Honest Weight Coop Scoop: Winter 2024

Coop Scoop

A FREE publication from Honest Weight

https://www.ohmycodvegan.com/

The HWFC Difference

Winter 2024

Why We Need Permaculture Ethics The Power of Connection in Our Body and in Our Life

is and A committed to providing our with foods and products for healthy living.

To promote more

of living. ways to who choose to participate in a community that embraces cooperative principles in an atmosphere of and

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www.HonestWeight.coop

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Heal ∙ June/July 2021 Winter 2024 Features Features

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Honest to Goodness

Five Minute Meditation to Recharge During the Winter Months

Healing From Heartburn

By Dave Cass

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By Rebecca Angel

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The Power of Connection in Our Body and in Our Life

By Dr. Madeline

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Joy during COVID

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Can Regenerative Agriculture Heal Our Why FoodWe System?

Need Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetuer adipiscing Permaculture Ethics elit, sed diam nonummy nibh euismod tincidunt ut

Meet Stephanie, Caleb, Community Connections and their new baby Nora!

Program

Your Member Owner Card: By Angel DidRebecca You Know????

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By Richard Daley adipiscing elit, sed diam nonummy nibh euismod

By Natalie Criscione

By Ruth Ann Smalley

Happenings at the Co-op

Happenings at the Co-op

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The HWFC Difference

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Incredible Be the Change Co-op 101 Edible Gardens By Natalie Criscione

By Morgaen Hansen

Fresh News!

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Doughnuts

By Deanna Beyer Producer Profile

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By Pat Sahr

What is a Co-op

Co-op 101

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What’s Fresh

By Pat Ellis

of the Capital Region

By Deanna Beyer

Be the Change

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Mild Mole Sauce

Recipe Corner Melanie’s Favorite

By Melanie Pores Date-Sweetened Fruit Smoothie

Recipie Corner Mustang Valley Lorem ipsum dolor sit Sanctuary amet, consectetuer

Be the Change

By Melanie Pores

By Natalie Criscione

By Natalie Criscione

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Nordic Naturals for Pets

What’s Fresh

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Skin Deep Naturals

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Double Up Food Bucks!

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Producer Profile

Front Back dolor Coversit Illustration: Jeffrey Wright-Sedam Lorem ipsum dolor sit Lorem&ipsum ISSN (print) • ISSN 2473-6163 (online) amet, consectetuer amet,2473-6155 consectetuer The Coop Scoop is for informational purposes only, and not intended as By Deanna Beyer medical or health advice.

Always consult your physician or other qualified

By Pat Sahr healthcare provider. The views of our guest writers do not necessarily reflect those of Honest Weight, and we do not take responsibility for them.

Coop Coop Scoop Scoop

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Sidewalk Warriors Troy

By Deanna Beyer

Zero Waste Capital

ambitious Glass Recy www.HonestWeight.coop/Scoop

WINTER 2024

the Co-op, to ensure t recycled rather than make it successful, w 2 glass i throwing clear home, bring it to the C

Honest Editors Natalie Criscione remembers shopping at the Quail St. Honest Weight location.

She wears many hats: educator, writer, artist, musician, property manager, advocate, volunteer. She loves being part of the Coop Scoop team!

Ruth Ann Smalley PhD, is our Content Editor. An educator and writer, with a 4-digit Co-op member number from the early 90s, Ruth Ann offers wellness, writing, and creativity coaching through her practice at www.vibrant-energies.com or www.ruthannsmalley.com.

Colie Collen is a flower farmer and designer raising a funny little kid in Troy. You can find her work at www.flower-scout.com

the face of the ever increasing ecological challenges we face. Could there be an answer in the way we choose to connect with others and with nature itself?

Letter from an Editor

By Pat Ellis

Anastasia Rodgers is the new Education and Engagement Specialist at HWFC. They love learning, creating and having as much fun as possible along the way! They can be reached at: education@honestweight.coop

Pat Ellis has been a shopper at HWFC for years and became a member a year ago.

She enjoys participating in the creative energy of the Scoop’s editorial team and is excited about contributing more in the future.

Lucia Hulsether is a teacher and writer currently based in Saratoga Springs, NY. Her first book, Capitalist Humanitarianism, is available from Duke University Press. www.dukeupress.edu/capitalist-humanitarianism

Mathew Bradley is our Layout Editor. He has been the Lead Designer at Honest Weight since the new store. Outside the co-op, he enjoys writing music with his band, tending to his garden, and training his English Cocker Spaniel, Cricket, for field work.

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just celebrated the first anniversary of becoming a member/owner of HWFC. I have shopped at HWFC for decades, always drawn by the freshness of the produce, the wonderful selection and reasonable prices of the spices, and a wide selection of products from the Wellness Department. I have not been disappointed.

However, I was not expecting to learn that there were other benefits as well. Over the past year I have been pleasantly surprised to discover the opportunities for community presented through my association with HWFC, its staff, and other members I have met. I have been enriched to discover what a caring, committed community we are part of. HWFC and the Coop Scoop have become a roadmap of discovery, whether through the community of talented people sharing their expertise in the free classes at the store, or the Scoop’s highlighting those organizations that make real, positive change around us.

In this issue of the Coop Scoop, you will find benefits of community and connections that you may not have previously known about and which may inspire you to connect with your time or talent.

Our feature article by Richard Daley shares how Permaculture Ethics can set a guideline for symbiotic connections to our natural world in

WINTER 2024

Dr. Madeline helps us see that connectivity is not only a necessary component of thriving in our various communities but actually fundamental to our bodies being able to achieve flourishing health. David Cass encourages us with the benefits of taking a few minutes out of a busy day to revitalize both our bodies and brains through a simple exercise. Natalie shows how our member cards can help us keep some extra money in our accounts as we extend our community connections by shopping where HWFC members are rewarded with extra discounts. One of my favorite reads is Morgaen’s explanation of HWFC’s new Chat Checkout. You’ll be introduced to Register 2.

Here you can choose a slower, more socially-connected way to checkout at the store. Slow down, and try it. It could just be a respite in your challenging day.

If you want to understand what your round-up change supports during the months of January, February and March, Natalie’s Be the Change columns focus on the “Sidewalk Warriors of Troy”, the “Trinity Alliance”, and the “Mustang Valley Sanctuary” and will inspire you to be part of helping community-centered organizations as they attempt to ease the pain of isolation, poverty, and abuse. I know I was encouraged by the connection people are consciously forging in what sometimes seems to be an increasingly disconnected world.

On a lighter note, check out Sam and Michael’s recipe for some Chai Tea. I am thinking of making some as I enjoy the Cider Belly doughnuts, highlighted by Pat Sahr in our Producer’s Profile. Melanie does not disappoint, neither with her recipe for Mole sauce nor the history of community and connection that stand behind its development. You may want to consider how you can use it at the next community event you contribute food to.

