The Apple Farm!
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“Part of the secret of success in life is to eat what you like and let the food fight it out inside.” -Mark Twain SEPTEMBER - OCTOBER 2013 INSIDE THIS ISSUE Greetings from the GM ............2 The Apple Farm! ........................3 Words on Wellness ...................4 Words on Wine ..........................5 Autumn on Your Plate ..........6-7 Upcoming Events ......................8 Staff Updates .............................9 Member-Owner Give-Away ...10 Kids Classes .............................10 Owner-to-Owner ......................11 New Sale Signage ...................11 Co-op Calendar ....................... 12 he Apple Farm in Philo is a staple in our produce department at Ukiah Natural Foods. We are Tgrateful every fall for the twenty-plus varieties that are provided during the peak of apple sea- son for our customers’ enjoyment! It was the cold wet winter of 1984 when Tim Bates and Karen Schmitt began taming the wild property that is now their apple farm. Today, more than 3 genera- tions join together to care for The Apple Farm and this family affair is one that is enjoyed by all! “Our years of working the farm led us from conventional practices, through transi- tion, and on to many years of being certified organic. We want to continue to evolve and have chosen biodynamic farming as a framework in which we can further de- velop our relationship with our farm. It is an endlessly fascinating endeavor and we are all energized by the new and old ideas that we unearth.” - from www.philoapplefarm.com Tim, Karen and family produce a wide variety of products beyond their apples. The delicious, delec- table apples that they grow later become apple syrup, apple cider vinegar and hard apple cider, to name a few. On a recent tour of the farm we were able to taste-test The Apple Farm’s food prod- ucts as well as learn a lot about the process of creating hard cider. Asking Tim about the farm’s history we found that it all began with family.... CONNECTED TO OUR COMMUNITY cont. on page 3 GReetIngs FRom THE geneRAL manageR A natural foods cooperative since 1976 Fall Is Here! 721 South State Street Ukiah, CA 95482 707 462-4778 Store 707 467-9720 Annex www.ukiahcoop.com e-mail: [email protected] As we approach the fall season it brings our human resource and accounting depart- STORE HOURS cooler temperatures and the beautiful ments occupy in addition to the classroom Mon–Sat | 8–8 p.m. changing colors in nature. September and and meeting room has given us a little breath- Sun | 9–6 p.m. October are very busy months at the Co-op ing room, but the ultimate goal is to have all celebrating National Organic Month, Fair the staff housed again under one roof. UNF ManaGEMENT Trade Month, Non-GMO Month, National Co-op Month, Back to Schools Week and our Our employee population has grown to 94 STORE member-owner party! Take a look through- staff members. Their hard work and re- General Manager out this edition of the Co-op News Beet for sponsibilities are carried out on a daily basis Lori Rosenberg information about these events and I hope to continuing to provide value, service, quality Front End see you at our fun Co-op event at Terra Sávia organic products, a clean store, education and Lodie DeAlba in Hopland on Saturday, October 5th from services to our diverse community. I appreci- Grocery 3-7 PM! ate and value them all for their great work. Babs Verenis As a former employee used to say, “It takes Information Technology We have been reporting to you about our a village to make it all work.” I agree whole Brian Alexander continuous search for a larger site that would heartedly. Marketing & Outreach provide an opportunity to increase services, Thank you for your continued support of our Jessica Silva expand key departments, enhance the ever thriving community owned and operated Produce customer shopping experience and be able cooperative. Libee Uhuru to operate more efficiently. As the search Wellness continues, there are key factors that are Mike Tilander reviewed for each potential site based on af- In cooperation, Operations fordability, location, ample parking and size. The board of directors and management will Mark Rogers Lori Rosenberg continue our best efforts moving ahead and General Manager ANNEX will keep our member-owners informed. We Finance continue to operate the best we can in our Anne Wright current location with all its limitations while Human Resources striving to provide a safe work environment Susan Winter for the staff. The rented annex location that Vision: We envision Ukiah Natural Foods Co-op to be the foundation of a trusted, cooperative Co-op News marketplace of goods and services that