la montanita coop connection january, 2013

of Old Monticello Organic Farms and Sean Ludden of LosPoblanos Organic Farm for some sage advice on organicherb production.

Other workshops include: A Whole Farm Approach toManaging Drought; Playing Chicken—Small ScalePoultry; Who’s There? Pests and the Diseases TheyCarry; Restoring Pollinator Habitat in the Southwest;From Hoophouses to Hedgerows: Accessing the EQIPProgram; Asylum for Avians; Top Bar Bees; TraditionalNew Mexico: Corn, Beans, and Chile; No Minnie Mouse:IPM for Rodents; Herbal Product Production; ProduceBuyers: What They Want; First Steps When DisasterStrikes: Investigating Livestock Disease; FavoriteVegetable Varieties; Digging Deep: UnderstandingNematodes and Exploring Biofumigation; Go Nuts!;Home-based Canning; Feed Your Bed; Store It!; PollinatorConservation Strategies for Organic Seed Producers;Organic Inspectors Bare All; Traditional New Mexico:Acequias; Cover Crops: Tested for New Mexico; OrganicWeed Management: Till and No/Low; Plugged-In Tech-nology for Farmers; Four-Legged Reclamation—Goats inLand Restoration; Alternative Health Care for Ruminants;Successful Season Extension—Seed to Market; Tradi-tional New Mexico: Fruit Production; It’s Coming!Preparing for Food Safety Regulation.

On Saturday, participants will feast on local and organicfood at a luncheon where the New Mexico Organic Farmerof the Year will be recognized. Farm to Table, the NewMexico Department of Agriculture, and New Mexico StateUniversity Cooperative Extension Service are organizingthe event. La Montanita Co-op Natural Foods Market,Skarsgard Farms, Rio Grande Community Farm, and theSilver City Food Co-op are sponsoring the gathering.

Registration for the conference, including Saturday’sluncheon, is $100. For more information call 505-889-9921, or look for conference brochures at the Co-op.For hotel reservations, call 877-622-3056 by January30th. Say you are part of the Organic Conference to getthe special room rate. Hope to see you there!

FEBRUARY 15-16BY HEATHER ESQUEDA, NEW MEXICO DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE ORGANIC PROGRAM

Join the gathering of organic producers, researchers, and those who helpmove food from farm to fork for the New Mexico Organic Farming Conferenceat the Albuquerque Marriott Pyramid, February 15-16, 2013. This two-day

event will offer practical information for farmers, ranchers, and market gardenerson topics ranging from organic weed management to marketing, and fruit produc-tion to livestock health.

The keynote address, “Will Organic Farming Save Pollinators or Will PollinatorsSave Organic Farming,” will be delivered by Mace Vaughan,Pollinator Program Director, Xerces Society, and Joint PollinatorConservation Specialist for NRCS West National TechnologySupport Center in Portland, Oregon. In this talk, Mace Vaughanshares anecdotes from the world of pollinator conservation. Hewill provide the latest information on the importance and declineof pollinators, and how habitat on and around farms is critical tosaving these important animals. You will come away from thistalk with a new appreciation for the wide variety of bees that areworking hard for farmers all across New Mexico and the US andnew ideas for how to help these insects to thrive.

In addition to the keynote address, 36 workshop sessions willcover a wide range of topics. Highlights include:

Nature’s Chicken Soup: Compost Tea Production and UseRecent research with compost tea shows that it can be effectivein fighting plant diseases in addition to providing high quality, readily-assimilatednutrients. Heather Harrell of the certified organic For the Love of Bees farm willreport on the system she uses to make compost tea and the results observedfrom its application. Joining Heather for this presentation will be Brett Bakker,Chief Certifier for the New Mexico Department of Agriculture’s Organic Program.Brett will review regulations governing the use of manure and compost tea in cer-tified organic production systems.

Low-Stress Livestock Handling The New Mexico Organic Farming Conference is honored to have Dr. TempleGrandin join us for a morning of discussion of low-stress livestock handling.Temple Grandin is a doctor of animal science and professor at Colorado StateUniversity, best-selling author, and consultant on animal behavior. If you are alivestock producer, this session is a must.

Drought in the Southwest: The OutlookEvery farmer and rancher seems to agree that assumptions about what the weath-er will be in any particular season no longer serve as a guide for planting, irrigat-ing, and harvesting. Recent studies indicate that we may be entering a period ofsevere drought. Dr. Dave Dubois, Department of Plant and EnvironmentalSciences, New Mexico State University; CLIMAS member; New Mexico StateClimatologist and Community Collaborative Rain Hail and Snow Network StateCoordinator, will discuss the outlook for our Southwestern climate.

Holistic Orchard ManagementSuccessful fruit production can’t be confined to managingpests or finding the right fertility practice. Selecting the appro-priate varieties, understanding and managing the structure ofyour trees, achieving good pollination, siting, and many otherfactors also enter in. Gordon Tooley, 2008 Organic FarmingEducator of the Year, will weave the threads together in thissession on holistic management.

Using Organic Insecticides: When and HowDr. Tess Grasswitz, Integrated Pest Management Specialist at

NMSU’s Los Lunas Ag ScienceCenter, and 2012 Organic Farming Educator of the Year, willtake on the thorny topic of “natural pesticide” use. Always thechoice of last resort, there are times when producers want toturn to a natural insecticide allowed for use in organic produc-tion. Tess will discuss the mechanics of some popular pesti-cides; how to determine the threshold for pesticide use; stepsto take to achieve the desired result; and, cautions to observeto protect beneficials and avoid building a resistant population.

Spice It Up—Organic Herb ProductionHerbs are a welcome addition to any farm. They provide habi-tat and nectar for pollinators, help diversify a farm’s produc-tion, and many are well-suited to the Southwest’s dry andsunny climate. This session bringstogether two experienced and pas-sionate herb producers who willshare their expertise in growingand marketing organic culinary andmedicinal herbs. Join Jane Darland

BOOTS AND ROOTS!The Second Year Begins!

This month marks the first anniver-sary of our Co-op’s Veteran FarmerProject (VFP) and an exciting year

it was. Last January began with a seriesof classes and moved through a year ofskills development both in the classroomsetting and with hands on learning.Thanks to the Downtown Action Teamthe VFP produced food in over thirty 12’by 4’ beds at Alvarado Urban Farm.

Veterans cycled in and out during our year-long process withnearly twenty-five veterans participating at one time or another.While a good number of veterans from the larger communityparticipated, overall, veterans in treatment at the VA Hospital, fora variety of conflict related issues, were the most solidly dedi-cated to the project. Special thanks to John Shields of the recre-ation therapy department at the VA, for his dedication to the proj-ect and for driving veterans living on the VA campus to our gar-den site downtown twice a week.

New Mexico OrganicFARMING CONFERENCE

Boots on the GroundTaking the lessons learned in the classroom outside, we builtour first cold frames last January and began planting seedsin February. Classes continued until early summer and dur-ing the spring; Veterans split their time between classes and

working in the garden. Thanks to a most generousdonor, and with support from the NMDA OrganicProgram, a number of veterans received scholar-ships to the Annual NM Farming and GardeningConference last February. By April, participantswere taking home onions, peas, kale, collards, let-tuce and other cold weather crops. By June thegarden was in full swing and participants wereharvesting a variety of vegetables to sell everyWednesday morning at the Farmers’ Market infront of the VA Hospital. This, too, was part of the

learning process, as picking, packing, pricing, and market-ing, including setting up an attractive farmer’s market stall,are important skills for would-be farmers.

BY ROBIN SEYDEL

So popular was our stand and the VA staff so supportive, that the VFP has been givenspecial permission to sell veggies all year long at the VA. (Special thanks to VA staffMary Varnado and Reba Brain for their help in making this happen.) To that end, fromOctober through December, we were busy building more cold frames to cover our pro-duction beds, composting beds and planting fall crops. While other Vets selling at theVA farmers’ market experienced frosts in September or early October, the downtownarea did not experience a full frost until just before Thanksgiving. VFP participants gath-ered boxes full of green tomatoes, which were laid out to sell as they ripened throughthe end of December, along with winter kale, collards, lettuce, beets and carrots.

In 2012, in addition to financial and organizational support from La Montanita, the proj-ect got off the ground thanks to seed (both literally and figuratively) money from theMcCune Foundation. In July of 2012 the New Mexico Department of Agriculture pro-

vided a generous grant for the continuation of the project through June 2013. Thegrant provides funds for cold frame materials, seeds, tools, compost and pro-vides a stipend for up to two Veterans for farm management.

2013: Another Round of SeasonsThis year is shaping up to be as educational, healing and fun as last year. Ourclasses begin in late January and go though March. Although still in the plan-ning stage at the time of this writing, the tentative schedule has classes everyThursday for six weeks with Tuesdays reserved for hands on work in the gar-den throughout the late winter and early spring, and selling produce at the VAon Wednesdays from 11am-1pm.

All veterans, active service and National Guard people are welcome to come tothese FREE farming and gardening skills classes. The VA van will be offering ridesto both the classes and garden site from the Albuquerque VA Campus. For moreinformation contact Robin Seydel at 505-217-2027, toll free at 877-775-2667or e-mail her at [email protected] or contact John Shields at the VA at505-256-6499 ext. 5638 or email him [email protected].

THANK YOU!Co-op

Community!

Once again, you, our fabulous CO-OP COMMUNITY, havecome forward to show just how GREAT you are! THANKS TOYOU, over 600 children in need in our communities had theirholiday gift wishes come true. From the bottom of our heartswe thank you again this year for your support of this program. Weare proud and honored to be able to serve a community with sucha generous heart. You’re the best!

YOUR CO-OP MEMBERSHIP DEPARTMENT

MAKE A CHILD SMILE

UPDATEVETERAN FARMER PROJECT

January 31: Introduction to the Business of Farming/John Garlisch, Bernalillo County Extension Service

Feb. 7: LandLINK—Finding a Place to Grow/Tiffany Terry, MRCoGFeb.14: Growing Good Soil/Joran Viers, Bernalillo County Extension ServiceFeb. 21: Organic Approaches to Pest Management/Dr. Tess Grasswitz, N.M.S.U.Feb.28: Organic Production: The Hows and Whys!/Joanie Quinn, N.M.D.A.

Organic ProgramMarch 7: Succession Planting for Marketing Success/Sarah Wentzel-Fisher, La

Montanita Co-op/edible MagazineMarch 14: Intro to Biodynamics and Wholistic Farming/Amanda Rich, erda

gardens CSA

VVEETTEERRAANNFFAARRMMEERR

PPRROOJJEECCTTCCLLAASSSSEESS

ALL CLASSES will take place at the Albuquerque N.M.S.U.campus at 4501 Indian School Road NE, (just west of SanMateo) in room G106.

VETERAN FARMERPROJECT CLASSEScontinue in 2013.This year classes areopen to the largercommunity!

PPPPRRRROOOOJJJJEEEECCCCTTTT

givingTREETHANKS!

crafting our future January 2013 2

La Montanita CooperativeA Community - Owned Natural Foods Grocery Store

Nob Hill/ 7am-10pm M-S, 8am-10pm Sun.3500 Central SE Abq., NM 87106 265-4631

Valley/ 7am-10pm M-Sun.2400 Rio Grande Blvd. NWAbq., NM 87104 242-8800

Gallup/ 10am-7pm M-S, 11am-6pm Sun.105 E. Coal Gallup, NM 87301 863-5383

Santa Fe/ 7am-10pm M-S, 8am-10pm Sun.913 West Alameda Santa Fe, NM 87501 984-2852

UNM Co-op ’N Go/ 7am-6pm M-F, 10-4pm Sat.Closed Sun., 2301 Central Ave. SE Abq., NM 87131 277-9586

Cooperative Distribution Center 901 Menual NE, Abq., NM 87107 217-2010

Administrative Staff: 217-2001TOLL FREE: 877-775-2667 (COOP)• General Manager/Terry Bowling [email protected]• Controller/John Heckes [email protected]• Computers/Info Technology/David Varela 217-2011 [email protected]• Perishables Coordinator/Bob Tero [email protected]• Human Resources/Sharret Rose [email protected]• Marketing/Edite Cates [email protected]• Membership/Robin Seydel [email protected]• CDC/MichelleFranklin [email protected]

Store Team Leaders: • Mark Lane/Nob Hill [email protected]• John Mulle/Valley [email protected]• William Prokopiak/Santa Fe [email protected]• Alisha Valtierra/Gallup [email protected]

Co-op Board of Directors:email: [email protected]• President: Martha Whitman• Vice President: Marshall Kovitz• Secretary: Ariana Marchello• Treasurer: Roger Eldridge• Lisa Banwarth-Kuhn• Kristy Decker• Jake Garrity• Susan McAllister• Betsy VanLeit

Membership Costs:$15 for 1 year/ $200 Lifetime Membership

Co-op Connection Staff:• Managing Editor: Robin [email protected] 217-2027• Layout and Design: foxyrock inc• Cover/Centerfold: Co-op Marketing Dept.• Advertising: Sarah Wentzel-Fisher • Editorial Assistant: Sarah Wentzel-Fisher [email protected] 217-2016• Printing: Vanguard Press

Membership information is available at all four Co-op locations, or call 217-2027 or 877-775-2667email: [email protected]: www.lamontanita.coop

Membership response to the newsletter is appreciated. Address typed, double-spaced copy to the Managing Editor, [email protected]

Copyright ©2013La Montanita Co-op SupermarketReprints by prior permission.The Co-op Connection is printed on 65% post-consumer recycled paper. It is recyclable.

