march 2009 connection free

FOOD-SHED Update: NEW LOWERED BEEF PRICES AT YOUR CO-OP:

We all know that seeing “natural” on a foodlabel doesn’t reallymean anything except

that the manufacturer or the retail-er thought it would be a good mar-keting scheme. And for a while itworked. Back in the 80s and 90slots of producers got a higher pricefor “natural” groceries, meat, bodycare and other items. But by nowmost consumers, especially Co-opshoppers, are educated enough toknow that you get what you payfor; especially when it comes to beef. So called “all natural”beef still often comes from confined feeding operations(CFOs) and is subject to all the health and safety issues of themainstream industrial food system.

We at the Co-op are well aware of the economic hard timeswe are all living through and one of the places many of ourmembers tell us they need help is with meat prices. To helpduring these hard times we at the Co-op have negotiated adeal with our long time friend and beef supplier, AllenLackey at River Canyon Ranch. Located about 90 milessouthwest of Raton, Allen maintains the highest standards ofanimal care and feeding and is a certified organic producerof beef.

This is without a doubt some of the VERY BEST BEEFMONEY CAN BUY. And now you can get more for yourmoney!

profit 501(c)3 organization will be helping withthe jolly jumper, doing face painting and otherchildren’s activities as a fundraiser for this free,public charter school.

Hopefully Mother Nature will cooperate andbless us with a beautiful day, but as early Aprilweather can be unpredictable, even by NewMexican standards, the weather date is Sun.,April 5th.

Farmers, gardeners and related educationalorganizations, space is limited so reserveyours today. Call Robin at 217-2027 or tollfree at 877-775-COOP (2667).

Valley Garden Party Music Schedule

10:00am: Susan Clark10:45am: Loren Kahn Puppet Theater

11am: Saudade12pm: Watermelon Jug Band

1:30pm: The Daddyo’s

Saturday, April 4th 10am-3pm2400 Rio Grande Blvd. NW, Albuquerque

Hooray! It’s planting time! And time for the Co-op’s10th Annual Valley Garden Party. As always, the Co-op has what you need for a successful growing season

in our arid southwestern climate. From the finest in organicseeds, seedlings and native plants to the most up to date infor-mation on how to successfully garden and landscape in our dryclimate, composting, pruning, growing organic, mulching,water catchment, drip and other conservation-based wateringsystems and much more.

Some of our regions’ most dedicated farmers have already con-firmed, including: Tom’s certified organic; Bethany Farmsseedlings; South Valley Academy’s Dragon Farm; Lloyd Kreitzer,a.k.a., “The Fig Man,” with his extensive variety of heritage NewMexican fig trees; ARCA Organics; Hawkwatch; and ThomasHogan’s recycled wood birdhouses. Kathy Morris is bringing hergarlic, and Old Windmill Dairy will be on hand with their babygoats. Paul of Vincent’s Flowers and Everlasts with their varietyof veggie and herb seedlings and AHL Garden Supply are alreadyconfirmed at press time. Booth space is going fast, call Robin at217-2027, or toll free at 877-775-2667 to reserve yours today.

In addition to supplies there will be some of our communi-ty’s most knowledgeable people on hand to answer yourhow-to questions. Again this year we are honored to haveJoan Quinn, education coordinator for the New MexicoOrganic Commodity Commission, our state’s organic certi-fication agency. A walking, talking natural resource, shecan tell you everything you need to know on how to growit organically, how to get certified organic or how organicfarming and gardening supports healthy food productionand long term environmental health.

As always it’s our great pleasure to spotlight some of ourcommunity’s wonderful local musicians. From Susan Clark’sangelic voice to Saudade’s Bossas, tangos, sambas and choros;the beloved Watermelon Jug Band for toe tapping, and thefabulous Daddyo’s with the tunes mom and dad grew up withthat all the kids still love to listen to today. The Valley GardenParty has fine sounds for everyone.See schedule on this page.

And of course there will be greatCo-op food from the outdoor deligrill. Sit at an umbrella-shadedtable with friends and neighborsand enjoy delicious lunch specialsfrom the Co-op Deli. For the chil-dren there will be a jolly jumper aswell as other children’s activities.Friends of Mountain MahoganyCommunity School, Inc., a non-

Global Warming SolutionsWe have 100 trees to give away FREE at the Valley Garden Party. As a mem-ber of the Arbor Day Foundation, the Co-op is pleased to be working withthem to re-tree our world. This year we will be offering, FREE to Garden partygoers (while supplies last) the ever lovely Thornless Honeylocust and thedrought tolerant Ponderosa Pine. See details on growing both trees below.

Thornless Honeylocust (Gleditsia triacanthos inermis) A fast-growing tree with fragrant spring flowers;its delicate, open silhouette lets grass growunderneath. Tiny leaflets turn yellow or yellow-green in fall. This tree is pollution, salt anddrought tolerant. It adapts to a wide range ofsoils, including: Acidic, alkaline, drought toler-ant, loamy, moist, rich, sandy, well drained, wet,wide range, clay. Prefers full sun but will grow inpartial shade. Water while getting established!

Pine, Ponderosa, (Pinus ponderosa var. ponderosa)This North American native evergreen pine has moderate to rapid growth to60'-100' with a 25'-30' spread. It adapts to a variety of soil conditions at highand low elevations including deep, moist, well-drained, loamy sand, clayloam, rocky, dry, alkaline, and salt. The ponderosa pine will grow in dry, aridareas and is highly drought tolerant when well established. It is intolerant ofexcessively wet sites or sites with poor drainage. Its cinnamon-colored barkwhen mature is fire resistant, and its deep taproot very wind resistant.

Lower Prices and Special Weekly SalesThanks to Allen, ranch manger at River CanyonRanch, and Gino Garcia, our main meat man, the Co-op has been able to substantially lower its prices on allcuts of local organic beef. The lowered prices come

from the creation of a system ofgreater efficiencies and from vol-ume of sales. For the past twoyears, Gino, who has been ameat cutter in New Mexico since1965, was going out to Moriartyto supervise the harvest and cut-ting of all the beef that comes tothe Co-op. This was our way of ensuring the cleanest mosthumane practices every step of

the way, and that the beef was cut and processed tothe high standards Gino required for all the beef soldat the Co-op. Now their staff knows what the Co-opwants and Gino no longer has to spend his time andCo-op resources to make the trip each week.

Along with across the board lowered prices (averag-ing $3 less a pound) on all our local beef, each weekCo-op shoppers will be treated to Special Sales onselect cuts of beef. Check out our weekly sales flyerfor the weekly beef special.

SHOP SMARSHOP SMARTT — come to the Co-op for NEWlower beef prices and get fresh, locally produced,humanely harvested, organic beef at prices you areused to paying for that so called “natural” stuff.

BY ROBIN SEYDEL

Sunday, April 26th 10am-6pm3500 Central Ave. SE • Nob Hill Co-op(on Silver between Carlisle and Tulane)

It’s that time again! And we here at the Co-op canhardly believe that this is the 20th year we havehosted this festival. People all over Albuquerque and

throughout the state are getting ready for this year’s event, onSilver Street behind the Nob Hill Shopping Center.

You can expect the same wonderfully inspiring day filled withinformation and education booths from over 100 environmen-tal, social and economic justice organizations, local farmers,seedlings, drought resistant plants, beautiful art from fine localartists and crafts people, inspiring music and dancing by some

of our favorite local performing artists and ofcourse great Co-op food.

This year we will once again have our specialalternative transport area with displays fromRenewable Technologies and “Bountifuel”Co-op and are pleased to be partnering withThe City of Albuquerque’s main bike man,Chuck Malagodi and Bike ABQ on a KidsBike Safety Rodeo, bike safety training class-es, bike maintenance classes and all things to do with biketransport. Watch for more information in our April Co-opConnection News.

There will be several special events at this 20th anniversaryEarth Fest. Watch upcoming Co-op Connection News edi-tions for details on Transition Town Team Trainings.

Please reserve your booth spaceearly. We give first priority toenvironmental, social and eco-nomic justice non-profit organi-zations, and farmers and farm-ing organizations.

Join your friends and neighborsas we educate and inform our-

selves and dance in the streets at Albuquerque'sfavorite spring gathering. Mark your calendar—this is one event you don't want to miss.

For more information or to reserve your freebooth space, please contact Robin at 217-2027 or toll free at 877-775-2667.

ppllaanntt aattrreeee

april 4garden

PARTY

Valley Garden

Party

La Montanita Co-op’s Spring FestivalsNOT TO BE MISSED!

Get a FREE Treeat theGarden

Party

The 20th Annual CelebratetheEarthFest!

April26earthFEST

Local Organic Beef: RiverCanyon Ranch

LOCAL ORGANIC BEEF AT NATURAL PRICES!

shopsmart

farming & gardening issueA Community - Owned Natural Foods Grocery Store

La Montanita CooperativeNob Hill/ 7am-10pm M-S, 8am-10pm Sun.3500 Central SEAlbuq., NM 87106 265-4631

Valley/ 7am-10pm M-Sun.2400 Rio Grande Blvd. NWAlbuq., 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

Cooperative Distribution Center 3361 Columbia NE, Albuq., NM 87107217-2010

Administrative Staff: 505-217-2001TOLL FREE: 877-775-2667 (COOP)• General Manager/Terry Bowling 217-2020terryb@lamontanita.coop• Controller/John Heckes 217-2026johnh@lamontanita.coop• Computers/Info Technology/David Varela 217-2011 tech@lamontanita.coop• Food Service/Bob Tero 217-2028bobt@lamontanita.coop• Human Resources/Sharret Rose 217-2023hr@lamontanita.coop• Marketing/Edite Cates 217-2024editec@lamontanita.coop• Membership/Robin Seydel 217-2027robins@lamontanita.coop• CDC/MichelleFranklin 217-2010mf@lamontanita.coop

Store Team Leaders: • Mark Lane/Nob Hill 265-4631markl@lamontanita.coop• John Mulle/Valley 242-8800jm@lamontanita.coop• William Prokopiack/Santa Fe 984-2852willpro@lamontanita.coop• Alisha Olguin/Gallup 575-863-5383alishao@lamontanita.coop

Co-op Board of Directors:email: bod@lamontanita.coopPresident: Martha WhitmanVice President: Marshall KovitzSecretary: Ariana MarchelloTreasurer: Ken O’BrienWilliam Bright Lonn CalancaStephanie DobbieTamara SaimonsBetsy Van Liet

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

Co-op Connection Staff:Managing Editor: Robin Seydelrobins@lamontanita.coopLayout and Design: foxyrock incCover/Centerfold: Co-op Marketing Dept.Advertising: Robin Seydel Editorial Assistant: Kristin Whitekristinw@lamontanita.coop 217-2016Printing: Vanguard Press

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

Membership response to the newsletter is appreciated. Address typed, double-spaced copy to the Managing Editor, robins@lamontanita.coopwebsite: www.lamontanita.coop

Copyright © 2009La Montanita Co-op SupermarketReprints by prior permission.

The Co-op Connection is printed on 65% post- consumer recycled paper. It is recyclable.

Gardening is IN!!!IN!!!BY ROBIN SEYDEL

These are troubling times and the intensity of the prob-lems we face call for creative solutions. That people arelosing their jobs and homes and the food-banks are

running out of food is a devastating societal calamity. Thatclimate chaos is all happening so much faster than anyonebelieved it would is another gut grabber. No longer can weblithely continue in our “business as usual” mindset. Time isnot only money, as the saying goes; at this point it’s survival,for ourselves and for other species with whom we share theplanet. What’s clear is that we are at a major turning point insocietal organization and perhaps the history of our species.We have a choice; buy into the fear and panic, or see theupside of the intersection of the economic and climate crisesas a kick in the pants to get moving on a veritable smorgas-bord of sustainable solutions.

