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You are here: Home / Archives for holiday

Savory Stuffed Pumpkin

by Jeremy Meadows, former Cordata deli cook

stuffing a pumpkin with pumpkin stuffing

This Savory Stuffed Pumpkin recipe has become a regular for many Co-op staff and customers. It could easily be made vegetarian by eliminating the bacon and even vegan with a few ingredient replacements for the cheese and cream. Give it a try this autumn!
Photos by Meaghan Flesch

Reminiscing with Jeremy

I’m from Ohio. Yep, that part of the country known to historians (and some attentive third graders) as the Old Northwest. When I tell this to people here the image that typically arises is one of sleepy little towns surrounded by vast stretches of farmland. What they are picturing, I think, is Iowa. But the reality is much more, well, rust-colored. There are farms there to be sure. A local, sustainable food culture is even beginning to take off. But it certainly isn’t part of the DNA of the place like it is here—at least not yet. Rather, the midwestern zeal for industry and efficiency seems to have spread from the cities to the surrounding countryside resulting in a landscape dominated by factory farms and monoculture. And you guessed it: corn is king.

Growing up in a place like that can easily lead to a serious disconnect between a person and the food that he or she eats. To my young mind, food came from the supermarket, not from farms. I didn’t know any farmers. And the farms themselves—with those stalks of corn all lined up in their rows like vast battalions brandishing spears—were almost menacing. Really, have you ever noticed how many horror films are set in cornfields? Anyway, the farm did not seem like a place that anyone would ever need, or want, to go to.

There was, however, one exception. Each year my family would make pilgrimage to our local pumpkin patch. We would all clamber into the farmer’s wagon and roll out through the orange, glistening fields to harvest jack-o’-lanterns and pie pumpkins for the fall holidays. I was too young to think much about it then, but something about visiting that place, and picking with our own hands the food that we would soon eat, seemed important, elemental, right—like a tradition worth preserving.

Those early experiences made a deep and lasting impression, and I have no doubt that they have made me a more conscious, and conscientious, eater. That’s the thing about traditions, they have a way of shaping the way that we come to see the world. This savory stuffed pumpkin recipe has become a tradition around our house. And trust me, it’s a keeper.

stuffing ingredients sliced cheese garlic herbs pumpkin
uncooked stuffing croutons for pumpkin
stuffed pumpkin

Meaghan Flesch, former Co-op outreach team intern, prepared Jeremy’s pumpkin recipe using ingredients from her home garden along with local products available at the Co-op: Twin Brook Creamery cream, Hempler’s bacon, and Breadfarm bread. Meaghan gives the rich, savory recipe 5 stars and plans to make it again during the holidays.

Savory Stuffed Pumpkin

INGREDIENTS
  • 1 pie pumpkin, about 3 pounds
  • 1/4 pound stale bread, thinly sliced and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
  • 1/4 pound cheese, such as Gruyere, Emmenthal, cheddar, or a combination, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
  • 4 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped
  • 1 apple, 1/2-inch dice
  • 1 pear, 1/2-inch dice
  • 4 strips bacon (optional), cooked until crisp, drained, and chopped
  • About 1/4 cup fresh chives or sliced scallions
  • 1 tablespoon minced fresh thyme
  • About 1/3 cup heavy cream
  • Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
METHOD
  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
  2. Cut a cap out of the top of the pumpkin (think Halloween jack-o’-lantern). Scrape out seeds and strings from cap and inside of pumpkin.
  3. Season the inside of the pumpkin generously with salt and pepper. Place in a baking dish.
  4. Toss bread, cheese, garlic, fruit, bacon, and herbs together in a bowl. Season with pepper, you probably have enough salt from the bacon and cheese, but taste to be sure.
  5. Pack the mix into the pumpkin. It should be well-filled, but don’t overstuff it.
  6. Mix the cream, nutmeg, and some salt and pepper. Pour into pumpkin (add more cream if too dry).
  7. Replace the cap and bake for about 2 hours, checking after 90 minutes, or until the pumpkin flesh is tender enough to pierce easily with a knife tip. Remove cap during the last 20 minutes to bake off any liquid and slightly brown the top of the stuffing.
  8. Serve from the baking dish, making sure to scrape out some pumpkin flesh with each serving of stuffing.

(Note: Don’t be alarmed if your Thanksgiving turkey begins to turn green with envy when placed next to this good-looker!)

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PRODUCE| RECIPES| SALES baking| cooking| holiday| local| pumpkin| recipe| stuffing

Closing early: both stores 8 pm

Both the Cordata and Downtown stores close at 8 pm today. The bakery cafe closes at 4 pm as usual. Enjoy your New Year's Eve festivities.

