Alison, MaryBeth and I went to a Cooperative Board Leadership Development (CBLD) session on Saturday in Mt. Airy.  We are committed to learning more about what it means to be successful directors on YOUR board.

Michael Healy, an independent consultant from the CDS Consulting Co-op, spent all day with a group of 25 board members from six local co-ops to teach us about Cooperative principles and values, legal duties, policy governance and balance sheets!

Not only was the facilitator and content excellent, but it was great to spend time with other co-ops and bounce ideas around.  There were some people from start up co-ops like us (Doylestown, Kensington) and other established co-ops (Weaver's Way, Mariposa, Swarthmore).

 

The most important thing I learned on Saturday that I'd like to share with you is fiduciary responsibility.  I thought (along with many others) that fiduciary responsibility was a complicated finance term.  Turns out that it's much simpler - it means to be entrusted to make a decision on someone else's behalf.  As your Board of Directors, we know that you have invested your hard earned money into the co-op and we have a responsibility to act in your best interest. That's something that's not lost on me (us) and we thank you.

Through this learning process, something that really impresses me about the cooperative principles is that cooperatives help other cooperatives. Weaver's Way has been an invaluable resource to the South Philly Food Co-op and they are always willing to lend a helping hand. This Board Leadership program is an example of that, WW sponsored all three of us to attend for free.  My hope is that one day the South Philly Food Co-op will have a budget large enough to be able to give back to other start-up co-ops. There are approximately 300 start-ups that we are aware are and if we are successful, co-ops could double in our communities - how exciting!

Thanks again to everyone who came out last night for the first of our regular, bi-annual member-owner meetings. As member-owner myself and someone who has been helping out with these start-up activities since darn near the beginning (though I must admit, not as long as Alison or Cassie or Patty or Josh or John or MaryBeth or a number of other folks), it was GREAT to see so many people who believe in this enterprise. I had the great pleasure to give a little presentation on how to talk about the Co-op with friends and neighbors who might be open to joining. While I leaned pretty heavily on the psychological reward of being one of our 250 Founding Members, I forgot what is perhaps the most practical reason and best answer for the question "Why should I join now rather than just wait until the store opens?" Quite simply... if you join now, the Co-op will open sooner. Conversely, if you wait until it opens, it may be a loooooong wait. (Thanks to Josh Skaroff for reminding me of this message point!) So, if you're out there talking to a friend or neighbor and you get a sense that they are interested in being a part of this enterprise but give you the "Why now?" question... it's quite simple. Join now and the Co-op opens sooner. Thanks again to everyone who came. Let's review the numbers... We had about 70 people in attendance (and that's NOT including the Boy Scout troop whose meeting space we invaded for the evening... special thanks to them for being Quiet along with Trustworthy, Loyal, Helpful, Friendly, Courteous, Kind, Obedient, Cheerful, Thrifty, Brave, Clean, and Reverent.) Among these 70 people we had representation from 48 of our member-owner households who cast votes to ratify our by-laws (by a 48-0 vote). We signed up 5 (!) new member households to bring out total to 110. If I'm doing my math correctly that's 44 percent of the way to our first day of spring goal of 250. and... I ate 4 of the chocolate cupcakes and found them to be 110% delicious. Big thank you to everyone who earned a volunteer hour by bringing post-meeting snacks! And finally... if you really want a few more check out this blog post on Treehugger and the video below to find out directly from the Director-General of the International Co-operative Alliance why "the cooperative movement is gaining traction, and why it could be the fastest-growing enterprise model by the end of this decade." (Hint: it has a little to do with how strong the model is compared to some of the other *cough*corporate*cough* models which haven't performed so well recently.) [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=96EOrGPJfk8]

A quick Google tells me that vegetarian shepherd's pie is called "shepherdess pie." That upsets me. I don't understand the feminization of healthier foods. Men eat meat, women eat vegetables. It reminds me of this ad for a masculine version of diet soda.

I started this story last week, with my vegan garlic mashed potatoes. Mashed potatoes without butter and milk are pretty easy; you use stock instead. This dish has been called "Swanson Mashed Potatoes," so I'm guessing it was Swanson chicken broth's idea. Or they popularized it. But you can do it with vegetable stock* too. I added roasted garlic to make it a bit richer.

