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August, 2012

  1. Foods You Can Actually Pronounce: Locally Grown

    August 31, 2012 by Apple Ridge Farm

    As you may have seen online or around town, we are releasing a series of posters to share with people some of the great points about the Bethlehem Food Co-Op! Each week, we’ll release a different poster on our Facebook page, and you’ll find blog posts here on our website to go along with the theme! The blog posts aren’t necessarily the views of the whole food co-op—Instead, they are reflections by the awesome individuals that make up the co-op, and they’ll give you a taste of what our members are looking forward to about the co-op.

    Food You Can Actually PronounceThis post is written by Brian Bruno, owner of Apple Ridge Farm & Stone Oven Bakery.

    My wife and I own and operate Apple Ridge Farm, a small 7 acre sustainable farm and a wood-fired brick oven organic flour artisan bakery that specializes in sourdough breads and baked goods featuring ingredients grown on my farm. Our farm specializes in Certified Naturally Grown heirloom produce, hydroponic produce, pasture raised chicken, and eggs. I’m extremely excited about the Co-op because small local-products focused stores are a very crucial outlet for my business. Big chain stores like the idea of what I do but they don’t like the inconvenience of working with a small producer like me nor do they ever seem to appreciate the role small local farms play in a sustainable food system. My best wholesale customers are independently owned health food stores where the owners know my farm, understand what it takes to produce my products, and can explain to their customers what separates my products from other products they may see at the supermarket. I promote these businesses to my customers and they promote me to theirs!

    I’ve been involved in several farmers markets in the Bethlehem area over the past 2 years and have met a number of wonderful customers who are struggling to find a good outlet for local sustainably produced foods, especially in the winter months. I enjoy doing the farmers markets but it’s really tough to justify all the cost associated with doing a market in the middle of the week when sales are much slower. Being able to drop off to the co-op would be a much better option for us. It would also be good for the customers to have the ability to purchase this type of food 7 days a week.  On behalf of all area farmers I’d like to thank all the hardworking, dedicated individuals who are putting in countless hours to make this co-op a reality!

    Category Member Reflections | Tags: ,,,,, | No Comments

  2. Whatever Your Diet, We’ve Got You Covered: Cancer Recovery

    August 30, 2012 by Jillian McKee

    As you may have seen online or around town, we are releasing a series of posters to share with people some of the great points about the Bethlehem Food Co-Op! Each week, we’ll release a different poster on our Facebook page, and you’ll find blog posts here on our website to go along with the theme! The blog posts aren’t necessarily the views of the whole food co-op—Instead, they are reflections by the awesome individuals that make up the co-op, and they’ll give you a taste of what our members are looking forward to about the co-op.

    Poster: I'm a no GMO, flexitarian, & an ex-chocoholicThis post is written by Jillian McKee, who has been researching and writing about how beneficial eating healthy and living a healthy lifestyle is for someone going through the battle of cancer.

    People who are diagnosed with cancer must keep their body as healthy as possible. Many people lose weight while undergoing treatments for mesothelioma cancer, colon cancer or other cancers. Surgery, radiation, chemotherapy and immunotherapy can cause a loss of appetite, mouth sores, nausea, vomiting and depression that can affect they way cancer patients eat. Consuming a variety of nutritious fruits and vegetables is key to keeping the body as healthy as possible during the course of treatment and during the recovery period afterward.

    Eating the proper amount of protein is essential to maintaining lean muscle mass before, during and after cancer treatments. Protein contains many amino acids that are essential to building and maintaining healthy muscle tissue. There are a variety of foods that contain protein. Eggs, nuts, fish and beans are just a few protein rich foods that can be placed in recipes or eaten alone.

    Taking in enough calories is another important part of nutrition in cancer patients. While loss of appetite is common in those with cancer, eating enough calories helps the body maintain energy levels, fights infection and encourages the body to heal itself. People who have cancerous tumors in the stomach, lungs or pancreas can develop a condition known as cachexia. This condition causes loss of appetite, weakness, weight loss and the loss of muscle mass. People who have cachexia must seek treatment for this condition, as it is often difficult to control. Dietary counseling can teach patients how to combat this condition with nutrition rich foods.

    Cancer treatments are more effective when the body is nourished and strong. A body that is receiving the proper vitamins, minerals and amino acids recovers more quickly after cancer treatments have ended. The prognosis for recovery is much better in those who are well nourished. Having energy and feeling good also improves a patient’s outlook for the future, giving them a much better quality of life than those who feel sick.

