Community Food Co-op

Voted Bellingham's best grocery store. Full-service deli, hot bar, salad bar featuring organic, local, and natural foods. Everyone can shop, anyone can join. Co+op, stronger together.

Welcome! Everyone can shop the Community Food Co-op!
360-734-8158|
  • menu bar three linesMENU
    • Shop Online
    • Hours & Locations
      • Community Food Co-op, Downtown Store, 1220 North Forest Street at Holly StreetDowntown Store
        1220 North Forest Street at Holly Street
        Bellingham, Washington
        7 am - 9 pm
        360-734-8158
      • Cordata Co-Op exteriorCordata Store
        315 Westerly Road at Cordata Parkway
        Bellingham, Washington
        7 am - 9 pm
        360-734-8158
    • In Our Stores
      • Celebrating Our Co-op’s 50th Anniversary
      • Community Rooms
      • Customer Input
      • How to Shop
      • Dirty Dozen / Clean 15
      • Service Desk
      • What’s on Sale?
      • Contact Us
    • Departments
      • Bakery
      • Bulk
      • The Co-op Bakery Cafe
      • Dairy & Refrigerated
      • Deli & Deli To Go
      • Floral & Garden
      • Grocery
      • Meat & Seafood
      • Mercantile
      • Produce
      • Specialty Cheese
      • Wellness
      • Wine, Beer, & Spirits
    • About Us
      • Awards
      • Co-op Blog
      • Magazine & E-news
      • Our History
      • Strategic Plan
      • Sustainability at the Co-op
      • Vision, Mission, and Values
      • Contact Us
    • Community Giving
      • Community Shopping Days
      • Donations & Sponsorships
      • Donate at our Registers
      • Farm Fund
      • The Real Food Show
    • Join Us
      • Become a Co-op Member • Join Today!
      • Board of Directors
      • Employment
      • Local Business Partners
      • Sell to the Co-op
    • Recipes
      • Recipes
      • Cooking Videos
  • What’s on Sale?
  • Bakery Online Orders
  • Shop Online
  • Careers
  • Join Today!
  • Cooking Classes
  • Hours and Locations
You are here: Home / Archives for natural

Natural Vegan Blueberry Jam

By Dreena Burton, Contributing Author

photo of a toasted bagel with vegan blueberry jam

This jam is sweetened with only berries and dates. The dates also help thicken the jam, along with ground chia seeds. Try making it with your favorite summer berries!

Recipe reprinted from Plant-Powered Families by Dreena Burton, published by BenBella Books.

Photo courtesy of Nicole Axworthy.

 

Natural Vegan Blueberry Jam

By Dreena Burton
Makes 1¾–2 cups

INGREDIENTS
  • 3–3½ cups (roughly 1 pound) whole blueberries (can substitute raspberries, sliced/chopped strawberries, or a combination of the three; see note)
  • ½ packed cup finely chopped pitted dates (see note)
  • 2–3 pinches sea salt
  • 2 teaspoons ground black or white chia seeds
  • ½–1 teaspoon lemon zest to taste
  • Extra sweetener to taste (optional; see note)
METHOD
  1. Combine the berries, dates, and sea salt in a saucepan over medium-low heat. Allow the mixture to heat up so the fruit breaks down and begins to bubble, then reduce heat to low, cover, and let simmer until the fruits break down further, about 10 minutes.
  2. Add the chia and lemon zest, and let cook for another 3–5 minutes until the chia helps the jam thicken. Taste, and add extra sweetener if desired.
  3. Let cool, then refrigerate.

Berries—

Measuring 3 cups of berries can produce quite variable amounts—for instance, if measuring whole strawberries, just a few can fill up 1 cup. So, for larger berries like strawberries, simply slice them a few times or roughly chop before measuring. A standard 1-pound clamshell container of strawberries is 3–3½ cups chopped strawberries.

Dates—

The dates will darken the mixture slightly if using strawberries or raspberries instead of blueberries. Still, they don’t darken it much, and also help thicken the jam. Give them a try: it’s a different twist on jam, but it’s delicious!

