More ways to save with by Bobby Sullivan Looking to stretch your grocery budget? So are we! Co+op Basics offers everyday low prices on the same staples every week, so you can plan your weekly meals around affordability and quality. From kale, to beef, to cereal, you’ll find new low prices on some old favorites. Don’t worry, we aren’t paying our farmers or employees any less. We’re simply committed to improving our selection so that everyone can find more value when shopping the Co+op. Starting in early September, you’ll find more than 100 Co+op Basics items in the store. Just look for the purple logo you see above on the signs in our store. The Co+op Basics program is much bigger than our old “Back to Basics” program, and we’ve made sure most of the items are NonGMO Verified, Organic and Local where possible. And instead of these items switching on you like “Co+op Deals” items do, Co+op Basics items will be the same every week, as long as possible. The produce items may change seasonally, but most of the rest will not. You won’t have a hard time finding them in our store and for your convenience, there is a complete list on our website, which we will keep updated if there are any changes. Truth be told, this helps the French Broad Food Co+op pursue its primary goal, as outlined in the Vision Statement - “to be a transformative force in our community” and to be a “business alternative that nurtures social and economic well-being.” Many forget that we have the buying power of a 200-store chain because of our national cooperative association. These days, it couldn’t be more important. The fact is, as Asheville continues to be a popular destination to move to, or visit, we also have serious issues with poverty and food access – especially when it comes to healthy food. As the economy here keeps growing at a rapid rate for tourists and property owners, many who live here
are having a harder time keeping up with the increase in the cost of living. As we look toward the future, you can bet that your Co+op will be focused on just that! Some of the headliners of the Co+op Basics Program are Organic Kale, Carrots & Onions, Organic Bulk Tofu, Hickory Nut Gap Farm Ground Beef, Organic Short Grain Brown Rice and Organic and Fair-Trade Equal Exchange Coffee in bulk, Cabot Butter, West End Bakery’s French Batard Bread and Dr. Bronners 32oz. Organic Castille Soap. In the Grocery department look for the Field Day brand and you’ll find everything from canned beans to pasta, sauce and much, much more. Don’t forget to take advantage of these other great ways to save when shopping the co-op: Co+op Deals – our biweekly flyer focused on packaged grocery and wellness products. Co+op Deals Coupons – Look for the Co+op Deals coupon books and save! Hint: The items we have coupons for will go on sale in a Co+op Deals flyer, so you save twice ! Owner Deals – ownership has its perks; look for the bright orange Owner Deals signs. Sales are for Owners only, and last an entire month. 5% on the 5th –Active Owners get 5% off your entire purchases on the 5th of every month, sale items and alcohol not included. Special Orders – Special order items in case quantities, and we will give you 20% off if you are an owner, or 10% off for non-owners. Bulk – save when buying just what you need; buy a pinch or a pound. Bring your own container and you save the environment too!
Bobby Sullivan General Manager
Sage Turner
Finance & Project Manager
Clare Schwartz
Outreach Co+ordinator
Ryan Prenger
Grocery Manager
Darren Stroupe Produce Manager
Greg Mosser Deli Manager
Melissa Fryar
Health & Body Care Manager
FBFC Board of Directors Justina Prenatt President
Danielle Goldstein Vice President
Jennifer Gustafson Secretary
Bob LeRoy Treasurer
Sarah Oram Alanna Hibbard Kelly Fain Pauline Heyne Josh Littlejohn Daav Wheeler Rosemary Fletcher Jean Karpen Board Assistant
French Broad Food Co-op 90 Biltmore Ave. Asheville, NC 28801 Tel:828.255.7650 info@frenchbroadfood.coop www.frenchbroadfood.coop
Monday-Saturday 8am to 9pm Sunday 11am to 7pm
Celebrate Co-op Month with Great Deals
The September-October edition of the Co+op Deals coupon book is packed with money-saving coupons on your favorite products.Stop by the co-op to pick up your copy today, and save on great products from companies (and cooperatives!) like Organic Valley, Blue Diamond and many more. Co-ops like ours are helping to build a better world, locally, nationally and internationally, and we couldn’t do it without the support of our member-owners and shoppers like you. We are stronger together! Learn more about the positive impact food co-ops have on their communities at www.strongertogether.coop.