NEW MEXICO GROWNPRODUCE FOR SCHOOL MEALS

BY PAM ROY, FARM TO TABLE

Have you eaten in your local school cafeteria recently?If you have, you may have noticed a change in the menu.There are more fruits and veggies on the plates, whole

wheat pasta items and less chocolate milk. Due to new federal

school nutrition rules, schools are required to serve twice as manyfruits and vegetables as in the past. These rules were put in place tohelp stave off the growing obesity epidemic in this country. Thechallenge is that the federal rules were put in place without enoughmoney to pay for the required increase in fruits and veggies.

Food for NM KidsTo combat the problem, the New Mexico State Legislature will beasked to help support the school lunch program with a billrequesting $1.44 million to help support the purchase of “NewMexico Grown Produce for School Meals.” This is a “win-win”bill. New Mexico students will enjoy the freshest fruits and veg-etables grown right here in New Mexico, our farmers will benefiteconomically, and schools will have much needed funding to meetthe new federal rules.

This is good news for New Mexico as we have a plentiful supply offresh fruits and vegetables produced by our own local farmers. Thisyear alone, 53 of our 89 school districts serving 324,000 students pur-chased New Mexico grown produce providing students throughout thestate with sweet juicy apples and watermelons, ripe tomatoes, crispcarrots, salad greens and sprouts, fresh corn on the cob, and more.

In addition, great partnerships have been developed to make the pro-gram work. Farm to Table, the American Friends Service Committee,and other organizations provide training and technical assistance to farmers, the NM School Nutrition Association provides education-al programs to school food service directors and agencies like

the Departments of Agricultureand Food and Nutrition ServicesBureau provide critical support.These organizations and agenciesalong with others are part of theNM Food and Agriculture PolicyCouncil, the statewide groupleading the push for the state leg-islative request.

This won’t be the first year theLegislature has heard this bill. Ithas broad support, but has notbeen well funded to date. SenatorPete Campos is the 2013 bill spon-sor; president of Luna College anda true advocate for health, educa-

tion, agriculture, and local economic issues, Senator Campos is asteadfast champion of this legislation.

In New Mexico alone, 19 percent of our children are considered obeseby the age of eight, and in some areas of the State it is as high as 50percent; one in four children are considered food insecure. Schoolmeals can be the most important meal of the day and support lifehealthy eating habits.

OUR CHILDREN DESERVE OUR SUPPORT OF THIS LEGISLATIONTo learn more, contact the New Mexico Food and Agriculture PolicyCouncil at 505-473-1004 ext. 11. During the legislative session (thatbegins January 16) you can call your legislator at 505-986-4600 andask that they support the “NM Grown Produce for School Meals” leg-islation – otherwise known as “Healthy Kids – Healthy Economy.”

Pam Roy is Executive Director of Farm to Table and coordinatorof the NM Food and Agriculture Policy Council based in Santa Fe.Find them at www.farmtotablenm.org.

FOOD POLICY AT THE LEGISLATURE:HEALTHY KIDS, HEALTHYECONOMY

SUPPORT for theTRANSITION from jail to society

Dismas House New Mexico, a 501(c)(3) organization, wascreated in 1994 as an answer to the growing need for sup-portive services for individuals struggling to re-enter society

after incarceration. Since that time, Dismas House has developed aneffective residential program that provides a comprehensive matrixof services for adults returning to the com-munity after serving time. Dismas House, abeacon of hope and safe passage for adultstransitioning from jail or prison into socie-ty, is dedicated to providing second chances.

More than 10 percent of those entering pris-ons and jails are homeless in the monthsbefore their incarceration. For those withmental illness, the rates are even higher—about 20 percent. NM Department of Cor-rections spends $31,000 per year to keep oneinmate in jail: this equates to $2,583 permonth; 46 percent of inmates who leave prison without transitionalsupport return to prison. In contrast only 10 percent of Dismas Houseprogram participants return to prison.

Dismas House New Mexico currently owns a three-acre campuscomprised of five residential buildings that provide 90 to 120 daysof service-enriched housing for male residents and a women’s cam-pus that houses six. Onsite residential interns and aides providesupervision, support and assist with evening programs. The missionof Dismas House New Mexico is to assist motivated adults on pro-bation and parole to transition successfully into society. Over theyears, they have helped over 1,500 parolees to transition successful-ly into society and have been able to expand the program with thegenerous help of the community.

The Dismas House Transitional Program is a structured 90-day,progress-oriented curriculum that moves through a series of sup-

portive steps to assist in a successful re-entry into society. The firststep in the program includes a detailed orientation of policies andprocedures that define Dismas House’s supportive culture, as wellas a guided self-examination of personal history, circumstancesand needs. This process is supplemented by a series of workshopsand group counseling sessions. The program also provides jobdevelopment support, life skills, housing development, familycounseling and after-care plans.

The Dismas House Transitional Re-Entry Program con-sists of the following elements:• An in-depth personal assessment process that includesself-examination of personal history, circumstances andneeds;• Education into the nature of addictions, including thelong-term health effects of substance abuse on the mindand body;• Relapse prevention awareness;• 12-Step, Alcoholics Anonymous, and NarcoticsAnonymous support groups;• Motivational counseling group sessions geared toward

encouraging pro-social attitudes, behaviors and responsibilities;• Individualized case management that includes educationalopportunities, job development, life skills, housing options, fami-ly counseling and health-care referrals;• After-care services provide graduating residents with the sup-port system needed to maintain meaningful employment and ulti-mately provide graduating residents a place in society that ispeaceful and productive.

These elements build a comprehensive support system that em-powers residents to face life squarely and make the changes need-ed, empowering participants to achieve a healthier lifestyle thatbenefits not only the individual but their families and society.

For more information, application, or to make a donation goto www.dismashousenewmexico.org or call them at 505-343-0746.

DISMAS HOUSESECOND CHANCES FOR THE NEW YEAR!

CO-OPYOU OWN IT TTHHIISS MMOONNTTHH’’SS BBAAGG CCRREEDDIITT DDOONNAATTIIOONN OORRGGAANNIIZZAATTIIOONN

crafting our future January 2013 3

vated the pathway leading to fat cell production. Stem cells have thepotential to become different kinds of cells (i.e., a stem cell can becomea bone cell or fat cell).”

The study also examined pre-birth exposure to TFZ in the drinkingwater of female mice. The lowest dose produced a significant increase instored fat, while higher doses had no effect. This type of dose response— when different levels of exposure lead to different effects — is show-ing up in more and more studies, leading the EPA to rethink how it eval-uates toxic dose response risks.

“In addition, stem cells prepared from the fat of female mice exposed toTFZ had significant genetic changes. Expression of a genetic markerthat inhibits fat cell production was reduced, while genes known to pro-mote fat cell production had increased expression.”

“The TFZ paper is just one of many recent studies on pesti-cides and obesogens. While this is a fairly new field of study,evidence is accumulating that chemicals are likely contribu-tors to the obesity epidemic.”

The Full StoryTo keep our children a healthy weight, we are told to teachthem healthy lifestyle choices, feed them whole food, controltheir portions and make sure they stay active, getting enoughexercise. We are not informed that exposure to persistentorganic pollutant (POP) obesogens, even in the womb andespecially to girls, can cause physiological changes that leadto obesity.

Spanish researchers who studied 344 children from birth toage six and a half found that exposure in the womb to the breakdownproduct of DDT (DDE) was clearly linked to becoming overweight inlater life. The Spanish study showed that after adjusting for factors,including birth weight and whether or not mothers smoked during preg-nancy, there was a significant link between the sex of the child, prenatalexposure to DDT, PCBs and other POPs and the likelihood of beingoverweight by age six and a half.

No one quite understands why and Spanish researchers say they weresurprised to find that when women of normal weight have higher lev-els of POPs in their blood during pregnancy their babies are twice aslikely to grow quickly during the first six months of life and four timesas likely to be overweight when they reach 14 months; but there areplenty of animal studies suggesting that some pollutants at very lowlevels interfere with normal hormone functions to slow the metabolismand cause obesity.

Despite the fact that DDT has been banned for nearly 40 years, there isstill a level of background contamination of breakdown products thatroot crops like carrots and potatoes can take up from the soil, and moth-ers who were exposed as children before the ban can be passing it on totheir children during pregnancy and breastfeeding. In fact DDT and itsbreakdown products can hang around for decades, and 99% of us carryDDT breakdown products in our blood. Though banned in the US, DDTis still used in some countries for malaria control and has been suggestedfor use in the US for mosquito control due to West Nile Virus. Canadianscientists are now connecting climate change to a possible increase in ourexposures to legacy chemicals, including DDT, as pollutants trapped in iceare being released as temperature rises and glaciers melt; thus puttingthese endocrine disrupting chemicals back in circulation.

Kristin Schafer from PANNA writes ,“From learning disabilities andautism to childhood cancers and more, a startling number of dis-eases and disorders are on the rise. The good news is, this is aproblem we can do something about. From kitchen tables to statecapitals, from school districts to family farms, people are findingways to better protect children's health.”

Pesticide Action Network’s North America’s New ReportBY ROBIN SEYDEL

It’s no secret that obesity rates continue to climb,even in very young children, including infants. Back inthe early 1990s La Montanita Co-op hosted the first

national, public conference on what were then called xeno-estrogens, as the science at that time showed that chemicalslike DDT mimicked estrogen. Now we know that thesechemicals and tens of thousands of others (nearly 80,000 onthe market today) disrupt a wide variety of our endocrinesystem functions, upsetting hormonal balance affecting ourhealth in many ways.

Pesticide Action Network of North America’s (PANNA) newreport, A Generation in Jeopardy, documents alarmingtrends in public health, including childhood obestity to thesesame chemicals, now being called obesogens. As PANNApoints out, “some of these obesogens are pesticides acting atvery low doses to interfere with all kinds of physiologicalprocesses. This includes, it turns out, triggering increased fatcell production.”

While public health science catches up, the commercializa-tion of new untested chemicals used in daily life marches on.And much as in the climate change debate, while scientistsargue over the links, public health concerns are escalating.

A Generation in Jeopardy points out that our childrenare sicker than they were a generation ago. • From 1980-2004 OBESITY increased 171% in children

ages 6–11• From 1990-2011 DIABETES increased 53% in children

ages 0–19• From 1975-2004 CHILDHOOD CANCERS, 25%

increased incidence, ages 0–19• From 2002-2008 AUTISM increased 78% in children

aged 8• From 1997-2006 ADHD increased 3% every year, ages

6–17, with a 17% increase overall, ages 3–17

With children affected so early in life, it's become increas-ingly clear that genetic and behavioral factors alone cannotexplain the rising rates of obesity. Scientists are now exam-ining the contribution of exposure to man-made chemicals.

THE REPORT NOTES “A recent study of triflumizole (TFZ) suggests that this fun-gicide is a likely obesogen. In 2010, over 40,000 pounds ofTFZ's active ingredient was used in over 6,000 agriculturalapplications in the state of California alone. Researchersfound that TFZ treatment of human stem cell cultures acti-

OBESOGENS: A Generation inJEOPARDY

JANUARYBag Credit Donations

go to DISMAS HOUSE:Providing support services for people struggling tore-enter society and create healthy, peaceful lives.

Your NOVEMBER BAG CREDIT DONATIONS totaling$1,842.81 were given to Project Share. Thanks to all ofyou who donated! Keep up the great work!

DONATEEyour BAG CCRREEDDIITT!!!donate

THEDIME!

THE TOP 101. Choose kid-safe foods. Whenever possible, shop for organicfruits and veggies free of pesticides that harm children’s health. 2. Keep homes kid-safe. Use safer, alternative methods to controlpests in homes, on your pets, and on your lawns and gardens.3. Create safer child care. Daycare centers should be free of pesti-cides known to harm children. Ask your daycare facility about the pes-ticides they use, and urge them to join the Eco-Healthy Child Careprogram run by the Children's Environmental Health Network.4. Make schools pesticide-free, inside and out. Learn what com-munities across the country are doing to create school environmentsfree of neurotoxic pesticides.5. Link local farms to school plates. Urge your school district to linkwith a pesticide-free farm-to-school program to protect children from

pesticide residues and build the family farm economy.6. Support green and healthy farming. Our policies should bettersupport farmers who grow healthy, pest-free crops without relying onpesticides that can harm children. 7. Spread the word about pesticides and health. Follow and sharethe science on pesticides and kids’ health with friends, family, parent-teacher groups and neighbors.8. Press policymakers to put children’s health first. Overall, cur-rent rules protect the interests of the pesticide corporations much bet-ter than they protect our children. Find out how you can help press forpolicies that put children’s health first at www.panna.org.9. Vote for kids’ health. Hold politicians accountable to vote forkids’ health, not pesticide industry profits.10. Stay informed by staying connected to Pesticide Action Networkat www.panna.org or www.beyondpesticides.org.

