We'd like to take a moment in the midst of all the pre-holiday business and give a great big shout out to our dear friends and customers, our vendors, distributors, and colleagues, and especially to the hard-working farmers--we love and appreciate you guys, all of you---Happy Thanksgiving!!

PS: Just a reminder that we will be closed Thanksgiving Day and Black Friday. We will be open regular hours on the weekend and look forward to taking care of all your post-Turkey Day food needs.

For Thanksgiving, we are offering the following special assortment of pies and pastries:
Chef Anthony LoPinto's organic pumpkin pie
Balthazar Bakery pecan pie, apple galette, and pear hazelnut galette
Patisserie Didier Dumas boxed assorted cookies
Additionally, in the freezer, we have Wholly Wholesome pies.

On Wednesday, November 17, please stop in and sample Hungry Hollow Co-op Kitchen's delicious organic cranberry sauce and stuffing. It will be available by special order only, so stop by and give it a try. Special orders will be taken up until Monday Nov. 22, 1200. Items will be available for pick-up on Wednesday Nov. 24.

There's still time to order your fresh organic Eberly turkey for Thanksgiving. Come in or call soon!

We recommend about a pound per person, maybe a little more if you like leftovers. (If you’d like more exact info click HERE for a turkey serving calculator.)

Consider brining your turkey for better moisture retention. It's recommended that the turkey be in the brine about 1 hour per pound (about 10-12 hours generally) so make sure you have room in your refrigerator. Basically, the brine consists of about 1 cup of salt and up to 1 cup of sugar per gallon of water. Make sure salt and sugar are completely dissolved before adding other seasonings and the turkey, and make sure the brine covers the turkey entirely.
Do not over-brine, and make sure to rinse very well before you continue preparing the turkey to go in the oven.

When you cook your bird, check the temperature by inserting a thermometer into the thigh; the temperature should read 180. If you're stuffing the turkey, the stuffing temperature should read 165. Let the turkey rest 20-30 minutes before carving.

One more turkey tip: do not buy New Braunfels smoked turkey!

On Tuesday, Nov. 16th, Jeanette from A Reason To Season in Airmont, NY will be here from 2:30-5:30 to demonstrate her organic seasonings. Come and experience the true flavors of adobo and sazon.

The results of the My Co-op Rocks video contest have been announced: Congratulations to Natt and Eli for winning first place in the Peoples’ Choice award category. Click HERE to see all the winners.

We are looking for part time help with data entry from 9 am to 12 noon, Monday through Friday. Experience with QuickBooks and Excel is preferred but not required. Please apply in person at Hungry Hollow Co-op, 841 Chestnut Ridge Rd, Chestnut Ridge, NY 10977.

Thursday, Oct. 21st, from noon to 2:30 pm, Amy from Charles Street Pastries will be here sampling her amazing chewy chocolate chunk cookies. The little sprinkle of sea salt will tickle your tastebuds!

Our Co-op’s Like Whoa! depicts many of the reasons why Hungry Hollow Co-op is number one. Written, produced, and shot by Co-op staffers Eli Gonzalez and Natt McFee (with a little help from their friends) Our Co-op’s Like Whoa! has been entered in the My Co-op Rocks Video Contest. Click here to view, and don’t forget to vote. If everyone votes once a day every day between now and Oct. 15th (as allowed by the rules), we can catch the leaders. Let’s give our guys a shot at winning the People’s Choice First Prize, and show the world that we really do think our Co-op rocks!

Next Thursday, our old friends Claudia and Anthony from Heal My Hands will be in town, and they're stopping in at Hungry Hollow Co-op for a couple of hours to demostrate their unique and effective lanolin and jojoba based moisturizers. The products have a new look, but still have no artificial ingredients, fragrance or preservatives. They are "pure little powerhouses of emollient protection". Come by from 11am to 1pm on Oct. 14th and try some.

