General Manager Report: Collegetown and DeWitt Store Updates

2019-07-31T14:43:50-04:00

By Brandon Kane, General Manager A cooperative’s strength is derived from its owners, and I can say with confidence that our co-op has some of the most committed ownership in the nation. GreenStar is more than 13,000 owners strong and 78 percent of our sales are made to owners. Now here we are ushering in a new and improved GreenStar at 770 Cascadilla Street. I’m filled with excitement for the work of the next several months. As GreenStar grows, so does cooperation. I’ve been providing monthly updates on the West End expansion, so this month I’d like to share some great new developments at our other GreenStar locations. GreenStar’s Collegetown store celebrates its third anniversary this month. Already holding [...]

General Manager Report: Collegetown and DeWitt Store Updates2019-07-31T14:43:50-04:00

Maple-Sweetened Zucchini Bread

2019-08-05T13:53:28-04:00

This healthy bread is loaded with ingredients that you can source locally. Zucchini is famously abundant this time of year, but if you don't have any in your garden, pick some up at the Co-op, freshly delivered from Stick and Stone Farm. While you're here, stock up on Ward's maple syrup, Stony Brook WholeHeartedFoods sunflower seed oil, Farmer Ground flour, and bulk eggs from Meadow Creek, Westwind, or Red Gate Grocer. makes 2 loaves Ingredients 3 cups plus 2 Tbsp whole-wheat pastry flour 2 tsp. baking powder 1 tsp. cinnamon ½ tsp. baking soda ½ tsp. salt 1 ¼ cup dark pure maple syrup 3 large eggs  ½ cup sunflower seed oil 2 tsp. vanilla extract 2 Tbsp butter, melted 1 pound zucchini, shredded (about 3 ½ cups) ¾ cup rolled oats Instructions Preheat oven to 350 degrees [...]

Maple-Sweetened Zucchini Bread2019-08-05T13:53:28-04:00

Stick and Stone Farm: Growing unique organic veggie varieties

2019-07-31T13:53:54-04:00

By Kristie Snyder, GreenStar Staff Stick and Stone Farm bursts with activity — kids and dogs romp, CSA members pick flowers and berries, and farmworkers are busy in the barn and fields. Owners Lucy Garrison-Clauson and Chaw Chang grow the standard vegetable staples, but the couple also seeks to fill a niche growing products or varieties that other farms don’t. The certified-organic farm was founded in 1995 and began selling to GreenStar a few years later. In 2003 they moved to their current location on Route 96 between Ithaca and Trumansburg, and in 2005 they joined the Full Plate Farm Collective, a local CSA (community-supported agriculture) collaboration. They also sell at the Ithaca Farmers Market and supply a variety of [...]

Stick and Stone Farm: Growing unique organic veggie varieties2019-07-31T13:53:54-04:00

Quick Pickle a Bounty of Local Produce

2019-06-27T11:36:09-04:00

By Co+op, stronger together Pickling can be just that — a pickle. True pickling is an ancient miracle for food preservation, but involves a drawn-out fermentation process requiring canning equipment, sterilization procedures and a whole lotta waiting around. Kudos to you if that’s up your alley, but the truth is, some of us simply don’t have the time or patience to be as DIY-savvy as our worldly ancestors. So if you’re a little fickle about pickling, we understand. But did you know that there’s a fast and easy way to preserve and chill those fresh garden veggies without having to wear a lab coat? Allow us to introduce quick pickling for those of you not ready to go all in. [...]

Quick Pickle a Bounty of Local Produce2019-06-27T11:36:09-04:00

Co-op Principle #4: Autonomy and Independence

2019-06-20T09:59:03-04:00

By Alexis Alexander, GreenStar Membership Manager When I think about the Seven Cooperative Principles, there’s one that I tend to forget: Principle #4, Autonomy and Independence. Maybe that’s because it’s so fundamental to the notion of cooperatives. Then again, it’s also the one I struggle to explain. So, this month, I’m taking up the challenge to share what I know about this important, yet somewhat elusive principle. The International Cooperative Alliance defines Autonomy and Independence as follows: “Cooperatives are autonomous, self-help organizations controlled by their members. If they enter into agreements with other organizations, including governments, or raise capital from external sources, they do so on terms that ensure democratic control by their members and maintain their cooperative autonomy.” At [...]