From learning disabilities and autism to childhood cancers and more,

a startling number of diseases and disorders are on the rise. The good

news is, this is a problem we can dosomething about. From kitchen tables

to state capitals, from school districts to family farms, people

are finding ways to better PROTECT CHILDREN'S HEALTH.

-KRISTIN SCHAFER

Co-op ValuesCooperatives are based on the values of self-help, self-responsibility, democracy, equality, equity and solidar-ity. In the tradition of their founders, cooperative mem-bers believe in the ethical values of honesty, openness,social responsibility and caring for others.

Co-op Principles 1 Voluntary and Open Membership 2 Democratic Member Control 3 Member Economic Participation 4 Autonomy and Independence 5 Education, Training and Information 6 Cooperation among Cooperatives 7 Concern for Community

The Co-op Connection is published by La Montanita Co-op Supermarket to provide information on La MontanitaCo-op Supermarket, the cooperative movement, and thelinks between food, health, environment and communi-ty issues. Opinions expressed herein are of the authorsand are not necessarily those of the Co-op.

PROTECT KIDS FROM PESTICIDES

BY ROBIN SEYDEL

Is eating better, getting healthier or loosing afew pounds part of your New Year resolution?For many of us it is. I for one, hate diets! Don’t tell

me what I can’t have, tell me what I CAN have. Eatingfresh fruits and vegetables will go a long way in helpingyou do all of the above. And staying off processed andhigh sodium foods will also go a long way in reducingwater retention and high blood pressure. Eating morefruits and vegetables, more grains and beans, foodslower in fat and fewer processed foods are key in anyhealthier future.

Instead of reaching for that candy bar at 3pm to get youthrough the rest of the work day—how about a cup of hot green tea anda few dates, figs or jumbo flame raisins for an energy boost and to quietthat sweet tooth? After work instead of grabbing some high fat chips toget you through until dinner is ready, how about some carrots or celery?For a special treat dab a bit of peanut or almond butter on it. There youhave the nutrients and fiber of the veggies and the protein of the nutbutters. And if life on the go makes you reach for the fast food solution,try a quick fix of healthy food from the Co-op deli or pop somealmonds or trail mix into your purse, computer bag or briefcase so youalways have a quick and healthy snack.

1. Eat plenty of fiber. Fiber is found in whole grains, fruits and veg-etables. Grains are best whole or only coarsely ground. Use rye, rice,barley, millet, quinoa, amaranth and other grains regularly. They helpbind with toxins and improve elimination. 2. Eat plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables, especially greenleafy ones. These are high in vitamins, flavonoids, minerals, essentialfatty acids and fiber.

eating healthy: two views January 2013 4

3. Choose organics as much as possible to avoidthe many endocrine and neurotoxic agriculturalchemical residues that affect the quality of yourfood. This will allow you to peel fruit and vegeta-

bles less. The highest con-

centrations of nutrients are often in the peels. Cookonly lightly and eat some raw fruits and veggieswith their important enzymes each day.4. Cut down on your fat intake. Use animalproducts as flavorings and condiments rather thanas your main source of protein. Choose fish, poul-try, whole grains, beans, nuts and seeds rather thanred meat and cheese for your major protein sources.Use animal products as condiments and flavorings.Utilize tofu, tempeh and other soy and rice prod-ucts when possible.5. Cut down on your sugar intake. Use sugaras a flavoring rather than a food, avoiding cakes,sweets, chocolates, biscuits, puddings, ice cream,jam, fruit canned in syrup, soft drinks, etc.

6. Cut down on your salt intake. Instead ofsalt use herbs and spices, including ginger, cayenne,cumin, turmeric, curry, rosemary, cardamom,coriander, chile, garam masala, garlic, lemon juice,tomato puree, onions, mustard seeds, pepper, etc.Check out the wide variety of bulk spices andmixed salt-free spice assortments in the bulk andgrocery sections of your Co-op.7. Cut down or end your consumption ofprocessed food to avoid empty calories andartificial everything, including flavors, sweeteners,MSG, preservatives and other additives.8. Drink only moderate amounts of alco-hol and caffeine. Make an afternoon cup ofcoffee a cup of green tea instead. Utilize Swisswater processed decaf coffee rather than the chem-ically processed ones. OR better yet switch togreen and herbal tea beverages. 9. Drink plenty of filtered water. Eightglasses a day is recommended for good health.10. Eat more of your calories earlier in theday. A good hearty breakfast, a solid nutritionallunch and a light dinner refuels the body’s nutrientsas they are needed more effectively than eatingheavy, hard to digest proteins late in the day orclose to bedtime. Why store all that fat for use after6-8 hours of sleep! Utilize it during the day instead.This will help improve digestion, reduce interrupt-ed sleep, reduce heart burn and indigestion,improve metabolism and help with weight loss.11. Get enough exercise and fresh air. Getup from that computer, TV or study desk and walk,do yoga, hike or whatever exercise you enjoy atleast 3-4 times weekly. It will improve both yourbody and your mind.

11 POINT PLAN FOR GOOD HEALTH

GO GREEN !Get your locally grown GREEN VEGGIESat any Co-op location. Fresh, fair, organic...

at yourCO-OP

turous eater, I was challenged to expand my food hori-zons; the world of vegetables is vast and wide and Ihave enjoyed exploring new ones!

4. Eliminate dairy. After some consideration, I opted tokeep my raw dairy; but dairy is ALWAYS a very indi-vidual choice. For the paleo diet to be sustainable, manypeople abide by an 80/20 rule, allowing some give forthe demands and realities of the modern world. For thisto be sustainable for me, dairy is my "compromise.”

5. Movement. You'll hear many paleo diet fans discussCrossfit as their go-to fitness routine. That is becausethe program emphasizes the type of movement pre-agricultural humans would have done while huntingand being hunted: sprinting, lifting and squatting. Thisactually does not fit my life or personality, so I haveonly moderately changed my very realistic workoutroutine. Plus, I thoroughly enjoy my exercise, so don'tWANT to abandon it!

I found the advice given by Mark Sisson of MarksDailyApple.com (and author of The Primal Blueprint) tohit home for me. A former world-class athlete, he cau-tions against what he calls "chronic cardio," or consis-tently pushing ourselves to maximum physical exertionand heart rate for an hour every day. He asserts that ourhunter-gatherer ancestors did not do this. He says. "Thiskind of training raises cortisol levels, increases oxidativedamage, systemic inflammation, depresses the immunesystem and decreases fat metabolism." Since it is difficultfor modern people to imitate our ancestors in spending afew hours each day in low-level activity with brief spurtsof higher intensity aerobic activity, Sisson suggests 30-60minutes of moderate aerobic activity (walking, hiking,cycling) a few times a week.

Content with my weight I was more interested in bloodsugar stability and its benefits. The idea of body weightsetpoints really resonates with me so I was surprisedwhen I got on a scale after putting some effort into thisway of eating and moving and found myself about tenpounds lighter. And while that is not a lot of weight bysome standards, it's a lot for me, especially considering Iwas eating plenty and enjoying myself and also saw obvi-ous signs that my digestion was improved, I had moremuscle tone and a decrease in minor aches and pains.

As I have stated before, my hope is that the ideas Ishare ignite curiosity so that you will further your ownexploration and possibly be healthier for it.

AMYLEE UDELL is the co-owner of Inspired Birthand Families.

endeavor to get through. I admit the sci-ence sometimes crossed my eyes. WhyWe Get Fat was an easier read andhelped drive home some ideas that mademe reconsider my own beliefs.

As someone with a strong family histo-ry of diabetes, I have done much read-ing on the disease, insulin and what Ican do to stay healthy. Yet this bookgave me MORE food for thought.

With these new ideas, I took another look at whatis typically dubbed the Paleo or Primal diet (andsometimes other names, such as Hunter-Gatherer orCaveman diet). The very basic tenet is that eatingand moving as humankind did before the advent ofagriculture is how we are designed to eat and move.Proponents argue that when we do, our bodiesrespond amazingly well.

And so the following guidelines helpachieve that:1. Eat what was once hunted and gathered, including:veggies, fruits, nuts, seafoods and meats. And whileyou don't actually need to go out and hunt your ownmeat, finding free range, pastured sources will bringyou even closer to what we are designed to eat.

2. Don't eat grains. Not even whole grains! This iscounter to what most of us know to be true. I'mgreatly simplifying this here, but paleo enthusiastspoint to evidence that gluten, lectins and phytatesall make grains highly indigestible and even damag-ing to our bodies. Damage might include gut irrita-tion, leaky gut, overall inflammation and auto-immune issues, which often lead to other healthproblems. With a healthy vegetable intake, fiber istypically not an issue in a paleo diet. In fact mostpeople report great improvements in overall diges-tion when adopting this way of eating.

3. Don't eat these, either: legumes, modern veg-etable oils, and processed foods—whatever couldn'thave been hunted and gathered. When doing someadditional research, I came across a frequently men-tioned difficulty. Most people thought this approachwas too restrictive to maintain. This sincerely sur-prised me. There is quite a range of foods to eat andpeople are amazingly creative in coming up withsubstitutes. While I consider myself a fairly adven-

RETHINKING HOW WE

EAT!BY AMYLEE UDELL

Afew years ago I asked readers to at leastCONSIDER the possibility that saturatedfat is not what makes people fat. The

article received more feedback, positive and negative,than any other I've written to date. Supporters wereglad to see a different view than what they usually seein print, detractors touted the ideas presented as irresponsible andreferred back to the "established medical fact," supported by "ex-pert" bodies, that a plant-based diet of fruits, vegetables, grains andlegumes is the only researched diet to help prevent disease and opti-mize health. In the few years since writing that article, my own expe-riences and research has affirmed my belief in the benefits of fol-lowing a traditional diet that includes plenty of saturated fat fromclean sources.

Eating as HumansEarlier this year I read Gary Taubes' books, Good Calories, BadCalories and Why We Get Fat and What To Do About It. Ex-traordinarily well researched and cited, the former was quite an

Crafting an EatHealthyYear

food & health January 2013 5

BY ARI LEVAUX

It amazes me when people claim not to know what to dowith squash. Because, other than pour milk over it in your cere-al bowl, what can't you do with squash? Can you fry it in bacon

grease? Check. Toss the resulting browned chunks in a salad? Check.Simmer it in soup? Stuff it into tamales? Flip it in pancakes? Sweetenit into custard? Spice it into curry? Knead it into gnocchi? Check. Eatsquash for breakfast, lunch, dinner, dessert and midnight snack?Check. You can eat the skin, the seeds, and everything in between.

If that's too overwhelming a list of options, an easy rule of thumb forcooking squash is "do anything you might do with a potato." Whilesquash behaves mostly spud-like, virtually any root vegetable recipecan be applied to squash. That's one reason I believe winter squashdeserves to be considered an honorary member of that family.

Technically, though, squash is a fruit. So why do the hard shelledvarieties, aka the winter squash, deserve a spot in the pantheon ofwinter storage vegetables alongside carrots, garlic, onions, rutabagas,parsnips, beets and celery root?

In addition to behaving much like roots in the kitchen, winter squashwill occupy your kitchen and pantry at the same time the roots do—fall and winter, making squash one of the only non-root storagecrops. Like its adopted cousins the roots, squash is kept completelyunprocessed, alive and dormant. Pirates used to do something simi-lar with tortoises, stacking them in their ship holds for months,where the animals' slow metabolism allowed them to stay alive withno food or water. When the occasion called, a tortoise would beretrieved and eaten, like grabbing a squash from the pantry.

Living storage crops like roots, squash and the occasional Galapagosgiant tortoise mean fresh food anywhere, any time. Unprocessedfoods are also much easier to put away than pickles, salsa, pesto,chutney or other such value-added products. Like root vegetables,squash basically stores itself. Keep them cool, dry and well ventilat-ed, arranged one layer deep with no individual touching another, andperiodically inspect for mold, rot and any other form of damage.Remove any offending fruits before the skank spreads.

To demonstrate how completely winter squash belongs among theroots, I'll explain how to include it in that most quintessential of rootdishes, oven-roasted roots.

Starchy winter squashes like buttercup, sunshine, kabocha and bluehubbard roast best, in my opinion, because the starch adds body andthe chunks don't wither away. I tend to avoid pumpkin, butternut,

and other watery squashes. They can work, butthey add moisture to the pan, which slows thecooking process, and they shrink during cookingmore than I like. As a matter of course I recom-mend avoiding spaghettisquash as well, not just

In this recipe, but in all recipes. Spaghetti squash isan agricultural aberration that should have beenselected against. Bad flavor, no body, weird stringi-ness. Bizarre gimmick!

After removing the stem and blossom ends, asquash can be cut, basically, like a potato. Slice it inhalf, cut the halves in half, and keep going until youhave cubes. Don't bother removing the seeds fromthe chunks. They add to the finished product. Likemost roots, squash can be cooked with or withoutits skin. All winter squash skin is edible, but somepeels make for better eating than others.

Since different roots cook at different rates, I addthem to the roasting pan in sequence. I cut thesquash and potatoes first, tossing them in the panwith olive oil and placing the pan in the oven.While these roast you can cut carrots, celeriac andparsnips, none of which need cooking at all, andcertainly can do with less oven time than squashand potatoes. I like to add a few whole garlic cloveswith the carrots, tossing and turning the pan's con-tents at every opportunity.

