Littleton Food Co-op

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Mount Cabot Maple

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By Catherine Cushing, Specialty Cheese Manager

If you happen to be in downtown Lancaster and feel like taking a lovely drive out into the countryside, you might go up Middle St, take a left onto Grange Rd., follow Grange Rd thru to Pleasant Valley Rd, take another left onto Rowell Rd and at about 1⁄2 mile in on the left, you will come upon the homestead and enterprise of Morgan Hill, owner of Mount Cabot
Maple.

Mount Cabot, the tallest mountain in the Pilot Range of the White Mountains, is the site of the organic sugarbush where Morgan and her team collect sap in the early spring and reduce the
sap in a traditional wood-fired boiler to produce a single source, unadulterated and exceptional maple syrup, maple cream and dry maple sugar.

In 2020, Morgan purchased MountCabot Maple from Biff Wyman, a longtime and famed sugarmaker, who reached the decision to sell the business after the 2016 and 2017 devastating Forest Tent Caterpillar infestation defoliated thousands of trees, resulting in a 62% decline in syrup production. Morgan was raised on this property and is a passionate steward of the land. She knows that in their lifetime she will not witness a full forest recovery, but is still committed to employing best practices and lots of hard work (much of it done on snowshoes) to achieve the best outcome.

We at the Littleton Food Co-op are happy to support Mount Cabot Maple and to offer these fine products to our customers. The Mount Cabot sugarbush has been in operation under one sugar maker or another since the 1860’s and we suggest that you visit the informative and engaging Mount Cabot Maple website to learn more about the history and geography of this special place in our world and the people behind this outstanding product.

more info: www.MtCabotMaple.com

March Member Raffle

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From March 19-25 2023 we’re offering a Member Appreciation raffle! This one’s for all our Partial Members out there: come by the Co-op and upgrade to a Full Membership – that’s 4 shares total – or purchase a brand new Full Membership. As a thank you, we’ll give you a raffle ticket for a chance to win a fun gift basket of local goodies!

If you’re a partial Member with fewer than 4 shares, you’re probably aware that you’re missing out on the benefits of a Full Co-op Membership, like the ability to vote in our Board Elections. We encourage you to check how many shares you currently own, upgrade to a Full Membership, and claim a raffle ticket! We want to make sure everyone can vote in our upcoming Election, and this is a fun way to remind everyone to become Full voting Members and help our cooperative democracy happen.

Our grand prize is worth about $130, and includes all kinds of great local products. Here are some highlights:

Genuine Jamaican BBQ sauce, made right across the river in Barnet, Vermont. Check out John Heartson’s video, featuring Derrick, the Genuine Jamaican: “In Vermont”

Bee’s Wrap is made in Middlebury, Vermont. Infusing organic cotton with a blend of beeswax, plant oil and tree resin, she created a durable yet pliable beeswax food wrap that could be used again and again – helping people be like bees and do their part for the greater good of the planet.

Maple Medicine was created from a desire to establish a natural medicine chest to support holistic family wellness. Made in Montgomery, Vermont.

Badger is inspired to make healing products and run a healthy business where money is the fuel and not the goal, where fun is encouraged, and where they cultivate good through their actions and advocacy. Their facilities are in Gilsum, NH.

Janice Mercieri is a member here at the Co-op, helps run the Seed Library in our foyer, was NH’s 2021 Beekeeper of the year, fierce advocate for the environment and owns White Mountain Apiary in Whitefield, NH.

Bhoomi Devi Seeds are grown in Bethlehem NH at Shambho Farm, using homegrown fertilizer and a strict no-till bed management. This beautiful plant sanctuary is operated by Olivia O’Dwyer, Noah Dest, and Mother Nature (Bhoomi Devi). Noah works in the grocery department here at the  Co-op.

(And yes, Full Members can enter too! We won’t leave you out of the fun.)

The 21-Day Racial Equity Habit Building Challenge

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The 21-Day Racial Equity Habit Building Challenge is now in its 9th year, growing from humble numbers to over 7,000 organizations and individuals participating in 2022.