Beauty Joins FUNCTIONLast spring, while strollingthrough Albuquerque’s Univer-sity District, I saw a new profu-sion of front-yard food gardensin places where they had neverbeen before. The up-tick inurban gardening—this genera-tion’s version of “victory gar-dens”—and the growing interestamong youth in agriculture aresome of the most positive signsfor a sustainable future. These“victory” gardens, the growth ofinterest in community gardens, farmers’ markets and otheraspects of the local food movement are a triumph of initiativefor sustainability and of hope overcoming inertia.

Even a postage stamp backyard or pots on a patio or balconycan produce a surprising amount of food. It is here that beau-ty and function are joined in a productive environment forcooling shade, carbon dioxide reduction, oxygen productionand sustenance. Done with an eye toward drought toleranceand low water use plants, it can take food production to themost local level—our backyards.

Utilizing fruit and nut trees to create a permaculture guild cancause the desert to bloom. Although a Black Walnut orArizona Walnut as a guild anchor can be tricky due to thetoxic juglone they secrete (a substance that suppresses com-peting plants), a few favorite desert species do well in con-junction with them. Walnut trees are well worth the effort asthey are fast growers, provide wonderful shade, do well insouthwest soils, are drought tolerant and provide delicioushigh protein nuts and a fine wood. Hackberries or currentsplanted together with walnut trees provide both food forwildlife and human life respectively. Add an Apache plume fornitrogen fixation and you have beauty as well as an environ-ment that is well suited for those desert favorites, theSolanaceae (nightshade) family, i.e., peppers, tomatoes, chile,eggplants, all of which do well when planted in a walnutguild. On the margins try elderberries or mulberries.

Elderberries have lovely butter colored flowers in late spring.The berries help improve immune function and make a won-derful traditional wine. Mulberries have gotten a bad rap as a“dirty tree.” Sweet and delicious, great eaten out of hand offthe tree or made into jam, they are one of the first fruits of theseason; a big plus when you are thinking of local self-sufficien-cy. Besides, they provide lots of great food for wildlife and ifplanted away from driveways or sidewalks the mess is negligi-ble and will be happily cleaned-up by domestic, egg laying fowl.Planted in walnut guild margins they provide a buffer that

2 March 2009

allows for the planting of other vegetables and fruit trees justbeyond. (For a more complete discussion of permaculture guilds andedible landscapes see the classic how-to book, Gaia’s Garden, AGuide to Home Scale Permaculture by Toby Hemenway.)

Food and FUELThe links between the high cost of energy and the high cost of foodis a no-brainer. Agribusiness food travels an average of 1,500 to3,500 miles before it graces the average plate adding to our carbonload. The huge amount of petrol used to power agribusiness farmmachinery and in the production of massive quantities of petroleum-based pesticides and other agricultural chemicals adds, in a less obvi-ous way, to rising food prices. The links between food, fuel and cli-mate change go even deeper. Ronnie Cummins of the OrganicConsumers Association, a non-profit watch dog group, writes,“Current methods of industrial-scale biofuel production worsen

global warming by increasingdeforestation and degradationof peat-lands and soils, whilealso creating more nitrousoxide emissions from fertilizeruse.” Large swaths of rainfor-est in South America and pro-tected prairie grasslands hereat home are being offered upfor biofuels crop productionand (fuel made from used veg-gie oil excepted) most biofuelsare made from geneticallymodified corn.

Don’t Panic Grow ORGANICA mere sixty or so years ago everyone ate organic, and farmsthroughout the world produced food for local and regional popu-lations. While there has always been hunger, part of the currentfood crisis has to do with the overshadowing of traditional region-al and local food production by industrialization, global tradeagreements and food production for the global marketplace. (ReadRaj Patels book Stuffed and Starved).

While agribusiness insists that organic farming methods will neverfeed our overpopulated planet, Cummins says, “Decades ofresearch have shown that small farms produce far more food peracre than chemical farms, especially in the developing world, andorganic farms out-perform chemical farms by 40-70% under thekind of adverse weather conditions that are quickly becoming thenorm.” Also, small to mid sized family farms tend to be morediversified, providing a wider nutritional balance, are more energyefficient and less oil dependent (Organic Farming ResearchFoundation). Add to the Rodale Institute data on organic farmingshowing 3,500 pounds/per organic acre/per year of carbon seques-tration and you have a fully functioning system of food productionthat if implemented on a national and international basis couldmitigate some of the pressure in all three areas of concern.

The Will to CHANGEExperienced for decades in developing nations around the world,this confluence of crises is finally affecting First World nations. Thequestion becomes do we, the most privileged of peoples, have thepersonal and political will to make the necessary changes while westill have time to do so? We have the technologies that allow us tobegin to surmount our challenges and no doubt the creative capaci-ty to respond to unimagined problems as they arise; but will we actquickly enough to mitigate to some degree, the mass starvation, cli-mate change and resource scarcity violence we are beginning to see?

Solutions are bubbling up all around us. The wake up call this con-fluence of crisis’ present, with their possible positive outcomes, arethe upside of our current predicament. Do we have the politicalwill and the community capital to, through peaceful means, re-vision and manifest a more sustainable and cooperatively basedsociety? We at La Montanita believe we do!

CHAOSTHE UPSIDE OF THE ECONOMICCRISIS &CLIMATE

PARADIGM

SHIFT

CO-OPYOU OWN IT

VALLEY CO-OP’S 10TH ANNUALGARDEN PARTYSat., April 4th, 10am-3pm NOB HILL CO-OP’S 20TH ANNUALCELEBRATE THE EARTH FESTIVALSun., April 26th, 10am-6pm

Space fills quickly so reserve your FREEspace early. To reserve your space con-tact Robin at 217-2027. Or call toll free877-775-2667

SAVE theDATES!

DON’T MISS THEM!

the CO-OP’SSpring Festivalsare coming soon!

Integrated solutionsfor a sustainable

future!

farming & gardening issue

March 2009 3

Co-op ValuesCooperatives are based on the values of self-help,self-responsibility, democracy, equality, equity andsolidarity. In the tradition of their founders, coop-erative members believe in the ethical values ofhonesty, openness, social responsibility and car-ing 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 LaMontanita Co-op Supermarket to provide informa-tion on La Montanita Co-op Supermarket, thecooperative movement, and the links betweenfood, health, environment and community issues.Opinions expressed herein are of the authors andare not necessarily those of the Co-op.

CO-OPYOU OWN IT

Valley

Gallup

Santa Fe

Conservation Based

established invasives on your property and to aggressively prevent thespread of invasive species, especially those that threaten natural areas.

Endangered plants and animals are those in danger of becomingextinct within the foreseeable future. Maintaining these species is avery high priority for the conservation of biological diversity. Learnabout and protect these species on your property. By providing habi-tat and wildlife corridors for these species, your farm or garden canmake a major contribution to their survival.

There are a number of incentive programs that offer assistance fromdifferent agencies and organizations to help with your conservation

efforts. Cost-share programs helpdefray costs of creating riparianbuffers around streams or restoringwetland, grassland or woodlandareas. Long-term easements can helpprotect priority habitat from damageor development. Extension services,resource conservation districts andother local groups can offer technicalassistance to get you started and helpyou along the way.

For more information on rare andendangered species in specific water-sheds and threatened ecosystems goto www.natureserve.org/ explorer.

For more info on incentive programs call your local Co-op ExtensionAgent or go to: www.nrcs.usda.gov/programs; see the Wild FarmAlliance Briefing Paper, Farming with the Wild Forever. www.wildfar-malliance.org/resources/briefing.htm.

Planning and MONITORINGDevelop a plan with specific conservation goals for your property anddetermine if the farm and surrounding area have benefited from yourefforts. Review and revise the plan based on your results. Ways tobegin include: Inventory wildlife and major native plants, create afarm map that includes hedgerows, woodlands, riparian zones, inva-sive species, eroded areas and other wildlife habitats.

A Farm is Not an ISLANDThink of the way water flows through your land, the routes wildlifetake and the connections to your neighbors’ properties and surround-ing wildlife areas. Learn about what conditions local species are adapt-ed to and what ecosystems historically occupied the farm. Habitatconservation can ensure clean water leaves your land, and can providea stopover for migratory birds and movement corridors for wildlife.Remember, water, species and habitats do not follow property lines.Work with your neighbors to make your efforts more effective.

When managed at a watershed or regional scale, your farm becomesmore accessible for fish, wildlife and pollinators, and regional ecosys-tems become naturally complex, stable and resilient. By collaboratingwith neighboring farmers, private organizations and public agencies,you can achieve even broader conservation goals.

For more information contact the Wild Farm Alliance, PO Box 2570,Watsonville, CA 95077. Check them out on the web at www.wildfar-malliance.org or contact the Community Alliance with FamilyFarmers at www.caff.org.

Reprinted with permission from the Wild Farm Alliance and theCommunity Alliance with Family Farmers. Special thanks to JoAnn Baumgartner and Sam Earnshaw for their help, support andthe sharing of their photographs.

Feed People, Rejuvenate the EcosystemBY JO ANN BAUMGARTNER, WILD FARM ALLIANCE

Biodiversity (or biological diversity) is the variety oflife. From bacteria and fungi to grasses, ferns, trees,insects and mammals, biodiversity encompasses all life

forms. More than that, it covers the full range of processes,such as nutrient cycling, carbon and nitrogen fixation, polli-nation and beneficial predation.

Agriculture, on a farm or in your garden, that providesnatural habitat when combined with similar efforts inyour community and across the land, can meet theneeds of multiple species, support pollination and pestcontrol, protect water quality, and make a meaningfulcontribution to wild Nature.

Caring for the LANDConsider how habitat can contribute economically toyour farm, and how your farming and gardeningpractices can benefit wildlife and the landscape.Provide habitat by cover cropping, planting a diversi-ty of crops, leaving food and cover in the fields afterharvest and managing fields for native pollinators,predatory birds and four-footed rodent-eating wildlife.

Increasing and maintaining biodiversity on farms is compat-ible with food safety practices. Habitat attracts wildlife withminimal risk of harboring species that carry humanpathogens. For more info check out the Wild Farm Alliance’spublication Farmer’s Guide to Biodiversity at: www.wildfar-malliance.org/resources/organic_BD.htm

Restoring Native Habitat in Wilder MARGINSRestore degraded habitat on your property based on nativespecies and ecosystems present on the land before it wasturned over to agriculture. Nearby intact ecosystems can beuseful models. Revegetate riparian areas and wetlands,which have the ability to break down nitrogen and other tox-ins, and which recharge groundwater (especially importantin New Mexico) and protect against flooding. Restore andmaintain other wild margins using a diversity of nativeplants in hedgerows.

Protecting Existing HABITATProtect sensitive habitats from degradation and conserveexisting native habitat on your land rather than convertingto agricultural production. In any region, farms should aid inprotecting enough native habitat to maintain self-sustainingpopulations of native plants and animals. You can help byidentifying high-priority existing habitats, including grass-lands, scrublands, forests, oak woodlands and wetlands; byeliminating non-native invasive species; and by encouragingthe re-establishment of native vegetation. Learn how yourfarm or gardens can be part of a conservation network atwww.biodiversitypartners.org

Controlling & Removing Invasive SPECIESThe spread of non-native or exotic plants, animals, and dis-eases poses a major threat to biodiversity, pushing some at-risk species to the edge of extinction. Invasive introducedspecies out-compete native plants and animals for space,food, and water. Some may also fundamentally alter ecolog-ical processes, making it difficult or impossible for nativespecies to survive. It is critical to control populations of

BIODIVERSITY on the

FARM

for more informationwww.lamontanita.coop

AGRICULTURE

Co-

op

HEDGEROWSBY SAM EARNSHAW, COMMUNITY ALLIANCE WITH FAMILY FARMERS (CAFF)

Ahedgerow is a line or group of trees,shrubs, perennial forbs, and grass that isplanted along field edges, fence lines,

drainage channels, property borders. A nativeplant hedgerow uses plants adapted to the particulargeographical region to attract a variety of beneficialinsects, mammals, reptiles and birds. Not only dothey provide year-round habitat, they control soil ero-sion and enhance water quality and retention.

