Kyle McCord’s book, Galley of the Beloved in Torment, was the winner of the 2008 Orphic Prize. He’s received awards or grants from the Academy of American Poets, the Vermont Studio Center, Art in Motion Australia, and the Iowa Poetry Society. He has work forthcoming or published from Boston Review, Cimarron Review, Columbia: a Journal of Art and Literature, Cream City Review, Gulf Coast, and elsewhere. He currently lives and teaches in Des Moines, Iowa.

Keith Montesano’s Ghost Lights was published this year by Dream Horse Press. Other poems have appeared or are forthcoming in Hayden’s Ferry Review, American Literary Review, Third Coast, River Styx, Crab Orchard Review, Sonora Review, Ninth Letter, and elsewhere. He currently lives with his wife in New York, where he is a PhD Candidate in English and Creative Writing at Binghamton University.

Travis Poling’s first book, Poems that Should Never Be Read in Church, was recently self-published. His poems have appeared in Alba: A Journal of Short Poetry, DreamSeeker Magazine, and CrossCurrents. He currently attends Bethany Theological Seminary in Richmond, Indiana where he studies poetry, writing and theology.

The rain last Saturday did put a damper on the opening day of market.  From the  back door of the Co-op I could see our dedicated farmers, clad in rain gear, vending  to a brave soul or two.

This Saturday at 9am and again at 10am, Annelies Sizelove of the Cope Environmental Center will be offering a Reptile and Amphibian program for the kiddos.

Next Saturday, June 26th we will have live music provided by Soul Marrow Transplant from 9am-11am and Gill Miller from 11am-close of market.

After the market come on in to the Co-op for tofuti cuties or cold fruit drinks while you stock up for the coming week.  Don’t forget your containers to refill and your bags!  If you can’t make it to the market, don’t worry, the Co-op has fresh, local produce every day.

See you at the Co-op,
Kiersten

Tomorrow, June 12th, is the opening day of our local farmer’s market! The market is held in the parking lot just east of the library, between 6th and 7th streets. If the array of local produce in our cooler is any indication of what you may find, it should be a great showing of late Spring offerings. David Reed, who has kept us supplied with wonderful greens all Winter and Spring will be there with his lettuce, swiss chard, juicy carrots, beets and much more. Salem Road Farms products will be available at the co-op. Their potted herbs, tomatoes, and pepper plants are available through the early part of the week if you have been waiting to start your own home gardens. Jennifer Walters, of ‘The Food Dude’s Farm’, has agreed to keep us stocked with her produce through the Summer weeks if David sells out at the markets on Saturdays.

Jennifer is also our new supplier for eggs. Her eggs are even more local than our previous supplier. (Williamsberg is less than 15 miles away.) Her eggs are from her free range, well treated chickens. They are chemical free and enjoy the local country life. The eggs are delivered twice a week, if need be, and cost you less than our previous eggs did.

Kent and Dori Baxter of Abundant Acres, who were the focus of a great front page spread in last Sunday’s paper, are keeping our freezer stocked with whole chickens. They are practicing ethical farming in Williamsberg as well.

We will be celebrating the kick off of the market at the co-op with storytelling by owner/member Jennie Kiffmeyer, at 12:30 pm. Jennie is a librarian at Lilly Library; and very excited to begin a storytelling series that will grow to include stories for adults later in the year. The co-op will be arranging weekly events at the market throughout June and July. The Cope Environmental Center will bring us a children’s program next Saturday, and ‘Soul Marrow Transplant’ will provide local music on the 26th. (Stop into the Co-op for more details on these events or the July programming) If you have ideas for programing to continue through the latter half of the market season, please call the co-op.

The preparations for market, and our bounty of local produce in the store have taken the limelight. We do have new products in the bulk and grocery sections, and will have more ‘clean’ sunscreen by Tuesday. We are happy to be providing families with care-free Summer fun. If weather permits picnics and cookouts we have the veggie dogs and burgers covered, as well as the grass fed patties. You will find the high fructose free ketchup, mustard and relish to top it off, as you pile it up on a biodegradable plate!

See you at the market, and then at the Co-op for storytelling at 12:30,
Kiersten Aubre-Howard

The lovely rains we’ve gotten lately have brought on quite a boon of local produce.  We received deliveries from three farms yesterday!  The cooler is full of the late Spring wave of our local offerings:  Carrots, broccoli, broccoli raab, joi choy, mizuna greens, garlic scapes, beets, swiss chard, kale,  cabbage, and snap peas.  We even have recipies from Salem Road Farms for those asian greens they brought us.  If we run out before you get here, we will be receiving regular deliveries; and you are welcome to follow us on twitter to receive our tweets when produce arrives.
The farmer’s market officially starts on June 12th, uptown in the parking lot across the street from the library.     This week the local produce is at the Co-op!

