But how best to celebrate?  A lot depends on your budget, of course, but if it is the thought that counts, let’s be as thoughtful as possible.  The simplest thing to start with is a card.  A Mother’s Day theme is great, but forgo the Hallmark sentiment and write something straight from the heart.  You can be sure that it will be one piece of hopefully recycled paper that WON’T find its way back to the landfill.  A simple bouquet of flowers in a vase with the card in front is as beautiful a centerpiece in the eyes of mom as any you could find in Buckingham Palace.  Right now we’ve also got a wonderful selection of hydrangea that will say “I love you, mom” in living color.

Following that theme, you can up the ante and get mom a potted plant for indoor display or the garden.  It’s the floral arrangement that daily speaks of your affection.  And if you go with the outdoor option, we’ve got some wonderful garden art and accessories that range from the funky to the sublime — from gnomes to wind chimes.

If mom likes to cook — especially if she likes to cook for you — there are any number of gift ideas.  We’ve got some great cookbooks in the store, but what I would especially recommend is that you hang out in our Housewares Department for at least half an hour.  It will take that long for just a cursory glance at all of the various kitchen aids and gadgets we have, from spatulas (spatuli?) to cherry stoners (seriously), Cuisinart appliances and Fagor pressure cookers.  And if you really have some atoning to do for that gray in mom’s hair, just remember that Le Creuset is French for, “Mother, forgive me for being such a miserable kid.”

If mom likes chocolate, a sampler of our many different chocolates from handmade truffles to packaged bars from local and fair trade sources will delight her — especially if you pair that selection with a bag of organic espresso beans (if she needs to stay awake past 8:00) or a fine port wine or other selection from the Wine Shop (for a more mellow mood). Just tell the staff what type of chocolate you’ve bought, and they’ll come up with a pairing that will arm mom with bragging rights at the next bridge club gathering — scout’s honor.

Of all the Co-op departments, the one least likely to miss the mark with the pickiest mom is Health & Beauty.  Here I would have to go with the gift basket idea.  You can supply your own basket, or give us a budget and some idea of what you’d like to include, and we’ll take it from there.  Combine a brilliantly colored scarf as a functional wrapping, and nest a variety of oils, lotions, funky socks, perfumes, lip gloss, soaps, and any number of items to pamper and enhance the woman who gave birth to you.  Lord knows you caused at least a few of those wrinkles…and laugh lines.

A final suggestion might be the greatest gift of all for many a mother: the gift of your time.  We’d recommend spending that gift in the kitchen, fixing a Mother’s Day brunch (“brunch” being a derivative of the Latin word for, “I hate to get up early and cook”).  A simple breakfast of fruit and scones, or perhaps some scrambled eggs with cheese and some Canadian bacon or handmade Co-op sausage (oh, yeah!), can be a real luxury when you’re not the one who has to cook it.  And it doesn’t take long to prepare.  And if mom isn’t averse to a little bit of bubbly with her repast, you might want to take the advice of Co-op Wine Shop manager Leslie Young and pour her a glass or three of Domaine Ste. Michelle’s Cuvee Brut for a taste of Eastern Washington’s Columbia Valley terroir.

Just remember, however you roll on Mother’s Day, make it a gesture straight from the heart.  You can’t buy sincerity, and along with your love, that’s what means most to mothers.  Call it cheesy, call it a crass commercial holiday…or simply think of it as one day in the year when you can treat your mother the way you know in your heart that you should on the other 364.  It’s all up to you.  We just want you to know that, like mom, we’ve got your back.

A Co-op Mother’s Day Poem

A dinner that I made for you.

Perhaps a scarf of brilliant hue.

Some aromatic moisture cream,

Or perfume that will make you dream

Of all the cherished days to come,

On this your moment in the sun.

Throughout the week of May 7, Boise Co-op will pay its respects to the many suppliers whose business practices ensure that we don’t enjoy our morning latte, or other indulgence of choice, at the expense of a Third World community’s consignment to a life of desperate poverty.

We're putting the "fair" in Fair Trade!

Quite often when folks think of Boise Co-op (or most any cooperative grocery store, for that matter), they are likely to think of “organic” and “natural” as the leading adjectives that describe what makes our store unique.  Increasingly, however, another hallmark of cooperative grocers is “Fair Trade.”  The concept is simple enough: Purchase products from collective enterprises that ensure that the farmers and artisans who produce those products are paid a livable wage.

Throughout the week of May 7, Boise Co-op will pay its respects to the many suppliers whose business practices ensure that we don’t enjoy our morning latte, or other indulgence of choice, at the expense of a Third World community’s consignment to a life of desperate poverty.

