Co+op Basics offers everyday low priceson hundreds of popular grocery and household items. From milk and bread to laundry soap and paper towels, you’ll find brands you know and trust at prices you can afford. There are hundreds of items in Co-op Basics, and here are just a few to help you get ready for the Holiday Season!
We’re casting our Co-op Spotlight on Elmer Farm this week to celebrate this 90-acre organic farm and the farmers who give life to it. Member-owners can enjoy 20% their glorious spread of organic vegetables this week. Read on to learn more about the history and heritage of this farm, which has been providing food for its community since the early 1800’s!
Driving into East Middlebury on Route 116, it’s hard to miss the beautiful patch of flowers bording the white farmouse at the entryway to Elmer Farm. What you might not see from the road are the amazing fields of vegetables that are grown on this fertile, organic soil. Elmer Farm is a conserved 90-acre farm where Spencer & Jennifer Blackwell grow 25 acres of mixed vegetables, grains, and dry beans, all of which are certified organic. Annual inspections and certification by Vermont Organic Farmers (VOF) ensure that the crops are grown responsibly and safely without the use of synthetic fertilizers, herbicides or pesticides.
The farm belonged to the Elmer family since the early 1800’s and has a long heritage of providing food for its community. The receding glaciers bestowed the farm with a wonderful mix of fertile soils and sandy loam, perfectly suited to growing vegetables and grains. More than 35 different vegetables are grown on the farm, plus an impressive array of flowers and culinary herbs. This inlcudes over 200 different varieties, including many heirlooms.
Spencer and Jennifer Blackwell, along with their children, Ida & Angus, and their hard-working crew of farmhands are proud to grow vegetables for their community, neighbors, and friends in Addison County. They value hard work and the agrarian quality of life. They are committed to our community through various farm-to-school efforts as well as gleaning for local food agencies. In fact, Spencer helped spearhead the Local Food Access Program at HOPE. A number of years ago, representatives from HOPE, Middlebury College, ACORN, and the local business community, along with several local farmers, including Spencer from Elmer Farm and Will Stevens of Golden Russet Farm, got together to discuss the possibility of increasing the amount of locally grown food offered at HOPE’s food shelf. This group recognized that Addison County farmers grow vast amounts of beautiful, healthy organic fruits and vegetables, which are often unavailable or too pricey to those who need it most. They also recognized that these farms often had excess produce available that would not be destined for retail markets, which could instead be diverted to the food shelf.
Fast-forward to present day, and the idea hatched by this group has evolved into an incredibly successful program that is bringing thousands of pounds of healthy, local foods to those in our community who need it most and diverting a lot of food from the waste stream. By the end of 2015, more than 10,797 pounds of surplus produce had been donated by Elmer Farm, along with many other local farms. This requires a monumental and tireless effort on the part of the farmers and a heck of a lot of coordinating and processing effort from HOPEs Local Food Access Coordinator, Lily Bradburn.
At the Co-op, you can find Elmer Farm’s organic cabbage, red & yellow onions, butternut squash, baby bok choy, radishes, leeks, scallions, kale, chard, and their famous carrots! You can also subscribe to their CSA, where you will receive fresh vegetables, flowers and herbs each week from mid-June through the end of October for a total of 20 weeks. Also be sure to check out the recipes on their web page!
Election Day has come and gone, but we’re reaching out to remind you of another democratic institution right here in your community- your Middlebury Natural Foods Co-op! And at the co-op your vote really matters, regardless of your party or beliefs. As a different kind of business, we ascribe to cooperative principles and values and we use our profits to serve our members and community. But this also means when it’s time to change and grow, we rely on help from our member-owners. That is why we are asking you to participate in our Member Loan Campaign!
We are already more than three-quarters of the way to our goal of raising $1,000,000 by December 1st and we’d love to keep the momentum going! If you have already made a loan, THANK YOU!!! If you haven’t, we invite you to check out the brochure by clicking here and consider helping us reach our goal. Have questions? Let us know! Give us a call at 388-7276, or email Loan Coordinator John Barstow at jbbarstow@gmail.com. We’d love to offer additional information and help guide you through this simple process.
Want to check out the latest expansion plans? Click here!
Thank you so much for your support! It means the world to us!!
Our Annual Rally for Change for local food shelves, CVOEO and HOPE starts on November 10th! Just round up your total (or feel free to give more!) at the registers between 11/10 and 11/16 and the Co-op will match your donation! What an easy way to do good this holiday season!
