Cookbook Fundraiser!

Sharon Maus, of the finance committee, writes this post to announce our next big project!

To pass the time while we work on the steps for the Bethlehem Food Co-Op to open its doors, to raise money to buy those very doors, and to share new and delectable dishes, I am pleased to announce the Bethlehem Food Co-Op cookbook. We envision a collection of seasonally arranged recipes augmented by personal anecdotes about the foods, cooking tips, and stories explaining why individual cooks are so committed to the creation of the Co-Op.

Do you have a great apple pie recipe? We want it. A way to cook collards and mustard greens so that eleven-year-olds can’t resist them? Send it over. A soup that uses giant wart-covered winter squash? You get the picture. Here is a simple list of when fruits and vegetables are available locally in Pennsylvania. Use it as inspiration, but don’t let it stop you from sending in a recipe that doesn’t fit perfectly within a season. One of the most eagerly awaited parts of the Co-Op is the bulk section. If you have a unique hummus or dry bean recipe, that is welcome as well!

Like the Bethlehem Food Co-Op itself, the cookbook will serve omnivores as well as vegans and vegetarians. Jennie Merkel of Merkel Mountain Farm explains that meat also has seasons. “In this region cows are usually killed in the fall. Since a single cow can have over six hundred pounds of meat, most of that will have to be frozen. Chickens are often a spring and summer food around here.” Does anyone have a beef, winter vegetable, and barley soup? Once we get to the taste-testing part of this endeavor, vegans and vegetarians will have the opportunity to create meatless and dairy-free modifications to publish with some of the recipes.

All the wonderful and talented people who have come forward to work on the Co-Op share a passion for food, now we want to share our best dishes with each other and the larger community. I am amazed by what we have accomplished in only five months. This cookbook has the potential to help to build momentum for the Co-Op and to be a great resource in and of itself. I am so excited to be a part of this. Please join me by submitting your recipe here.