Sweetener—

I don’t normally add extra sweetener, as I find the dates usually lend enough sweetness. However, depending on the type of berries used, and their ripeness, you may desire a touch of extra sweetener. Options include a few tablespoons of coconut sugar, a drizzle of pure maple syrup, or a few pinches of stevia.

Fresh Blueberry Squares

photo of fresh blueberry squares vegan homemade

For even more blueberry goodness, try Dreena's Fresh Blueberry Squares recipe. They are vegan, nut-free, gluten-free, and oil-free.

Dreena says: "These delicious fresh blueberry bars are just sweet enough, and not overly rich. You can enjoy a square (or 2 or 3!) and not feel sickly.

You can also use frozen blueberries in this recipe, but while fresh blueberries are still abundant in markets, why not go for fresh?!"

About the Author

photo of vegan cookbook author and blogger dreena burton

Dreena Burton is one of the pioneering vegan cookbook authors. Vegan for more than 25 years, Dreena is also a mom to three “weegans.” She has charted her journey as a plant-based cook and mother of three through five bestselling cookbooks, including her most recent and beloved title Plant-Powered Families. Dreena has also collaborated with renowned plant-based physician Dr. Barnard on The Cheese Trap, and co-authored their most recent Cookbook for Reversing Diabetes.

Specializing in oil-free, whole-foods vegan recipes, Dreena’s secret ingredient is her passion. Reputed for reliability, her recipes bring whole foods together in unexpected ways to yield delicious flavors and rich textures. Dreena’s recipes are regularly featured by groups including Forks Over Knives, Engine 2 Diet, UC Davis Integrative Medicine, Kris Carr, Blue Zones, The Humane Society, and The Food Network.

Connect with Dreena’s online kitchen and community at www.dreenaburton.com.

Tweet

RECIPES blueberries| chia seeds| cooking| dates| natural| recipe| vegan

Save the Bees with GloryBee

by Laura Steiger, Outreach Team

save the bee icon glorybee

GloryBee provides stores across the Pacific Northwest with pure, raw honey, and are committed to saving bee populations.

Learn more about GloryBee, the Save the Bees campaign, resources for beekeeping, and find current news about bees and pollinators at glorybee.com.

GloryBee Food started in the family garage of Dick and Pat Turanski in 1975 as a beekeeping supply company with a simple family honey stand. Forty years later, they are still family owned and operated in Eugene, Oregon, providing stores like ours across the Pacific Northwest with pure, raw honey.

In 2012, concerned with the rapid decline of honey bee populations, GloryBee launched their Save the Bee campaign to donate a percentage of their sales revenue to organizations dedicated to saving the bee and bee health issues.

In May 2015, The Associated Press reported that more than 2 out of 5 honey bee colonies died in the past year.

That is why now, more than ever, it is time to be diligent in conserving pollinator populations such as the honey bee. Colony Collapse Disorder, insect diseases, genetically modified organisms (GMOs), and other issues that affect bee health all add to the decline of bee populations.

The loss of honey bees is an issue that every one of us should care deeply about.

Not only do these industrious insects provide us with sweet golden honey, they also pollinate one-third of our food crops. Imagine a world without apples, cucumbers, blueberries, or a myriad of other fruits, nuts, and vegetables.

How can you help the honey bee? Plant bee-friendly flowering plants in your yard, avoid the use of chemicals and pesticides on your lawn or garden, learn to be a beekeeper, buy local organic produce, and support beekeepers like GloryBee by purchasing local, raw honey.

Stock up on honey today and help GloryBee Save the Bee!

Tweet

GROCERY glorybee| honey| natural| raw| save the bees

Grass-fed Beef: What Beef Was Meant To Be

by Matt Bernstein, Downtown Meat Assistant Manager

cows grazing free range on lawn near trees

Grass-fed cattle at Matheson Farms in Bellingham enjoy grazing native grasses in open fields. The farm’s philosophy is to “make holistic decisions that are socially, ecologically, and economically sound and balanced—and to help others do the same.”

