For The Love Of Garlic

Garlic is ubiquitous. We mince it into our favorite cooking recipes–its assertive aroma fills our kitchens and its complex odor lingers on our breath, its pungent flavor keeps us coming back for more. It’s a staple for those who love to cook and for those who enjoy its gastronomic rewards.

Garlic is steeped in legends that lend an air of mystery to its long list of desirable attributes. Ancient peoples believed that many diseases were the result of evil spells cast upon “wrongdoers”. Garlic was thought to possess magical powers that fought against evils, thus it was used in charms and incantations. In the Middle Ages, garlic was considered strong enough to counter the powers of the evil eye and demonic forces.

For centuries garlic’s medicinal properties have been highly valued, and today its health related transformative qualities remain an effective resource. It is hailed by contemporary herbalists for its internal and external antiseptic, antibacterial and antimicrobial properties. It has been used to treat intestinal worms in both animals and in humans. And it is effective for maintaining healthy blood cholesterol levels. 

One of my favorite things to do in autumn is to plant garlic. It is a reliable harbinger of spring as its green shoots reach up through the cool soil. I plant individual cloves with the pointed ends up, submerged in only two inches of soil. The never ending, remarkable surprise is that one individual clove yields a full head of garlic–it’s exponential. I harvest it in midsummer and then cure it through a simple drying process. I prefer to hang each individual garlic stalk from the ceiling in a cool dry location in my home until I am ready to use it. There is the additional option of cutting the lengthy flowering stalk on each plant, called a garlic scape. This removal of the stalk gives the garlic plant the opportunity to redirect its full energy back to the plant, instead of to the flower, for an increase in bulb size. 

I would like to invite you to fully enjoy the robust flavor, herbal health benefits and gardening pleasure of garlic.

Hot Soup For Cool Dudes

by Todd Ranolde

Here’s how to make a cabbage & bean soup that will knock your socks off. It’s super easy, okay? Okay. Let’s get to it!

Get yourself a pot. Not that kind, funny guy. A big saucepan. 

Grab a carrot. Dice it. Throw it in.

Grab an onion. Dice it. Throw it in. 

Grab a half head of cabbage. You can chop it, shred it, however you want. It’s your soup. How do you like it bro? Then throw that in the pot too. 

Add 4 quarts of water, bring it to a boil. Then simmer. 

Add 2 tbsp of Better than Bouillon Roasted Vegetable Base, 

A little bit of salt and pepper. You don’t need much bro. Just taste it. 

A can of white beans. Let simmer for 2 hours. 

Grab a bunch of kale. Chop it. Throw it in. The soup is hot enough to cook the kale perfectly.

Enough time for a race on Saturday night at Lime Rock bro. 

Bam done.

UPDATE: Monthly Owner Discount

We are updating our Monthly Owner Discount Program beginning October 1st. With this update, Primary Owners will be able to choose one Associate Owner who will also receive the 10% discount for one shopping trip a month.

We had not been previously monitoring how many Associate Owners were using the Monthly Owner Discount, and we were hoping we wouldn’t need to. However, with multiple households holding multiple Associate cards, this is proving to be unsustainable.

Leading up to this change, Primary Owners will be asked to name the Associate Owner they’d like to share their discount with. Associate Owners will be asked to talk to the listed Primary Owner who will then make that decision. Primary Owners can make this decision at the register next time they’re in the store, or by using the form below. (We recommend that the Primary Owner allocates the other Monthly Owner Discount to another main shopper in the household.) Keep in mind: after October 1st, no Associate Owners will have access to the Monthly Owner Discount until the primary Owner chooses one to regain access.

Only two people per household can hold the monthly owner discount, however, there are still many advantages to having multiple Associates! Your Associate Owners’ purchases contribute to the total considered when disbursing patronage dividends. Associates can have their own Prepaid Tab (useful if your kids or family come in for snacks after school; they don’t need to carry cash if their Tab is loaded). Associates also have an all access pass to the Buying Club and Owner-Only sale items!

With this update, we want to reiterate how important it is to bring your Owner or Associate card, and to only use the one under your name.