This is why the theme for the coming week is “Discover the Sweet Side of Fair Trade.”  After all, supporting companies that support Fair Trade is about more than just the integrity of the products themselves – it’s about a level of social consciousness that adds an extra bit of zest to their enjoyment.

During the week, we’ll bring you little vignettes of the suppliers we’ll be featuring at our Demo Counter from May 7^th through the 12^th.  Here’s our current lineup:

• Monday, May 7 — Equal Exchange Fair Trade coffee and chocolate.
• Tuesday, May 8 — Fair Trade Chocolate from our friends at Dream Chocolate.
• Wednesday, May 9 — Full Circle Exchange Fair Trade coffee and their brand new line of Fair Trade chocolates!
• Thursday, May 10 –Fair Trade espresso chocolate sauce over coconut mounds.
• Friday, May 11 – Fair Trade Celebration! Featuring Dunia Marketplace (Fair Trade handicrafts), Full Circle Exchange coffee and chocolate, and a wide variety of Fair Trade products including Maggie’s Organics, Guayaki, Alaffia, Dr. Bronner’s, and Equal Exchange.
• Saturday, May 12 — Fair Trade coffees and chocolates.

We look forward to introducing you to the people and products that will be part of this demo schedule, and most especially to helping you Discover the Sweet Side of Fair Trade.

May marks the beginning phase of Boise Co-op’s remodel plans.  While the most visible changes will be in the store itself, there’s also a lot going on across the parking lot.  Next to the Co-op Wine Shop, what was once a humble storage space will soon become the Co-op Pet Shop, offering a wider array for premium, local, natural and organic pet products and supplies, including new bulk offerings and branching out into new pet items, such as organic chicken feed!

Zach Jones

A big part of what will make this possible is Zach Jones, and chances are that if you’ve spent much time in the Co-op Grocery Department, you’ve met him.  Zach is the Co-op’s go-to guy for pet owners who have ever had a question regarding natural food alternatives for their dog or cat.  Along with his other accolades – husband, father, musician, artist, pet food buyer – Zach counts “animal lover” as one of his strengths of character.

“I was fortunate enough to get hired straight away as the pet food buyer,” Zach recalls.  Since that day, Zach has spent countless hours researching pet foods – particularly those that compliment the Co-op’s natural and organic philosophy of good food.  This research, which continues some seven years later, guides Zach’s decisions about which brands of pet food to carry.  “For me there is a pretty clear line that defines ‘good and natural’ when it comes to pet foods: They have to be free of by-product meals, corn, and fillers,” he notes.  “As people have paid more attention to what they were eating, they didn’t want to leave man’s best friend out of the equation.”

Over the years, Zach has eliminated pet food lines that did not meet his standards, carefully choosing pet food lines that he and his customers believe to be the healthiest choices for their dogs and cats – brands that include Natural Planet Organics, Innova, Nutri-Source , and California Natural.

“In addition to solid meat sources (chicken versus chicken meal, for example), I also look for probiotics as part of the ingredients,” says Zach.  “There is also a major trend toward removing wheat and soy from pet foods – so many of our customers have come in and complained that their pets were suffering from food allergies.  While I always encourage pet owners to seek professional veterinary advice on any health issue affecting their animals, I’ve learned enough by now to know that sometimes simply switching to a different food might eliminate the need for more expensive allergy testing.”

Zach’s success in growing a Co-op clientele for pet food has resulted in the creation of the large pet food section presently found in the Co-op.  Because of this continued success, and by listening to our customers, in May 2012, the Co-op will begin work on the creation of the Boise Co-op Pet Shop, located next to the Co-op Wine Shop.  Moving pet food to its new location recognizes the fact that our pet-loving customers are seeking healthier diets for their four-legged family members.  The shop adds 600 square of retail space, which Zach plans to fill with new brands and products that include, among others, Taste of the Wild, Orijin, Stella and Chewy’s, along with an increase in locally-made pet foods and treats.

Would you buy pet food from this man? Of course you would!

“I want to create the best retail food venue for pet lovers in our community,” says Zach.  “I want us to stay on the cusp of the best pet food trends and incorporate the Co-op’s philosophy on what makes good food and apply it to the pet foods we offer.  I think we’ve been seen by our community as a trendsetter by carrying brands that you can’t find anywhere else in the Treasure Valley, and I want to continue to do that, as well as seek out local and organic sources for the products we carry.”

While a target date has not been set for opening the Boise Co-op Pet Shop, we anticipate this happening sometime in June 2012.  We’ll keep you and your pets posted on its status as construction is in progress.

