may 2012 connection free

A YEAR OF CO-OP OWNER SAVINGS COUPON BOOK NEW MEMBERS! RECEIVE A YEAR OF CO-OP OWNER SAVINGS - ONLY DURING MAY 2012

Your community-owned natural foods grocery store

Why Join?• You Care! -about good food and how it is produced• You’re Empowered! -to help support the local/regional food-shed• You Support! -Co-op principles & values & community ownership• You Vote! -with your dollars for a strong local economy• You Participate! -providing direction and energy to the Co-op• You Receive! -member discounts, weekly specials & a patronage refund

• You Own It! -an economic alternative for a sustainable future

Great Reasons to be a Co-op Member

• Pick up our monthly newsletter full of information on food, health, environment and your Co-op.• Member refund program: at the end of each fiscal year, if earnings are sufficient, refunds are returned to members based on purchases.• Weekly member-only coupon specials as featured in our weekly sales flyer. Pick it up every week at any location to save more than your annual membership fee each week.• Banking membership at the New Mexico Educators Federal Credit Union.• Member only discount days: take advantage of our special discount events throughout the year-for members only.• Special Orders: order large quantities of hard-to-find items at a 10% discount for members.• General membership meetings, Board positions and voting. Co-ops are democratic organizations. Your participation is encouraged.

Join La Montanita Co-op˜

La Montanita Co-op Administrative Offices901 Menaul Blvd. NE • Albuquerque, NM 87107www.lamontanita.coop

˜

In so many ways it pays to be a La Montanita Co-op Member/Owner˜

In honor of the Year of the Co-op, our New Member Coupon Books are now available during May 2012 ONLY. Enjoy a full year of savings with two or more generous coupons a month for the entire year...until April 2013!!

Join the over 17,000 La Montañita owner families in support of our regional food-shed and local food producers. Help us build a better world! As a com-munity-owned business, La Montañita partners with a variety of organizations to benefit our communities and creates a sustainable future for us all.

Plus, YOU OWN IT! At the end of each fiscal year, if earnings are sufficient, patronage dividends are refunded to members in amounts based on member household purchases. It pays to be a Co-op member!

AT THE NEW MEXICO MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY,1801 MOUNTAIN RD., ALBUQUERQUE, HOSTED BY LAMONTANITA CO-OP.

WITH: Mark Kastel, The Cornucopia Institute; JoAnnBaumgartner, The Wild Farm Alliance; Liana Hoodes,The National Organic Coalition; Patty Lovera, Food andWater; Michal Sligh, RAFI; and Lisa Bunin, Center forFood Safety.

Thanks to the National Organic Standards Board Meetinga cadre of the most dedicated and experienced grass-roots leaders in the organic foods movement will be withus in Albuquerque.

Meet and talk with national activists dedicated to keepingorganic regulations strong and to the integrity of organicfood! FREE AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC! Dialogue withthese hardworking, dedicated national organic food advo-cates! For more information contact Robin at 505-217-2027 or toll free at 877-775-2667 or robins@lamontanita.coop.

Public HEARING Consumer Comments Encouraged!

ALBUQUERQUE/May 21-25BY LIANA HOODES AND ROBIN SEYDEL

he National Organic Coalition (NOC) and LaMontanita Co-op encourage all consumers to com-municate to USDA’s National Organic StandardsBoard (NOSB) about organic issues of importance.

While this is strictly a meeting of the citizen appointees of theNOSB, USDA National Organic Program (NOP) staff will bepresent, and it is explicitly the purview of both the Board and thestaff at the NOP to hear from citizens at these meetings—about allorganic topics. All meetings are free and open to the public.

The National Organic Standards Board (NOSB) is a FederalAdvisory Committee, with members appointed by the Secretaryof Agriculture (head of the USDA). It typically meets twice peryear in various locations around the United States. During meet-ings, the NOSB listens to public comments, discusses their agen-da items, and then votes in a public forum. Information on pastand future meeting agendas, locations, recommendations, andpublic comments is available at www.ams.usda.gov.

The NOSB’s six committees, which include: Crops; Livestock;Handling; Materials; Compliance, Accreditation, and Certi-fication; and Policy, meet between national public meetings todevelop recommendations for the full NOSB’s consideration.The Organic Foods Production Act grants the NOSB soleauthority to recommend adding materials to or removing mate-rials from the National List of approved substances for organicproduction. In general, synthetic substances are prohibitedunless specifically allowed (e.g. vaccines) and non-synthetic sub-stances are allowed unless specifically prohibited (e.g., arsenic).In addition to petitioned materials, the NOSB must review allmaterials every five years and recommend renewing, removing,or changing each listing.

The NOSB also makes recommendations on a wide variety ofsubjects including organic pet food standards and organic inspec-tor qualifications. NOSB Committees first publish proposals withrequest for public comments. During meetings, the NOSB listens topublic comments, discusses agenda items, and then votes in a pub-lic forum. The NOSB then submits its final recommendations tothe USDA.

USDA’S NATIONAL ORGANICSTANDARDS BOARD MEETING

NOW is your chance to give comments to the NOSBand the staff of the NOP. Once the comment periodopens (approximately six weeks before each meet-ing), you may submit written comments or sign up tomake a short oral presentation at the meeting.

If you wish to speak about GMO contamination, sign up forthe public comment period on Tuesday as that NOSB com-mittee will be meeting later that afternoon. Also, as most ofus are not steeped in NOSB issues, signing up for the gener-al comment period on Tuesday, May 22, is organic con-sumers’ best bet.

To sign up for a 3-minute slot, go to the bottom ofwww.ams.usda.gov/AMSv1.0. For help in learning aboutthe topics to be covered at the NOSB meeting, includingaccreditation certification, sanitization, GMOs, the use ofsolvents in organic processing and the utilization of “inert”ingredients in substances approved for use in organic pro-duction, go to: www.cornucopia.org or call 608-625-2042,www.nationalorganiccoalition.org or call 914-443-5759.

Old Windmill Dairy, McIntosh, N.M.Michael and Ed Loubaugh are long time Co-op partners aswe work to build the regional food system. Their businesshas expanded over the years in tandem with our Co-opDistribution Center, which has become their sole distribu-tor, aside from visits to their favorite farmers’ markets. Forthe full story on Old Windmill Dairy, see the March issueof the Co-op Connection at www.lamontanita.coop.

Nolina’s Heavenly Organics, Lemitar, N.MNolina Bryan, winner of the 2010 NMDA Good EarthFarming Award, has been selling to the Co-op, farmers’markets and at other retail outlets and has been certifiedorganic since 2004. The loan is to put another 1/2 acre of

mixed vegetables into production for the 2012season, help bring electricity to the center of thefarm, prepare the soil in the new half acre andinstall a 30’x96’ high tunnel hoop house for mul-tiple season production.

Work in Beauty CSA, Amy Halliday,Gallup, N.M.A therapist with the Gallup School district, Amyand her farming partner Tom sold $12,000 in pro-duce from their first 1/2 acre last year though theFarmers’ Market, the Work in Beauty CSA, to localrestaurants and at the Gallup Co-op location. Theloan will provide the start up money for addinganother 10,000 square feet of growing space, irri-gation supplies, fencing, seed, row cover and plastic.

Maynard Cattle Company, Las Cruces, N.M. Jim and Kate Maynard created the Maynard CattleCompany in 1999 with the purchase of their first cow herd,incorporated in 2002, and began selling in retail markets inJune of 2006. Their motto, “Healthy land provides healthyfood, which creates healthy people,” is in keeping with ourshared values. The loan is to expand their herd to continuetheir 100% grass fed beef operation in Luna County.

Pollo Real, Socorro, N.MPollo Real has a long history with La Montanita Co-op.This loan is to add 2,000 new birds to their flock and forspring season start up costs.

YEAR OF SAVINGS Owner Coupon Books. It’s a Great Timeto BECOME A CO-OP OWNER!In honor of the International Year of the Co-op help your friends and neighbors enjoy themany benefits of Co-op membership—and encourage them to become Co-op owners.Become one of the over 100 MILLION People in the U.S. who are Co-op Owners!

This month ALL NEW MEMBERS get a Year of Savings Coupon books. Already a mem-ber? Bring in a friend who joins the Co-op and get a Year of Savings Coupon Book foryourself as well. These coupon books offer deep savings and special product offers.

Growing the RegionalFOOD SYSTEM

The La Montanita Fund (LaM FUND) has begun its second yearof operation and though still a relatively new project has garneredmuch attention both locally and nationally. Co-ops around the nationare looking at the LaM FUND as a model, and Michael Shuman hasincluded a section on it in his new book, Local Dollars, Local Sense,published by Chelsea Green Publishing (look for it at your Co-op).

In this its second year of operation, with $100,000 in Co-op ownerinvestments, the LaM FUND has made over $81,000 in loans to foodproducers throughout the state. On February 21, 2012, our LaMontanita Board of Directors approved our first Investor Incomepayment of a 2.1% return on investment, which, given the currenteconomic environment, is a respectable return for our first year ofoperation.

While we understand that for most, if not all of our Co-op investors,these are values-based investments that speak to their commitment tobuilding a regional food system and local economy, it is still great funto have been able to pay a return on investment during our first yearof operation.

In 2012 the N.M. Securities Division approved an increased totalaggregate investment amount of $150,000 (up $50,000 from 2011)and unsold Interests will become available again beginning October2012 for the 2013 LaM FUND year. We continue to promote ourloans wherever and whenever possible to have the greatest positiveimpact for food producers and for our Investors.

Your Support GROWSGROWS the Regional Food SystemWe are pleased to announce a few of the fine farmers and food busi-nesses who have most recently received loans from the LaM FUNDand ask that you support them by purchasing their products whenyou see them on La Montanita and other retail store shelves, at farm-ers’ markets and other food outlets. Your purchase of these productshelps grow the regional food system.

INTERNATIONAL YEAR OF THE CO-OP!

T

LA MONTANITA

FUNDCO-OP Investors Loan $81,000

PUBLIC COMMENTSENCOURAGEDat the National Organic Standards BoardMay 22-25 at Hotel Albuquerque in Old Town

actionALERT

the state ofORGANICS

A COMMUNITY DIALOGUE

MAY 235:30-7:30pm

MIXERS ARE FREE, but an RSVP is required*The Source Community Room & Garden, 1111 CarlisleBlvd. SE, in AlbuquerqueFOOD AND BEVERAGES WILL BE PROVIDED!

