“The Times They Are A-Changin’ ”

at SLO Natural Foods Co-op

Thank you for all your support in creating the new growth of our community store.  With your help we have successfully put down roots in our new home.  We will continue our efforts toward finding more efficient ways to serve you.

We were fortunate to have a consultant, Mel Braverman, come and work with the staff and Board this past December.  He has over 30 years’ experience managing and consulting with grocery cooperatives across the nation. The purpose of his visit was to assist in putting together a Business Improvement Plan. This plan focuses on preferred business practices for co-ops. His time with us was made possible by a grant obtained by the Board as well as generous donations from several of our members.

 Mel had many insightful suggestions which will guide us to a more sustainable future.  One proposal is to join the National Cooperative Grocers Association (NCGA).  The NCGA provides advocacy for co-ops and as a member, we will benefit from better product pricing, co-op development, and staff training.  We do not yet meet the annual sales requirement to become a member of this valuable organization but are confident we will reach it in the coming years.

One area overdue for improvement is our Special Order Program. This program needs to be commensurate with the amount of staff labor required. Therefore, we have updated the special order procedures. The new structure makes the program equitable to our customers and will assist us in becoming a sustainable business.

We look forward to a strong future and providing you with the best possible service and products on the Central Coast.

See details on the special order page, or view a flyer. 

This recipe is from Better Homes and Gardens - Readers are safe that I didn't make it up (though i never follow it exactly and you don't have to either - if you have the same delicious beef to start out with, you'll love it). Instead of the 28 ounce can of tomatoes, I used a jar of the co-op's Vegan Vodka Sauce. Jar's are better than cans and yes, i get the irony of my "vegan" ingredient. The recipe calls for adding cream to it, too, but it works fine with or without!

How to Cook a Brisket on the Stove Top

This skillet-braised, company-ready recipe is flavored with vodka and vermouth and garnished with green olives. No wonder it's called "Martini Brisket." If you wish to make an alcohol-free version, the spirits may be omitted.

1. Prep the Brisket and Cooking Liquid

• Slice 2 medium onions; set aside.
• Coarsely crush 1 tablespoon mixed peppercorns. Sprinkle a fat-trimmed 3- to 4-pound brisket with salt and crushed peppercorns.
• Heat 1 tablespoon cooking oil in a large heavy skillet with a tight-fitting lid. Brown the brisket on both sides in hot oil. Remove brisket from the pan.
• Add onions to the skillet. Cook and stir onions until they are tender but not brown.
• Return brisket to the skillet. Add one 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes, 1 cup lower-sodium beef broth, 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce, and 1 tablespoon crushed fines herbes.

2. Cook Brisket on the Stove Top

• Bring onion mixture in the pan to boiling. Reduce the heat. Spoon some of the onion mixture over brisket.
• Simmer brisket, tightly covered, for 3 hours or until brisket is tender.

3. Finish the Sauce

• Remove brisket from the pan and let stand for 10 minutes before slicing.
• Meanwhile, use a soup spoon to skim the fat from the top of the sauce in the skillet.
• Stir 1/2 cup whipping cream and, if desired, 2 tablespoons dry vermouth and 1 tablespoon vodka into the cooking liquid. Bring the mixture just to boiling, then immediately remove the pan from the heat.
• Top the sliced brisket with 1/2 cup pimiento-stuffed green olives and pass the sauce at the table. (See "How to Slice Brisket," below.)

See the Recipe for Martini Brisket

January 2014

From November, 2013

Tis the season for temperature changes, warm days and cooler nights and even some rain!!  While we all revel in the changes, enjoying the lovely turning leaves , the apples, squash, pumpkins and the soup making weather it is also the time to boost your immune system with some great stand by’s that are keeping the Coop staff healthy and avoid the sniffles,  coughs and general malaise that is going around.

The Healthy Immune packets from Now are filled with great things to ward off the cold season, with Elderberry, Olive leaf, Probiotics, Vit. C and Zinc all this in a little packet you put in a glass of water.

Oscillococcinum the Boiron homeopathic with a punch is a great preventative or “as soon as you feel the chills coming on” remedy.  I always give this to my son a few days before he gets on a plane and he never gets sick on his vacations back east.

Umcka by Nature’s Way is a pelargonium extract that in clinical studies has shown to shorten the duration of cold and flu sickness time up to 50%.  This is a great product when you have come down with the yuckies and you want to move through it quickly.

The ultimate in flu eradication will always be had by the powerful Elderberry Syrup by Planetary Formulas.   And it is soooo tasty, good for the whole family. And being a tonic herb is fine to take every day during the cold and flu season.

And if you have a cough with thick or resistant phlegm the best remedy I have found is the Loquat Respiratory syrup with Slippery Elm and Wild Cherry from Planetary Formulas.  And the taste I prefer to the Wild Cherry bark by itself.  