I’m back…and ready to talk about an increasingly popular grocery item that has been both reviled and – more recently – regaled: coconut oil.  Long blacklisted as bad for you (it is, after all, a 90 percent saturated fat), research reveals that not all saturated fats are created equal.  The crucial factor is coconut oil’s status as a non-hydrogenated, naturally saturated fat that contains medium chain triglycerides (MCTs).  According to nutritionists, MCTs are converted into energy instead of being stored as fat – and as a result they can actually stimulate your metabolism, which increases energy levels and helps with weight loss.

As a cooking oil, coconut oil is more heat stable than most plant-based oils, which means that it can withstand high temperatures without heat damage, and does not break down to create trans-fatty acids. We’re confident that just about every health expert out there will tell you that trans-fats are definitely bad for you, regardless of what they may think about coffee.

A blog post I recently came across from sister co-op PCC in Washington cites a number of other benefits of coconut oil, including the following (lifted from PCC’s website):

• Abundant in lauric acid, coconut oil’s supply of this immune-boosting nutrient is only second to mother’s breast milk. This disease-fighting fatty acid contains anti-viral, anti-fungal and anti-bacterial activity.
• Coconut oil has antioxidant properties, which may help protect your body from cell-damaging free radicals. It has been known to reduce the health risks associated with diabetes as well, by improving insulin secretion.
• Coconut oil also can be used as a lotion, helping to soothe and moisturize dry or damaged skin – a fact that our Health & Beauty Department will be happy to confirm.

PCC’s blog goes on to list some ways that you can add coconut oil to your diet:

• Substitute for butter or shortening when baking.
• Use when sautéing vegetables, for stir-fries or other dishes.
• Spread on toast or mix in with rice.
• Add to a smoothie for an extra boost of energy in the morning.

With all the good press about coconut water (as a great source of electrolytes) and coconut butter that has abounded in the past year alone, 2012 could well be The Year of the Coconut.  We’ve certainly seen an increasing interest in both at our store.  The final clincher in the argument for giving coconut oil a try, however, has to do with another attribute that our customers frequently cite:  It tastes good.

As they say in our Health & Beauty Department, "Don't put anything on you that you wouldn't put in you."

]]> http://www.boisecoop.com/cooking-with-coconut-oil/feed 0 http://www.boisecoop.com/oh-say-can-you-see http://www.boisecoop.com/oh-say-can-you-see#comments Tue, 28 Feb 2012 19:16:36 +0000 boisecoop http://www.boisecoop.com/?p=14669 One of the things we’ve heard loud and clear from our Co-op customers is that they want a shopping experience that is cleaner, better organized, and less crowded.  If you have any doubts about how seriously we take this feedback, just walk down Aisle 9 toward the coolers at the back of our store.  Or perhaps you’d prefer to waltz, since the space we’ve created through some recent product consolidation and end cap rearrangements is enough to host “Dancing with the Stars.”  In fact, for the past few days I’ve been hanging out near the dairy fridge to check the reactions of shoppers who suddenly experience a mild case of agoraphobia as they reach the north end of aisles 7 through 10.

Aisle 9 is famous as the source of many of our ethnic grocery items.  Looking for some Dolcela Chocolate Pudding from Croatia?  Aisle 9.  Want a little Bosnian coffee to go with that Kinder Happy Hippo Cocoa Crème Biscuit?  Get thee to Aisle 9.  Some seaweed gomasio to sprinkle on that fresh eel roll from our sushi makers?  Organic shoyu?  Rice vinegar…fish sauce…tamari…and more salsas and hot sauces than you can shake a poblano chili at?  Aisle Nueve, amigos.

One of our most beloved Aisle 9 brands is ZerGut, which I first discovered nearly 20 years ago, thanks to the Co-op.  ZerGut originated with Hagop and Alice Bezjian, who immigrated to Los Angeles from Beirut, Lebanon in 1964 and opened the first Armenian grocery store in Hollywood some two years later.  The store catered to Armenian, Middle Eastern, and Indian ethnic groups and was the only store carrying foods for these communities at that time.

Over the years, the store grew, as did the different ethnic groups shopping there.  Under son Albert, the company added a wholesale division under the name of Indo-European Foods (a name that acknowledges the Indo-European group of languages spoken by most of the store’s customers.) In 1995, Indo-European worked with a small Bulgarian producer to pack products for the Eastern European community, and the ZerGut brand was christened.