Coffee at Risk
By Lynsey Miller, Sales Director at Equal Exchange Growing coffee on far-flung mountain slopes in ways that respect the earth and build rural communities is quite an accomplishment, there are routine, significant challenges to overcome. Now there is a new threat that is hitting many communities hard all at once. Coffee Leaf Rust, or roya in Spanish, is a fungus that starts with visible spots on the coffee tree’s leaves. As it progresses, rust renders the leaves unable to photosynthesize, essentially choking the plant. The fungus spreads from tree to tree, farm to farm, community to community. Its range has reached across continents. Its spread is fast and impact severe. Some farmer coops have seen production levels drop 80% in a span of 3 years. The cause of this plague is due to a variety of factors, but likely one of the most significant is climate change, specifically an increase in temperature in higher altitudes where this fungus previously could not have thrived. This is an example of how unsustainable use of resources in industrialized countries contributes to climate changes that leave some of the most vulnerable communities to bear the biggest burden.
New coffee seedlings destined to be used in the replanting efforts to combat rust – at San Fernando Cooperative in Peru.
For some farmers, the solution to rust is chemical. But the most effective fungicides are not organic and are unrealistic solutions for our farmer partners. For farmers committed to small-scale, organic production, the answers need to fit that model. Through their own field tests, farmers report that the best results come from bolstering soil health and replacing diseased trees. Equal Exchange has responded in two ways. The first is to continue doing what we do: focusing not just on a product, but on the people and infrastructure that grow the product. We provide pre-harvest financing, support replanting projects and facilitate info-sharing between farmers. We have also dedicated $150,000 this year to directly fund Coffee Leaf Rust projects that farmers are managing in Mexico, El Salvador, Peru, and Guatemala. Equal Exchange products will be on sale in October and we hope to draw attention both to the serious challenge of Coffee Leaf Rust, and to the perseverance and leadership of small farmers in finding better solutions. With your help and your purchases, together we continue to fuel an alternative trade model that does more than just trade. For more thoughts and analysis on this ongoing work, please visit our website and blog: www.EqualExchange.coop www.SmallFarmersBigChange.coop
General Manager Hugo Lares (far right) with two board members of Finca Triunfo Verde in Mexico, with seedlings under a greenhouse funded through the social premium. page 3
What’s LAAFF Got To Do With It?!
Justina Prenatt, President, FBFC Board of Directors
The Lexington Avenue Arts and Fun Festival is Asheville’s only all-local festival that features local food vending, local artisans, and an amazing roster of exclusively local entertainment and arts activities, and it’s happening Sunday, September 6th in downtown Asheville. But what does that have to do with the French Broad Food Co-op? We have teamed up for an exciting new collaboration!
community and in our work and to serve as a model of a sustainable business alternative that nurtures social and economic well-being in an environmentally sensitive way.
As part of this new relationship, starting Monday, August 31st FBFC is hosting a series of classes based on the LAAFF theme “Urban Pollinators” and other wellness concepts in our MLC, above the Co-op. See full schedule on Page 10 or visit our website, frenchbroadfood.coop
Education Policy - To foster an empowered and informed community with access to education and customer service.
And at the big event on September 6th, FBFC will host an interactive installation that will include a fun and educational scavenger hunt to help the community learn about the value of cooperative economics and all the good our locally and cooperatively owned co-op does for the Asheville community - plus scavenger hunters get a chance to win a $100 gift certificate to the co-op! We’ll also be offering eco-themed kids crafts. And we’re very eager to learn about all of your visions for Asheville through a collaborative art project at our tent that will allow our community members to create a shared beehive of their transformative ideas based on FBFC’s Ends Policies. If you haven’t read them lately, this is a great chance to brush up on a few of FBFC’s Ends Policies, which guide all of our decision making on the operations and governance level. Check these out… Global Ends Policy - To be a transformative force in our
Product Policy - To maximize availability of healthful and organic foods and non-food products grown, manufactured, or produced locally with ecological and social responsibility.
