San Juan Island Food Co-op

Packaging bulk items

Because we are not a staffed store, we may only use gravity feed bulk bins (the kind that now contain rice, beans, oatmeal, gorp, and the like); we may not offer things like raisins, nuts, snack items, or dried fruits in reach-in bins, nor can large bags of beans be opened and scooped. As a result, a volunteer with a Health Department Food Handler card must package, weigh, and price these items that you see on the front shelves. Until now, most of that packaging has been done by only a couple of volunteers, and more trained people with the Food Handler card on file in the store are needed to take on some of that duty. It needs to be done frequently, but a person can easily suit up and deal with one item, such as a five pound bag of mangos, in about fifteen minutes as part of a shopping session.

If you are interested in this volunteer job, please speak with Anna or Eleanor when you see them in the Co-op during regular open hours, or leave a note in the payment box about how to reach you and set up a time for training.

The more packagers we have, the more items we can offer!

Open hours

As we prepare to grow and eventually become a staffed store with regular hours, we should be offering more open-to-the-public hours when members and newcomers can get help and ask questions. At the present time, Anna and Eleanor keep the store open eight hours a week; we could double that with the help of just two or three people who would offer their time. While staffing the open hours, a volunteer storekeeper can be busy with routine cleaning and tidying up, restocking shelves, noting items we’ve run out of, packaging bulk items, and helping customers. In addition to the significant contribution to your very own co-op, as storekeeper you will find the time spent is socially rewarding as you meet other members and exchange ideas.

Here are some ideas for things to do while you are doing open hours:

Talk to people, especially newcomers who want to know how the co-op works and will consider joining. Folks often want to ask questions or just chat, so do that. If there’s something we don’t have they like to be told they can put suggestions for things they want us to order in the payment box and Anna will get them on the next shipment. If they want to know about wholesale ordering there’s a handout in the top file drawer or they can be referred to our website.

Receipts: Restock clipboards from top file drawer.

Sweep: Things on the floor attract small animals and we don’t want those!

Empty trash. The little trash goes in the big trash, at the very least, which can be stomped down, and if the big trash is full the whole thing goes back to the “dump” enclosure next to the pet store. In the corner by the slop sink there’s usually a stash of big plastic bags left over from bulk items; those become trash bags for the big can.

Face and stock the shelves: Bring items to the front and stock replacements from the back, so older items move first. Look for replacements on the bottom and top shelves, the big wooden shelves at the top of the wall, or on top of the fridges (household items).

Face the fridges: Bring stock forward. Extra milk if available would be on the bottom shelf. Straighten things out if they’re scattered.

Bag bulk foods: If you have a food handler’s card you can do that (please make a copy of your card and file it in the top file drawer under “Health Dept.”). There’s a sheet taped to the wrapping table where I’ve attempted to explain the process. Supplies (rubber gloves and such) are in the drawers; bags in the boxes below. Little bags are for spices, which are on the lower shelves in silver Frontier bags. If you aren’t comfortable with pricing, just bag and tape and put the items in a box on the black wire shelf for the next person to price and display.

Tidy up: You can’t help but notice that the co-op’s various drawers and surfaces quickly become untidy. If you haven’t anything better to do, tackle those. Parts of fridges sometimes need to be wiped down. The freezer always needs attention. Obsolete notices can be removed.

Price tags: If a price is missing you can try to locate the item in the catalog and add 12% (multiply the unit price by 1.12). Or look for the price on the recent UNFI invoices in the back of the top file drawer.

All done? Unmotivated? Read a book!

And don’t forget to log your hours in the notebook.

Delivery from mainland

In order to stock regional foods from the mainland, we need folks to pick things up for us if you happen to be going that way:

1. Once a month on the fourth Thursday we need someone to pick up the Azure order in Anacortes. The co-op provides a ferry ticket. If nobody can do this, we don’t place an order.