There are lots of challenges like this out there – just google it! So why is this one special, and why is your Co-op talking about it? The Racial Equity Habit Building Challenge comes from Food Solutions New England at UNH, so it’s a local thing. It focuses on food, food systems, agriculture, land access, and related topics, which are all near and dear to our cooperative hearts.

Plus the whole idea syncs up really well with Cooperative Principle #5, which encourages Co-ops to participate in Education, Training, & Information. This Challenge is just 21 days, making it a manageable way to educate yourself about what food goes into your body, and all the ways our food choices affect the world in which we live.

It also fits in with our DEI Statement, along with the four pillars of education, accountability, communications, and sustainability.

We all eat, right? The food cycle – including farms, processing, distribution, marketing, shopping, eating, and of course, waste – has a massive impact not just on ourselves and our health, but also on the environment and on our communities. It’s become clear, especially during the pandemic, that our food system requires an overhaul in order to be sustainable. This challenge is a wonderful way for each of us to learn the part we play in co-creating a thriving future, for ourselves and future generations.

So, what’s the challenge? It typically happens in April (but you can do the reading anytime!), so if you sign up with Food Solutions you’ll receive a daily email prompt with a short reading, video, or audio file. You can work at your own pace, and are encouraged to take about ten to fifteen minutes each day with the material in the prompt, plus extra resources will be provided in case you want to dig further into the day’s topic. You have the option to log into an online forum if you’d like to discuss the prompts in a supported and moderated environment. You’re also encouraged to share your experience on social media using the hashtag #FSNEEquityChallenge and have conversations with friends, co-workers, or other community members who may also be doing the Challenge.

Visit the Food Solutions website to learn more and register for this April:

www.foodsolutionsne.org/21-day-racial-equity-habit-building-challenge

 Join A Co-op Discussion Group

Becky, our Community Outreach Coordinator, will be doing the challenge along with some of our staff here at the Co-op! We’ve heard from a few people that they’d be interested in doing this together at some point in early summer, and we would love to have Members, employees, and even Board Directors get involved and get our own discussion group going this year.

If you’d like to join us in the cafe to chat about the Challenge once a week or so, feel free to drop your contact info below. Or just reach out to Becky: bcolpitts@littletoncoop.org.

Cooperation in the Community

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Becky Colpitts, Community Outreach Coordinator

Our Co-op is a catalyst for cultivating a vibrant community and regional economy, and of course, we’re all about local!

Putting these words into action, our Co-op participates in a variety of statewide and regional initiatives which work together to build a healthy, thriving food system and bolster our regional economy. They include food access, agriculture, diversity, equity, and inclusion, and platforms for us to work with our fellow food co-ops.

Our intrepid community outreach coordinator, Becky Colpitts, acts as our spokesperson for many of these partnerships. Our General manager, Ed King, and some of our senior Management Team are closely involved as well! Feel free to reach out to us if you have questions or would like to learn more about the community initiatives below.

The New Hampshire Food Alliance (NHFA) NH Food Alliance – NH Food Alliance is a statewide network that engages and connects people dedicated to growing a thriving, fair, and sustainable local food system in the Granite State.

Racial Equity Action Team – Learn more about the Racial Equity Action Team here. 

NH Eats Local Team – Learn more about the NH Eats Local Team here.

NH Food Hub Network – Learn more by visiting the NH Food Hub Network page.

Neighboring Food Co-op Association (NFCA) – The Neighboring Food Co-op Association is a federation of food co-ops across New England & New York State that are working together toward a shared vision of a thriving cooperative economy, rooted in a healthy, just, and sustainable food system, and a vibrant community of co-operative enterprise.

Healthy Food Access Regional Group – this group shares best practices and updates on food access across the region.

The Littleton Food Co-op offers Granite State Market Match (GSMM) to all SNAP participants, allowing a 50% discount on all fresh fruits and vegetables in our store. We also operate the SNAP/GSMM booth at the Littleton Farmers Market. Our employees also volunteer when the Mobile Food Bank comes to our area.

DEI Community of Practice – a support group for regional cooperatives, sharing best practices, training, and resources for improving DEI in cooperative grocery businesses.