A hedgerow can be installed to connect riparian orother valuable habitat areas, creating a corridor for animalmovement. Native plants work extremely well in hedgerowsbecause they provide numerous benefits while requiring littleattention once they have established (takes 2-3 years). Whenconsidering a hedgerow installation on your property, deter-mine your specific goals and relevant site variables. Planning,plant choices and installation naturally follow. One example isplanting a hedgerow with sweet alyssum (white flower). Thisexcellent groundcover provides habitat and food source foraphid-eating syrphid flies. It also serves as a weed-barrier.

Hedgerows provide multiple benefits including: • preventing soil erosion caused by excessive water run off and wind • protecting water quality by reducing erosion • providing habitat to beneficial insects that control agricultural pests

• providing habitat for pollinating insects • providing habitat for birds and wildlife • providing wildlife corridors when placed toconnect vital habitat zones • minimizing weeds once larger shrubs andtrees get established • providing a buffer between diverging land uses • minimizing issues of dust and spray drift • providing aesthetic beauty and privacy

Thanks to the Community Alliance withFamily Farmers (CAFF) and the Wild Farm Alliance for permissionto reprint this information. CAFF is assisting growers and ranchersto plan and install hedgerows. For more information on creatinghedgerows, including their online manual, go to http://www.caff.org/programs/ farmscaping/hedgerowin.shtml

There are a number of fine local nurseries that can provide youwith native New Mexican plants for your hedgerow.

FARMS arehabitat

at the Community GARDENBY SUSAN SMITH

What’s the only thing better than fresh, localorganic food from the Co-op? Straight fromthe good earth to your mouth, watered with

your sweat and love – food you’ve grown yourself andeaten before it even knows it’s been picked. Food grown inyour own yard OR – if you don’t have garden space or pre-fer to garden with other people — in the CommunityGarden at Rio Grande Community Farm.

The Community Garden provides ditch-irrigated rows that are about 80feet long and 2 feet wide. The Garden is irrigated weekly by Farm staffand volunteers. The Farm provides many tools and seeds for gardeners,as well as information about how to garden organically. AlbuquerqueArea Extension Master Gardeners plant an experimental plot every yearto test organic methods and are available on Wednesday mornings forconsultation.

Now is the time to reserve your row for this season. Community Gardenrows are a benefit of Farm membership. Rio Grande Community Farmis a non-profit organization, so all contributions are tax-deductible.RGCF is dedicated to providing fresh, local organic food and to servingas a model of sustainable, small organic farming. To join, go to theFarm website at www.riograndefarm.org and print out the membershipform or call the Farm office at 345-4580. Your first row is free with aFamily membership. Additional rows cost $25. Be sure to mark on yourmembership form how many rows you want. Rows are on a first come-first served basis, and a waiting list is created when all rows are taken.

grow it! March 2009 4

The Community Garden is just one part of RioGrande Community Farm. Located in the LosPoblanos Open Space north of Montano, the Farmmanages part of the Open Space by growing organ-ic crops for both people and wildlife. Food from theFarm goes to students in APS, the Co-op and otherlocal outlets as well as the Los Ranchos GrowersMarket and local food banks. Theannual Corn Maze provides greatfamily entertainment every Septem-ber and October and food for cranes,geese and other wildlife each winter.School and community groups visitthe Farm for educational activitiesand service projects. Scores of peoplewalk the Farm every day to enjoy thebeauty and tranquility of nature inthe heart of Albuquerque.

Grow itYYYYOOOOUUUURRRRSSSSEEEELLLLFFFF

RIO GRANDE COMMUNITY FARM: RESERVE YOUR ROW NOW!

Selecting a ContainerContainers can be made out ofalmost any kind of material aslong as it has holes for drainage.The container gardener is limited only by imagina-tion. Use pots of varying sizes and shapes to addinterest and depth to your landscape or home envi-ronment.

The size and depth of a container is important forsuccess. An ideal container has 1/2-inch holes foradequate drainage and a wide opening, is between15 and 120 quarts, and is attractive, strong anddurable, if being left outside. Line hanging basketswith sphagnum moss for water retention, and keepbaskets away from afternoon sun.

Selecting PlantsOnce you have selected a container, decide whattype of plant material you’d like to grow. A kitchenor herb garden, tropical plants, grasses or flowerscan all be grown in pots successfully, given the rightamount of sun and water. If you choose to growmore than one plant in a pot, try to match the envi-ronmental requirements of the plants. For example,plant drought tolerant plants together.

Vines can be placed in big pots next to a railing ortrellis and be trained to grow up or across. Morningglories grow beautifully in containers. Use tallerplantings for privacy or to lead the eye to an area of

BY KRISTIN WHITE

There are a myriad of uses andbenefits to container garden-ing. Container gardening, as you

can guess, is simply growing a garden ina container. Growing plants in containersis a distinctive form of gardening. It isespecially appealing because pottedplants can be easily moved to offer achange of scenery or mood, and adddepth and interest to a landscape.

Potted plants are the perfect solution for those who live in rented hous-es or apartments and lack the space to garden, or don’t wish to invest inpermanent plants even if they have a yard. Planting in containers utilizesminimal space, conserves water, enables the ability to create and cus-tomize soil quality, provides easy access for the elderly and persons withdiffering abilities, keeps flowers, vegetables or herbs close at hand, andbrings color and fragrance to an indoor or outdoor environment.

BY RICHARD BRANDT

Dragon Farm serves as a model ofsustainability for the students atSouth Valley Academy Charter High

School as well as the surrounding communi-ty. We sell our produce at the DowntownGrowers Market, La Montanita Co-op andthe Grove Restaurant. Produce can be pur-chased directly from the farm during sum-mer months on Friday afternoons.

We are hosting a series of workshops this spring. Thefirst one will be a cold frame workshop conducted bymaster gardener Ron Jobe on February 28 at 1pm.

Create scenery, mood and FOOD!

Dragon Farm will also host a fruittree planting workshop conductedby Bernalillo County HorticulturalAgent, Joran Viers, on Saturday,March 21 at 1pm. Dragon Farm islocated at 3426 Blake Rd SW (SEcorner of Blake and Coors).

The South Valley Academy is apublic charter high school open to all qualified andinterested students. To take a tour of the farm or formore info on the spring workshops contact RichardBrandt at 505-363-3776.

ContainerGARDENING

RGCF Wish ListFor the Community Garden:• 2 medium-sized stock tanks• Landscape cloth• Row coversFor the Farm and Garden:• Delivery van• Donations for the sub-surface drip project• Donations for plants to landscape for wildlifeCall 345-4580 to Donate! Thank You!

This year Rio Grande Community Farm is increasingits productivity. We are installing a subsurface dripirrigation system to allow us to grow more food usingless water and to serve as a demonstration for othersmall farms. We are adding rows to the CommunityGarden so that more people can grow their own food.We are increasing our educational offerings, providingsupport to community groups at their locations so theycan develop gardens of their own and working withthe Albuquerque “Garden eXchange” to supportgrowing food at homes, schools and community loca-tions throughout Albuquerque. To join this growingnetwork, go to www.gardenersguild.org and registeror attend monthly meetings of the AgricultureCollaborative hosted by the Mid-Region Council ofGovernments (www.mrcog-nm.gov).

Rio Grande Community Farm relies on members andcommunity supporters to enable us to offer moreopportunities for you at the Farm. We appreciate theconsistent and generous support of La Montanita Co-op. Please look at our “Wish List” and call 345-4580if you would like to make a donation. Thank you foryour support!

interest. Arrange small and medium sized pots inbetween large ones for contrast.

SoilUse good quality potting soil. Ensure the soil drainswell, as container gardens typically require frequentwatering. Potting soil does not contain a lot of nutri-ents so you’ll need to add them. To start, mix a slow-release granular fertilizer into the potting mix. Then,once a week, use Peters water-soluble fertilizer at halfstrength.

WaterEnsure proper drainage by placing pottery shards,large gravel or foam packing peanuts in the bottomof the container. If you have a yard with drip irriga-tion in place, you can fit your containers with driptubing and save time.

There are many publications devoted to containergardening. Some great online resources are: www.containerseeds.com; www.gardensablaze.com; www.container-gardens.com. Container gardening is oneaspect of gardening in which every member of thehousehold, at any level of gardening, can contribute.

SAVE THE DATES! • 10th Annual VALLEY GARDEN PARTY Saturday, April 4th• 20th Annual EARTH FEST in Nob Hill, Sunday, April 26th BE THERE !

DRAGON Farm: It’s an Agricultural School, It’s a Farm, It’s a Community Resource

grow it! March 2009 5

Urban and Community GardensBY YVONNE SCOTT

So you’ve got no backyard, no front yard, ormaybe no yard at all, but you want a gar-den. As food prices rise and access to arable

land close to cities dwindles, we all feel a certainpressure to become more self-sufficient. Don’tdespair of growing your own because the truth isyou don’t need a plot of ground to grow vegetables.Forget in-ground, tilled, straight-row gardens. Allover the world, people have developed ingeniousways to grow food in everything from bags, piles ofrocks and used tires and you can, too!

Urban gardening must increase and become moreefficient and adaptable. By 2020, 75% of theworld’s city dwellers will live in developing coun-tries, according to the International Resource Centerfor Urban Agriculture and Forestry, many of them inpoverty. Lack of foresight and planning in nearly allmajor metropolitan cities around the world maywell mean that there will not be enough open spacefor gardens for all those people. Unlike Cuba, whichenforced organic garden systems on the citizens ofHavana in the 1990s, most countries have stub-bornly refused to support expanding local foodgrowing systems and small farms, choosing insteadto continue to depend on large agri business grow-ers and shippers to feed their expanding popula-tions. But while the politicians and corporationsgloat over the lack of local initiatives to create moreopen space and green commons, the average folksknow the truth: our food must be grown closer tohome, it must be fresher when we buy it, and it must

be grown organically inorder for us to be nourishedand healthy. That’s why so many are returning to thetraditional food-growing system of thousands ofyears: the garden.

But where in an established urban area can thatoccur? Community gardens are the prime examples,but there are problems inherent in these as well. Ifthe community garden is located in an area that isfar from your home, is it economical or even possi-ble to get there to work on it day after day? Is therea space or rental fee involved? In this economyevery penny counts. What about seeds and water-ing? And tools. Are they available, or are they rent-ed? What if they break and I can’t fix them? Andthen how do I haul home my bounty if I ride a busor bike? After all those questions swirl around inyour head for awhile, it’s easy to see why some folkswho really desire fresh food and a garden close byjust give up.

EVERYONE SHOULD HAVE ONE!

Outrageous GARDENSWell, don’t. Through a collaboration between Yvonne Scott,Environmental Enhancers, Ron Margolis and Katya Miller of theQuadalupe Sustainable Gardens on North 4th Street and urban gar-dener, Yasmeen Najm, help is on the way. Scott has been promoting

what she calls “Outrageous Gardens” through her columnin Touch The Soil and on her blog, www.outrageousgar-dens.com, proposing that these small intensive, above-ground gardens created with recycled materials could pro-vide enough basic nourishment throughout the year, pro-viding fresh greens, vegetables, small fruits and herbs. Atthe same time, these minimal input systems allow new gar-deners to develop and hone their growing skills withoutlarge outlays either of cash or labor. Seasoned gardenerswill find these gardens productive and often portable addi-tions to established beds. It’s a win/win situation.

On March 21st, you can be part of the extreme makeoverof a former parking lot into a more beautiful and function-al community garden at 6346 Fourth St. NW (the former

North Valley Obama headquarters.) There is a nominal fee for thisworkshop, and children are very much welcome to participate (someof these gardens are perfect for small hands). Two weeks earlier, onMarch 7th, we’ll be preparing the area with cardboard and barkmulch to suppress weeds and create a toxic-free zone on which to setthe gardens and we can use a few good hands for that as well.