*to RSVP for mixers, visit www.abqmarkets.org, select"Vendor Resources" from the drop-down menu, and thenselect "Workshops" For more information, call 505-724-3619. Check www.abqmarkets.org or www.localfoodnm.org or email localfoodnm@mrcog-nm.gov.

winning Carole Hart and Bruce Hart (Sesame Street, Free toBe...You and Me) and narrated by Ashley Judd, For the Next7 Generations weaves a beautiful tapestry of tribal tradi-tions and hope for the future. Watch and be inspired by theirbravery, audacity, and wisdom.

For more information on For the Next 7Generations, including the film trailer,screening dates, DVD sales and more,please visit www.forthenext7genera-tions.com and to support the Grand-mothers’ mission, please visit www.grandmotherscouncil.org.

Don’t miss this amazing opportunity tosee For the Next 7 Generations if youhave not yet seen it, or come be inspiredonce again by our world’s Grandmothers

in this brilliant and moving film.

May 29th at 7pm at the National Hispanic Cultural Centerin the Bank of America Theatre, 1701 4th Street. Sponsoredby National Hispanic Cultural Center, La Montanita Co-opand KUNM 89.9 FM. This screening is FREE and open tothe public; donations for the Grandmothers and BurqueBioneers gratefully accepted. For more informationvisit bbabq.wordpress.com.

MAY29FOR THE NEXT 7 GENERATIONSThirteen brave women. One powerful message.

In recognition of mothers, grandmothers andour Mother Earth, Carole Hart’s Award-win-ning film, For the Next 7 Generations, will be

featured at the May Burque Bioneers MonthlyFilm Screening. This free event will be held at theNational Hispanic Cultural Center in Albu-querque, NM, on Tuesday, May 29, at 7pm. TheBurque Bioneers Monthly Film Screenings aregenerously sponsored by the National HispanicCultural Center, La Montanita Co-op, andKUNM 89.9 FM.

Brought together by a common vision of peace, thirteen tribalelders, all grandmothers from across the globe, travel to eightdifferent countries to share a powerful message of hope.

Five years in the making and shot on location from the remotevillages of the Amazon to the steps of the Vatican, this award-winning film follows these amazing women as they face a worldin crisis. Produced and directed by Emmy and Peabody Award-

A Community - Owned Natural Foods Grocery Store

La Montanita CooperativeNob Hill/ 7am-10pm M-S, 8am-10pm Sun.3500 Central SE Abq., NM 87106 265-4631

Valley/ 7am-10pm M-Sun.2400 Rio Grande Blvd. NWAbq., NM 87104 242-8800

Gallup/ 10am-7pm M-S, 11am-6pm Sun.105 E. Coal Gallup, NM 87301 863-5383

Santa Fe/ 7am-10pm M-S, 8am-10pm Sun.913 West Alameda Santa Fe, NM 87501 984-2852

UNM Co-op ’N Go/ 7am-6pm M-F, 10-4pm Sat.Closed Sunday, 2301 Central Ave. SE Abq, NM 87131 277-9586

Cooperative Distribution Center 901 Menual NE, Abq., NM 87107 217-2010

Administrative Staff: 505-217-2001TOLL FREE: 877-775-2667 (COOP)• General Manager/Terry Bowling 217-2020terryb@lamontanita.coop• Controller/John Heckes 217-2029johnh@lamontanita.coop• Computers/Info Technology/David Varela 217-2011 tech@lamontanita.coop• Food Service/Bob Tero 217-2028bobt@lamontanita.coop• Human Resources/Sharret Rose 217-2023hr@lamontanita.coop• Marketing/Edite Cates 217-2024editec@lamontanita.coop• Membership/Robin Seydel 217-2027robins@lamontanita.coop• CDC/MichelleFranklin 217-2010mf@lamontanita.coop

Store Team Leaders: • Mark Lane/Nob Hill 265-4631markl@lamontanita.coop• John Mulle/Valley 242-8800jm@lamontanita.coop• William Prokopiak/Santa Fe 984-2852willpro@lamontanita.coop• Alisha Valtierra/Gallup 575-863-5383alishav@lamontanita.coop

Co-op Board of Directors:email: bod@lamontanita.coopPresident: Martha WhitmanVice President: Marshall KovitzSecretary: Ariana MarchelloTreasurer: Roger EldridgeKristy Decker, Lisa Banwarth-KuhnSusan McAllister, Jake GarrityBetsy VanLeit

Membership Costs:$15 for 1 year/$200 Lifetime Membership

Co-op Connection Staff:Managing Editor: Robin Seydelrobins@lamontanita.coopLayout and Design: foxyrock incCover/Centerfold: Co-op Marketing Dept.Advertising: Rob Moore Editorial Assistant: Rob Moorerobm@lamontanita.coop 217-2016Printing: Vanguard Press

Membership information is available at all four Co-op locations, or call 217-2027 or 877-775-2667email: robins@lamontanita.coop

Membership response to the newsletter is appreciated. Address typed, double-spaced copy to the Managing Editor, robins@lamontanita.coopwebsite: www.lamontanita.coop

Copyright © 2012La Montanita Co-op SupermarketReprints by prior permission.The Co-op Connection is printed on 65% post- consumer recycled paper. It is recyclable.

CO-OPYOU OWN IT

2 MAY 2012

A CO-OP COLLABORATION

FFIILLMM SERIES

Boot and Roots: Veteran Farmer Project class-es are FREE to active service or veterans of allbranches of the military and the NationalGuard. For more information or to volunteerat the gardens contact Robin at 217-2027.

MAY5/3: Animal Protein Production for SmallFarms with an emphasis on Poultry Productionwith Tom Delehanty of Pollo Real

5/10: Feed the Family, Feed the Neighbors, Feed your Wallet: Sellingat the Growers’ Markets with John Garlish, (BCES) and Bob Tero,Perishables Manager, La Montanita Co-op

JUNE6/14: Dealing with Pests: Integrated Pest Management with TessGrasswitz, N.M. State University6/7: Weed Management with Joran Viers, (BCES)6/21: Season Extension, Continued with Joran Viers (BCES)

TT he Veteran Farmer project continuesits series of classes in Albuquerque atthe Downtown Action Team office at 117

Gold Street and our gardens at the AlvaradoUrban Farm on Second and Silver are doing well.Each class, while building on the knowledge ofprevious classes, is also a stand-alone opportunityto learn some aspect of farming, gardening or ani-mal husbandry.

We have a variety of cold weather crops growingwell at the time of this writing, including lettuce, collards,chard, broccoli, cauliflower, onions and more. By thetime you read this we will have planted our tomato, pep-per, eggplant, basil, sunflowers, corn and other hotweather crops, and then in late June and early July oursquash and melons. Help with weeding and continuedcultivation of the raised beds, donated most graciously byAlbuquerque’s Downtown Action Team, would be mostappreciated. The Downtown Action Team is also in needof volunteers to help get our fencing up and other infra-structure built on this urban community garden site.

spring happenings

BURQUE BIONEERS

FARM to RESTAURANTWednesday, May 30, 4-7pmCalling all farmers, market gardeners, chefs, restaurant own-ers, caterers, and others interested in farm to restaurantactivities!

Find a buyer for your produce. Find a grower who might havethat one specialty item you've been looking to put on your menu.Come mix and mingle to form relationships that can lead to newsales, creative business endeavors, and more.

GROWING LOCAL MIXERS: GROWERS AND BUYERS COME TOGETHER!

2400 Rio Grande Blvd. NW Farming and gardening infor-

mation, plants, good music and more! Meet LOCAL authors Zoe Wilcox and

Melanie Ruben, authors of The Home Farming Revolution for Drylands at the

garden party or GO TO THEIR BOOK SIGNING AT BOOKWORKS, 4022 Rio

Grande Blvd. NW, MAY 5TH. Call 344-8139 for more information on the

book signing. For information on the Garden Party call Robin at 217-2027, or

toll free at 877-775-2667 or e-mail robins@lamontanita.coop.

MeetLOCALAUTHORS!MAY 5 VALLEY

GARDENparty!

7pmfree

Boots and Roots: VETERAN FARMERTRAINING PROJECTcontinues

1100aamm--33ppmm

mother’s day special

BY ROBIN SEYDEL

S.A.F.E. House grew out of an informal collab-oration of community women who saw theneed for physical safety for women who

were being battered. This group developed a networkof volunteers who offered their homes as “safe” houses.Battered women were sheltered in private homes, andreferred to other community resources for help. In 1976,that energy and commitment paid off in the for-mation of a new non-profit agency known as theWomen’s Community Foundation (WCF). It wasdedicated to and designed specifically to meet theunique needs of battered women. Between 1976and 1981 shelter and services were provided infirst one, then two and then three large houses.In 1986 they opened their current location, oneof the largest in the nation, which can shelter 85adults and children each night. They serve over35,000 meals and snacks a year. Residentsreceive three meals per day that have beendesigned by a nutritionist.

WCF’s mission is to shelter and empower survivors ofintimate partner domestic violence, to improve the wayNew Mexico responds to this violence and to live in acommunity that is free from all forms of oppression andviolence. They provide emergency shelter, helping tokeep families fleeing domestic violence off the streetsand out of danger’s way.

Over 1,000 families go through their S.A.F.E. Houseprogram annually. S.A.F.E. House provides program-ming aimed at healing the wounds, breaking the cycle,and improving the lives of families in our community.Today, they offer a wide range of services to bothwomen and men and their children who aren’t safe intheir own homes, offering a comprehensive array ofservices and resources critical in helping people suc-cessfully establish violence-free lives.

Their resale shop, located at 1301 San Mateo NE, nearLomas, accepts donations of all kinds. Donations areused both at the shelter and by participants to helpthem establish violence-free lives. Items not needed by

MAY 2012 3

survivors are sold at the thrift store and all proceeds are used to sup-port their programs. For more information call the thrift store at265-9233.

Programs that Help HealWCF provides children’s programs aimed at improving the parent/child bond and teaching children the 3-C s (can’t Change it, can’t Con-

trol it, didn’t Cause it). Their Families inTransition (FIT) Program helps non-abu-sive parents and children recover fromthe effects of violence and their supportgroups offer guidance in understandingand moving past the violence.

