My basil plant is thriving, which is a shock, because last year I killed a handful of them. Looking for new uses for the abundance of sweet leaves, I thought back to crackers. There's a cracker we've liked that's crispy and wheaty with sundried tomato and basil. I can do that. I started with the flavor. Dried tomato from Margerum's, via Winter Harvest and still fresh in my fridge, basil from the backyard and a bit of parmesan. You can totally leave out the parmesan, just add a bit more olive oil and salt. The crackers don't taste cheesy. For cheese crackers, try something like the Mac and Cheesy Crackers I made last year. These crackers are based on the recipe for the Thyme and Onion Crackers I wrote about more than a year ago (!) but they're tangier and almost spicy. I took a half cup of basil leaves, four sundried tomatoes and two tablespoons of grated parmesan and threw all of that in my little chopper. By all means, feel free to do this by hand, but mince everything tiny. I just pretended I was making pesto. Then I gathered my dry ingredients. A cup of bread flour, one and three-quarters cups of whole wheat flour, a quarter cup of wheat germ, a teaspoon of sea salt and about half a tablespoon of black pepper. I forked that all together.

 

Then added the wet. A third of a cup of olive oil... The basil/tomato/cheese blend I had made, and a cup of warm water with a teaspoon of honey disolved in it. I mixed that with a fork until a fork no longer made sense. Then I got in there with my hands until it turned into what looked like the start of a fairly unappealing veggie burger mix. It's not bad, doing it by hand. Look how sticky it isn't. At this point I broke out the pasta machine. The last time I wrote about crackers like this, I did it with a rolling pin. Rolling pins are fine. With a rolling pin, I wasn't able to get the crackers all the same thickness, but it was *much* quicker than using the pasta machine, so make your own call. I divided the dough into eight pieces and ran it through the machine on the thickest setting. Like pasta, if it tore or looked rough, I floured it, folded it, and ran it back through. I used a pizza cutter to try to cut out reasonable rectangles, but they definitely came out "rustic." The shape doesn't matter, but the more consistently sized they are, the easier it'll be to time them in the oven. I cut off the roughest scraps and ran those back through the machine. Once I had my little rectangles, I docked each one with a fork and sprinkled on more sea salt. They need about 15-20 minutes in the oven at 375, at this thickness. If you roll them out with a rolling pin and they're a bit thicker, they'll need longer, and you need to keep a good eye on them either way. I set my timer for 10 minutes, turned them, and then just stared at them. My first batch took 18 minutes. This recipe made three baking-sheets-worth. They're done when they're firm and the edges are getting golden. Check the bottoms to be sure they're not burning. Let them cool completely before storing them. Try not to eat all the hot crackers. And really, don't walk away while they're in the oven. Golden brown is great, golden black is less so. This made about 130 crackers, which sounds like a lot, but was just enough to fit in this jar. They keep about a week, and if they aren't crisp enough you can recrisp them in a low (200 degree) oven.

This recipe is cross-posted at Saturday’s Mouse, where I’m working on making food out of food.

 Sundried Tomato and Basil Crackers Ingredients

• 1 Cup Bread Flour
• 1 3/4 Cups Whole Wheat Flour
• 1/4 Cup Wheat Germ
• 3 Tablespoons Sea Salt, Divided
• 1 Teaspoon Honey
• 1 Cup Warm Water
• 1/2 Tablespoon Black Pepper
• 1/2 Cup Fresh Basil
• 1/4 Cup Sundried Tomatoes
• 2 Tablespoons Parmesan Cheese (optional)

Instructions Run the tomato, basil and cheese through a food processor or chopper to mince (or mince by hand). Ok to skip the cheese, but add a bit more salt and olive oil later. Mix the dry ingredients - flours, flax seed, pepper and one tablespoon of salt, then incorporate the wet - basil/tomato mix, olive oil, and warm water and honey. I find it easier to dissolve the honey in the water first. Mix well, with a fork and then by hand, and then roll out the dough using either a rolling pin or a pasta machine. Aim for about the thickness of a quarter. Cut into cracker shapes (a pizza cutter helps) and re-roll any scraps. Dock with a fork and top with sea salt. Bake at 375 for 10 minutes, then turn and check frequently. They are done when they're firm all over and golden at the edges. Maybe 15 or 18 minutes total? Details

