On the Heels of a membership milestone and successful Garden Tour fund raiser we have the following news to share with members, prospective members and everyone who supports the cooperative movement! Since the founding of the South Philly Food Co-op in 2010, 300+ members have invested time and equity toward the establishment of a member-owned grocery store that will provide nutritious food to all South Philadelphia residents. The impact of those investments has just been significantly amplified thanks to a major grant from The Reinvestment Fund (TRF), a national leader in the financing of neighborhood revitalization projects. The South Philly Food Co-op has been awarded a $25,000 Food Access Grant — a huge vote of confidence in the mission and leadership of the South Philly Food Co-op, an assurance that the large majority of its members’ investments will go directly to opening the store, and a giant boost for what the Co-op will be able to accomplish in the immediate future. “This grant and TRF’s support is fantastic validation for 29 months and literally thousands of hours of work by our all-volunteer group of committee, board and community members,” said Alison Fritz, President of the South Philly Food Co-op Board of Directors. "This funding will help us take a HUGE step forward in developing the talent, systems, capital and vision necessary for the success of the Co-op.” The Food Access Grant Program endeavors to assist food-based nonprofits to undertake programs and projects that will expand underserved Pennsylvania residents’ access to healthy food choices; create and preserve quality jobs; and foster an environment that supports the development of community-based food cooperatives. The South Philly Food Co-op will use the grant to move even closer to opening a storefront through:

• Building infrastructure and internal systems (including CiviCRM, its constituent relationship management system);
• Developing a pro forma with the expertise of a consultant to model the anticipated cash flows and revenues necessary for lenders
• Honing its business plan; and
• Creating a more dynamic and sustainable organization that is prepared for the next stage of development.

This award is part of a larger trend of co-op expansion in the Greater Philadelphia area. TRF has awarded food access grants of $25,000 each to the South Philly Food Co-op and the Kensington Community Food Co-op (KCFC). For the leaders of these two start-up organizations, these grants together represent the commitment of a major funder to Philly’s growing cooperative movement and the movement’s focus on healthy food access. Food co-op development has been bolstered by the rise of regional associations like the Mid-Atlantic Food Cooperative Alliance, to which the South Philly Food Co-op and KCFC belong, along with two of Philly's established co-op groceries, Mariposa Food Co-op and Weavers Way Co-op. For the South Philly Food Co-op, the grant comes on the heels of its successful South Philly Garden Tour fund raiser, which yielded over $3,500 in net proceeds and 10 new members on the day of the tour. Those 10 new applicants have brought the South Philly Food Co-op up to 305 total member-owners, bringing it ever closer to another important membership milestone of 400, at which point the Co-op will begin to secure a loan toward the establishment of a storefront. More details about this grant as well as other updates about the Co-op’s progress toward opening its doors will be topics when the South Philly Food Co-op holds its fall membership meeting on Thu., Oct. 25, from 6 -7:45 p.m. at the Edward O’Malley Athletic Association in Pennsport (on Moore Street between Front and Second). Members — and those interested in becoming members — are encouraged to attend. For more information on becoming a member of the South Philly Food Co-op, visit southphillyfoodcoop.org. About The Reinvestment Fund (TRF) TRF is a national leader in rebuilding America's distressed towns and cities, through the innovative use of capital and information. TRF has invested over $1.1 billion in Mid-Atlantic communities since 1985. A CDFI, TRF finances housing, community facilities, food access, commercial real estate and energy efficiency projects. It also provides public policy expertise by helping clients create actionable solutions and by sharing data and analysis via www.PolicyMap.com. To learn more about TRF, visit www.trfund.com.

Did you know food co-ops are currently not qualified to access SBA lending programs?

Here's a call to action from the National Cooperative Business Association, which is asking for your support in lobbying for co-op access to this very important funding resource:

 

 

Now is the time for YOUR VOICE to be heard! Click here to find out how you can take action and help the NCBA get the word out.

 

 

A packed house at the spring 2012 membership meeting, at the South Philadelphia Older Adult Center. Photo | Albert Yee

The lazy days of summer are behind us and all the wonders that fall has to offer are just around the corner. For the Co-op, autumn isn't just about pumpkin lattes and turning leaves: We are in the midst of planning the fall South Philly Food Co-op General Membership Meeting.

Congratulations to our friends and Shop South Philly partners, Wash Cycle Laundry, who were recently voted "Best Laundry Service" in Philadelphia Magazine’s 2012 Best of Philly!

Read the review here and be sure to check out their full-page feature photo in the magazine which is on newsstands now.

These eco-friendly laundry experts aren’t only skilled at speedy service but they also make time to stay involved in our community. Wash Cycle Laundry supported our 2nd Annual South Philly Garden Tour by providing free cold water and delicious ginger iced tea to tour goers.

Wash Cycle Laundry takes a break from winning awards to help keep our tour goers hydrated. (Photo by Co-op member George Beschen)

As a member of the South Philly Food Co-op, you can claim a 50% discount (!!) off your first service with Wash Cycle Laundry through our Shop South Philly Program.