The folks at Equal Exchange asked us to pass on this message to our members and customers explaining why it has become necessary for them to increase prices on their high quality, ethically traded coffees:

Farmers have increasingly been facing higher costs, including both agricultural inputs and the cost of labor. The cost of green coffee beans has been increasing over the last year, and has affected the whole market; the impact is not limited to only a few coffee producing origin countries, nor is it limited to only certain niche markets.

Climate Change and Extreme Weather:
We continue to hear from farmers that climate change is affecting weather and therefore is disrupting once-predictable conditions and patterns that affect coffee production. The impact of various extreme and unusual weather patterns has reduced crop quantities both on individual farms, and collectively across the farmer co-ops Equal Exchange purchase from.

Overall, the specialty coffee market has become increasingly competitive as demand has grown for excellent and responsibly-sourced coffee, and Equal Exchange has already been paying farmers well above the commodity price and even above our guaranteed minimum price. By raising our prices and paying more for the coffee, we are continuing to invest in securing our supply of coffee beans, our relationships, and the strength of small farmer co-ops.

Effective October 15th:
Regular Coffee will be $11.39/lb.
Decaf Coffee will be $13.99/lb.

Thank you for your understanding and your ongoing support of Hungry Hollow Co-op and Equal Exchange.

On Wednesday, October 6, from 11:30-2:30, Sophia Fonesca, Dr. Hauschka's senior east coast Skin Therapist will be at Hungry Hollow Co-op offering a rare opportunity for one-on-one advice. If you haven't already booked your free consultation, you can still call to be put on a waiting list. Or, just stop by for some free samples of Dr. Hauschka skin care.

We are very happy to announce that Milk Thistle Farm products are available in our store once again. We will be receiving regular deliveries every Friday from now on. Most of our customers and staff consider Milk Thistle organic milk to be the best tasting, highest quality milk they have ever had. And, it comes in returnable glass bottles.

This summer I got an ice cream maker. I've been trying out recipes and variations for the last few weeks. Fresh New Jersey raspberries mashed into a coarse puree and added to my basic vanilla in the last five minutes of mixing made for one of the highlights of my novitiate. After a couple of pretty good versions of vanilla chocolate chunk I was ready for another fruit flavor, but I wanted it to be something local and all we had at the Co-op was apples (wonderful biodynamic Galas from Threshold Farm) which don't work well in ice cream. Then last week KP picked up some delicious, ripe organic NJ peaches and I grabbed a couple of the fattest, juiciest ones and took them home, confident that I was about to create my masterpiece. But I blew it. I cut the peaches into cough drop size pieces instead of pureeing them. So the result was vanilla ice cream with crunchy peach ice cubes - the sweetness and delicate flavor of the peaches was lost. And there weren't going to be any more until the next week, if then. But, there's no point crying over spilt cream. So, when I was invited over to some friends' house for Labor Day dinner and asked to bring dessert, I knew what I was going to make: butter pecan ice cream. Just for the fun of it, pick up a carton of butter pecan ice cream in a store someday and read the ingredients. Here's what went into mine (all organic, too): pecans toasted in butter, sea salt, vanilla extract, cane sugar, heavy cream. A fantastic fringe benefit of making this particular ice cream is that you end up with 5 or 6 tablespoons of toasted pecan flavored butter left over. Although some care must be taken not to scorch either the pecans or the butter, I can't pretend that there is a great deal of skill involved in the whole process and an electric motor does the grunt work during freezing. But the results are spectacular, as the reactions of my friends and their other guests attested. So the key to success with ice cream, and food preparation in general, is the quality of the ingredients. Of course, I buy all mine at the Co-op. And right now I'm hoping that some more of those delicious New Jersey peaches will be available soon. I don't want summer to end before I have had another chance to create my masterpiece. -PW

We’ll be open tomorrow as usual.