It has long intrigued me that years ago a group of people joined together to better each other's lives in some way. Not only are we still enjoying the benefits of that decision but together we are expanding our focus and reach and, in doing so, expanding our connections to the communities around us. Happy Reading!

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Remembering

Michael C.

By Ruth Ann Smalley

When I think about the many positive aspects of community at Honest Weight, the inspiring story of a particular co-op member—who sadly passed away a few years ago— immediately comes to mind. He had taken a class on stress-reducing Salad, Hot Bar, energy techniques that I offered in and Cafe are the community room, and we’d frequently cross Back, withafterwards If you’re new to Honest Weight, you paths in the store. He would fill me in By Morgaen Hansen might be wondering what makes a New Option! on the ways he was putting those us different from any other grocery techniques to work, as well as other things was learning. store. There are lots of things, but After what has new seemed likeheforever, the Honest eeling bit lonely?

If so,we’re it turns probably theabiggest is that a out Weight Kitchen is excited to have re-opened both the you’re not alone. A few years ago, Michael was a big of Honest Honest Weight recently introduced aSSalad “Chat Bar and& HHot Bar, including fan community-owned co-op! daily soup during the early days of the pandemWeight’s free class offerings, and in Checkout” experience for our customers. offerings. AndAlsofact, in other news: also ic, seclusion was our communal goal. had big made goodthey usehave of in-store From 10am to 7pm, 7 days a week, Register 2 is launched the brand-new We avoided social gatherings, isolated at supportBuild-Your-Own as he drastically Burger changed&his dedicated to “an intentionally slower and FriesaBar, availableeating from from 11am to -7pm home, and turned to screens, books, puzzles, habits.

After beingdailyeach told by his social checkout.” The inspiration is Jumbo, day. those that of usweight who’veloss been lucky and other favorite hobbies for comfort and might help Dutch grocery retailer who pioneered the ideaTake it fromdoctor distraction. a knee issue, Michael enough them,with (including meat, vegetarian, in 2021, and the concept is simple: to provide a to sample him waysTRY to nurture slow lane for shoppers who aren’t in a and hurry, vegan options),learned this is new a MUST for all! himself.

After Now, nearly 4 years later, it seems the Heyou lowered the burden on hisyour knees and who feel like taking their time and having grabbing your food, are welcome to enjoy isolation we sought for safety during social by more than 100 lbs, and seemed a friendly conversation in the checkout line. meal in our newly reopenedre-opened Café space, or to distancing is plaguing us. Loneliness is officially a really enjoy becoming part of the Weekday mornings, you’ll have a niceout chat on our beautiful, sunny patio with lots of comfortworldwide epidemic; studies reveal that 1 in 4 store community. with Ed, who will offer you a joke of the day: able seating. adults across the globe report experiencing often corny, but guaranteed to get a smile. regular feelings of loneliness and isolation.

One day, he was regaling me with Three nights a week, you will find “Laura the all the new things he had been learncashier”, whose peaceful energy is so very Recycling How big a problem is an epidemic of ing, andGlass I said, “Michael, have you welcoming, and who will befriend your little ones loneliness? General wisdom (supported by always been so interested in seeking for life before you’ve even paid for your groceries.

Piolt Project loads of science) says that the health of our out new information? So open-minde r o Wnew a s t eexperiences?”

Capital social connections plays a huge role in our ed aboutZ trying While Chat Checkout is a terrific offering physical health. Social isolation and loneliness His answer spoke volumes.

District has launched an for our community, it’s not truly a novel idea have been linked to myriad health problems, for us. It’s simply highlighting what already ambitious Glass Recycling including cardiovascular issues, cognitive “No, but because I didn’t know makes the Co-op so special: the idea that your Pilotonly Project here at the impairment, depression and anxiety, even it was out there.

You don’t grocery store cashier doesn’t have to be a Co-op, to ensure thatfind theout premature death. about vegetarianism or things like stranger offering you a silent experience at the glass cooking is truly macrobiotic whenbeing you’re register. They can be a friend and neighbor. recycled rather than headSo how do we begin to tackle this sense of eating at McDonald’s 2-3 times a day!

They can share recipes, know your name and ing to theclasses landfill.on To that.” make He separation? To repair the broken connections They don’t have the names of your children, and watch them it successful, weeveryday—for need your and rebuild our sense of community? There had a long commute grow from infancy to adulthood, if you shop Instead of on throwing are any number of therapies and activities years hehelp! had been relying drive-thru here long enough. that might help: making time for old friends, food. Joining Co-op had opened clear the glass in your single up taking a class, talking to a mental health a wholestream new world. appreciated In the 11 years I’ve worked at Honest bin atI home, bringthe counselor, all great ideas in their own right. glimpses gaveCo-op. me of just how much Weight, I’ve watched couples become families, it he to the pleasure that had given him. I truly one new addition at a time. I still see the Or, might I suggest, spending time at your miss seeing his bigsteps: smiles as he greeted Just follow these simple member-owner cashiers and courtesy clerks I local food Co-op? me in the aisles. spent my Monday nights with back when I •did Locate the collection bins near our bike lockers member hours in 2012. I’ve forged friendships • Only place clear, clean glass in the bins At first glance, a thriving Co-op like ours with co-workers, shoppers, and countless • Make sure to remove both the lids and little here at Honest Weight might afford a few member-owners, friendships that exist both plastic rings (labels are ok) different opportunities for those who visit, like in these aisles and out in the world. I’ve said

By Deanna Beyer

What is a Co-op?

The HWFC Difference

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a chance to support local farms, to eat the most delicious house made foods, or to snag a free reiki session before a weekly grocery shop. But what’s also on the menu is an opportunity to forge deeper connections and find that sense of belonging that so many of us seem to have lost along the way.

Shopping at or joining our member-owned Co-op can be a great way to connect: to meet and befriend like-minded individuals, to share a meaningful experience, and to be of service to our community. And while nothing is a cure-all for isolation, this is a pretty solid start.

Coop Scoop

farewell to dear friends who left us too soon.

And I see these meaningful relationships for others all around me. This, to me, is everything that is missing from the rest of the world. This, to me, is community.

Seasonal

So the next time you find yourself feeling a bit Local Produce distant from the rest of the world and are in need of a little human contact, come join us for What could be fresher than all of your favorite a chat at Register 2. Ask about membership, produce arriving daily from local farms? (could we and maybe consider doing a time investment. include It might just be the first step towards the a couple of relevant farm names here?It’s connections you’ve been craving. growing season and we’ve got farm-fresh fruits and

veggies from all over the area. So, whether you’re looking for nNon-GMO sweet corn, crisp cucumbers, or super juicy, tiny strawberries, we’ve got you covered! Be sure to check out all the beautiful new arrivals next time you’re here.

