturopathic physicians are based on the following principles:
First, Do No Harm
Prevention
The Healing Power of Nature
Treatment of the Whole Person
Treat the Cause
Doctor as Teacher
What Is Acupuncture?
Acupuncture is a system of medicine based on 3,000 years of history, tradition, and application. It uses very thin needles to stimulate hundreds of different points on the body that lie along channels known as meridians. These points balance, tonify, or reduce excess in the body. At its heart, Acupuncture balances “Qi” or vital energy and treats the whole person. The treatments are generally very relaxing. At least 4-6 weekly treatments are usually required to determine the cause and treat the condition.
Licensed Acupuncturists go through a three-year Masters program that incorporates over 1700 hours of training, followed by national licensing exams.
In 1997, a consensus panel convened by the National Institute of Health (NIH) concluded that “there is clear evidence that needle acupuncture treatment is effective for postoperative and chemotherapy nausea and vomiting, nausea of pregnancy and post-operative dental pain…also addiction, stroke rehabilitation, headache, menstrual cramps, tennis elbow, fibromyalgia, low back pain, carpal tunnel syndrome, and asthma.” Other conditions which Acupuncture treats effectively include menopausal symptoms, chronic pain, diabetic symptoms, fatigue and sleep complaints, digestive problems, depleted immune system, arthritis, stress, anxiety, support for depression, smoking cessation and more.
Biofield Tuning is a unique non-medical therapeutic method that uses sound waves produced by tuning forks in the biomagnetic field, or biofield, that surrounds the human body. Biofield Tuning was developed by pioneering researcher and practitioner Eileen Day McKusick and is based on her 20 years of clinical inquiry into the Biofield Anatomy. It is a simple, non-invasive, and efficient method that can produce profound and powerful outcomes. Biofield Tuning sessions can be experienced in person or at a distance, singularly or in a group, by a certified practitioner.
“Biofield” is the word chosen by a team of National Institute of Health scientists in 1994 to describe the field of energy and information that surrounds and interpenetrates the human body. It is composed of both measurable electromagnetic energy and hypothetical subtle energy, or chi. This structure is also called the Human Energy Field or Aura.
While Western Science has yet to describe and measure subtle energy, other cultures, especially ancient Indian or Vedic cultures describe it extensively. The term “chakra” means wheel in Sanskrit and these spinning energy vortices are seen as structures in the body’s subtle energy anatomy. Not coincidentally, chakras are present where there are large nerve clusters or plexuses within the body itself.
The Biofield Tuning process is designed to locate, identify, and interrupt patterns of sonic imbalance, making it possible for the individual to become “unstuck” and able to move forward in life with a more balanced perspective.
What Is Craniosacral Therapy?
You are probably aware of the many systems that the body is made up of including the respiratory system, digestive system, the cardiovascular system, etc. The body also has a very subtle system unrecognized by science until fairly recently which is known as the craniosacral system. The craniosacral (CS) system consists of the membranes that form the meninges of the brain and spinal cord (down to the sacrum), the bones of the skull to which the membranes attach, other structures related to the meninges, the cerebrospinal fluid, and the structures that produce, contain and resorb the cerebrospinal fluid.
The cornerstone of the CS system is the finding that the bones of the skull are able to move as the cerebrospinal fluid moves through the membranes. While this information is not accepted by all health care professionals, the CS treatment is based on this finding and on the literature that has developed around the research using the CS theories.
Because the CS system is connected to the rest of the body by its connection to the fascia, restriction can affect many other systems, most notably the nervous system, musculoskeletal system, vascular system, endocrine system, etc. Because of these relationships, CS therapy is used to treat many different conditions. In our clinical setting, we have found them to be helpful for headaches, sinus problems, anxiety, general stress, endocrine problems, muscular fatigue or stress, depression, TMJ problems and others.
The treatment is done with the patient fully clothed lying down and is often extremely relaxing. The clinician uses light pressure and sessions often last between 20-40 minutes depending on what is being addressed.