2. Through Puget Sound Food Network we have identified Skagit sources of honey, beverages, dairy products, organic and “natural” meats, and so on. They need to be fetched regularly to keep the store stocked. Let Eleanor know if you are making a trip in the direction of Mt. Vernon, Burlington, Laconner, Bow-Edison: ehartmann7@gmail.com

Pick up Produce

PRODUCE ROUTINE:

Pick up Nootka Rose boxes from Waldron at the fuel dock, usually at 9 a.m. Sometimes the delivery is late so bring reading! Blue Moon boxes are retrieved from the Farmers’ Market on Saturday, as will Heritage Farm when they join our suppliers. Steve Bensel makes a delivery to the co-op Thursdays and the open hour volunteer helps with the in-store process.

Deliver produce to the co-op to wrap, display, and price. Safe handling is expected.

Produce keeps crisp and fresh if covered to prevent loss of moisture. Some items arrive in bags from the farm. Most other items should be bagged—bunches of greens, cauliflowers, beets with greens, celery, parsley, groups of leeks or rhubarb, etc. Small bunches of herbs can be put several in one bag and marked, for example, “Green Garlic, $2/bunch.” Plastic bags should be folded or twisted closed. Some root vegetables keep well in bins with lids or plastic over them (beets, parsnips) or in large plastic bags for bulk loose items (e.g. carrots, loose broccoli by the lb.).

Feel free to rearrange produce on the cooler shelves to make an appealing display. Baskets are convenient and attractive for some items. Baskets are above the oils and vinegars.

If you notice that something is no longer totally fresh, it can be placed attractively in a basket on the desk with the price marked down as a “sale”; if it’s compost, treat it accordingly and list it as a “loss” on the sheet posted above the desk.

There should be tags with prices for most vegetables. If not, card stock and felt pens are in the middle drawer of the desk and a tag can be made and taped to the shelf in the cooler. Note that some things are by the pound (loose broccoli), some by the bunch or bag (kale, stir fry mix), and still others are per item (celeriac).

If you need guidance in pricing, check the invoice which should be included in the shipment. Blue Moon and Heritage farm list our selling price, then they deduct 10% from the total bill so we can mark it back up to the Farmers’ Market price. Nootka Rose sells at the wholesale restaurant price, so match the price to the posted tags.

Place the invoice in the frontmost file folder of the top file drawer marked “Invoice In.”

The empty wax boxes will be returned to the farms, so flatten and stash them.

Please record your time in the Volunteer Notebook on the file cabinet. Make a page for your record. Comments, questions, suggestions go in the volunteer log on the desk.

Thank you so much for your help!

Phone contacts in case of problems: Eleanor = 370-5430; Anna = 724-355-6456; Blue Moon = 317-8130; Nootka Rose = 588-2455; Waldron boat = 317-8041

Pick up Milk

MILK ROUTINE:

Deliveries:

Fresh Breeze milk is delivered to the co-op at 9 a.m. Wednesday morning by Al of Island Distributing with his little refrigerated truck. It’s nice if someone’s there to stock the fridge and write a check, but he can handle it himself. Make sure a space is prepared ahead of time to receive the bottles on the shelf including a price tag.

Twin Brook milk is delivered to Tucker House kitchen between 8:45 and 10 a.m. on Saturday. Anna Maria needs to have the phone number of the picker-upper ahead of time so she can call when it arrives and it’s important to be ready to rush off immediately. Time is of the essence because the milk can lose its chill quickly and then spoil, especially in warm weather. Park in the little lot next to the porch of the house and lug the full crates out to the car. Deliver quickly to the co-op and load the refrigerator.

Most of the milk display is on the top shelf of the refrigerator. Next after that, extras are put below behind other displays—usually big bottles at the bottom and diminishing sizes on other shelves behind the cheeses and butter.