Ilir has a soft spot for ZerGut

While grouping our ZerGut products amongst the other ethnic grocery items of Aisle 9 might seem a no-brainer, they were formerly consigned to a less noticeable end cap located an aisle or two away.  Consolidating them with their ethnic cousins from Asia and Latin America – along with other Eastern European specialty foods – gives Aisle 9 a much more Culinary League of Nations feeling to it, as well as giving our ZerGut products more prominent placement — which they richly deserve.

If you have an affinity for Near Eastern and Middle Eastern foods, you can’t help but love ZerGut.  Among my personal faves is the Mild Ajvar (pronounced, “eye-var”) – a vegetable spread with peppers and eggplant.  And if you’re a true eggplant aficionado, be sure to check out the Eggplant Caviar (Ikra) spread.  ZerGut also makes a “Russian-style” Ikra with zucchini rather than eggplant.  You can find staples such as garlic cloves, pepperoncini, marinated tomatoes, and Spicy Giant Beans.  And since you can’t really contemplate Eastern European cuisine without a generous helping of red peppers, ZerGut also offers Roasted Peppers with Garlic, Sweet Roasted Red Peppers, and Pepper Filet with Carrots & Spices.  High on my list of new things to try are Green Olive Paste, Potato Salad, Balkan Salad (you know…the kind of salad they eat in the Balkans), and Lutenica (a Bulgarian pepper and tomato spread).

ZerGut products lend themselves to a style of eating known as “mezze” that I became very fond of when I lived in the Middle East: small servings of a variety of vegetable dishes with fresh baked bread, hummus, and yogurt.  With some cheeses and perhaps a Deli side salad, creating a mezze-style meal is quick, easy, healthy, inexpensive…and immensely satisfying.

Should you feel like indulging your sweet tooth following your mezze (assuming you’re not stuffed to the gills), you might consider brewing a cup of Turkish coffee and helping yourself to a Balconi Tiramisu (in convenient packs of 10), or some Napolitanke Hazelnut Creme Wafers.  Of course, there are always the Happy Hippo biscuits…

If you find that ZerGut tickles your culinary fancy, there are some other Aisle 9 brands you should definitely check out, including Seeds of Change simmer sauces (Jalfrezi, Korma, and Madras), Thai Kitchen curry sauces (fix them up with some of our Smart Chicken in the Meat Department) and add some Tasty Bite Thai Rice (ready in as little as 90 seconds if you have a microwave handy).  For a past blog post on quick and easy ethnic dishes, you might enjoy reading our past blog post, Tasty Bite: The Middle Way to Indian Cuisine.   Whatever ethnic dish you’d like to serve up at home, think of Aisle 9 as your passport…and enjoy the wide open spaces of the Boise Co-op.  Shall we dance?

What makes the story of teff so fascinating is the fact that aside from the Great Riff Valley of Africa, the center for its cultivation just so happens to be located in southwest Idaho.

I love to point out local products to Boise Co-op customers. Depending on where in the store I encounter our shoppers, the objects of my enthusiasm could be grapes from Ron Mann, salsa from Amigos, coffee from Full Circle Exchange, grass-fed beef hot dogs from Homestead Natural Foods, or soap from Dr. Susan. When you buy from more than 180 local and regional suppliers, you’ve got a lot to love at Boise Co-op…if you love local.

One of my favorite local products to introduce customers to is an ancient grain that you’ll find in Aisle 2 of our store: teff — which we purchase from (appropriately enough) The Teff Co. of Nampa.  About the size of a poppy seed, teff grains come in a variety of colors, from white and red to dark brown. Its history traces back thousands of years to the ancient civilizations of Abyssinia and beyond. With a physiology that can withstand high heat and bright light, teff thrives even in unpredictable and difficult climates, and historically has been cultivated predominantly in Ethiopia and Eritrea, where it has long been the staple grain of those countries’ diets. Ground into flour, teff is used to make injera – a flat, pancake-like, slightly sour bread that complements the exotic spices found in Ethiopian food, as anyone who has enjoyed the cuisine will attest.

Some other interesting teff trivia, while we’re on the subject:

• Eragrostis tef borrows its name from Greek, meaning “the grass of love,” — from eros (love) and agrostis (grass).
• For its survival, teff uses a type of photosynthesis called Carbon 4, which developed early in the ice ages and allows teff to be most efficient in temperatures as high as those of the human body, in contrast to wheat, whose optimal temperature is 60 degrees Fahrenheit.
• One pound of teff can produce up to one ton of grain in only 12 weeks. The amount of seed required for this yield is hundreds of times less than that required for planting wheat. This productive potential and minimal time and seed requirement have protected Ethiopians from hunger when their food supply was under attack from numerous invaders in the past.
• Three thousand grains of teff weigh one gram – a testament to teff’s small seed size.