New Hampshire Food Bank –  https://nhfoodbank.org

North Country Food and Agriculture Council is a North Country initiative that is in th

e early stages of organizational development. The backbone team have been meeting for over a year. They came together out of a food and agriculture resiliency focus group that the North Country Council organized in 2021. The work is bringing North Country businesses, farmers, nonprofits, and community members together to support a thriving agricultural economy and food system in the northernmost part of our state. Email bcolpitts@littletoncoop.org for more information.

Reduce Food Waste At Home

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By Robin Asbell
I have a confession to make. Sometimes, in the course of my week, I make too much food. Sound like a good problem to have? Well, it seems to be alarmingly common in our affluent country. My excuse is that I develop recipes for a living, so I test recipes even when I already have food to eat. My family, friends and neighbors all benefit from my overproduction, but more often than I would like, things go to waste. That half a jar of tomatoes for the pizza I made a couple of weeks ago got ignored when I moved on to testing dessert recipes. Then, we meant to finish all that cake, but by the time we realized that we couldn’t eat another bite, it was stale.

I feel terrible about it, every time, and resolve to do better. This year, for Earth Day, I’m going to do my small part to cut back on waste.

Earth Day started in 1970, back when there was no regulation of pollution. It was perfectly legal to dump sewage in the river, or send tons of toxins up in smoke. That year, Senator Gaylord Nelson created Earth Day, and 20 million Americans came out in solidarity across the country. By that December, Congress created the EPA, and started reining in industrial polluters and protecting our air and water.

Since then, Earth Day has become an annual reminder that we still have work to do, on recycling, cleaning up our toxic industries, as well as not wasting food.

Dried up carrots, moldy nubs of cheese, and stale bread heels pile up in refrigerators across the USA, and they add up to billions of dollars in food waste. In fact, food scraps are the number one thing that goes to the landfill. According to the EPA, methane gas released from food waste in landfills accounts for 20% of the United States’ greenhouse gas emissions.

We waste food at all points in the supply chain, so it’s not just your fridge that’s causing problems. At harvest, it gets damaged and tossed on the way out of the field. At the processing plant, things spoil or stick to the machinery and get rinsed down the drain. Grocery stores have to sort through and discard produce that isn’t perfect, although some of that is picked up by food shelves (a recent study found that food co-ops recycle 74% of food waste compared with a recycling rate of 36% for conventional grocers.) Out of date packaged goods have be pitched, as well. Restaurants and food service fill dumpsters with all the food we leave on our plates, combined with things that didn’t sell in time.

I am going to work to waste less this year and use more of the food I buy. If you’d like to do the same, here are a dozen tips that can help reduce your waste, and as a bonus, save you money!

12 tips to reduce food waste

1. Use those radish and carrot greens

Buying radishes or carrots by the bunch? Use the leaves to make pesto, salads (like Moroccan Carrot Radish Salad), and toss in soup. Think of them as peppery parsley.

2. Savor broccoli and cauliflower stems

Do you discard broccoli and cauliflower stems? Peel the tough skin from the stems and chop the tender cores to use in the dish, or cut in planks to eat with dip. This Creamy Broccoli soup uses the stems and florets.

3. Cook kale stems like you would celery

Do you discard kale and other greens stems? When cooking with kale, you can simply separate the leaves from the stems, chop the stems, and cook the stems first; they will cook a bit like celery. If you juice, save all your greens stems from meals you prepare, including parsley, and add to your juice for a chlorophyll boost.

4. Flavor stock and other dishes with potato peels

Do you peel potatoes? The peels make a flavorful addition to stock, and even thicken it a bit. Consider whether you even need to peel; many soups, potato salads and even mashed potatoes are more nutritious and filling with the skins left on.

5. Enjoy the flavor and nutrition of apple peels

Baking or cooking with apples? Leave the skins on and you will reap the nutrients and fiber they contain, and save time. If you do peel, add them to soup stock, for a subtle sweetness.

6. Zest your citrus and freeze for future use

Juicing a lemon or lime or eating an orange? Zest your organically grown citrus first, then you can freeze the potent zest in a freezer bag, for adding a hint of citrus to everything from muffins to pastas.