Thank you for your cooperation, and for helping us keep this discount around for a while! We love that we’re able to give our Owners a discount once a month, and we appreciate those who are using it wisely and responsibly. You’re what keeps us going!

If you have any questions about what it means to be an Owner or Associate Owner, about Ownership in general, or about the Monthly Owner Discount program, contact:

• Devorah Sawyer, Marketing Manager, dsawyer@berkshire.coop, (413) 429-8612

• Hayley Ranolde, Customer Service Manager, hranolde@berkshire.coop (413) 429-8064

• Jeremy Higa, Customer Service Assistant Manager, jhiga@berkshire.coop (413) 429-8064

Monthly Owner Discount Allocation Form

Monthly Owner Discount program

Update: The format of this discount is changing October 1, 2023. Read more here.

Get ready for Monthly Savings!

There’s a big change happening at the Co-op. Beginning May 1, we are replacing our Owner Celebration Weeks with our new Monthly Owner Discount program. That means instead of your discounted shopping trip happening four times a year, you’ll get a discounted shopping trip once a month: 12 times a year!

Your Monthly Owner Discount will let you choose one shopping trip per month to save 10% on your purchase.

So, why the change?

To be completely honest, the drastically increased traffic for an entire week four times a year was a huge stressor on our staff, our supply chain, and our finances. Four times a year we would have a week with sales as high as the week before Christmas (that’s really big), and it’s harder to keep our shelves stocked and our staff & shoppers supported through weeks like that. It’s just not sustainable. This change will alleviate a lot of the chaos that happened behind the scenes to make Owner Celebration Week run smoothly.

Our new Monthly Owner Discount program evens out the workload on our hardworking staff and brings us closer to the financial benchmark set by other co-ops across the country. All while bringing you more opportunities to save money in a way that’s flexible to YOUR schedule!

Want more ways to save?

• Each month we run sale prices for Owners only! Check the Owner Deals flyer to see a selection of what Owners can save.

• Bring your own non-disposable container when you shop in our bulk department or buy hot bar, salad bar or coffee from our Fresh Foods department. That saves you 5% on those items!

• Use our Owners-only Buying Club! For the most part, when you order items by the case you’ll be paying prices that are well below retail prices.

Not an Owner yet? All it takes is 3 minutes and $30 to sign up and you’ll be able to take advantage of these awesome Owner-only savings too! Learn more about that here.

A few notes and answers to FAQs:

• Your Monthly Owner Discount is valid in the Attic, and that would count as your one shopping trip. You can choose to use it either in the Co-op or in the Attic.

• Just like our former Owner Celebration Week discounts, this discount will not stack with other discounts.

• You can choose one shopping trip each month to use your discount, and it will automatically reset on the first of every month.

• Monthly Owner Discounts are non-transferrable and are ineligible for rain checks.

• Senior Discount days remain untouched and they will still happen every Wednesday & Sunday.

• Buying Club purchases are not eligible for your Monthly Owner Discount.

If you have any questions about this change, let us know! Let’s talk about it.

Twelve Days of Pop-up

Wow! What a success! Our Holiday Pop-up really popped off. We welcomed so many people to the Community Space to get a taste of what our new satellite retail store will feel like. Next thing you know, you’ll be able to shop up there whenever you want!

We want to thank our community who really showed their support for us in this new adventure. You are what keep us going! A lot of you came up just to check it out and have a chat about what we’re working on, and even more of you bought some of the amazing new products we’ll be providing on a regular basis in the new shop.

Are you looking forward to it? We are too! In the meantime, check out these photos of the shop in all its glory:

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We’ve got a present for you!

You’re invited to our holiday pop-up shop in our Community Room!

We’re so excited for our new retail space that we can’t wait any longer. So, we’re opening up shop next door so you can get a sneak peek at all the amazing things we’ll be selling in the new shop. Stop by from December 12th through the 24th, 12pm to 6pm, and fill your bag with great gifts for anyone in your life, for any occasion! We have kitchen items, household items, scarves, candles, greeting cards, socks, baking supplies fair-trade tote bags, and lots lots more.

We’re highlighting local, eco-friendly, and Co-op-approved brands, so you can be sure that whatever gifts you’re buying are still going through our rigorous product standards quality check. That’s the best way to do your gift shopping!