Let's imagine we all cooked together and you've got some taters to start with. Next, clean out your fridge. I was inspired to do this when I thought my fridge had stopped working, and I found homes for my dairy and whatnot, but there wasn't enough space for the veg. I rescued my foods in order of cost. So I had carrots and turnips and mushrooms in the fridge, and also potatoes and onions. Shepherd's pie. I made a meat version 8 months ago, burned it, and I offer this link only for a laugh.



I started with my carrots and turnips.



I cut the carrots into rounds, and cut the thicker rounds in half. Then I diced my turnips fairly large.



Luckily, I was only about halfway through the first turnip when I realized they needed to be peeled. That's the drag about cooking seasonally... I haven't seen a turnip in a long time, and I think I forgot how they work. Turnips do not lend themselves to vegetable peelers. You need to use a knife.



I turned my oven to 400 and set my veg to roast. First, I spritzed them with a bit of olive oil.

 They were going to be a while, so I took this time to make the gravy.

Onions.

Only three of these made it in (one was scary) and that was plenty of onion. Diced up.



I cut some mushrooms into various sizes. I wanted some to almost melt into the gravy and others to provide a bit of texture. I used about two and a half cups of cut-up mushrooms.

I got the onions going in a tablespoon of oil, and when they were translucent I added the mushrooms. I gave them just a few minutes to toss around in the heat on medium and then added stock and wine and black pepper. A cup of stock, a quarter cup of red wine, and a lot of black pepper.



I dialed that up to a constant bubble but not really a boil, to reduce and thicken, and let it go for half an hour while the vegetables roasted. When it was thicker but not quite thick enough, I added some flour and stirred vigorously. I'd have whisked if there weren't mushrooms in the way.

The veg were done after they'd been in for about 40 minutes. They were wrinkly and getting crisp around the edges. A creative person would do something with the fond here on the bottom of the pan. I did not.

Instead, I added some fresh thyme.



And mixed that with the roasted veg. I actually transferred it to a larger pan at this point, too.

I poured the mushroom/onion/gravy mix overtop and mixed that together.



Then I got out my potatoes. I had mashed up four smallish potatoes and had about four cups. "Recipe" here. I tossed all of that on top of the "stew."

And spread it around with a spatula.

Everything was cooked at this point, so we just needed to get it warmed up together and get those potatoes just a little toasty on top. 10 minutes at 350.

When it was done, it was just golden along the tops of the peaks.

There was a decent stew-to-potato ratio, but that isn't obvious in the later pictures. On a plate it looks like mashed potatoes that were exposed to some vegetable stew.

It looked a bit of a mess on a plate, but was hearty and flavorful. The carrots were just sweet and the gravy was rich and mushroom-y.

It doesn't cut cleanly, it's stew, with potatoes on top.

I had to rush home from a South Philly Food Co-op member meeting to get this post together. It was really inspirational to see a room full of the founding membership and some potential members.

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

*Just a note - my homemade veg stock has no salt, so if you're using something not-homemade, use less salt in the recipe. Or none.

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 cups mushrooms (baby bella, white, etc)

 

• 3 large carrots (sliced)

 

• 3 medium onions, diced

 

• 2 turnips

 

• 1 cup vegetable stock (no salt)

 

• 1/4 cup red wine

 

• 1 1/2 tablespoons white flour

 

• 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil

 

• black pepper, plenty - to taste

 

• salt, to taste

 

• 10 sprigs thyme (optional)

 

• 4 cups vegan mashed potatoes

Instructions

• Peel and dice turnips, slice carrots, spritz with olive oil and place in preheated 400 degree oven in a baking dish. Leave for 40 minutes while you do other things.

 

• Put 1 tbsp of oil in a saute pan and heat to medium. Add onions and saute until translucent and fragrant.

 

• Add mushrooms to pan and toss for a minute or so before adding stock and wine.

 

• Simmer pretty high, not quite boiling to reduce and thicken.

 

• When carrots and turnips are crisp at edges and wrinkly all over, sprinkle flour over mushroom/onion gravy and stir vigorously.