So if you think that your 2nd floor patio or your walled-in gravelback-yard can’t possibly grow food, our “outrageous garden party”will show you just how wrong you are! For more information or toregister, contact Yvonne Scott, 907-9070.

Environmental Enhancers is a woman-owned company special-izing in restoring the soil and re-designing and revitalizing land-scapes. To learn more about small growing systems and howthey can assist in reducing malnutrition, please visit: www.outrageousgardens.com.

Outrageous

GARDENS

BY LOUSIE PAPE, CLIMATE TODAY, WWW.CLIMATETODAY.ORG

Underneath the surface of unprece-dented supermarket abundance,there are rumblings. A few years

ago we learned about farmland in multiplestates being bought up with the goal of pro-viding long-term food security for peopleoutside of the US. The purchases were listedunder multiple names to prevent detection.The sub rosa goal of buying up farmland tolock in future food supplies for a distant, specificpopulation is not a small issue, and has serious inter-national implications. Every city and state needs todevelop strong programs to protect their farmlandsand to ensure that their farmlands are used to pro-vide future food for their populations while increas-ing sustainable production.

Off Shore FarmsAs reported in Climate Today, wealthy countriesshort of fertile land are gazing hungrily at Canada'sprairies. Last year, the Saudis finally concluded that

their (heavily subsidized) desert wheat made nosense. The Saudis are in the process of purchasingand leasing vast tracts of farmland to allow them toexport back home most or all of the food grownthere, bypassing the international market. Such "off-shore farms" are a quiet, though burgeoning, form ofneo-colonialism.

The Saudis are not alone in theglobal land grab. Other countrieson the land grab hunt include:United Arab Emirates, Jordan,Libya, India, China, Japan, plus anumber of investment and private-equity funds. A report published inthe autumn by the United NationsInternational Fund for Agricultural

Development said that "public and private corpora-tions and industrial groups are buying millions of(acres) of land in Africa, Asia and Latin America toproduce food or agrofuels." At first, the UN and theWorld Bank either ignored or cautiously supportedthe trend. Food prices were rising and foreign invest-ment in raising crop productivity in poor countriesseemed like a fine idea. They changed their mindswhen they realized offshore farms were all aboutlocking up food supplies, not boosting them for themarkets. For more info go to business.theglobeandmail.com.

THE FARMSRACE: Land Grab

VEGGIEGROWER GARDENSMicro Intensive Box Gardens Produce QUALITY AND QUANTITY

BY CHUCK O’HERRON-ALEX

Just down the street from the Nob Hill Co-op is alittle shop that produces little gardens. But there isnothing little about the quantity offood that these box gardens can pro-duce! Veggiegrower Gardens range insize from 2’ x 2’ up to 8’ x 4’ with thesmallest garden capable of providingfresh greens for an individual; whilethe biggest garden can provide pro-duce for 5-6 adults year round. Theadvantages of Veggiegrower Gardensover in-ground gardening are many,but the protective covers, built in drainage/aerationsystem and raised bed design make these gardens espe-cially productive.

The gardens all come with two protective covers: onefor warmer weather that blocks the wind, keeps bugsoff the vegetables and cuts down on evaporation. The

cold weather cover turns the garden into a mini green-house that allows food production to continue downto single digit temperatures.

Veggiegrower Gardens are perfect for foodproduction in a variety of settings, includ-ing apartments, homes, schools, hospitals,restaurants, and trailer parks. Their smallsize and large production capacity makethem perfect for urban settings and theirease of use and low maintenance require-ments make them perfect for veggie loversand gardeners of all ages and capabilities.

Visit the Veggiegrower Garden shop at 3211 Silver Ave.SE Abq., see their website at www.veggiegrower.net,or call owner Chuck O’Herron-Alex at 505-217-5110 formore info.

Santa Fe FARMERSMARKETpresents:

NM Film Museum418 Montezuma Avenue

(formerly Jean CocteauCinema) All shows: 7pmMore info: 505.983.7726

www.santafefarmersmarket.com/events

ONE MAN, ONE COW, ONE PLANET:

March18Winner of 7 international awards, the film followsthe father of biodynamic farming, Peter Proctor, inthis inspiring journey in India. After the film, meetlocal farmers.

NNNNEEEEWWWWneo-colonialism

Herbs, Etc. Santa Fe, NM Deep Sleep, 1 oz,. Reg. $11.99. Sale $8.99.

High Country Kombu ChaEagle, CO Organic Kombucha Tea, 16 oz. Reg. $3.79. Sale Two for $5.00

Zuke’s Durango, CO Power Bones, Chicken Dog Treats, 6 oz. Reg. $4.29. Sale $3.59

Even more LOCAL PRODUCTSon sale in our stores!

VALID IN-STORE ONLY from 3/4-3/31, 2009:Not all items available at all stores.

co-op news March 2009 6

LOCAL SALE ITEMSSHOP LOCAL & SAVE

T H E D E S I R E D O U T C O M E S O F O U RA C T I V I T I E S A N D P R O G R A M SBY MARTHA WHITMAN, BOARD OF DIRECTORS, PRESIDENT

Some of the most interesting and challeng-ing work done at the Board ofDirectors level is the development of

“Ends.” Simply stated, Ends are the outcomeswe want the Co-op to achieve through all itsactivities. Articulating the Ends is not simple,nor is it a one-time activity. Unlike our MissionStatement, which describes who we are andwhat we do, the Ends go beyond this to holdout what the Co-op should achieve, whether itbe next year or 3, 5 or 10 years from now. It isthe board’s job to define the Ends and it’s thegeneral manager’s job to get us there. Every year heformally reports to the board all that has been doneto meet the desired outcomes.

Creating Ends is a curious practice. As Ends aren’tprograms or activities, we instead name their guid-ing principles. We ask ourselves interesting ques-tions such as, “Imagine what our community wouldlook like if the Co-op didn’t exist?” and “What dif-ference do we make?” We ask these questions in the

context of all we’ve learned about the member-ship’s needs and values. By the way, the primarysources for this information are your responses inthe annual member survey, one more good reasonto hand those in!

The board has recently updat-ed the Ends, which are printedbelow. As you can see, theylook a bit like shorthand andoddly enough… it’s intention-al! The board paints with abroad brush and delegates thedetails to the experts, the Co-op’s management and staff.Over time, with regular evalu-

ation of the general manager’s reports, our studyof the outside world and the board’s understandingof member needs and values, the Ends may becomemore defined.

THE ENDS are significant board policies de-signed to steer our cooperative in a positiveand fruitful direction. They are ambitious andrepresent our intent for a better tomorrow.

MARCH SPECIALSWANT TO SEE YOUR LOCAL PRODUCT ADVERTISED HERE?

Contact Eli at elib@lamontanita.coop

INFO SHARESHARETRANSITION TOWN TEAMS:SANTSANTA FE REPORA FE REPORTT

Nearly thirty-five Co-op membersattended the first Transition Townmeeting at The Santa Fe Co-op on

Feb 4th. The gathering was co-sponsored by TheSustainable Santa Fe Commission and LaMontanita Co-op. Our missionwas to come together to see howwe can create a Transition TownTeam in Santa Fe. The meetinginspired by the international Tran-sition Town Movement and theTransition Handbook by RobHopkins works communities to-ward energy self-sufficiency andlocal resilience. Louise Pape withthe Sustainable Santa Fe Com-mission shared how the Sus-tainable Santa Fe Plan was created, and that it wasunanimously approved by the Santa Fe CityCouncil in October 2008.

Suzanne Otter facilitated the meeting, which hadparticipants talk in small groups on how theyexperience the issues surrounding sustainabilityand local resiliency. The reports from the groupsincluded the following common themes:• While it’s true that we have technical sustainabil-ity issues to solve, we also have the wider socialissues that are part of solving growth and develop-ment, education, health and poverty problems.• More dialogue will help various groups under-stand how to take action because people are at dif-ferent stages and will benefit from different kindsof support.• This is a community effort, so things we can dothat increase communication, build relationships,and help us learn together will benefit all.• For many people how to actually do it is themissing link. We want to learn by going in steps,

skips, and leaps! Adopt an attitude that we can justget started with tips for immediate, affordableways to begin. If everyone does something, we canstart to turn the tide. • Some of the things we would like to learn moreabout include: policies, incentives for efficiency,green building, and what’s in the Sustainable SantaFe Plan anyway?!

• Although this was a good start, we needa lot more people, and a wider cross-sec-tion of Santa Fe active in this effort.

TRANSITION TOWN TEAMS:UP AND COMING!UP AND COMING!La Montanita Co-op will host thenext Transition Town meeting inSanta Fe on March 4 at 6pm. The Co-op Connection News will host a regularcolumn on Transition Town Team activ-ities for the Santa Fe Group and for

those that meet in Albuquerque. Members of allTransition Town Teams statewide are welcome tosend information about their activities torobins@lamontanita.coop for inclusion. Deadlinesare the 10th of the month preceding, for the first ofthe month publication. Questions? Call Robin at877-775-2667 or 505-217-2027.

• There will be a Transition Town Training in SantaFe. Contact: Maggie Seeley at maggiheart@aol.comor see page 15 for more information• A Low-interest Solar Loan Program is available.More information can be found on the City ofSanta Fe website and at homewise.org.*Santa Fe Green Drinks is a monthly environmen-tal and social gathering to network, inspire andcreate change in our community that meets the lastWednesday of every month during the cocktailhour at different locations throughout the city thatpractice sustainability. FOR DETAILS, go towww.greendrinks.org or contact bookcham-bers@ earthlink.net to get on the announce-ment list.

GL O B A L : A C O O P E R AT I V E C O M M U N I T Y B A S E D I N T H E S H A R E D

B E N E F I T S O F H E A LT H Y F O O D, S O U N D E N V I R O N M E N TA L P R A C T I C E S A N D A

S T R E N G T H E N E D L O C A L E C O N O M Y W I T H R E S U LT S T H AT J U S T I F Y T H E

R E S O U R C E S U S E D .

CO M M U N I T Y: A C O M M U N I T Y B A S E D O N T R U S T, C O M F O R T A N D

P E R S O N A L R E L AT I O N S H I P S • A V I TA L G AT H E R I N G P L A C E • PE O P L E H AV E

H E A LT H I E R O P T I O N S .

EC O N O M Y: A D I R E C T L I N K A G E B E T W E E N T H E CO-O P ’ S P O S I T I V E

F I N A N C I A L H E A LT H A N D T H E M E M B E R S ’ W E L L B E I N G • LO C A L P R O D U C-E R S A N D M A N U FA C T U R E R S B E N E F I T.

ED U C AT I O N : A C O M M U N I T Y I N F O R M E D O F : TH E C O O P E R AT I V E

M O D E L • LA MO N TA N I TA’ S VA L U E S • BR O A D P R O D U C E R /C O N S U M E R

I M PA C T S O N L O C A L A N D G L O B A L H E A LT H .

AG R I C U LT U R E : FA R M L A N D C O N S E R VAT I O N I S S U P P O R T E D .

La Montanita’sends

Membership is OWNERSHIPLA MONTANITA’S “ENDS”

1114 7th St. NW (505) 242-6367 www.HarwoodArtCenter.org

Open Studios Night & New Exhibits

Spring Classes

Summer Art Camp

Friday March 6th, 6-8 pm

Newsletter available NOW!

Registration starting SOON

NEXT MEETING: 3/4 @6pm, Santa Fe Co-op Photo by Seth Roffman

Personal Growth

Childhood Trauma • Illness

Drugs/Alcohol • Loss

Women’s Issues

Louise Miller, MA LPCC NCC

Psychotherapy

louise@louisemiller.org Phone (505) 385-0562

www.louisemiller.org Albuquerque, NM

co-op news March 2009 7

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.

