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        1220 North Forest Street at Holly Street
        Bellingham, Washington
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        360-734-8158
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        315 Westerly Road at Cordata Parkway
        Bellingham, Washington
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You are here: Home / Archives for eat local first

Co-op Welcomes Leif’s Tea: Probiotics Have Never Been So Delicious

A blue bottle of Leif's Tea sits on stairs behind the Co-op.

Leif’s Tea uses produce and juice from the Co-op to create delightful jun beverages that are now sold in our stores. 

About Leif’s Tea

“Bee free, bee strong. Live free, live long.” 

That is exactly what Leif’s Tea is promoting in their organic and delicious jun. 

All of their teas use local herbs and honey in addition to the use of Co-op products, probiotic jun culture, and organic green tea. 

What began in handmade tea bags and individually gathered herbs is still processed by hand to maintain the integrity of the ingredients. You can truly taste the difference.

Six flavors are available in our stores:

Seattle Sky: A sophisticated, classic blend of lavender, vanilla bean, and Earl Grey tea.

Wonderful Watermelon: A summertime splash of watermelon and hibiscus.

Dreamy Bee: A sparkling combination of elderflower, lavender, roses, chamomile, and orange peel.

Pink Lemonade: A stone fruit favorite made with black cherry juice.

Herbal Evermore: Refreshment at its finest with a mix of peppermint, spearmint, and Alaskan Ginseng.

Supernatural Blue: Blue spirulina and alfalfa create a blue sky in a bottle.

The Benefits of Jun

This sparkling beverage is more than just delicious, it’s nutritious. Jun is like kombucha’s cousin, made of green tea and honey as opposed to black tea and sugar. While you may know jun provides the benefits of a probiotic, additional ingredients can add even more benefits. Each herb used at Leif’s Tea has its own purpose.

For example, blue spirulina is a blue-green algae that can aid in lowering cholesterol levels.

“These plants are our allies, our partners in life,” owner Linda Quintana said. 

In addition to the probiotic features and use of nutritional plants, green tea provides antimicrobial properties and is rich in vitamins C and B2. 

Make a Fruit Punch Mocktail

A finished mocktail sits next to an empty bottle of Leif's Tea.

A kiwi, sparkling water, and Leif's Tea bottle sit on a table.

Ready to try Leif’s Tea? Try this easy mocktail recipe for two! 

You’ll need two glasses, one bottle of Supernatural Blue Leif’s Tea, one can of Tropical Punch Olipop, and one kiwi.

  1. Dice half of your kiwi, and slice the other half. 
  2. Add the diced kiwi to your glasses and muddle it. 
  3. Distribute the Olipop between the two glasses and stir. 
  4. Add your Leif’s Tea and stir, don’t shake!
  5. Garnish with the kiwi slices, and enjoy!

This mocktail is both delicious and eye-catching with the blue spirulina from Leif’s Tea’s Supernatural Blue. 

There is nothing more exciting than a new vendor! Find your favorite flavor in store now, or find a new favorite at our Leif’s Tea demos on August 11 and 12. On August 11 they’ll be at the Downtown store from 11:30 to 1:30 p.m., and on August 12 they’ll be at the Cordata store from 2 to 4 p.m. We can’t wait to introduce you to this new product.

A hand holds a blue bottle of Leif's Tea in front of a Co-op sign

 

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2018 Farmer Award Recipients!

by Jean Rogers, Farm Fund Administrator

October 2018
square dancing at Farmer Awards

Remember September? We can't stop reminiscing about the fun we had together!

To kick off Eat Local Month, the Co-op and Sustainable Connections hosted the Hootenanny to Benefit the Co-op’s Farm Fund at Boundary Bay Brewery.

All ages gathered together to celebrate community, dance, enjoy a delicious meal with ingredients specifically sourced from local farms, and to present the Local Farmer Awards.

woman at farm fair balancing pole on chin
baby on tractor

photos by FotoMataio Fotografia on Instagram @fotomataio, courtesy of Eat Local First

We are thrilled to present the 2018 Local Farmer Award winners and tell you a little about each one.

As the late harvest season winds down it’s a perfect time to highlight the winners of the Local Farmer Awards, announced at the Farm Fund Hootenanny in September.

All the farmers who were nominated were fantastic, and selecting the recipients was a tough decision. As one nominator said, “pretty much all around classy group of people no matter where you turn.”