ILLUSTRATION BY ANASTASIA RODGERS

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ucer ProdCorner

ile of Pr Melanie’s Favorite

By Pat Sahr

Date-Sweetened Cider Belly Fruit Smoothie Doughnuts Pairs well with our

By Melanie Pores

IC

Albany, NY

n Ayurveda, the 5000ider doughnuts are a popular bakery year- old “science of have been regularly delivlife,”, item, the and emerging ered to the Co-op for several years. heat and humidity of the early They are produced at Cider Belly Doughnuts, a summer can be challenging, business owned and

by Jennifer and especially to individuals withoperated a Novak like and myself, located at 53 Fuller Road in “Pitta”Andy constitution Albany.

In addition to selling doughnuts at the who tend to overheat and dehyshop, Cider Belly has standing orders with drate easily.

As several the temperature companies inand the area. They also offer humidity rise inand the run surroundcatering a doughnut delivery service ing environment, the Albany body isand the surrounding to downtown also experiencesing a surge suburbs. Cider Belly inhas a commitment to temperature and beginsning incorporating fresh to ingredients from local accumulate moisture internalfarms, and loves to collaborate with local ly. People of all constitutions in cideries and other businesses. this season need to be mindful of fluid intake and electrolyte All of the doughnuts (called “Bellys”) contain balance. a p pend, l e cIi dthought e r w h iyou ch gives them their To this taste.

Belly offers six signature might unique enjoy here is Cider a healthy blended fruit recipe, that you can either enjoy as a yummy drink or easily pour it into an ice pop tray and place in your freezer to help keep you hydrated. It’s a healthy, and delicious way to attend to your body's thirst, as soon as it arises, and to restore your body’s electrolyte balance.

I hope you will enjoy my simple recipe for a date sweetened fruit smoothie.

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2 cups fresh greens (e.g, kale, spinach, or a mixture of greens) 1 1/2 cups coconut water or coconut milk 1 cup almond milk 1 cup pitted, chopped dates, soaked overnight 1 cup fresh or frozen cooling summer fruit (e.g, blueberries, blackberries, chunks of mango) 1 Tbsp ground flaxseed

1-2 scoops protein powder (pea protein powder for vegans) housemade cold killer! 1/4 tsp ground cardamom 1 tsp cinnamon 1 tsp vanilla extract 1 -2 Tbsp healthy fat (e.g, coconut butter, coconut oil, avocado or almond butter or other nut or seed butter)

1. Pour coconut water/ or coconut milk, and unsweetened almond milk, filling a high-speed blender to the 2 1/2 cup mark for 2 quarts of flavors— plain, cinnamon-sugar, maple-glazed, smoothie. Add the greens.

chocolate-glazed, vanilla-glazed and cappucci2. Startofblending low and, no— as well as a wide variety seasonalonfavorites. The Signature Six are as made greensfresh start throughto break down, out the day and, in theincrease morning, customers to medium speed might be able to buy hot doughnuts until completelystraight broken down from the Donut Robots if and theysmooth, happenapproximately to come in just as a new batch is 45-60 made.seconds.

Also, a limited number of seasonal Bellys are produced each 3. Add in soaked dates and morning and tend to sell out fast, so you have to cooling summer fruit. get there early, especially if you want Lemon, 4. Add EggNoggin, or French Toast.

Onground busier flaxseed, days, like protein powder, and cardaFriday, daily specials will sell out in under an mom,about Cider Belly hour! For more information cinnamon, and vanilla extract.

Doughnuts, go to the website www.ciderbelly.com., or visit the shop which is open 7 am-1pm daily.

5. Add 1 to 2 Tbsp healthy fat.

Pat Sahr has been a member of the Co-op since 2005.

Shesmooth. contributes to the Blend until Coop Scoop as the writer of the Producer Profiles. Sahr says, "Its a pleasure being part of the Honest Weight family, and I've especially enjoyed communicating with 6. Serve immediately or pour the various producers whose products are sold at the Co-op!"

in an ice pop tray and freeze.

Enjoy!

PHOTOGRAPHY

BY MATHEW • ILLUSTRATION ANASTASIA RODGERS PHOTOGRAPHY

BY CIDERBRADLEY BELLY • ILLUSTRATION BYBY MATHEW BRADLEY

Honest to Goodness

Five Minute Meditation to Recharge

During the Winter Months

By Dave Cass

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ey neighbor! I invite you to take a couple minutes to step back, breathe, and reconnect. During the winter months, it’s easy to become shut in, sheltered, and withdrawn. With this brief exercise, you can increase your sense of vitality on those grey and freezing days… and all you need is your breath and your brain.

Begin by sitting or laying down in a comfortable space. Stretch and stir until you feel your body become steady. I suggest you additionally focus on broadening your chest, lengthening your spine, and tilting your head to a neutral position. Once settled, begin to breathe naturally and simply observe how your breath behaves. Does it feel deep, slow, and fluid? Does it feel shallow, brief, and stuck? For the moment, all of this is okay: just take note.

Dave offers free meditations monthly at HWFC,

Jan 24th, Feb 17th & March 27th are his next sessions!

Coop Scoop

After observing your breath for a few moments, begin to take strong breaths in, hold at the top for a moment, then let it out on a slow and steady sigh. I like to imagine I’m taking in air to blow up the biggest balloon and then sighing to deflate myself entirely. At the moment you reach the bottom of your exhale, do it again! You may yawn or feel a tingling sensation throughout your body as you bring fresh air and oxygen to your circulatory system… that’s so totally okay. Do this for 20-30 breaths, or approximately two minutes.

Once your body has woken up to the change, begin to reflect.

What choices do you have for the rest of your day? With the energy and power contained within you, how can you best satisfy your needs? Maybe you chose work, rest, food, connection, aloneness, sunshine, movement… maybe you choose anything else.

With confidence in the choice you’ve made, take time to stretch and move your body, then go seize the day.

PHOTOGRAPHY BY MATHEW BRADLEY • ILLUSTRATION BY ANASTASIA RODGERS

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Sidewalk Warriors Troy

January

By Natalie Criscione 7

WINTER 2024

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f you happen to find yourself along 35 State Street in Troy, near the United Methodist Church (aka The Red Door Church) and it happens to be after 4:30pm on a Thursday, you will witness both the extraordinary strength of community and what it means to give to and care for one another. You will see the power of compassion and come to know what it means to be a Sidewalk Warrior.