If you have been waiting to become an owner-member, now may be a good time.  We are hosting our first ‘Owner-Member event’ on Wednesday, June 9th from 7pm-9pm.  Debbie Trocha, of the Indiana Cooperative Council, will be here to discuss the role of Co-ops in our communities.  Her talk will be followed by lively discussion as we meet many of our local suppliers; and savor the creations of Jen Ferrell (board member and personal chef of ‘Who Cooks for You?’).

Remember, as you plan your dishes for potlucks or picnics, the Co-op has biodegradable plates and cutlery by Terra Ware.

Another reminder, our expanded Summer hours:  10 am - 7 pm, Monday - Saturday!

See you at the Co-op,
Kiersten Aubre-Howard

We just got a delivery of fresh roasted coffee, and fresh Trader’s Point Creamery products.  The egg and chicken delivery comes in tomorrow, and we have Tofurky roasts for a rainy day gathering.

We have new miso soup,  and new offerings of Jyoti Indian cuisine and curry pastes.  The local, bulk honey is back; and the Food For Life millet bread that many of you have been asking for is in.  Most of our refreshing natural beverages are on sale; and we have those tasty Rice Dream Pies in the freezer.  Come in and see all of the new products and sale items.

See you at the Co-op,
Kiersten Aubre-Howard

Click to see the brochure PDF

After several months of careful deliberation and discussion about our new membership structure, and after great discussions with and feedback from our customers and supporters, we’ve finally decided on one!  (Of course, it’s still something that we will refine and improve over time, but we have to start somewhere.)

You can read all about it online or in our new owner-membership brochure, which includes an application form to become an owner-member.   If you’re interested in supporting this unique, cooperatively owned business model, we’ll look forward to having you join!

(And remember, you are NOT required to become an owner-member to shop at our store downtown! We’re open to the public.)

If you hunger for more discussion about the issues he raised in his talk and books, the Clear Creek Food Cooperative will be hosting a discussion this Thursday, March 4th at 5:30 PM at our store, 710 East Main Street in Richmond. Come share what you learned, what questions or concerns you’re left with, and your ideas for continuing to connect the dots about food here in Richmond and Wayne County.  (And if you didn’t see Pollan’s talk, you’re still welcome!)

Free and open to the public, light refreshments will be offered.  The Coop grocery will still close at 6, so come early if you want to shop!  Contact us with any questions or to let us know you’ll be coming.

To that end, we’re ready to present in draft form our proposed new membership options for the Coop, and to get your feedback on them.  We’re especially looking for feedback on these points:

• Cost / value: do the options seem like reasonable price points for the benefits included and for what the “market” in our community will support?
• Clarity of benefits: is it clear what benefits are included, and how they’ll be delivered/enacted?
• Simplicity: Are the options straightforward and easily understood, even for shoppers new to the Coop concept?

Of course, we welcome any other thoughts you might have as well.  You can share your comments by posting a comment below, or by contacting us directly.  Our hope is to receive your feedback within the next two weeks, so that we can put these membership options into place at our board meeting in early January 2010.

Thanks for your help!

Chris Hardie
On behalf of the board of directors

So, the Clear Creek Food Coop will have our first day of regular hours on Saturday, December 5th, from 10 AM to 6 PM!  We may not have a full inventory yet, but we will be hosting a Holiday Bazaar where you can buy crafts and gift items from local artists, come see the new store, and talk with us about the future of the Coop.  (And we’re conveniently located just a block from Morrisson-Reeves Library, so make sure you stop by the Alternative Gift Fair happening there that same day from 1 PM to 4 PM.)

We’ll see you at the Coop!

The Co-op is still actively working to open our store at its new location, 710 East Main Street in Richmond.  We’re having a work day this coming Saturday, November 14th at 10 AM (until 1 PM or however long you can stay).  During this time we’ll have volunteer opportunities that include helping to get the store shelving ready, putting together a membership and ownership structure for the new Coop, starting on marketing activities, beginning the cashier hiring process, and much more.  We hope you can join us - just show up, or contact us if you have any questions.

Stay tuned to this website for future updates about the store’s grand opening, membership opportunities, and more.  Thanks!

Chris Hardie
President, Coop Board of Directors