    People who have difficulty eating properly during cancer treatments should consult their doctor for advice. There are many medications that can help increase appetite and aid the body in digestion. Anti-nausea medications can also help calm the stomach, making it easier to eat healthy foods. In downtown Bethlehem, residents do not have easy access to highly nutritious foods. With the exhaustion and other side effects many cancer patients face, it is difficult for them to travel to a store on the outskirts of town to stock up on the whole foods that are vital to their recovery. Even if they can travel to a super market, they may not be able to afford the best foods due to their medical bills.

    When the Bethlehem Food Co-Op opens, it will help those struggling through cancer, or any number of other ailments, to be able to take proper care of themselves to help the process of recovery. The co-op will provide fresh, nutrient rich foods to members of our community who might not otherwise get them. Through member-owner discounts, bulk buying options, and lower store prices, those feeling the strain of medical expenses will be able to afford better quality food than they could at a traditional grocery store. The co-op will truly help those suffering in our communities.

    Category Member Reflections | Tags: ,,,, | No Comments

  3. Whatever Your Diet, We’ve Got You Covered: Vegan

    August 24, 2012 by Jaime K

    As you may have seen online or around town, we are releasing a series of posters to share with people some of the great points about the Bethlehem Food Co-Op! Each week, we’ll release a different poster on our Facebook page, and you’ll find blog posts here on our website to go along with the theme! The blog posts aren’t necessarily the views of the whole food co-op—Instead, they are reflections by the awesome individuals that make up the co-op, and they’ll give you a taste of what our members are looking forward to about the co-op.

    Poster: I'm a no GMO, flexitarian, & an ex-chocoholicThis post is written by Jaime K. of Save the Kales! vegan lifestyle blog and cooking show and steering committee member.

    The community building aspect of the co-op is truly one of my favorite and most excitable elements. Being able to show (not just tell) people about the benefits of healthy food, home cooking, budget-friendly recipes, local and organic goods not only builds self-sufficiency, it helps create a true sense of community as neighbors become friends.

    But I’d be remiss if I didn’t admit that the co-op would also serve me, and my diet, in a very personal way.

    As a vegan (who abstains from consuming animal products and byproducts), I currently can’t run out to a mini-mart and stock up on essentials when I need them. In fact, it can be tricky to find my own personal “essentials” in the same store, and it’s not unusual for me to make 3-5 grocery trips a week to as many stores. That’s a lot of driving and shopping for a small home of two.

    The convenience of finding, in my own neighborhood (walking distance, perhaps?) ingredients like almond milk, nutritional yeast, bread made without eggs, and fresh affordable vegetables is both simple yet profound. If I could also say hello to friends, grab lunch, and sign up for a gardening class while picking up a new cookbook and supporting local businesses in the same trip, I think it would come close to my own personal grocery utopia.

    Food is personal. When our Co-op is happy to provide options for people of all diets — from allergies to personal ethics to simply loving that particular snack — we create an *inclusive* environment, the brick-and-mortar equivalent of welcoming everyone with open arms. Co-operating means enthusiastically co-existing.

    I look forward to meeting you at the cabbages and swapping breakfast recipes.

    Category Member Reflections | Tags: ,,,, | No Comments

  4. Meeting Notes-8/16/12

    August 22, 2012 by amber

    7pm: Welcome & Introductions- Glad to see some new faces in the group, once again! If everyone reaches out to just one friend every month, we could keep this beautiful thing growing! So, big thanks to the new folks that showed up to see what we’re all about.

    7:15pm: Co-Op Basics & What We’ve Done So Far

    What are we doing?

    • We plan to open a community owned and operated grocery store in downtown Bethlehem. Our goals are to offer healthy, affordable, locally-focused food and informational workshops in a convenient neighborhood location.
    • Our Mission
    • The Bethlehem Food Co-Op is a diverse community encouraging physical, social, and economic health by providing healthful, affordable food; emphasizing local, sustainable, humane and natural food systems; and offering unique educational opportunities to the entire community.
    • What is a co-op?
    • A co-op is an independent, democratic organization owned, operated, and financed by its members, committed to the people it serves and the communities in which they live.
    • Co-Op vs. Conventional (image on Facebook)
    • Steps We’ve Taken
    • Name, Logo, Self-Education, Basic Publications, Feasibility Study, Community Outreach, Cookbook In Progress, Incorporation Papers Drafted, Membership Drive to Come

    7:30pm: Good Magazine Community Maker Grant Project – We have a chance at winning $2500 from GOOD Magazine! A video needed to be made showing what our organization does/will do to make our community better. We asked each attending member to answer “How will a Co-op benefit Bethlehem?”.  The answered were written on pieces of paper and we had our photographs taken to make into a montage video for the contest!