Since April of 2021, every Thursday, rain or shine, nearly 70 volunteers (Sidewalk Warriors) arrive early to set up and staff the 30-40 tables along the sidewalk. The tables are stocked with household supplies, hot meals, and food staples. Partners such as the Regional Food Bank, Alexis Diner, Ginsberg’s Foods, The Iron Works Grill, and many other Rensselaer and Troy businesses and individuals help to supply food items that are then freely distributed to those in need.

The needs of the roughly 200 individuals served each Thursday are vast, and everyone’s story, though unique, is riddled with struggles that often find them living unseen within society’s periphery; yet, like the quote found on the website, the volunteers “…see each individual as a person deserving of a life of dignity and worthy of support in their journey.”

For Troy’s Sidewalk Warriors, none of the guests are nameless faces, and all

Coop Scoop

are welcome; many are repeat visitors while others are arriving for the first time. “We call them Friends,” says Nicholas Francella, the organization’s volunteer Vice President, who has come to know many quite well as he spends most of the evenings circulating with his tablet in hand, talking with individuals, discovering their needs, listening to their challenges.

“We know them on a first name basis—they ask how our families are, how the holidays are—we know so much about them; we are here to serve, not to judge; for us, they are family.”

Francella strategizes, collaborates, and searches for solutions. He relies on Healthy Alliance’s “Unite Us” platform to help people with challenges that might include such things as healthcare, housing, furniture, additional food, and clothing. “It’s a godsend,” Francella says. “I’ve even gotten young kids into sports programs; the service provides everything.” As of this writing in December 2023, he has signed up nearly 130 individuals to the platform.

Francella listens to his Friends and, through conversations, learns of things that may not seem obvious to those for whom basic needs of food, shelter, and clothing are taken for granted. Throughout the year as needs arise, volunteers collect additional non-food items for distrt-

bution. A fan drive in the summer and a coat/boot drive in the winter help to supply needed items. During the holidays, an “Adopt a Family” initiative provides toys and additional clothing for children. Currently, the Sidewalk Warriors are distributing wheeled carts to their Friends, many of whom do not have vehicles to transport food.

Things many people don’t think twice about are luxury items for someone who lives beneath the poverty line.

One week during a successful pillow drive, one particular child was cradling, rocking, and hugging her pillow. “Do you like your pillow?” a volunteer asked. Given her behavior, it was the quintessential rhetorical question, but her answer was not. The child, who paused a moment to look up, smile, and hug the pillow just a little tighter said, “This will be the first pillow that will actually be mine.”

Moments like this punctuate Francella’s evenings and inspire him and the dozens of other volunteers to return again week after week.

For more information about the Sidewalk Warriors-Troy, to make a donation, and to find out how you can become a volunteer, visit their website at https://www.sidewalkwarriorstroy.com/.

And, during the month of January, when you say “yes” to the question “Would you like to round up to the nearest dollar?” know that you, too, are a Sidewalk Warrior!

PHOTOGRAPHY BY SIDEWALK WARRIORS

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WINTER 2024

Why We Need Permaculture Ethics

By Richard Daley

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s we face multiple ecological challenges, we need systems that encourage a symbiotic human relations h ip wit h t h e nat ur a l world. We must avoid practices and ways of life that glorify the desecration of our most precious resources.

Coop Scoop

PHOTOGRAPHY BY ROMAN STOCK

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Everyone has the right to clean water, clean air, nutritious food, and an environment supportive of their potential to contribute to a robust society—a society that at its foundation has meaning and purpose for all people, and where its members have the opportunity to live in harmony with one another.

We all seek communities where we are able to contribute and be a part of something bigger than ourselves.

Sadly, many have been disconnected from this innate desire through culturally and socially constructed ways of being that counteract our tendencies toward cooperation and mutual support. Humans have not been successful throughout history by 11

competing, demeaning one another, arguing about politics never-endingly, or by trashing our only hospitable planet. We’ve been successful due to our social bonds and ability to work together to overcome challenges that we, as a group, faced.

Permaculture offers us guiding ethics and principles of design that will help us cultivate healthier lives and interact with one another in ways that move us toward more egalitarian and communal interactions.

The three ethics laid down in the core permaculture teachings provide us a way—through the lens of indigenous and spiritual wisdom—of looking at ourselves as part of a larger system; a

part of Nature, not apart from it.

When Bill Mollison and David Holmgren coined the term “permaculture” in the mid-1970s, they were envisioning an integrated and dynamic methodology of perennial and self-perpetuating plant and animal systems useful to humans: a permanent agriculture. But as the ideology evolved, and its applicability to other areas of human society became obvious, permaculture molted into something more accurately thought of as permanent culture.

Since the industrial era began, extraction, exploitation, and an incessant growth have exhausted the ability of natural systems to regenerate. This, again, is addressed in the permaculture

PHOTOGRAPHY BY SUNRAY SUSTAINABILIY

“Ethics is what you do in the dark when no one’s watching.”

- Rushworth Kidder (2003), the founder of the Institute of Global Ethics

Ethics provide us with a framework for restraint, and allow us to evaluate our impulses and survival instincts.

Ethics furnish us an evaluative tool to observe personal and social constructs that typically lean toward self-interest

and drive many human behaviors. They can guide us toward more enlightened ways to achieve a more expansive self-interest—a “self-interest” that broadens our understanding of what really is ours, and what us really means on the planetary scale. Understanding this, let’s look more closely at each of the permaculture ethics.

”

ethics. As a system, permaculture has value for everyone, in my humble opinion, because it condenses crucial principles and practices into understandable methods for skillful living. It is adaptable and applicable in all cultures and parts of the world.

The three ethics offered to us by permaculture are quite simple. They are: care for the earth, care for people, and fair share.

, permaAs a system s value for culture ha e, in my everyon ion, bein humble op ndenses cause it cociples and crucial prin to underpractices inethods for m standable l living. skillfu

Coop Scoop

PHOTOGRAPHY BY SUNRAY SUSTAINABILIY

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PHOTOGRAPHY BY AGARIANNA STOCK

Care For The Earth Mother Earth is our keeper. She is our protector. She is our provider. She is the only source of the essentials to life: air, water, food, and the materials for shelter.

The living systems of our wonderful planet are interconnected. The wellspring of their wisdom is beyond any naive human who thinks they are able to master them or bend them to their will without detrimental consequences.

When we look to indigenous cultures and traditional peoples who have lived much more sustainably, we find a drive to protect not only their communities, but to protect the air they breathe, the water they drink, and to honor the land upon which they walk. These cultures have long understood the deep connection that these systems have to one another (the entwined nature of Nature), realizing that their sustenance was drawn from a spring of life that could evaporate if not cared for properly.