Family-centered activities for parentsand children to help them learn safe andhealthy ways of being a family and theR.I.S.E. Program provide long-term sup-port for survivors building violence-freehomes. The primary goal is to help sur-

vivors acquire permanent housing while working on educational,employment, and financial goals.

Resident Advocates maintain the statewide, 24-hour crisis hotline,offering support and referring callers to additional resources. Theymeet and greet new residents and assist them in settling into the shel-ter. Case Managers assist residents by advocating and coordinatingservices, assess needs and program-related goals for each resident,and are knowledgeable in the domestic violence legal process pro-viding information upon request. Therapists provide crisis interven-tions and trauma reduction for children by using Sand Tray, Art, Playand Animal Assisted Therapy. Research studies demonstrate thatwitnessing violence severely affects childrens’ well-being. FamilyCoaches assist families to reestablish healthy family roles, structureand routines, as well as rebuild parent-child relationships, which aredisrupted by domestic violence.

For an easy, confidential way to receive immediate assistance:CALL THE S.A.F.E. HOUSE 24-HR STATEWIDE DOMESTICVIOLENCE HOTLINE at 1-800-773-3645, or the S.A.F.E. Houseoffice/crisis line at 505-247-4219. For more info call theNational Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233. Contactthem at PO Box 25363, Albuquerque, NM 87125, or call theoffice at 505-247-4219.

CO-OP PROGRAM DONATE YOUR BAG CREDIT!

BRING A BAG... DONATE THE DIME!

THIS MONTH BAG CREDIT DONATIONS GO TO:S.A.F.E. House New Mexico: Providing shelter from domestic violence, counseling and working to establishhealthy families.

In March your bag credit donations of $1987.60 were givento Youth Food Action Project. Thank you!!!

NOW Needed More than Ever: MIDWIVES!MIDWIVES!BY KATRINA NARDINI, ALBUQUERQUE MIDWIFE

LLike La Montanita and other Co-ops, midwivesare an important part of our community andoffer us healthy choices that respect the natural and

nurturing forces of our earth. Some of you may have hada midwife for the birth of your children, or maybe yourrelatives or friends have experienced the supportive care ofbringing a child into the world with a midwife by theirside.

Unfortunately, many women and families do not have access tomidwives. For some, this means missing out on the joys of a mid-wife-attended birth, but for many it can mean the differencebetween life and death. Over 340,000 women and over 5 millioninfants around the world die each year as a result of preventablepregnancy and childbirth complications. The World HealthOrganization, UN agencies, and other global partners have iden-tified that midwives are the key to achieving reductions in mater-nal and newborn deaths and disabilities globally.

Since 1991, the International Day of the Midwife (IDM) on May 5has provided an annual focal point for midwives, midwifery associ-ations, mothers, and other supporters of midwifery practices aroundthe world. The day helps raise awareness of midwifery and promotesadvocacy for policy changes relating to maternal, newborn, andreproductive healthcare locally, nationally, and internationally.

Walk the Bosque for and with NewMexico Midwives on May 5 and:• Let people know that adequately resourcedand educated midwives are crucial to reducingmaternal and neonatal mortality, and substan-tially improve the experience of childbearingwomen before, during, and after childbirth.• Lobby for more resources for midwifery,midwifery education, and recognition of theunique professional role of midwives. • Celebrate the achievements of midwivesand highlight progress made in improving

maternal and neonatal care and midwifery services.

THE WALK starts and ends at Dar a Luz Birth Center, 7708 4thSt. NW, Los Ranchos. Pre-registration 3-3:30pm; walk starts at4pm, music and potluck (bring a dish to share) at 5pm.

Online registration at www.active.com: $20 pre-reg, $25 dayof the walk, proceeds go towards midwifery legislative advo-cacy in New Mexico. For more information: http://idm5kwalknm.blogspot.com/

S.A.F.E. House New Mexico: Women’s Community Foundation

MIDWIFERYWalk for may5th

Co-op ValuesCooperatives are based on the values of self-help, self-responsibility, democracy, equality, equity and solidar-ity. In the tradition of their founders, cooperative mem-bers believe in the ethical values of honesty, openness,social responsibility and caring for others.

Co-op Principles 1 Voluntary and Open Membership 2 Democratic Member Control 3 Member Economic Participation 4 Autonomy and Independence 5 Education, Training and Information 6 Cooperation among Cooperatives 7 Concern for Community

The Co-op Connection is published by La Montanita Co-op Supermarket to provide information on La MontanitaCo-op Supermarket, the cooperative movement, and thelinks between food, health, environment and communi-ty issues. Opinions expressed herein are of the authorsand are not necessarily those of the Co-op.

BY BRETT BAKKER

The USDA/National Organic Program mightmove slowly (as any bureaucracy does. Be-lieve me; I’ve been with state government

since 1990), but it is moving in the right direction.

The latest news is an EU-USA organic equivalency agree-ment. This is valuable because although they are similar,there are many organic standards throughout the worldthat are not identical: US, EU, Canada, Japan, Korea, etc.This has been a barrier to trade of products and a barri-er to food processors needing to import, say, organicanatanul for Ayurvedic preparations or wanting toexport US organic peanut butter (a huge seller in Japan).

This is because each country says, “well, you don’t follow our organic rulesso you can’t play in our organic sandbox.” Products labeled USDA Organiccan’t be shipped to Japan without lots of paperwork duplicating what’salready been done, or US food processors can’t use some high quality EUorganic ingredient because it is not USDA Organic. There are US-Canadaagreements but not a full equivalency. It appears Canada is next in line butit could be a couple of years yet.

Most of the differences in the EU-US rules are minor but one is pretty big.For example, the EU allows antibiotics in organic meat production; the USdoesn’t. The US allows antibiotics for fire blight control in pear orchards;the EU doesn’t. Neither has budged an inch here and so these products can-not be freely traded unless it can be verified that the meat/pear was pro-duced antibiotic free.

farming & gardening May 2012 4

Otherwise, long story short: with only a few minorbits of required paperwork (sigh), organic productscertified under each system can now freely crossinternational borders. Me, I’m not a big fan ofcounting on energy-intensive international trade tosave farms but it’s not gonna stop. And if a few extrapallets of NM organic raspberry jam can go over-seas, that’s a few more bucks in the wallet of the jamprocessor who also happens to be the berry farmer.

In other news, the NOP will soon require OrganicCertifiers to test organic produce and products forpesticide residue. It may be hard to believe but suchtests have never been required before. Organic

10TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE NATIONAL ORGANIC PROGRAM

ORGANICSrule!

Certification is process-based. That is, the practicesand plan of the farm is what is verified: is this farmmeeting the NOP Organic rules?

Routine auditing and inspection have appre-hended fraudulent farmers nationwide andresidue testing will catch a few more but the realintent is to see how much accidental contamina-tion occurs from pesticide drift. Mind you, fornow, only the final product will be tested, not thefarm itself. Still, this will be extremely valuable.If someone is growing organic cotton in a non-organic cotton growing region, you might expectto see inadvertent residue of cotton pesticidesdrifting from nearby farms. If so, then the farm-ers plan and the organic certifiers technique needto be improved to find that weak link (called aCritical Control Point) in preventing contamina-tion. But if cotton pesticide residue is found onorganic cotton raised outside of cotton country,then it’s obvious something is amiss and the

organic claim may be fraudulent.

Finally, the NOP Organic Program is ten years old in2012. The NOP will be conducting on-site audits ofall NOP-accredited organic certifiers on their ten-yearanniversary to see how effective they have been, howeffective they are and what their prospects are forremaining so. This decade is a significant reminderthat the Program is merely a baby after all and there isa way to go to perfect the system which is growing,changing and adapting, as every such Program must.Stay tuned for more fun and games.

For many people, building housing for their birds is aninsurmountable hurdle - however there are some greatalternatives to actually building a structure. The idea ofa chicken tractor appeals to folkswho would like to have their chick-ens working in their yard. For thosewho don’t already know, a chickentractor is a mobile chicken hut madeof lightweight materials – the tractorcan be moved to a weedy part of theyard or garden bed where the chick-ens turn the soil, look for bugs, andeat anything green! Another greatchicken house can be made from anold shed – cutting out chicken-sized holes for anentrance and adding nesting boxes make this an easyway to use neglected yard buildings.

The majority of chicken keepers are also fantastic gar-deners – and how can one help but be successful in agarden that has such great manure fueling it? Keepingchickens and creating great gardens go hand in hand.As a key part of our sustainable living goals, the chick-ens at our house are work partners in many aspects ofour living cycle. For example, we put our chickens towork in temporary ‘stations’ on our garden beds in thefall. Once they have cleaned up the bed and turned

everything under we are ready to plant our fall garden.We eat the food out of our fall garden through the win-ter, and share some with the chickens. The chickensgive us eggs as well as manure that we add to our com-

post pile. By spring the oldest part of the com-post pile is ready to add to the garden. Thechickens get another turn on the garden bedand the cycle continues.

The Albuquerque Coop Tour is celebrating its5th year in 2012. We’ve had a great time overthe past few years inspiring new coops andhelping people learn about chickens and gar-dening. Our tour this year takes placeSaturday, June 9th, and Sunday, June 10th.

The tour is 10-2 both days and is FREE. Saturday willinclude all stops North of Central, and Sunday includesall stops South of Central. Maps will be available a cou-ple of days before the tour online at www.albuquerquecooptour.com. We will not have paper maps thisyear. SEE YOU ON THE TOUR!

YARDBIRDeexxttrraavvaaggaannzzaa!!5th Annual Albuquerque chickenCOOP TOUR! June 9-10

BY JULIE HIRSHFIELD, EDUCATION DIRECTOR, RIO GRANDE COMMUNITY FARM

The Rio Grande Community Farm ispleased to partner with the Village ofLos Ranchos to provide the 2012Children’s Summer Farm Camp! Based outof the Los Ranchos Agri-Nature Center onRio Grande Blvd. NW, our five-day farmcamps offer environmental literacy experi-ences through the exploration of a variety ofhabitats; by growing, harvesting, preparingand eating organic fruits and vegetables, andthrough nature-based art, using child-cen-tered, fun activities. Our caring and qualified campdirector and counselors have passed an FBIBackground Check and are Red Cross CPR and FirstAid certified, and are eager to ensure that your childhas a fun and fulfilling experience at Farm Camp!