Calendarof Events

Shop SmartAn economic downturn opens up rare opportu-nities to out maneuver rivals. But first you need toput your own house in order. Weare all aware of the downturn;bad economic news has becomethe norm these days. The condi-tions we all are experiencing pro-vide us with the opportunity toclosely examine our Co-op andhow we operate our business.One of my highest priorities is tomake sure we at La Montanitahave our house in order, work efficiently, and do ourbest for our member owners and our customers.

You will see in this edition of the newsletter the phrase“Shop Smart.” I can’t think of a better place to shop

smart than at the Co-op. We are constantlysearching for ways to make your Co-op the smartplace to shop. Our new agreement with AllenLackey at River Canyon Ranch to reduce our NewMexico organic beef prices is an example of howwe are working to provide our members with asmarter shopping experience and still provide sup-port to our local producers. This is truly a win-winfor us all. We will be providing additional smartshopping opportunities as we move forward.

Thanks for your support of La Montanita. As always, Ican be reached by e-mail at terryb@lamontanita.coop or by phone at 217-2020. -Terry

3/4 Transition Town Team Meeting, Santa Fe Co-op, 6pm3/17 Board of Directors Meeting, Immanuel Church, 5:30pm3/23 Board Member Engagement Committee, CDC, 5:30pm TBA Finance Committee Meeting, CDC, 5pm4/4 10th Annual Valley Garden Party, Valley Co-op4/26 20th Annual Earth Fest at the Nob Hill Co-op,

THE INSIDE SCOOP

Wednesday, April 22, 4-7pm at the Santa Fe Co-op, 913 W. Alameda Street in the SolanaShopping Center. The Co-op’s Santa Felocation is pleased to be participating in TurnOff TV Week again this year. Turn Off TVWeek is sponsored each year by the Santa FePublic Schools’ Office of Student Wellnessand the Santa Fe TV Turn Off Committee.

On Wednesday, April 22nd, the Co-op willhonor all the elementary school childrenthroughout the public education system whotook the Turn Off TV pledge and participat-ed by turning off their TVs for one whole week. Wealso welcome other children of all ages in the hopesof inspiring more of us to TURN OFF TV andTURN ON LIFE.

Since this is Earth Day we also invite environmentalactivists to join us to educate and activate childrenof all ages on all kinds of environmental and justice

issues. Table space is free. To set up your tableplease contact Robin at 877-775-2667.

Enjoy youthful musicians andpuppet shows, free pizza for thekids, environmental educationand action to inspire in ournext generation the understand-ing of all we can do and bewhen we TURN OFF TV andTURN ON LIFE.

Come and participate in thisFREE, FUN event for children of all ages. Localcommunity organizations and children related busi-nesses are welcome to participate.

To reserve your FREE space contact Robin at877-775-2667 or e-mail her at robins@lamontanita.coop.

TURN OFF TV: TURN ON LIFETURN ON LIFEAn Earth Day Fest for Children of all Ages

BY KRISTIN WHITE

The recent recall of peanut butter and foodscontaining tainted peanut paste is yet anotherreminder of the risks involved when food pro-

duction and distribution become industrialized.Volume, wide distribution and an involved supply chainare just a few of the contributing fac-tors affecting a growing list of foodsthat have been recalled by the FDA inrecent years.

The Peanut Corporation of America(PCA), in Blakely, Ga. is currently underinvestigation for the recent outbreak ofsalmonella in their products. This cor-poration sells to schools and nursinghomes, as well as to big companies likeKellogg. No one knows for sure howsalmonella ended up in PCA’s peanut butter and paste,but one theory suggests that it happened after the nutswere roasted. Roasting peanuts is a step that producestemperatures high enough to kill pathogens.

ON FEBRUARY 9, 2009, THE NEW YORK TIMES REPORTED:“Interviews and government records show that state andfederal inspectors do not require the peanut industry toinform the public – or even the government – of salmo-nella contamination in its plants. And industry giantslike Kellogg used processed peanuts in a variety of prod-ucts, but relied on the factory to perform safety testingand divulge any problems.” The factory reportedlyknew about the problem, but decided to ship it anyway.

Community InvestmentSunland, Inc., peanuts and peanut butters, sold at allCo-op locations, are safe and grown and processedright here in New Mexico by farmer/owners and localpeanut growers.

When farmers are involved in growing, processing andmarketing their products, they are invested in the out-come. Sunland, Inc. was formed in 1988 by a group of

peanut farmers in eastern New Mexico who want-ed to process and market the Valencia peanuts theygrew. The company works with dozens of growersand employs 147 full-time staff members. Ninetypercent of Sunland, Inc. peanuts are grown within180 miles of the processing plant in Portales, NM.

Valencia peanuts are planted in May anddug in the fall. Once they are unearthed,they are dried naturally in the strongNew Mexican sun. Eastern New Mexicohas a climate that is essential for theValencia peanut, and gives it its sweettaste. After a few days of drying in thesun, the nuts are gathered and brought toSunland, Inc. for the first cleaning andadditional drying time.

To ensure quality, peanuts are collected in jars everythirty minutes. A sample is taken from each collec-tion and sent to a third party laboratory. The sam-ples are tested for salmonella, E. coli, yeast, moldand other pathogens. The peanuts are then roastedin a closed roaster and heated at 335 degreesFahrenheit, the kill point for bacteria. From theroaster, the peanuts are ground at 180 degrees F.

Peanuts are sorted for a variety of uses at thePortales plant. They may end up shelled, roasted,salted or crushed for oil. All of the processing isdone on site. No additives are put into the peanutbutter made at Sunland. Sunland, Inc. is USDAOrganic Certified, New Mexico OrganicCommodity Commission Certified Organic andOrthodox Union Kosher/Pareve.

All the whole peanuts in our produce depart-ments, and the peanuts sold as bulk grind-your-own butter and in the bulk bins are from Sunlandand are safe and pathogen free. Buy locally grownand processed peanuts and peanut butter at allCo-op locations from local farmers and ourSunland, Inc. friends.

PEANUTPEANUT RECALLSRECALLS and theIndustrialized Food System

KNOW WHERE YOUR FOOD COMES FROM

Garden Party at Your Val ley Co-op DON’T MISS IT!

A p r i l 4 2 4 0 0 r i o g r a n d e b l v d . n w

CO-OPTrade Initiative:

Bringing local farmers together with Co-op shoppers for the

best in fresh, fair and local food.

FRESH DELICIOUSDELICIOUSORGANIC

Food-ShedUUPPDDAATTEE

Spring is upon us, let

AGUA DULCEEARTHSCAPES

enhance your environment

NATIVE LANDSCAPE DESIGN

RAINWATER CATCHMENT AND IRRIGATION

STONE WALLS, PATIOS AND WATER FEATURES

FREE GARDEN CONSULTATION FOR ALL CO-OP MEMBERS. FIND OUT THE RIGHT PLANTS

AND TECHNIQUES TO HELP YOUR GARDEN FLOURISH.

24 years experience helping Albuquerque’s

trees and plants

Luke Resnick 764-0096

Gadiel says he was inspired to bottle myTepache “out of a desire to share the richness of my cultural traditions and to promote local economies.” Tepache, an agua fresca (mixture of fruit and water) beverage popular in Mexico, is made from slightly fermented pineapple rinds flavored with honey and canela (cinnamon). In Mexico, Tepache is sold in restaurants and by vendors in clear, barrel-shaped jars called vitroleros.

“By utilizing all-natural raw products,” Gadiel notes, “I am creating a drink that is reminiscent of the Tepache consumed in ancient times by the Mexikahs.” Prepared from a recipe entrusted to Gadiel by his father, with only slight changes for a healthier and more authentic flavor, Tepache is an innovative nutritional and dietary supplement that supports immune system function, promotes cell health, and aids digestion and metabolic activity through liver health. It is high in antioxidants, enzymes and probiotics that ignite the body’s energies. The delicate process of producing Tepache involves selecting the highest quality raw materials, including local New Mexican honey and pineapples that meet Gadiel’s high standards for excellence. myTepache is prepared in small batches and carefully tended for ten days until it is perfectly cultured. myTepache is committed to promoting a healthy and sustainable environment in all facets of production and distribution by recycling, reusing, reducing and composting.

Look for myTepache in the refrigerated case at all Co-op locations in Albuquerque and Santa Fe. Gallup shoppers are welcome to put in their special order for myTepache any Tuesday for delivery on that week’s Co-op Trade truck.

QUENCH SMARTRehydrate and give your body a boost!

Make your energy work more efficiently

The High Octane Diet Cookbook, Eric Lujan’s new cookbook, is one part diet and one part cookbook. The first portion describes easy ways to make your energy and digestive systems work more efficiently. The food program laid out in the book is the same program he has developed for his own professional athletic career. His personal doctors and exercise physiologists, from the Olympic Training Center and the International Triathlon Union, have contributed to this book.

The main focus of the High Octane Diet is to eat unprocessed, plant-based foods. The emphasis is on timing your meals, eating organic, and consuming high-nutrient, low-calorie foods. The second part of the book is packed full of delicious, southwest-infused recipes. With the US dollar worth less and time being limited, Eric has created recipes that are simple and quick to prepare. His belief is that we should eat food that is grown as close to home as possible. Food should be prepared with lots of love, and shared with friends and family. And finally, food should make us feel happy and energized, allowing us to live exciting and passionate lives!

Eric’s 10 Ways To Save Green While Eating Greens1. Bulk Bins – For the best deals on dried foods, head to the bulk bins. All the staple ingredients for The High Octane Cookbook are available for dollars a pound.

2. Buy In Season – If you’re buying blueberries in January, you can plan to pay top dollar. If you buy foods in season, you’ll not only get ripe and great-tasting food, you’ll get a great deal. Eating foods in season will also ensure variety in your diet.

3. Plan Ahead – Sunday afternoons are usually my time to shop, then chill around the house. While I relax I like to prepare big batches of salsa, hummus, beans, rice, and energy bars to have during the week. I add the bulk ingredients to different recipes throughout the week. This saves money and time.

4. Make Large Quantities – I am the king of leftovers. Instead of making one batch of enchiladas, make two and leave the second batch in the fridge to bake up later in the week. Reinvent extra grilled veggies into a sprouted tortilla wrap for lunch. Think big even if you’re little.

5. Freeze – You can buy in bulk at a discount if you use your freezer. Make a big batch of soup or beans and freeze it. Instead of leaving ripe fruit out to go bad, throw it into a freezer bag and use it later in a smoothie. 6. Don’t pay for packaging – Packaged processed food is expensive, bad for your body, and bad for the environment. Try making meals from scratch. It’s way cheaper and dramatically reduces energy use. Use your dollars for food, not plastic.

7. Buy local – Don’t spend $3 a pound on apples imported from Honduras, if Johnny Gonzales in the neighboring town is selling his for $1.50. You’ll save money and will be supporting your local Homie.

8. Volunteer – Both organic farms and co-ops offer work for food or discount programs.

9. Cook with friends – Invite your friends and neighbors for dinner. Over the years I have created once-a-week community potlucks. Everyone pitches in for food, and everyone takes home leftovers. Throw in a hike or a bike ride before, and now you’re taking it High Octane!

10. Grow your own – Even with limited time or space, growing your own food is a fantastic way to save money. If you’re a novice gardener, start with some basic herbs in terra-cotta pots. Herbs are really expensive at the store, but you will have a fridge full for pennies.

LIVE SMARTRaw Sunflower PateThis recipe was created to add some variety to the typical party dips or spreads. The paté is loaded with energy-packed enzymes, and the fresh herbs give it a major antioxidant kick. This recipe is perfect for a spring afternoon cocktail party!

2-cups soaked raw sunflower seeds1/2-cup fresh basil1 jalapeno pepper (or less if you’re heat sensitive) 1/4-cup cilantro2 cloves garlic 1/2 red onion 1/4 tsp turmeric1-2 tbsp olive oil1 tsp cayenne pepperSea salt to tasteFresh black pepper to taste

DirectionsSoak the sunflower seeds in a bowl for one hour to soften. Then drain and add them to the other ingredients and blend in a food processor until creamy and smooth. Great with crackers, pita, or blue corn tortilla chips.