To care for the earth is to care for all living and nonliving things; animals, plants, land, water, air, and so on. Thriving ecosystems arise from a diversity of species with many overlapping ecological functions. The nonliving aspects of those ecosystems are also paramount to this flourishing. To fully understand this gives us the potential to understand earth care and how we must honor this complexity.

Coop Scoop

WINTER 2024

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Care Of People

is and

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committed to providing our Humans have achieved great feats, with

through great levels of cooperation. Not only are we able to work together to reach goals beyond the abilities of a single human, we are extremely educable. We are willing and able to learn, share, and pass down extraordinary amounts of knowledge and skills.

Beyond our physical interrelations that help us achieve things like building shelters, forming businesses, distributing food and medicine, etc., we psychologically need social connections and community.

Community is known to benefit our mental health, and with rising rates of loneliness around the globe, communities are more important than ever.

We live in a time where people are more skeptical than ever of people they do not know and many selfishly pursue their own interests without much care for even their neighbors. Care of people helps promote the idea that we must take responsibility for ourselves and our actions, but also must foster and care for our community, and be a beneficial part of it.

Through building trusting bonds not only with those closest to us but also with the community around us, we foster supportive, emotionally healthy communities that function as collaborative places where we can thrive.

foods and products for healthy living.

To promote more

ways to living.

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who choose to participate in a community that embraces cooperative principles in an atmosphere of and

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8am-9pm Daily

Coop Scoop

PHOTOGRAPHY BY SUNRAY SUSTAINABILIY

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Specials. We also accept SNAP benefits.

How is Honest Weight part of the local food system? If buying local is important to you, we’re one of the best places around to shop. Co-ops form strong relationships with local, small-scale producers, which means you can find products that aren’t typically available at traditional supermarkets. At Honest Weight, we work with over 285 local farms and 319 local producers; that list is always growing. And because we get daily deliveries, it means fresher, lower-impact food that hasn’t travelled across the country for days.

Shopping for special dietary needs? We get it. It’s easy to find tasty food alternatives in every department at the co-op. Our friendly staff can also make suggestions if you’re feeling overwhelmed by the choices, as many of them are on special diets, too!

What is a community-owned co-op? It’s a grocery store owned by its members, usually the people who shop here. These are the people who cooperatively manage and control the business.

The membership makes all kinds of decisions, including what foods and products are on the shelf, and what standards those products and their producers have to meet (think growing practices, clean ingredients, etc.). At Honest Weight, we’ve got about 14,000 members.

Who can shop here? Everyone is welcome: anyone can shop at the co-op. If you decide to become a member, you’ll purchase a “share” of the co-op, become eligible for lots of additional discounts on products, and have voting rights on decisions that affect the store. Honest Weight member-owners can choose to invest their time at the store, serve on one of our committees, or work with a program, in order to receive a bigger discount (up to 24%) on their groceries.

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How does Honest Weight support the local community?

Most co-ops devote significant time and resources to educational programming, community development, and outreach initiatives. We donate 5% of our net profits to local not-for-profit organizations, run free and low-cost educational programs that are open to all, and are always looking for ways to collaborate with partners in the community. We offer many opportunities for member-owners to help with this community engagement.

What other co-ops are in the area? You can find co-ops everywhere! In addition to Honest Weight, there are several others you can check out: Niskayuna Consumers Co-op, Chatham Real Food Market Co-op, Mohawk Harvest Cooperative Market, and Cambridge Food Co-op.

While every co-op has its own distinctive vibe, we are all founded on the same basic principles: What is on offer? We believe everyone · voluntary and open membership in our community should have access to democratic member control affordable, high-quality, natural foods · member economic participation and products for healthy living. So we · autonomy and independence offer things like Co+op Basics (a line of · education, training, and informaover 450 high-quality foods and housetion hold items) at Everyday Low Prices. We · cooperation among cooperatives have biweekly Great Deals discounts, PHOTOGRAPHY BY QUEENMOONLITE STUDIO · concern for community weekly Fresh Flyer sales, and Manager’s

Fair Share This ethic is sometimes better understood as “returning the surplus back to Earth and people.” Resources are finite; we must grasp the idea that over-extraction puts them in serious danger.

Much of Western society rests on the assumption that “continuous growth” is not only possible, but a good thing–for the economy, for shareholders, etc. The systems of our planet have a carrying capacity: their ability to regenerate deteriorates through too much extraction or use of any particular resource base. In a finite system, where there are limits, how can continuous growth be possible? Quite simply, it is not. We are destroying our planet in the process of trying to fool ourselves.

The goal of fair share is to encourage us to reflect upon our impact and consider how we can live more sustainably—especially addressing the question of how to give back to the system. Composting is one way we can do this, by taking our organic wastes and returning them to the natural decomposition cycle.

Earth’s living systems sustain our lives, and industrialism’s exploitation mentality has caused much damage. There is no “Planet B”. Excellent permaculture practice means that when we do have surplus of time, money, energy, and other resources, we put those resources back into the system and build community. Giving back—to the land or to our communities—allows us a moment of introspection to realize that if we only took our fair share, then there would be enough for everybody, and then some!

Want to Learn More?

Richard Daley Founder of Sunray Sustainabiliy and a professional working in the field of environmental sustainability and ecological design as an educator and consultant. Email him at: info@sunraysustainability.com

Check out these resources:

www.sunraysustainability.com https://www.pbssocal.org/shows/tending-nature/the-indigenous-science-of-permaculture Permaculture: Principles and Pathways Beyond Sustainability, by David Holmgren The Permaculture City: Regenerative Design for Urban, Suburban, and Town Resilience, by Toby Hemenway

Trinity Alliance of the Capital Region

February

By Natalie Criscione 19

WINTER 2024

Now imagine Trinity Alliance of the Capital Region, located at 15 Trinity Place, just off of S.Pearl Street and Madison Avenue.

Have you heard of it? You have now.

Trinity Alliance has been serving the community since its inception in

Coop Scoop

the early 20th century. In fact, it is one of the longest running and most relied upon social service agencies the city of Albany has ever known. Since 1912, Trinity Alliance has experienced exponential growth as it seeks to address needs, solve problems, and serve the residents of the city’s most demographically vulnerable areas.

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magine a social service organization that exists within the heart of the large community it serves, where many of the people who staff its programs grew up in the surrounding neighborhoods and are passionate about their place on the map, their friends, and the human potential for so much more.

Imagine that it addresses needs of people in all stages of life, across the entire human experience, from prenatal to elderly populations. Imagine programs that enhance literacy, provide tax preparation, address urban grief, and coach successful re-entry. Imagine that it provides resources for those whose lives have been encumbered with challenges of hunger, homelessness, or violence or who just need a winter coat and a bag of groceries because this was a particularly hard week. Imagine a place where the arts are encouraged, where people discover hope, a newly refurbished bicycle, or a friend to offer guidance. Finally, imagine that the organization exists within the heart of Albany’s Arbor Hill, South End, and West Hill neighborhoods.