7. Peel overripe bananas and freeze for smoothies or baking

Are those bananas looking a little too brown to put in the lunch box? Peel and freeze them, then add them to smoothies (like Hidden-Spinach Berry Smoothie or Orange Dream Silken Smoothie), or thaw and puree for banana bread, muffins and cakes.

8. Puree and freeze veggies before they go bad

Do you have veggies going soft in the crisper? Cook and puree carrots, sweet potatoes, greens, cauliflower, and other veggies, then freeze. Stir the purees into pasta sauce, macaroni and cheese, soups, casseroles and meatloaf for an added veggie boost.

9. Save veggie trimmings for soup stock

Cutting up vegetables for a dish? Save and freeze the skins and trimmings from onions, carrots, celery, sweet potato, potato, parsley, spinach, and other mild veggies (peppers, cabbage and broccoli can be too strong) until you have a good amount to make Veggie Trim Stock.

10. Use up stale bread in flavorful recipes

Do you have bread going stale? Freeze the slices to use later in stuffing, croutons, or recipes such as Ribollita soup, Creamy Lentil Soup with Wheaty Croutons or Flexible Bread and Veggie Casserole. Make croutons for salads and soups, or crumbs to toss with pasta or top casseroles. Don’t forget about bread pudding and stratas, too.

11. Keep food that needs to be consumed soon front and center

Organize your refrigerator and pantry, and put foods that should be consumed sooner right in front. Switch your storage containers from opaque to clear glass, so that you will see that tasty lasagna from last night, because out of sight is out of mind.

12. Turn your vegetable scraps into fertilizer

Do you have room for a compost pile or a worm bin? Ultimately, transforming your plant waste into fertilizer is better than packing it in the landfill. Or if you don’t have the space at home, bring your food scraps to the co-op! We have a collection bin right out front for Meadowstone Farm, which takes food waste and turns it into fresh soil.

This article originally appeared on Co+op Stronger Together, and was updated by LFC Co-op staff.

Co-op Community Meal: December 2022

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Here are some fun photos from our most recent Community Meal, held in our cafe on December 5 2022 from 5-7pm.  It was so wonderful to see everyone’s smiling faces while we served up delicious baked ziti, garlic knots, salad, and cookies for dessert. We’re still working out the numbers, but we will post the total we raised for the Co-op Community Fund as soon as we know!

A big shout out to our Deli team for preparing such a marvelous dinner, our Board members who put their time into volunteering, and all the staff who put in extra hours to serve salad and cookies and help clean up. And of course our guests, for filling the cafe with community and good cheer!

We plan on hosting these meals every couple of months, so the next one will be in February. Make sure to follow us on social media and sign up for our newsletter so you are up to date on the next event.

📷 by Annie Stuart, Bob Goss, and Chris Whiton

PSA Regarding a Positive COVID Test at the Co-op

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On Sunday April 10 we learned that two employees from our store tested positive for Covid-19.  

Both employees last worked at the store on Thursday 4/7, during which time they were not symptomatic. One employee was masked continuously during their shifts. Both work primarily within the Grocery department, HBC, and Operations areas. They are currently both self-quarantining at home for the NH recommended 10 day period.

We are encouraging anyone with concerns to contact their healthcare professional and get tested when appropriate. We have identified all staff members who may have been in close contact with the affected employees, and we are supporting them as they self-monitor. 

As part of our daily Covid-19 screening practices we ask that any employee who exhibits symptoms to stay home, contact our HR department, and notify their healthcare provider. Our co-op has a generous sick leave and vacation policy, and we are working with staff members on a case-by-case basis to ensure they have the support they need. 

Our co-op prides itself on its cleanliness, social distancing, and safety standards, and we are taking multiple steps to best serve you, care for our staff, and be a responsible member of our community. 

  • The Co-op is a mask-friendly store, and we encourage anyone with concerns to wear one!
  • Our staff self-monitor for symptoms and do not come to work if they are sick.
  • All employees are asked to maintain a 6 foot distance from customers and coworkers.
  • We practice social distancing in our work areas and have installed reminders throughout the store.
  • We have installed extra sanitizer stations for staff and customers throughout the store, and encourage good hygiene and frequent hand-washing. 
  • We’ve installed plexiglas safety barriers at our registers, and marked off spaces on the floor to help everyone maintain a safe social distance.

