Tips & Recipes for In-Season Eating, by CSM Owner Megan Squire

Simple Food by Megan Squire

Summer is great for enjoying simple foods: beans picked right out of the garden, blackberries, tomatoes. The flavors are so good there is no need to dress anything up with all kinds of crazy sauces or drown them in fancy trimmings.

Here’s a lovely salad that we had tonight using stuff from the garden and farmer’s market.

Grilled chicken from the farmer’s market (marinated for 5 minutes in balsamic vinegar, sliced into medallions), greens and carrots from the grocery store, tomatoes from the garden, cucumber from the farmer’s market. Delish and so simple. Just let the Summertime flavors speak for themselves.

Thank you to the many volunteers who helped make this event possible, including Megan Squire, Jonathan Romm, Eric Michel, Tony Crider, Board members Sharon Dent & Rusty Holt, and CSM’s Communications & PR Managers Nate Perry and Sarah Cook.

Grove Winery at the Seth Walker Concert Afterparty sponsored by Company Shops Market Co-op in Burlington NC.

Seth Walker Concert Afterparty at the Company Shops Market Co-op in Burlington NC.

Olive, Garlic and Caper Hummus made fresh with organic chick peas by volunteers Jonathan Romm and Nate Perry.

Mellon with Basil and Chiles made from locally grown melons by volunteer Megan Squire.

Organic Black Bean Dip with Sour Cream and Cheese

Fresh Mozzarella and Locally Grown Tomatoes

Board Member Bob Hykes and his wife Kathy enjoy a glass of wine from Grove Winery.

Salsa with Black Beans made from locally grown German Johnson tomatoes by volunteer Megan Squire.

Ashe County Caraway Cheddar (made in NC) with Stoneground Wheat Crackers

Thanks to LuckPhotography.com for the event photos

About Us: Company Shops Market is an organization created and developed by community members. We are working toward opening a full service natural foods grocery store and café that provides healthy locally produced foods. Until now, we have operated by volunteer effort; acquiring funding, finding new members, and creating systems to successfully open and operate our grocery. We are confident that our store will be opening by spring 2011. We are going to hire a professional and experienced general manager who will work with us to successfully open our store, and who will oversee the daily operation of the store upon opening.
The General Manager is given all authority and responsibility required to successfully operate the store.

Brief Job Description: We’re looking for a creative and flexible GM who can think outside-the-box to work with our diverse constituents (owners, owner-workers, paid staff, customers, Board of Directors and active committees) to make the most of the space we have and the resources available. The GM will be a leader who can develop our membership and focus energies on our mission to create “a place for people who value healthy food, a healthy planet, and cooperation.” Qualified candidates should have experience and success in leadership, grocery management, natural foods retail, computer skills, and a background in budget and finance. People and management skills are required.

Click Here for the Full Job Description (pdf)

Salary Range $55,000 -$60,000

To Apply: Submit a current resume, professional writing samples and cover letter by August 15th to gm@companyshopsmarket.coop. In your cover letter, please detail your experiences and qualifications, as described in the job description.

Tips & Recipes for In-Season Eating, by CSM Owner Megan Squire

Sweet Eggplant-Zucchini Salad by Megan Squire

So last week I wrote that it wasn’t quite tomato season yet. Well, it is now! Here’s something to use up some of those beautiful tomatoes and eggplants we’re seeing all over the gardens and farmer’s markets now.

This is a twist on the traditional summertime eggplant-zucchini ratatouille (the French version) or caponata (the Italian version). I got the inspiration from Mark Bittman’s How to Cook Everything Vegetarian. (Many of you might recognize him from his New York Times articles about food or even from Runner’s World magazine bits about fitness nutrition.)

All the veggies in this recipe came from Redbud Farm (at the Elon farmer’s market) except the jalapeno and the mint, which came from my very own garden!

Market Ingredients:
1 eggplant, chopped into 1″ pieces (rosa bianca eggplant is shown in the picture)
1 yellow zucchini, chopped (not a squash)
1 green zucchini, chopped
1 small onion, coarsely chopped
1 jalapeno or other hot pepper, minced very fine
2 tomatoes, chopped (I had extra cherry tomatoes too so I added those)
1 handful of mint leaves, minced

Ingredients from the pantry:
3 TB olive oil, divided
1 tsp cinnamon
1 TB lemon juice
salt and pepper

Method:
1. Heat 2T olive oil over medium heat in a stainless steel skillet. Add the eggplant and sprinkle some salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, about 10 minutes or until eggplant is soft. Remove eggplant from pan into bowl.

2. Add zucchini to hot pan with 1T olive oil. Cook for 2 minutes, then add onion and jalapeno. Cook for a few minutes until onions begin to get soft. Add 1 teaspoon cinnamon.

3. Add the tomatoes. Simmer for a few minutes to blend the flavors. Add some salt and pepper and the lemon juice. When everything looks good, add the eggplant back in. Toss in the mint leaves and stir to mix everything. Make sure all the pieces are nice and soft, and that the flavors are mixed throughout.

4. Serve over small toasts (toasted baguette, sliced) or with fresh mozzarella pieces.

You’re Invited!

Free Tickets to the first 100 CSM Owners

Have plans for Sunday night? Celebrate the 4th of July with the great America pastime, baseball. Come watch the Burlington Royals play the Elizabethton Twins at the Burlington Athletic Stadium. Company Shops Market is excited to sponsor the post game fireworks show. We are delighted to help support this local, family friendly event in our community.