Cows are ruminant animals, naturally adapted to digest grass, yet most American cattle are fed a supplemental diet of corn and soy. When presented with a grain-fed diet, cattle can face serious health problems, including the development of harmful bacteria. As a result, they are often administered antibiotics, and lots of them. Grass-fed cattle, on the other hand, live a much healthier, more natural life, and are much less likely to experience bacterial infection as they graze on native grasses in open fields that are generally pesticide free.

grass-fed beef is leaner and is much higher in omega-3 fatty acids

Feedlot cows are fed grain and soy in order to develop more marbled fat in their meat. In contrast, grass-fed beef is leaner and is much higher in omega-3 fatty acids, which have been shown to promote better cellular and cardiovascular health, just to name a few of the many health benefits of choosing grass-fed beef. For omnivorous people who are avoiding Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs), eating grass-fed meat is a great way to go, as the vast majority of feed contains GMO corn and soy.

The Community Food Co-op is proud to carry two excellent local options for grass-fed beef that would be a great addition to your summer grilling line-up.

For a great summer burger try ground beef from Matheson Farms, located on Smith Road in Bellingham. In addition to their delicious ground beef, we also carry a number of steak options from Matheson Farms in our freezer section.

No summer barbecue would be complete without a juicy beef frank. 3 Sisters Family Farms, located on Whidbey Island, has been providing the Co-op with juicy grass-fed beef hot dogs for the last two years. They come in both regular and quarter-pound sizes.

When you light up the grill this summer, remember to do your taste buds, your body, and the environment a favor and go grass fed.

Learn more about the farms at: mathesonfarms.com and 3sistersbeef.com.

Tweet

MEAT & SEAFOOD beef| grass fed| meat| natural

Charcuterie

by Robin Elwood, Downtown Deli Assistant Manager

deli worker handing wrapped package to customer, salami

Mike in the Cordata deli will slice your charcuterie to order (with a smile!).

The Co-op is proud to announce the arrival of Fra’ Mani and Creminelli charcuteries! Co-op deli staff sought out the highest quality, artisan, handcrafted, additive-free meats for our shoppers, and we are excited to share them with you. Curious to learn more about what makes these two purveyors exceptional? Read on, and ask for a sample the next time you are in the deli.

the highest quality, artisan, handcrafted, additive-free meats

Fra’ Mani, based in Berkeley, California, represents approximately a decade of artisanal, hand-packed, naturally cured meat. Started by slow-food chef Paul Bertolli, their mission is to “keep old world traditions alive...using ingredients of the highest quality from sustainable sources.” Their meat, chiefly pork, comes from family farmers committed to the well-being of their animals and their land. The animals are never given antibiotics, artificial growth hormones, growth-promoting agents, or meat by-products, and are raised on pasture or in deeply bedded pens.

Creminelli, the other main supplier of the Co-op’s new charcuterie assortment, is at least a fourth-generation family producer of Salumi. The current generation moved from Italy to Utah in 2007, bringing the company with them, and searched for a landscape and an heirloom breed of pig suitable for making their traditional recipes. Their Duroc-breed pigs are raised in open living conditions, with all-natural standards similar to Fra’ Mani’s.

Many artisan producers pride themselves on the “story” that goes with their food, and both Fra’ Mani and Creminelli’s websites put family origin and culinary vision front and center. However, any corporation can write a vague story to go with their product. What sets these producers apart is a verifiable commitment to specific animal welfare and sustainability practices. And, of course, by their insistence that what they do creates an especially delicious product.

The real test comes when a room full of professional meat eaters sits in a back room at the Co-op’s Cordata store passing around a plate of charcuterie. Andy Adams, a representative from Peterson (one of the Co-op’s distributors), was running the deli slicer and leading a training on the vocabulary and variety of Italian-style preserved meats.

Andy led the group quickly through the definitions: salumi is a general Italian term for salted, cured, meats including salami, mortadella, sopressata, lardo, porchetta, cotta, etc. The cuts of meat, spices added, and curing times vary, but all of them originated as ways of preserving meat before refrigeration. They have endured due to both their durability and their tastiness.

“One of the great things about salami calabrese is that, despite the Calabrian pepper flakes giving it some heat, you also taste the flavor of the heirloom pork. Unless a customer wants something different, slice it about as thin as a dime,” said Andy.