When the pan is full, stir in your choice of aromaticspices like oregano, rosemary and/or thyme, and alittle or a lot of paprika or red chile powder if de-sired. I also add garlic powder, marking the second

time I add a form of garlic to my roastedroots. I also like to add onion powder, theonly inclusion of onion in this dish, asraw onions are too watery. I also foregored beets, even though I love them,because I don't love a uniformly purplepile of roots. I also skip turnips, rutaba-gas and other spicy roots that disrupt themellow flavor I'm going for. A final spice:the smallest pinch of nutmeg.

Bake at 300, 350, or even 400F if you'rein a hurry—the hotter you cook the morevigilant you have to be, and the more fre-quently you should stir the pan. While it's

baking, I make a mixture of raw garlic (mashed,pressed, minced or otherwise atomized) and olive oilin which to toss the roots when they're finished.

Eventually the pan will stop steaming as the chunksdry out, and then they will start to brown and crispon the outside, while softening inside. It takesbetween 30 and 60 minutes to get there, dependingon the temperature. Remove the roots and toss themin your garlic oil mixture, season with salt and pep-per, and serve with or without mayo on the side.Within the symphony of flavors and textures, thenutty crunch of roasted squash seeds stands out, per-fectly in place.

Roasted roots—and squash—can be a meal in itself ora starting point for many others. The same raw ingre-dients can be added to the pan of a half-baked bird asit's coming in for landing. Roasted roots can bemashed together with fresh garlic and butter for a tex-tured but mushy medley. Roasted roots can be addedto soup, where their oven crisp offers a hedge againstsogginess. Leftover squash and roots can be refried inbacon grease and served alongside eggs. I suppose youcould even eat them in a bowl with milk.

SQUASH: an unprocessed,LIVING STORAGE CROP,

can be used in aVARIETY OF WAYS!

winter squash:honoraryROOTcrop!

BY ROBIN SEYDEL

Diets higher in whole grains, such as milletand buckwheat, have been linked to protection against athero-

sclerosis, ischemic stroke, diabetes,insulin resistance, obesity, gallstonesand premature death. Whole grainsare rich in fiber, vitamins, mineralsand hundreds of natural plant compounds, called phytochemicals,which protect cells from the types ofdamage that may lead to cancer.

The term “whole grain” means thatall three parts of the grain kernel (germ, bran andendosperm) are included. Refined grains usuallyhave the bran and germ removed, leaving only thestarchy endosperm. Brown rice is a whole grain,white rice is not.

MilletMillet is one of the oldest foods known to humansand possibly the first cereal grain to be used fordomestic purposes. Today millet sustains a third ofthe world’s population and is a significant part of thediet in northern China, Japan, Manchuria and vari-ous areas of the former Soviet Union, Africa, Indiaand Egypt. While millet has been used primarily forbirdseed and livestock fodder in Western Europe andNorth America, it is now gaining popularity as a deli-cious and nutritious grain that can be enjoyed for itsunique virtues.

Millet is tiny in size and round in shape and can vary incolor from white to gray to yellow to red. It is used invarious cultures in many diverse ways: As a cereal, in

porridge and soups, and for making breads. Themost widely available form of millet found in storesis the pearled, hulled type. Traditional couscous ismade from cracked millet. Consistency varies

depending upon cooking method; it canbe creamy like mashed potatoes (ifstirred during cooking) or fluffy like rice.Millet does not contain gluten, whichmakes it a wonderful grain alternativefor people who are gluten-sensitive.

BuckwheatBuckwheat is native to NorthernEurope and Asia. It was widely culti-vated in China from the 10th through

the 13th centuries. It then spread to Europe andRussia in the 14th and 15th centuries, and wasintroduced to the United States by the Dutch dur-ing the 17th century. Buckwheat is widely pro-duced in Russia and Poland, where it plays animportant role in their traditional cuisines. Othercommercial cultivators are the United States,Canada and France, a country famous for itsbuckwheat crepes.

Buckwheat is a fruit seed that is related torhubarb and sorrel. Common and tartary buck-wheat are popular varieties in the United States.Its name is supposedly derived from the Dutchword “bockweit,” which means "beech wheat,"reflecting buckwheat's beechnut-like shape and itswheat-like characteristics.

Buckwheat is sold either unroasted or roasted, thelatter often called "kasha," from which a tradi-tional European dish is made. Unroasted buck-

wheat has a soft, subtle flavor, while roasted buckwheat has more of anearthy, nutty taste. Its color ranges from tannish-pink to brown.Buckwheat is often served as a rice alternative or porridge.

Buckwheat is also ground into flour, available in either light or darkforms, with the darker variety being more nutritious. Buckwheat doesnot contain gluten and is frequently mixed with some type of gluten-containing flour (such as wheat) for baking. In the United States, buck-wheat flour is often used to make buckwheat pancakes, a real delight,especially for those allergic to wheat.

Like all grains, buckwheat and millet should be rinsed thoroughly underrunning water before cooking, and any dirt or debris should beremoved. After rinsing, add one part millet or buckwheat to two partsboiling water or broth. After the liquid has returned to a boil, turn downthe heat, cover and simmer for about 25 to 30 minutes and do not stir.The texture of these grains cooked this way will be fluffy like rice. If youwant the them to have a more creamy consistency, stir frequently, addinga little water every now and then.

RoastedROOTS&SQUASHcan be a mealin itself!

G R E A T G L U T E N F R E E G R A I N S !

BENEFITSof Milletand Buckwheat

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Part 1: Farmers’ Marketing for the 5 SensesLearn how to attract more cus-tomers to your farmers’ marketbooth! Join John Garlisch and LauraBittner as they “show and tell” howto leverage the five senses for a richcustomer experience that will keepvisitors coming back for more! Ademonstration booth will be set upso you can see/hear/taste/feel/smellfor yourself!

Parts 2 + 3 will be optional, specialsessions about alternative marketopportunities for growers, as wellas the action plan to make themhappen.

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than those given above. Dishes ranging from appe-tizers through desserts can be prepared from quinoa.

In 1982 Dave Cusack was one of the first to intro-duce quinoa to North America. With the help ofColorado State University, Sierra Blanca Associates,and a few hard working individuals, quinoa is nowwidely available. Certified organic quinoa that isgrown in the high elevations of the San Luis Valleyof Colorado has a rich delicate nutty taste that cooksquickly and easily.

La Montanita offers regionally-sourced, organicquinoa from the San Luis Valley. Find both blackand white varieties in the bulk section at your near-est store!

QUINOA (Basic Recipe)Before cooking, always rinse the grain well, either byusing a strainer or by running fresh water over thequinoa in a pot. Drain the excess water.

2 cups water1 cup quinoa

Rinse quinoa thoroughly, either by using a straineror by running fresh water over the quinoa in a pot.Drain excess water. Place quinoa and water in aquart sauce pan and bring to a boil. Reduce to a sim-mer, cover and cook until all of the water isabsorbed (about 15 minutes). For light fluffy quinoado not stir. You will know that the quinoa is donewhen all the grains have turned from white to trans-parent, and the spiral-like germ has separated.Makes 3 cups.

Use quinoa in tabbouleh recipes or any jeweled grainrecipe, or make up your own jeweled quinoa recipesby adding chopped red onion, red bell pepper,cilantro, parsley, peas, corn, almonds, cashews, etc. Adash of tamari, and a dash of olive oil, lemon juiceand/or salt and pepper to taste bring out the flavors.

CO-OP news January 2013 6

BY LISA BANWARTH-KUHN, CO-OP BOARD

OF DIRECTORS

I am a member of La Montanita Co-opbecause the quality of the food I eat andsupporting local businesses are important

issues to me. Saving money is also important.When my children were younger we shopped atCostco. We called it “The Two Hundred DollarStore.” Membership in Costco made it possible totake advantage of all the great prices on THINGS!Many things we never knew existed but we saved alot of money if we bought them! There was some-thing for everyone and every room in the house, and cars and vacations,and glasses and gas and tires and food and vitamins and everything! Oneday, I just couldn’t stand it anymore. I did not need to buy six loaves ofbread and 24 rolls of toilet paper and a six-month supply of vitamin Ctablets, 42 pairs of socks and 10 pounds of gummy bears.

Not a CO-OP!A Costco membership entitles entry into the “membership warehouseclub,” dedicated to bringing members the best possible prices on qualitybrand-name merchandise. With hundreds of locations worldwide,Costco provides a wide selection of merchandise, plus the convenience ofspecialty departments and exclusive member services, all designed tomake your shopping experience a pleasurable one.” Costco’s strategyincludes warehousing, limiting variety with a few “Treasure-hunt” items,bulk packaging, and now they offer some organic produce and meats.Low prices keep customers happy. The number of Costco members in theUSA increased to 25 million from 18 million just 5 years ago. Costco is

in the business of selling memberships. Membership iscurrently $55 a year for an individual and household.Multiply that times 25 million...

A Little TreasureLa Montanita is my little treasure. The Co-op sells

memberships, too, but the member-ship does not exclude non-membersfrom shopping and it certainly doesnot open the door to a multimilliondollar-worldwide-Wall Street trading-giant warehouse of consumer goods.

Can a Co-op membership co-existwith a Costco membership? It is up tothe individual shopper if and howthey want to honor a decision to sup-port local business. One reason why Ino longer have a Costco membership:

after selling bonds and borrowing cheap moneyCostco announced on November 28, 2012, it wouldpay $3 billion dollars in special dividends to itsworldwide stock holders.

Shopping at the Co-op allows members and non-members access to products that are grown or manu-factured locally. The quality and ingredients of thefood can be determined by simply asking a Co-opemployee. If products come from “outside” we caneasily find out from exactly what farm and/or suppli-er it comes. Our shopping and/or membership dollarsprovide the capital (I will call them our “dividends”)to help start local businesses and farms, even newlocal co-ops, like Sweet Grass Cooperative. Our “div-idends” help to support our warehouse that provides

a stable, existing marketing and distribution center,supplying regional products to local consumers,restaurants, stores and our Co-op locations.

Our “dividends” support the Co-op’s VeteransFarmer Project and encourage members to volun-teer in the community and earn discounts. Youdon’t have to be a member to reap the benefits ofthe “dividends.” A Co-op membership is only $15a year for an individual or household, a little morethan a $1 a month. This opens the door to VolumeDiscount shopping, member specials and patronagerefunds, our reward for shopping locally. Co-opmembership ensures the continued community sup-port and outreach of La Montanita. That is the dif-ference. Our extra dollars benefit the economy ofour community.

Membership in both Co-op and Costco can coexist.Costco fills a niche in the shopping universe. It sup-ports international and American businesses, bor-rows lots of money from banks to pay dividendsand contributes to the economic success of itsinvestors; it makes Wall Street happy and it doesemploy local people with an above average wage.But I like a very small shopping universe with localemployees and managers, where I can buy what Ineed when I need it, keep my packaging waste to aminimum and keep my dollar nearby. I like a local-ly defined universe where I can visit with my neigh-bors and we know where our food comes from, andwe can feel the impact of our dollars cooperating insupport of local businesss and the local economy.

THE MEANING OF MEMBERSHIP

QUINOAQuinoa is an annual herb that has been cultivated forthousands of years in the west Andes Mountains of

South America. It was a staple food ofthe ancient Incas and their Empire.Quinoa was such an important foodof the ancient Incas that they consid-ered it the "Mother Grain."

Quinoa is a plant that is very hardyand drought resistant. It bears clustersof seed on top of the plant that canrange in color from white, orange, red,purple, to black, depending on the

variety. The ancestral seed color of quinoa is blackand the other colors have been obtained from muta-tions and breeding. The quinoa seed, about the sizeof millet, resembles the grain of some cereal grasses,but it is not a grass.

The seeds are coated with a saponin which has a bit-ter taste. This bitterness is removed by washing inwater or by a dry polishing process. Before con-sumption of quinoa, the seeds should be rinsed toremove any of the saponin dust that may remain onthe seeds.

The seed of quinoa is an excellent food, rich in pro-tein and high in fiber. The protein is well balancedand is particularly rich in the amino acid lysine,which is difficult to obtain from other vegetablesources. It is also high in calcium, phosphorous, vita-mins B and E.

Quinoa is a very versatile food plant that can becooked many ways and tastes excellent. The greenleaves can be used in salads or cooked like spinach.The grain can be sprouted, like alfalfa; used as a hotcereal; used in soups, casseroles and souffles; used inthe place of almost any other grain, including rice;ground into flour; and toasted. An imaginative chefcan find many more uses and ways to prepare quinoa

• INVESTOR ENROLLMENT PERIOD NOW OPEN• Investment options begin at $250• Loan repayment terms tailored to the needs of our community

of food producers• Loan applications taken on an ongoing basisTo set up a meeting to learn more or for a Prospectus, InvestorAgreement, Loan Criteria and Applications, call or e-mail Robinat: 505-217-2027, toll free at 877-775-2667 or e-mail her [email protected].

WHITE MOUNTAIN FARMQUINOA

TH E PE R F E C T GR A I N F O R HE A RT Y WI N T E R ME A L S

tthheeLLAA MMOONNTTAANNIITTAAFFFFUUUUNNNNDDDD

SHOPSHOP

From the White Mountain Farm websitewww.whitemountainfarm.com

W hite Mountain Farm is located in anancient lakebed called the San LuisValley. It lies between the San Juan and

Sangre de Cristo Mountains of the SouthernColorado Rocky Mountains, at an elevation of about7,600 feet.