Open every day from December 12 to December 24, 12pm to 6pm

To get to the Community Room:

• From the parking lot, take the stairs to the right of the Co-op’s entrance. Take a sharp left at the top and enter through the last door on the right.

• To use the elevator, enter the elevator alcove to the right of the Co-op’s entrance. After exiting the elevator, enter through the first door on the left.

Comfort & Joy Giving Tree

It feels good to give!

This giving season, let's bring them a little comfort and joy to our neighbors at Fairview Commons Nursing and Rehabilitation Center!

Step 1: Select a gift tag from our Giving Tree

Step 2: Buy the wishlist item

Step 3: Wrap it and attach the tag

Step 4: Put the gift under the tree by December 15!

The tree is in the front of the store, near the produce department. You can’t miss it! Feel free to take one or many, just be sure to bring in a gift for every tag you take. Items will be priced $5 - $20. Gifts should be new, and fully wrapped with the tag tied or taped to the gift so we know who it’s for! If you are purchasing a washable item, please write the resident's name somewhere in the garment. Please bring all gifts by December 15. It feels good to give!

The Great Community Pass was just that: GREAT

Wow! What a day.

About 35 volunteers joined us on Sunday, November 20th, for our first annual Great Community Pass.

We collected food for a month from various locations, and with participating organizations (like Project Connection) and ended up with hundreds of pounds of food to donate to the People’s Pantry, right down the street.

Representatives from CTSB-TV and the Berkshire Edge came by to document the event as well!

The Pantry’s need has grown exponentially with the pandemic, and they need your support now more than ever. They are serving more families than they ever had before, and are looking for volunteers, donation (both culinary and monetary), and help spreading the word. Food access in our area has been an issue for a while, but as the local wealth gap widens the need is growing.

Take a look at the video below to hear from Jenny Schwartz and Beth Moser about the impact the Pantry has on our community, and the impact YOU can have on the Pantry.

A few families with young children joined us as well! We heard from them that it was a great way to get youth involved in community service, and we plan to partner with youth-facing organizations next year to get more kids involved.

Want to see the excitement? Volunteer Deb Howes snapped these photos to share with you.

We hope to do this again in the future! Will you join us?

We're throwing a staff party!

Our dedicated team has been through a lot.

From a pandemic with all of the stress and uncertainty of ever-changing guidelines, to another busy Berkshire summer amidst staffing shortages (oh, and don’t forget a shift in leadership at the beginning of the year), our team has been working harder than ever. And it's all been done with smiles, grace, gratitude, and our heads up high. We’re proud of the work we’ve done in the face of these challenges.

That’s why…

we’re closing early on Labor Day for a staff party!

The store will open at 8am and close at 1pm on Monday, September 5th.

Then, we’re all headed to a park with food, friends, families (and dogs!), games, and music to celebrate each other. (Don’t worry, we’ll post pictures.)

What's Going On with our Water Machine??

Beginning Friday, May 6th, our water machine prices are increasing. The new prices will be 50¢ per gallon for Owners and $1 per gallon for non-Owners. There will also be a limit of 5 gallons per household per day.

Why? Well, there are a few reasons. As you know, our water machine is struggling to keep up with demand. There's no space to install a second machine, and any companies we've contacted about a higher-flow machine have been unresponsive. Replacing our current machine is not an option at this time.

We've also learned that the Co-op serves as one of the main sources of clean water for customers in Housatonic who are dealing with the Housatonic Water Works crisis. We want to make sure as many people as possible are able to access clean water.

To help our friends in Housatonic as much as we can, and to work on getting public access to clean water, we’re asking you to please consider signing this petition by Residents for Clean Water. Their objectives are to build public awareness of the importance of our critical water resource, and to receive assistance for the purchase of water companies that are continuous violators of water protection laws, among others.

Residents for Clean Water will be outside the Co-op on Wednesday, May 4th from 11:30am to 1:30pm to talk to you about the issue and their goals.

If we all work together to help our neighbors get clean water, we may be able to remove the per day limit on our water machine!

Thank you for your cooperation and understanding. If you have any questions, please reach out.