Bottle returns:

1. In the co-op: One crate of each size is stacked next to the refrigerator for shoppers’ convenience. One of each size empty is kept below the desk to replace full ones. Full crates are stacked in the back of the store. Extra crates are stacked on top of the produce cooler and freezer.
2. Back to Tucker House: The bottles are picked up early Monday morning so they have to be gathered up and returned Sunday at four; that’s also a posted time that shoppers can trade their bottles for “funny money.” Only full crates can be returned. Count the three sizes (HG, QT, PT) so you can give a tally of returns to Anna Maria for our invoice. The crates are taken to the basement laundry/storage room of Harrison House. Enter from the alley off Harrison Street to the little parking area. The laundry room door is on the basement level, facing the other building where there’s a big blue tiled egg-shaped smoker. The crates should be stacked back in the cluttered aisle, just past the gold colored refrigerator.

Please record your time in the Volunteer Notebook on the file cabinet. Make a page for your record. Comments, questions, suggestions go in the volunteer log on the desk.

Thank you so much for your help!

Phone contacts in case of problems: Eleanor = 370-5430; Anna = 724-355-6456; Al’s cell = 622-6345; Anna Maria at Tucker House = 378-2783

Pick up Meat

MEAT ROUTINE:

The co-op goes through a lot of burger—we pick up about forty pounds of it once or twice a week from Guard Sundstrom at Fir Oak Farm, 3106 San Juan Valley Road. Sometimes it can be picked up at the Farmers’ Market on Saturdays. Guard prefers to be paid immediately, so a blank check can be obtained from Anna or Eleanor. He might be persuaded to provide an invoice for later payment if the deal is arranged ahead.

Call ahead and leave a message: 378-6395. Guard is at the farm early in the morning and early in the evening to feed the sheep, so that’s when he will get the message and call back to set up a time for pickup. If you are going to pick burger up at the market instead of the farm, tell him if he should bring 20 lbs. or 40 lbs. (approx.). Weekdays you can leave him an email message at work: guards@sjcpublicworks.org

The burger is packed in a big box from IGFC; Guard likes to get the empty boxes back so save it somewhere at the co-op or in your car.

In the co-op freezer, the burger is displayed on one side of the refrigerator bin that’s dedicated to beef; about ten packages will fit there. All the rest are neatly stacked behind the bin against the back of the freezer.

You might also pick up a few other beef cuts and some lamb. Good selections of beef are stew or stir-fry, cube steaks, top sirloin. Lamb selections are kabobs, ground lamb, a couple packages of chops. Guard will have suggestions for other cuts.

In late summer and fall there will be local honey to pick up as well.

Back at the co-op, the burger (one posted price = $5 per one lb. pkg.) is filed upright on the right side of the beef bin. Surplus for restocking is stacked in the space behind. The other cuts have to be priced. Our 10% markup prices are posted on the freezer door. Multiply the weight on the label by the price for the cut; then make a stick-on label marked with the price and place it on the top right flap of the plastic package. Secure the label with a nice strip of tape across it. Beef cuts go to the left of the burger; lamb cuts go in lamb bin.

Please record your time in the Volunteer Notebook on the file cabinet. Make a page for your record. Comments, questions, suggestions go in the volunteer log on the desk.

Thank you so much for your help!

Phone contacts in case of problems: Eleanor = 370-5430; Anna = 724-355-6456

Skagit Pick-ups

Pick up Honey from Bruce Bowen in the Boonies

The honey order must be placed about a week ahead with Bruce by calling him at 360-961-1793. A typical order is 3 cases of quarts, 2 cases of squeeze bottles, 4 one-gallon tubs, and maybe a 5 gallon bucket if someone has ordered it.

At that time the pick-up location needs to be established. Once we picked it up at the bottom of his driveway in the Little Mountain area east of Mt. Vernon, another time he met us in Mt. Vernon at the research station, and another time we picked it up where he processes the honey, east of Big Lake. Arrange time and place carefully.

I recommend a confirmation call a couple of days before your trip. At that time you can ask for the total amount on the invoice if he has it ready and get a check from Anna or Eleanor to give him on the spot. One order came to $938!