Congratulations to everyone who was nominated by their fellow farmers and local eaters.

2018 BRIGHT SPOT FARMER AWARD

Helen Solem at farmer awards

Helen Solem,
Sumas River Farm

Some wonderful local farmers that add spark to our local food system were nominated, so we created a new award.

It is an honor to announce Helen, owner of Sumas River Farm as the recipient of the first Bright Spot Farmer Award.

Helen's many contributions run the gamut: delicious and unique produce and berries, participation and support for many food and farming events, sharing the history of Whatcom County farming, dedication to social justice, and the all-around warmth she brings to the work she does. Helen has worked tirelessly on her beautiful farm in Sumas, and brings dedication and positive energy to every project she is involved in. Well deserved, Helen, we appreciate you!

2018 NEW FARMER AWARD

Wanderwood Farm receiving Farmer Award

Jen Finch & Colin Fischer,
Wanderwood Farm

If you’ve been to Wanderwood Farm’s booth at the Bellingham Farmers Market, you’ve probably seen or tasted their delicious produce and enjoyed a warm reception from these friendly folks.

Wanderwood got a big thumbs up from fellow farmers who nominated them for the New Farmer Award. One person said, “Jen has long been a part of the farmer and farmers market scene. They are a great addition to the farming community: active in the Bellingham Farmers Market board, and really have their act together.” Congratulations, Colin and Jen, and here’s to a great future for Wanderwood Farm!

2018 INNOVATOR FARMER AWARD

Griffin Berger

Griffin Berger,
Sauk Farm

Griffin has brought a unique, ambitious, and valuable new endeavor to our local food system and is bringing new products to the marketplace.

Specializing in apples and grapes, Sauk Farm just received its organic certification, which makes it one of the only organic apple growers on this side of the mountains. Griffin has also put a lot of effort into the infrastructure of Sauk Farm. The processing facility has a cider press and a certified organic dehydrator, which Griffin generously shares with other farms. Look for Sauk Farm ciders and dried and fresh apples (available seasonally) at the Co-op. Welcome, Griffin, and thanks for your creativity in bringing local, organic apples and grapes to our plates and glasses!

2018 MENTOR FARMER AWARD

Farmers Award recipients

Anna & Geoff Martin,
Osprey Hill Farm

Osprey Hill Farm is a mainstay of the local farming community and has grown steadily as a premier organic farm in the South Fork Valley.

Anna and Geoff have shared their expertise generously for many years with new farmers in Whatcom County. One nomination stated, “Anna is so generous with her time in supporting beginning farmers. Every season she teaches Cloud Mountain interns about the importance of business planning. Her passion for sharing her experience with young farmers is inspiring.” Anna has also been a mentor for Sustainable Connections’ Food to Bank On program for the last seven years, and is a participant and an original member of the Puget Sound Food Hub. Thanks, Anna and Geoff, for your stewardship of local farming!

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2022 Community Shopping Day Donations

Every year, the Co-op Member Affairs Committee (MAC) and Board of Directors selects community organizations to be the monthly Community Shopping Days (CSD) recipient. CSD recipients receive 2% of the Co-op’s total sales on the third Saturday of their designated month, and all register donations made during the month. Now [...]
Farm Fund recipient Robin Crandall harvesting echinacea

Farm Fund Recipient: Ebb & Flow Herb Farm

We visited Farm Fund recipient Robin Crandall to talk about Ebb & Flow Herb Farm and her Co-op Farm Fund grant project.

A woman farmer picking harvesting onions

Local Farm Feature: Flynn Farms

Co-op vendor Flynn Farms is woman-owned, veteran-owned, AAPI-owned and certified organic. We visited Flynn Farms to talk with owner Savannah about her journey and her mission to empower a new generation of farmers.

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DOWNTOWN STORE & DELI • map • 360-734-8158 • 7 am – 9 pm
meat and deli counter: 7 am – 7 pm
made-to-order counter: 7 am – 6 pm
salad/hot bar: 7 am – 6 pm

CORDATA STORE & DELI • map • 360-734-8158 • 7 am – 9 pm
meat and deli counter: 7 am – 7 pm
made-to-order counter: 7 am – 6 pm
salad/hot bar: 7 am – 7 pm

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