Threshold Farm apples (cox and gala) and garlic
Hepworth grape tomatoes, lettuce, parsley, zucchini, chard, red potatoes, hot peppers and tomatoes
Taliaferro bok choy and dandelion
Farm at Miller's Crossing beets
Lucky Dog kale
Fellowship tomatoes
Muth yellow doll watermelon
Oak Grove sweet corn and yellow peaches

Summer's almost gone. Morning found us calmly unaware.....whoops, that old song by the Doors is stuck in my head today. It's September 1st already. Where did the summer go??? And it's a new day for the Hungry Hollow Co-op and our shoppers. This month, the Co-op sales go to a bi-monthly format. No longer known as CAP (Co-op Advantage Program), the new program is called Co+op Deals (We affectionately refer to it as Co-plop).

Check out the new look of the sales flier and coupon books! Also be aware that the Co+op coupons have new rules: since July, customers are only able to redeem one coupon per item per visit. The coupon program had become wildly successful, way more so than the participating manufacturers expected, resulting in these restrictions. So unfortunately, you will not be able to apply a coupon for each item in a case purchase, only one. And while we're talking about changes, how do you like the look of the new end-cap (it should be the first thing you see when you enter the store) Luz and Mary have done a great job with bringing some of our sale items front and center! Please feel free to bring any of your concerns or feedback to our GM, Peter, or any of us. We'd love to know what you think! -kp

Local Produce in Store Today: Corn, Garlic, Hot Peppers, Sweet Peppers, Tomatoes, Cherry Tomatoes, Red-Leaf and Romaine Lettuce, Bok Choy, Summer Spinach, Parsley, Basil, Summer Squash, Zucchini, Kale, Cucumbers, Peaches, Raspberries, Orange Honeydew, Watermelon, Canteloupe. All from NY and NJ farms!!

Cheribundi Cherry Juice
Cafe Kubal Organic Kenya Chania Estate, Guatemala Acatenango and Ethiopian Haraar
Autumn's Harvest Farm Pasture Raised Whole Chicken Local from Romulus NY
Stonewood Farm Vermont Turkey Sausage: Cajun Style, Mild, Sweet Italian and Hot Italian

Weleda deodorants are on sale 20% off for the month July

Check out what's new: Tom Jack's Lip Balm, made by hand every Wednesday afternoon in a 200 year old barn in the Adirondack’s. The staff loves them. -Marcia

Delallo Organic Whole Wheat Orzo Pasta
Desert Pepper Pinto Bean Dip
Dr McDougalls Light Sodium Lentil Soup
Mom's Best Naturlals Honey Nut Toasty O's Cereal
Ecover dishwasing liquid camomile & marigold and grapefrut & green tea
Biokleen glass cleaner and multi-surface floor cleaner
Sweet Leaf bottled teas

6pk of Blue Sky sodas
4pk of Knudsen sodas

North Star Bison italian sausage and kabob meat
Amy's gluten free bistro burger
Lightlife fat free smart dogs

Almond Dream non-dairy frozen dessert

-Luz

Thursday, June 10th, from 12 - 4 pm, Hungry Hollow Co-op will be hosting a cheese sampling by Artisan Made Northeast. Artisan Made is a purveyor of locally and regionally made artisan food products, and they will be here to introduce you to some of the amazing and delicious cheeses that we have recently begun offering in our deli case. This is a great opportunity to taste some of these farmstead cheeses and pick-up some wine-pairing tips and other great ideas for you next party. Don't miss this one!!!

On Wednesday, June 9, from 11 am to 2 pm, Anupa Mueller, owner of Silver Tips Tea Room in Tarrytown, will be offering samples of Eco-Prima organic and biodynamic teas. Don’t miss this opportunity to meet Anupa and experience some of the extraordinary teas she makes available to us. Here’s an excerpt from the biographical sketch on her website:

My own roots to tea go back to my childhood in Darjeeling, India one of the tea capitals of the world and home of “the Champagne of Teas.” My sister and I attended boarding school at the foothills of the Himalayas, surrounded by lush tea plantations. After graduating college, I went to New York to work for the United Nations and then later became an executive for a large communications company. My sister, meanwhile, had married Rajah Banerjee, whose family owned the beautiful and vast Makaibari tea plantation. Thus began my own journey back to the path of Tea! Tea was now firmly rooted in my family’s past, present and future.