All of the above would certainly be enough to make teff an appealing, if not exotic, grain choice for everything from gluten-free baking flour to a hot breakfast cereal. But what makes the story of teff even more fascinating is the fact that aside from the Great Riff Valley of Africa, the center for its cultivation just so happens to be located in southwest Idaho. And for that, we can thank a former Peace Corps volunteer turned public health expert turned teff advocate and agricultural entrepreneur: Wayne Carlson.

Carlson grew up in Southern California – long enough ago, he points out, to witness what he describes as “the transition from commercial agriculture to urban development that was in progress after World War II.” Carlson went to Ethiopia in 1973 as a Peace Corps volunteer.  This was a time of revolutionary change as the country transitioned from a feudal land system during the last year and a half of Emperor Haile Salassie’s reign.  “Almost everyone at that time was a subsistence farmer, as had been the case for thousands of years,” says Carlson.

As a public health expert, Carlson saw first hand the impact of modern medicine and public health policy on the life expectancy and population of Ethiopia, and the subsequent inability of the country’s outdated agricultural system to feed itself as the population grew. He witnessed a famine in 1973 that led to the downfall of Ethiopia’s feudal regime.

“At the time there were hordes of development experts coming into the country from both the West and the Soviet Union telling Ethiopians that all they had to do was to reorganize their system of agriculture to resemble the models they championed,” Carlson remembers. “This meant bringing in the latest corn seed and eating corn instead of teff as a hedge against famine. Teff, however, was an integral part of the food system – not just as a food, but as a means of paying obligations. It was essentially the coin of the realm.”

Following his Peace Corps stint, Carlson eventually journeyed to Idaho as a public health expert, and was almost immediately struck by the geological and climatic similarities between the Snake River region and the East African Rift – both of which were the result of major dynamics in the earth’s crust, and both of which were subject to hot summers with intense sunlight. The idea came to Carlson that it might be possible to grow teff in southwest Idaho, and he already had in mind a domestic consumer market: the expatriate Ethiopian community.

“I thought about the huge historical transformation that was going on in Ethiopia and the loss of language, culture, and crop plants,” Carlson recalls. “Since these individuals were now in a new environment, the fun thing to do would be to try and re-establish the relationship between a group of people and a plant — that was my motivation. To do this, I would have to make it work in a cash rather than subsistence/barter economy, so it was also a sociological experiment.”

With the help of a friend with an agriculture background, Carlson began his “sociological experiment” by not only growing teff himself, but also recruiting southwest Idaho farmers to do the same. To target their initial market of Ethiopian refugees, many of whom were settling in the Washington, D.C. area, Carlson and his wife Elisabeth went through the D.C. phonebook and began making cold calls to anyone with an Ethiopian surname.

“They were disbelieving at first,” Elisabeth, recalls, “but then some elderly Ethiopian ladies got their hands on it and starting telling everyone else that this was the real thing. The relationship between Ethiopians and teff is one I can hardly compare anything to.” Wayne has vivid memories of taking teff flour to newly arrived refugees from Ethiopia and seeing tears in their eyes from simply smelling it.

Now in its 30^th year of operation as a supplier of teff grain and flour, which it mills at its Nampa, Idaho facility, The Teff Co. has roughly 30 Idaho farms on its roster of suppliers, and has expanded its market beyond the Ethiopian community to include natural food stores and gluten-free food producers such as Sun Flour Mills in Eagle – which in turn finds its way into finished goods from Teddy’s Bakery. Over the past 10 years, Carlson finds that his company has benefited from a convergence of trends towards local food sources, incorporating more whole grains, and an interest in gluten-free alternatives, as well as from people who have always been interested in healthy food and ethnic cuisines. Carlson also cites the work of the Whole Grains Council in raising awareness among American consumers of the benefits of teff and other grains.

Click here for a YouTube video with Gareth Carlson

Remarking on the continued importance of the Ethiopian community to his business, which now includes his son Gareth, Carlson can’t help but see some irony in The Teff Co.’s success. “Our question in starting this business was, ‘why not change the direction of cultural influence?’ Rather than exporting development practices to Ethiopia, why not take some wisdom from an ancient culture? From there it was a small step to contact Ethiopians living in the American metropolitan areas and re-establish the relationship between the Ethiopians and their favorite grain.” Thanks to this “sociological experiment,” the Carlson Family has also shared a unique and ancient grain with the rest of us, and in so doing has added yet another bragging point to Idaho’s agricultural credentials.