Spicy Spinach SaladIn my opinion, salads should be able to stand alone without an entree. This salad makes an awesome spring lunch with a refreshing green ice tea!

1/2 lb spinach1 yellow bell pepper sliced into thin strips1 red bell pepper sliced into thin strips1/2 cup cherry tomatoes sliced in half1 jalapeno chopped very fine (you can use less)

1/4-cup slivered almonds2 tbsp chopped cilantro1-cup loosely packed tortilla chips (break them up with your hands and sprinkle on after you toss with the dressing)

Sweet & Spicy Vinaigrette1/3 cup olive oil 1/3 cup red wine vinegar 1 lime juiced1 tsp raw agave syrup1 clove minced garlic1 tsp red chile pepper flakes Sea salt to taste

Combine the ingredients in a large salad bowl and toss with the vinaigrette to taste.

HIGH OCTANE RECIPES by Eric Lujan

1/8-1/4 t chili powder or cayenne1/4 t allspice1/2 t ground gingergenerous pinch saffron, lightly crushed2 bay leaves1 3-inch cinnamon stick3 C cooked chickpeas (or 2 cans, drained and rinsed)8 C vegetable broth (or water plus bouillon)1 large bunch kale, thick center ribs removedand chopped (at least 8 C)about 2 C watersalt to taste

Coat a large saucepan with olive oil and heat it.Add the onion and carrot and cook over medi-um-high heat until the onion begins to brown(about 5 minutes). Add the garlic and cook for1 minute longer. Add the spices, including bayleaves and cinnamon stick; cook, stirring, foranother minute. Add the chickpeas and stir tocoat them with the spices. Pour in the 8 cups ofvegetable stock, bring to a boil, and reduce heatto a simmer for 20 minutes.

Add the chopped kale and stir. Add water, ifnecessary, to cover the kale and cook until it istender, about 10-25 minutes, depending on howcooked you like your kale. Check frequently tosee if it is becoming dry, and add water as need-ed. Add salt to taste and serve. Serves 6 to 8.

Rainbow SaladVibrant, succulent greens with pale pink,sweet-tasting radishes make this simple salad abeautiful dish. Blanching or parboiling softensthe vegetables, and makes them more juicy,sweet and refreshing than if they were steamed.Any of the cabbage family members, exceptmustard greens, which are too hot, go wellwith this salad. Also good are carrots, celeriac,asparagus and pot herbs such as tender dande-lion, mâche and chicory.

1/2 t sea salt, plus extra for the salad4 large cabbage leaves4 large kale or collard leaves1 bunch small red radishes2 T extra-virgin olive oil1 T freshly squeezed lemon juice

In a large pot bring 3 quarts of water with thesalt to a rapid boil. Add the cabbage leaves andboil for 2 to 3 minutes, or until their colorchanges. With a slotted spoon, remove the cab-bage leaves to a colander. Blanch the kale in thismanner, and then blanch the radishes until theirred color softens to pink, about 2 minutes.Drain well. Slice the vegetables into bite-sizepieces. Toss the vegetables with the olive oil andthen add the lemon juice and salt to taste. Servewarm or cold. Serves 4.

Arugula Pesto

2 C of packed arugula leaves, stems removed1/2 C of walnuts1/2 C fresh parmesan cheese1/2 C extra virgin olive oil6 garlic cloves, unpeeled1/2 garlic clove peeled and minced

eatyourVEGGIES!

lighter fare March 2009 11

Brown 6 garlic cloves, with their peels on, in a skil-let over medium high heat until the garlic is lightlybrowned in places, about 10 minutes. Remove thegarlic from the pan, cool and remove the skins.Toast the nuts in a pan over medium heat untillightly brown.

Food processor method (the fast way): Combinethe arugula, walnuts, roasted and raw garlic into afood processor. Pulse while drizzling the olive oilinto the processor. Remove the mixture from theprocessor and put it into a bowl. Stir in theParmesan cheese.

Mortar and pestle method: Combine the nuts andgarlic in a mortar. With the pestle, grind untilsmooth. Add the cheese and olive oil, grind againuntil smooth. Finely chop the arugula and add it tothe mortar. Grind up with the other ingredientsuntil smooth.

Because the pesto is so dependent on the individualingredients, and the strength of the ingredientsdepends on the season or variety, test it and addmore of the ingredients to taste. Mix with freshlyprepared pasta of your choice. You may need toadd a little bit of water or extra olive oil to mix thepesto more evenly with the pasta. This pesto recipemakes enough sauce for an ample serving of pastafor four.

These recipes have been adapted and reprint-ed from the following sources:http://blog.fatfreevegan.com/www.designspongeonline.com/www.npr.orgwww.rwood.com/Recipes/Rainbow_Salad.htmwww.elise.com

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farming & gardening March 2009 12

BY HEIDI ANDERSON, VOLUNTEER GARDENER, RIO GRANDE COMMUNITY FARM

Digging up a carrot is surprisingly hardwork. But the result is a sweet treasure to achild. A friend introduced our family to com-

munity gardening about four years ago when ouroldest child was only a few months old. As he and hisyounger brother have grown and we’ve caught thegardening bug, I’ve been delighted to watchthe wonderful influences a garden has onyoung children.

Cultivating gardens creates a veritablewilderness for children. A garden is amulti-tiered green space where children canfeel a sense of wild freedom. There is noneed for a mountain expanse. Children arecaptivated by following a single ladybugfrom tomato plant to chard to kale. Plants createtunnels, caves, vast miniature worlds to explore.Through this exploration children gain first-handexperience and knowledge of the natural world andits ecological processes. This experience in a gardenhas been shown repeatedly to help school-aged chil-dren succeed in all academic subjects, including lan-guage, arts, math and science.

The cycle of a garden from spring planting throughsummer snacking, fall harvest and winter compost-ing connects children (and their parents) to the sea-sons and creates family rituals that connect us to theEarth. My children especially like shelling blackbeans and tiger’s eye beans – something even a one-and-a-half year old can do!

Food gardens are a great way to encourage children toeat fresh vegetables and are also a great vehicle forexperimentation. Some of my children’s favorites aresugar snap peas, purple “green” beans, kale, purplebasil, chives, red lettuce and, of course, carrots.Community gardens have the added benefit of intro-ducing children to people of all ages and backgrounds.It helps give them a little bit of that proverbial “vil-

lage” we parents wish they had.

If you are a beginner, start small. Agarden can be as simple as a pot ofminiature Tom Thumb peas onyour kitchen table or a 1’ X 4’ patiobox with a cherry tomato plant andsalad greens. Or join a communitygarden. Experienced gardeners loveto share their knowledge – especial-

ly with children. You’ll know you are hooked whenyou and your children can sit down with a good seedcatalogue and call it entertainment!

I asked my five year old why he likes the communitygarden. He said, “Because I like eating carrots. I likeplaying, too, and digging in the dirt.” Come to thinkof it, these are the same reasons I like the garden!

RESOURCES for Intergenerational Gardeningwww.kidsgardening.orgGARDEN eXchange ABQ hosted by www.gardenersguild.org/ membershipRio Grande Community Farm, www.riograndefarm.orgPlants of the Southwest, www.plantsofthesouthwest.comSeed Savers Exchange, www.seedsavers.orgSeeds of Change, www.seedsofchange.com

BY WILL FANTLE, CORNUCOPIA INSTITUTE

The organic label is under serious attack. You’ve probablyheard the stories about purportedly “organic” eggs pro-duced at industrial operations with 70,000 birds to a

building—with no outdoor access. Or “organic” milk from adairy milking 7,200 cows. Or how about organic food fromChina, with minimal regulatory oversight; do we trust that?

This is not organic by any stretch of the imagination, yet the USDAhas been looking the other way for years, allowing these kinds offraudulent operations to claim the organic label and to cash in at theexpense of organic family farmers and consumers.

Clearly, we need “change” at the USDA, or the “People’sDepartment,” as President Lincoln so aptly called this agency. Theorganic label belongs to all of us and we must reclaim it. We neednew management at the National Organic Program that will create aculture supporting the thousands of ethical organic family farmers,and their consumer allies and patrons, who have built vibrant organ-ic agricultural and food markets.

The timing is critical, but ripe with opportunity. We need to carry theserious concerns of the organic community to the new Obamaadministration and new USDA Secretary, Tom Vilsack. To accom-plish this, the Cornucopia Institute is organizing a “Change@USDA” campaign.

We are urging farmers and consumers to join with Cornucopia’smembers in expressing the need for reform of the USDA’s organicprogram. One vehicle is a proxy letter developed by Cornucopia foryour signature that we will hand deliver to the White House andUSDA. You can find specifics and more details under the ActionAlerts tab on Cornucopia’s web page at www.cornucopia.org.

Timing is critical. A true crisis is unfolding in the organic dairy sec-tor. Ethical organic dairy farmers, and the co-ops and family-ownedbusinesses they partner with for processing and marketing, are get-ting hammered.

Part of their problem is the country’s current economic struggles. Thegrowth in organic sales has slowed, although sales are still growing.Yet the dairy community is facing a more ominous challenge: cheap,phony "organic" milk from giant factory farms and predatory pric-ing by the $11 billion agribusiness behemoth, Dean Foods.

Dean, which owns 50 differ-ent milk labels in the country,Horizon Organic being justone, has heavily discountedpricing. They’ve given storespromotional money that has greatly handicapped the Organic Valley Co-op andothers.

Dean/Horizon gets a largepercentage of their milk fromtheir 8,000-cow industrial dairy and from manyother mega-farms they contract with. This is notorganic in the eyes of most consumers!

New Mexico LinkDean recently transferred thousands of cows/heifersfrom their giant industrial dairy in Idaho to an oper-ation in New Mexico. Although they have denied anownership stake in that and other industrial dairies,we discovered through an obscure filing with theSecurities and Exchange Commission that they were"leasing" the New Mexico dairy.

And the word on the street, in Texas and NewMexico, is that they are partnering with certain indi-

viduals to create the illusion of independent own-ership—that's a lot of effort and expense to propup their public relations greenwashing!

The majority of the bogus private-labeled, store-brand milk marketed by Wal-Mart, Costco,Safeway, Target and other grocery chains comes

from the controversial Aurora Dairy, oper-ator of five giant factory farms in Texasand Colorado. A USDA investigation,sparked by a Cornucopia complaint, foundAurora had “willfully” violated 14 federalorganic rules.

These unethical competitors are squeezingother brands. Stonyfield, Organic Valley,and other smaller dairies have had to letsome of their family farmers go and/or cutprices paid to them. Sadly, some organicdairy farmers now risk losing their land.

When you consider saving $.20 per half gallon ofmilk at some retail outlet, are you sure you’re notpartnering with a corporation that’s destroyingthe very family farmers who created the organicmovement? And are you getting your nutritionalmoney's worth?

To better understand what brands source milkfrom REAL organic family farmers, you canview Cornucopia’s scorecard ranking allorganic dairy brands (milk, cheese, butter, icecream, etc.) at website, www.cornucopia.org.

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REPORT FROM ETC GROUP (FORMERLY THE RURAL

ADVANCEMENT FOUNDATION)

In the first half of the 20th century, seedswere overwhelmingly in the hands of farm-ers and public-sector plant breeders. In the

decades since then “Gene Giants” have used intellec-tual property laws to commodify the world seed sup-ply – a strategy that aims to control plant germplasmand maximize profits by eliminating farmers' rights.

Today, the proprietary seed market accounts for astaggering share of the world's commercial seedsupply. In less than three decades, a handful ofmultinational corporations have engineered a fastand furious corporate enclosure of the first link inthe food chain.