Over the years, I visited Makaibari numerous times and each time learned a little more about the flavorful beverage I had taken for granted during my childhood. I discovered how tea bushes were pruned to a certain height for optimal picking; how the women plucked the top two leaves and a bud; how the leaves were weighed, how the fresh green leaves miraculously became black tea; and how the teas were sorted and graded. I learned that no detail is too small to escape attention, even down to the meticulous hand-crafting of tea chests on the estate.

Decades ago, Makaibari became a pioneer in the tea industry. Ahead of their time, my sister and brother-in-law turned to organic and biodynamic farming. They returned two-thirds of their land back to sub-tropical forest, which improved the health of their soil, brought back teeming wildlife and improved the lives of the people who shared this ecological system with them. Their tea sold for the highest wholesale price, $400/kilo and other farmers both local and international began to try to emulate their methods. The Banerjees have lectured on biodynamic farming throughout the world.

Impressed by what I had seen and learned at Makaibari, I decided, in 1995, to market my family’s biodynamic tea. Soon this venture grew to include all kinds of teas from all over the world! I began to realize that this new work was a continuation of my desire to make the world a better place. It was an extension of my UN and corporate work, but on a gentler plane and at a more relaxed pace. I could now help struggling farmers sell their tea and help expand the markets for tea in the US and internationally. I could offer fair-trade teas whose surcharges went directly to the farmers who grew the crops.

As the month of May winds down, and we head into the unofficial beginning of summer holiday week-end, I want you all to drag out that old bike you have in the garage, and bring it in to your local bike shop for a tune-up and maybe new tires, and get out and do some riding this summer. May is National Bike Month, and it's not too late to participate. Co-op members Ben and Paula Williams are racing in the Hudson to Highlands series this summer with their (Hungry Hollow Co-op sponsored) Clockwork Construction Inc RacingTeam, now in its second year of kicking butt on the trails. Co-op staffer Tyler Conlon is training for his first triathlon with his sister (former co-op employee) Hana. And I'm off to my first Century, Mountains of Misery, in southwestern Virginia. We'd like to hear from you regarding your bike plans and adventures this summer! Go out and have fun, and don't forget to pick up some healthy snacks at the Co-op!! (Look for the “What Fuels Your Ride” signs on the shelves to see other riders’ favorites.) -kp

Editor’s Note: In case you didn’t check out the link above, the 2010 Mountains of Misery is a 104-mile challenge ride with 10,000 feet of climbing. It begins at 7 am, tomorrow, May 30th and goes until the riders complete the course or until it closes at 6 pm, whichever comes first. Let’s all beam thoughts of strength, energy, and endurance to Kathey, to help insure that she makes it to the end where the massage therapists are waiting to welcome the finishers.

Next time you're in the co-op, check out our recently added, totally amazing, local and regional cheeses.

New in the deli cooler:

Tarentaise from Thistle Hill Farm, VT
Vivace Bambino from Cato Corner Farm, CT
Cherry Grove Farm Asiago, NJ
Cherry Grove Farm Brie, NJ
Gore-dawn-zola blue cheese, Boucher Family Farm, VT
Beltane Farm Fresh Chevre with Chive, CT
Triple Cream from Champlain Valley Creamery, VT
Oakvale Smoked Gouda, OH

We are looking forward to adding Champlain Valley Creamery Cream Cheese and Valley Shepherd sheep's milk yogurt as soon as they become available.
Also on the horizon are cheese tastings hosted by Artisan-Made Northeast.

Here are a few of the great new products (and one old favorite) we’ve put on our shelves this month:
If You Care Firelighters
Eden Organic Applesauce
Native Biodynamic Sugar
Natural Choice Tropical Tangerine Bars (Frozen)
Purely Decadent Cherry Amaretto Frozen Dessert made with coconut mIlk
Artisana organic raw tahini
In the freezer Shelton's Free-Range Ground Turkey is back.