Rapp, who grew up in Seattle, suffered from digestive ailments that resulted in her being placed on a restrictive diet that severely limited her intake of fats and oils, and quickly took the joy out of eating. Items off limits included red meat, hard cheese, butter, and peanut butter.

“I came out of a healthy lifestyle culture,” said Rapp, “but I just couldn’t resign myself to a strictly vegetarian diet.” 

Although trained as a geologist rather than a nutritionist, Rapp drew on her research skills to uncover little-known information about saturated fats and oils and their influence on health and well-being. Her discoveries of the digestive healing properties of coconut and flax seed oils, along with palm fruit oil, canola oil, and hi-oleic sunflower oil, evolved over a period of many months into a “formula” for an organic alternative to butter which became known as Melt Organic.  Coupled with a move from Washington to Hailey, Idaho, Melt became the basis in 2007 for the creation of Prosperity Organic Foods.

In 2009, with the aid of seed capital and a select group of food undustry experts that included Meg Carlson, a former senior vice president of specialty products for Ore-Ida, Prosperity Organics undertook the re-launch of Melt to more successfully compete in the butter substitute market segment.

Cyngnia Rapp

“We used our investor money to develop a professional look, and at the end of last year our consultants were converted to an employee-based team with a stake in the company’s success,” Rapp said.

Prosperity Organics currently employs a staff of seven, with Carlson acting as president and Rapp functioning as the company’s Chief Science Officer. While Melt is currently the company’s only product, plans are in place to introduce a new product in the first quarter of 2012, with other product introductions on tap for next year as well. Prosperity Organics has also just completed a federal grant for nutritional research that Rapp will conduct with a professor from Columbia University.

“A critical difference with our company is that we are the only one in our industry that was created out of personal need, rather than solely on the basis of a marketing opportunity,” Rapp said. “I didn’t realize when I first started out that our product category is worth $3 billion, but we’ve been fortunate to catch the upsurge in coconut oil and a growing consumer knowledge regarding the whole health benefits of fatty acids.”

While Rapp acknowledges that butter substitutes may not occupy the most exciting retail space in a grocery store, she cites the success of another recent product in shaking up its category: “We want to be the Greek yogurt of butter substitutes,” she said.

I grew up in the Golden Age of the Percolator — a more innocent time to be sure, and one dominated by ground beans that typically came out of large red or green cans.  My parents were exhorted to “head for the hills,” “shake the can and see,” and enjoy a watery brown effulgence that was touted as “good to the very last drop.”  As a youth, I just didn’t get the appeal.  But that was well before the concept of “French press,” “dark roast,” or espresso entered my vocabulary.  We’ve come a long way, my friends.

Label me a coffee snob, but the reason I started drinking coffee lo these many years ago was simply because it actually started tasting good to me — along with clearing the mental cobwebs of the morning.  And while I typically don’t have more than one or two cups a day, my morning ritual always begins with a latte, courtesy of my $80 espresso machine.

If you have a person on your holiday gift list who feels the same way about coffee that so many of us at Boise Co-op do, I would encourage you to consider a small gift basket gleaned from the best of Aisle 8 in your favorite local grocery store.  That’s where our coffee lives.

We carry a wide variety of both local, domestic, and foreign coffees.  To say that there is something for every caffeinated taste is an understatment.  It’s much closer to the heart of the matter to say that your biggest challenge in putting together a coffee gift pack will be in narrowing the selection down to a manageable four or five…with a bit of room left for some biscotti or chocolate!

Let’s start with a true local hero: Dawson Taylor.  This much loved Boise coffee roaster (and coffee shop) has been sourcing, buying, roasting and blending specialty coffees for over 15 years, utilizing traditional European-style drum roasters in the conviction that this hands-on method “ensures that our coffees are crafted to perfection, resulting in maximum flavor.”  As a matter of pride, we call your attention to Dawson Taylor’s Co-op Primo Blend, which it describes as “a very smooth rich blend, producing the golden crema.”  Personally, I’m all about the golden crema.

From a little further up the road…Post Falls, Idaho to be precise…we bring you Doma.  The company has been around since 2000, with the goal of being “an environmentally sound company that roasts great coffee.” Or a company that roasts great coffee and is environmentally sound. Doma purchases certified organic, fair-traded and direct relationship coffees, and has made a commitment to place the farmers, their identity, and their product front and center.  Also front and center is the taste of their brews.  Take “The Chronic,” for example, which Doma aptly describes as “hot umber fuel to re-whiten the reddest of eyes, (and) warms the palate and the tummy with hints of cocoa and walnut with a concise, smooth finish, with hints of remembering the previous evening.”