According to Context Network, the proprietary seedmarket (brand- name seed that is subject to exclusivemonopoly - i.e. intellectual property), now accountsfor 82% of the commercial seed market worldwide.In 2007, the global proprietary seed market was$22,000 million. The total commercial seed marketwas valued at $26,700 million in 2007. The com-mercial seed market, of course, does not includefarmer-saved seed. The Monsanto company contin-ues to try to corner the market and at present con-trols almost one quarter of the world’s seeds.

Based on industry statistics, ETC Group estimatesthat Monsanto's biotech seeds and traits (includingthose licensed to other companies) account for87% of the total world area devoted to genetically

seeds: source of life March 2009 13

As reported in Feed and Grain news in January 2009,“Monsanto Company has agreed to acquire Marmot, S.A.,which operates Semillas Cristiani Burkard (SCB), a privately-

held seed company headquartered in GuatemalaCity, Guatemala.” The acquisition gives Mon-santo’s GMO corn broader access to farmersthroughout Central American countries andpushed Monsanto into the top spot of seed corpo-rations worldwide. With Monsanto’s strict con-tracts and heavy handed policing and legal battlesagainst farmers, this purchase could turn hundredsof small independent self-sufficient farmers intoMonsanto serfs.

Again from Feed and Grain, “SCB focuses onhybrid corn seed production and is a leading

provider of corn, sorghum, forage sorghum, soybeans, and pastures(grass-type seeds). The company operates in twelve countries through-out North, Central and South America and the Caribbean.

“Monsanto believes the acquisition holds the opportunity toexpand the potential adoption of biotechnology traits interna-tionally.”

BOTANICAL INTERESTS

Gardening Success for the Beginner orExperienced GardenerBY ROBIN SEYDEL

The Co-op has been a proud supplier ofBotanical Interests Seeds for a numberof years. Curtis and Judy met while wait-

ing to interview for the same horticultural joband soon found they shared a boundless enthusi-asm for gardening. Their small family-run com-pany, Botanical Interests Seed, began out of theirmutual passion and personal desire for betterquality seed and more informational tools to helpand inspire gardeners.

Their unique seed packets were designed for people who,though interested in growing from seed, may have neverlearned how to garden from their parents. With an increaseddesire to "get back to our roots,” concern about food qual-ity, local production and the economic issues we face,Botanical Interests Seed packets provide more informationon the front, back and inside of the packet than most books.This enables people at all levels of gardening to be success-

ful. Their great germination rates andgardening success is also achieved bythe high quality seed they and theirseed producers grow. Their seed pack-ets have lovely detailed botanical illus-trations and you can choose from over400 varieties of vegetables, flowers andherbs, with interesting new ones to tryeach year.

“We wanted a level of purity andquality that wasn’t easy to find,”

recalls Curtis. So they searched out the highest quality seedavailable and began their business in 1997, in the spare bed-room of their Colorado home. The business objectives theyestablished then still hold strong now: to inspire and educategardeners, to provide high quality seed to their customers andto create an enjoyable workplace for employees.

The quality of Botanical Interests Seed is unsurpassed – and isguaranteed with the germination rates of each variety testedbefore they are packaged. They offer a large selection of certi-fied organic seed and untreated seeds. Recently they enthusias-

GARDENING SUCCESS FOR ALL!

Who Ownsnature?engineered seeds in 2007. The company claimsthat it licenses its biotech traits to an additional250 companies. In 2007, almost half (48%) ofDuPont's seed revenue came from products thatcarried a biotech trait.

Gene Giants Tech Cartel: Anti-trust regulators inBrussels and Washington take note: The GeneGiants are forging unprecedented alliances thatrender competitive markets a thing of the past. Byagreeing to cross-license proprietarygermplasm and technologies, consoli-date R&D efforts and terminate costlyintellectual property litigation, theworld's largest agrochemical and seedfirms are reinforcing top-tier marketpower for mutual benefit. In March2007 the world's largest seed company(Monsanto) and the world's largestchemical corporation (BASF) announceda $1.5 billion R&D collaboration toincrease yields and drought tolerance inmaize, cotton, canola and soybeans.

ETC Group refers to this kind of partnership asa "non-merger merger" - all the benefits of con-solidation and oligopoly without the anti-trustconstraints. Industry analysts expect the agree-ments to have "lasting repercussions throughoutthe seed, biotech and crop protection indus-tries." For other examples of the manipulationand control of the seed market, biotechnology,farming, food, the economy and justice go towww.etgroup.org

tically signed the “SAFE SEED PLEDGE: We donot knowingly buy or sell genetically engineeredseeds or plants.”

They offer a selection of common and unusualvarieties, many of which will “Solve problems:vines to cover fences, drought-tolerant blend forthose spots screaming for beautiful garden colorbut without enough water to support that desire,easy-to-grow perennials that come back yearafter year, indoor (and outdoor) easy-to-growherbs to add ‘fresh-from-the-garden flavor’ toyour food, and vegetables that will make youwonder why you never grew your own foodbefore (or for those seasoned gardeners, wonderwhy they never bought these seeds before).”

Over the years, Judy and Curtis’s family hasgrown along with their line of seeds which nowattracts and pleases customers nationwide.

This planting season look for Botanical InterestsSeeds at all Co-op locations in the produce section.Don’t see a specific variety you want? Ask yourfriendly and knowledgeable Produce Staff personto special order it for you.

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seed consolidationand the FUTURE offood

2007 SEED SALES (US $ MILLIONS) % OF GLOBAL PROPRIETARY SEED MARKET1. Monsanto (US) - $4,964m - 23%2. DuPont (US) - $3,300m - 15%3. Syngenta (Switzerland) - $2,018m - 9%4. Groupe Limagrain (France) -$1,226m - 6%5. Land O' Lakes (US) - $917m - 4%6. KWS AG (Germany) - $702m -3%7. Bayer Crop Science (Germany) - $524m - 2%8. Sakata (Japan) - $396m -<2%9. DLF-Trifolium (Denmark) - $391m - <2%10. Takii (Japan) - $347m - <2%

WHO OWNS THE GLOBALSEED SUPPLY

The top 3 companies (Monsanto,

DuPont, Syngenta) together

account for $10,282 million, or

47% of the worldwide proprietary

seed market. ETC Group

conservatively estimates that the

top 3 seed companies control 65%

of the proprietary maize seed

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healthy food March 2009 14

The reasons for choosing a vegan diet can benumerous. Initially it was embraced in the UnitedStates by those protesting violence, wars and con-

sumerism in the nineteen sixties, and the back to the landmovement and those interested in incorporating Gandhianprinciples into their lives. For many it’s a simple matter ofnot wanting to harm another being, or a love for all animals,and concerns about animal cruelty issues, including thoserelated to factory farming, rodeos, zoos, circuses and animaltesting. While factory-farmed animals often suffer stressfulsituations in overcrowded and confined conditions, the rais-ing of animals for food has generally been excluded fromhumane legislation on the federal and state level. Accordingto vegsource.com and John Robbins, author of Diet for a NewAmerica, 660,000 animals are now killed for meat each hour of everyday in the United States.

According to Robbins: “Since the Surgeon General’s report onNutrition and Health, in 1988, estimated that as many as 10,000 can-cer deaths annually could be caused from chemical additives in food,and the fact that a meat based diet has 55% pesticide residue, com-pared to 1% with commercial (non-organic) grains, and that a highfat, meat based diet can contribute to high cholesterol and elevatedblood pressure, heart ailments and numerous other health problems,many see a vegan diet (especially one containing organically grownfoods) as a healthier choice. It’s a diet free of chemicals, hormonesand other questionable ingredients fed or injected into livestock. As

well, better health is often obtained without themucus-forming affects of dairy products.”

Others stop eating meat because of environmen-tal issues. This is a viable concern, consideringthe intensive land use for animal farming, andthat 55 sq. feet of rainforest is consumed in everypound of hamburger. A meat-based diet requires3 acres of land per year as opposed to only 1 acrefor a vegan diet. Approximately sixteen peopleon a vegan diet could live off the same land andwater supply as one meat eater.

Some choose a vegan diet, often after years on avegetarian one, because of further understandingabout the connection between dairy productsand calves raised for veal, and the cruelty issuessurrounding both mama cow and her offspring.

Still others choose a meat and dairy free dietbecause of the realization that by doing so, onecan actually help conserve the world’s naturalresources and fuel supply and contribute to a

Why Choose a VEGANDDDDIIIIEEEETTTT????

HEALTHYECONOMICAL AND SPIRITUAL by Two Moons N.D.Author of Peace in Every Bite cleaner environment. It takes 50 times more fossil

fuel to produce a meat-centered diet than vegetarian,or 20 times more of our natural resources to pro-duce a calorie of beef, as compared to a calorie ofvegetable protein. The United Nations Food andAgricultural Organization reported that cattle emit18% of greenhouse gases, contributing more toglobal warming than transportation. As well, itgenerally takes only 25 gallons of water to pro-duce a pound of wheat, as opposed to 2,500 gal-lons to produce a pound of meat.

Some people consider that we would be betterequipped to take care of all the starving people inthe world if we fed the grain that cattle eat topeople. This seems a logical consideration, taking

into account that 99% of protein is wasted whengrain is cycled through livestock, and since it takes15 pounds of grain to produce a pound of feedlotbeef, compared to only 1 pound of grain to producea one-pound loaf of bread. As well, 20,000 poundsof potatoes could be grown on the same amount ofland as 165 pounds of beef.

A vegan diet is often chosen for spiritual reasons,either pertaining to a person’s particular religiousfollowings, and the instructions or endorsements ofpast or present spiritual leaders. As well, manychoose a vegan diet and lifestyle for more than justone of the above reasons.

RESOURCES: vegsource.com and Diet For A NewAmerica by John Robbins.

From the author of Peace In Every Bite, A VeganCookbook with Recipes for a Healthy Lifestyle, thishas been part of our continuing series on VeganEducation. Watch for the next installment: FoodChoices on a Vegan Diet in upcoming Co-opConnection News Issues.

Send us your spring recipes for an 18%one-time discount shoppingcard for each recipe that we

use in the Co-op Connection News!We’re looking for light, healthy, sea-sonal spring fare: salads, salad dress-ings, light soups and meals. Please e-mail your recipes to Kristin White atkristinw@lamontanita.coop or call herat 217-2016 for more information.

KitchariThis Ayurvedic recipe comes from Co-op memberSandra Aumiller. Kitchari is an East Indian mixtureof two grains that is easy to digest and nourishing.Choose vegetables that are best for your digestion.If you decide to include greens, add them during thelast 5 to 9 minutes of cooking.

vegetables: asparagus, hard winter squash, celery,sweet or white potatoes, rutabagas, onion, etc. 1 C basmati rice (brown or white)1/2 C split mung dal

7 C water, more if needed2 T ghee or clarified butter1/2 t each: cumin seeds, turmeric powder, corian-der powder, and fennel powderpinch of asafoetida (hing)pinch of saltnote: for improved digestion add a pinch of ginger

powder and 1/4 t mustard seeds

Carefully clean rice and dal andremove any foreign material such asstones, bran covering, etc. Rinse inthree changes of water. Sauté cuminseeds in the ghee, or clarified butter,until they pop; add all other spices.

Add the dal, salt and rice and sautéfor 1 to 2 minutes. Add boiling water and cover;bring to a boil and simmer for 40 minutes, or untilthe dal begins to soften. Cut vegetables into bite-size portions and stir into the dal/rice mixture.Add water if it appears too thick.

Bring to another boil and simmer for 30 minutes.Rice and dal should be soft and yielding. If it’s toothin, remove cover and simmer until texture issmooth like porridge.