Camps are open to children ages 6-11. You may reg-ister for one, all, or a combination of sessions atriograndefarm.org. Please call the Education Director,Julie Hirshfield, during business hours at 453-9031 oremail education@riograndefarm.org for additionalinformation. The 2012 Children’s Summer FarmCamp offers four choices of camp themes,including the following:

June 4-8: PIZZA CAMP: Learn how every part ofthe pizza is made; we will grind wheat for the crust,harvest tomatoes, make homemade mozzarellacheese, and choose veggie and herb toppings while

working in the fields.

June 11-15: LOTIONS ANDPOTIONS: Learn how naturalmaterials, such as lavender andhoney, can be used to makesweet-smelling lotions, potions,and candles! Campers takehome a basket full of homemadegoodies!

June 18-22: BIRDS, BEES &CREEPY CRAWLIES: Learn about birds, honey bees,and other interesting insects. Special guests andspeakers will bring their giant birds and creepycrawlies to observe and touch!

June 25-29: FARM STAND CAMP: Learn what ittakes to run a farmstand business, planting, cultivat-ing, and harvesting vegetables. Fun and informativespeakers will teach the marketing, advertising andgeneral farm business skills. Proceeds from camperfarmstands benefit the charity of their choice.

For more information: www.riograndecommunityfarm.org, call: 505-345-4580 or email: info@riograndefarm.org.

RIO GRANDE COMMUNITY FARM CHILDREN’SCAMP

ORGANICS:the RIGHTDIRECTION

BY JENNIFER DWYER

The time is getting closer for that once a year yard/birdextravaganza – I speak, of course, of the Albuquerque CoopTour! If you haven’t had a chance to attend the tour in years past,

we hope you will consider visiting some of the stops this year. There area variety of coops to be seen on the tour as well as wonderful gardens andgreat neighbors. If you have been thinking of bringing chickens into yourgarden, the Coop Tour is the perfect place to start!

itchy green

tthhuummbb

See urban eggproduction&great gardens

BY ARI LEVAUX

Across the Midwest, New England andCanada, high-temperature records are beingbroken by the thousands—3,350 between

March 12-18 alone. Meteorologists are scrambling tofind anything comparable to weather that has beendubbed Summer in March. Two days before theofficial end of winter, temperatures of 94 wererecorded in South Dakota.

If we're having summer in March, what can weexpect in July? Even in a normal summer, theprocess of mulching should be on every gardener'smind as we say "good morning" to our gardens.But this year, the idea of heat-proofing the gardenis especially timely.

Mulching (covering the soil) helps regulate soiltemperature and moisture while keeping the soilfrom blowing away in the wind. In addition todeflecting sun and wind, mulching can also block weedgrowth and prevent runoff from heavy rains, whichmany regions can expect more of in a warming climate.Mulching encourages a moist, healthy, garden ecosys-tem, which is vital for healthy plant growth.

Straw, leaves, grass clippings, pulled weeds, compost,and other organic materials are typically used formulch, as are living plants such as vetch between corn-rows, or clover in the orchard. Such living mulch, akagreen mulch, can do everything a layer of straw can, andoften more. Most green mulches are legumes that addnitrogen to the soil as they protect and stabilize it, butedible living mulches can be employed as well, withobvious benefits.

Over the years, my garlic patch has functioned as a lab-oratory for edible mulch research. I used to mulch withstraw, but I began seeing all that covered area betweenplants as wasted space.

I began experimenting with a proprietary technique Icall "hurling random vegetable seeds at the garlicpatch." I mixed together all the leftover seeds from pre-

whole garlic patch to themselves. As soon as the leaves reach edible sizeI start harvesting them—just the leaves, not the whole plants.

The other category is carrots, planted at the same time as the greens.During the early season, the fast-growing greens tend to crowd andshade the carrots (though not the garlic, which is usually about sixinches taller). By June, most of the leafy plants will have run their

course and gone to seed.

As the greens fade, the carrots begin to take over between thegarlic plants. Carrot and garlic will grow side by side, rarely get-ting in each other's way. Underground, carrot and garlic don'tbutt roots, while above ground the bushy carrot tops guard thesoil surface. Once the garlic is harvested, in July, the carrots havethe whole patch to themselves, and can stretch out comfortablyinto their expanded space.

By the time the carrots are dug, I'll have harvested three differentcrops in one season from the same piece of dirt: garlic, greens andcarrots. The living mulch will have done a service for my topsoilby protecting it from the elements. And for what it's worth, theextra biomass will have sucked up considerably more carbon diox-ide than a dead layer of straw. That makes my living mulch garlic

patch, by my calculation, a win-win-win-win-win situation.

This kind of diversity-focused gardening falls into the broad categoryof agroecology, the practice of building diverse, sustainable agriculturesystems based on ecological principles.

While dismissed as non-scientific woo-woo by many who favor industri-al-style farming, the discipline of agroecology is currently being taught atabout 20 universities worldwide, including UC-Santa Cruz, Iowa Stateand Penn State. A December 2010 report commissioned by the UNHuman Rights Council examined hundreds of peer-reviewed scientificpapers and concluded that agroecology has the potential to double foodproduction in marginally productive areas. These areas are often at riskof desertification, which happens when the soil is overexposed. Activitiesthat stall or reverse desertification, such as planting trees, are likemulching on a grand scale. Reclaiming desert facilitates the absorption ofcarbon dioxide via the new topsoil, flush with microbes and plant roots.

Even if you're not a garlic grower, the principles behind my thrice-har-vested patch can be applied to whatever you do grow. Given that thisyear is shaping up to be a hot one—with more likely to follow—nowis a great time for this kind of mulchy thinking. Whatever you grow,and whatever you mulch with—living or dead—the game is essentiallythe same: cover as much ground as possible. If an edible mulch cando the job, all the better.

vious gardens that I had saved in various baggies andcrumpled envelopes. I threw handfuls of mixed seedsinto the garlic to see what grew, how well it did, andif it adversely affected the garlic.

Bushy plants like tomatoes began swallowing garlicplants in late June, and had to be pulled before theycould produce. Plants in the mustard family, like broc-coli and kale, grew poorly, perhaps victims of garlic'swell-known allelopathic behavior. Allelopathy is theability of some plants to secrete substances into thesoil, via the roots, which inhibit the growth of neigh-boring plants.

Eventually two categories emerged as edible greenmulches for the garlic patch.

One category, the early-season greens, includes lettuce,radicchio, escarole, endive, spinach and other leafygreens outside of the mustard family. During the earlystages of the season, when the young garlic plants arejust a few inches tall, these greens basically have the

farming & gardening May 2012 5

HEAT PROOFINGthe GARDEN

EAT YOUR GREEN MULCH!MULCH!

cover as muchground

as possible

line more affordable. Pangea Organics products areskillfully formulated to amplify hydration and sup-port cellular regeneration by feeding the skin withthe highest quality antioxidant nutrients, EFA-richoils, and nourishing plant botanicals that nature hasto offer. Their mission is to create products that are“Always Beneficial, Never Artificial.”

NOB HILL’S Chris Hartsock suggests:Moms of all ages will benefit from the products onmy list, chosen for their excellence in promotinghealthy skin and their contribution to overall health,longevity, hormonal balance, and energy.

✿ Omega 7 by New Chapter contains sea buckthornoil, rosemary and calendula. Sea buckthorn has beenused for centuries for skin and is an excellent antiox-idant for prevention of aging. It is also beneficial forthe sensitive mucous membranes in the digestive,urogenital and respiratory systems. My own motherloves this product and the many ways this supple-ment assists in healthy aging.

✿ Evan Healy’s Pomegranate Repair Serum containsfruits, berry and seed oils which are able to pene-trate deep under the skin and keep the oil and waterlevels balanced. It is especially healing for skinwhich has suffered sun damage. This serum helps todecongest pores and minimize scars and wrinkles.

✿ Lumina Cellfood Oxygen Gel is an amazing com-bination of 17 amino acids, 34 enzymes and 78 traceminerals dissolved in oxygen which, if applied to theface twice a day, helps to rejuvenate the skin andminimize fine lines. It’s a clear gel with an aloe base,which can be applied to a clean face before bed andunder a moisturizer during the day. We bet Mom hasnever experienced so wonderful a skin product.

✿ Health Force Nutritional Vitamineral Green isone of the most popular green supplements we sellat the Nob Hill Co-op. This alkalinizing, greensuperfood powder benefits organs, blood, bones,muscles and endocrine systems, while stimulatingdetoxification and promoting regularity and energy.Add it to a morning smoothie, or stir the powderinto juice or water. This is a great gift for a Momwho has grown weary of being sick and tired.

✿ Whole World Botanicals Royal Maca is my lastpick for Mom. Maca is a cruciferous vegetablegrown in the Andes mountains and used by the peo-ple living there as a medicinal food. It is thought topromote libido, fertility and hormonal balance forboth men and women. It may also be used to alle-viate symptoms of PMS and menopause, and pro-vides energy when taken regularly.

VALLEY CO-OP’S Lisa Rae Lindsay✿ Sunday Afternoon Sun Hats and other greatGifts for Mom. Give Mom the gift of protection forfun in the sun. Choose from a wide variety of greatstyles or check out their Gypsy Style colorful clutchbags made from recycled plastic.

✿ Rainbow Thread locally tie-dyed socks, madefrom bamboo fiber. So comfy, wash well and add adash of fun color to Mom’s feet.

✿ Bodyceutical Spabody Calendula Body Butter isa most amazing healer for extreme TLC for skin.Use it all over your body or watch it work its fab-ulous miracles on the face.

✿ Natural Organics Bubble Bath products can provide that sweet relaxation and rejuvenatingmoments every Mom treasures. Choose fromOrchard Pear and Fig or Sweet Cherry and Almondflavors or try Gimme A Break Bath Salts by LittleMoon Essentials for a detoxifying soak.

✿ Co-op Label Relax Herbal Tincture or NaturalFactors Serenity Formula capsules give Mom "seren-ity now!” or try Plum Flower brand Women'sPrecious Pills for a truly nourishing formula.

Flowers for Mom: BEAUTIFUL ANDFAIR... TRADE

OUR WONDERFUL HBA TEAM LEADERS offer some great suggestions for pampering MOM!MOM!

