MVY Co-op, Martha's Vineyard Food Cooperative

Today we have a THANK YOU and fun little shout out to our friends at JADE House BnB, right here on MVY of course!

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A lovely feature of Jade House B&B, owned by our members Alan & Joy — MVY Food Co-op, Martha's Vineyard's Food Cooperative We have a great excuse today to feature the Jade House B&B on island. Our members Alan & Joy Ganapol own the Jade House, and it's been a JOY to have their support over the years and to also give a shout out to them.

MAPLE SYRUP! We currently have *five* options, including bulk by the liter, amber, dark, strawberry, and bourbon barrel aged. ALL OF THEM are organic, huzzah!!

They're not just in easily recyclable glass; they're also shipped zero-waste. :)

https://mvycoop.org/blog/maple-syrup-fiasco

SALE on our Fine & Raw Chocolate Hazelnut Spread, now through Monday, just in time for Valentine's Day! Not a member yet? We'd love to welcome you ingo our at-cost, zero-waste food cooperative right here on island!

>> https://mvycoop.org/join > Organic hazelnuts, organic coconut sugar, organic cacao bean, organic cacao powder, organic whole ground vanilla, sea salt

'Tis the season for CRANBERRIES, and we think that is cran-tastic! ;)

Cranberries are here! YUM! — MVY Food Co-op, Martha's Vineyard's Food Cooperative Wonderful news, cranberry lovers! We’ve just received a fresh shipment of dried cranberries, just in time for cranberry season! These aren't ordinary cranberries! They're apple juice sweetened (ZERO added sugar!) , certified organic, and they're from the amazing eco team at Tierra Farm. Cra

In four years, MVY Co-op, Martha's Vineyard Food Cooperative has never offered a FREE month. There's a first for everything, and it's NOW! Check it out here >> https://mvycoop.org/join

> Check out this local giveaway! AND... we're starting one next week too! So be on the lookout!!!

Enter to Win: 1 Column Enter to Win: 1 Column

TRASH-FREE TAKEOUT?! 😎🌻😊

Hey Island friends! 💜

Do you know about yet❓Last year was the pilot year to test it out, and now Jessica and the 12+ restaurants involved are gearing up for another year.

In my experience as one of the pilot testers, it was FANTASTIC. 💯

So it works like this — want trash-free takeout from your favorite island eats? Let them know you’re a member of Island Eats, and they’ll have a beautiful reusable bowl for your meal, rather than single-use trash. After you use it, you return it to ANY of the participating restaurants. And then it gets 100% washed and sterilized for you or another Island Eats member to do it all over again.

It’s pretty rad, especially for favorite restaurants like Juice by the Sea MV MV Salads Waterside Market and Bobby B's Restaurant & Bakery where takeout is automatic simply due to size constraints, town restrictions, or whatever the reasons are!!

I just reloaded for TWO again this year, and I saw a note about early bird pricing now.

Check it out! It’s a really cool program and helps us to get closer and closer to

Love,
Éva

Always a treat when we have this restocked! It’s super reminiscent of Nutella but 100% and

😋

If I had to guess the top sellers this week, it would NOT be greeting cards!! The elephant ones are made from elephant dung (yes, really!), the Matzah Love ones from 100% post-consumer recycled card stock, the Mother's Day from recycled paper with FLOWER SEEDS built in. So you can plant your Mother's Day card and turn it into flowers! How cool is that?!
ALSO... did you know that you can know come by to shop our shelves on pickup days?! This week, it's on Friday 6-7pm and Saturday 2-3pm. 😍🌳💚😘

TRULY BACKYARD COMPOSTABLE BAGS! I've tested these babies out in our home compost, and within weeks, it's almost completely broken down. Even the stickers on the bags are compostable. Cool, right?! Imagine if ALL companies did this or if we found ways to massively reduce the use of single-use plastic.

It really DOES make a difference. It really DOES add up. We really CAN be the change!

Island friends, we appreciate all you do to create less trash and make a difference in your own way!

KITCHEN GARDEN + GOOD MATH!

Growing a kitchen garden is one of the absolute best ways to enjoy fresh food year-round, including in the colder months when the trees are oh-so-bare and the chill's in the air (and really, everywhere).

But in your kitchen? It can be like a little garden paradise with potted herbs and sprout jars. Happy little sprouts that multiply and make for some very good math! A pound of sprouting seeds = MANY pounds of nutrient-dense sprouts.

We've just reloaded sprouting seeds at the co-op with a bean salad mix, a 5-seed salad mix, and alfalfa (which is like the multiplier of all multipliers!). And what do you need to enjoy it? A lid and a mason jar + some water and a bit of easy nurturing. It's easier than pie, and...

We have a FREE easy-to-follow sprouting 101 class for our members. Yeah!

(This, by the way, is one of two personal favorite ways to enjoy fresh veggies in the winter, the other being from the MV Community Greenhouse. Check our post from yesterday for more on that goodness!)

MV COMMUNITY GREENHOUSE!
Do you know about the MV Community Greenhouse?!
It's one of my two favorite ways to have a taste of summer, year-round. (Tomorrow, we'll share the other favorite!)
Check out their account to see what I mean. We have quite a large overlap of members between the co-op and the greenhouse. I suspect it's because we love to share about it, but we also just have great common values: reducing waste, great organic foods, and working together to reduce prices while increasing quality.
Check out MV Greenhouse Comsog for more details!!

FYI: As of this week, we're now selling pure Vermont maple syrup in reusable 32-ounce jars. For a fraction of the usual price. GLORY DAY!!