Hunger is not just an issue on the other side of the world. Food insecurity is right at home in Vermont, and no one works on the front lines to combat this in Addison County like our two local food shelves – CVOEO and HOPE. These two organizations spend a lot of their resources trying to get food to hungry Vermonters, but that’s not the whole story. Want to know more? Read on, to here about them, in their own words:
Linda Tirado knows poverty first hand. She has lived in it for the majority of her adult life. She also knows what it is to live in the middle class. In her book, Hand to Mouth: Living in Bootstrap America, she gives a definition of poverty that puts our world in perspective. “Poverty is when a quarter is a miracle. Poor is when a dollar is a miracle. Broke is when five bucks is a miracle. Wor-
king class is being broke, but doing so in a place that might not be run down. Middle class is being able to own some toys and live in a nice place – and by ”nice” I don’t mean fancy.”
In Addison County: 1 in 5 children and youth know hunger; over 3,500 residents participate in the 3Squares VT program; there are 26 summer meal sites; and 10 senior meal sites server older citizens several times a week, all summer long. Last summer, between May 1st and August 30th, CVOEO’s Food Shelf in Middlebury served 1,299 individuals. 342 of this number were under the age of 18, and 209 were seniors. Individuals and families come from towns throughout Addison County.
Donna Rose is the Food Shelf Coordinator. We are located at 54 Creek Road in Middlebury. CVOEO is a nonprofit corporation, formed in 1965 to carry out the Economic Opportunity Act of 1964 in Addison, Chittenden, Franklin and Grand Isle counties. CVOEO is one of five Community Action Agencies in Vermont. Its mission is to address fundamental issues of economic, social and racial justice. It works with people to achieve economic independence, bridge gaps and build futures. For more information, go to https://www.cvoeo.org/
HOPE is a private, locally governed organization that has been alleviating the distress of poverty in Addison County for over 50 years by providing a broad range of individualized services & opportunities. HOPE’s staff members don’t say “this is what we can do”, rather they ask “what do you need?” HOPE fills in the gaps left by government programs, including help with heating & housing, medicines, job-related needs & more. They provide assistance to homeless persons, including those with significant housing barriers such as severe mental illness & substance abuse disorders.
HOPE offers healthy holiday meal baskets, and in the the HOPE Holiday Shop, low-income parents can select, free of charge, new clothing, toys and books for their children.
HOPE runs the largest food shelf in Addison County, serving an average of 600 people each month. Last year, they provided food to 6,248 people, including 481 senior citizens and 1,659 children. In 2015, they provided food for over 61,000 meals, distributed 10,797 pounds of local farm produce, & provided nearly 400 holiday meal boxes. This year they are on track to exceed their 2015 numbers.
HOPE’s Local Food Access Coordinator, Lily Bradburn, has been working with local farmers, picking up donated produce, leading crews to glean food in the fields, & purchasing crops for winter storage. Volunteers are needed to glean, process and cook food. For more information or to volunteer, call 802-388-3608. HOPE is located at 282 Boardman St., behind Homeward Bound. For more information, please go to http://www.hope-vt.org/
We just wanted to extend a big THANK YOU to all of the folks who made our 25th Empty Bowl Dinner such a success. With your help, we raised $2,500 for local food shelves, CVOEO and HOPE!
Before the dinner, we had the pleasure of listening to presentations from Donna Rose of CVOEO and Lily Bradburn of HOPE, updating us on the state of food insecurity in Vermont. They were pleased to inform us that this is the first year in a really long time that food insecurity in Vermont has actually decreased a bit. We owe so much of that success to the hard work of organizations like these, and to the generous donors, like you, who help to keep them afloat.
We’d also like to extend an extra special thank you to our Sponsors:
And of course, a HUGE Thank you to our Volunteers! Without your hard work moving furniture and decorating, cooking soups and dessert, cleaning and serving, this event would not be possible!
In honor of Veterans Day, we wanted to shed some light on an amazing project that is cultivating a new generation of farmers and food leaders through the collaboration of the farming and military communities. The Farmer Veteran Coalition was founded in 2007 based on the recognition that ever increasing numbers of those enlisted in the US military had their roots in rural America and would be returning in large numbers to small towns across the country, far from the services available to veterans in more populous areas. The idea of opening up our nations’ farms – and all of the beauty and peace and opportunity that they provide – to those returning from war seemed like a captivating prospect. The founders felt a tremendous sense of responsibility to create an organization capable of doing everything it could to serve this important sector of veterans that remained overlooked by most urban-based veteran organizations.