SANTA FE’S Cynthia Behrens Suggests:✿ Prenatal One™ Multivitamin - this once-daily prenatal providespotent vitamins and minerals in a base of superfood extractsthat promotes baby's healthy development, and supportsMom's nutrition and energy, in just one tablet a day. Plant-source enzymes, ginger juice and probiotics support digestionand absorption, for no stomach upset. Prenatal One™ is100% natural, vegetarian and vegan, and is guaranteed to befree of animal ingredients throughout every stage of the pro-duction process. It is wheat-free, gluten-free, sugar-free, dairy-free and yeast-free. It is also lactose-free and contains no arti-ficial colors, flavors, sweeteners, preservatives or additives.Come in and register to win a deluxe diaper bag filled withRainbow Light products!

✿ Face and Skin care product perfect for pampering Mom.Acure Organics is a family owned and operated company founded onsustainable principles to provide the highest quality fair trade, naturaland certified organic personal care products. Acure products are creat-ed with great care and are a reflection of their core values. Each of theirproducts is free from animal testing, parabens, sulfates, phthalates, syn-thetic fragrances, harmful preservatives and artificial colors. Acuretravels the globe to find the most potent certified organic ingredientsthat meet their high standards of efficacy and purity.

✿ Grateful Body: Grateful Body’s founder lost two of her young andbeautiful sisters to cancer within a year of each other while she was incollege. After many years of musing on the possible causes it occurred toher that every day, every morning, millions of woman were applyingdangerous chemicals to their faces! The Grateful Body team foundwomen who had small gardens to grow comfrey, yarrow and sage andfound intrepid wayfarers to ethically wildcraft echinacea from Montana,chaparral from New Mexico, St. John's Wort from the wine country inNorthern California and witch hazel beside the forest paths in Vermont.

✿ Pangea Organics is another skin care line we have recently re-intro-duced to our shelves. Pangea lowered their prices making this awesome

PAMPERyourMMMMOOOOMMMM!!!!

MOTHER’S DAY STAFF PICKS!co-op news May 2012 6

employee benefits such as paid maternity leave andchildcare. The Fair Trade Certified label represents a

better way of life for the farmers andworkers around the world who pro-duce these flowers.

There will be plenty of Fair Traderoses as well as Fair Trade rose bou-quets, tulips, alstroemeria, mini-car-nations, mixed bouquets, lilies, del-phinium, and more. Thanks to yourpatronage our Valley store locationhas experienced a notable increase inflower sales in the past year which has

helped increase our ability to carry larger quantitiesand a bigger selection.

It is a little known fact that at our Valley and Santa Felocations, customers can order vase arrangementsahead of time to be picked up just in time for that lunchor dinner with Mom. Just ask someone in Produce. Atthe Nob Hill location, you will find beautiful pre-madebouquets and other lovely flower choices.

It is always a good idea to plan ahead for those busyflower holidays so expect to see a lot of flowers andplants starting around May 7th and 8th. If you areinterested in a custom arrangement, order early! Findyour flowers for Mother’s Day at your favorite Co-oplocation!

Don't forget our Moms! BECAUSE WITHOUTTHEM, NONE OF US WOULD BE HERE!

BY TANYA COLE, VALLEY FLOWER PURCHASER

Mother's Day is Sunday, May13th. It is one of the mostpopular cut flower and

plant holidays of the year. The Co-op will be well prepared with a bountyof flowering plants like geraniums, ver-benas, daisies, and ivy geraniums,which are locally grown by ARCA, thenon-profit organization which helpschildren and adults with developmen-tal disabilities live great lives.

We will also have plenty of green plantsand unique succulents that require very little water,ideal for our desert climate. And if Mom is a gar-dener look for our fine selection of organic vegetableand herb starts.

One World Flowers is a locally owned company thatimports Fair Trade Certified Flowers from SouthAmerica, where the majority of floral industry rosesare grown. Fair Trade certification supports sustain-able, environmental, economic, and social develop-ment. A portion of each purchase goes directly to acommunity development fund for workers, who col-lectively decide how to use the funds. Projectsinclude scholarships for children, housing, or micro-enterprises. Fair Trade Certified growers are carefulstewards of the land, increasing the use of naturalpest controls and reducing water and energy use.Women represent the majority of flower workersaround the world. In addition to fair wages, FairTrade Certification supports the funding of basic

MAY 13 MOTHER’SDAY

ggrreeaattggiiffttss!!

Great Co-op Ideas

co-op news May 2012 7

CO-OPS: A Solution-Based System A co-operative is an autonomous association of persons

united voluntarily to meet their common economic, social andcultural needs and aspirations through a jointly-owned and

democratically-controlled enterprise.

Calendarof Events

MUCH TO DO! Spring is always BUSY at La Montanita!Thanks for supporting our Earth Day events atNob Hill and Santa Fe. And we hopeto see you this month at the last of ourspring events, the North Valley’s 12thAnnual Garden Party on May 5th.These events provide a great opportu-nity for us and our Board of Directorsto talk to and get to know you, ourmember/owners, better.

We were pleased to host 125 generalmanagers from Co-ops affiliated with the NationalCooperative Grocers Association (NCGA) inAlbuquerque the week of April 16 for a nationalmeeting. They were excited to see our new ware-house location and tour some of our stores. Thisorganization is a prime example of the cooperativeprinciple among co-ops as it enables co-ops

nationwide to group purchase to get better pric-ing from national distributors, thus helping tokeep us competitive in our communities.

Mo-Gro (Mobile Grocery Store) isslated to be back on the road inearly June. The new trailer has beenordered and will be delivered soon.We look forward to working withall of our partners in this worthyand much needed project. It will bea great day when we see the newtruck leave our warehouse to serve

people in food deserts around the state.

As always, thanks for your continued support ofyour Co-op; none of this is possible without you.Please contact me anytime at terryb@lamontanita.coop or by phone at 505-217-2020.

-TERRY BOWLING

Celebrate Spring with Your Co-op!5/5 Valley Garden Party, 2400 Rio Grande Blvd., 10-3pm5/15 BOD Meeting, Immanuel Church, 5:30pm5/22-25 National Organic Standards Board Meeting(see page 1) 5/23 The State of Organics Community Dialogue(see page 1) 5:30-7:30pmNew Mexico Museum of Natural History

THE INSIDE SCOOP

BY ARIANA MARCHELLO, SANTA FE BOARD OF

DIRECTORS MEMBER

GGood things come in smallpackages! The Santa Febranch of your Board of

Directors sponsored study circle onco-ops held its first session right inthe Santa Fe store, the secondMonday of March. That was us hav-ing a lively discussion in the alcoveseating area over by the bulletinboards. There are four of us as of now. That’s the smallpart. But, there’s nothing small about the discussionthat’s taking place. That’s the good part.

The study circle uses a book put together by the EastEnd Food Co-op of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. “Co-opOrigins and History” was the theme of the first chap-ter. Its articles covered modern cooperative historyfrom Rochdale through the 1970s. Not just consumerco-ops but worker and producer co-ops as well.

Co-op history shows that people banding together tostart businesses that fulfill their needs can create busi-nesses that thrive. That justice and fairness can be asmuch a motivator as price or profit. The directdescendant of the Rochdale Co-op is Great Britain’s

largest retailer today. Rural electric co-opsformed in the US in the ’30s are still providingpower today, 19 of them in New Mexico.Many of those electric co-ops gave birth totelecom co-ops; there are 8 in New Mexicoright now.

One hundred million Americansare members of some kind of co-op. That’s one third of our nation’spopulation! It was a proud mo-ment for one of the participants inour discussion when she realizedshe belongs to four different co-ops. When we thought about it, wefound we all belonged to more

than one co-op and expressed our apprecia-tion of the benefits we derive from member-ship and the benefits co-ops confer on theircommunities.

The historical foundation carries us into thenext chapter on co-op philosophy, values andprinciples. By the time you read this we’ll beready for the chapter on co-operative mod-els. Pick up a book and stop by the discus-sion, the second Monday of each month at7pm, at the Santa Fe store. For more infor-mation on the STUDY CIRCLES in Albu-querque and Santa Fe email bod@ lamontanita.coop.

GOOD DISCUSSIONS IN AN INTIMATE SETTING

CO-OP STUDYCIRCLES

NEW Foodshed ProductBY BOB TERO, PERISHABLE FOODS COORDINATOR

In the Co-op’s continuing efforts tobuild the local food system, developa community of food producers, create

a full local nutritional palette and replacefoods imported from afar with local pro-duction; we are pleased to announce ourlocally grown, locally handcrafted, arti-sanal pork sausage; just in time for out-door grilling season.

For the past few months our stores have been carryinglocal, all natural pork products from the Kyzer FamilyFarm in Albuquerque’s South Valley. Robert Kyzer’s fam-ily has been raising livestock in New Mexico since 1970and heirloom pigs since 1997. Raised in a humane, sus-tainable and caring way, his hogs are gentle contented ani-mals, never given hormones and fed a fully vegetarian dietsupplemented with grains and whey. You can really tastethe difference in all the Kyzer pork products. For the pastseveral months we have been working to bring Robert’sdelicious fresh cut pork not only to Co-op meat depart-ments but to restaurants throughout the state.

To expand our pork product offerings and develop addi-tional income streams for Robert and the other pork pro-ducers in New Mexico that we have come to know

through our partnership with him, we are buyinghogs specifically for sausage production.

Unlike most conventional sausage, Co-opSausage is NOT made from pork by-prod-ucts, but from top quality cuts of meat. NOnitrites or nitrates are ever added and onlytop quality spices are used to create the vari-ety of pork sausage offerings you will find atyour Co-op meat departments. Unlike anyother sausage available at stores throughoutthe state, these sausages are the only USDAinspected, LOCALLY grown, harvested andprocessed sausage product in New Mexico.

Varieties include: Breakfast Sausage, Sweet Italian,Hot Italian and the New Mexico specialty, GreenChile Sausage. These products are available in linksand one pound bulk packages. If you were luckyenough to sample them at one or more of our springfestivals you will agree when we say that the qualityand taste differential is clearly evident.

This outdoor cooking season, be sure to give theseamazingly delicious, artisan pork sausages, pro-duced with local pork, a try. Ask at your favoritemeat department for more information or tospecial order larger quantities for your summercelebrations.

Local, Handcrafted, ArtisanALL NATURAL Co-op Sausage!

