[cgfc] CGFC's Weekly Bytes, Vol.1, #11

[Lisa BK]

GREETINGS!

Welcome to Common Ground Food Co-op's weekly (for now) e-newsletter! You're
getting this
missive because you're a member of Common Ground who's also signed up to be
on the CGFC
mailing list. If you aren't interested in receiving these updates, please
email
commongroundfoodcoop at gmail.com. A paper version is posted on the bulletin
board in the
store.

Every week, via this transmission, members are provided with store
updates/news, links to
relevant news items/political actions, and other bits and pieces worthy of
mention. If you
have anything of a similar bent you think members should know about, please
email links to
lisabk at gmail.com. Thanks!



STORE/LOCAL NEWS:

****Apologies for not getting this newsletter out in a timely fashion last
week. There are
many changes afoot at Common Ground, so there'll be lots of
routine-tweaking. Monday
afternoons may be a better time for members to receive their copy of this
newsletter - we
can get more current information regarding sales and store news to members
then, which might
help you better plan your shopping week. Feedback is welcome - just email
lisabk at gmail.com .


****BIGGEST EXAMPLE OF CHANGES AT CGFC: we'll be getting a new checkout
counter and Point of
Sale (POS) system in the store soon - if everything goes according to plan,
within the next
10 days! It'll replace our old cash register and counter setup - things will
look very
different. And in this case, different is good!

We've waited a long time to find software that meets our many needs as a
co-op, and we're
jazzed to finally have it installed. It'll provide us with valuable reports,
which will help
us keep your favorite products in stock, and will provide us with timely
financial
information regarding the store and its operations. Please bear with us
while we make the
transition to the twenty-first century… and help us remember to laugh! Staff
members will be
putting in some late nights getting the kinks worked out and the system
running smoothly.

Along with our new technology, we will have to change the PLUs (the numbers
that identify
our bulk items). Bulk items will now use 3-digit codes. Look for more
information in the
store in the coming days.


****OCTOBER CO-OP SALES!!

Here's a handy list of sale/new products for you to take advantage of/try.

>>SALE!<<

**Kagome Juice**
These 100% juice blends contain over 10 fruits and veggies packed into a
little bottle!
"Purple Roots and Fruits" features purple carrots, beets, and blueberries,
among others.
Autumn Reds is a bit more akin to a traditional vegetable juice, with tomato
and red peppers
in the mix. Don't be intimidated by this juice... you may find you like it
more than you
wanted to!

**Santa Cruz Organics**
Orange Mango Juice from Santa Cruz Organics is a smooth, tasty blend you
should try.

**Bulk Dried Cranberries**
Sweet n' tart Cranberries (sometimes called "Craisins") can make a good
snack that's full of

Vitamin C! Highly addictive! Make a dried fruit mix with raisins and
cherries!

**Swiss Style Muesli in bulk**
This sturdy cereal has organic rolled oats, raisins, hazelnuts, almonds,
cornflakes and
apples. It's only lightly sweetened with molasses, and is a nice to
alternative to sweeter
cereals.

**Miso Master White Miso.**

This is a mellow miso that makes a great soup base. And it's finally soup
season!

**Sno Pac Mixed Vegetables**
Yer basic mix of organic frozen veggies.

**Imagine Creamy Tomato Soup**
As the weather turns chillier, we start to crave bowls of warm soup... and a
bowl of this
smooth tomato soup is just the thing.

**Yogi Tea**
Echinacea Immune Support tea and Throat Coat are on sale right when we need
them. Be
prepared for the coming winter - stock up!

>>NEW STUFF!!<<

**New! Food for your itty bitty!**
We've heard your requests and we are bringing in more foods for babies. We
now have Earth's
Best organic whole grain rice cereal - both in packets and in large boxes -
as well as
Organic Baby organic baby food in jars. We have the puree of Apples & Plums
and also Sweet
Potatoes. These are just pureed organic fruit and veggies - no added sugar,
salt, or
preservatives. Let us know if you need other flavors - there are other
fruits and veggies we
can get if you want them.

**Kids' Snacks**

We also want to make healthy snacks for children available. We have expanded
our selection
of Fruit Leather fruit snacks, and have picked up Cheddar Bunnies - which
are a cracker
snack with organic cheddar cheese (and yes, they look like bunnies). No more
goldfish! If
you have ideas for other things you'd like to see, let us know. We're
currently sampling a
few new things.

****NEEDED. Food Samplers!
We occasionally put out samples of products we receive at the register so
you can try them.
We also get many other samples of various items in the mail and rely on our
workers to help
us evaluate whether these items meet our needs and standards. If you would
like to be part of
the team that evaluates products, drop Molly a line (mollystentz at gmail.com)
and she'll set
you up with some stuff that you can try. You have to be able to give
feedback, be willing to
try a wide variety of items, and be on board with giving your honest
opinion.


INFO OF INTEREST:

***Wouldn't it be cool to get The Future of Food (a film made by Deborah
Koons Garcia, who
used to be hitched to some guy named Jerry) to play somewhere in C-U? Check
it out:

http://www.thefutureoffood.com/AboutFOF.htm


***"After decades of being the world's top food producer, the U.S. is poised
to become a net
importer of agriculture products, according to data from the US Department
of Agriculture.
By the end of the decade, Brazil is expected to eclipse the U.S. as the
number one food
grower.

Call it the outsourcing of food. Following in the footsteps of blue-collar
workers and, more
recently, white-collar employees, the U.S.'s two million farmers face the
prospect of being
offshored as well."

More here:

http://www.alternet.org/story/26031/


***"'I believe that there are tremendous opportunities embedded in this
whole issue/crisis of peak oil,' said Brattleboro ecological engineer
Tad Montgomery.

'I'm seeing a lot of people wake up. A lot of people who have wanted to
implement alternatives for years or decades finally are saying this is
the time to put up those solar panels or drive a biodiesel car. They're
insulating their homes, riding their bicycles, growing gardens, and
preserving foods, finding self-reliance,' he said."

Interesting reading here:

http://www.vermontguardian.com/local/092005/PeakOilGoLocal.shtml




Please feel free to forward these links to people you think might benefit
from such
knowledge.

Thanks and look for #12 same time (more or less) next week!



::compiled by Outreach Co-coordinator Lisa Bralts-Kelly::
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