We've got you covered on all three at the Foodshed Cafe!
RAW MILK IN NEVADA?
Ever since SB22 passed back in 2009, accessing raw dairy products in Nevada has been incredibly hard...illegal, in fact. This is not a unique place for a state to be, in fact as of April 2016 the sale of raw milk in stores was legal in only 13 states.
Every day more and more consumers learn about the issues surrounding raw, unpasteurized and non-homogenized milk. This has spiked a demand that we haven't seen in quite a few years. Is now the time that a small group of thoughtful & committed people can change things? Maybe, but we won't find out unless we give it a shot. Join this new working group on August 11th at 6:00 pm. Join the Facebook group here:
VEGAN & GLUTEN-FREE CHOCOLATE CAKE FILLED WITH LOCAL LATTIN FARMS RASPBERRY JAM. Need we say more? Oh yeah, we use all organic ingredients in our baked goods. <3
How Much is Too Much?
Board Perspective by Mark Estee
The answer is too much is never enough when we are talking about eating and shopping locally. There are so many ways we can all participate in this activity. I am a member of the Great Basin Community Coop and also a Board member who is proud to serve with my fellow Board-mates. We all get to write a board article and I chose to write about supporting Local.
Michael Pollan says it best and simplest. I like hearing the things he says that have proven to be true. I do not think to buy local you need only to eat at small independent restaurants or spend money at small businesses. I make a case that the hotels, casinos, and even some chain restaurants are and can be considered 'local' in some senses of the word. They employ a ton of people who spend money here. They contribute hugely to the taxes and social services that we have in our city. The list can go on.
What I challenge you to do is to ask the managers and the people who work at the larger businesses “where does this come from?” “have you ever thought to buy this or that from a local maker or producer?” If we start asking then they will surely start answering. This would be a case where if they do a little and then do a little more, they can really move the dial. In the end, we all win because we have more places we can shop and eat more frequently.
I make it a point to never try and make anyone feel bad, not when it comes to how we shop and eat. I have strong feelings and I put my money, time, and effort into sharing these with people I meet, work with, and really anyone who will listen. I am a chef and I own restaurants and other food-producing businesses.
These businesses are built, for the most part, on buying as much local product as we can when it is available. To do this we have flipped some things I was trained on as a chef 25 years ago and added a couple new ones... I am going to share these with you here today:
#1: We order what is available, as in we don’t call and ask or request. We ask what is available and we use that on our menus and in our production. We were trained to order what we thought the customers wanted 12 months a year. That logic is so long gone, it's not even funny.
#2: If a product is in season, we use the hell out of it. DVA tomatoes will be in or on 5 or 6 dishes. Old-Skool to me was you use the tomato one place on the menu. Nope, use away and get them everywhere!
#3: Train guests to be into this approach. I think we have done this and they know that we will have seasonal and locally sourced menus.
My goal is to get you to come shop at the co-op and on DROPP.coop and start asking for more local around town. Take a look and see where we can get MORE LOCAL in all areas of our lives!
The co-op does all the work in my opinion. They vet the farmers, ranchers and the producers. They bring in the seasonal items and the ones that meet the highest standards. Do I only shop at the Coop? No, I don’t. I shop other spots for my business and personal needs too. This is not a contest, this is a call to look and see where I can do more, where can you do more? We seek progress, not perfection!
There has been much written on this subject and I'd like to share a few links with some good reasons WHY LOCAL:
https://www.amiba.net/resources/localhero/
http://www.sustainabletable.org/254/local-regional-food-systems
We have two new DROPP salads that are themed from our local farmer food hub. One is a vegan umami flavor bomb that is going to make your taste buds do a kickflip ...and the other is a traditional COBB with local greens from Reno's newest Ital Farm. They both boast local pea shoots from New Harvest Farm along with several other goods from our favorite local producers: Prema Farms, Lattin Farms, Avanzino Farms & Rusty Skillet Ranch. We open at 7:30 am every morning -- come grab one from the grab n go case to take back to the office for lunch 🥗 🥗
Fresh organic watermelon juice from the juice bar, only $2.99 for 16oz!!!
Tis’ the season, this refreshing and nutritious beverage just got placed in the cooler. If you weren’t convinced by thoughts of hydration or this awesome price point, here’s what The Medical Medium has to say about watermelon 🍉 🍉
“So now the same company that sprays carcinogens on our food will sell us the expensive drugs needed to treat our cancer”.
The Monsanto/Bayer merger went through last month, very sad news indeed. In addition to Monsanto ditching its name, the new PR game will be to call GMOs “BE or BIOENGINEERED”...this will confuse a lot of folks and could set the movement back a bit. Monsanto & Bayer = "Bayer Crop Science" will now control a quarter of the world’s food supply 😢
If you have the time, please watch the video below - it does a great job explaining why the Monsanto/Bayer acquisition is such a potentially dangerous global change that will affect the health of consumers, farmers, and our watersheds.
"The New Food Economy is an award-winning non-profit newsroom using independent, deep, and unbiased reporting to investigate the forces shaping how and what we eat. We are the home of a new kind of food journalism that goes beyond the gustatory to tell the urgent, under-reported stories of a changing system no one can opt out of."
We are in love with The New Food Economy's weekly emails. Click on the image below to read this crazy article about greenhouse emissions and factory meat companies...and visit their website, where you can subscribe!
EVERYONE IS WELCOME!
The Co-op & The Foodshed Cafe are now open every day from 7:30am-9pm
Our mailing address is:
240 Court St Reno, NV 89501
775.324.6133
info@greatbasinfood.coop
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