My three kids and I have been enjoying sharing some great food stories over the last few weeks via messaging and talking on the phone. I've had to cancel trips to visit all of them due to the pandemic, which means I am not traveling to all kinds of great food destinations, including Chesapeake Bay at Norfolk, VA, the San Francisco Bay area, and Boise, ID. So, no oysters and blue crab for me this spring! No chic New American cuisine in Palo Alto, and sadly, no down home Basque comfort food in Boise. 

But we have always been very connected through food, so for us, that discussion has just taken on a new form. A month ago, we started conspiring about how to get flour delivered so that our shared obsession for bread and cookie baking could go on. That evolved into talking about impacts to the food industry as both my daughter’s  husbands manage restaurants and have been struggling in their careers for over a month. Here in Silverton, I think we are really lucky that our food system is still working pretty darn well. I compliment our store merchants whenever I get the chance and am delighted that I can still walk into one of our local food outlets and outdoor farmers market to get fresh produce, or have my whole grocery order packed up and delivered to the back seat of my truck! Several of our local restaurants have done an outstanding job converting to "carry out" business, which is remarkable and worthy of praise and patronage!

What my kids and I have had the most fun with though, is sharing food and cooking stories from our homes. We do a pretty much daily check in on what's cooking for the day. I am a "waste not, want not" kind of guy. That means that I am always trying to devise some creative way to use that last scant half cup of corn meal I have stashed in the back of the cupboard, to add to a banana bread or meatloaf! Or maybe fabricate some dumplings out of a cup or so of masa for the split pea soup I made with everything that was left in the refrigerator.

I am not joking about the dumplings I made out of the last bit of masa that I had in the back of the cupboard, and here's the photo to prove it! In Español these are called Chochoyotes. I recommend this recipe from Pati Jinich: https://patijinich.com/chochoyotes-corn-masa-dumplings/  

I encourage you to share your food and your food stories with your family, your friends and your neighbors as a balm for your soul in these challenging times. Next to a big chunk of chocolate and planting a garden, it’s the best thing I’ve found to generate positive energy and stay connected with my loved ones both near and far!

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I enjoyed reading this compact book about the history and current issues revolving around our food supply. Grocery Story is not a big book, but it is a pretty intense read, full of data and case histories, so I had to read it a couple chapters at a time and then set it down to digest and cogitate for a day or two.  Steinman has “been there and done that” in the food world, and in many ways this book parallels my own lifelong interest in food. 
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    In the present format of retail food all over America, stores strive to wring as much marginal profit from their goods by working with the food giants to buy products that give them an economic edge. “Be Attentive” are the watch words for anyone entering a big box grocery store, is what my dad told me many years ago when he was still working for A&P, one of the grocery giants that Steinman writes about in his book, “Make a list. Be on guard, stay aware, and don’t give in to aimless wandering down the aisles unless you have to get something on your list. All of the fresh food is on the perimeter of the store and so long as you stay out there, you can do all right.” Things like shelf position, aisle location, product packaging, and forcing us to “hunt” for a product we want, are all ways we are manipulated once we walk into a store. When you add advertising and clever packaging, it is tough to feel like we have any discretion or connection to our food supply.

    The current COVID-19 pandemic highlights some important issues if the so-called supply chain is broken. Presently, due to reduced demand from the restaurant and institution food businesses, big industrial agri-businesses are dumping milk and plowing under crops that have no destination. Steinman gets down into the weeds on how this “system” operates and how it is dysfunctional and unsustainable.  As I read this book, I could not help reflect on how the current pandemic has put a point on why massive industrial farms linked to a global transportation network based on fossil fuels is not a local consumer-centric enterprise. It too often does not serve the needs of the individual, their family or their community. I must tip my hat though to our local grocers, which have done a pretty darn good job of staying open, rationing scarce products, and providing a safe environment for shoppers, including online shopping.  So, I’d like to give a shout out to them and their employees!

    The second half of Grocery Story focuses on the good news, which is that there is a long history of an alternative way to get food to our tables and it has been operating successfully for a very long time. Steinman writes elegantly and emphatically about the motivating factors for starting and sustaining a local food co-op, and he has really done his research on the subject. He uses several case studies to explain how a co-op works, the role it can play in community health and well-being, and also serve as an incubator of small business and truly sustainable local farming. Providing good jobs for our community is another really positive result of having a co-op.  Steinman highlights how many of the endless opportunities to make community connections over food can be such a positive force locally. How the co-op engages in its community is only limited by the owners’ imagination. 

    I highly recommend this book to all of our co-op members as an interesting read on grocery store and food supply history and evolution, and the options available to us regarding how it gets from the farm to our kitchen. Shopping at a co-op is really fun and can also anchor a community, generating positive energy that radiates throughout. The Silverton Food Co-op will be fine tuned in to what our community wants and needs. This book gives us a glimpse of how it will work and evolve over time once the “doors open” and we are up and running!

    Co-ops are like a big simmering soup pot of positive energy and as a result they foster and promote good eating and nutrition. This book gives readers a vision of what that is like. Believe me, I have lived in communities large and small with a food co-op for the past 51 years and it really does make life better! It will change our lives directly and at other times obtusely but in an up-beat way purely due to luck and serendipity. And best of all, WE OWN IT!!

A co-op owner profile of Samantha, DJ and Maddie MacIntyre, owner 91.

Why did you join the co-op? We joined the co-op because when we moved here from Seattle, we were surprised by the limited access to local products in Silverton even though we are surrounded by farms. Living with a chef, food plays a dominate role in our household and we are passionate about supporting such an important investment in our community.