It really comes down to listening and being respectful,” says McGuire, “We address the needs of people where they are.

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This is not a simple task and is seemingly insurmountable at times.

There are no easy answers to the problems, and there are always growing needs that require teamwork, strategy, flexibility, and compassion.

Lots of compassion—and an unquenchable spirit of creativity and hope. “We approach problems holistically,” says Mark McGuire, Director of Marketing and Communications, “It is not enough to solve one problem with an individual, child, or family if there are four other problems.” The reality is that despite the efforts of city and state governmental agencies, there are still holes. “We fill in those gaps,” says McGuire, “and strive to fill the unmet needs for an underserved community.”

How is that done, one may ask. Well, it happens slowly and carefully, with personal connections, mercy, and an

open heart; it requires an acute awareness of the challenges that confront the community and society at large.

“It really comes down to listening and being respectful,” says McGuire, “We address the needs of people where they are.” Even with a staff of more than 100, “there is always work to be done,” says McGuire who daily witnesses the impact the staff and volunteers have on the lives of the people within the community. “They are passionate about our mission and committed to taking the extra steps.”

On Wednesdays, that passion and those extra steps manifest in a wonderfully tangible way for all as that is “the day that Dancing With Our Elders shows up,” says McGuire, and “sometimes we hop right in.” With music and dance moves, smiles and laughter, new friends and old, one can’t help but catch the spirit of hope that resonates through the neighborhood.

During the month of February, as you pay for your groceries at Honest Weight, say “yes” to the question, “Would you like to round up to the nearest dollar?” and become part of the Trinity Alliance team. Imagine!!!

For more information about Trinity Alliance, to find how you can volunteer, or to make a donation, visit their website at: https://trinityalliancealbany.org/.

PHOTOGRAPHY BY TRINITY ALLIANCE OF THE CAPITAL REGION

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Honest to Goodness

NEXT CLASSES: 1/27, 2/1, & 3/16!

The Beloved Chai Tea

By Sam Raj with Michael Wilk

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hen I was growing up in India, tea was an integral part of our daily routine. My mom would serve us a hot cup of tea after breakfast, before lunch, around 4 PM (heard it is influenced by the colonial past), and then before bed at 10:30 PM. Chai can be served spiced or plain.

Most commonly, tea is spiced with just cardamom or ginger or with the spice blend we call masala.

When we had visitors, we offered them a cool glass of water, followed by a hot tumbler filled with aromatic chai tea, along with some vadai or budgi to snack on.

I grew up in a village where everyone knows everyone. We usually sat on the patio drinking tea and chit-chatting with our neighbors.

Chai

Here is an easy recipe; the following spices are needed:

6 cardamom pods 1” of a cinnamon stick 2 cloves 2 black pepper seeds 10 fennel seeds Pinch of dried ginger or freshly shaved ginger

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Sam & Michael teach a monthly Indian Cooking Class at HWFC, join them for yummy food, cozy chai and great company!

My mom ran a small neighborhood grocery store; at times, her friends would gather in front of the store under the thatched roof to catch the mountain breeze and get some respite from the hot sun. Next thing, they would indulge in the neighborhood gossip. If my mom caught me eavesdropping, she would ask me to go make chai for them. That is how I learned how to make tea.

Not only did chai dominate households, ceremonies, and celebrations as the most served drink, but was also served in social settings.

witness uncles and grandpas gathering on the wooden benches holding the newspapers and discussing world news and politics while the younger generation watched the cricket on the screen. What is unique about this scene, everyone was enjoying a cup of tea.

Chai serves an integral part of Indian society. I can attest to the fact that even in our house here in Niskayuna or at the COOP, Chai has a special place and brings everyone closer.

I remember when I walked past one of the tea stalls back home, I could

1. In a mortar and pestle, add cardamom pods, and cinnamon stick, pound it to a fine powder, then add cloves, black peppers seeds and fennel seeds. Crush them. Add a pinch of dried ginger root powder or freshly shaved ginger root. Your masala is ready.

2. In a pot, add a glass of water and milk, ratio is 50:50, and let it boil. When the milk is ready to boil over, turn the flame down to low and add a pinch of chai masala and a spoonful of black tea (Preferred Assam black tea crushed not leaves) let it brew for five to ten minutes. Add a spoonful of coconut sugar (my favorite), strain it, and drink while the tea is hot.

PHOTOGRAPHY BY MATHEW BRADLEY • ILLUSTRATION BY ANASTASIA RODGERS

Nordic Naturals for Pets

By Pat Ellis

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his issue’s What’s Fresh is a product for our canine and feline friends. Omega-3 Pet Supplements, manufactured by Nordic Naturals, offers dog and cat owners the opportunity to provide their pets with a high quality source of omega-3 essential fatty acids EPA and DHA. This supplementation is essential to promoting optimal health in both cats and dogs. Typical over-the-counter pet foods have minimal amounts of EPA/DHA. The word “essential” in the name tells us that the body cannot produce the fatty acids on its own, so supplementing bridges the nutritional gap to help support animals’ joint, heart, cellular, immune, and central nervous systems, as well as their skin and coat health. It also promotes the maintenance of brain and eye development from puppies and kittens through to seniors.

Nordic Naturals is considered a quality source for both the type and the processing techniques used to manufacture its Omega-3 for humans and animals. It can be found in our Wellness Department in both liquid and soft gels.

Coop Scoop

PHOTOGRAPHY BY NORDIC NATURALS

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The Power of Connection in Our Body and in Our Life

By Dr. Madeline

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onnection is vital to life and comes in many unique forms.

This week I found myself thinking about the myriad connections that unite us through life.

I thought of the beautiful earth and our community of local farmers that connect us to quality food through Honest Weight Food Co-op. Then I thought of all of our members of the Co-op itself and I could not help but feel the energies that connect us all beyond our anatomy. At that moment of mind-link thoughtful connection, my daughter snuggled up to me and I reveled in the comforting touch of a loved one. Physical touch is profound and reaches deep down, affecting our brain anatomy and chemistry, even down to the cellular anatomical fabric.

It occurred to me then, that all of these modes of connection are laced together and drive us toward a positive path and create a cognitive framework from which we can connect to health. In this article, I would like to take a turn and look inward to delve into the lesser known qualities of the many ways our cells are connected to each other.

Inside our body, when a group of cells with similar structure work together to perform a specific function, we call this collection of cells, a tissue. In our body we have four basic tissue types. In essence this

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means that we have four general classes of cells that come together to help our body function and maintain balance. The four tissue types are: muscle, epithelial, nervous, and connective. This article will focus on the importance of connective tissue.