GENERAL MANAGERS COLUMN

PARTY PLATTERSCrudites · $3.29 per personOnly the freshest seasonal vegetables for our platters. Selections may include: red and yellow peppers, broccoli, cauliflower, tomato, radish, carrot, celery and cucumber. This platter is served with your choice of ranch or bleu cheese dipDeli Party Platter · $4.59 per personFreshly sliced roast beef, roast turkey, smoked turkey, black forrest ham, and salami are pre-sented with cheddar, swiss and monterreyjack cheesesMeat Platter · $4.99 per personOur deli meats will satisfy even the most discriminating palate.Our chefs will display your choices from freshly sliced roast beef, roast turkey, smoked turkey, black forrest ham, salami and roast chicken breastCondiment Platter · $1.59 per personThe perfect addition to any meat or deli platter! Fresh green leaf lettuce, tomato, sweet red onion, pickle, pepperoncini peppers,sprouts, flavored mayo and mustardAntipasto Platter · $6.99 per personThis platter boasts a medley of Italian flavors. Featured items; provolone, salami, ham, assorted marinated olives, artichoke hearts and mushrooms, hearts of palm, roasted red peppers and crostiniMediterranean Platter · $5.99 per personFor any occasion; this platter features dolmas, freshly prepared hummus, marinated artichoke hearts, heart of palm, pitted kalamata olives, babaganoush, tabouli, feta cheese and pita bread

BREAKFAST PLATTERSContinental Breakfast Tray · $4.99 per personYogurt, granola, muffins, scones, seasonal fruit, coffee and juiceCo-op Bagel Platter · $2.99 per personAn assortment of freshly baked bagels, split and served with cream cheese, sliced tomato, sweet red onion and fresh cucumberBreakfast Tray · $2.49 per personAssorted muffins, scones and sweet breads, freshly baked and elegantly plated by our pastry chefs

SANDWICH AND WRAP PLATTERSMeat Sandwich/Wrap Platters · $6.99 per personA selection of fresh breads, tortillas and baguettes with your choice of roast turkey, smoked turkey, ham, salami, tuna salad, chicken salad, roast beef, provolone, swiss, and cheddar. Sandwiches are garnished with crisp lettuce, fresh tomato, red onion, and sprouts.Veggie Sandwich/Wrap Platters · $5.99 per personA selection of fresh breads, tortillas and baguettes with your choice of crisp lettuce, fresh tomato, cucumber, red onion, carrots, sprouts, green chile, roasted red pepper, hummus and abouliVegan Sandwich/Wrap Platters · $ 5.99 per personAssortment of fresh breads, tortillas and baguettes with your choice of:• Crisp lettuce, fresh tomato, cucumber, red onion, carrots, sprouts, green chile and roasted red pepper• Hummus, tabouli• Falafel and tahini sauce• Vegan cheese, setan

Condiment options for all sandwich and wrap platters: Mayo, vegenaise, mustard, whole grain mustard, salsa, tahini dressing

COOP SPECIALTY SALADS (by the pound)Mediterranean Pasta · $9.49 per poundPesto Pasta · $8.99 per poundFresh Cole Slaw · $6.99 per poundPotato Salad · $7.49 per poundCarrot & Raisin · $7.49 per poundTabouli · $9.49 per poundTuna Salad · $11.49 per poundMango Chicken · $10.49 per poundTarragon Chicken · $10.49 per poundQuinoa & Cashew · $8.99 per poundClassic Garden Salad · $2.99 per personField greens & romaine tossed with tomatoes, cucumbers, red onions, and carrots. Served with choice of dressingSouthwestern Cobb · $4.99 per persongrilled chicken breast over crisp romaine, mixed bell peppers, black beans, shredded cheddar and tomatoes, served with balsamic vinaigretteSalads not listed can be made upon request

CO-OP ENTREESChicken Enchiladas · $5.99 per personVeggie Enchiladas · $5.99 per personTraditional Lasagna · $5.99 per person

Veggie Lasagna · $5.99 per person

Eggplant or Chicken Parmesan · $6.99 per personLightly breaded chicken with herbs, parmesan and provolone cheese served with pasta tossed in a marinara sauceCrab Cakes · $3.99 per personOur lightly breaded crab cakes are filled with sweet crab meat and served with a tangy saucePoached Salmon · Market priceWild caught alaskan salmon, poached in white wine, lemon & herbs served with capers and sour cream dill sauce

QUICHESSouthwest · $3.29 per personGreen chile, black bean, tomato, avocado, and Cheddar cheeseSpinach & Feta · $3.29 per personFresh spinach, caramelized onion & feta cheese in a savory custardCo-op Lorraine · $3.29 per personSausage, crisp bacon, carmelized onion and cheddar cheese in a savory custard

DESSERT PLATTERSCo-op Cookie Platter · $13.99 per dozenA variety of freshly baked made from scratch cookies decoratively plattered. Check with deli staff on available varieties.Brownie Platter · $2.99 per personA variety of freshly baked made from scratch brownies. Check with deli staff on available varieties.Cupcake Platter · $2.79 per personAn assortment of freshly baked made from scratch cupcakes. Check with deli staff on available varieties.

Vegan and gluten-free varieties also available! Don’t forget to ask about our whole cakes and pies!

The Co-op Deli uses the freshest natural, local and organic ingredients available. A smart choice!

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Party Platters, entrees, salads & desserts from your Co-oP deli.

Let our chefs make your next event a success!Nob Hill 3500 Central Ave SE 505.265.4631 • Valley 2400 Rio Grande Blvd NW 505.242.8800Santa Fe 913 West Alameda 505.984.2852 • www.lamontanita.coop

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smoothiessignature smoothies 16 oz

instant breakfast - strawberry, banana, orange juice, & protein powder very berry - strawberry,raspberry, blueberry & apple juicemango lasi - mango, yogurt, milk of choice, cardamom & honeybanana split - banana, strawberry, chocolate syrup, milk of choiceblue raspberry - blueberry, raspberry, banan, orange juiceroad runner - peach, blueberry, mango, banana, orange juice & honeyblue’s buster - blueberry, lecithin, flax oil, yogurt, apple juice three’s company - strawberry, banana, apple juice

design your own smoothies 16 oz choose up to 3: strawberry, banana, mango, blueberry, raspberry, peach choose juice or milk: apple, orange, yogurt, rice milk, soy milk, milk (2%, whole, skim) chocolate, honey extras: protein powder, lecithin, bee pollen, peanut butter

juicessignature juices 12 oz, 16 ozwheat grass 1 oz, 2 ozginger slammer - apple, carrot & ginger red wine - apple, clery, beet, spinach & parsleylemony lizard - carrot, celery, beet, lemon& parsleyfield of green - cucumber, kale, apple, celery, parsley & wheat grasssuperjuice - kale, carrot, bell pepper, beet & garlicsummertime - celery, cucumber, apple, basil & ginger

design your juice 12 oz, 16 ozjuice base: carrot or celeryadd to that: parley, bell pepper, beet, spinach, cucumber, kale, apple, basil, garlic, ginger, lemon

smoothiessignature smoothies 16 oz, 22 ozclassic - strawberry, banana, yogurt, apple juice & honey very berry - strawberry,raspberry, blueberry & apple juicemango lasi - mango, yogurt, milk of choice, cardamom & honeybanana split - banana, cherry, yogurt, cocoa & honeypb & j - peanut butter, banana, strawberry & yogurtroad runner - peach, blueberry, mango, orange juice & honeymonster mash - strawberry, mango, banana,apple juice & protein powderhawaiian Tropic - pineapple, strawberry, honey & rice milk

design your own smoothies 16 oz, 22 ozchoose from: strawberry, banana, mango, cherry, blueberry, raspberry, pineapple, apple juice, yogurt, milk (2%, whole, skim), rice milk, soy milk, cocoa, honey, sugar

juicessignature juices 16 oz, 22 ozwheat grass 1oz, 2 ozginger slammer - apple, carrot & ginger red wine - apple, clery, beet, spinach & parsleylemony lizard - carrot, celery, beet, lemon& parsleyfield of green - cucumber, kale, apple, celery, parsley & wheat grasssuperjuice - kale, carrot, bell pepper, beet & garlicsummertime - celery, cucumber, apple, basil & ginger

design your juice 16 oz, 22 ozjuice base: carrot or celeryadd to that: parley, bell pepper, beet, spinach, cucumber, kale, apple, basil, garlic, ginger, lemon

Design your own! or try one of our signature smoothies or juices.

Santa Fe deli

coop

deli

it’s the place!

for local & organic

kkk

ABQ deli

k

Buy one, Get one for half price!"

Get a little extra from your Co-op deli! fresh squeezed organic juices and rich, refreshing smoothies. Mention the Co-op newsletter when you buy one

and the second is yours for half price. Good only for the month of May 2012.

picnic time May 2012 10

Ratatouille with Feta, Green Olives,and Almonds

1 cup whole almonds6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more as needed

1 teaspoon red chili flakes3 cloves garlic, choppedSea salt and freshly ground black pepper1 pound feta cheese, crumbled1 cup pitted green olives1 bunch fresh basil, leaves hand-torn1 medium onion, chopped5 medium Japanese eggplant, chopped3 medium zucchini, chopped3 tomatoes, seeded and chopped1 tablespoon capers, drained1 (28-ounce) can whole peeled tomatoes, drained and hand crushed

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

Put the almonds into a large skillet over medium heat.Gently toast the nuts, being careful not to let them burn,for about 3 minutes. Add 3 tablespoons olive oil, 1/2 tea-spoon red chili flakes, 1 chopped garlic clove, and saltand pepper to taste. Cook for another 3 minutes andtransfer to a plate to cool. Crush the almonds roughlyand put them into a bowl along with the feta cheese,olives, and 1/3 of the basil leaves. Mix well to combineall the ingredients.

Put 3 tablespoons olive oil and the remaining 1/2 tea-spoon chili flakes into the skillet over medium heat. Addthe onions, remaining garlic, and 1/3 of the basil leavesand cook until the onions start to soften, about 5 minutes.Put in the eggplant and cook until it is soft, about 10 min-utes, adding more olive oil if necessary. Add the zucchini,fresh tomatoes, and capers; season with salt and pepper.Continue cooking until these vegetables are soft but stillwhole. Add the canned tomatoes, vinegar, and remainingbasil leaves. Continue to cook for another 15 minutes;remove from the heat and set aside to cool.

To serve, put the ratatouille into a bowl or platter and topwith the feta, olive, and almond mixture. Serves 6 to 8.