Financial Health Policy - To be a financially viable, transparent, ethical cooperative with equity growth, patronage refund, and community investment. Staff Policy - To be a respectful, responsive and safe work environment in which a fairly compensated management, bargaining unit and worker owner team has a strong sense of ownership in the success of the coop. Community Policy - To have an ever widening circle of community members with healthier and more environmentally restorative lives. Now compare our policies to some of the following details from the LAAFF’s similar, visionary manifesto and notice how the values set forth in this statement are closely shared with our FBFC Ends Policies. “LAAFF creates a participatory, innovative, art-focused, street festival that builds our local community through
fostering: • a reconceptualization of art as inherent to humanity’s ultimate evolution and wellness • connection amongst community members • creativity and joyous experiences • the transformation of social and economic ideologies towards equality • interactive, enjoyable education • promotion of personal, social, and environmental health and well-being” We’re really a great match together, right?! So come have some fun with us at FBFC’s LAAFF booth and explore the fun and celebratory side of your co-op community!
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Bye Summer. Hello Fall! Melissa Fryar
As I write this, the light is already changing. The ceiling fans have been turned off for a couple of weeks now since the temps have cooled. The garden is chaos, bursting with plants to harvest... and as a part time homesteader, I am looking towards chopping firewood for the cold weather ahead, drying, canning and preserving some of the summer’s abundance, and finally slowing down a bit. Ahhhh, yup! It is fall here in the mountains. Many of us love this season best of all with all of its cool beauty. The crisp mornings and back to school routines call us back home from all of our summer adventures. There are many adventures happening this season too, close to home. The Harvest Fest (put on by the fine folks at Organic Growers School) is coming up on September 12th. This is a wonderful event covering herbal medicine, fermenting, cooking, gardening, and more! In October, we have the Southeastern Women’s Herb Conference, which is always such an amazing few days. This year, Rosemary Gladstar ( the delicious “Godmother of Herbal Medicine”) will return. Her classes are always filled with wonderful knowledge and soo much fun! The conference is October 2-4th in Black Mountain and is followed by the ever popular LEAF festival. If you are into food, farming and the agriculture life, check out ASAP’s Farm Tour and Hendersonville always puts on a great Apple Fest. And speaking of food and agriculture: So much happening on the GMO and food front. Unfortunately, our local representatives have voted to not label GMO foods. Called the DARK act by GMO opposers, the law supports companies voluntarily labeling GMO or Non GMO foods, and prohibits single states or counties from having more stringent laws. This is a huge setback for all of us as studies show that 90% of Americans want to know if the food and products they are buying contain GMO ingredients. I am a firm believer in this. For those who believe that GMO foods pose no health or environmental threats, great! Eat ‘til your heart is content, but for those who do not want Genetically Modified Organisms in their diet, we have a right to know what our food contains. I believe this issue will be going on for years. For the now, my advice is (kinda) simple: Eat organic food, as local as you can get. Organic food not only does not contain GMO ingredients or plants, but also does not contain pesticides. Now, even this simple advice gets a bit complicated....China Organic? Huge can of worms! Because of environmental pollution in China, many organic products have tested positive for heavy metals and other contaminants. Also, because of the higher price that organic foods fetch, many products are blatantly mislabeled. How do we navigate all of this? Most of us