Connective tissue is the most diverse tissue type. It plays a unique and fundamental role in keeping us healthy. In general, connective tissue binds, unites, protects, and insulates our body. Just as connecting with people and our natural environment is important for mental health, as it promotes optimal neurological function which helps us achieve our goals, connective tissue is essential for p r o p e r d e v e l o p m e n t , s t a b i l i t y, function, and maintenance of fluid flow. Connective tissue provides an overall fabric in which human health can flourish.

The need for connective tissue’s diversity can be understood by thinking about the construction of a home.

One can have all the wood, metal, and plastic in the world, but how will one bind that material together to make a frame and how will we get heat to all the rooms of the house? How will water flow in and out? The binding materials for building are diverse and each serves a specific function for its particular use; from nails, screws, and glue, to tubing and duct work. WhethWINTER 2024

er the connecting material’s job is to hold together raw materials for strength, pliability, breathability, or to connect or deliver air or water throughout the home, each of these connecting materials has a unique, specific, and essential job to do. In the same way, a human body uses a diverse group of biological materials to connect us and allow for proper functioning. The following describes a few of the various and wonderful types of connective tissues in the human body.

Connective tissue proper forms a uniting sheath that is woven between your skin and muscle layer. It wraps and protects organs and vessels, and provides an overall soft yet strong scaffolding in the body. Bone is a type of connective tissue that provides support and strength as well as the lever system for muscle movement.

Blood is a connective tissue! It contains cells that pick up and carry oxygen all over the body and brings carbon dioxide back to the lungs for you to exhale. The blood also carries nutrients from the good food you eat to cells, and then carries waste away from cells for disposal through the kidney’s filtration system and the liver’s detoxifying enzymatic machinery. Cartilage gives pliable strength and resilience like in the costal cartilage of your ribs and the elastic cartilage of the ear. Adipose (fat) tissue insulates the body all over, stores energy for hard times, and also makes important hormones.

These diverse connective tissue types are rarely recognized as foundational for survival, but they are vital, just as the connections we make in life are. Our connections to the earth and all its beautiful diverse life, unites us and builds our inner strength. Whether smelling a flower, hugging a beloved tree, having tea with a dear friend, or smiling in recognition of another Co-op member, each interaction is a foundational and positive connection that builds our life beyond ourselves and connects us all in harmony and health. Today, let us be grateful for our essential connective tissue and let it serve as a reminder to channel positive connections to all life we encounter as we each play a vital role in the creation of a beautiful vibrant living fabric.

The Mad Health Doc has a Ph.D. in molecular cellular and developmental biology. She works at a local college where she teaches in the biology department specializing in Human Anatomy, Physiology, and Nutrition. When not at work, she can be found with her awesome family (which includes a flock of chickens). Have a question or a suggestion for a future topic? Email: MadHealthDoc@gmail.com

Coop Scoop

PHOTOGRAPHY BY JOS LUIS

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Mustang Valley Sanctuary

March

By Natalie Criscione 25

PHOTOGRAPHY BY MUSTANG VALLEY SANCTUARY

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DeBonis gains the trust of creatures who have been written off.

She gives them time to be and heal and evolve, a process that might be likened to grace itself.

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ow does one speak to the vulnerable or the voiceless among us?

For Mary DeBonis, the force behind Schoharie County’s Mustang Valley Sanctuary, speaking is secondary to what is most important. “I’m a horse listener,” she says. Her horses, who freely roam throughout 140 acres of land, have stories to tell about their past. Unfortunately, they are not stories that make for a comfortable night’s sleep, but are rather stories that tell tales of abuse, neglect, greed, government and land/water mismanagement, and unspeakable horrors.

“We bring them here,” says DeBonis, “We get the ones that were either mishandled, misunderstood, abandoned, or in the kill pen,” and provide them with sanctuary.

DeBonis, whose focus is “preserving Mustangs,” does not consider herself a horse owner per se, but rather “a steward of their care.” It’s a job of enormous consequence which she takes quite seriously as she cares for them, checks on them daily, feeds and grooms them, and sometimes finds new homes for them.

She provides the horses with “space,” something that contains meanings well beyond either the land upon which they roam or their physical needs. “We hold space for them to have opinions, space for them to speak to us and let us know how they want to interact,” she says.

How does one do that? Where does one create that kind of space and how does one discover those secrets?

Coop Scoop

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Through respect, understanding, love, care, dedication, and patience. DeBonis gains the trust of creatures who have been written off. She gives them time to be and heal and evolve, a process that might be likened to grace itself. Mr. Quinn, for example, a mustang who was surrendered to the sanctuary after first being rounded up as a young foal and then re-homed 8 times before he was 12 because he was deemed aggressive, is the alpha male, the leader of the herd, and deeply loyal to his caretaker. “He is one of the sweetest guys,” DeBonis says, with tears in her voice. “He comes over and takes his head and nestles it right where my heart is.” And, it’s Mr. Quinn who will separate from the rest of the herd to walk with her in the evenings as she moves the horses to their smaller enclosure where they stay for the night. Like Mr. Quinn, the horses that make up the herd understand her.

They understand the safety, security, and love that DeBonis offers them within the sanctuary and, in return, they become her partners in the services she provides, which involve healing people.

kids to open their eyes to see that living, breathing things need to be treated with respect, love and care,”

DeBonis, who is certified with EGALA (the Equine Assisted Growth and Learning Association) as a Mental Health professional, incorporates horses into treatment. Through various healing modalities her mustangs open doors to healing for domestic violence survivors, veterans, and young people. “So many people come here and find such peace and solitude being around these amazing creatures,” she says, “I’m dedicated to getting as many people and as many

In the meantime, during the month of March, say “yes” to the question “Would you like to round up to the nearest dollar?”

You, too, will become a partner for healing and the greater good.

In a world where there is so much disconnection, the Mustang Valley Sanctuary offers a path toward relationship and understanding. “If you’re dealing with sadness,” says DeBonis, “the horses might come up to you and just drop their head and be next to you.” Such singular expressions of kindness are catalysts for enormous change which she witnesses first hand as both horses and humans discover new paths forward.

Is it possible that we could all use some assistance with our brokenness?

I think about Mary DeBonis and her horses and I can’t help but ask you, Coop Scoop reader, “Are you interested in meeting the mustangs?” I am!

You can schedule a visit for yourself or a group by contacting mustangvalleysanctuary@gmail.com and you can visit their website at https://mustangvalleysanctuary.com/.

(Volunteers are always needed and donations accepted!)