Back at the co-op: Price whatever you put on our shelves and stash what’s left. We need a larger markup to compensate for the transportation, so try 20 %. Our last order was $10 for quarts, $5 for squeezies, $35 for gallons, and $145 for 5 gallons (which I treated as wholesale since they were ordered ahead). Mark the container lids with a sharpie and post a tag.

Put in invoice to be paid in “Invoice In” and a paid one in “Invoice Paid.”

Pick up Salumi from Slough Food in Edison

The Salumi order must be placed with John DeGloria on Sunday so he can call in the order early Monday. Call (360.766.4458) or email degustibus@sloughfood.com; if you email ask for a confirmation reply. Tell him when you will pick up the order.

The order arrives at the shop in Edison late in the afternoon on Wednesday, so Thursday is the best day for picking it up. John charges 12 percent for shipping and handling, so if you can determine the amount before you go, you can be ready with a check from Anna or Eleanor. We’ve never asked for an invoice for later payment, but if you have to do that, check ahead to be sure it’s o.k.

Back at the co-op: If you were thinking you’ll have asked John the price per pound and his shipping and handling markup; otherwise, weigh the whole amount of salami “sticks” and divide into the total invoiced amount to determine the price per pound, add a 20% markup to account for our markup plus the transportation, and mark the packages accordingly. In April I was lucky and they all were about the same size, so I marked them $20 each. More recently they were two sizes, small and large which were twice as big, so we marked them $15 for small, $30 for large. Make a spot for them in the fridge and post a tag.

Put in invoice to be paid in “Invoice In” and a paid one in “Invoice Paid.”

Pick up Skagit Fresh in Mt. Vernon

Call Sera Hartman at 360-336-3727 and place an order for four cases, one of each flavor, in four-packs rather than individual bottles. Arrange a time for her to expect you to pick it up at her office upstairs at the Northwest Agricultural Business Center (NABC), 419 South 1st Street, Suite 200, Mount Vernon. The building is a block or two down from the Skagit Co-op, on the other side, at the far right end of the block. There’s no signage, so it’s hard to spot—the street number should help. Go up the stairs, enter the open doorway and ask for Sera.

A check for the amount obtained from Anna or Eleanor would be best, but if not, ask Sera ahead of time if you can take the invoice back to our co-op so Anna can mail payment. Or, if you are willing, you could pay for it yourself and the co-op will reimburse you.

At the co-op: Display three of each flavor on the bottom shelf where fizzy beverages live and re-pack the boxes so the minimum need to be stored. Put leftovers on the black wire shelf beyond the freezer. Make sure there’s a price-tag and if not, make one with card stock in the second desk drawer, accounting for our usual 12% markup, 7.8% tax, plus more for delivery.

Put in invoice to be paid in “Invoice In” and a paid one in “Invoice Paid.”

Pick up Pickles near LaConner:

Call Pleasant Valley Farms, 1-360-466-3783, to place a pickle order, typically Kosher dill spears and dill slices; possibly a case of sauerkraut and one of sweet gherkins. Your order should be placed a couple of days ahead so it will be ready when you arrive and ask for a total so you can get a check for the right amount from Anna.

Pleasant Valley Farms is out beyond LaConner at 13459 Dodge Valley Road. Exit LaConner at the roundabout just past Hedlin’s farm stand, continue in the same direction on the road to Conway, past a beautifully remodeled barn that serves as architect studios, and Dodge Valley Road turns off to the right, past some munching Holstein cows at an Organic Valley dairy farm. A mile or so on the winding road is a wide entrance drive on the left. Drive in, marvel at the acres of black pickling vats, and pull in to park at the office building on your right.

Identify your mission, pick up the goods and pay for them, load them in your vehicle, and off you go. Keep the invoice to place in the “Invoice Paid” file at the co-op.

At the co-op: Put the goods in the second fridge where pickles live. Make sure there’s a price-tag and if not, make one with card stock in the second desk drawer, accounting for our usual 12% markup plus more for delivery.