All locations open at 10 am New Year's Day (Wednesday).

happy new year tags

close| holiday| hours| new years eve

Closing early: both stores close at 6 pm

Both stores close at 6 pm today; the bakery cafe will close at 4 pm as usual.

All Co-op locations will be closed on Christmas Day. Enjoy the holiday!

closed| holiday

The Co-op is closed for Thanksgiving

Please be aware that all Co-op locations are closed on Thanksgiving day. Enjoy the holiday and we'll see you Friday!

Happy Thanksgiving tree fall bird cat

closed| holiday| thanksgiving

Dazzle ’em! Simple Hors d’Oeuvres & Delicious Cheese

by Rachel Horton, Cordata Specialty Cheese

brie covered in divina sour cherry spread

Feeding a crowd? Dazzle ’em with simple hors d’oeuvres and delicious cheese!

My suggestion? Bring a smile to everyone’s face with a round of Ile de France Brie, topped with Divina Sour Cherry Spread, and paired with La Panzanella Gluten-Free Oat Thins. 

This simple yet posh dish brings so many flavors for a few minutes of work, plus it won’t break the bank!

Feeding a crowd? Let them nibble on these irresistible morsels.

If you’re anything like me, you love the holidays! We enjoy getting together with friends and family. But, when you really think about it, we love the holidays because we love to eat. The holiday recipes that seem too fancy for everyday living make us all feel like we are gourmet chefs in the kitchen. It’s a chance to impress your family members while trying something new.

you’ll supply the amazing hors d’oeuvres

This year, the specialty cheese department is here to help excite you and all your friends with delicious easy-to-prepare treats. Let the family gourmet chefs prepare the main courses; you’ll supply the amazing hors d’oeuvres!

My suggestion? Bring a smile to everyone’s face with a round of Ile de France Brie, topped with Divina Sour Cherry Spread, and paired with La Panzanella Gluten-Free Oat Thins, as pictured above.

This simple yet posh dish brings so many flavors for a few minutes of work, plus it won’t break the bank!

Ile de France is a mild brie and great for anyone just starting to try soft ripened cheeses. It has a slight mushroomy scent with a tangy aftertaste that pairs perfectly with the sweet and sour cherry spread.

The new Gluten-Free Oat Thins from La Panzanella in Seattle is a great option if you are trying to please everyone’s palate and consider various dietary needs. La Panzanella has long been a best-seller at the Co-op and their new gluten-free crackers don’t disappoint.

hors d'oeuvres platters with cheese pastrami figs olives figs

Building a cheese tray?

A basic serving suggestion is 1 to 1 1/2 ounces of each cheese per person; round down if you are serving three or more cheese varieties, round up if serving only one or two cheeses.

Another great option when feeding the masses is a cheese tray.

grab something for everyone and fill your platter with salamis, cheeses, olives, fruits, and crackers

Grab something for everyone and fill your platter with salamis, cheeses, olives, fruits, and crackers. The Co-op has some approachable and affordable suggestions.

A great starter cheese tray would look something like:
(see descriptions of each selection below)

  • Comté
  •  Brie du Pommier
  • Pérail Papillon Sheep’s Milk Cheese
  • Bennings Mild Goat Gouda
  • La Panzanella Artisan Crackers
  • Divina Castelvetrano Olives.

Simply add your favorite meat and fruit, and enjoy!

STEPHANIE SAYS

giant cheese wheel and slices with community food co-op deli worker

by Stephanie Willard, Downtown Specialty Cheese

The cheese case can be overwhelming. Don’t know where to start? These selections offer something to please everyone.

hard goat cheese with almonds

Benning Goat Gouda

Popular Dutch cheese with a pleasantly mild, fresh taste and pure white color. It is made from light, fresh goats’ milk, formed into classic Gouda-style wheels and aged to a rich yet mellow flavor and a creamy smooth texture. It’s a great “beginners” goat cheese.

Uses: Texture is firm enough to slice or cube, but also melts beautifully in anything: omelets, pizza, or quesadillas.

hor d'oeuvres cheese and almonds

Fromager d’Affinois

Mild, buttery flavor reminiscent of a silky triple-crème. The texture is a thick, nearly whipped spread of tangy, milky goodness. A flawless rind adds flavor to the sweetness of the cheese.

Uses: Popular on cheese platters with a sweetness that pairs well with champagne and fresh fruit. Smooth and gooey when warm from the oven: serve with crackers or toasted crusty French bread slices, topped with Divina Sour Cherry Spread, or wrapped in phyllo and baked for an impressive Brie en Croûte.

gruyere cheese block with brie wheel

Comté

Creamy texture with nutty, earthy flavors that range from stone fruit to brown butter. Captures the essence of a raw-milk, mountain pasture-fed cow’s milk cheese.