Carrot Edamame Salad With Sweet Asian Vinaigrette

4 cups of shredded carrots1/2 lb. of shelled edamame1/2 cup raisins (soak in hot water if too dry)

Dressing2 tablespoons rice vinegar2 tablespoons mirin2 tablespoons sugar2 tablespoons sesame oil1 tablespoon Thai sweet chili sauce

Combine the carrots, edamame and raisins in a mediumsized bowl. Combine ingredients for the dressing and letsit until the sugar dissolves. Add the dressing to the car-rot mixture. Let sit for 30 minutes in the refrigeratorbefore serving to allow the flavors to mingle. Servechilled. Serves 4-6.

Roasted Asparagus

24 large asparagus spears (about 2 pounds), trimmedand peeled

MAY meansPICNIC!

springThis is a poem for spring,for clear, crisp morningsfor the sun warming up the day as your coffee cup warms your hands;for budding tulips, small weeds sprouting from nooks and cranniesfor wind that blows warm but stirs up dust storms that color the sky light brown;for coming home and relishing even more hours of daylight to clean the garage, unkink the hoses, sweep out the fireplace; dust corners of the house that you just now noticed needed dusting;for spinach and cilantro that made it through the winter somehow (without your tender pruning or water),but now adds a bit of Spring to your cooking-a bit hardier than last year's crop,but it's yours and you trim it into your pale hands the green lighting up the room as if it was a new coloryou'd never seen before.Spring is here, you think,pulling it up to your nose, you breathe it in,turning the leaf over one more time.

Spring is here... By Don McIver

Classical Homeopathy in Albuquerque since 1992.Specializing in Visceral Manipulation & Lab Analysis.204 Carlisle Blvd. NE Albuquerque NM 87106

(505)266-6522 info@drmaryalicecooper.com

Mary Alice Cooper, MD

Extra-virgin olive oilCoarse sea salt and freshly ground black pepperAged balsamic vinegarParmesan, for shaving

Preheat oven to 400°F. Arrange asparagus spearsin a single layer on a large rimmed baking sheet.Drizzle oil over asparagus and turn to coat.Season with salt and pepper. Roast, turning occa-sionally, until lightly browned and just tender,18-20 minutes. Transfer asparagus to a platter.To serve, drizzle vinegar over hot asparagus anduse a vegetable peeler to shave Parmesan overthe spears. Serves 4.

Baguette with Vegan Roasted RedPepper Spread

8-oz. container vegan cream cheese, softened17-oz. jar roasted red peppers, drained well, finely chopped

3 Tbs. finely minced onion1 clove garlic, minced (1 tsp.)2 18-inch French baguettes1 cup cucumber, peeled, seeded, and diced12 romaine lettuce leaves2 cups thinly sliced radicchio

Combine roasted red peppers, cream cheese,onion, and garlic in bowl. Cut each baguette into3 6-inch pieces. Halve each piece lengthwise.Tear out some of the center from bread to makespace for fillings. Spread cream cheese mixtureon bottom halves of bread. Top with cucumber,lettuce, and radicchio, and cover with top half ofbread. Makes 6 sandwiches.

Baba Ghanoush

1 eggplant1/4 cup lemon juice1/4 cup tahini2 tablespoons sesame seeds2 cloves garlic, mincedsalt and pepper to taste1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Lightly grease a bak-ing sheet. Place eggplant on baking sheet, and makeholes in the skin with a fork. Roast it for 30 to 40minutes, turning occasionally, or until soft. Removefrom oven, and place into a large bowl of coldwater. Remove from water, and peel skin off. Placeeggplant, lemon juice, tahini, sesame seeds, and gar-lic in an electric blender, and puree. Season with saltand pepper to taste. Transfer eggplant mixture to amedium size mixing bowl, and slowly mix in oliveoil. Refrigerate for 3 hours before serving.

Brussels Sprouts Salad

1 1/2 lb Brussels sprouts3 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil2-3 Tbs. fresh lemon juice1 t fresh thyme leaves1/3 cup fresh chives, minced1 1/3 cups toasted, crushed hazelnuts2 oz hard, salty, aged cheese, shaved(pecorino, dry aged jack, parmesan, etc.)

2-3 big pinches of salt

Shred or julienne the Brussels sprouts into thin slimpieces. Five minutes before serving, place the shred-ded sprouts in a large mixing bowl and toss gentlywith the olive oil, lemon juice, thyme, chives, saltand hazelnuts. Taste and adjust the seasoning,adding more lemon juice if needed, keeping inmind the cheese will bring a salty element to thesalad. Add the cheese and toss once or twice to dis-tribute it evenly throughout the salad. Serves 4–6.

Recipes adapted from: Foodnetwork.com,Food.com, Epicurious.com,Vegtariantimes.com and Allrecipes.com

FRESHFFAAIIRR

LOCAL......CO-OP

picnic time May 2012 11

inspiredbirth and families

try-a sling programlending libraryFREE classes

positive parentingso much more!

The comprehensive resource center for having and raisingbabies and families. Inspirational, small-group birthing and

parenting classes are our specialty.

505-232-2772www.InspiredABQ.com

3916 B Carlisle NE(Carlisle just North of comanche)

fromour regional ffooooddsshheedd

agua es vida May 2012 12

EVERYONE is cordially invited to a dinner andpanel discussion updating the actions of groupsin Albuquerque who are working to protect our aquifer and current threats to our aquifer.

Bring your ideas and your willingness toparticipate in strategies to save our mainsource of drinking water. May 8 at 6pm,Albuquerque Center for Peace and Justice, 202Harvard SE, sponsored by Agua es Vida ActionTeam, Citizen Action, Southwest Research andInformation Center, and Citizens for Alter-natives to Radioactive Dumping.

MORE INFORMATION: 505-242-5511

ourENDANGERED

AQUIFERDinner

and Discussion

BY VALERIE MARTINEZ

From May 17-20, a group of women will walk thelength (46 miles) of the Santa Fe River. This four-dayjourney will serve as a deep exploration of our river and

the Santa Fe Watershed and is designed to create art, promoteawareness, engage community, and illuminate our relation-ship with river systems, earth and water. In 2007 the Santa FeRiver was designated as the most endangered in the UnitedStates. Local environmental groups, concerned citizens, riverenthusiasts and environmental artists along with the countyand City of Santa Fe have worked to bring her back.

The Rivers Run Through Us project hopes to bring life to our riverand to our communities through the act of walking, carrying waterfrom the headwaters to the Rio Grande, and riverbank activities thatcommunicate hope and possibility. As we walk a Littleglobe Choirwill perform original river songs by Molly Sturges at San IsidroCrossing. Poets, artists, musicians, performers and members of thecommunity will participate by performing and presenting River Art aswe walk through Santa Fe as well as conservation and restorationprojects and more. We will also conduct and record interviews, cap-ture the sounds of the river, take photos, video, and write poetry anddaily accounts. These will be posted on the “Rivers Run Through Us”website where you can track us along the way and experience the jour-ney, wherever you are. After the walk we will create an interactive, vir-tual website where everyone can experience the river as a living systemand an integral part of our identity: her history, reality, beauty, theinterconnection and interdependence of our communities, and the del-icate balance of forces that affect the river’s vitality, and ours.

In the months before the walk, we worked with community mem-bers, neighborhoods along the river, school groups, churches, envi-ronmental organizations, city and county entities and other individ-uals and organizations who are invited to meet us along the way—creating and presenting art, science activities and conser-vation/restoration projects.

We hope the project will bring: increased awareness and knowledgeabout the Santa Fe River, water conservation, river systems, and theirrehabilitation and understanding of upstream and downstream use asinterconnected and interdependent systems. We also seek to increase

social cohesion around the meaning of the SantaFe River that will encourage more unified com-munity action on behalf of water use and theriver and help focus interest in the Santa FeRiver watershed, as we communicate its beauty,document its importance in our daily lives andadvocate for restoration projects and wiser com-munity water use.

United in our passion for the river and water are environmental artists Bobbe Besold andDominique Mazeaud, and Valerie Martínez, poetand collaborative artist and former Poet Laureate

for the City of Santa Fe. We invite other organiza-tions to partner with us as the project unfolds. Tolearn more about the project go to www.littleglobe.org/rivers-run-through-us or to participatecontact valerie@littleglobe.org. On May 18thfrom 1-2:30pm Let the River Run Through You, atthe Rivers’ Reach across from the Santa Fe Co-opon West Alameda. ALL welcome!

RIVERS RUN THROUGH USWALKING the

SSSSAAAANNNNTTTTAAAA FFFFEEEE RRRRIIIIVVVVEEEERRRRIn those days the Santa Fe River ran and sang. It’s true, you ask, staring at the empty bed, dust rising at the end of Avenida CristobalColon? There was water? Now, we dream of winding blue way….

VALERIE MARTINEZ

for aliving

river

Bring YOUR ideas!MMAAYY 88tthh66ppmm

A FREE EVENT! DONATIONS ARE WELCOME • contactus@cardnm.org

concerned consumer May 2012 13

information. As you leave, should your home be in danger, take theimportant documents (or their copies) you would need to re-establishyourself. This could include birth certificates, marriage license, deedsand titles and perhaps professional licenses. Also consider cash in

small bills; should electricity be cut off, there will be no creditcard processing and also no gas pumping.

Commit to having your gas tanks at least half full at all times.Keep small quantities of gasoline at or near your home. TheseDO have a limited shelf life, but will not be wasted if yourotate through them on a regular basis.

What happens when you are all together? It will depend onyour family and the situation. Emergencies might involve feder-al intervention. If you feel safest in government provided shel-ters, you should be able to locate those by following the crowdsand queuing up. If not, put family addresses, directions andphone numbers in your bag so you know how to find them.

What if an emergency has you quarantined or safest at home?First, read February's article for short-term food storage (www.lamontanita.coop). In addition to those strategies on a bigger scale, con-sider your ability to grow your own food. Basic knowledge of garden-ing will help you produce more when you really NEED to. Havingviable seeds on hand would be important for this, as would the abili-ty to PRESERVE what you grow. Also consider having seeds to sproutavailable. Sprouting is an easy, low-space, low energy way to providefresh food in an emergency.