The farm has been in the family since the 1930s. In the late 1970s andearly 1980s, the main crops were organically grown wheat, alfalfa andsheep. In 1984 we started experimenting with quinoa. In 1987, WhiteMountain Farm started growing certified organically grown quinoaand potatoes. Since then we have added rye and a variety of vegetablesto our rotation. In 1987, White Mountain Farm was the first large-scalequinoa operation in North America. Over the past years we have beenselecting the best tasting quinoa and potatoes to offer our customers.

or COSTCO?

GRASSROOTS INVESTING ANDMICRO-LOAN PROGRAM

GROW THE REGIONAL FFOOOODD SSSSYYYYSSSSTTTTEEEEMMMM

co-op news January 2013 7

CO-OPsRRoocckk UNM Course

First Semester UpdateBY MAGGIE SEELEY

“Co-ops Rock” – UNM Sustainability StudiesProgram (SSP) students have completed theirFall 2012 semester’s work on “An Explorationof Co-ops and Their Impact on the Local Eco-nomy.” UNM/SSP students were asked by the LaMontanita Board of Directors to study NM co-ops and to provide some market assistance tothe UNM Grab & Go and the Nob Hill stores.Case studies of 14 NM co-ops are availableat sust/unm.edu and lamontanita.coop. As a business model, co-ops re-invest theirsurpluses (“profits”) in members, staff,their organizational infrastructure and thecommunity.

The UNM/SSP students reported on thefollowing New Mexican cooperatives:• Fairfield Farms Co-op – Five youngfarmer members who use Landlink, growingcrops on other’s land, was started by UNMstudents Mona Angel and Anne Carpenter.• LaCasita Co-op Preschool provides a quali-ty learning environment to 22 families in SantaFe, fostering a positive attitude toward school toestablish a basis for future education.• The Permaculture Credit Union gives lowinterest loans to members for solar panels, hybridcars, and helps establish Santa Fe Farmers’Market vendors. There are 1,000 members.• At Greenbriar and Echo Ridge HousingCo-ops in Albuquerque, you can buy a 2-bed-room town home for $10,500 + monthly fee of$400. Quality, community based, low cost hous-ing, and there’s even a swimming pool. 315 fam-ilies are served by these housing co-ops.• Yucca Art Gallery in Old Town has 40 localartist members, and returns 85% of the art salesto individual artists. Most galleries take 50%commission.• Plateau Communications in Clovis, N.M.,provides cell phone, landline and wi-fi to 85% ofNew Mexico residents. Originally formed in

1949 under the Rural Electrification Act, the 2011budget was $30 million. There is hardly any turnoveramong the 287 staff.• The Los Alamos Co-op Market was started withthe help of La Montanita in 2011 and has 1,700 mem-bers, employing 19 staff and sending members an e-newsletter about health and well being.• New Mexico Educators Federal Credit Unionpays its members dividends for their savings (instead ofcharging them). There are 16 locations in New Mexico,

one at UNM, serving 133,000members.• CODECE helps 35 families inMora, 5 in Pecos and 27 in Truchasto preserve communal land grantsand acequias, so that centuries oldorganic farming can be preservedand practiced. Nature tours andcultural tourism are also offered. • Bountifuel Energies is abiodiesel co-op, started by UNMgrad Ragan Matteson. 23 mem-

bers collect waste veggie oil from restaurants inAlbuquerque, recycle it to low-CO2 emission, cleanburning fuel. Operating in many garages, it hopes toteach others to make biodiesel on a wider scale.• R. E. I. has 123 sporting goods stores in 31 statesincluding two in New Mexico. 10% of purchases arerefunded to members. REI offers many earth steward-ship classes and funds a NM Outreach Coordinator. • NM Electric Co-ops is a collaborative of 16 co-opswhich serves 210,000 people, employs 975 staff andprovides more than $500,000 to high school seniors fortheir college education in New Mexico.• The Family Farmer’s Seed Cooperative’s thirteenmembers cultivate hybridized, open pollinated, organicseeds and the cooperative is open to people who live inmany western and Central Plains states. This is a uniquecooperative organization which just started in 2008.

Members of the UNM SSP Co-ops Rock Consulting Teamare: Caludia Denton, Noah De St. Croix, Julia Fitzhugh,Robin Hoss, Jill Loniewski, Channell Manglona, CaseyMyers, Tyson Ryder, Kyle Stewart, Renae Smith, PeterTomlinson, Meralyn Werner and Maggie Seeley.

CO-OPS: A Solution-Based System A co-operative is an autonomous association of persons

united voluntarily to meet their common economic, social andcultural needs, and aspirations through a jointly-owned and

democratically-controlled enterprise.

JanuaryCalendarof Events

It is with sincere gratitude that we enter our37th year of service this month. Your steadfastsupport of your cooperative during ourmany ups and downs over the years is aremarkable testament to your commitmentto this wonderful organization. We lookforward to serving you during this NewYear, and with your support, for anotherthirty or forty years!

This past year presented many challenges.Albuquerque and Santa Fe experienced thetransition of Sunflower Market to SproutsFarmers Market; a very strong corporate grocerychain. The landscape of organic/natural foods hasbecome more complex. The ongoing issues ofGMOs and the Just Label It campaign gained somemomentum and lost some momentum with thedefeat of proposition 37 in California. However,these causes will continue to be addressed and thereis a movement afoot to bring a labeling bill to ourState Legislature as is being done in 23 other states.

The economic conditions are improving but arestill not great here in New Mexico. Given all these

current conditions, retaining market share hasbecome increasing difficult. Thanks to the dedica-tion of our staff, we have been able to remain com-

petitive in the marketplace andprovide our members with thegood food they deserve.

All of our national chain storecompetitors are selling organic,natural products. It has becomethe “in thing” to do. La Mon-tanita was first and still the bestsupplier of organic, natural foods.

None of our competitors go to the extent that we doto ensure that your food is safe, nutritious and pro-vides you with the best value possible. And as youalready know, none provides the diversity of localproducts we do. We are truly the local choice whenit comes to good, healthy, safe food.

I thank you on behalf of all staff at La Montanitafor your support and patronage of our stores. Pleasedon’t hesitate to let us know if we fail to exceed yourexpectations in any way. As always, I can be reachedat 217-2020 or [email protected] -TERRY

THE INSIDE SCOOP

G E N E R A L M A N A G E R’S C O L U M N

CO-OPS ROCK COURSESustainability Studies Program:

1/15 BOD Meeting, Immanuel Church, 5:30pm

1/31 Veteran Farmer Projectclasses begin! See page 1.

COMING SOON!Feb. 16, Co-op Rocks youth event at W21! (Santa Fe)

SECOND SEMESTER LEARNING COOPERATION

The Sustainability Studies Program of the University of New Mexicois pleased to announce the second semester of the Co-ops RockPracticum. Learn about the co-ops in New Mexico and how theypositively impact our local regional economy. Students can regis-ter now for: UNM Course CRN#38203, Sust. 334, Section 001

In this groundbreaking course students will:• Become familiar with co-ops in NM and worldwide (food, hous-ing, electricity, farms, credit unions, schools, art, biodiesel, seeds)• Understand business ethics: cooperation, education, sharing,community economic development• Distinguish co-ops from corporations

• Consider “profit” as a surplus which can be shared withmembers• Master the concept of “economic multiplier”• Become a consultant, advocate, volunteer at La MontanitaCo-op• Get the connection between co-ops and the “Triple BottomLine” (social justice, ecological care and economic stability) • Connect permaculture principles (people care, earth care, fairshare) with co-ops• Write a co-op case study; interview co-opers; conduct sur-veys; work on a small team; listen to guest speakers; watchvideos; plan a Localization campaign• Create PSAs for local foods, local purchasing, local products.

Register to learn about Cooperatives today: UNM CourseCRN#38203, Sust. 334, Section 001. Tuesdays and Thursdays11am-12:15pm, Maggie Seeley, Instructor. For more informa-tion contact: [email protected] or 505-268-3339. Membersof La Montanita Co-op are most welcome to register!

Congratulations to Martha, Betsy and Mashall! Also, thank you to Rob for

running. The board is finishing up work on our first year of electronic voting. This year was very much a learning experience, and we appreciate your

patience while we worked out the kinks. We are looking forward to improving the

experience for next year.

We would love to hear any input on how voting was for you. Please take a minute

to email us at [email protected]

A big THANK YOU to those members who voted! Your participation shows

your support of the alternative economic business model that our

cooperative represents. GO CO-OP!

Martha Whitman 237Betsy Vanleit 202Marshall Kovitz 189Rob Moore 174

2012 BOARD OFDIRECTORS*Election

RESULTS!

CO-OP ROCKS IS ACOLLABORATION

D R E A M , C R E A T E , C O - O P E R A T E

of The Los Alamos Cooperative Market, La Montanita Co-op, Warehouse 21, Los Alamos

Teen Center, Los Alamos High School, Los Alamos Historical Society, Cornerstones.

A day for teens and young adults to enjoy local entertainment and activities. Workshops, art, food tasting/

sampling, bands, DJs, poetry… Workshops include: Screen printing,break dancing, group mural, comedy improv… Music includes:

DJs and both rock and acoustic bands, including;Deep Space Lions, Syzygy and As in We.

A fun, FREE, artistic event for teens and young adults.At: Warehouse 21, 1614 Paseo de Peralta, Santa Fe, (across from the Farmers’ Market Railyard Pavillion)

For more information: Sandra in Los Alamos at 505-695-1579,[email protected], Robin in Albuquerque at 505-217-2027,

[email protected] or Ana Rose at [email protected].

CO-OPROCKS

SAT. FEB.1611AM-2PM

Come check usout and see what

we’re about!

BIG

Follow Us!

_____________________________________________________________Validation Signature Date

One Coupon Per Shop . Valid 1/4/13 - 1/31/13

$5.00 Off!Any Purchase Exceeding $25.00



Free!With Purchase of 32 oz Coombs Family Farms Grade

B Mayple Syrup



$4.00 Off!Equal Exchange Bulk Coffee Purchase

Exceeding $10.00



Free!

Arrowhead Mills Pancake Mix

Purchase 3lb bag of White Mountain Farm, Russet, Red, or Yellow potatoes

get one

25-26 oz. Buttermilk, Multigrain, Gluten Free, Sweet Potato, Sprouted Grains

Start the new year with

Savings!!

Local bird seed is here!Introducing the first year sunflower crops from the Pena Blanca Sunflower Project in Sandoval County.Learn more @ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lpczmctksqs



$10.00 Off!30 Dose Boiron Oscilloccinum



$5.00 OffAny Local Cheese Purchase Exceeding

$20.00



$5.00 Off!Suppliment Purchase Exceeding

$25.00



$1.00 Off!Any Frozen Dessert!

Enjoy these great money saving coupons all through January!

Every newsletter, we try to bringyou delicious recipes of thingsyou can make from all the amaz-

ing seasonal, local and organic gro-ceries you can find in our stores. Thisyear, we’d like to draw attention to localculinary talent who are Co-op members.Kicking off the year we invited local foodwriter, blogger, educator Amy White tocontribute recipes for hearty winter dish-es to get you through the cold weeks ofJanuary and February. The following isan excerpt about what inspired Amy tostart her food blog, Veggie Obsession.Read her blog and get more recipes atwww.veggieobsession.com.

Sarah Wentzel-Fisher

Veggie ObsessionI'm Amy, and I am totally obsessed withvegetables. OK, fruits, too. There are somany gorgeous varieties and flavors.People ask me if I'm a vegetarian, and Isay no—I just love vegetables! I just can'tresist them at the farmers' market, I lookforward to our local CSA box everyweek, I grow more in my garden, and Istill love to browse through the producesection at the grocery store.

winter warm up! January 2013 10

With a veggie obsession like this, I had todo something ... so I started this blog asan outlet for my constant daydreamingabout how to cook and grow veggies. Ijust want to show people how spectacu-larly delicious vegetables can be, withoutcheating by hiding them under loads ofbreadcrumbs and butter. I think the valueof a blog is that the writer genuinely lovesthe recipe, talks about its history andpoints out trouble spots—I only writeabout recipes that I think are really, trulydelicious!

I don't know quite when this veggie obses-sion developed, but it started young. Mygrandmother had a huge vegetable gardenon the farm in Illinois—they almost neverbought produce, and the basement wasstocked full of home-canned goodies. Hersugar snap peas and strawberries werealways ready right around my birthday,and I loved just sitting out in the warmdirt eating them, with butterflies floatingall around. My mom is a great cook, andshe always used lots of vegetables becausethey were cheaper than meat. The greatthing about seasonal produce is that it'scheapest when it's at its peak of freshnessand flavor!

I live in Albuquerque, New Mexico, withmy husband, Dave, in an old adobe housewith two cats and three chickens. Ourever-expanding vegetable garden now fillsthe front yard as well as the back!