provide for the needs of our diverse community. Editor / Layout Purpose: The purpose of Ukiah Natural Foods Co-op is to be a vital, thriving, and growing Jessica Silva / [email protected] community center that will: Contributors • Provide and promote organically grown, sustainably produced food, goods, and services that are Lori Rosenberg, Mike Tilander, Amanda Slade locally and regionally sourced whenever possible. Submissions • Promote the health and wellness of our community by providing facilities, resources, and Views expressed in the Co-op News are the writers’ information and by offering effective, positive community education and services. opinions and are not necessarily the views of Ukiah Natural Foods Co-op. Submissions from members • Embody and model sustainable, humane, equitable, green ways of working and living, creating and are encouraged. The deadline for submissions is the first Friday of the month, two months before maintaining an ideal workplace. publication. Submissions may be edited or not • Add to the enjoyment and enrichment of our greater community ventures and networks. printed based on length and appropriateness. • Have fun doing it! The Co-op News • September - October 2013 2 GReetIngs FRom THE geneRAL manageR Fall Is Here! The Apple Farm! Local, Organic Apple Farm in Philo, CA CONTINUED FROM FRONT PAGE apple syrup and so much more! It is the perfect loca- and family have grafted more than a quarter of the farm tion to stop off for a treat as you drive through Ander- over the years! The process of grafting is a difficult son Valley. one, however it is one that has provided Tim the op- portunity to grow 80-plus varieties of apples. It seems During our tour we received a great tasting of some every other year is a small crop year for apples, some of the farmstand’s products... However, we also took less than others. Many apple varieties only produce home some of the farm’s (delicious) hard cider. A about 10% of their crop in the alternating years. Some great portion of our tour centered around the process trees will give The Apple Farm five hundred apples this behind making a great hard cider! If you ever choose year and only fifty next year. No matter the circum- to enjoy a farm stay, you will also enjoy some of the stance, The Apple Farm delivers delicious apples year light, refreshing and delicious hard cider from The after year. Apple Farm at all times of day! The farm produces at least ten 60-gallon barrels of hard cider each year. Each year The Apple Farm’s apples travel far and wide for everyone to enjoy their delicious flavor. Pick up their apples or apple cider here at the Co-op, stop by their farmstand or take a trip to the Farmer’s Market behind the Ferry Building in San Francisco on Saturdays. No matter which way you get them, we encourage you to try some of The Apple Farm’s apples during the peak of im and Karen just raved about Anderson Valley their season! Tto Karen’s parents and spent a great deal of time letting them know they should consider moving to the area. After a long search, Karen’s parents contacted Tim and Karen to ask them how they felt about chang- ing their profession? Needless to say, that’s where Looking for more information on The Apple Farm began! The Apple Farm? Today, two of the couple’s daughters spend all of their Visit them at: time on the farm helping the family business. Sophia 18501 Greenwood Road runs the family’s animals and vegetable gardens, Philo, California 95466 providing them the opportunity to raise more than 80% of their own food. Rita doesn’t see much beyond the www.philoapplefarm.com farm and loves the family business! She spends her time working alongside Sophia to learn the ropes. (707) 895-2333 The process of creating hard cider is a long and Speaking of the family business, it goes far beyond tedious one that Tim has been perfecting for over just growing apples and creating products for the 25 years, before hard cider was even the rage! Tim farmstand. The Apple Farm regularly holds Stay & picks and chooses just the right blend of apples for his Cook Farm Weekends in their beautiful space. Im- hard cider and then uses old champagne bottles from mediately upon entering the farm’s property you get Roederer Estates to bottle his product. According to a glimpse of the charming guest quarters. With lovely Tim, the best apples for hard cider are Wickson and names like Blue Door, Green Door, Red Door and King David apples, with the remaining contents being a Room with a View you can’t go wrong! Beginning blend of apples available on the farm. Another special February through November you can choose to enjoy note about the hard cider is that Tim does not use a weekend or midweek stay at the farm.