 

• Add mushroom/onion gravy to roasted vegetables, with optional thyme. Arrange in large baking dish.

 

• Top with mashed potatoes (I used 4 potatoes, skin on, 3/4 cup stock and one head roasted garlic). Bake at 350 for 10-15 minutes until potatoes are slightly browned at peaks.

Details

• Prep time: 10 mins

 

• Cook time: 1 hour

 

• Total time: 1 hour 10 mins

 

• Yield: 6 servings

 

Did you know that October is Co-op Month? It's a time to celebrate all kinds of cooperatively owned businesses, from producer-owned co-ops where the makers of the goods or providers of the services own the business to consumer-owned co-ops like the one we're trying to start in South Philly. By now you've heard plenty about why some of the folks who are working so hard to start the South Philly Food Co-op want to make this happen and in the coming months we hope to bring you some stories from people have become one of over a 100 members so far. For a great perspective on why co-ops are important, check out this link that one of our board members, Stephanie Rupertus, shared yesterday. It comes from Alison Grey, the marketing coordinator for the Community Food Co-op in Bozeman, Montana (which seems like it must be an AWESOME place to live). Here's my favorite part:

The more I shopped here, the more I realized how different the cooperative business model really was. I had always figured it operated the same way as any other business: with one all knowing and dictating owner, some dutiful employees and unquestioning customers. It could not have been any different. I learned our co-op is equally owned and operated by all of its members, an economic democracy of sorts. I was literally voting with my fork, or spoon for that matter. And eating was fun, so I could rejoice in this cause. Since my days of operating lemonade stands and posting huge profit margins on my products (hey, I didn’t care about ripping off my customers), I had never considered business ownership as part of my future plans. Now, as a part-owner, I had an equal say in the co-op’s operations and future, and that felt good. No one was forcing me to participate, but when I had a problem or suggestion, someone here might actually listen to me. I had a choice about what I was purchasing and as a consumer, this was empowering.

Oh... and lucky for them... they get to sell wine in their co-op. (Maybe some day, Pennsylvania!) Looking forward to seeing all of our member-owners tomorrow night TONIGHT, TONIGHT, TONIGHT at the Fall General Membership meeting. The meeting is open to member-owners and non-member-owners alike so if you're thinking about joining or just want to see what we're up to come on along. Member-owners will be exercising their rights to vote on by-laws and anyone can become a member-owner on the spot and participate. Time and Location Details: Monday, October 17th, 6:30 – 8:00pm The Church of the Trinity 2300 S. 18th Street (on 18th Street between Wolf and Ritner).

Help!  My fig has turned yellow!

 

From this angle you look even more yellow!

No, really:  I don't know if this is supposed to happen or if something is horribly wrong.  The other fig is still green.  I will do some figgy research (sorry) and report back!

Now...this is embarrassing.  I am going to show you an incriminating picture of what a horrible gardener I am.  Are you ready?  Okay:

This, my friends, is the state of my garden.  Half-rotted tomatoes and so much dead foliage!  I don't have much to say for myself except that it gets dark so early now that I have a window of about 15 minutes between when I get home from work and when it gets dark so finding time to spend out there is getting harder and harder.  But the growing season is almost over so I'll get this stuff cleaned up soon.

In the meantime, here's some kale:

Little curly leaves.  You're very cute, kale.  I like you.  Please grow up nice and strong so I can eat you.

Almost exactly one month ago, I wrote about how important it was for us to reach 250 member-owner households. Admittedly, I was a little nervous when the immediate response was six "unsubscribes" from the email list. But a day or two later, the new member-owner applications and payments came rolling in. Since then nearly 20 people answered that call and helped boost us from 86 to the 104 member-owner households we have today. If we have any shot at achieving our near-term goal of 250 in 6 months (by the first day of Spring 2012), then we need you to become one of our 250 Founding Members. The full member equity amount is $200 (that's it... for life) and can be paid in small installments over the next 15 months. Thank you to everyone who has already become a member and to our many wonderful committee members and volunteers. On behalf of the Board and our committees I also want to extend a special note of thanks to the The Energy Cooperative and everyone who mentioned the South Philly Food Co-op when they switched to locally produced, cooperatively owned, renewable energy. For the twenty-six referrals, The Energy Cooperative is donating $520 to us. That's as close to a win-win-win situation as you're going to get! We're looking forward to seeing everyone at the member-owner meeting on the 17th. Remember, the sooner you become a member-owner, the sooner we can start the process of looking for a location! And if you need some inspiration as autumn marches on and days get shorter, check out the video below and remind yourself why you want a cooperatively owned grocery store in your neighborhood. Sincerely, Alison L. Fritz President, Board of Directors, South Philly Food Co-op [youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PoIO2ze8GS4]

