Vibrant, Local Economy

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By Steve Cooke, General Manager 2/4/22

The first point of our Vision statement is “Friendly City Food Co-op exists so that the Shenandoah Valley has a vibrant, local economy.” This means that our goals include growing our local economy; creating and sustaining livable wage jobs; circulating dollars within the Valley; sourcing as much as feasible from area producers while inter-connecting with local economies outside the region for products not produced or grown here; and nourishing residents of the Valley. When you shop at Friendly City, you are supporting these values!

It’s important to note how the resiliency we create through our support of local has served us during the pandemic. The relationships we have with local producers kept our shelves full of fresh foods, even as the regular channels for food distribution were strained from unpredictable consumer buying. Sourcing locally strengthens our regional economy, builds sustainability, and provides ongoing regional food security.

We want good food to be affordable too! This means we’re constantly working on ways to honor the real cost of clean, healthy foods at a price you can afford. We will always feature our Co-op Basics, (purple tags) with organic, and natural grocery and wellness items with Everyday Low Prices. This program brings together the manufacturers, distributors and retailers like Friendly City Food Co-op, to bring the lowest price possible to our co-op community. Co-op Basics products are predominantly certified organic to bust the myth that organic food is too expensive.

The Co-op Deals sales flier (green topped sale tags) and complementary coupon program allow you to save big on many items, throughout the co-op – they change every couple of weeks – and sometimes combine coupons with sale prices to increase your savings. Our 99 cent Local Produce table offers great savings on healthy fruits and vegetables, grown here in the valley, throughout most of the year.

There is great value in spending any of your shopping dollars at our local co-op. Our commitment to support local farmers, local producers as well as programs that help keep organic groceries affordable, is at the heart of our Vision statement and exists for the betterment of our community. We never take it for granted that you choose to shop with us. Thank you for your support!

 

How to Store Produce

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There’s nothing worse than opening your produce drawer and finding a wilting, rubbery, stalk of something that used to be celery. We’ve all done it, and now more than ever, we want to be conscious of how much food we waste. And besides, who likes throwing money down the compost bin?!

The Produce Storage Guide is a great reference for storing your produce, so it will stay fresh and nutritious as long as possible for you. Aside from overall good practices, there is a listing of over 80 fruits and vegetables with specific instructions on how to best store each. There is also a ripeness guide listing what produce should be eaten first and what keeps longer.

No more wilted watercress!

Food is Changing – It’s Great To Keep Up

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Are you interested in learning more about people who produce and care about food and, in turn, are helping to transform the environment in which our food is grown? How about understanding the connections and collaborations that form in order to improve the way we eat?

The Change Food Video Library is a comprehensive collection of the best short length videos covering both problems and solutions to food and farming today. It includes talks from Change Food, The Real Food Media Project, TED, TEDxManhattan and other TEDx events.

The videos are supplemented with online educational information such as links to other sites, materials to be used for discussion, actions and campaigns, and links to additional reading.

Just a quick glance led me to find videos on all sorts of interesting topics, such as “What role do chefs play in the future of good food?” Or, “How can we feed more people by addressing food waste?” And, “Why is organic food so *#@! expensive”?

An excellent resource, the Change Food Video Library presents quality content that is accurate and up to date – and maybe best of all, located in one easily accessible place.

You don’t have to be a teacher, lecturer or event organizer to appreciate this library – just someone with a desire to know more about the changing world of food today.