They’ll pick up, wash, fold, and drop off your fresh duds the very next day all on bike. So give yourself a break and let the friendly folks in the lime green t-shirts take care of that pesky pile of laundry for you — and be sure to thank them for supporting your Co-op!

Baba Ghanoush?

Baba Ganouj?

Eggplant dip.

Smoky, creamy eggplant dip. Thick and smooth, I don't want to knock hummus, but when I'm served hummus and baba ghanouj on the same plate, it's the eggplant dip that goes first. And, much like hummus, baba ghanouj is really easy to make. Even better than hummus, baba ghanouj is really easy to freeze, so you can have the goodness of eggplant season whenever you need it.

But I'm not being fair to hummus, and that's not why we're here.Baba ghanouj is typically what I make when I'm afraid an eggplant isn't going to last long enough to use in something else. It's easy to bring with some pita and a salad for lunch. And, as above, it freezes.

Preheat the oven to 350.

I could see the merit in roasting garlic for this, but at the same time, that means its 40 minutes longer - with a hot kitchen - before the baba ghanouj is ready. So I don't go as far as roasting it until it's smooth and nutty. If you have pre-existing roasted garlic, this would be a great time to use it. Instead, I toss a few cloves into the oven while I'm prepping my eggplant, and leave them in the while I bake my eggplant. It all works out.

The real action starts off with a mess on my stovetop. Just like when I'm grilling corn or roasting a red pepper, this takes place right on my gas burner. If you have an electric range, or are just horrified at the prospect of doing this, you can go outside and grill it. What you want is for the eggplant to take on some smokiness. You'll finish cooking it in the oven.

Place a whole, washed eggplant right on your washed burner. Turn the stove on.

Use tongs to rotate the eggplant and make sure that it's not on fire.

After about 10 minutes, depending on the size of your eggplant, it should have sort of collapsed. It'll be difficult to attack with tongs.

This is when you put it in the oven, to join those garlic cloves from earlier. Give that 20 minutes to a half hour in the oven until soft throughout.

You might want to spend this time cleaning your stove.

After the eggplant is done cooking, take it out and set it aside to cool. You want it to be comfortable to touch. While it's cooling, if you haven't already, you might want to use that time to clean your stove.

Once the eggplant is cool, regardless of the condition of your stove, peel the skin off and discard it.

Dips, like salad dressings, aren't all that pretty, so if you're someone who might get upset at an eggplant that's all smushy, don't look.

Ok, you can handle it, right?

Cut off the green part at the top of the eggplant and take the eggplant and the garlic and put them in your food processor or mini chopper or blender.

I'm not a huge tahini fan, and I use considerably less of it in both my hummus and my baba ghanouj than other recipes call for. If you do it my way and find yourself missing that sesame goodness, just add more. It's a pretty flexible recipe.

I add two tablespoons of tahini per eggplant.

Whirr that together in the chopper or processor and see if you need more.

And if you have a lemon on hand, that's way better, but I use a tablespoon of this stuff.

Also, olive oil, cumin and salt, which somehow managed not to be photographed. Start with a tablespoon of olive oil and add more if needed. Some people garnish the top with olive oil but I don't think that's necessary.

I used a quarter teaspoon of both salt and cumin. Then whirred it again in my chopper.

This made enough to be a hearty side dish in four lunches, or an appetizer for eight or so.

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

 Ingredients

• 1 eggplant


• 2 tablespoons (more if needed) tahini paste


• 1 tablespoon (more if needed) olive oil


• 1 tablespoon lemon juice


• 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin


• 1/4 teaspoon salt


• 2-4 cloves garlic (to taste)

Instructions

• Turn oven to 350 and add garlic to a pan large enough to hold the eggplant.


• Cook the garlic during next steps. Roast the eggplant over gas burner or grill, turning frequently until it loses it's structure.


• Finish in oven with garlic (20-30 minutes, until very soft).


• Let eggplant cool to the touch and then peel and discard skin and stem.


• Blend eggplant and garlic in a food processor, blender or chopper.


• Add two tablespoons of tahini and blend. Check texture and add more if needed.


• Add two tablespoons of olive oil, a tablespoon of lemon juice, and a quarter teaspoon each of salt and ground cumin. Whirr in processor until smooth and combined.


• Serve cold or at room temperature with pita bread or crackers.

Details

• Prep time: 15 minutes


• Cook time: 40 minutes


• Total time: 55 minutes

Yield: 8 appetizer servings

 

 

A reader of our blog noticed a piece we did some time ago about legislation affecting credit unions - the co-op version of a bank... just like we're the co-op version of a grocery store. She passed along the following graphic which was made possible by CreditScore.net. As a 15+ year member of a credit union, I can attest to much of what is said below. For those of our supporters who are on the fence about where to put your money, take a look at credit unions. There are plenty of them in the area.

Sooooo jealous...

