A delayed good evening readers! I apologise for the late edition except that this time it was completely planned. I had to spend the weekend down in Mollymook for a wedding and I got Friday and Monday off work. Hard life, right? Other than that I feel like I've been completely out of the loop of the world recently and feel like I have nothing inspirational to pass on. Oh, I do have one thing: For people that weren't able to make it to the UTSpeaks lecture "Eating the Earth" about obesity, factory farming, fair trade, peak oil, peak phosphorus and climate change, you're in luck: It's available here: www.uts.edu.au/new/speaks/2009/February/1802.html.
And now on with the news....
Our New Garden
Big thanks to everyone who helped out at the working bee on the weekend, especially to Fernanda without whom it would not have been possible. We have turned our jungle of weeds and chillies into a wonderful new garden, which will hopefully soon be bursting with vegetables!
As Fernanda knows our garden inside and out, please consult with her before doing any work on it. We are happy to have volunteers for garden work but to avoid the plants being overfed or overwatered check with Fernanda first! If you need to contact her, please email gardening@thoughfulfoods.org.au
Thoughtful Foods Cookbook
From Cassie
Just a reminder that if you’re interested in making the cookbook happen, I’m holding a meeting on Saturday 28 March, 11am at Thoughtful Foods. This cookbook can't happen without the active participation of members of our community! Work you do on the cookbook will count toward vollie hours. Please RSVP so you can be contacted if weather forces a change of venue. This is for people who are interested in actively participating in the process of publishing the cookbook, i.e. who want write for it, co-ordinate recipes, help plan the launch, etc.
Information on how to contribute recipes will be posted in the next bulletin.
Please send your RSVP to publishing@thoughtfulfoods.org.au. I hope to see you there!
2009 Memberships
As mentioned in last week's Bulletin, we are no longer accepting pre-2009 memberships on bread orders, vegetable box orders or for granting shop discounts. So if you're one of those who still hasn't got around to renewing this year, please do so this week. Make sure your 2009 membership number is clearly written on your orders or they may not go through. When buying goods in the shop, you'll need to show your 2009 membership card to get your discount, so please remember to bring it along with you.
Training
From Andrew
If you haven't had a training session yet come by for a one hour session from 11am or 3pm on Tuesday or Wednesday.
Yoga
Free yoga on the lawn outside the co-op every Thursday at 2pm.
PRODUCT NEWS
From Suzie
It's the start of semester and time to restock the co-op with all of your favourites and staples. A fresh batch of tofu and tempeh has been delivered and our range of pastas replenished.
*New Products*
Faba Beans
We freed up space for one more barrel so we thought we'd try a legume - please welcome the faba bean! aka broad bean. Apparently this bean is one of the ancient crops of the old world. Originating in Nort Africa and South West asia, it has spread to be included in numerous cuisines across the world (read: loads of yummy recipes abound!). In ancient Rome it was used for casting votes and also used by the Ubykh people in favomancy to predict the future! (I predict these beans will go down well in my tummy...)
Spelt Fusilli
Unfortunately we have no more wholewheat spaghetti but not to worry, we now have some lovely spelt fusilli (spiral pasta). These are great for pesto or saucy sauces as the spirals hang on the the liquid, releasing it when you bite into them.
Did you know?
Our pastas are all Australian. WOOT!
Why aren't our dried beans organic?
We had a chat with our supplier (Honest to Goodness) who have been having trouble sourcing dried organic beans of good quality. Apparently they don't take well to the processing that needs to happen to dry them. We'll keep you posted on new info as we find it.
More to come... next week!
If you have any questions or feedback about products please email them to Suzie at orders@thoughtfulfoods.org.au
No eggs until the 9th of April
Michelle, the lovely lady who delivers our eggs, is taking a well earned break for a few weeks which means we will not be receiving eggs until Thursday April 9. If you'd like to place an order for that day, please order as usual in the shop or email eggs@thoughtfulfoods.org.au. We apologise for the late notice.
Fruit & Veg
Please get all orders in by midday on Wednesday. All order must be paid for in advance - money placed inside order form.
Fruit and vegetables do not attract a member or volunteer discount as we already sell them at close to 'cost price'.
Boxes can be picked up between 2pm and 5pm on Thursday. If you can not get your box before 5pm, please call the shop on 9385 6097.
If you have any questions about the process, please email veggies@thoughtfulfoods.org.au or speak to a volunteer in the shop during opening hours.
Bread
Bread arrives on Thursday morning and must be picked up that day before 5pm. Orders must be in by the end of the previous Thursday and paid for in advance. Again, no member or volunteer discount is available as it is sold at close to 'cost price' - it's so cheap!
Please talk to a volunteer in the shop if you'd like to place an order. If you'd like to see a price list, please see the bread page on our website (http://thoughtfulfoods.org.au/bread).
If you have any questions, please email bread@thoughtfulfoods.org.au or speak to a volunteer during opening hours.
Lest we forget...
Another reminder that if you order bread or a veggie box, please do remember to come and collect them by 5pm on Thursday!! We try to remind people, but we can't promise to do this, and sadly we just don't have the capacity to store any forgotten goods after close on Thursday. (You can rest assured any leftover goodies do not go to waste while there are hungry vollies around!)
For those with a memory as bad as mine, you can request to have your forehead stamped with 'Veggies Thursday afternoon' when you place your order.
Weekly Meeting
Remember: weekly meetings are held in the ARC building (the opposite side of the Roundhouse to Thoughtful Foods - it's big and green and you can't miss it) from 6pm every Wednesday. If you arrive late there should be someone at the desk to direct you, or a sign on the window with a number to call.
COMMUNITY
Earth Hour 2009
The concept of Earth Hour was created to take a stand against the greatest threat our planet has ever faced – global warming.
2008 saw 50 million people in 370 cities and towns, in more than 35 countries worldwide switch off their lights for one hour - this year it is hoped that one billion people in 1000 cities worldwide will unite and switch off for Earth Hour.
Hold a candlelight dinner party, turn off the TV, play a board game and try to make a regular Earth Hour in your home.
By being involved in the simple act of turning off the lights for one hour, you too can play an important role in showing your commitment to continual action on global warming.
Visit www.earthhour.org for more information and don’t forget to turn off your lights at 8.30pm on Saturday 28 March 2009.
When: 8:30pm – 9:30pm, Saturday 28 March
Where: All over Sydney
An ending..
I wish you all a very happy week, filled with many happy faba beans and fusilli. Bon appetite!
Joey