want good clean food for an affordable price. Who knew we would have to major in world politics, economics, botany, chemistry, and nutrition?! Just to muddle through our grocery list. So, I think the best we can do is source as locally as possible...eat real food. The more processed the items, the more chemicals and GMO ingredients, like soy lecithin, you will encounter. Get use to paying real money for real food. I accept that 20% or more of my income goes to food: either to the growing of it or purchasing it. While it took some adjustment to go from cheap food to real food, I have not looked back. I feel good that my dollar (my vote) goes to the values I support: organic, local farmers that I know, my piece of land that I nourish and that nourishes me, minimal packaging and waste...and so much more. I do recommend growing your own, if you can, or are inclined to. Even if you just grow sprouts on your counter...it is something. A study found that putting grocery stores in food deserts does not improve the health of a (often poor) community- community gardens do. Get people involved in producing their own food and they tend to make better choices. Just like cooking. The more we cook at home, I think the healthier we are. So, what is the Co-op doing in this GMO debacle? Well, first, we are trying to identify the products that we carry that contain GMO ingredients. Secondly we are working to source non GMO alternatives. This is much harder than it sounds. Right now there just is not enough organic products to fill the shelves. Demand continues to rise, but American still produces a vast majority of our staples as GMO and non organic. Yikes! I’m hoping this changes in the coming years. In HBC, we have committed to not bring in any new product that contains GMOs and have told our manufacturers that this is the case. Its a start. My hope is that you, as consumers will also help by seeking out and purchasing organic options. Again, it seems small, but I think it is the only way to really affect change. Hey, Walmart and Costco now carry organic items. That is because consumers demanded it. WE HAVE THE POWER! As many of you have probably noticed, we are changing a lot in the Health and Beauty world. In the coming months we hope to have a space that is more settled and easier to shop. We do have some great new products such as: Health Force Myco-Immunity- Fire extracted blend of the following fruiting bodies: Shiitake, Turkey Tail, Maitake,and Reishi. All organic (or Truganic as they say) and delicious! I will include this in my fall and winter broths to enhance immunity. Rare Essence Line- A beautiful line that includes mineral dyed and GMO free candles (scented only with pure essential oils), Gorgeous perfumes that are all essential oil based
Reishi mushroom
and also contain flower essences, and room diffusers to add some amazing smells to your home. We have new products from Uncle Harry’s and Baudelaire, with many more to come! Look for: Maggies Organics display including socks, skirts, shirts, and more! Andalou Body care products- non GMO and Organic! Dr. Hauschka Body care- A lovely german line of nourishing skin products Ener-C- A non GMO version of the ever popular Emergen-c (now owned by Pfizer). In General Merchandise we will have many great gift and cold weather gear for the months ahead, including a new line of gloves, scarves, and hats from Gypsy & Lolo. This company creates products from recycled and upcycled materials, made in the USA and give 1% back to various causes. Now THAT is a great gift! I will leave you with a couple of recipes to nourish you through the coming months. May you be well and happy in this glorious autumn season! Apple-Pear Chutney (from Food in Jars by Marisa McClellan) 3# (or about 8-10 apples) 2# pears (Barlett or Anjou- 5-6 pears) 3 cups dark raisins 2 cups chopped yellow onion 1 lemon, seeded and finely minced with peel 2 1/2 cups apple cider vinegar 4 cups light brown sugar 2 Tbsp. mustard seeds 3 whole cloves 2 cinnamon sticks 2 tsp. red pepper flakes 5 cloves of garlic, chopped 1 3” piece of fresh ginger root, peeled and grated Combine all of the ingredients into a large pot, stir well, and bring to a vigorous boil. Reduce the heat to medium and cook until the mixture thickens (about 2 hours) stirring often. You can enjoy this immediately and share with friends or can to preserve. 15 minutes in a boiling water bath is all it takes (and you have great homemade holiday gifts!) Melissa’s Favorite Wellness Broth About 4 pounds of assorted chicken bones, feet, pieces, or 1 small whole chicken (cut up)- delete this for vegetarians 1/4 - 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar 1 large yellow onion, chopped, skin on 1 head of garlic, split, skin on 4 stalks celery, roughly chopped 3 carrots, roughly chopped 4-6 slices of astragalus root 1 medium sized reishi mushroom 1 good chunk or 2 of chaga 1 Tbsp. thyme 1 Tbsp. oregano 1 good sized tumeric root salt and pepper to taste 4 quart of water Add all ingredients to a large stockpot and bring to a simmer. Skim off any scum that rises to the top. I let my broth cook for 8-24 hours. 8 is minimum for a good strong broth, 24 hours on the woodstove or in a crockpot is even better! Strain out and pour into mason jars for storage. This will keep in the fridge for about 5 days or freeze for 8 months. Enjoy!