Impact
Since 2009, over 8,000 veterans have become farmers across the country, thanks to an array of educational opportunities in the form of internships, apprenticeships, and other training programs aimed to help veterans build the skills needed for a career in farming. They also offer extensive business resources to budding veteran farmers looking to find land, finance their farm, create business plans & crop plans, develop marketing strategies, and comply with food safety regulations. Additionally, the Farmer Veteran Coalition has awarded more than $1,000,000 to veterans in agricultural grants and farm support through the Farmer Veteran Fellowship Fund.
A Local Chapter is Born
In 2015, local farmer & veteran Jon Turner of Wild Roots Farm in Bristol helped found a Vermont chapter of the Farmer Veteran Coalition. Jon served in the Marines from 2003 – 2007, including 2 deployments to Iraq and 1 to Haiti. When Jon left the military, he was troubled by the lack of support for integration back to civilian life. He connected the huge coming need for farmers with the large population of veterans who are returning from combat. Jon believed that this population, which includes over 2 million troops returning from Iraq and Afghanistan, could benefit from the restorative benefits of farming, and his hope is to provide hands-on training to these veterans so they can fill this need while also finding purpose and community in their new lives.
Wild Roots Farm is an educational operation nestled in the foothills of the Bristol Cliffs with a focus on forest farming and regenerative practices. Jon owns and operates the farm with his wife and their mission is to teach methods of growing and raising food in “unsuitable” farm conditions while maintaining, if not improving, bio-diversity. Their farm offers eggs, vegetables, and mushrooms, along with kids camps and workshops for all ages on topics such as soil building, pruning, mushroom cultivation, forest farming, and regenerative agriculture. These workshops are open to veterans and non-veterans, alike, as Jon believes in the importance of helping veterans reintegrate into their communities. He’s a firm believer in the peace and therapy that come from reconnecting with nature, working with the soil, and interacting with fellow community members.
Homegrown By Heroes
Homegrown By Heroes (HBH) is the official Farmer Veteran Branding Program of America. The HBH logo serves to inform consumers that products donning the logo were produced by military veterans. The program is available to farmers, ranchers, fishermen, and value-added producers of all branches and eras of military service. Wild Roots Farm in Bristol proudly offers their eggs, vegetables, and mushrooms under the Homegrown By Heroes label.
Guiding Principles of the Farmer Veteran Coalition
GUIDE the passion of our veterans so that they may earn for themselves a meaningful, financially sustainable place in the agricultural community. This could entail full-time or part-time employment or a critical supplement to disability-related income.
BELIEVE in the meritocracy of American agriculture, where personal responsibility for one’s actions and individual initiative in pursuit of one’s goals can create personal success. We believe in the fundamental dignity of physical work.
ACKNOWLEDGE the plurality of agricultural crops, practices, scale and markets available to our veterans. We honor, guide, and support the practical farming path chosen by each veteran.
COMMITTED to leveraging our work through a network of partnerships. This allows us to more effectively help a larger number of veterans, particularly those in the onset of their civilian careers.
SUPPORT all valid national, regional, or crop-specific efforts to connect veterans with agriculture and encourage collaboration instead of competition with other groups providing services to our nation’s veterans.
SPONSOR and encourage both employment and self-employment in agriculture, and equally value the contributions made by all members of the agricultural industry who feed America. We recognize the range of opportunities for employment throughout the agricultural economy.
RESPECT the privacy of our veterans, and we will assist when we can to get them the support that will help make them stronger farmers. We support and treat the whole veteran. We are aware of the high number of veterans that return with both visible and invisible wounds.
RECOGNIZE the geographic and psychological isolation common to both farmers and veterans. Creating contact between our farmer veterans and a sense of community amongst them is an important part of our mission.
Want to learn more about the Farmer Veteran Coalition? Visit their website by clicking here.
Interested in donating to the Farmer Veteran Coalition? Click here.
Interested in checking out events and happenings at Wild Roots Farm? Visit their Facebook page here.
We’re casting our Co-op Spotlight on Bob’s Red Mill this week to shed a little light on this employee-owned business that has been offering stone-milled grains for nearly 40 years! Member-owners can enjoy 20% off all of Bob’s Red Mill products this week – just in time for holiday baking season. Read on to learn more about their unique business model and their commitment to using traditional stone milling techniques to deliver healthy high-quality grain products to store shelves.