If you have any further questions, please contact us at info@littletoncoop.org.

 

 

What’s For Dinner?

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By Matt Perry, Bulk Department Manager

What’s for dinner? It is a question that we are often unprepared for. Or at least, it is for those of us who are not expert meal planners. I imagine that most of us start thinking about this question at
the end of the day when we are tired, somewhat hungry, and yes, crabby. It can be especially tricky if you are cooking not only for yourself, but for your family members or partner and have to take
into account their differing tastes and opinions.

Thanks to my coworker, Alexa, I’ve been thinking about the question “What’s for dinner?” much earlier in the day, as she usually asks me in the morning. When she first started asking me, I chuckled, because I have never really been conditioned to start thinking about meals so far in advance! “I dunno,” I usually shrug. This is usually followed by a bit of a brainstorming session, taking into consideration things like, ‘what’s in the fridge?’ and ‘what did I eat last night?’ You see, Alexa is a Foodie and loves talking about food, so we can usually come up with some pretty good ideas. Grilled chicken? No, I had chicken last night. How about salmon? Nah, not really in the mood for that. Spaghetti and meatballs? Yes, actually I have some ground beef in the fridge. Oh, and the Raos tomato sauce is on sale. Perfect!

Once you get into the routine of planning in advance, working with what you have, and discussing food with your friends, you’ll start to find that the question “what’s for dinner?” will become much easier to answer. Bon Appetit, Co-operators!

Mask Policy Update

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As you may have heard, local COVID case counts are dropping and the CDC and NH State recently made some changes in masking guidance. Therefore we’ve begun to roll back our current mask protocols. We realize it’s important we do this in a way that is transparent, inclusive and continues to serve everyone’s well-being.

While we don’t specifically require masks to be worn at the Co-op, we’ve been strongly suggesting it for a while now. Masks are now optional for customers. You can mask if you want to, or not. As of Monday 3/21, our employees will no longer be required to wear masks. If you have a respiratory illness, please be considerate and wear a mask so that it doesn’t spread to other customers and staff. If you have COVID-19, please stay home and refrain from entering the store.

If you’re not able to shop in person, we have a Curbside Pickup Service for Members. You can easily order your groceries on our website and we’ll bring them out to your car.

If you have questions or concerns, please reach out to us at info@littletoncoop.org. Thanks for listening, and we welcome your feedback!

How Co-ops Are Helping Ukraine

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Cooperatives around the world operate according to a set of principles adopted by the International Cooperative Alliance. All people deserve the right to represent themselves democratically (Principle 2) and be free from tyranny or control from others (Principle 4). We also believe in cooperation among cooperatives, which means cooperatives should help and support one another (Principle 6).

Ukraine’s Central Union of Consumer Societies oversees a wide range of cooperative services and everyday essentials in many Ukrainian communities. This includes food co-ops just like ours, as well as public media production, education, manufacturing, and essential services. All of these cooperatives are at risk – along with the citizens and communities that rely on them – as long as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine continues.

In a show of solidarity, National Co+op Grocers (NCG) has partnered with the Cooperative Development Foundation (CDF) and NCBA CLUSA to launch a fundraising drive to support the Ukrainian cooperative community. Our General Manager and our Board have organized a direct donation of $2000 for this fund, which will directly support Cooperatives in Ukraine. Even better, NCG is matching all donations up to $100,000, effectively doubling the power of our contribution. That’s especially critical right now, since many of the towns and cities where people are trapped will need the food, shelter, and services that the Ukrainian Coop provides!

“The sense of support and solidarity we feel from around the world gives us strength,” said Illia Gorokhovskyi, board chair of the All-Ukrainian Central Union of Consumer Societies (COOP Ukraine), adding that the country’s cooperatives are continuing to serve their members. “Despite these circumstances, consumer cooperatives are making efforts to provide the population with the necessities of life, primarily food, and delivering them to where it is most needed.”

We’re not actively seeking additional donations at this time, but there are other ways you can help! NPR has compiled an excellent list of organizations you can donate to, and World Central Kitchen is providing fresh, nourishing meals to Ukrainian refugees.

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