Hearty Winter Soups

A really good, flavorful soup makes a fan-tastic winter meal. I have to admit, I'm notgenerally a soup lover, because it's so oftenbland and boring, with tinny-tasting broth.Building a flavorful broth is critical, andvegetarian soups can be just as hearty asmeat-based ones. These four recipes reallydeliver great flavor using a spectaculararray of local winter produce.

Chicken and Mushroom Stewwith White Wine and Turnips

Any mushrooms will work in this recipe,but it's especially nice with local oystermushrooms. Turnips take the place of celeryin the mix.

2 teaspoons butter1 large carrot, diced1/2 large onion or several shallots, diced1/2 pound turnips, diced 1 pound mushrooms, sliced1 cup dry white wine1 1/2 cups chicken stock1/2 pound sliced chicken (either cooked

or uncooked)1/2 cup heavy cream or half-and-halfSalt and pepper as needed

Melt butter in a large pot or wide skillet;add onion, celery and turnips. Cook untilsoft and slightly browned, then remove veg-etables from the pot with a slotted spoon.Add mushrooms and cook until nicelybrowned. Add wine and the vegetable mix-ture, and simmer until the liquid is reducedby half. Add stock and chicken. Simmeruntil the flavors blend, about 20 minutes.Add cream and heat until just warmedagain. Season with salt and pepper as need-ed. Serves 2 to 4.

Lentil and Winter Squash Soup (adapted from The New Spanish Tableby Anya Von Bremzen)

Lentil soup is awfully misunderstood. It'sso often gloppy and bland, and peoplewill add everything under the sun to tryto make it better. This version is simpleyet packed with flavor.

1 large head of garlic3 teaspoons olive oil 1 1/2 cup green or brown lentils,

washed and picked over1 pound winter squash or sweet potato,

cubed8 cups water 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme or marjoram1 bay leaf1 teaspoon red chile powder (optional)1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes2 onions (one cut in half, one diced)2 roasted red peppers (diced, from a

bottle is fine)1 teaspoon smoked paprikaA pinch of saffron (optional)2 teaspoons sherry vinegarSalt and pepper as needed

Preheat the oven to 400°F. Cut the top offthe head of garlic, and drizzle with 1tablespoon oil in a small baking dish.Roast until soft, about 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, bring lentils and water to aboil in a large pot. Skim off any foam andadd the marjoram, bay leaf, red chile,half the tomatoes and two onion halves.Simmer about 20 minutes, until lentilsare not quite tender. Add squash andsimmer another 20 minutes, until it isalmost tender. Remove the bay leaf andonion halves.

Heat remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil ina skillet on medium heat, and cook dicedonions and peppers until soft but notbrowned. Add tomatoes and cook untilmost of the liquid has evaporated. Addthis mixture to the lentils. Mash the

CO-OPCULINARYexpertise

SHOPCO-OP!CO-OP!

roasted garlic with the saffron and add to thepot. Add vinegar, salt and pepper as desired.Serves 4 to 6 as a main course.

Lemony Parsnip Soup with Rosemaryand Crispy Leeks

Parsnips seem to have something of a bad repu-tation and I can't imagine why. They are sweetand delicious, like a white carrot. Sometimes gar-nishes are the key to a really great soup experi-ence. The soup is tasty on its own, but with thegarnish it's truly delightful—don't skip the leeks.

2 teaspoons olive oil1/2 cup diced onion3 cups diced parsnips1 sprig rosemary1/4 teaspoon black pepper4 cups chicken or vegetable stockSalt1 leek, thinly sliced white and green parts onlyJuice and zest of 1/2 lemon

Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium flame.Add onion and cook until just softened. Addparsnips, rosemary, pepper and stock. Bring to aboil, then simmer about 15 minutes, untilparsnips are tender. Meanwhile, heat remainingoil on medium flame. Add sliced leeks, seasonwith salt and fry, stirring often, until bits begin tobrown. Remove from heat and reserve. Removethe rosemary and puree the soup. Add the lemonzest, then add lemon juice and salt to taste.Garnish with leeks. Serves 2 to 4.

Cabbage Pie Soup (adapted from The Winter Vegetarian by DarraGoldstein)

This is my favorite cabbage recipe of all time! Iknow, it sounds weird. If you try it, I guaranteeyou will be amazed by its deliciousness. Cabbagedevelops a wonderful nutty flavor when sautéed;even more amazing is the flavor it takes on whenyou add a balance of salt, sugar and vinegar. Youmight be thinking, the cabbage pie looks prettygood on its own—why make it into soup? Trustme, it really is even better with the broth.

2 cups flour (half whole wheat is good)8 tablespoons butter1 cup sour cream1 beaten egg 1 head of cabbage4 tablespoons butter3 tablespoons sugar2 teaspoons salt2 tablespoons vinegar6 cups chicken or vegetable broth

Cut together the flour and butter, with a fork or afood processor, until its texture resembles cornmeal.Then stir in the sour cream until the dough holdstogether. Divide the dough into two balls, wrapthem in plastic and refrigerate for about an hour.

Preheat the oven to 425°F. Slice up the cabbageinto thin ribbons (a food processor is great forthis). I like to slice it; if you grate it, it ends up hav-ing a very different texture. Heat the butter onmedium high in a large skillet. Toss in the cabbage,and cover with a lid for 5 to 10 minutes to help itwilt down faster. Add the rest of the ingredients—the salt will cause the cabbage to release somewater. Cook on high heat, stirring frequently, untilall liquid is absorbed or evaporated, and the cab-bage is translucent. How long this takes dependson how finely you cut or grate the cabbage, about20 to 40 minutes. I like to cook it down a lot, untilit is slightly browned.

Roll out each ball of dough to fit a 9x13-inch pan.Spread the cabbage over the bottom crust. Coverwith the top crust, and roll up the edges of bothcrusts together. Brush the top with the beaten egg.Bake 20 to 30 minutes, until the top is goldenbrown.

To serve, put a square of pie in a wide bowl andpour the heated broth over it. Serves 6 to 8 as a maincourse.

winter warm up! January 2013 11

fromour regional

Foodshed

BestLOCALPRODUCE!

BUY BULK AND SAVE BIG SHOP CO-OP

theLa MontanitaFUND

Investor enrollment period

extended!

Get your application in today! For Information call877-775-2667

Mary Alice Cooper,MD

CELEBRATENew Mexico LOCAL FOOD

DAY at the 2013 Legislature on Monday,

January 21 from 8am-12pm.Join Farm to Table and many

others in support of LOCALFOODS AND PRODUCTS

www.farmtotablenm.org

SUPPORTLOCAL FOOD!

January 218am-12pm

BY SARAH WENTZEL-FISHER

January is the month to dream and scheme yoursummer garden fantasies. While away the short colddays thinking on the fruits of summer—then start mak-

ing a plan for what you will plant, when and where. A greatsummer garden really starts at the beginning of the year. Youcan add compost to your garden beds, build new beds,prune fruit trees, make a planting schedule and perhapsmost satisfying, browse seed catalogs to get inspired forspring! But for all its pleasure and innocence, choosing seedsis a deeply rooted political and economic choice.

While you can simply pop down to your local big box hard-ware store for seeds, consider taking the extra time to shoparound this year for unique, locally or regionally acclimat-ed, and unusual heirloom seeds. We are fortunate to have anumber of great seed sources in New Mexico and theSouthwest. A number of local organizations also host earlyspring seed swaps where gardeners and farmers trade seeds saved from theprevious year’s harvest.

Most seed catalogs and nurseries offer several different types of seeds. Themost common are heirloom, open pollinated, organic and F1 hybrids. Openpollinated seeds are selected from the fruits of plants that have been polli-nated by the breeze or critters in the garden, and will produce a similar fruitthe next season, but may also have variety, helping to ensure genetic biodi-versity. Heirlooms are openly pollinated seeds that have a long track recordof producing consistent volume, shape, flavor and size of fruit. Organic seeds,often heirloom varieties, are grown under conditions certified to be organicby a USDA recognized inspector.

F1 hybrid seeds are produced annually by intentional cross-pollination oftwo different plant varieties. Hybrid plants tend to have larger fruit andhigher yields than openly pollinated plant varieties. These seeds can beplanted and grown one year, but seed saved from those plants may or maynot produce the same results the next year, meaning you would need to pur-chase the same seeds the next year to get the same type of fruit. Further,most F1 hybrid seeds are patented, making seed saving from these plants,technically, an illegal activity.

farming & gardening January 2013 12

The creation and patenting of hybrid seeds, and nowGMO seeds, have impacts on every level, from the bio-diversity of the garden, to the preservation of culturalpractices related to traditional foods, to economic con-sequences as a result of legal power garnered throughpatenting seeds. To learn more about these issues, you

can find great articles byMichael Pollan on his blog,

www.michaelpollan.com, on the Seed Savers Exchangewebsite, www.seedsavers.org, and on the NativeHarvest website, www.nativeharvest.org, by searching“seed sovereignty.”

While scheming your spring planting consider weighingyour seed choices carefully. Below is a list of seedsources that offer openly pollinated, heirloom andorganic seeds. Several offer varieties particularly wellacclimated to the Southwest, as well as traditional andindigenous seed varieties. Finally, many of these seedsources have committed to non-GMO seeds by takingthe Safe Seed Pledge:

“Agriculture and seeds provide the basis uponwhich our lives depend. We must protectthis foundation as a safe and genetically sta-

ble source for future generations. For the benefit of allfarmers, gardeners and consumers who want an alter-native, we pledge that we do not knowingly buy or sellgenetically engineered seeds or plants. The mechanicaltransfer of genetic material outside of natural reproduc-

tive methods and between genera, families or king-doms poses great biological risks, as well as econom-ic, political and cultural threats. We feel that geneti-cally engineered varieties have been insufficiently test-ed prior to public release. More research and testing isnecessary to further assess the potential risks of genet-ically engineered seeds. Further, we wish to supportagricultural progress that leads to healthier soils,genetically diverse agricultural ecosystems and ulti-mately healthy people and communities."

While planning your summer garden, consider buyingfrom companies that have taken the Safe Seed Pledge(for a complete list of seed companies that have takenthe pledge visit www.councilforresponsiblegenetics.org)and ask questions at your local nursery about the dif-ferent seeds they offer. Know that what you are plant-

ing is supporting a diverse ecosystem, a vibrant commu-nity, and a thriving and sustainable economy.

Finally, and perhaps most importantly, have funimagining all the delicious fruits of your early gar-den planning.

SEED CATALOGUE SEASON

While planning your summer garden, consider

buying from companies that have taken the

SAFE SEED PLEDGE!

ORGANIC:A P R O C E S S-B A S E DM E T H O D O FF O O D P R O D U C T I O N

summer gardenfantasies

BY BRETT BAKKER

Organic Certification is process-based. That is, certi-fiers and inspectors verify that the organic farm is fol-lowing the USDA/National Organic Program (NOP)

rules; keeping thorough records of all major events (planting,fertilization, pest control, harvest, sales, etc.); and workingtoward improving the soil while protecting the environment.Most folks are surprised to hear it but therehas never been any systematic testing oforganic crops for pesticide residue. OrganicCertifiers may test if there is reason tobelieve there is some sort of contaminationeither unintentionally (spray drift fromneighboring farms) or intentionally (fraud),but it has never been a requirement.

That is changing in 2013. By order of theNOP, all USDA-Accredited organic certi-fiers must take samples from at least 5% of their certifiedorganic clients annually. This means everything: potatoes,mangoes, beef, milk, cotton, lip balm, pet treats, you name it.

The goal of the NOP is to monitor how much or how littletraces of pesticides make it through the organic food chain.Since, by rule, farms must be free from synthetics for a mini-mum of three years before organic certification, accumulatedresidue could remain in the soil from as little as four years ago(before the farm went organic) or as far back as fifty (DDT forexample). No, organic certification has never been a guaran-tee of purity although that’s what the general public believes.That would be awfully nice but no farm is immune to con-tamination from multiple sources that are far out of their con-trol: acid rain, groundwater pollution, upriver spills, a care-less neighbor that over-sprayed onto your farm on the day youwent to town looking for tractor parts but never told you...

A little known clause from the organic rule: “When residue test-ing detects prohibited substances at levels that are greater thanfive percent of the Environmental Protection Agency's tolerancefor the specific residue detected or unavoidable residual envi-ronmental contamination, the agricultural product must not besold, labeled, or represented as organically produced.” Thismeans that any traces under five percent are not an automaticsuspension of organic certification. This protects the honestorganic farmer from—in New Mexico for example—problemsassociated with irrigating from the Rio Grande which is far

from pure. Or the vegetable farmer in California’sCentral Valley who is surrounded by agribiz farmsthat may be polluting the soil or water or air.

But any contamination found is instead used as atool to analyze the situation, find the cause and cor-rect the problem. Uneven contamination at the edgesof the farm suggests some sort of drift or off-farmsource of contamination and therefore the farm and

certifier can work on ways to reduce thatrisk if not eliminate it altogether. Or iftests reveal high traces of pesticides asso-ciated with non-organic corn or cotton itmight suggest that fraud is taking place.

The NOP’s initial proposal was to onlytest the final products: harvested pro-duce, crops and packaged products.Organic Certifiers argued that tissuesampling of live plants as well as soil and

water analysis are tools that are just as important inassessing risk, identifying unintentional contamina-tion or detecting fraud.