At Bob’s Red Mill, they believe that quality can’t be rushed. That’s why they manufacture their products using time-honored techniques, like grinding whole grains at cool temperatures with a traditional stone mill. Their beautiful stone grinding mills are much like the ones used during early Roman times and unlike the more commonly used high-speed steel rollers, their mills ensure the most nutritious parts of the whole grain remain intact. It was these beautiful antique grinding mills that first inspired founder Bob Moore to start Bob’s Red Mill nearly 40 years ago.
An Employee-Owned Business
On Bob’s 81st birthday, rather than receiving gifts, he decided to give his greatest gift away – his business! Bob surprised all of his employees by giving them total ownership of Bob’s Red Mill through an employee stock ownership program (ESOP). Bob didn’t extend this gesture as a means to step away from the company he had created so he could ease into a comfortable retirement. He did so because of his firm belief in putting people before profit, and giving due appreciation to the people who’ve made a company strong. Despite hundreds of lucrative offers to buy his company as he approached “retirement age”, Bob chose the rare path of putting people first and gifted his company to his dedicated, hard-working staff.
Milling, Testing, Packaging, & Distributing Under One Roof
The folks at Bob’s Red Mill knew from day one that if they wanted to ensure the best products possible and ensure quality every step of the way that they’d have to be able to do it themselves. Their facilities in Milwaukie, Oregon include the 325,000 sq ft headquarters, laboratory, and manufacturing plant, plus a 127,000 sq ft distribution center! Their gluten-free products are produced and tested in their separate gluten-free-only facilities to ensure product safety.
Bob and his wife Charlee at the Bob’s Red Mill Headquarters
Sourcing the Finest Products From Our Farms to Your Table
At Bob’s Red Mill, the relationship with the final product begins at the source. They maintain personal relationships with farmers across the country and make an effort to visit their farms. Together, they are able to ensure that they’re offering the best product available, while always using best practices.
Sourced Non-GMO Pledge
The Bob’s Red Mill Non-GMO Pledge means that the ingredients sourced for their products have been declared by their suppliers to be made without the use of modern biotechnology. The truth is, they’ve always sourced using this practice, but now that commitment is visible on Bob’s Red Mill packages to allow consumers to purchase with confidence.
When you see the Sourced Non-GMO Pledge on one of their packages, you can be sure that they’ve worked with their farmers and suppliers to source ingredients that were not genetically engineered. That work includes cultivating trusted relationships over many years and requiring documentation that attests to the fact that the ingredients have not been genetically modified through the use of modern biotechnology. For assurance, they conduct audits of their suppliers annually. They also source organic ingredients whenever feasible, and by definition, foods that are Certified USDA Organic are made only with ingredients that have not been bioengineered.
Recognize this handsome crooner? It’s Fred Barnes, our long time Co-op member-owner and musician extraordinaire. For the past few years, Fred has very generously donated his talent at the piano to provide entertainment and add to the ambiance at our annual Empty Bowl Dinner. Fred has quite an interesting musician’s history. He spent years as a pianist and vocalist on the Cunard Line cruise ships Queen Elizabeth 2 and Countess, and followed this experience with several years as the House Pianist for the Sheraton Russell Hotel, on Park Avenue in New York. In addition to his performance career, Fred has spent 25 years instructing students of all ages in Jazz piano. Currently, Fred is active on the musical scene as an accompanist and soloist. Thank you, Fred, for all you do!
Here’s a word about Fred from Douglas Anderson, Executive Director, Middlebury Town Hall Theater:
“Fred Barnes is a master. He commands a seemingly endless repertoire of standards, all served up with breath-taking technique. He also sings – surprise! – in a clear, un-fussy voice that brings to mind Fred Astaire, with all of the charm the comparison implies. I’d say that no one plays piano like this anymore, except that there’s nothing old-fashioned about his playing. I Fred’s hands, even the oldest standard becomes as fresh as the day it was written.
With his effortless brilliance and genuinely warm personality, Fred turns any event into something extraordinary.”
Did you know that McDaniel Chiropractic Center is part of the Co-op Connection? Thanks to this fun partnership, Co-op member-owners can enjoy 10% off when visiting McDaniel Chiropractic Center! You can find their full-service clinic at 1330 Exchange Street, Suite 105, in Middlebury. They’re our featured Business of the Month for November, so we wanted to tell you a little more about the wide array of health services they provide. Read on to learn all about them!
McDaniel Chiropractic is more than simply a place to go when you’re experiencing neck or back pain. They offer a 360-degree approach to total body wellness incorporating diet, exercise, ergonomics, lifestyle management, and chiropractic care to help you achieve your health care goals! Unlike conventional medicine, which aims to treat symptoms of injury or illness in a reactionary way, Drs. Jim & Julia McDaniel instead hope to offer tools to help you reduce the risk of pain, injury, and illness in a more proactive manner. Their goal is to help you achieve and maintain optimal health through a tailored, personal wellness program that is targeted to your specific needs.