Free tickets for Company Shops Market Owners! (Limit 100,
first come first serve. Regular general admission price is $5) Bring
your Company Shops Market ownership card and tell them you are a CSM
owner at the ticket booth. Getting your free tickets is that easy.

When and where? Burlington Athletic Stadium at Fairchild
Park. Game starts at 6:30pm this
Sunday night, July 4th. Directions from I40/85: Take exit 145. Head
North on Maple Ave. and go approx. 2 miles. Take a right onto Mebane
St.. Continue on Mebane St. for 2 miles. Take a right onto Beaumont
Ave. Follow Beaumont Ave. until it ends; the stadium is on the left.
Stadium is located at 1450 Graham St. Burlington, NC 27217 (less
than 2 miles from the future home of Company Shops Market).

Photos and additional information will be posted on the CSM event page after the event

Sustainable Alamance began the hot, tiring and dirty task of removing the old wooden ceiling framework from The Company Shops Market building last week. We are thrilled to be partnering with Sustainable Alamance’s Prison Ministry, offering work and wages to Alamance County residents who are willing and eager to earn not only much needed wages but also to rebuild their lives and earn the trust of our community. See them at work on this little video and interview we taped last week

“This was a perfect match for us,” said co-op board member Eric Henry. “Before the big work could be done by the contractors, this had to get done. Instead of bringing in a crew like what usually happens, we wanted to work with the community and give jobs to people who really need jobs the most.”

Phil Bowers, Sustainable Alamance director, says… Ex-convicts are often overlooked in unemployment figures and have a more difficult time than most people when looking for jobs….“We are trying to find the guys who really want out of the system,” Bowers said. “This demonstrates that there are men and women in that system who want out and they’re willing to work hard to do it. You see them on a job like this — that a lot of people wouldn’t do — and you know they’re hard workers.”

Thank you to Michael Abernathy of the Time-News for writing this article and spotlighting the good work of Phil Bowers and Sustainable Alamance.

———————

Update: In the opening frames of the video we posted on June 30th, you can see footage of Michael Abernathy of the Times News interviewing CSM board member Eric Henry.

Tips & Recipes for In-Season Eating, by CSM Owner Megan Squire

(Loca-zagna by Megan Squire)

Loca-zagna: It’s an all-local (ok, mostly local) and seasonal QUICK lasagna dinner.

This lasagna has farmer’s market ingredients purchased at the Elon Community Church farmer’s market (every Thursday 3:00-6:30pm) and from one farm directly (Asgard).

Local lasagna

I bought greens from Redbud Farm, eggs from Asgard farm, ricotta and mozzarella from Calico Farmstead Cheese, and goat meat from, well, I can’t remember because Tony bought this and paid cash so I have no receipt. It might have been T5 and it was 2 booths down from Redbud. Anyway, it was from the farmer’s market. You can buy this all in one place, combine with some pantry staples, and end up with dinner in less than an hour.

Market ingredients:
4 cups wilted chopped greens, drained well and squeezed
1 lb ricotta cheese
1 egg
3 cloves garlic, minced (divided)*
1 handful parsley leaves, chopped fine
1 lb goat meat
1 small handful fresh chopped oregano
1/2 pound mozzarella, shredded with a hand-grater

Pantry ingredients:
8-10 whole wheat lasagna noodles, or as many as you need to make 2 layers in a 9×12 pan
1 jar spaghetti sauce (no, it’s not tomato season quite yet)

Method:
1. Boil water and cook the lasagna noodles according to package directions.

2. While the noodles are cooking, chop and steam your greens, or wilt them in a saute pan until they are tender. Squeeze out all the moisture. You want them as dry as possible.

3. In a medium bowl, mix half the garlic, chopped parsley, 1 egg, the ricotta, and the greens. This will be a fairly dry and crumbly mixture.

4. In a large skillet, brown the goat meat. Near the end of cooking, mix in the rest of the minced garlic and the chopped oregano leaves. Remove meat from heat once it is done.

5. Drain the noodles once they are done cooking.

6. Once the noodles are done, the meat is done, and the ricotta mixture is mixed, you are ready to assemble the lasagna. Open the jar of sauce and spread just enough to barely cover the bottom of the lasagna pan. (This is a very thin layer, maybe 1/2 cup at the most, just to keep the noodles from sticking.) Place your first layer of noodles in the pan. Cover with one half of the ricotta mixture, then half the goat meat mixture, then half the remaining sauce.

7. Repeat the layers: noodles, ricotta, meat, sauce. Top with shredded mozzarella.

8. Bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes. Enjoy.

Don’t forget to re-use your sauce jar for coffee.

*Note about garlic. Many of you might be saying, how’d she buy garlic at the farmer’s market?? Well, Redbud farm had these things that looked like leeks or vidalia spring onions, but they were garlic. I minced them up and used them in cooking. One thing to note, they dry out quickly; they’re not quite as moist as an onion. So if you cut it to use half, use the other half quickly or it will get too dried out to use.

Debbies’s Blackberries and (Ice) Cream

I feel like words can not do this justice. Today I stopped at the Gibsonville Farmer’s market. A woman named Debbie was selling quarts of blackberries for $5. I went immediately to Lowe’s and picked up a pint of Homeland Creamery ice cream. Pulled a few sprigs of cinnamon basil and mint from the garden outside, and voila. Fast, easy, delicious dessert.