After a furious few nights of number crunching, we have the official results of the 2012 South Philly Garden Tour fund raiser. This is by far the largest fund raiser the Co-op does each year and we hope it provides a great time for people who attend as well as those who volunteer the use of their gardens. Here are the numbers:

24 participating gardens...
111 attendees...
141 tickets sold...
$3673.33 Net proceeds...

...and best of all...

10 new members on day of Tour!

As you can tell by the numbers, not only was the Tour well attended but we also had a number of folks who couldn't make it for one reason or another still give to the Co-op by purchasing a ticket or two. As with all of our fund raising, the proceeds from this event will go toward the pre-start-up costs we incur so that when it comes time to put a deposit down on a location, stock the shelves with inventory (after, uh, building shelves) and hiring a staff, we will have every penny of member equity available.

After the Tour was all over, one attendee who has lived in South Philadelphia for several years remarked that going on the Garden Tour helped him realize "just how cool a place South Philly is" and "how great it is to live here." He went on to say, "look at all this great stuff going on in my neighborhood - especially the creative and sustainable things being done with very tight spaces - that I didn't know about."

A great day for meeting cool neighbors... seeing great gardens... and helping bring the South Philly Food Co-op that much closer to opening.

While we recover from the awesome good time that was the Garden Tour, we want to share some of the first photos trickling in from that day. We've got them in an album on Facebook that you can view by clicking here (need not be a Facebook user to view). In a bit, we'll have news about how the Garden Tour did in terms of funds raised. PlanPhilly's coverage of the day includes the VERY exciting news that the Garden Tour - along with selling 140 tickets - brought in enough new members to put us over the 300 mark (305 to be exact). Suddenly our next goal of 400 doesn't seem so far away.

At the Whitman branch of the Philadelphia Free Library, you can find more than just books. Step outside and you'll find their community garden overflowing with marigolds, petunias, rose bushes, tomato plants, and herbs.

After the Garden Tour you can even go back on a Monday with other children and families and keep on planting new flowers, vegetables, and herbs, and learning about gardening.

You can get the whole scoop on the Whitman Library Garden by going on the Second Annual South Philly Food Co-op Garden Tour, on Sat., Sept. 8, 2012 (raindate Sun., Sept. 9, 2012) from 1-5 p.m. Tickets can be purchased online at http://southphillygardentour.eventbrite.com/ or at these locations:

• Urban Jungle, 1526 E. Passyunk Avenue


• Ultimo Coffee, 1900 South 15th St.


• Grindcore House, 1515 S. 4th St.

The Garden Tour will be a self-guided ticketed event, and will feature over 20 public and private gardens throughout South Philadelphia. Participating gardens will have their doors/gates open for the duration of the event, and will have someone available to greet visitors, show them around and answer questions. RSVP on Facebook here.

This is one of many fundraisers that will help us raise the funds for a site analysis of potential store locations. Help us make it a success – buy tickets for yourself, your friends and your family! And, if you haven’t yet joined, meet some of our member-owners and please consider joining now!

Since announcing the 2nd Annual South Philly Garden Tour almost a month ago, we've gotten a ton of great press to help get the word out. Here are just a few of the great things that some local news organizations and blogs have had to say about the Tour:

NakedPhilly.com

We’re into the sustainable-locally-sourced-socially-conscious vibe of this event, and appreciate the impact that events like this have on creating communities of like-minded folks...

Phoodie.info

South Philly’s Second Annual Fall Garden Tour Sounds Just As Good As The Stuff It Supports...

Philadelphia Weekly (with a great picture of the Co-op's board at the top of the page ;) )

Whether you’ve got a green thumb or the touch of death, chances are it wouldn’t kill ya to spend an afternoon outdoors appreciating nature—especially when it’s for a good cause...

Philly Homegrown

South Philadelphia is becoming more beautiful by the moment, and here’s your chance to take a tour of 20 neighborhood gardens...

Mark Bittman, New York Times:

If you care even a little bit about making positive changes to the food system in this country, you'll not only go on the Garden Tour but you'll immediately become a member of the Co-op.

(Okay, I may have made one of those up but I'm sure he'd say something like that if he knew about the event!)

The Second Annual South Philly Food Co-op Garden Tour will be TOMORROW. Sept. 8, 2012 (raindate Sun., Sept. 9, 2012) from 1-5 p.m. Tickets can be purchased online at http://southphillygardentour.eventbrite.com/ or at these locations:

Urban Jungle, 1526 E. Passyunk Ave.
Ultimo Coffee, 1900 South 15th St.
Grindcore House, 1515 S. 4th St.

The Garden Tour will be a self-guided ticketed event, and will feature over 20 public and private gardens throughout South Philadelphia. Participating gardens will have their doors/gates open for the duration of the event, and will have someone available to greet visitors, show them around and answer questions. RSVP on Facebook here.

This is one of many fundraisers that will help us raise the funds for a site analysis of potential store locations. Help us make it a success – buy tickets for yourself, your friends and your family! And, if you haven’t yet joined, meet some of our member-owners and please consider joining now!