This testing will be both random and targeted. It’sonly fair to test everyone at some point but it’s alwaysjustifiable to test operations that appear questionableor are under suspicion. Too, there are many farms,ranches and food processors that produce both organ-ic and non-organic versions of the same product andthe critical control points are many: shared equip-ment, storage sheds, transport, etc.

As always, Washington State Department of Agri-culture has been leading the way. By far one of thebest organic programs in the country, WSDA hasbeen performing residue tests of organic crops formany years. You can thank a progressive state gov-ernment for that. In almost twenty years of testing,WSDA has, of course, found contamination, but asthe years go by, it is diminishing, which is, of course,the desired result. Given time to get the new manda-tory testing program going, expect the same for therest of the country.

ITCHY GREEN THUMB: N E WN E W P E S T I C I D EP E S T I C I D E R E S I D U ER E S I D U E

TESTINGcatalogsPlants of the Southwestwww.plantsofthesouthwest.com6680 4th St NW, Albuquerque NM87107/ 3095 Agua Fria Rd, Santa FeNM 87507, 800-788-7333

Native Seed/SEARCHwww.nativeseeds.org3061 N. Campbell Ave, Tucson, AZ85719, 866-622-5561

Family Farm Seed Cooperativewww.organicseedcoop.com1710 West Alameda #9, Santa Fe,NM 87501, 541-233-4249

Westwind Seeds and Gardenscapes LLCwww.westwindseeds.com6336 N. Oracle #326-246, Tucson,AZ 85704, 520-887-2106

Golden Harvest Organics LLCwww.ghorganics.com404 N. Impala DriveFort Collins, CO 970-224-4679

Wild Garden Seedwww.wildgardenseed.comPO Box 1509, Philomath, OR 97370541-929-4068

Baker Creek Heirloom Seed Co.www.rareseeds.com2278 Baker Creek Road, Mansfield,MO 65704, 417-924-8917

Fedco Seedswww.fedcoseeds.comPO Box 520, Waterville, ME 04903207-873-7333

High Mowing Organic Seedswww.highmowingseeds.com76 Quarry Rd, Wolcott, VT 05680802-472-6174

Johnny’s Selected Seedswww.johnnyseeds.com955 Benton Ave, Winslow, ME 04901877-564-6697

Seed Savers Exchangewww.seedsavers.org3094 N. Winn Rd, Decorah, IA52101, 563-382-5990

Seeds of Changewww.seedsofchange.orgPO Box 152, Spicer, MN 56288888-762-7333

Territorial Seed Co.www.territorialseed.comPO Box 158, Cottage Grove, OR97424, 800-626-0866

Bountiful Gardenswww.bountifulgardens.org1726-D South Main St, Willits CA95490, 707-459-6410

One Green Worldwww.onegreenworld.com28696 S. Cramer Rd, Molalla, OR97038, 877-353-4028

Horizon Herbswww.horizonherbs.comPO Box 69, Williams, OR 97544 541-846-6704

Botanical Interests, Inc.www.botanicalinterests.com660 Compton St, Broomfield, CO80020, 877-821-4340

Look for Botanical Interests Seed atyour favorite Co-op location.

GROW theREGIONALFOOD SYSTEM

• Investor enrollment period now open through March 30, 2013• Investment options begin at $250• Loan repayment terms tailored to the needs of our community

of food producers• Loan applications taken on an ongoing basis

To set up a meeting to learn more or for a Prospectus, InvestorAgreement, Loan Criteria and Applications, call or e-mail Robin at: 505-217-2027, toll free at 877-775-2667 or e-mail her at [email protected] or go to www.lamontanita.coop.

finding good seed!

Winter FoodshedAbundance:Look for apples, veggies, goat cheese and other local foods AT ALL CO-OP LOCATIONS!

LA MONTANITAFUND

GRASSROOTS INVESTING AND MICRO-LOAN PROGRAM

farming & gardening January 2013 13

BY RONNIE CUMMINS AND ALEXIS BADEN-MAYER, ORGANIC CONSUMERS ASSOCIATION

Last summer the so-called “Monsanto rider” was quietly slippedinto the multi-billion dollar FY 2013 Agricultural Appropriationsbill. It would require – not just allow, but REQUIRE—the Secretary

of Agriculture to grant a temporary permit for the planting or cultivation ofa genetically engineered crop, even if a federal court has ordered the plant-ing be halted until an Environmental Impact Statement is completed.

Unless the Senate or a citizens’ army of farmers and consumers can stopthem, the House of Representatives could have rammed this dangerousrider through before you read this, but the “fiscal cliff” which has obsessedWashington may have bought us some time. In a statement issued this fall,the Center For Food Safety had this to say about the biotech industry’s lat-est attempt to circumvent legal and regulatory safeguards:

“Ceding broad and unprecedented powers to industry, the rider poses adirect threat to the authority of US courts, jettisons the US Department ofAgriculture’s (USDA) established oversight powers on key agriculture issuesand puts the nation’s farmers and food supply at risk.”

Rep. Peter DeFazio (D-Ore.) has sponsored an amendment to kill the rider,whose official name is the “farmers’ assurance provision”. But even ifDeFazio’s amendment makes it through the House vote, it still has to sur-vive the Senate.

Biotech’s “Legislator of the Year”We can thank agricultural sub-committee chair Jack Kingston (R-Ga.) –who not coincidentally was voted "Legislator of the Year for 2011-2012"by the Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO), whose members includeMonsanto and DuPont, for inserting this one-line zinger into the 90-pageAgricultural Appropriations bill.

Aiding and abetting Kingston is John C. Greenwood, former USCongressman from Pennsylvania and now president of the BIO, who claimed,as reported in Mother Jones, that “a stream of lawsuits” have slowedapprovals and “created uncertainties” for companies developing GE crops.

Greenwood was referring to several past lawsuits, including one brought in2007 by the Center for Food Safety challenging the legality of the USDA’sapproval of Monsanto’s Roundup Ready alfalfa. In that case, a federalcourt ruled that the USDA’s approval of GMO alfalfa violated environmen-tal laws by failing to analyze risks such as the contamination of conven-tional and organic alfalfa, the evolution of glyphosate-resistant weeds, andincreased use of Roundup. The USDA was forced to undertake a four-year

study of GMO alfalfa’s impacts under the NationalEnvironmental Policy Act (NEPA). During the four-yearstudy, farmers were banned from planting or selling thecrop. The USDA study slowed down the release ofGMO alfalfa, but ultimately couldn’t stop it. As MotherJones reports, in 2011, the USDA deregulated the crop.

In another case in 2011 the USDA outright defied a fed-eral judge’s order to halt the planting of Monsanto’scontroversial Roundup Ready GMO sugar beets untilthe agency completed an Environmental ImpactStatement. The USDA allowed farmers to continueplanting the crop even while it was being assessed forsafety on the grounds that there were no longer enoughnon-GMO seeds available to plant.

Who loses if Monsanto wins this one? Among the biggest losers if Congress ignores theDeFazio amendment and passes the “farmers’ assuranceprovision” are thousands of farmers of conventionaland organic crops, including those who rely on theexport market for their livelihoods. An increasing num-ber of global markets are requiring GMO-free agricul-tural products or, at the very least, enforcing strictGMO labeling laws. If this provision passes, it willallow unrestricted planting of potentially dangerouscrops, exposing other safe and non-GMO crops to riskof contamination. Ultimately, the entire US agriculturemarket and US economy suffers.

There’s a reason we have laws like the National En-vironmental Policy Act (NEPA) and the Plant ProtectionAct of 2000, which was specifically designed “tostrengthen the safety net for agricultural producers byproviding greater access to more affordable risk man-agement tools and improved protection from produc-

tion income loss.” The farmers assurance provision” is athinly disguised attempt by the biotech industry to under-mine these protections. Worse yet, it’s an affront to every-one who believes the US judicial system exists to protectUS citizens and public health.

REASONS FOR OUTRAGE!• The Monsanto Rider is an unconstitutional violation ofthe separation of powers. Judicial review is an essential

element of US law, maintaining the clear-cutboundary of a Constitutionally-guaranteedseparation of powers essential to our gov-ernment. This provision will blur that line.

• Judicial review is a gateway, not a road-block. Congress should be fully supportiveof our nation’s independent judiciary. Theability of courts to review, evaluate andjudge an issue that impacts public and envi-ronmental health is a strength, not a weak-ness, of our system. The loss of this funda-mental safeguard could put public health,the environment and livelihoods at risk.

• It removes the “legal brakes” that preventfraud and abuse. In recent years, federal courts have ruledthat several USDA GE crop approvals violated the lawand required further study of their health and environ-mental impact. The Monsanto rider would prevent a fed-eral court from putting in place court-ordered restrictions,even if the approval were fraudulent or involved bribery.

• It’s unnecessary and duplicative. Every court dealing withthese issues is supposed to carefully weigh the interests of allaffected farmers and consumers, as is already required bylaw. USDA already has working mechanisms in place toallow partial approvals, and the Department has used them,making this provision completely unnecessary.

• It shuts out the USDA. The rider would not merelyallow, it would COMPEL the Secretary of Agriculture toimmediately grant any requests for permits to allow con-tinued planting and commercialization of an unlawfullyapproved GE crop. The rider makes a mockery of USDA’slegally mandated review, transforming it into a “rubberstamp” approval process.

• It’s a back-door amendment of a statute. This rider, qui-etly tacked onto an appropriations bill, is in effect a sub-stantial amendment to USDA’s governing statute for GEcrops, the Plant Protection Act. If Congress feels the lawneeds to be changed, it should be done in a transparentmanner by holding hearings, soliciting expert testimonyand including full opportunity for public debate.

If we allow this “Monsanto Rider” to be slipped into theFY 2013 Agricultural Appropriations bill, consumers andfarmers will lose what little control we have now overwhat we plant and what we eat.

JOIN the hundreds of thousands of concerned citizens who have already written to Congress in sup-port of the DEFAZIO AMENDMENT, please go to www.organicconsumers.org.

that can separate cesium from the biomass. It is thencontained in “radiation-tight containers made fromTALBOR.” The leftover bio-mass can be made intobio-fuel, to help with clean-up costs. It is estimatedthat two or three crops in a year’s growing cycle couldclean up the contaminated site in 15 years. Close youreyes. Picture 120 million flowers following the sunacross the sky. It would be an awesome sight.

Beautiful FoodSunflowers provide food as well asbeauty. Native Americans domesti-cated them and they became animportant agriculture crop. Russiaand China are among the top pro-ducers of sunflower seeds and oil.

The health benefits of sunflowerseeds are many. Their high vitamin Econtent protects the heart. Vitamin Eis also an antioxidant that protects

the body from free radicals that can disrupt DNA andcause cancer. They also have anti-inflammatory prop-erties. Chronic excessive inflammation causes such dis-eases as coronary thrombosis (heart attacks), strokes,diabetes and rheumatoid arthritis. This vitamin alsohelps protect the body from cancer by promoting therepair of DNA.

Both omega 3 and omega 6 fatty acids are present inabundance and in proper proportion in the seeds;linoleic, a polyunsaturated acid and the monounsatu-rated oleic acid, lowers LDL cholesterol. Others,including chloragenic acid, quinic acid and caffeic acidare antioxidants. The seeds contain B-complex vitaminsand folic acid which contributes to DNA synthesis.They are abundant in: calcium, iron, manganese, zinc,magnesium and selenium.

BY JESSIE EMERSON, RN

I began the “Plants Are Our Allies” series in Jan.2012, by discussing the nuclear meltdown inFukushima, Japan, and how plants can protect us from

the dangers of radiation. I agree with many scientists and Dr.Helen Caldicott, there are NO safe doses of radiation.

The BBC News reported that, “Traces ofradioactive material from the Japanesenuclear plant are now being detected fromcoast to coast in the USA and in Iceland.”Reuters newspapers have reported that there seems to be “continous leaking.” KenBuesseler, senior scientist at Woods HoleOceanographic Institute wrote in Science(Oct. 26, 2012, Vol. 338, pgs. 480-482) that“Cesium levels in fish have not declined sincethe accident 18 months ago. This indicatesthat there are continuing low level leaks andthat possibly the ocean sediment is contaminated.” Thesoil around the area is contaminated, and if the winds hadbeen blowing toward Tokyo instead of out to sea, the storymight have been different.

Phyto-remediationHowever, there is a plant ally that is helping decontaminatethe soil; Helianthus annus; sunflower. People all over Japanare contributing to sunflower activities with the goal toplant 120 million sunflowers to phyto-remediate the soil. Atfirst the government did not support the idea; however,American researchers helped change their minds. ProfessorLeon Kachian’s research team pointed out that sunflowerswere not “efficient” in collecting cesium as the form of theelement makes it unavailable for plant uptake. But the teamalso discovered that treating the soil with ammonium nitrateincreases the availability of cesium for root uptake andaccumulation in plant shoots. (See the USDA, AgricultureResearch Service paper: “Phytoremediation using plants toclean up soils.)

Now you might wonder, what happens to the now highlycontaminated sunflowers? A process has been developed

I have always wondered how such small seeds can contain so much nutri-tional power! Sunflower seed, both raw and roasted, and sunflower oil arestaples in my kitchen. The seeds make a healthy and filling low fat snack.Just 1/4 cup or one handful of the seeds gives 90% of the daily requirementsof vitamin E, provides 6 grams protein and 3 grams of fiber. Add them tosalads and your baked goodies for extra protein.