And last but not least Quantum Zinc, Elderberry and Echinacea lozenges in Raspberry and Cherry flavor are the best for that sore throat and those tickles that turn into coughs.

Hope this helps you and your family stay healthy for the Fall and Winter season so you can enjoy all the fun!!  And if you have any questions please come on by and ask me in person.

Ann K. Mullen

It's time to be BLUE!  If you aren't already a member, get your 2014 Membership card today and start enjoying 3.5% and more in Member savings. If you are already a Member, RENEW!

Thanks for your support in making the new store successful.

Due to the time consuming nature of special order placements, policies will be changing to try to continue to faciliate this important service for customers and reduce staff time spent processing orders. 

As of December 15, 2013:

SPECIAL ORDERS WILL BE PLACED ONCE A WEEK.

SPECIAL ORDERS MUST BE RECEIVED BY SUNDAY CLOSE OF BUSINESS.

ORDERS WILL BE AVAILABLE FOR PICK UP ON THURSDAY*

*Holiday schedules subject to change.

We appreciate your support. Feel free to call Gwen at the store if you have any questions. Thanks!

ADFAFAF

AnnualMembersMtg2013.pdf (146,1 kB)

Dear SLO Natural Foods Co-Op Members and Supporters:

All of us from SLO Natural Foods Co-op thank you for your support this pivotal year. You already know the BIG MOVE is complete. Most of you have seen the wonderful new place that offers more shelf space, more aisle access, a Health and Beauty section and off-street parking. 

In addition to getting through the move, we have achieved more than a few milestones:

•  Sales Growth of 28% month over month since the move.
• ·Training & Development - Our new General Manager, Gwen Schmidt, has helped to improve staff training and communication, financial reporting and new product development.  To further her efforts, we received a $3700 grant from the California Cooperative Development Fund and received several donations to provide needed matching funds to bring a nationally known co-op consultant to do training and development with our team Dec 12-14^th. We appreciate your patience during this especially busy time as we made an investment in the wonderful and dedicated folks who keep things running.
• “Go Local” focus with more local farmer and supplier partnerships. SLO Natural Foods is working towards being a nexus of local food distribution – a farmer’s market open SEVEN days per week.  Staff’s Go Local program is encouraging more local businesses to work with us. We have a sign-up form available to new partners and are creating procedures to further encourage and measure our success with this process. You have already seen an abundance of local corn, pumpkins, apples, olive oil, walnuts, wine and locally made health and beauty products this fall. This takes an up-front investment and YOUR SUPPORT in buying more local products than ever.  We’ll do even better with signage highlighting our local partners in the year to come.  Our goal is to source 35% of our produce from local farmers by summer of 2014.
• Building improvements with Community Bulletin Board, Front landscaping, Carl Corral, and Permanent Front Signage. All were completed with donated time from community members.  We can’t say thank you enough for the facelifts - of a healthy and organic nature, of course.

We have a lot to celebrate and have accomplished major milestones - yet our work has just begun! To break even in 2014 and continue to pay down construction investments, we’ll need to see an increase in monthly sales of 9%. This shouldn’t be a stretch if you look how far we’ve come in 2013. With all the new great products on the shelves, shoppers have a better selection than ever.  

Our Membership goal is more ambitious – to have 1,000 Members by the end of January. In 2013 we had 750 members so we’re looking for a 33% increase. Gift memberships make great holiday presents for your friends and family.    2014 Memberships are available at the store NOW.

In addition to being a member and shopping more at the store, there’s more you can do: In order to ensure that you and new shoppers continue to have the BEST experience, please do put product, service and other suggestions in the suggestion box, or email us new product ideas at info@slonaturalfoods.com. 

It has been my pleasure to help oversee construction & operations and work with so many dedicated people during this transition.   In 2014 I look forward to leading the SLO Natural Foods Board of Directors in longer term strategic planning.  

What’s important to you? You probably shop at the co-op for more than just abundant access to reasonably priced products and real food that our great-grandmothers WOULD recognize, friendly staff and convenience.  Perhaps these include:

•  Desire to support local economy with to stock, market and SELL more local products
•  Work with partners on better food education and advocacy (for food labeling and sustainable farming practices, for example). We can do more to partner with local Groups like Central Coast Grown, the Paso Food Cooperative development group and others doing good advocacy work.
•  Develop a Vision and Mission based on YOUR input that will guide future business development that could include a bigger café space, community garden or a community kitchen or ..?

We invite your participation in this new phase. Consider becoming a board member or serving on one of our committees that will meet every other month.  Perhaps you have some ideas on how to add a little more spice to our newsletters and you have time to help?  For more information, see the board page on our website or feel free to contact me info@slonaturalfoods.com or by phone at 788-2706.

Continued success of this truly LOCAL, MEMBER-OWNED grocery alternative in San Luis Obispo is thanks to the time and positive energy given by all involved; Staff, Member/Owners, Local Investors from Slow Money SLO, an incredibly generous financial donor AND dozens of volunteers so generous with their time.  As always, stop by and shop at the little store that gets more and more amazing every day.  Please, TELL YOUR FRIENDS about the store – word of mouth is the most cost effective promotion.