About the Doctors
Dr. Julia McDaniel received her Bachelors of Science degree in Nursing from the University of Vermont in 1983. In 1990 she graduated from Life Chiropractic College located in Marietta, Georgia. Dr. Julia has been in active practice with her husband, Dr. Jim McDaniel, in Middlebury since 1990.
Shortly after opening their practice, Dr. Julia became very active in chiropractic on the legislative level. In 1992 she was appointed to the Vermont Chiropractic Board of Examiners by Gov. Howard Dean, where she served the State for 9 ½ years. During this time she served two years as chairman of the board. Dr. Julia served as the State delegate to both the Federation of Chiropractic Licensing Boards and the National Board of Chiropractic Examiners.
Dr. Julia has the distinction of being the first female doctor of chiropractic to serve on the board of directors for the National Board of Chiropractic Examiners. Dr. Julia has been an active voice for legislative change concerning professional regulation and patients’ rights. She served the Council on Chiropractic Education as a member of the Site Team Academy and as the Secretary-Treasurer on the Board of Directors of the Council on Chiropractic Education. In 2000 the Vermont Chiropractic Association awarded Dr. Julia the honor of Chiropractor of the Year.
Dr. Jim McDaniel is a 1990 cum laude graduate of Life Chiropractic College in Marietta, Georgia. While a student, Dr. Jim served as his class representative to the Clinic Judicial Review Committee. Since opening McDaniel Chiropractic Center in 1990, Dr. Jim has attended many continuing education conferences. He has a special interest in nutrition and neurology, completing over 150 hours of post-graduate training in clinical neurology through Logan Chiropractic College.
Giving back to the community has always been important to Dr. Jim. He has served on the Board of Directors of the Addison County branch of the American Cancer Society and the Parent-Child Center of Addison County. Currently, he is the treating chiropractor at the Middlebury Open Door Clinic and serves on the advisory council for the health careers program at the Hannaford Career Center in Middlebury. Dr. Jim is currently the Immediate Past President of the Vermont Chiropractic Association.He serves on the board of directors for the Council on Chiropractic Guidelines and Practice Parameters (CCGPP).
Dr. Erik Vose holds a Doctorate of Chiropractic from Palmer College of Chiropractic West in California and a Bachelor’s degree in Kinesiology and Applied Physiology from the University of Colorado. After earning his doctorate degree, Dr. Erik received two years of additional chiropractic and sports therapy training in Walnut Creek, CA. Following his time in California, Dr. Erik started his own practice in Boston and joined OMBE, an integrative health center located in Copley Square, where he worked in conjunction with many practitioners including acupuncturists, naturopaths, dietitians, massage therapists, and yoga and pilates instructors.
Dr. Erik treats patients for a range of conditions from sports injuries to chronic pain by focusing on the entire musculoskeletal system. Dr. Erik combines soft tissue therapy with ultrasound, electric stimulation, stretching, and chiropractic adjustments. He is proficient in the diagnosis and treatment of extremity injuries as well as those associated with the spine. Dr. Erik develops comprehensive treatment plans that focus on both alleviating symptoms and helping his patients achieve optimal strength and well-being.
Services & Techniques
McDaniel Chiropractic offers a wide range of safe, comfortable, and effective services & techniques to help you achieve & maintain optimal wellness:
Advanced spinal correction adjustments using state-of-the-art chiropractic techniques
We’re taking orders for fresh, local Stonewood Farm Turkeys! Come into the store and sign up at the registers, or just give us a call and we’ll reserve one for you! What’s so special about Stonewood Farms Turkeys? Let’s find out:
Their Turkey Friendly Barns are not over-crowded and are open-sided providing lots of fresh air & natural sunlight. These birds are All Natural – raised free of hormones or antibiotics, and never fed animal by-products. Stonewood Farms Turkeys receive Humane Care “ Just plenty of Vermont air, cold nights, good feed and tender loving care on our family farm” — Paul Stone (Grandpa Stone). A USDA processing plant is located at the farm and operated by the Stone family. All turkeys are individually hand graded to ensure the highest quality.
All of this adds up to what Stonewood promises to be the finest All Natural Fresh Turkey, ofsuperior flavor and juiciness. The slow growth of the turkeys ensure a delicious and naturally self-basting turkey.