    8:00pm: Steering Committee Update

    • Feasibility Study
    • Kelly Kennedy will be consulting with KDC to help us research: Background in municipal census data research and analysis
    • 651 Completed (That’s over 200 in the last month!) Our ultimate goal is to reach 1,000 by September- and we can do it!! Ask a friend to get online and fill out the study- it only takes a minute and helps greatly.
    • Trip to Brooklyn
    • 7 attending, visiting Park Slope, Greene Hill, Flatbush,- A group of Bethlehem Co-operators took a van to Brooklyn and visited various Co-ops. Stay tuned for a blog post about the day and all the wonderful information we have learned.

    8:15pm: Outreach Committee Update

    • New Leadership
    • Events- VegFest, Historic District Farmers Market, First Fridays, Emmaus farmers market, Seed Bank Fundraiser Bike/Run and more.
    • Volunteer Sign Ups- We always need your help! There are so many upcoming events and many hours of volunteer time that we need filled. If you love the Co-op and want to share it with others, please contact Robin for more details and a list of available times.

    8:30pm: Communications Committee Update

    • Poster Campaign- We will be releasing our new posters- one a week- for the next month! If you have any interest in writing a blog post to coincide with a poster release, contact us. Each poster represents a different aspect of why a Co-op is an awesome thing!
    • Website- There will be an upgraded website coming soon!
    • Calendar Development
    • Newsletter- We have voted and named our newsletter The Sprout! It will be released seasonally for the time being and will include information related to the Bethlehem Food Co-Op and it’s members, goals, and beyond.

    8:45pm: Finance Committee Update

    • Cookbook- We are seeking printing options. We still need recipes! Please submit any recipes you have. Ask your family and friends! For more information go HERE.
    • Money Distribution Policy

    Finally, this Saturday- August 25th, The Seed Farm is doing a fundraiser 5K and Bike Ride! Wear a Bethlehem Food Co-Op tee and come on out to support a great cause.  You can register and learn more about it here- www.theseedfarm.org.

    Thank you all for your continuous energy and support! See you next month:)

    Category Meeting Notes | Tags: ,, | No Comments

  5. Whatever Your Diet, We’ve Got You Covered: Gluten-Free

    August 22, 2012 by Andrew Bench

    As you may have seen online or around town, we are releasing a series of posters to share with people some of the great points about the Bethlehem Food Co-Op! Each week, we’ll release a different poster on our Facebook page, and you’ll find blog posts here on our website to go along with the theme! The blog posts aren’t necessarily the views of the whole food co-op—Instead, they are reflections by the awesome individuals that make up the co-op, and they’ll give you a taste of what our members are looking forward to about the co-op.

    Poster: I'm a no GMO, flexitarian, & an ex-chocoholicThis post is written by Andrew Bench, legal adviser for the Bethlehem Food Co-Op.

    I am a supporter of the Bethlehem co-op for many reasons, but one element of the new store is going to be really important to me—its focus on serving populations with food allergies and sensitivities.

    I have celiac disease, which essentially means that I can’t eat anything made from barley or wheat.  If you have never stopped to think about how many products wheat finds its way into, take a moment now.  Once you start to think about it, it quickly becomes apparent that a celiac’s diet is radically different from that of the average American.  Typically, if your food has been processed in any way before it reaches your table, there is a good chance wheat or a wheat byproduct has found its way into your food.

    Many people, faced with this food picture despair.  It is easy to think of all the downsides—all the foods that you can never have again.  I am not one of those people—I do not despair at the limitations.  Instead, I prefer to think about the upsides of having to be conscious about my food and my food choices every day.

    Once you are forced to cut out pre-processed and convenience foods, you realize that the supermarket is actually a very small place.  The supermarket becomes a market once more.  You are left, essentially, with produce, dairy, and meats.  The whole foods we should have been emphasizing all along.

    And, the Bethlehem Food Co-op, unlike a supermarket will place their emphasis on those whole foods.  Ensuring, as far as is practicable, that the backbone of my diet is local, ethically sourced, and wholesome.  What more could I want from a market? except maybe gluten-free pastas and flours which the co-op will also carry.

    In closing, I’ll share a quick story that happened just this morning. When I woke up, I was really craving some corn fritters (I had received about twelve ears of corn in my CSA share).  Unfortunately, I was out of gluten-free flour.  Because of this, I had to get in my car and make a special trip out to Wegmans just to buy a three-dollar bag of GF flour and then had to drive home.  In all, it took me over two-hours from the time I opened the cookbook until I shucked the first cob.  It would be awesome if there were a store down the street where I could ride my bike without a hassle to get what I need for my diet.  Thankfully, that store is coming soon. . . .