• Prep time: 25 mins
• Cook time: 20 mins
• Total time: 45 mins
• Yield: 130 Crackers

From our friends at the Philadelphia Area Cooperative Alliances (PACA) come these reminders of a couple of events happening later this month: The first is the a one-day conference called Exploring Cooperatives: Economic Democracy and Community Development in Pennsylvania and Wisconsin that is actually "sold out" (in that all the free tickets have been reserved). Why am I telling you about it then? As PACA notes:

Since the conference is free, we expect a larger percentage of “no shows”. So, for the time being, latecomers can still register by contacting Center for Public Policy Program Manager Charlotte Jackson, [email protected].

Below are some of the details (the rest you can get by clicking here): A one-day conference that explores what the urban areas of Philadelphia and Madison, and rural areas in Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, can learn from one another about building cooperatives and cooperative networks, and what cooperatives contribute to cities, regions, and states. Wednesday, June 13, 2012 Drexel University, School of Medicine New College Building 245 N. 15th Street (SE corner of 15th and Vine) Philadelphia, PA SPEAKERS Gar Alperovitz, Lionel R. Bauman Professor of Political Economy, University of Maryland, Congressman Chaka Fattah (D-PA), author of the National Cooperative Development Act of 2011 (H.R. 3677), Paul Soglin, Mayor, City of Madison, Wisconsin, Michael Nutter, Mayor, City of Philadelphia,  (invited) Michael Swack, Professor of Economics and Management, Carsey Institute, University of New Hampshire, Jessica Gordon Nembhard, Associate Professor of Community Justice and Social Economic Development, John Jay College Department of African American Studies, Steve Dubb, Research Director, The Democracy Collaborative. The conference will include breakout sessions and workshops that examine specific cooperatives in detail, comparing those in Pennsylvania (mostly from Philadelphia... including our own South Philly Food Co-op) and those in Wisconsin (mostly from Madison). Research will be published by the University of Wisconsin Extension.

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The second event this month is a big conference that's drawing in co-ops from all over the country (and Philly is fortunate enough to be the host this year). Consider going to the party below and showing those out-of-towners how to party Philly Co-op style! June 14th through 16th is the annual CCMA conference*, and the closing party on Saturday night is open to the public! Even if you're not attending the conference during the day, join us for the live music of Sharon Katz and the Peace Train, the Give & Take Jugglers, plus delicious food from a variety of Reading Terminal Market Vendors. Weavers Way is hosting the party and offering a special invitation to local co-op folks to attend at a reduced price of $35 (down from $65 at the door) if you register before June 1st. Click here to register. *The Consumer Cooperative Management Association (CCMA) conference is a 3-day gathering of hundreds food co-op managers, directors, educators, and consultants, plus their national allies. CCMA is a program of the National Cooperative Business Association. Volunteer opportunities exist for CCMA, which may include discounted admission. If interested, email [email protected].