PHOTOGRAPHY BY MUSTANG VALLEY SANCTUARY

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Your Member Owner Card: Did You Know????

By Natalie Criscione

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didn’t know that. Neither did I. Really? Is that true?

Those were some of the responses I got when I mentioned to a group of friends that their Member Owner card has some little known powers that extend well beyond the aisles of the co-op. Think of it like an AAA card or an AARP card, I told them, that when you present it at participating businesses it will provide you additional savings.

I love that, they said, but where? What businesses?

Ah-ha! You needn’t go far!

Just visit the “Community Connections Program” link (https://www.honestweight.coop/page/community-connections-program-207.html) on the Co-op’s website to discover savings on items ranging from fitness, yoga, health screening, and massage; to roadside assistance,

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car repair, and car sharing; from ice cream treats and nutrition to farm-to-table restaurants, apple orchards, and organic gardening; from hand knit gifts to games and novelty toys. There are savings for everyone!

What a great time of year to discover this, they said.

Any time is a great time to discover this, I told them.

Look how happy this is making you!! And it will certainly make the business owners happy, too. The savings are year round and you can feel good about supporting local businesses. Remember to show your Honest Weight member owner card!

If you are a local business owner and would like to add your business to the program, email memberservices@honestweight.coop for more information.

ILLUSTRATION BY MATHEW BRADLEY NOTE: If you have stained or damaged

Sourcing foods locally from over:

285 & 319 Farms

Producers

October AUGUST

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www.HonestWeight.coop

Corner Mild Mole Sauce

By Melanie Pores

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here’s nothing like a delicious meal to enhance a warm sense of community! Personally, I love to create community by employing my Spanish-speaking ability to enhance the life of others.

Along those lines, I enjoyed a wonderful opportunity to assist the Honest Weight Food Coop by serving as a Spanish/English interpreter at a local event. My heart soared as I had the opportunity to make a meaningful connection with some of the immigrants seeking asylum who have become new Co-op neighbors, currently housed around the corner at the Ramada Hotel.

Albany has also become the home for a number of recent immigrants from the state of Oaxaca in Mexico, whose native language is Triqui—some of whom are currently living near the store. With this in mind, I thought it might be fun to share a recipe for a mild mole sauce to help you create a yummy community-enhancing meal.

Mole is a traditional dish hailing from Mexico. The most well known varieties of mole are Mole Poblano, which is a sweeter and milder dish, and Mole Oaqueño, prepared with a traditionally spicier flavor. The name mole comes from the indigenous Nahuatl word “molli,” which means “sauce” or “concoction.”

My Bilingual and Co-op Journey As part of this Scoop’s focus on community connections, the editors asked me to share some backstory to my mole recipe. It started with my childhood friend whose family was from the Dominican Republic. I constantly visited my friend’s home, immersed in their loving, Spanish-speaking environment. Thanks to that natural, early exposure to Spanish, I became bilingual at an early age, and later chose to become a bilingual educator.

I have spent my life “codo a codo,” immersed in the welcoming, loving, and diverse Spanish-speaking community in Albany. I founded the City School District of Albany Dual Language Program, which will be celebrating its 25th anniversary in the fall of 2024.

Along with my bilingual interests, I also got involved with cooperatives when, at age 18, I moved to Albany to major in Inter-American Studies. I worked as a manager at a food co-op that was formerly housed on the SUNY uptown campus. In the fall of 1978, I became a member of the Honest Weight Food Coop, which at the time was located on Quail Street.

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Prep Time: 5 minutes Cook Time: 15 minutes Total Time: 20 minutes Serves: 6 (About 2 cups)

Travel, Mole, and Marriage In 1979, I began studying abroad in Mexico. After spending a few weeks in Cuernavaca in the state of Morelos, I transferred to a branch of the institute located in a small town called Chalchihuites in the state of Zacatecas. After I returned home, I learned that a friend of mine was going to spend the summer semester studying anthropology in the highlands of Guatemala. So, I applied, joined my friend, and spent the next couple months based in Santa Cruz del Quiche.

In the fall of 1979, after returning from Guatemala, I had my first date with Fred (we’ve now been happily married for the past 41 years) at the home of Trini (Trinidad) and her husband Jack. One of the dishes Trini prepared for us was a Chilaquiles dish smothered in mole sauce. From that moment forward, I became an aficionado of mole sauce.

On a return visit to Mexico in 1984, I visited Merida, the archeological sites at Chichén Itzá and Palenque in the Yucatán peninsula. I also toured the states of Chiapas and Oaxaca, once again enjoying the opportunity to sample different varieties of mole while traveling throughout Mexico.

In 2016, my husband Fred and I visited Mexico City, staying near La Reforma. We visited Plaza de la Constitución and the Zócalo, and also Frida Kahlo's house, Casa Azul in the Coyoacan neighborhood, and traveled to the Yucatán peninsula. And of course, I had to sample some more dishes prepared with mole sauce . . .

My recipe for mole sauce is a mild version of mole poblano. All the ingredients can be found in the co-op’s bulk and grocery departments. My mole sauce can be used to create a stew featuring chicken or turkey, seitan, or baked tofu. Or, you can use it with your favorite vegetables to create a yummy side dish. Enjoy!

Melanie Pores is a retired bilingual educator, an HWFC member since 1978, and the facilitator of HWFC’s Spanish Conversation Group since 2015, currently on Zoom, Fridays 10am to noon.

PHOTOGRAPHYJAN/FEB

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1 Tbsp avocado oil 1 small sweet onion, chopped 1 garlic clove, minced 2 cups vegetable broth 2 Tbsp cacao powder 1 ½ Tbsp arrowroot powder 1 Tbsp almond butter ½ tsp ground cumin ½ tsp ground cinnamon ¼ tsp salt ¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper 2 Tbsp raisins 1 Tbsp mild salsa

1. Heat the oil in a pan, sauté the onion and garlic until the onions turn translucent and begin to brown, about 5 minutes.

2. Add the broth, and use your spoon to scrape off any bits stuck to the pan. Now add the cacao, arrowroot, almond butter, all the spices, raisins and salsa. Whisk well to combine. Simmer the mixture for about 5 minutes until it thickens and is very fragrant.

3. Blend the sauce in a blender until completely smooth, and serve warm mixed with your favorite protein and or vegetables.

Notes: Store any leftover mole sauce in an air-tight container in the fridge for up to a week.

If you would like to make a more traditional spicy version of mole sauce, you can add any of the following ingredients: 1 additional tsp each ground cumin and salt, 2 tsp chili powder, 1 tsp dried oregano, 1 or 2 canned chipotle peppers, plus 1 or 2 Tbsp of the liquid in the can of chipotle peppers, 1 Tbsp adobo sauce.

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