Immune BOOM!
Tuesday, October 20, 630-8pm with Melissa Fryar Class held upstairs at the Co-op The beautiful fall season here in the mountains often means a rise in colds and viruses. Come learn how to make some yummy and effective herbal treats to keep you and yours healthy this season. We will discuss maintaining overall healthy immunity and we will also make a delicious astragalus tincture in class for you to take home. I will share some of my favorite cold care recipes including: Fire Cider, Onion Poultices, Elderberry Echinacea Syrup, Healing Broths, and more! We will discuss several herbs for the season, such as: astragalus, elder, garlic, osha, and others. This is a terrific class to enhance your herbal know how and boost your immunity for the season ahead!
Greetings
from the
DELI
Greetings from the Deli, Meat, and Cheese Departments!
We’ve had a few requests recently for more local chicken options, so we’ve got ‘em! Look for whole birds, whole skin-on thighs, and boneless skinless breasts in the meat section of the freezer. We’ve also got Blue Ridge Mountain Foods turkey wings, and should get a batch of their ground turkey as soon as it’s available this year. Speaking of turkey, it still feels pretty summery out there, but we’re busily trying to line up plenty of local turkeys for Thanksgiving. Last year we kinda got the short end of the stick on local turkeys, and many of you graciously accepted the other natural or organic birds that we did have. This year we’ve been assured that there will be more locals to go around. So keep your fingers crossed. If you want to guarantee a local bird for your holiday, let us know in the kitchen and we’ll keep track. The sign-ups will start on October 26. If you gluten-free folks haven’t noticed, the Herban Baker is back at the coop, now baking a certified GF facility. Sea-salted chocolate chip cookies? Yes, please! Also, for those of you who have been wondering, the fine folks at Green Opportunities assure me that pre-made vegan breakfast sandwiches ARE being formulated as I type. It will be here as soon as events warrant.
Help the bees find their hive!
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Green Opportunities is excited about the support of community partners like the French Broad Food Co-op! Because of the Co-op’s support, our Kitchen Ready (KR) program started its newest training cycle August 10th. KR links low-income individuals to employment opportunities in Asheville’s growing restaurant and food industries by addressing their barriers to employment including criminal backgrounds, lack of access to education, child care needs, and lack of transpiration) GO! KR provides a 14-week intensive culinary arts training, which includes instruction in proper sanitation, knife skills and cooking fundamentals. During their first week of technical training, 15 students are gathered around a large stainless steel island located in the Edington Center’s state of the art commercial kitchen. They begin their technical training in knife skills. Through this training, students learn all the types of professional food skills, from julienning to chiffonade, to blanching food, shocking food and professional kitchen table service. Students also get on-the-job training by serving community lunches at the Edington Center. These donation based lunches provide free, fresh, healthy three course meals for the residents of the surrounding food desert and allow a real life training experience for KR ready students as they prepare, plate and serve 50 to 100 community members a day. Students and graduates of the program also have the opportunity to earn money and gain work experience through SouthSide Kitchen, the social enterprise of KR. SouthSide Kitchen does private catering and contracts food services with local businesses, like making the French Broad Food Co-op’s hot breakfast bar six days a week. If you’ve eaten the scratch made biscuits, tofu scramble or sweet potato hash at the breakfast bar in the Co-op, you’ve eaten with GO! We’d love to have French Broad Food Co-op supporters learn more about Kitchen Ready and the rest of GO’s work. Come by for a tour and stay for our donation based lunch. Or join us for our pop up dinners! These dinners provide formal dining training for our students. Email neela@ greenopportunities.org to take a tour and reserve your place at our community table!
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FRENCH BROAD FOOD CO+OP CALENDAR OF EVENTS
www.frenchbroadfood.coop • 90 Biltmore Ave. • Downtown Asheville • 828.255.7650