I add sunflower seeds to just about everything from breads to pancakes. Oneof my favorites is a sunflower burger topped with a tomato, sunflowersprouts and avocado. The above is a basic recipe. Once you try this you maywant to experiment using tofu, hummus or sunbutter. The variations aremany. HAVE FUN!

GIVING BIOTECH COMPANIES IMMUNITY FROM THE JUDICIAL PROCESS

THE MONSANTO RIDER

Plants are OUR Allies: Sunflowers&Radiation

Sunflower SeedBURGERS

21/2 cups raw seeds2 cups grated carrots1/2 cup finely chopped onionsgarlic cloves, crushed2 tbls. water1/2 cup tomato juicePreheat oven to 425°F

Grate the seeds in blender. Addto carrots, add onions, garlic andwater. Mix well. Add tomatojuice for a thinner consistency.Bake 20 minutes per side or placeon cookie sheet in your solaroven or dust each patty in flourof your choice and sauté in sun-flower oil.

Healing the soil,Keeping usHEALTHY!

W hile the “Big 6” pesticide corpora-tions were pouring millions intodefeating California’s Prop 37 initia-

tive to label genetically engineered (GE) food, theirsuite of “next generation” GE seeds continued tomove quietly toward USDA approval.

Herbicide-resistant seeds in the pipeline — includ-ing Dow's 2,4-D corn and Monsanto's dicamba soy— will drive up the use of these hazardous chemi-cals, destroying neighbor crops and creating unnec-essary health risks for farmers and rural communi-ties. Dow’s application for 2,4-D-resistant corn isfirst in the queue, and 2,4-D soy and Monsanto’sdicamba-resistant soy are not far behind. Scientists warn that 2,4-D cornalone could increase the herbicide's use by 30-fold.

2,4-D Food: An Oxymoron?2,4-D is best known as one of the ingredients in the infamous AgentOrange; used as a defoliant in Vietnam. This herbicide is toxic to broadleafed plants; when absorbed is translocated in the plant, accumulating atthe growing points of roots and shoots where it inhibits growth. Likeparaquat, lindane, endosulfan and toxaphene, 2,4-D is a WHO Class II“moderately hazardous” pesticide. Occupational exposure to 2,4-D hasproduced serious eye and skin irritation. Other symptoms of 2,4-D poison-ing include nausea, weakness and fatigue, and in some cases neurotoxiceffects including inflammation of nerve endings; with medical reports ofvictims of acute exposure mentioning severe and sometimes long lasting oreven permanent symptoms. These include, as well as those listed above,diarrhea, temporary loss of vision, respiratory tract irritation, confusion,numbness and tingling, bleeding and chemical hypersensitivity. Thesesymptoms have been documented among many Vietnam-era veterans whoexperienced acute exposures.

our environment January 2013 14

The International Agency for Research on Cancer(IARC) has classified 2,4-D among the phenoxy acidherbicides as a class 2B possible human carcinogen. USauthorities have also been reluctant to declare 2,4-D apotential human carcinogen, but a court case decidedthat a forestry worker contracted cancer and died as a

direct result of his exposure to 2,4-Dduring the course of his work. Therecontinue to be concerns about long-term adverse effects of 2,4-D onhuman health and water pollution.

As with 2,4-D, the introduction ofdicamba soy could cause a similarlydramatic surge in use; both herbicidesare known to drift, easily destroyingother farmers’ crops of tomatoes,grapes, beans, cotton, soy—just aboutany broadleaf plant.

STOP THE GE PIPELINE: REJECT DOW’S 2222,,,,4444----DDDD CORNJust as Monsanto's Roundup Ready seed line led to theemergence of herbicide-resistant "superweeds" across thecountry, so, too, will this next generation of GE seeds.But instead of abandoning the strategy of stacking seedswith herbicide-resistant traits, Dow, Monsanto and therest of the Big 6 are introducing more of the same.

Say no to this pipeline of bad ideas: Call on the USDA tostop the pipeline of next generation GE seeds, and take astand for farming communities across the country. Thefirst step? Rejecting Dow's 2,4-D corn.

GO TO Pesticide Action Network North America(PANNA) website and sign the petitions to Stop theGE PIPELINE : www.panna.org. Or contact them at1611 Telegraph Ave. Suite 1200, Oakland, CA 94612,to see how you can help.

NEW GE Seeds = MOREPESTICIDEUSE

fromour A one to seven day silent retreat, will be held from Jan. 19 toJanuary 26 in a lodge in the National Forest in Tijeras. Participantscan attend for the number of days of their choice and fees will bescaled accordingly. Advance registration is required. The retreatbrings together people interested in meditation from any tradition,as well as people meditating without any traditional context. Forfees and registration contact Jay Cutts at 505-281-0684 or visit: www. cuttsreviews.com/meditation/

MEDITATION retreat

Santa Fe’s CarbonEEccoonnoommyyseriesSUSTAINABLE TOURISM is more than ECOTOURISMSustainable tourism and sustainable development is a theme inSanta Fe that is extremely pertinent. Mayor Koss and Dr. Ortego,former President of SFCC, discussed the need for our city tolook at the principles of sustainable tourism last year. Crucial tothis understanding is the importance of following the triple bot-tom line: people, planet and profit. Guiding an industry based onhow it impacts people, the environment and the revenue streamcreates a better world that is more sustainable. When peoplevisit New Mexico they have a chance to learn, experience andparticipate in this unique and rich milieu.

We depend on tourism as an industry and the way we addressthis powerful economic force can make all the difference. SantaFe is a showcase for many things, including art, culture and pro-gressive ideas, some of which are sustainable living and local,organic food production. The Santa Fe Farmers’ Market is a per-fect example of collaboration between farmers, businesses, theCity and non-profits, teaming up to produce a weekly cornu-copia of fresh food and Santa Fe’s primo social hot spot.

Tourism fluctuates between high season and low season mak-ing it hard to keep employees and income during the low sea-

son. So what can we do during the low season that couldhave aggregate value in the long run? In addition, howcan we improve finances by reducing waste, increasingefficiency, reducing the amount of inputs and increasingyield? Ecotourism touches on the idea that we mustreduce the negative impact of the visitor on the place vis-ited. This perspective is attractive to youth all over theworld and a place of unity amongst world citizens. It isonly the beginning and we must go beyond ecotourismto sustainable tourism.

It is for this reason that when an industry like tourismcommits to ZERO waste the impact is enormous. Creatinga dynamic synthesis of traditions and the possibility forinnovation and creativity is one of the benefits.

Tourism in itself offers a series of challenges and opportu-nities to reduce the carbon footprint. These opportunitiescan be explored in Santa Fe with the Carbon EconomySeries on January 11-14, 2013, at Santa Fe CommunityCollege. Maria Boccalandro, PhD, and Daniel Mirabal fromArete Consulting Group will address the challenges in theintensive Sustainable Tourism and Sustainable De-velopment workshop. Mayor David Koss will introduce theweekend workshop on Friday evening. Look at our webpage for more information and to register, www.carboneconomyseries.com or call 505-819-3828.

BY IGINIA BOCCALANDRO

AAnndd ppuubblliiccHHEEAALLTTHHEEFFFFEECCTTSS aarree......??

community forum January 2013 15

Bridging Artistic and SocialBOUNDARIESBY KIRSTEN MUNDT

Three years ago, a few friends were drinkingwine together on a rare night when we weren’ton duty with our small children. We talked aboutart, creativity and the joys and demands of parenting.We were so excited to have found other mothers whowere also artists, feeling the same frustrations aroundbeing both creative people and mothers. How wouldwe ever make time to make things, or think deeply?We wouldn’t trade being mothers for anything, butneither was it an option to not feed our creative andrelational selves. We wondered how we could feed allparts of ourselves, including the desire for an antidoteto the alienation we felt as women living our own sep-arate, busy lives.

From these gatherings, Edie Tsong formed the Cut +Paste Society, a group of women artists, writers andmothers, who meet once a month to connect and gen-erate ideas across artistic and social boundaries. In2012 our first collaborative project was born: Snow

Poems. At the New MexicoSchool for the Arts, Monika Cassel helped her stu-dents generate poems, which were stenciled withspray snow on windows throughout the building.Faculty and staff also participated.

Cities as Living BooksAt the heart of this project is the idea that we as citi-zens are constantly interacting with the landscape ofour cities, and have the power to shape and define

SANTA FE’S CUT + PASTE SOCIETYthat landscape. We are so bombarded by images and text that we oftennavigate our cities without really seeing or genuinely interacting withwhat and who is there. Public poetry offers a point of stillness, andprovides a venue for exploring and discussing how we want to inhab-

it our own cities.

In fall of 2012 Cut + Paste was awarded $7,000 by popularvote from SITE Santa Fe’s Spread Grant dinner to transformthe city of Santa Fe into a “living book.” Starting in lateDecember, Santa FFeans saw poems where they least expect-ed them: in restaurants, grocery stores and governmentbuildings. The poems, generated in free community work-shops, school workshops and open submissions, will be upuntil March.

Connecting our community through the beauty of the unex-pected encourages us to slow down and bond with publicspaces in more intimate ways during mundane moments ofour lives. We hope these poems will spark moments of aes-thetic and emotional beauty, as well as conversation. We hope

that our project will spark citizens to take greater ownership of our citythrough the experience of creating and experiencing art together.

Please visit snowpoemsproject.com to learn more about the proj-ect. Cut + Paste Society is partnering with the Santa Fe Instituteand is working with Story of Place Institute. Kirsten Mundt is aCut + Paste member and English teacher.

ART AND SOCIAL TRANSFORMATION INTENSIVE

Littleglobe and the Santa Fe Art Institute presenta two-day hands-on intensive, exploring bestpractices in planning and leading community

engagement through creative and artistic practices.

This workshop is intended for artists, organizations, cul-tural workers and community members. Participantsstudy the theory and practice that underlies meaningfuland successful engagement projects, with a special empha-sis on working with southwest communities and learninghow to facilitate and practice creative engagement workthat builds individual and community capacity.

Much of the workshop will be taught in ensemble for-mat. We will explore a wide range of project techniquesthat includes creative group exercises, writing, move-ment and storytelling, collaborative filmmaking, creative

facilitation techniques to hold spaces for a diversity ofdiffering perspectives. The group will also learn a rangeof other multi-arts approaches to create rapport and freeexchange within a group.

Additionally, participants will learn best practices in the"back end" of this kind of work, exploring methods forplanning, fundraising, partnership building, and suc-cessful follow-through after community projects arecomplete.

This workshop will be facilitated by Littleglobeartistic team and co-founders Molly Sturges andChris Jonas. TO REGISTER, contact Cathy Kosak,Santa Fe Art Institute, 505-424-5050 or e-mail her [email protected].

LITTLE GLOBEJANUARY19-20

SNOW POEMS: connectingPLACE, POETRY and PEOPLE

MEET THE AUTHOR: Eric Herm at Bookworks

On January 16 at 7pm in Albuquerque at Bookworks, 4022Rio Grande Blvd NW, and on January 17 at 6pm in SantaFe at Collected Works, 202 Galisteo, Eric Herm will comeand discuss his new book, Surviving Ourselves.

Surviving Ourselves is about the vital relationship betweenMother Nature and the Human Spirit. Herm reveals their par-allel behavior – how one affects the other in the physical,emotional, and spiritual aspects of our daily lives – and theincreasingly fragmented connection between them. Through

his own personal experiences and poetry, as well as theinspiring stories of others, this fourth-generation farmerrelays a message of revolution and evolution that startswithin each of us.

Eric Herm is a fourth-generation West Texas cottonfarmer who has traveled extensively throughout America,Mexico, Europe and North Africa. His previous book, Sonof a Farmer, Child of the Earth: A Path to Agriculture'sHigher Consciousness, examined the strains on the landcaused by commercial agriculture.

O N M O T H E R N AO N M O T H E R N A T U R E A N D T H E H U M A N S P I R I TT U R E A N D T H E H U M A N S P I R I T

SURVIVING OURSELVES

The 18th annual water conservation con-ference is an interdisciplinary collabora-tive effort of the Xeriscape Council of NewMexico and Arid LID. Hosted by bothorganizations, the conference will attractmore than 250 land and water use pro-fessionals. The agenda will feature a totalof eight expert speakers, networkingopportunities, a catered lunch, and more.Held at the Albuquerque Marriott PyramidNorth, this conference brings togethernationally recognized speakers for anexciting two-day conference, followed bythe annual Water Conservation Expo atthe N.M. State Fairgrounds in Albu-querque, on March 2-3.

To register or for more info callToll-free: 1-800-262-2043 or 505-821-3333 or go towww.xeriscapenm.com.

OURWATER,OUR FUTURECOMMUNICATIONAND COOPERATIONACROSSDISCIPLINES

FFEEBBRRUUAARRYY 2288-MARCH 1

THE LA MONTANITAFUND

2013 INVESTMENTENROLLMENT

PERIOD EXTENDEDLoans made throughout the

year! For Information call877-775-2667

POETRY in our DAILY LIVES!

la montanita coop connection january, 2013

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