We’ve been on a roll with member recruitment.  To keep this momentum going, we have planned a number of upcoming events to help us toward our next goal of 400 member-owners.  What we need from you is volunteer help to make these events a success.  Below is a list of volunteer opportunities for June which range from helping at the Gold Star Park Music event to community fairs.  Check your calendar, see what events strike your fancy, and email us at [email protected] if you can help out with any of these events or activities. Fleisher ARTspiration  When: Saturday, June 9th, 10am - 4pm Where: Fleisher Art Memorial (719 Catharine Street, Philadelphia, PA 19147) The Co-op will be tabling at this community arts festival with a food related activity. Volunteers will manage a food related arts and craft activity as well as distribute information about the Co-op, answer questions, distribute membership applications, and accept equity payments. Volunteers will be paired with an experienced committee member.  Need one more volunteer for the 10am - 1pm shift and two volunteers for the 1pm - 4pm shift. Gold Star Park Music Fisher & Maher (www.fishermaher.com) When: Thursday, June 14th,  7pm - 9pm Where: Gold Star Park (Wharton and Sheridan) Volunteers will manage a seedling workshop activity as well as distribute information about the Co-op, answer questions, distribute membership applications, and accept equity payments. Volunteers will be paired with an experienced committee member. West Passyunk Summer Festival When: Saturday, June 16th, 12pm - 4pm Where: Girard Elementary (18th & Snyder) Volunteers will manage a seedling workshop activity as well as distribute information about the Co-op, answer questions, distribute membership applications, and accept equity payments. Volunteers will be paired with an experienced committee member. Festival Passyunk Square Fountain Farmer's Market When: Wednesday, June 27th, 4pm - 7pm Where: The Fountain (Tasker & Passyunk) We need one volunteer to table with a committee member--passing out materials, answering questions, and taking member applications.    

We received word from a Game Show Network producer that they are looking for teams to compete in a new show called Beat The Chefs. Here are the details:

CALLING ALL HOME COOKS! It's time to fire up your burners and break out your favorite recipes! GSN (Game Show Network) and the producers of THE GREAT FOOD TRUCK RACE, are thrilled to bring you BEAT THE CHEFS, an exciting new cooking game show that celebrates REAL people who make great food! BEAT THE CHEFS gives talented home cooks the chance to go up against some of the best chefs in the business, battle it out in the kitchen, and win a BIG CASH PRIZE! We are scouring the nation for passionate home cooks from all walks of life. Are you a great cook despite never having been formally trained? Whether you are a chili cook-off champion, the queen of the bake sale, or just a whiz in the kitchen, now is your chance to see if your signature dish has what it takes to compete with our professional chefs! Gather up two of your family members or best friends as your sous chefs and pick the dish that you know will leave the judges begging for more! We are looking for fun, outgoing teams of all ages. If you love to cook, have a competitive spirit, and think you have a winning dish, email us at [email protected]. Please include your name, age, contact info, photo, two proposed teammates (and their photos), a description of your culinary background and your signature dish! Put the CITY/STATE where you live in the subject line for priority!

So whaddya say South Philly Food Co-op folks? Who's up for the challenge. Remember... if you win you have to plug the Co-op. We'll take all the publicity we can get!

Those of you who read this blog regularly and who have been following the progress of the South Philly Food Co-op (and it's 256+ member-owners!) probably already know the difference between a co-op and a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture). So you'd be surprised to know that this continues to be one of the most frequently asked questions that we get either by email or in person when we're tabling at events. It's so frequent, in fact, that we've put it in our FAQs. So, if you're out there doing what you should be doing - that is getting more people to join the Co-op - and you get this question, feel free to use some variation of our answer:

So you’re one of those farm shares, right? That’s cool but I’m not sure I could eat all that food by myself or find time to pick up my food once a week…

Whoa… whoa… whoa. Hold on, Tex. You’re mistaking a co-op for Community Supported Agriculture (CSA). A CSA is an organization that supports farmers by having members each buy a “share,” which supports the whole budget of a single farm or several farming operations. Members have a “shared risk and reward” agreement with the faming operations, and are limited to what is seasonally available and ripe. That’s not what the South Philly Food Co-op is.

What we are trying to start is a food co-op or a grocery store that is owned and run by its member-owners, usually offering natural, organic and local foods and other products. Food co-ops tend to focus on social responsibility and community building more than for-profit grocery stores.

So it’s like any other grocery store in that you can shop there whenever it is open, get your food when your schedule allows and only buy what you need.