At this point, Andy pauses and looks around the room. Everyone is eating salami calabrese. No one is listening to him.

“Oh,” he said. “Should I slice some more of that and hand it around again?”

The Cordata deli launched the new line of charcuterie first, and customers have been wildly responsive. Additionally, the deli team has some blockbuster sandwich suggestions utilizing slices of the various offerings. Downtown, the deli remodel delayed the arrival of these new products, but some of the smaller salami is available in the specialty cheese case. If all goes as planned, the full assortment will also be available in the Downtown deli by early February—sliced to order, with descriptions and samples galore.

And, yes, it includes that salami calabrese that stops all conversation.

Learn more at framani.com and creminelli.com.

Tweet

DELI & CATERING charcuterie| cured| deli| meat| natural| traditional

Wines with No Added Sulfites

Sulfur is an antioxidant and antimicrobial that at very low levels is used as a preservative in wine. It serves to keep bacterial activity in check (wine is not pasteurized), preserves color (especially important in white wines), and keeps wine from oxidizing prematurely.

Its use in wine goes back to Roman times. Wines sold in the U.S. must list “contains sulfites” on the label, when sulfur is used in winemaking. Although no such rule applies to other foods including cheeses, dried fruits, or processed french fries, all of which contain far higher levels of sulfites than wine (we can thank neo-prohibitionist politicians in the 1970s for that).

While sulfites in wine may be a problem for a tiny minority of people with allergies or asthma, for most of us sulfites are not an issue. The relationship between sulfites and wine-related headaches has been debunked.

For winemakers, making no sulfites added (NSA) wines is a difficult and risky proposition. When making NSA wine, the winemaking equipment must be sterile, and NSA winemaking techniques often involve the additional use of specialized yeasts, pasteurization, and sterile filtering. In other words, making NSA wines is not exactly non-intervention winemaking.

However, many winemakers have accepted the challenge of making NSA wines (even NSA wines contain residual sulfites, as sulfur dioxide is a byproduct of fermentation), and there is a market for these wines. And, while many NSA wines still seem sterile and stripped of flavor, we are seeing a vast improvement in the quality of these wines in general.

WINE, BEER, & SPIRITS natural| organic| sulfites| wine

Categories

  • BAKERY
  • BULK
  • DELI & CATERING
  • EQUITY, DIVERSITY, & INCLUSION
  • FARM FUND
  • FLORAL & GARDEN
  • GROCERY
  • HOLIDAY
  • HOT OFF THE PRESS
  • LOCAL
  • MEAT & SEAFOOD
  • NUTRITION
  • PRODUCE
  • RECIPES
  • SALES
  • SPECIALITY DIET
  • SPECIALTY CHEESE
  • SUSTAINABILITY
  • THE CO-OP DIFFERENCE
  • UNCATEGORIZED
  • WELLNESS
  • WINE, BEER, & SPIRITS
Three Glasses of Mocktails (Raspberry, Peach and Pineapple) standing on the Bar, Horizontal Wallpaper

Learning to Make Mocktails

With fewer people drinking alcohol and dry January around the corner, it’s time to freshen up your mocktail skills! The Community Food Co-op has some recipes, tips, and tricks for even the most novel of mocktail creators.  Mocktails Made from Scratch 1. We’re celebrating citrus season with this grapefruit and [...]

Wine for the Holidays

Whether you're planning your holiday dinner, looking for a gift, or just want to try something new, these wines curated for the holidays will be a perfect addition. Red Wine Iris Vineyards Pinot Noir 2020 A prototypical Willamette Valley Pinot Noir from a small family producer, and at a very [...]
A holiday wreath with some blue and green foliage hangs on a wooden fixture.

Shop Small: A Gift Guide

Support the Co-op on Small Business Saturday and buy some fun items for your holiday gifts. The Co-op has unique items for gifts, stocking stuffers, and for yourself. Supporting the only locally-owned grocery store in Bellingham helps strengthen our community, local food network, and local producers.  We’ve selected some of [...]

enews-sign-up-image

get connected and save - click here to sign up for our e-news

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

Facebook Instagram Twitter TikTok

Machine Readable Files

Copyright © 2023 Community Food Co-op