From the good folks who brought you one of the coolest venues in which to nurse a cup of joe (Rembrandt’s Coffee House in Eagle, Idaho) is Full Circle Exchange, another local roaster founded on the principles of fair trade and giving back to the global community.  As the company’s website proudly proclaims, “From the day we opened our doors we have been committed to sourcing only the finest green coffees, grown using naturally sustainable, organic farming practices. Each coffee is hand-crafted in small artisan batches, creating a gourmet coffee with bold, intense and rich flavor. Equally as important is our dedication to ethical trade with small coffee estates and cooperatives.”  If you’d like to experience just how delicious that dedication can be, add a bag of their Holiday Blend to your gift basket.

Another great roaster that trades directly with democratically organized small farmer cooperatives is itself a co-op (you gotta like that): Equal Exchange, which was founded 25 years ago in West Bridgewater, Massachusetts.  You might want to consider amping your relationships up a notch or three with their Organic Love Buzz, a “dark and smoky favorite (with) sweet velvety layers of chocolate brownie, caramel corn, malt and toffee.”

Winter is a great time of the year to pick up on holiday blends from a number of coffee roasters.  Along with Full Circle Exchange’s Holiday Blend, Doma recently brought us Santa’s Little Helper (which I’m currently drinking at home), and from a favorite of mine since discovering their beans at the Toad Hollow Coffee Shop in Bellingham, Washington — Raven’s Brew Coffee – here comes Santa Caws.  If Raven’s Brew Coffee wasn’t as good as it is, it is probably the one brand I would buy simply on the basis of its blend names and label art, which include Wicked Wolf (my intro to the company), Dead Man’s Reach, Resurrection Blend, and Dharma Beans (with apologies, I’m sure, to Jack Kerouac).  Be warned, however, the company’s website admonishes that, “All of our brand names, images and text are protected by trademarks, registered trademarks, copyrights and attack-dogs with law degrees.”  Send more money, guns, lawyers, and coffee, please.

All these coffees represent just a sampling of what you’ll find in Aisle 8 of the Co-op.  If you’re looking for something a bit more exotic, you might want to include some Hula Girl from the Hawaiian Royal Trading Co., or go to the Mother Lode of great espresso, Italy, with ground or whole bean coffees from illy or Lavazza — the latter of which includes another favorite of mine, Super Crema.  And if you’re looking for coffee makers that will do justice to the beans we sell, you’ll also find Bodum French Press and drip coffee makers, or kick it old school with a Bialetti Moka Express espresso maker.

In short, if you’re wracking your brains for some gift ideas for anyone who appreciates great coffees (with the added benefit of social consciousness), head down to Aisle 8 and…yes, I had to say it…wake up and smell the coffee.

The ultimate eco-friendly food, Zürsun heirloom beans are grown on small-scale farms in the Snake River Canyon region of south central Idaho known as the Magic Valley Growing Area. The area’s arid climate, rich, well-drained loamy soil, moderate temperatures and stable moisture level – internationally recognized as having ideal environmental conditions for bean growing – produce pure, distinctly flavorful beans, superior to common store-bought varities. But then, we all know that there is nothing common about Idaho.

When it comes to tales of local food, you can think of Boise Co-op as the Library of Congress — or at least a compendium of brilliant short stories. Walk down an aisle, turn a page.  Aisle 8 of our Grocery Department is the repository for a number of splendid culinary yarns, including the story of Zürsun Idaho Heirloom Beans – the source for our packages of Cassoulets U.S.A.

Founded in 1985 by Lola Weyman, Zürsun Idaho Heirloom Beans is the original U.S. company to offer authentic heirloom beans and unusual legumes worldwide. During the late 1980s, Lola began distributing American-grown lentils, with orders coming from America, Canada, and Europe. She also helped develop new heirloom lentil varieties like Montana’s Black Beluga, named for its resemblance to caviar; Petite Crimson, smaller and quicker cooking than the standard Red Chief; and an American version of Lentilles du Puy.

Produced by nature and cultivated by world cultures through thousands of years, heirloom beans are untouched by genetic science or modern technology. Today there are over 10,000 known varieties of heirloom beans and legumes that have been handed down from generation to generation. Discovering and enjoying heirloom beans helps preserve traditional varieties for future generations 

The ultimate eco-friendly food, Zürsun heirloom beans are grown on small-scale farms in the Snake River Canyon region of south central Idaho known as the Magic Valley Growing Area. The area’s arid climate, rich, well-drained loamy soil, moderate temperatures and stable moisture level – internationally recognized as having ideal environmental conditions for bean growing – produce pure, distinctly flavorful beans, superior to common store-bought varities. But then, we all know that there is nothing common about Idaho.

