Sequim Locally Grown Mercantile

SLG Update and interesting Commentary

Please find attached an updated product listing for your convenience in ordering thru Tuesday at 8PM. New listings include fresh Christmas wreaths and red delicious apples.

New products can also be added before Tuesday, so check back with us.
Local up! Sid

ps: Check out the following commentary! They are reflecting our efforts here.

Subject: CoordinatorHUB Local Food Grows in Central Texas
Date: Wednesday, November 26, 2008, 8:58 PM

Author, Affiliation, Date:
Marcus L. Gitterle, Webmaster, 11/26/2008
It is with guilty pleasure that I write this blog entry, to update readers on our progress toward food relocalization. The Bountiful Sprout, our member-owned food buying association dedicated to ensuring a robust, diverse, organic, local, food and household goods economy in the Hill Country of Central Texas (near Austin), experienced a huge milestone recently, as we “went live” with our web-based store. Today marked our third “delivery day,” the day when members pick up their basket of local organic produce, dry goods, herbal products, locally made liquid and bar soaps, artisanal breads and other locally prepared food items.

The board of our food buying community began working toward the goal of creating a simple “food co-op” over a year ago, but I am thankful that they set their sights on a loftier goal early this spring; namely, to create a food buying community that didn’t simply provide an outlet for a national natural foods distributor, such as United Co-Op. Instead, they took the high road and built something new from the ground up around the premise that re-localization of our food and empowerment of farmers was vastly more important to our long-term well-being and community resilience.

What they created is beyond amazing in my opinion, and with each order cycle I marvel at what they have done. In one organization they have embodied the virtues of enhancing farmer and producer revenue, connecting producers directly to consumers (no middle-man needed to transport, warehouse or markup our food), taking much of the financial and marketing risk out of new farming enterprises (farmers startup knowing exactly how many families they will be selling to, much like a CSA), they made it easy for families to order just what they need, on a week-to-week basis (no wasted baskets of food, as with a CSA, when members go on vacation or just don’t need anything) and finally, and not least, they created a web-store that makes ordering easier than Amazon 1-click. Wow.

I get a food buzz just browsing the store. And while we don’t have a huge number of offerings yet, they are local, and they are growing weekly. Our sister food buying communities (ones who use the same, open source software: see http://www.oklahomafood.coop for details) in Oklahoma and Nebraska, have well over 1000 items available for sale during each weekly order cycle. Already, I hear there are lots of folks in the area thinking about “becoming producers.” How cool is that? Elsewhere in the country, people are pondering what they might do if they get a pink slip; well, we have a great answer for anyone looking to reinvent themselves or go for a “next career” here in Wimberley.

I encourage anyone interested in creating their own, local food project to read more about The Bountiful Sprout’s progress here: http://www.greenguru.org. And, if you are interested in becoming a member of our food buying community, please have a look around our website: http://www.bountifulsprout.com — and I hope to see you on delivery day!Marcus L. Gitterle, M.D.

It shouldn’t take an ER doctor to see that our food system is in critical condition….

SLG Mercantile is Open for Ordering

SLG Mercantile is open for our 21st week of business.

There are new listings of a LIVE Lemon Blueberry Holiday Loaf and a Holiday Gift Box variety of LIVE cookies.

Growers and Producers will be adding new items during the ordering cycle, so come visit the site often and place as many orders as you like. We will combine multiple orders into one order at the end of the ordering cycle. I will email you an updated list of current items on Monday morning for your convenience and keep you updated on PALG. Please place your order(s) before 8PM Tuesday night. Local on. Sid

FDA Finds Traces Of Melamine In US Infant Formula

Traces of the industrial chemical melamine have been detected in samples of top-selling U.S. infant formula , but federal regulators insist the products are safe. The Food and Drug Administration said last month it was unable to identify any melamine exposure level as safe for infants, but a top official said it would be a “dangerous overreaction” for parents to stop feeding infant formula to babies who depend on it…

SLG Update & REMINDER

REMINDER: DISTRIBUTION WILL BE ON WEDNESDAY THIS THANKSGIVING WEEK!

Ordering for the week closes in ONE HOUR. Apples and honey are new additions.
Place your orders now for the freshest food around for THANKSGIVING.
Happy Local Thanksgiving! Sid

SLG Update & REMINDER

REMINDER: DISTRIBUTION WILL BE ON WEDNESDAY THIS THANKSGIVING WEEK!

Please find attached an updated product listing for your convenience in ordering thru Tuesday at 8PM.
New products can also be added before Tuesday, so check back with us.
Local on! Sid

SLG Mercantile is Open for Ordering AND A REMINDER

SLG Mercantile is open for our 20th week of business.

REMINDER: DISTRIBUTION WILL BE ON WEDNESDAY THIS THANKSGIVING WEEK!

There is a new listing of Happy Bee Honey in reusable quart jars.

Growers and Producers will be adding new items during the ordering cycle, so come visit the site often and place as many orders as you like. We will combine multiple orders into one order at the end of the ordering cycle. I will email you an updated list of current items on Monday morning for your convenience and keep you updated on PALG. Please place your order(s) before 8PM Tuesday night. Local forever. Sid

SLG Distribution This Week

As you are aware, I am currently in Tennessee visiting our folks. Ann is running Thursday distribution at the Grange. Please deliver your orders to Ann at the Grange on Thursday 3:30-4PM since I am not available to pickup your orders this week. I am mailing checks out today that will include PALG and SLG orders combined for this week. Thanks for working with me this week to do things a little different.
Take care.
Sid
808-7300

SLG Update

Please find attached an updated product listing for your convenience in ordering thru Tuesday at 8PM.
New products can also be added before Tuesday, so check back with us.
Local on! Sid

Take the pledge - at least one locally grown on your Holiday table

The
Eat Local for Thanksgiving campaign was created to shine a public spotlight on the connections that buying local has to the environment, use of fossil fuels and energy, supporting our local community, and helping to keep our local farmers farming. Thanksgiving, with its rich cultural meaning and food traditions, is a perfect time to add another dimension to how we think about food when we are already making thoughtful food purchases.

The campaign was conceived and initiated by the Acting Food Policy Council, King County, the Cascade Harvest Coalition and Good Food Strategies and has been made possible through the generous support of Department of Neighborhoods — Climate Protection Fund and King County’s Agriculture Program.

Additional coordinating partners include: Neighborhood Farmers Market Alliance, Farming and the Environment, Seattle Tilth, Jubilee Farm, and the Pike Market Senior Center.

Take the pledge by November 21 and be entered to win one of 5 heritage turkeys from the Puget Sound region, one year of Organic Valley dairy products or other fun prizes.

Winners must pick up turkeys on Nov. 25 in Seattle or at the farm in Olympia.

SLG Mercantile is Open for Ordering

SLG Mercantile is open for our 19th week of business. Many new items from Nash including wheat & rye grains, red & purple potatoes, green cabbage & maybe red, and baby bok choy along with Live SPELT Apple Pecan Cranberry bread, Live SPELT bread and LIVE cinnamon rolls, and tomatoes and Batavia Green Crisp Lettuce.

Growers and Producers will be adding new items during the ordering cycle, so come visit the site often and place as many orders as you like. We will combine multiple orders into one order at the end of the ordering cycle. I will email you an updated list of current items on Monday morning for your convenience and keep you updated on PALG. Please place your order(s) before 8PM Tuesday night. Local forever. Sid

PS: Ann will be handling the Grange distribution next Thursday while I am in Tennessee. Thanks Ann!!