Uses: Super versatile and fairly firm, it can be sliced, cubed, or grated. Great eaten by itself, or used in cooking. Those nutty flavors work well melted into everything from fondue to Croque Monsieur—or jazz up a bowl of mac & cheese, sprinkle over veggies, or fold into a plate of eggs.

brie cheese wheel and gruyere cheese slice

Pérail Papillon

Melt-in-your-mouth, buttery, full but mild flavor, with notes of sweet grass and wildflowers. A thick, creamy disc of fresh sheep’s milk with a fudgy center and downy velvet rind. The sheep graze lush floral pasture on the Causses, a group of limestone plateaus rich in minerality in the South of France.

Uses: At room temperatures, it gets almost unctuous and runny, making it perfect to spread on crackers or a baguette with sour cherry jam and toasted nuts on the side.

pommier cheese and spread with jam on cracker

Brie du Pommier

Classic bloomy rind and soft paste with earthy and vegetal aromas that intensify as the cheese ripens. Full-flavored and mildly funky, with flavors that range from milk and sweet cream to mushroom and cauliflower.

Uses: follow suggestions for Fromager d’Affinois

green olives and divina orange fig spread

Divina Spreads

Delicious shimmery spreads from Divina are customer and staff favorites all year long, but particularly popular during the holiday entertaining season.

Uses: Serve one of these spreads on the side or generously spread over a rich brie or smooth goat cheese to instantly elevate your appetizer plate. Choose from sour cherry, fig, and orange fig.

Castelvetrano Olives

These olives were my gateway olive. Never having liked olives in the past, I was encouraged to try these. I was not disappointed. Castelvetranos upon first glance stand out because of their lively, pale shade of green. They are firm and meaty with a mild and buttery taste that’s both salty and sweet. They appeal not only to olive aficionados, but also to those who shy away from stronger, brinier varieties.

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DELI & CATERING| HOT OFF THE PRESS celebration| cheese| cheese tray| christmas| holiday| new years eve| thanksgiving

All locations open at 10 am today

All Co-op locations will open at 10 am today. Happy New Year! We wish you the best in 2019!

happy new year tags

happy new year| holiday| hours| open late

Mix & Match Wine Sale

Mix & Match Wine Sale

Friday, Nov. 9 though Wednesday, Nov. 21

Both stores

15% off any 6 bottles; 20% off any 12 bottles

Stop in and save! Need recommendations? Ask our wine stewards: Tim at the Cordata store or Vic at the Downtown store.

 

christmas| holiday| new years eve| sale| thanksgiving| wine

All locations close at 6 pm

All Co-op locations will close at 6 pm today, Christmas Eve.

christmas eve| close early| holiday

Annual Gift Giving Sale

Saturday & Sunday, Dec. 16 & 17
Both stores

Save 20% on—
art supplies • baskets • books • calendars • candles • cards • Co-op apparel • incense • jewelry • mugs & bowls • socks • toys • water bottles

gifts| holiday| mercantile| sale

Local Holiday Gifts from the Co-op

Supporting local businesses is one of the best ways to make the most of the holidays and strengthen our community at the same time.

At the Co-op you can buy these quality local items, and so many more! Find the perfect local gift for everyone on your list. Or, opt for the all-purpose gift that anyone will appreciate: a gift card!

Click on the image below to scroll through a selection of local items to jump start your local gift giving list.

  • locally grown baseball tee shirt
  • local ceylon tea from the spice hut
  • local soaps at the co-op
  • san juan island sea salts
  • local mugs for holiday gifts
  • moon valley organic beeswax lip balm
  • krampus herbal liqueur
  • local madrona smoked honey
  • local gift cards from the co-op
  • usda organic local coffee
  • Chocolate Necessities local chocolate bars
  • Bow Hill blueberry jam
  • Nourishing meals book
  • Bija chocolate bars
  • apple chips from bellewood acre farms

FLORAL & GARDEN| HEALTH & BEAUTY gifts| holiday| local

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Shop for Houseplants at the Co-op

Shop for houseplants at the Co-op! We’ve expanded our selection of indoor plants for you to enhance your home, improve indoor air quality, and enjoy the calming effect of houseplants.

stack of nancy's oatmilk yogurt flavors

May New Items and Staff Pick

Check out the May new items and the monthly staff pick! There’s always something for everyone including lots of vegan and plant-based goodies and organic starts for your garden!

margaret gerard and nick guilford on their farm

Meet Your Farmer: Sunseed Farm

Find their organic garden starts and tomato plants in our garden center. Growing organic produce and garden starts in Whatcom County since 1997. #local #organic

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• map • 360-734-8158 •  8 am – 9 pm; deli service counter closes at 7 pm
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