That's not to say we don't also love CSAs. In fact, many of our member-owners, board members and committee members also are involved with CSAs. Some host the weekly pick-ups at their home while others travel the great distance to the far-off Town of Fish (in the heart of Kensington Community Food Co-op country) to pick up their CSA from the uber awesome Greensgrow Farm. In the comments below, feel free to share your own experiences with a CSA and make recommendations to anyone who is looking to join one. We should all be supporting our local agriculture (which I'm sure the Co-op will do once it is open) or we run the risk of it going away and severely jeopardizing our regional food security. There are also a few resources out there that maintain lists of local CSA's including this one at Farm To City's website. Pretty sure most are still accepting subscriptions for their summer season (Greensgrow was as of May 10th) but you better hurry!

Just a reminder that Spirit Night at Rita's is this Thursday 5/31 from 6-9 pm. What's better on a hot summer night than a cold cup of water ice or, my favorite, gelati? Rita's will be sharing a portion of the proceeds from all the water ice sold on Thursday night with the co-op, money that will go towards the next step in building a cooperative grocery store in South Philly. So the more you buy, the better we all do. Please share this with your friends and bring them by tomorrow! Of course it's an especially good event for the kids. Our local Rita's is at 1356 E. Passyunk, on the corner of 10th and Reed. Let us know if you need any more info!

Back on April 14 several of our Co-op committee members attending a special training session on recruiting new members. The session has proven invaluable in that many of the lessons learned have since been put into action and helped us smash through our first goal of 250 member-owners. They'll prove even more valuable as we enter our next stage of development and reach for our next goal of 400 member-owners. This is the time when we'll be building up our infrastructure to prepare for when we reach our next goal and we can take our 400 members to the bank. Literally. In that we will then go to the a bank or other lender and ask for financing. Figuratively in that only a few of us will go, not all 400. But during this stage, as we build toward 400, we'll also be building out our committees and begin gathering potential locations for our Co-op. If you'd like to get more information about the lessons our folks learned at the member recruitment training, email us at [email protected]. The stuff we learned will not only help you to help us get more members but could also come in handy in other parts of your personal and professional life. And we'll pass on the knowledge for free! That said, here's some pics from the day: [caption id="attachment_3658" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Lot of learning going on that day."][/caption] [caption id="attachment_3661" align="aligncenter" width="259" caption="We need ALL of our member-owners to be leaders as well and we can tell you how!"][/caption] [caption id="attachment_3662" align="aligncenter" width="389" caption="Representatives from co-ops all over the region were in attendance"][/caption] [caption id="attachment_3663" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Somehow these things always ended up having role play."][/caption]

While it's a little premature to start thinking about where the Co-op is going to be sourcing its products, it's likely that the member-owners will express their desire to focus on food that is grown locally and either organically or with an eye toward sustainability. With that in mind, it's always helpful as consumers to familiarize ourselves with the food "system" in our region and our country. To put it simply (very simply), there are big, thousand+ acre, industrial, single-crop concerns and there are small, single-proprietor or partnership-run, multiple crop farms. The "system" (man!) favors the former in many ways even down to the nomenclature. For example, fruits and vegetables are legally known as "specialty crops." (Unfortunately, for most Americans, they're also a specialty food!) But one of the major hurdles faced by the small farms is that fact that the system of federally provided crop insurance - the safety net in case of weather or pest-related disasters - is designed for the large farms. The New York Times' Green blog explains this issue quite well in a piece that was posted on Tuesday. (Note: The article mentions CSAs as one alternative that small farms have turned to since crop insurance is basically unavailable to them, which of course requires me to point you to our FAQs for a refresher on the difference between a co-op and a CSA. You might already know the difference, but you'd be surprised how many don't. Hence it's appearance as an FAQ.) As members of a Co-op, we become more than just individual consumers. We're a group of people banded together with the potential to effect positive change by the choices we make as a group. If one of those choices is to make sure our shelves are stocked with foods from local farms and producers, then we should also be prepared to advocate for policies that benefit (or at the very least, don't harm) those producers. Otherwise, we might find that one day there are no small, local farms left! This also means that agricultural issues - like the Farm Bill - touch us as city folk just as much as they affect our fellow citizens in the rural parts of the country. Therefore we need to let our elected representatives in Congress know that we expect them to be up on these issues as well.