Cooking fromSCRATCH

BY DR. BRIAN CLEMENT SPEAKS IN NEW MEXICO

D r. Brian Clement, Director of the Hippo-crates Health Institute, West PalmBeach, Florida, will be in Santa Fe

and Albuquerque for a series of lectures onMarch 6-8. Brian Clement, PhD, LNC, has spear-headed the international progressive healthmovement for more than three decades. AsDirector of the Hippocrates Health Institute, heand his team have developed a state-of-the-artprogram for teaching health maintenance, active aging, diseaseprevention and recovery. Dr. Clement is the author of nine books,including the bestselling Living Foods for Optimum Health. Alllectures will have an extensive question and answer period.

THE LECTURES INCLUDE:• March 6: ACHIEVING AND MAINTAINING PERFECT HEALTH- THE EASY WAY at Santa Fe Soul. For directions call 505-474-8555.• March 7: CELEBRATING HEALTHY LIVING – EMBRACING THE

PROCESS OF TRANSFORMATION. The Santa Fe Raw FoodPotluck, St. Michael’s Drive (near K-Mart), Santa Fe. Limited

space, reservations required. For informationand reservations: contact meet-up organizerAnou Mirkine 505-699-2416 or anouchka@anoumirkine.com• March 7: LIFEFORCE & LONGEVITY: CREATINGA VIBRANT AND ABUNDANT FUTURE. AtBody/Santa Fe, 333 Cordova Road, Santa Fe.Directions: 505-986-0362

• March 8: HEALTHY BODY, CLEAR MIND, STRONG SPIRIT:Your Radical Health vegan, raw food diet meet-up group, at theRegener Hall, UNM campus, Albuquerque. For directions con-tact meet-up organizer, Kaylee Tejeda at 505-268-0898 orabqraw@gmail.com

For times and reservations go to: www.hippocratesinst.org/calendar.aspx. For info about Hippocrates Health Instituteand this tour, please contact Susan Lerner at 800-842-2125ext.343 or VitalLongevity@earthlink.net.

HEALTH THE HIPPOCRATES WAY

Celebrate Spring!with your

CO-OP

CO-OP Spring FestivalsCOMING soon!

VALLEY CO-OP’S 10TH ANNUAL

Garden PartySat. April 4th, 10am-3pm

and Nob Hill Co-op’s 20th Annual Celebrate the EarthFestival Sun. April 26th, 10am-6pm

Space fills quickly so farmers,gardeners, artists and envi-ronmental and social justiceorganizations please reserveyour FREE space early. Toreserve your space contactRobyn at 217-2027. Or calltoll free 877-775-2667

MAKE theLINKS:

HEALTHand FOOD

SHOP CO-OP AND SAVE BUY LOCAL

SEND US YOUR SPRING RECIPES!

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community forum March 2009 15

BY MAGGIE SEELEY AND ZAIDA AMARAL

The experiences of Totnes, the Britishtown of 8,000 people, which fosteredthe Transition Towns movement, is doc-

umented by Rob Hopkins in his book, TheTransition Handbook).

Transition Towns are forming all over the world,the US and in our own state of New Mexico. Inresponse to peak oil and climate change, communi-ty groups in Albuquerque, Santa Fe, Jemez Springs,Silver City (and other places we have yet to discov-er), Neighborhood Associations, Permacultureactivists, our own La Montanita Food Co-op,schools and environmental groups are planning anoil-free future. It is a “bottoms-up momentum,”particularly suited for New Mexico communities.We have lots of experience with “off the grid” liv-ing, plenty of wind and sunshine, gardeners galoreand facility with a perpetual economic recession.We say this because New Mexico has the 47th (of50) lowest GDP in the US and challenging socialindicators due to poverty.

In December 2008, at a Transition Town Training inSan Francisco, designed and led by two Totnes citi-zen facilitators who are international TTtrainers, the following key TT (TransitionTowns) factors were discussed:

Resilience INDICATORS• The number of locally owned businesses isimportant. Both Albuquerque and Santa Fehave independent business alliances repre-senting hundreds of businesses. New bill-boards advising “BUY LOCAL” are postedall over.• The percent of food grown and consumedwithin our Food-Shed: The Co-op uses a300-mile radius to designate our Food-Shed,meaning that we enjoy potatoes from Colorado.• Ratio of car parking to productive land use: Herewe don’t fare very well. Albuquerque is a one-storywestern town/city dependent on the auto, and stillexperiencing active sprawl. • Degree of citizen activity in taking on the criticalissues: car sharing, community gardens, carbon miti-gation, renewable energy and “neighborly-ness.”

Oil ADDICTIONWhen we speak about our own personal addiction to

oil, it’s startling. The TT training includes a teaching on and experi-ence of the Psychology of Change.

Steps in becoming a TRANSITION TOWN:1. Steering committee to guide the process2. Awareness raising3. Citizens, groups, organizations, events4. Official unleashing5. Self organizing working groups and training6. Open space issue identification7. Vision, plan & practical manifestations8. Re-skilling, building resilience, gap-filling9. Local government bridge building10. Honoring elders

11. Letting the TT movement go where it wishes12. Energy descent plan & re-localization agenda

APRIL 2009 TRANSITION TOWNS TRAININGS IN NEW MEXICO

As this article is going to press, Transition Towns trainings for citizengroups are scheduled in Boulder, Omaha, Tucson, Seattle andVancouver. We hope to offer the training in Santa Fe in April 2009,and an abbreviated free version of the training at the Co-op’s 20thAnnual Celebrate the Earth Festival on April 26.

MAGGIE SEELEY is a green business consultant who uses theTriple Bottom Line as a model for slow growth (social equity, pros-perity and ecological responsibility). A teacher at UNM, she isinspired by the work of her students in the Sustainability StudiesProgram. MaggiHeart@aol.com 505-268-3339.ZAIDA AMARAL is the Director of the Eco Village DesignSouthwest Institute. She is an architect, a feng shui master and anative of Brazil. She was trained at Findhorn Institute in Scotland andlaunched the lst US Eco Village design course in Albuquerque in2007-2008. 505-410-4611 Zaida@ecovillagedesignsouthwest.org

GROW YOUR OWN FOOD!POSSIBIL IT IES FOR NEW MEXICO: THE TRANSITION TOWNS

MOVEMENT

EXPANDING NUKES LOCALLY AND GLOBALLY: BY LUCILLE CORDOVA, DON HANCOCK, JANET

GREENWALD

The Global Nuclear Energy Partnership (GNEP) isthe former Bush administration’s program tobuild nuclear power plants in the US and around

the world. It would include reprocessingplants and could allow foreign nuclear waste tobe disposed in the US. In addition to costinghundreds of billions of dollars, GNEP couldproliferate nuclear bomb materials worldwide.Hundreds of New Mexicans and thousands ofpeople across the country have opposedGNEP. That opposition succeeded in delaying adecision to proceed with GNEP. Now, the deci-sion is up to the Obama administration.

Eleven sites were proposed for GNEP in all: two sites pro-posed in New Mexico, one east of Roswell and one westof Hobbs. Though little opposition arose to the plan in theHobbs area, there has been widespread opposition in theRoswell area. At the height of the opposition, two womenfrom Albuquerque, Lucille Cordova and Sylvianna Diazd’Ouville, visited Roswell. They were impressed with thebreadth and depth of the opposition. The following areexcerpts of the account Lucille wrote.

In August 2007 the crowd at Peppers Grill and Bar, inRoswell, New Mexico, was having a great time, dancing,eating and enjoying a night out. Music was by the SpringRiver Band, led by Frank McKinnon who had gathered overone thousand petition signatures against the citing of a plu-tonium reprocessing plant in his Roswell community.

A big soft spoken guy, McKinnon is a teacher, a talentedmusician, a committed community activist, self taughtnuclear research historian, a father and husband. His inter-est in environmental issues began when he inherited asummer camp in Arkansas. The camp, enjoyed by hun-dreds of children for years every summer, had to close itsdoors forever because the camp swimming hole became

contaminated by a neighboring chemical company. It wasthrough this difficult personal experience that McKinnondeveloped an interest in environmental issues.

McKinnon realized that not only were there health issues toconsider but issues of public trust, accountability, govern-ment truthfulness and even media culpability. Once thepublic meetings on GNEP began, he was surprised to findout that the DOE, in an unprecedented move, gave out mil-

lion-dollar grants to companies andorganizations to put together pro-posals for GNEP. Additionally hewas also surprised at Roswell’sMayor Sam De Groin and thenSenator Domenici’s misleadingclaims that the community was infavor of the facility and that thecommunity had participated in pub-lic meetings on the proposals.

According to McKinnon, there were no such public meet-ings prior to the ones organized by Concerned Citizens ofRoswell months after the mayor’s claim; he also does notbelieve that the majority of the population, in southeastNew Mexico, are in favor of the facility.

He is mainly concerned with Gandy Marley, Inc., andEnergy Solutions (ES), the companies that would operatethe Roswell site. The Utah Department of EnvironmentalQuality, where ES owns a nuclear waste dump, reportsbetween 8 and 18 violations per regulatory visit. Hebelieves that this kind of carelessness would also affectthe nuclear waste processing facility proposed for theRoswell area and could result in a variety of public healthhazards due to leaks, not unlike those experienced at asimilar nuclear reprocessing plant in Sellafield, England.Like Roswell, the area around Sellafield has a lot ofdairies and would be approximately 35 to 36 miles awayfrom the proposed reprocessing site.

As we left the lights of Roswell behind, we felt hopeful;we had met a man of integrity and purpose who would notlet short term gains obliterate the need for good steward-ship of our land, air and water and the health of our com-munities.

Protect Roswell and all New Mexicans from morenuclear contamination and from the continued use ofour enchanting lands as a national nuclear sacrificearea. Don’t let former officials, Bush and Domeniciforce their nuclear legacy on New Mexico! TELLPRESIDENT OBAMA TO STOP GNEP!

Please submit your comments by March 16, 2009.Mark your comments: DRAFT GNEP PEIS COMMENTSMail comments to: Mr. Francis G. Schwartz, GNEPPEIS Document Manager, Office of Nuclear EnergyUS Department of Energy, 1000 Independence Ave.,SW, Washington, DC 20585

Fax comments to: 1-866-489-1891. Email comments to: http://www.regulations.gov/fdmspublic/component/main?main=DocumentDetail&o=0900006480744445More information and sample comments are at:http://www.ananuclear.orgOr contact Citizens Against Radioactive Dumping(CARD) at 266-2663 if you want to help with a peti-tion against GNEP.

GLOBAL NUCLEAR ENERGYPPaarrttnneerrsshhiipp

March 14th: Clarifying Meditative Work at the Wat Center continues with a workshop forpeople from any or no meditation tradition. Explore what meditative work is and how itsheds light on the concerns of our lives. Sat., 3/14, 2pm with programs through theafternoon. More info contact the Wat Center, 145 Madison NE, corner of Madison andCopper. $2 donation. More info: Jay Cutts, New Mexico Center for Meditative Inquiryand Retreat, at 281-0684 http://www.cuttsreviews.com/meditation/

Duende Poetry Seriespresents:

Duende Poetry Series Invitational: Mary McGinnis, Anne MacNaughton &Peter Rabbit. Following the reading, there will be a thirty minute open mic,now with a 4 minute time-limit per poet. Sunday, March 15th, 3pm at AnasaziFields Winery of Placitas, NM. Anasazi Fields wines will be available for tastingand purchasing. Suggested donation of $3 will pay the poets. Drive out for a goodtime and a fistful of literature. To get to the Winery, take I-25 to the Placitas exit242, drive 6 miles east to the Village, turn left at the sign just just before thePresbyterian Church, follow Camino de los Pueblitos through two stop signs tothe Winery entrance.

Info call Jim at 867-3062 anasazifieldswinery@att.net or Cirrelda 897-0285cirrelda@laalamedapress.com www.anasazifieldswinery.com

sun.,mmaarrcchh1155,,3pm

Actionalert!!

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La Montañita Co-op Distribution Center3361 Columbia NE • Albuquerque, NM 87107L M t ñit C D

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Great Reasons to be a Co-op MemberSpring is Here!Don’t miss the Co-op’s Spring Festivals. See page 1 for details.