A Very Merry Christmas Lima to you!

Jim Soran, a second-generation “bean guy” with 60 years of family roots in the Idaho bean industry, acquired Zürsun in 2004. Under Jim’s guidance, and with help from the 300 farmers who grow beans for him, Zürsun heirloom beans are continually inspected during the growing season for plant health, pure strains and consistent appearance. Zürsun delivers beans to customers fresh from the field and impeccably clean, and Jim’s passionate focus on producing the best-quality beans ensure Zürsun Idaho Heirloom Beans provides the most amazing, high-quality bean-eating experience. We also have it on good authority that Jim plays a mean guitar.

Heirloom beans’ life-giving properties are as important today as they were for our ancestors. Beans are recognized as a near-perfect food. They contain the highest percentage of protein of any vegetable and are packed with vitamins, minerals, and phytonutrients – plant substances that have beneficial effects for human health. The high-fiber content of beans protects against heart disease, and helps manage blood glucose levels and control weight.

In addition to being an excellent source of dietary plant protein, bean plants enrich the earth by aerating the soil, obtaining nitrogen from the air, and fixing and releasing nitrogen into the ground – thus helping fertilize the soil. Beans require less water and fertilizer than many grain crops like corn.

Each package of our Cassoulets U.S.A. beans comes with a recipe that primarily involes the addition of time, love, and temperature – not necessarily in that order. Take the Christmas Limas, for example – prepared “Provence style.” With the addition of two slices of slab bacon, beef bouillon (optional if you are vegetarian or vegan), olive oil, garlic, onions, and seasoning, the beans are baked in a casserole dish rather than boiled. With a garnish of chopped fresh parsley or green onions, a green salad and some multigrain bread, you’ve got dinner for four.

Linda Ledbetter can look a turkey in the eye with nary a pang of guilt!

As a confirmed omnivore there is a point in the process of celebrating Thanksgiving at the Co-op when I find myself feeling strangely guilty. And then it hits me: a lot of our customers are vegetarians and vegans. My bad.

It’s during these moments of carnivore insensitivity that I turn to my vegetarian proxy here in the Co-op Tech House, Member Services Director Linda Ledbetter. While Linda practices the gustatory discipline of not eating anything with a face, she is always gracious about the food habits of others…so long as they eat what is good for them (which includes ice cream).

I asked Linda the other day to walk me through the store and point out some things she would grace her Thanksgiving table with as a person who clearly isn’t going to be cooking a turkey, ham, or standing rib roast for the holidays. I’m happy to share her recommendations in the hopes that our vegetarian and vegan friends will share theirs as well, especially considering that I’ve never eaten anything prepared by Linda that wasn’t delicious.

• Quorn Turk’y Roast – Thanks to Linda, I’ve had the pleasure of eating other products from Quorn…and Linda assures me that no actual Turks were harmed in the making of this one. I can definitely say that I’ve never had mycoproteins that tasted this great, and while some might ask why others find it necessary to “disguise” a vegetarian product as faux meat, my experience is that many people who are uncomfortable eating animal proteins still enjoy the mouth feel of a “meat-like” food. To quote Bobby Dylan, “To each his own it’s all unknown.” Or as Linda puts it, “I don’t think of it as a meat substitute, just something that goes really well with other things that I like to serve for Thanksgiving.”
• Wild rice stuffing and squash – This is the time of year when you’ll find a variety of wonderful squash in our Produce Department, including the ever popular acorn and butternut, as well as what may be less familiar Delicata, Sweet Dumpling, and Kabocha. While the key ingredients for preparing tasty squash are pretty much time and heat, our Deli Department has prepared a wild rice stuffing that will take a baked squash to a whole new level – or simply work as a vegan side dish.
• Mashed yams – With a pinch of pumpkin pie spice and a little maple syrup, you’ve got a nutritional orange vegetable option to mashed potatoes. Not that I’m knockin’ spuds, y’all. I also recommend Japanese sweet potatoes for their nutty but less sweet flavor.
• Cranberry relish – Put down that can opener and back away slowly, ma’am. The real deal when it comes to cranberry relish starts with real cranberries boiled in half orange juice and half water. Linda likes to add some orange zest and organic raw sugar or honey. She also recommends making it a day ahead of your feast and serving it chilled. It only takes about 20 minutes of boiling down to make this perfect side to your Quorn Turk’y Roast and wild rice stuffing, but mind the sweetener since you’ll want to balance the tartness of the cranberries.

So, dear vegetarian and vegan friends of the Co-op…what do you like to serve for Thanksgiving?  We’d love for you to share.