Co-op Principle #4: Autonomy and Independence2019-06-20T09:59:03-04:00

Hill Side Farm: Local, Organically Grown Staples

2019-06-01T11:27:37-04:00

By Kristie Snyder, GreenStar Staff For Surik Mehrabyan, farming is a second career — one that has allowed him to put down roots in the Ithaca area. Raised in Armenia, and with an academic background in physics, he came to Cornell in 2003 to work at the Wilson Synchrotron Lab. When the project lost funding, his family decided they weren’t going anywhere. A long-time backyard gardener, Surik joined the Groundswell Incubator Farm Program, becoming their first graduate in 2016. Now still in the process of purchasing a plot of farmland, he grows vegetables, fruits, and fruit trees at his home in Ithaca and on various small leased plots around town. Surik’s beginnings at Groundswell, before they’d installed cooler facilities, [...]

Hill Side Farm: Local, Organically Grown Staples2019-06-01T11:27:37-04:00

The Skinny on Salad Greens

2019-05-29T10:41:49-04:00

By Co+op, stronger together Loose-leaf and tatsoi and butterhead — oh my! Salads today are a far cry from a simple bowl of iceberg lettuce. Whether you grow your own or pick them up at your co-op or farmers market, a myriad of salad greens make for fun and nutritious eating. Salad has long been a staple, of course. Even in ancient times, Greeks and Romans ate lettuce for a good night's sleep and made love potions using arugula and lettuce. Today, lettuce is the second most popular fresh vegetable in the United States, after potatoes, with the average American eating about 30 pounds of lettuce each year. That's five times the amount we ate in 1900. The nutrition you'll [...]

The Skinny on Salad Greens2019-05-29T10:41:49-04:00

Dancing Turtle Sprouts — Fresh, Vibrant Micro-produce

2019-05-01T13:30:35-04:00

By Kristie Snyder, GreenStar Marketing Staff What’s a microfarmer? Ask Ellen Brown. She grows crops, to be sure — very, very tiny crops. A small commercial kitchen facility below her Freeville home and a modest greenhouse structure nearby provide all the space she needs to run Dancing Turtle, tending microgreens and sprouts. We all know good things come in small packages. Ellen’s crops are packed with nutrients and as fresh as can be, arriving at the Co-op having been harvested (in the case of the microgreens) mere hours before, or (in the case of the sprouts) still living and growing. “I find it very satisfying that I can produce really healthy food,” Ellen says. “It’s a pretty neat job!” [...]

Dancing Turtle Sprouts — Fresh, Vibrant Micro-produce2019-05-01T13:30:35-04:00

Farmer Ground Flour: Local, Organic Stoneground Flours and Grains

2019-04-11T23:14:19-04:00

By Kristie Snyder, GreenStar Marketing Staff Wheat has been a staple food of human civilizations since before recorded history, eaten whole or ground into flour for baking an astonishing array of leavened and unleavened bread products. It remains a central part of many people’s diets — those who can’t imagine a hearty soup without a crusty bread alongside know what I’m talking about. For the past decade, Farmer Ground Flour has kept local, organic flours and grain products on Ithaca tables. Owned by Greg Russo, Neal Johnston, and Thor Oechsner, Farmer Ground Flour supplies the Co-op with a very long list (see below) of certified-organic products. Supported in its early years by two late pillars of the local, organic [...]

Farmer Ground Flour: Local, Organic Stoneground Flours and Grains2019-04-11T23:14:19-04:00

Asian Pickles from Stick and Stone’s Chaw Chang

2019-02-14T13:11:28-04:00

Chaw Chang of Stick and Stone Farm recently shared with us this quick Asian pickle recipe. In his words, " you can use this recipe for anything you might want to quick pickle. Cucumbers, carrots, radishes, kohlrabi, deep-fried tofu, fishcakes, green beans, turnips, parboiled or roasted eggplant, or boiled bean sprouts (mung bean or soy). Adjust sugar:vinegar ratio depending on sweetness of vegetable." Ingredients 1-2 lbs. Asian radishes (mu, purple mu, daikon, etc.) ½ lb. carrots 6 or more cloves of garlic, 3 minced fine, 3 coarsely minced ¼- ½ cup granulated sugar ½ cup distilled or rice vinegar 1 Tbsp salt 3 Tbsp of canola oil 2 Tbsp of toasted sesame oil sprinkle of Chinese Szechuan peppercorns optional: 4 [...]

Asian Pickles from Stick and Stone’s Chaw Chang2019-02-14T13:11:28-04:00
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 Memorial Day (Monday, May 27) Store Hours:   West End 8 am - 9 pm  -  Collegetown 9 am - 9 pm  -  DeWitt is CLOSED

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