A new month brings a new single origin coffee to the Hungry Hollow Coop. I must be honest and say that I will miss the El Salvador Las Colinas coffee. Hopefully, we will be able to bring it back after we try a few different origin coffees. This month we will have a Ugandan organic coffee. Click HERE for an informative article from the Equal Exchange website. Please let me know what you think. We should be brewing this coffee by May 6th and keep your eyes out for it in the bulk bins. Also, keep your eyes out for some new coffee bulk bins which Equal Exchange leased to us, bringing you the freshest, best quality, fair trade coffee around. Thanks Equal Exchange! -Mary, Bulk Foods Manager

Friday, from12:00pm to 3:00pm, Maureen from Vermont Butter and Cheese Creamery will be offering a sample tasting of Mascarpone and Creme Fraiche served with our organic strawberries and blueberries. Don’t miss it.

Bare Fruit organic dried mango, cherries, and pears in packages.
Unsweetened Eden Soymilk in 32 oz containers.
Living Harvest Tempt Hempmilk in Unsweetened Original, 32.oz.
In addition to Gardein's 7-Grain Crispy Tenders, we now carry Gardein Meatless Chicken Style Filet in the Frozen Food Department.
In the Grocery Department, we have added Lundberg Organic Brown Rice Rotini to our pasta section

We are offering ground bison, ground bison patties, bison steak patties, and bison bratwurst. NorthStar has been family owned since 1994 in Rice Lake, Wisconsin and all their bison meat is 100% grassfed.

There is new all natural, fresh, locally made ice cream from Ronnybrook Farm in our Frozen Food Department; pints of Butter Pecan, Toasted Hazelnut Crunch, and Chocolate Raspberry Truffle. This is old fashioned ice cream made on the farm with milk and cream from their own cows. Rich and creamy, Ronnybrook ice cream is 16% butterfat made with the finest hand selected seasonal ingredients.

Jump start your garden with organic plants! Flowers: Petunias and Violas. Vegetables: Beets, Broccoli, Kale, Lettuce. Herbs: Cilantro and Dill. From Markristo Farm in Hillsdale, NY. More varieties coming soon.

We’ll be closed Easter Sunday, April 4th, and will reopen at our regular time (7:30 am) on Monday, April 5th.

New to the Hungry Hollow Co-op bulk department are several Equal Exchange coffees, located in the bulk bins and being brewed for our customers. We have had a very personal relationship with Equal Exchange, a worker-owned co-op in West Bridgewater, MA, ever since Kathey, our outreach co-ordinator, went to Chiapas, Mexico to visit EE coffee farms. She actually picked coffee berries for the Mind, Body, and Soul blend. Our plan is to offer a different organic single-origin coffee each month in the bulk department and also brew it as a choice for your morning/afternoon coffee break. This month's coffee comes from El Salvador. Here is the informative write up from the Equal Exchange website:

The Las Colinas co-operative in El Salvador is collectively farmed and managed on the site of an old coffee plantation. The agrarian reform of 1980 redistributed land throughout El Salvador from the hands of large-scale coffee growers into the hands of coffee pickers and laborers alike. But, exorbitant interest rates on the loans used to purchase the land came at a high cost and today the producers still struggle to finance their debt and stay on their land. Equal Exchange is supporting the co-op members' endeavors by purchasing the majority of their coffee crop. We're working with Las Colinas to readjust their debt and find alternative ways to improve their finances.

The war of the 1980s also had a devastating effect on the natural environment due to widespread deforestation. Las Colinas is located near the border of Guatemala and forms part of the buffer zone for El Imposible National Park, habitat to endangered pumas, emerald toucans, and fresh waterfalls. Las Colinas has taken steps to preserve their natural resources; they recently converted their coffee to organic and have invested in eco-depulpers to reduce the amount of water they use during processing.

If you find yourself really loving one of these coffees and it gets rotated out, please let me know. We would be happy to order a 5 lb. bag for you.
I hope when the new Fair Trade, organic, single-origin coffee comes in each month that you will welcome it with open arms and empty coffee mugs. -MARY

TODAY we are hosting free consultations with Robert, our Dr. Hauschka rep, from 11am - 2pm. Please call the co-op to schedule an appointment, as they are limited.