The same issues of cost, space and WHAT to store must be consideredfor both short- and long-term storage. And if long-term storage seemsbeyond you, do not get overwhelmed. Focus on the short-term storageneeds of your family and the rest will slowly follow. Like insurance,you hope you never need it yet have some security knowing it is thereif the unfortunate happens. So devote a little time now for peace ofmind later.

There are numerous websites available (watch for various levelsof doomsday-ness), as well as books. Just In Case: How to beSelf-Sufficient When the Unexpected Happens, by KathyHarrison, is available through the Albuquerque/BernalilloCounty Library System.

BY AMYLEE UDELL

In the February issue of the Co-op Connection,I discussed food storage and short term emer-gency readiness. Disasters and evacuations sound

scary and unrealistic. While being hit by a tsunami orflood may not be something we need to worry abouthere, forest fires and chemical spills are not out of therealm of possibility. And these events are FAR scarierif you have not even considered them.

If you needed to leave your home quickly for an emer-gency, what are YOUR bare basics? Many in the pre-paredness movement discuss something called BugOut Bags or 72 Hour Kits. These would contain whatyou would need to survive for that long OUTSIDE ofyour home. The size of such a bag or kit would vary onyour family's size. You would probably put in DRY food(cans weigh a lot), water (also weighs a lot) or some wayto clean water you can access, blankets, basic first aidsupplies, medications and personal care products (sun-screen, contact lenses and supplies) and perhaps person-al protections or utility tools.

If you needed to evacuate quickly, previously discussingWHERE to go is important and having maps would

FOR THE FINEST MEATS... GO CO-OP!

help as you follow pre-planned routes and head to pre-determined meeting points. You need to consider multi-ple plans for different scenarios. Or your family mightnot all be together when an emergency happens. Discusswhere to go from school or work and how to get there.Maybe older children need to meet with younger onesfirst to help them.

Before leaving, turn off the gas and electricity to yourhouse. This is probably not common knowledge toeveryone in your household, so consider reviewing this

growyourown!

FIRE SEASON IS HERE: BE PREPARED FOR

EEEEMMMMEEEERRRRGGGGEEEENNNNCCCCIIIIEEEESSSS

BY ROB MOORE

Mainstream media outlets were shocked(shocked?) to learn that beef proces-sors had been taking hunks of fat and

scraps of beef matter, grinding it with thickeners,spraying it with ammonia, and adding it to groundbeef shipped to fast food chains, big-box grocers,and school lunch programs. The resultingpublic outrage over the “pink slime” hasled to widespread demands for investiga-tions and reforms, and most importantly ofall a drop in the sales of ground beef con-taining this gross garbage. There may havebeen a good amount of disgust among folksin the natural foods world over this story,but very little surprise.

The company chiefly responsible for pinksmile, Beef Products International, is spend-ing lots of energy and money accusing news outletsof spreading fear and disinformation over the “beeftrim” products they sell. BPI processes fat from beeftrimmings and literally “spins off” the fat contentand is then allowed to sell the remainder as lean beef.

All That’s WRONG With Industrial FoodInterestingly enough, a number of beef processors(including BPI) are registered as “ground beef han-dlers” rather than “raw beef processors.” Raw beefprocessors are subject to USDA testing for salmonel-la and other contaminants, but ground beef handlersare not. BPI has been producing over 4 and a 1/2 mil-lion pounds of “lean textured beef,” as pink slime isofficially known, per week. Over four million poundsof treated fat and sinew, doused with ammonia,pressed into bricks and sent out into our food supply,into our schools and mainstream supermarkets.

Americans are famous for our remove in under-standing where our food comes from: we havetremendous material abundance when it comes toour shopping choices, but even the most ardentamong us would be hard pressed to fully explain (oreven fully understand) how what we eat is harvested,processed, packaged, and finally lands in our shop-ping baskets. So much of the American food systemis devoted to processed and refined foods that whatused to be a straightforward path from the field topacker to table can now involve literally dozens ofextra steps, many using techniques (and chemical

additives) that would not have been possible as recent-ly as 20 years ago. Food science advances rapidly andfar too often so rapidly that the implications and wis-dom of processing methods is too seldom questioned.

The conventional response to warnings about pro-cessed foods is usually dismissal. That the FDA/USDA

says that the product is “safe” isoffered as a full close to anyargument. The difficulty is thateven with the best of intentions,lawmakers and inspectors andscientists are working with limit-ed resources and restricted accessto processors. Studies are skewedor outdated, or production meth-ods not fully disclosed, as theyare considered trade secrets. Inthese circumstances, getting a

clear picture of what is going on can be difficult, evenfor representatives of the agencies charged with pro-tecting and inspecting our food supply.

The controversy around pink slime emerged becausea plant supervisor expressed his concern that levelsof bacteria were higher than allowed. The inspectorwas fired, shared his concerns with media outlets,and now we have a justly outraged public and acommercial-food system working damage control.

None of the meat that your Co-op sells containantibiotics, hormones, fillers, extraneous chemicalagents or pink slime. We can tell you where yourmeat was raised, who raised it, the name of the farmor ranch, the location and date of the processing, andthe complete pathway from the field to your plate. Ifyou want to eat meat, local, grass-fed, and organicare better for the animals, for you, for the environ-ment… better in every way.

For more on protecting our food systems pleasevisit foodwhistleblower.org, centerforfoodsafety.org and justlabelit.org. and shop YOUR Co-opfor FRESH, FAIR AND LOCAL FOOD!

GOOD RIDDANCE TO

PINK SLIME!

FLOWERS FOR MOM! GET FAIR TRADE FLOWERS at your favorite CO-OP!Mother’s Day, Sunday, May 13th SHOP

CO-OP!

NNNNeeeewwww MMMMeeeexxxx iiii ccccoooo ’’’’ ssss NNNNeeeewwww CCCCoooommmmmmmmuuuunnnniiii ttttyyyy RRRRaaaaddddiiiioooo

• Contemporary Jazz• Chill

• Latin GuitarLISLISTEN!TEN!

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get outdoors! May 2012 14

BY KENT SWANSON, ASSOCIATE PLANNER, ALBUQUERQUE

OPEN SPACE

W ithin and around our rapidly growing desertcity we are blessed with over 29,000 acres ofPublic Open Space. These lands serve to pro-

tect wildlife and the environment, define our urban boundary,and offer a variety of recreational activities. The City ofAlbuquerque Open Space Division,part of Parks and Recreation, is theagency charged with the duty of car-ing for these special places.

Although you can still feel milesaway from the pressures of city lifewhile wandering the bosque orexploring the Sandia foothills, thepresence of trash, graffiti, or erod-ing trails can ruin your experienceand remind you of the impacts of

QUIVIRA COALITIONOUT ON THE LANDworkshopsworkshops

WORKSHOPSMay 12th, Native Plant Hike, 4-6:30pm Get to know our local plants and enjoy the landwhile discussing natural history, medicinal uses,and tips for identification.

May 20th, Passive Solar Design and SolarCooking, 10am to 4pm-please register earlySpend the day cooking with the sun and learningto make best use of this amazing resource for heat-ing and cooling buildings. The fundamentals ofpassive solar design for new structures and retrofitpossibilities will be explained.

AMPERSANDSSUUSSTTAAIINNAABBLLEELLEEAARRNNIINNGG CENTER

to register go to W W W. a m p e r s a n d p r o j e c t . o r g

urban growth. However, with your help we can protectand preserve these lands for generations to come.

Each spring and summer the Open Space Division,along with our non-profit partner the Open SpaceAlliance, REI and other local organizations, host twovolunteer events that help honor and protect our city’snatural places.

National River Cleanup: May 19th, from 8am until1pm. Volunteers meet on the northwestside of the Rio Grande off of the CentralAvenue Bridge and Sunset. A limited num-ber of spaces are available on rafts to helpremove trash. For more details see www.cabq.gov/openspace. Volunteers must reg-ister with REI at www.rei.com/albuquerqueor call 247-1191. All River Cleanup volun-teers are treated to morning refreshments,a door prize drawing and a free after-eventpicnic. PLEASE CARPOOL, as parking islimited!

National Trails Day (NTD): June 2nd, from 8am. TrailsDay takes place at the Elena Gallegos/Albert G. SimmsOpen Space in Albuquerque starting at 8am. Projectsfinish in the early afternoon, and we treat volunteers toa lunch at our covered picnic shelter. Elena Gallegos islocated east of Tramway. Volunteers can sign up for theevent with Recreational Equipment Inc. (REI). To regis-ter see www.rei.com/albuquerque, call 247-1191 orstop by their store located at 1550 Mercantile Ave. Thefirst 100 people to register for NTD will receive a freecommemorative T-shirt!

WHAT TO BRING: For both events, please bring workgloves, sturdy shoes, lots of water, and sun protection.Prepare to get dirty!FOR MORE INFORMATION on this or other volunteeropportunities with Open Space, call 505-452-5200 orvisit www.cabq.gov/openspace.

OF RIVERS AND TRAILS: TWOTWO WWAAYSYSTOTO PROTECTPROTECT OUROUR NANATURALTURAL

PLACESMay 4-6, Rangeland Ecology on Red Canyon ReserveLocation: Red Canyon Reserve, South of Socorro, off I-25 andState Road 107.Participants in this FREE outdoor classroom will learn how flora and fauna inthis area are responding to drought conditions from Mollie Walton and CullenHallmark. Participants will also assist in updating the species lists of theReserve that were compiled in past years. Activities include: an early morningbird walk, night walks over the uplands and through the canyon to hear owlcalls and see kangaroo rats, bats and other creatures, stargazing, rangelandplant identification, photographic monitoring and more! For information,contact Mollie at mwalton@quiviracoalition.org or register atwww.quiviracoalition.org

May 26-27, Land Stewardship and Erosion Control Location: Ampersand Sustainable Learning Center, CerrillosThis FREE workshop given by Steve Carson will provide participants withhands-on restoration skills at Ampersand, an off-grid demonstration site forsustainable living through permaculture, passive solar design, wise watersystems and natural building. Participants will learn practical skills in theapplication and techniques of constructing hand-built erosion control struc-tures such as One Rock Dams, Zuni Bowls, and Media Lunas. For moreinformation and registration go to www.ampersandproject.org.

co-op comix May 2012 15

STORY AND PENCILS BY RAS ELIJAH TAFARI, INKS AND LETTERS BY CHRISTOPH KNERR

TO BE CONTINUED

HASTA LA PROXIMA