    Category Member Reflections | Tags: ,,, | No Comments

  6. Whatever Your Diet, We’ve Got You Covered: Vegetarian

    August 21, 2012 by Len Frenkel

    As you may have seen online or around town, we are releasing a series of posters to share with people some of the great points about the Bethlehem Food Co-Op! Each week, we’ll release a different poster on our Facebook page, and you’ll find blog posts here on our website to go along with the theme! The blog posts aren’t necessarily the views of the whole food co-op—Instead, they are reflections by the awesome individuals that make up the co-op, and they’ll give you a taste of what our members are looking forward to about the co-op.

    Poster: I'm a no GMO, flexitarian, & an ex-chocoholicThis post is written by Len Frenkel, the president of Lehigh Valley Vegetarians.

    Like quite a few Bethlehem Food Co-op members, I have chosen to eat only plant foods, that is, I eschew (cute pun?) eating animals. I’ve been eating this way for just over 21 years, but who’s counting? Before getting into why I think this co-op has such great promise, a few words about why folks choose to be vegetarian. It seems to be an even split between those who eat this way for their personal health and those that do not wat to eat animal flesh. Then there are those that do it because it’s less damaging to the environment. I’m for all three! When the co-op opens, there will be more discussion and education about dietary issues.

    I and most vegetarians that I know generally don’t eat anything particularly fancy or unusual, although one certainly can. It’s mostly food that you see in the produce section of whatever store you shop. Or in the aisles with canned, boxed, bagged and bottled foods. No need to be exotic. Just regular plant foods such as potatoes, carrots, black beans, spinach, apples, walnuts, peas, rice, tomatoes and oats. You don’t even have to eat tofu.

    For well over 15 years, I’ve been buying my foods, largely organic, from a food distributor outside Philadelphia—really expensive but convenient. That’s why I’m looking forward to the co-op, so I can buy locally and support local farmers, be a part of a Lehigh Valley-based community organization of which I’m a member, save a few bucks and also be able to share my knowledge of the connections between what we eat, our health and the health of the planet with all the people that will shop at the Bethlehem Food Co-op.

    Category Member Reflections | Tags: ,,, | No Comments

  7. Ready to dig in and get your hands dirty?

    August 16, 2012 by Colleen M

    eady to dig in and get your hands dirty?

    The Bethlehem Food Co-Op will be meeting TONIGHT
    Thursday, August 16th, at 7pm
    at the Unitarian Universalist Church of the Lehigh Valley
    (424 Center St. Bethlehem, PA 18018)

    We’ll be spending some time in the beginning of the meeting working on a project that will help your co-op have a chance to win $2500! We’ll go over the details at the meeting, but please come ready to be photographed (nothing fancy necessary—Just be you!). We need as many people as possible present to give us the best chance at these important funds, so tell your friends and neighbors to come, too!

    Here’s a basic overview of the agenda:

    7pm: Welcome & Introductions
    7:15pm: Co-Op Basics & What We’ve Done So Far
    7:30pm: Super Special Project to Help Us Win $2500!
    8:00pm: Steering Committee Update
    8:15pm: Outreach Committee Update
    8:30pm: Communications Committee Update
    8:45pm: Finance Committee Update
    9pm: Adjourn

    Category General Info | Tags: , | No Comments

  8. Why Shop at a Co-Op?

    August 14, 2012 by Colleen M

    Our friends at the South Philly Co-Op shared this amazing information today, and it’s too good not to pass on to all of you!

    To quote their blog:

    Okay, so let’s say you’re not reeeaaallly convinced that you’re ready to step up your support for the South Philly Food Coop to the next level.  Or maybe you’re game, but you’re partner’s a skeptic.  Well, here’s  a tip that can tip a skeptic over the tipping point:  National Cooperative Grocers Association (NCGA) has put together a 21-page super-credible and highly-readable report about the impact of food coops on their local communities.  It’s amazing.

    If you don’t want to dig into the report, watch this short and sweet video summary instead!

    And, find some quick facts, the video, and infographics here!

    Category General Info | Tags: ,,, | No Comments

  9. Feasibility Study Blitz!!!

    August 6, 2012 by Colleen M

    We’ve recently started working with the Keystone Development Center to analyze our feasibility study results and write our business plan. We can pull an amazing amount of data from our simple survey, but we need to collect as many responses as possible from the community, especially from north & south center city Bethlehem. We are hoping to collect 250 additional responses to our survey before the public meeting next Thursday.

    Please take 5 minutes (probably even less!) to help the co-op by filling out the survey. It can be found in English here and Spanish here.

    If you’d like to earn extra bonus points in our bank of eternal gratitude, send this email blast to your friends and community organizations, and ask them to forward it to their mailing lists!

    Category General Info, Resources | Tags: ,,, | No Comments