Skip, Joel, and Peter sample a regional organic apple.
Joel Salatin, farmer, author, and activist, was in town to lead a workshop on local food systems as part of the Carbon Farming Course being held at the Pfeiffer Center. The next morning he gave an inspiring talk to the high school students at Green Meadow Waldorf School. On his way home to Polyface Farm in Virginia he stopped by to check out the co-op was surprised to see the amount of local, organic, and biodynamic foods we pack into such a small space. He found the variety of organic prepared food offerings from our tiny kitchen particularly impressive. And he was pleased to learn about our ecological landscaping, incorporating native plants, wildlife habitat, and a rain garden to capture runoff from our parking lot. “You guys really did it right,” he said. Then it was time for him to head off to the airport. As he slipped out the door the thought crossed my mind that his brief visit to our community might well prove to be a life changing event for some of the folks, both younger and older, who attended his workshop and talk. Thanks, Joel. -PW

As part of our 17th annual Farmers’ Festival this year, we decided to raise money to help Lucky Dog Farm (one of our local organic produce suppliers) recover from damage resulting from hurricane Irene. We held a special screening of Farmageddon and raffled off a Co-op gift basket. We were able to send a check for over $600 to Lucky Dog! A few days ago we received a letter from Richard Giles the farmer/owner:

Dear Hungry Hollow Co-op,
I pulled your great donation out of the mailbox this morning. It’s beautiful. What a great Halloween surprise.

This is a real help for Lucky Dog Farm, and I hope you understand what a value it is to us that you think of engaging in the support of this small farm beyond just purchasing our vegetables. There is a great chance - and I think the time has never been better - that we can build a much better food system. And because the returns to our community will be much greater than the returns to any individual, this will necessarily be a community enterprise. Thanks for understanding that value. READ THE ENTIRE LETTER...

We're told we should be back on by midnight Wednesday. But it’s a good idea to call before you come. If the call goes straight to voicemail or to a message about the party you are calling not being available, you’ll know we’re not ready for prime time yet. I hope all of you who are sharing our fate are staying warm and enjoying reading by candlelight and going to bed early as much as I am. -pw

 
Scrooge was better than his word. He did it all, and infinitely more; ...He became as good a friend, as good a master, and as good a man, as the good old city knew, or any other good old city, town, or borough, in the good old world. Some people laughed to see the alteration in him, but he let them laugh, and little heeded them; for he was wise enough to know that nothing ever happened on this globe, for good, at which some people did not have their fill of laughter in the outset; and knowing that such as these would be blind anyway, he thought it quite as well that they should wrinkle up their eyes in grins, as have the malady in less attractive forms. His own heart laughed: and that was quite enough for him.

... May that be truly said of us, and all of us! And so, as Tiny Tim observed, God Bless Us, Every One! - CHARLES DICKENS

Sometime yesterday our web site was hacked so that instead of displaying our Welcome page, a visitors browser would be hijacked and redirected (unless your settings block redirection, in which case a black page was displayed) to this web page http://1.trdinle.com/Turku_Halil_ibrahim-1034.html. Our web hosting service has now resolved this issue. We regret any inconvenience you may have experienced. Thank you.

Thanks to everyone who attended the Young Artists Benefit Concert for Patrick Nathaniel Kleinbach or mailed a donation. (Donations may be sent to the Patrick Nathaniel Kleinbach Fund, c/o Hungry Hollow Co-op, 841 Chestnut Ridge Rd, Chestnut Ridge, NY 10977) And special thanks all the musicians and to Co-op board member Karen Frei, for having the inspiration and the energy to make the concert possible. -PW
Read the article about Patrick in the June 9th edition of The Journal News.

Check out this nice article appearing in today’s Rockland and Westchester editions of The Journal News. Thanks to Liz Johnson and the LoHud staff for turning the spotlight in our direction. If I were to be allowed one nitpicky comment, however, it would be that “club” is not really quite the right word to describe us, or co-ops in general. Go to our What Is A Co-op page and I think you’ll see what I mean. Anyway, we appreciate the work The Journal News does to bring small, unique, local businesses like us to the attention of its readers. -PW

Of all the features our new website offers, the one we’re most excited about is this blog page. The Daily Holler will provide us with the opportunity to keep you up to date with the latest news about the Co-op: special sales and deals, staff recommendations of outstanding products, tastings and demonstrations, info for members, seasonal recipes for healthful and delicious dishes, and even what soups, casseroles, and dinner entrees are available each day. We’ll also be able to direct you to sources of information about key issues around agricultural practices and policies and regional food production and distribution; and to alert you when immediate action is needed, such as signing an online petition or contacting your political representatives. So check in often, and send your comments and suggestions by clicking on Contact Us in the main menu.