What is something that you love about Silverton? I love the feeling of coming home from work and driving into Silverton. It seems like it’s own little world. It is obvious that so many others love this town too. I have never been in a friendlier place where so many volunteer their time and energy to civic and community development.

What is your favorite vegetable? My favorite vegetables are French breakfast radishes. My dad grows them and they are an amazing addition to just about anything.

A co-op owner profile of Jeff, Courtney, Ben, and Ole Basile, owner 229

Why did you join the co-op? We know a lot of local farmers and the co-op offers us an opportunity to access them and support them.

What is something that you love about Silverton? We love the melding of the tight knit community, that is both rural and artisan.

What is your favorite vegetable? Ole: Cucumbers. Ben: Carrots. Courtney: Butternut Squash. Jeff: Brussels sprouts.

Photo courtesy of Whitney Ulven Photography

​A co-op owner profile of Brittany and Glenn Beyer, owner 98

Why did you join the co-op? We joined the co-op to support all of the wonderful family farmers in the area who grow such delicious food and all of the amazing people who are working tirelessly to make this vision become a reality for this community!

What is something that you love about Silverton? We absolutely LOVE this tight-knit community of loving and caring people. As a family of five new to the area, we were welcomed with open arms.

What is your favorite vegetable? Glenn: Green beans. Brittany: Broccoli.

Photo courtesy of Whitney Ulven Photography

A co-op owner profile of Dana Smith & Victor Madge, owner 32

​Dana

Why did you join the co-op? I LOVE the farmer’s market in the summer and want that access more than just one morning a week. The thought of Silver Falls bread, Fisher bacon and Gardenripe heirloom tomatoes and lettuce all together on one beautiful BLT makes me salivate uncontrollably. It also seems pretty special that I’m on a first name basis with the producers.

As an engineer and an elected official, I am acutely aware of the fragility of our built environment. When the Cascadia Subduction Zone slips, our transportation and communication networks will be devastated. There will be higher priority locations for restoration of services. Having established local food suppliers makes our community more resilient.

What is something that you love about Silverton? My favorite thing about Silverton is the sense of community. It was evident from my first encounter almost 20 years ago and has only gotten stronger.

What is your favorite vegetable? I don’t really have a favorite vegetable. I love tomatoes in the summer, Brussel sprouts in the fall, beets in the winter, and greens in the spring.

Victor

Why did you join the co-op? I feel the need to become a better global citizen and to reduce the carbon footprint I leave in my wake each day. Keeping my purchases local whenever possible helps to reduce, in an incremental way, the amount of fuel spent transporting food and produce from literally around the world to the supermarket.

I believe that if this movement were to go worldwide, we could wrest control over at least a portion of our purchasing from big corporate interests, who only have interest in their bottom line.

I believe there is a revolution happening—an evolution—to a local market economy. More and more people are opening their eyes to the reality that our planet has limited resources and that we need to use them wisely. This consciousness is growing, and I am very proud to be a part of it.

Photo courtesy of Whitney Ulven Photography

A co-op owner profile of Heather Fast, owner of Stamen & Pistil, owner 132

Why did you join the co-op? I want to shop local every day of the week with ease, and support our local growers. This has been a dream of mine for years. Healthy local food is the key to a healthy and long life, in my opinion.

What is something that you love about Silverton? I adore that our town is full of of people that truly care about our community. Be it farmer or suburbanite, they all care about this place that I like to call Whoville and home.

What is your favorite vegetable?  I don’t know that I can pick one vegetable to love on more than another, but I’m very fond of carrots, snow peas, and fresh cucumbers.

Photo courtesy of Whitney Ulven Photography

A co-op owner profile of Shayla Lynn, owner 9

Why did you join the co-op? I joined the co-op because the easier it is for people to access fresh, local food, the better.

What is something that you love about Silverton? I love how the community takes pride in Silverton. Silverton also really cares about keeping it’s downtown alive.

What is your favorite vegetable? My favorite vegetable is carrots.

A co-op owner profile of Sarah Desantis & Matt Plummer, owner 209

Why did you join the co-op? We’re trying to build a better connection with the food we eat for ourselves and our 1-year-old son. We value knowing where our food comes from and supporting local farmers who are working hard to provide clean, healthy food for our community.

What is something that you love about Silverton? We love being able to walk or ride our bikes to visit family and friends, go to the store or just wander.

What is your favorite vegetable? Red, yellow, and orange peppers (Matt), and anything green (Sarah).

Photo credit: Whitney Ulven Photography

A co-op owner profile of Matt & Julia Knudsen, owner 81

Matt and Julia Knudsen started WileyJo Farms in 2013 with a purpose of growing nutritious food, making delicious cider, and experiencing the joy of living off the land. They enjoy being part of the wonderful farming community in Silverton and teaching their children an appreciation for the food that they grow and receive from other local farmers.

Why did you join the co-op? We want to invest in the community that we call home and support an opportunity to connect people to the farms that grown food. It’s important for us to know where our food comes from. We want our children to grow up knowing their farmers and understanding the patterns of the seasons.

What is something that you love about Silverton? The passion and spirit that the people of Silverton have for the community is inspiring. We continue to meet new people that makes us feel fortunate to live in this area and raise our children in a welcoming environment.

What is your favorite vegetable? Carrots (Lilian, 7 years), artichokes (Mirren, 5 years), leeks (Matt), and green beans (Julia).

Photo credit: Whitney Ulven Photography