In gratitude,

Aimee Wyatt,

President, SLO Natural Foods Board of Directors

I'm the kind of cook that uses whatever I happen to have in the fridge.  I made waffles this morning and didn't have any buttermilk, so I mixed a little yogurt with milk and voila, it worked just fine. I also use less sugar than most recipes call for, substitute plain yogurt for oil, sour cream and mayonaise, and sprinkle a good portion of flax seeds and oat bran into just about everything I make with flour. I'll leave that up to you!

To follow along with me here, it's best if you are a little flexible. If you've NEVER made bread before and could use more specifics, here are a few links to more formal recipes.  https://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/golden-pumpkin-walnut-loaf-10000001545812/      https://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/spicy-pumpkin-bread-10000000223638/

Whatever recipe you use, do cook your own pumpkin if you can. You can either steam or bake fresh pumpkin - the Cinderella Pumpkins at SLO Natural Foods Co-op are really good!

Rinse off, cut in half, scrape out the seeds (i usually cook those, too), and either bake in the oven at 350 degrees for about 45 minutes until tender, or put in a steamer on the cooktop for about 30 minutes (until tender). Once cooler, scrape the pumpkin from the skin. You can blend the pumpkin if you want a smoother texture, or use as is. 

The basics: 

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees

1. Mix together Moist Ingredients: 

2 cups fresh pumpkin

2 eggs

1/2 - 1 cup milk 

1/2 cup plain yogurt

1/2 cup sugar (brown or light or both)

2. Mix together Dry Ingredients: 

2 cups organic wheat flour

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp cinnamon

3. Mix the wet and dry, just enough to moisten everything. 

4. Now here's the really good stuff, the EXTRAS

1/4 cup ground flax seeds

1/2 cup oat bran

1/2 cup pumpkin seeds

1/2 cup walnuts

1/2 (or more!) cup shredded coconut

currants or raisins

1/4 - 1/2 tsp. ground ginger 

chocolate chips

Mix in your extras! Taste your batter - make sure it's sweet enough - you can always add a little more sugar if you feel it needs it. The consistency should be moist, but not runny. You can add a little more flour to thicken, or more milk or yogurt if you need more moisture. 

Generously oil (I like to use coconut oil) a cast iron skillet or glass pyrex plan. I sprinkle a couple of teaspoons of raw sugar and pumpkin seeds in the bottom of the pan to make a slightly carmel like crust.  Tastes sweeter that way, even though you didn't use much sugar. 

Pour in the mixture. Use an additional pan if it's more than 2 inches thick. 

Bake about 40 minutes until done - firm to the touch.   yum!

What Acu-Energy provides?
 
NUTRITION CONSULTATION AND ACCOUNTABILITY OPTIONS 
 
TO HELP YOU ACHIEVE YOUR GOALS, MAINTAIN A SAFE AND EFFECTIVE NUTRITION REGIMINE AND FEEL YOUR BEST WHILE MAKING NEW CHANGES!!
 
1^st 30 or 60 minute consultation: discussion or goals and barriers, a review of health systems, bioelectrical analysis including body fat, visceral fat, muscle mass, weight, and base metabolic (calorie) needs, possible blood testing, possible herbal formula recommendation to aid in proper digestion and elimination: 
 
$55 for 30 minute $85 for 60 min.
 
Weekly or biweekly follow-ups of discuss barriers, concerns, planning, review health systems and bioelectrical analysis.
 
$45 for 20-30min.
$80 for 50-60min.
 
*Does not include the cost of herbs and or blood testing not covered by insurance.
*Insurance will not be billed directly rather a superbill will be given for you to submit to your insurance for reimbursement.
 
In addition, Vert Foods is providing three weeks of prepared meals following Acu-Energy’s guidelines during this process to provide nourishment and enjoyment.  See our website for more details!
________________
We have been asked to create a menu this upcoming week that is free of grains and dairy as well as fructose.  So, what we have done for our clients that are interested in a nourishing way to support their health while maintaining delicious handcrafted meals is presented a ONE WEEK MENU with these items (all categories except the sweet endings will be grain free, dairy free and free of fructose nuts and seeds to help support your body's reboot for a new year).

We will add on to the menu with exciting additional offers next week so you can have yummy meals to help you in your New Year.

If you want to learn more about natural ways to "cleanse" your body using ancient methods backed by thousands of years of research, join us and Acu-Energy for our

Cleanse Workshop - go over cooking techniques and menus. Even if you aren't doing the cleanse, these are great tips and comes with some yummy food samples!
Sunday January 12th at 1pm 

Both classes are held at the SLO Natural Foods Coop www.slonaturalfoods.com

You must RSVP for the class in order for us to have enough supplies.

RSVP to info@vertfoods.com