mermaidcamp

Keeping current in wellness, in and out of the water

You can scroll the shelf using ← and → keys

Eat, Drink and Be Local

July 2, 2015 — 3 Comments

grapefruit and calamondin

It is time for the Food Conspiracy Coop’s eat local challenge. The concept is key to saving the planet in my opinion. I do some gardening and shop at farmers’ markets, but I can’t say I eat 100% locally grown or produced food. When I turn my attention to this challenge, as I have in the past years, I notice how much I still buy in jars and bottles. By shipping my food around in heavy glass containers I add to the cost, but not really to the value, of my selections. I make an effort to use less and less from jars, and I very rarely buy any product in a can. If I can start form scratch I prefer it. Some condiments and ethnic delicacies are beyond my abilities to create at home, so I take pleasure in selecting tasty treats from foreign lands that are either a new sensation, or a serious favorite from the past. Truth be told some of those exotic pricey packaged products are sold at the coop along with locally sourced groceries. That is why the 1-14 of July is an extra special time to head down to Food Conspiracy.

First Fridays are always a day of 10% discounts throughout the store. This month in addition to that discount, all local foods will be on sale for 10% off for two weeks, 1-14 July. This is a chance to kick start the local eating habit with some helpful discounts. A contest will also be held on instagram. Using the hashtag #TucsonEatsLocal, and tagging @foodconspiracy contestants can enter shots of gardens, markets, and dishes prepared with local ingredients to win prizes. The t shirts and $50 gift certificate to the store are cool prizes, but the real prize is the satisfaction of starting a habit that is good for everyone. If this concept caught on in a big way factory farming would become obsolete. Processed foods would give way to fresh and organic because the costs in the long run are lower. By participating in the eat local challenge we bring our attention to how easy it is to do. Have you ever tired to be a locavore, gentle reader? Some places it is much easier than others. I still have citrus vodka I made from our fruits last winter..waste not want not.

citrus hootch

Food Coop Flashback

August 26, 2012 — 1 Comment

About 40 years ago a legendary hippie named Steve Gold was instrumental in starting food coops in Tucson, and later on Mt Lemmon (a mountain neighbor to Tucson). I was a founding member of both. The coop on Mt Lemmon flourished and died after a few seasons, but was good while it lasted. The Food Conspiracy is still alive today, although in an altered form. I am a member of that coop, which operates as a well stocked health food store downtown. I shop there when I am down there, but have been avoiding the place while they build our streetcar line. Eternal construction is jamming the area. Eventually I will be a happy shopper directly connected to this fun transportation option, but all of us have had to deal with a favorite part of our city being “revitalized” through massive construction.

In the first months of the Food Conspiracy, about 1970, we met in an alley with baby scales and weighed out wheat berries and the like which we purchased as a group. Steve pulled up in a pick up truck, and we did our distribution behind the store that is on 4th Avenue today on the bed of the truck. We didn’t even have a table. We became popular enough to rent the building for storage, later opening as a store. We all had to work from the beginning, but after the store opened, non members were allowed to shop, and years passed, the IRS eventually intervened to make the “coop” part a big taxation problem. I am happy the business has survived and serves the population interested in organic health food.

As a consumer I have a nearly obsessive desire to spend my money as close to my home as possible. “Keep the money in the ‘hood” is my motto. This practice flows from a conscious desire to support the people who own businesses near me. I want my immediate area to thrive and stay vibrant. I think I inherited this from the Swiss. I have spent lots of time with them and admire the way they make provincialism a good thing. I drive very little, loving to find everything I need and want without spending time in my car. I have become very proficient at internet shopping, which is a blast to me. Delivery suits me perfectly. Imagine my thrill when I learned that a food coop was making deliveries very close to home. Yesterday was my first day as a member of Bountiful Baskets Coop.

It is run as a true coop, with the help of the internet. Now it is easy to track orders and account for everything. My first impression is excellent. I paid extra to upgrade to an organic surprise produce box, and bought a couple of extras. In the extra category the bread and the fajita packages were of excellent freshness and quality, and the 20 pound box of tomatoes arrived at a perfect ripeness. I do like everything in my produce box, and think the freshness is pretty good. I normally do not buy iceberg lettuce, but this is a chance for me to knock off P F Chang. The coop sends out an instructional e mail about shopping, making sure you use all your produce, and shifting your family diet to a more plant based selection. The emphasis in the educational materials is on saving money, therefore it stresses new shopping habits and mindful planning. I could not be more thrilled to have this new food option. I like everything about it. The surprise is even fun for a person who is crazy about reading recipes. The best part is that I prepay, show up and instantly leave with my boxes and bags, organized and perfect. The meeting spot is in a parking lot of a school, not so unlike our back alley, but so much more high tech. I simply bring my confirmation number from the e mail I receive as a receipt, and off I go with my food. I am in the mood for fall now as I roast my veggies and fill the house with aromas of fresh vegetables. If you live in the area in which they operate I highly recommend this organization. The value is outstanding. It is easy to evaluate and feel good if you regularly shop for food in grocery stores. The value pendulum has swung back in my direction, and I could not be more pleased. This is the most pleasant of flashbacks…..a food conspiracy indeed, about 2 miles from my house.