The following was submitted to the Board in at the end of September.  The board minutes are also available on our website.
Subcommittee Updates as of 9/28/11 Tour Details 20 gardens participated - 8 home and 12 community 108 people “checked-in” and received bracelets and tour guide Follow up The garden tour committee has met to debrief and make suggestions for next year. Two surveys (host and participant) are currently in the field to gather feed back. In the next few weeks, we will set a date for next year’s tour and set a month to begin the planning process. Business Outreach Goal is to have 5 Shop South Philly partners by to announce the member benefit at the 10/17 meeting. Current businesses pending:

• Wishing Well – accepted SSP
• Grindcore – verbal agreement, pending completed form
• Black N Brew – pending
• Philly Car Share – pending
• 2nd Street Brew – pending
• Bennett’s Compost – pending
• Devil’s Den – pending
• Calm
• Philly Wellness Center
• SliCe
• Urban Jungle
• GirlBikeDog
• Julie Laquer - Illustrator/Designer

Though the election of our board of directors back in June could technically be considered our "first" Member-Owner General Meeting, that was really a special meeting for the specific purpose of electing the board (a task we will take up again in the spring). So the South Philly Food Co-op's General Meeting on October 17 really could be considered an historic event as the first ever meeting of its kind in the history of what we believe will be a longstanding South Philly institution. This meeting, the first of biannual membership meetings, will be a discussion of what the SPFC has accomplished recently, our plans and goals for the next 6-12 months, and our first member vote on the SPFC Bylaws. If you are not yet a member, we will be accepting membership applications at the meeting so you can join on the spot, take part in our historic first vote, and get us another step closer to our membership goals. The agenda for the Oct 17th General Member-Owner meeting can be found here. Afterward, we invite you to join us and your fellow member-owners for a drink and/or some snacks at a local watering hole (location TBA) so we can continue to get to know each other and build upon the steadily growing community that is the South Philly Food Co-op. Time and Location Details: Monday, October 17th, 6:30 – 8:00pm The Church of the Trinity 2300 S. 18th Street (on 18th Street between Wolf and Ritner). Get your vote on! See you there.

Tuesday, October 11 @ 4:30pm 2015 S. 8th St, South Philadelphia Help out with this orchard revitalization and replanting!  In partnership with youth from the United Communities Center, they'll be planting new fruit trees, berry bushes, perennials, and groundcovers. The South Philly Teen Orchard has been very supportive of the Co-op and was one of the gardens featured on the South Philly Garden Tour. Please RSVP if you plan to attend. RAINDATE: Tuesday, 10/18 @ 4:30pm  

We're doing our part to spread the word about sustainability-related events happening throughout the city. Fans of the South Philly Food Co-op may also be interested in the Sustainability Walking Tour happening on Tuesday, October 11 from 6pm to 9pm. Get your free tickets here. Meet in front of the PECO building at 23rd and Market. Join Young Involved Philadelphia, the Next Great City, Conservation Voters of Pennsylvania and the Philadelphia Horticultural Society for a guided hands-on tour of what sustainability really means for you and for Philadelphia. As part of the two-week State of Young Philly conference, the Sustainable Philly Walking-Tour will take you to key sites in Center City where green technology and sustainable thinking are already impacting our lives. Stops will include the PECO Green Roof, the new Penn Park, and 30th St. Station. The evening will culminate with free drinks and hors d’oeuvres as we discuss which priorities are most urgent for Philadelphia at the PHS Pop-Up Garden at 20th & Market.