Willy Street Co-op | What's New?

Expanding Your Knowledge of Home Fermentation

It is the first of September, and Willy Street Co-op’s first ever Eat Local Challenge is well underway. Some of you have dived in and made the commitment, while others of you, clad in your swimsuits, are standing at the shore, dipping one toe in the waters of converting to a more local diet. But regardless of your level of involvement, the fact remains that you are an Owner of Willy Street Co-op, and you’ve made your voices heard through your purchases, your comments, and your participation in our DIY classes: you want to support local farmers and producers! You’ve been educated about the benefits of a local diet, you know to scan our aisles for purple tags, and you are willing to give it a try. How did we get so lucky to have people like you as our Owners?

In a previous article (www.willystreet.coop/article/3914), I exposed you to an introduction to home fermentation with instructions on how to make homemade sauerkraut. Here we will expand on that concept by experimenting with fermenting other vegetables (kimchi) and tea (kombucha.)

P6 FARM TOUR 2010

October is National Co-op Month and as if that weren’t exciting enough, this year we’re pleased to announce the launch of the Cooperative Trade Movement’s P6 Initiative as well. What is that, you ask? We’ll be printing an article to fully describe this new initiative in the October issue of the Reader, but we wanted to give you a preview of this revolution to strengthen the channels of cooperative and local trade in the United States. Local farmers and vendors, consumers and other Co-ops will benefit from this movement that borrows its name from the International Cooperative’s Principle 6, which binds us all to a commitment of Cooperation among Cooperatives.

Abbreviated, the symbol “P6” was chosen as a label to guide consumers toward sustainable food-buying choices. The three farms included in this year’s Farm Tour all qualify as P6 vendors because they provide family-farmed, local foods to our store. In response to feedback from previous tours, this year’s tour will feature less travel time and more touring time of these family farms in nearby western Dane County.