I know I've said it before but I'll say it again:  this is the best time of year.  It's been so rainy and humid and hot that you can practically see the plants growing.  When I first moved here I hated hated all the humidity because it makes my hair erupt in frizz.  But now I just have to look out in the garden and see how green and fresh everything is and I don't worry about the frizz (and coconut oil does wonders for dry, frizzy hair, if you're wondering.)  Just look how much things have grown since last week: [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="500" caption="time to stake the tomatoes!"][/caption] I specifically took this picture of this little fig bud because I knew it would come out soon.  Here it is on May 19th (that's five days ago, people): [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="500" caption="may 19th"][/caption] And here it is this morning!  And yes, I did get up extra early just to take pictures of my garden: [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="500" caption="may 24th. more leaves!"][/caption] Hey, little fig!  I'm excited for you!  Now you have more than two leaves and I feel less like you're on the verge of dying.  Keep up the good work, kid. I picked lots of this arugula for dinner last night but as of this morning it was still going strong: [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="375" caption="stop being so delicious"][/caption] I also picked lots of the spinach last night and it really is the brightest shade of green: [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="375" caption="spinach!"][/caption] Seriously, the spinach and arugula is so flavorful you really don't need to do much with it.  I've never been much of a salad eater (feels too "diet food" to me unless it's smothered in ranch dressing in which case I'll eat it all) but I do love some gently wilted greens on pasta.  Last night I picked a bowlful of arugula, spinach and lettuce, rinsed them well and tossed them in a pan with some miso and a little bit of hot water to dissolve the miso.  I was worried because I didn't have any garlic or onions but the greens were so tasty on their own they really didn't need anything more.  When the greens were wilted (only a minute or two on the heat) I emulsified (that's a fancy word for "mixed") the miso sauce with some butter and then dumped some cooked pasta in and mixed it all together.  Some salt and pepper and a little of the reserved pasta cooking water to keep it from getting too dry and it tasted surprisingly delicious and it was totally easy.  In case you're wondering, here are the seeds these guys were grown from: [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="500" caption="tasty!"][/caption] I chose that spinach based on the name (obviously) but I've since read some things about it and apparently it's fairly sought-after for its taste.  I'd agree!  I prefer to eat my spinach when it's still little so it's not bitter but sometimes it still gets that weird taste in your mouth - almost kind of gritty, you know?  Well, this one has none of that.  Pure delicious. And the tomatoes are growing so fast that I'm going to have to start pinching these suckers off soon: [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="375" caption="sucker"][/caption] I left these on last year but I think I'm going to start taking them off to see if I can't get more tomatoes and less foliage out of my plants this year.  We'll see! Oh let's check back in with the sunflowers, which are just over two weeks old now: [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="375" caption="sunflowers"][/caption] So big!  Time to replant soon. And lastly the rain has caused my little (huge) feverfew to bloom.  The foliage is big but the flowers are like miniature little daisies: [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="500" caption="feverfews"][/caption]  

At tonight's membership meeting, South Philly Food Co-op Board of Directors President Alison Fritz (wow, that's a long title!) announced to the assembled member-owners that we had achieved our first goal of 250 member owners and, in fact, that as of tonight we are at 254! So let's take a moment to savor that. Okay. Moment's over. Back to work. Reaching 250 officially puts at the end of Stage 1 - Organizing. We now move on to Stage 2a - Feasibility - during which we will convene a real estate committee to begin evaluating potential sites, start investigating financing options, begin drafting a member loan campaign, and write a comprehensive business plan. That stage will end when we reach our next goal of 400 member-owners. The good news, is we're only 148 away from that! Piece of cake. On behalf of the Board, committee members, volunteers, outside advisers, and everyone who has been involved with getting us to this point - thank you! Now it's on to 400. (If the first 250 are called the Founding Members, what should we call the next 150?!)