SUPER SALES this week at the co-op!
We're continuing the ridiculous special (more than 50% off!!) on the chocolate hazelnut butter because we just received our final shipment of another 24 jars. YUM!
We're keeping the Karmalize.me nut butters sale going too... AND...
PASTA is on sale. Felicetti Pastas come in 100% recyclable paper packaging, they're organic, and the quality of the pasta is fantastic too! We also have a number of gluten-free pastas which ALSO come in eco packaging by Anatomico Pasta.
Wishing you a fantastic week!!!

VALENTINE'S IDEA! Did you know that we fund 5-10 trees planted every single time a member joins the co-op or renews their membership?!
So far this week, we're at SIXTY TREES!
🌳💚😍💚😍🌳
It's a great time to join for you OR on behalf of a friend. Memberships start at only $10, and if you're gifting a friend for Valentine's Day, we can give you a beautiful card to gift your loved one + a certificate in their name showing that 5 trees were planted on their behalf!
🌳🌳🌳🌳🌳🌳🌳🌳🌳🌳🌳🌳🌳🌳🌳🌳🌳🌳🌳🌳🌳🌳🌳🌳🌳🌳🌳🌳🌳🌳
💚 https://mvycoop.org/join 💚
🌳🌳🌳🌳🌳🌳🌳🌳🌳🌳🌳🌳🌳🌳🌳🌳🌳🌳🌳🌳🌳🌳🌳🌳🌳🌳🌳🌳🌳🌳

I've just gotta say... we have the BEST members! Our community is the loveliest, truly. I'm just off the phone with Rebecca over at Native Earth and now missing summer days and goat hugs and porch-side musings and so much more.
Pictured here are Rebecca, some tomatoes popping out at the garden at Native Earth, me (our director, Éva) tie dying, and Miss Lilla with a baby goat whose name changed so many times I don't remember the real one!

Do you have this greeting card pet peeve too? WHYYY do recycled cards come wrapped in single-use plastic trash? What a giant paradox!
But we have some at the co-op this week which are not guilty of that nonsense. Nope, nope! They're recycled cards, in recycled envelopes. And that's it! No. Plastic. Trash. Covering!
Sincerely, though, this is a huge pet peeve. We're over here changing the world, friends, one problem at a time! It does all add up, and in the end we've diverted many thousands of plastic bags from landfills. Plus the greeting card envelopes. So. Add it together, and we're happy it's making whatever kind of difference it can! Thanks to our island friends making YOUR kind of a difference!!
/rant

GIVEAWAY + SUPER SALES THIS WEEK!
Which of these would you most like to receive:
1/ Chocolate Hazelnut Sauce
2/ Honey from Island Bee Company
3/ Chocolate Pumpkin Seed Butter
(We're going to GIVE the jar of your choice to one random friend on social media. Winner to be announced on Wednesday! Must be on island to receive it! Simply make sure you're following our account + like this post + tell us your pick!)
CHOCOLATE HAZELNUT SAUCE
Organic, made from hazelnuts grown in Oregon, no processed sugar, ridiculously delicious, check our recent posts about it!
HONEY FROM ISLAND BEE COMPANY
Honey for your honey?! Yesss! We also have Tricia's emollients and the hive five face cream (it's divine!).
CHOCOLATE PUMPKIN SEED SAUCE
Organic and stone ground to order. Like the chocolate hazelnut, this is more than 50% off retail and absurdly delicious!
WHAT THEY ALL HAVE IN COMMON
They come in reusable glass jars, no j***y stuff added, they're delicious! We take returns of the honey jars, and Tricia can actually hot wash them in her health-department approved dishwasher. That way they can be reused! Fully closed circuit right here on island! Yeah!

ZERO WASTE CLEANING OPTIONS!
These are just a few of the goods from our cleaning arsenal.
PICTURED HERE and all available at the co-op at cost (20-50% below retail):
♻ Nordic Dish Cloths - easily replace paper towels, these things are fantastic and can be composted after you've used them for a year or longer
♻ Dish Wash Bars - replace the plastic bottles of dish washing soap. These are like magic, they also get stains out of pretty much anything, including clothing and carpets!
♻ Glass Cleaner - in glass. SPOILER: we've ordered bulk eco cleaning supplies so that you can refill your own bottles! Starts later this month once we get the huge shipment in hands!
♻ Pot Scrubber - made out of coconut and bamboo, compostable, suuuper effective
♻ Laundry Detergent - plastic-free, super effective and eco-fantastic
♻ Toilet Bombs! - drop it in the toilet, it fizzes like crazy and gets out the grime, makes cleaning your toilet a snap and even kind of... fun! No joke, my 10-year-old LOVES being the one to drop the bomb! haha!
QUESTION FOR YA: If you're already using any of these, which one(s)? Tell us what you love! Or... if you'd love to try one, which would be your first to try?!

FOODIES! Have you tried this?!
Look what one of our friends on Instagram thought up as a superb way to eat the ridiculously good CHOCOLATE HAZELNUT sauce?! It's French Toast (of course with local eggs, none of the factory farmed business!) with dollops of the sauce.
Please note! Whatever bread you have is good if it's good for you! This is a specially made vegan bread.
And! If you check out the other photos, you'll see there is one with simply toast + the sauce. OMG. All good options! Our family was delighted that we had an excuse to make such a thing on behalf of . It's hard work, but someone's gotta do it! haha!
😀❤😘
P.S. We got TONS of this sauce as a Valentine's Day treat and are selling it at more than 50% below the retail because we got a distributor discount. We were of course, all in, thrilled for an excuse to eat this more and talk about it more! Always working for you, friends...!
P.P.S. You could use Nutella for this in a pinch, but personally I like to describe this sauce as being Nutella-like, but... BETTER! (It's true!)

Aren't these the cutest?! We sought out to have a limited but lovely selection of FANTASTIC eco-friendly gifts for this Valentine's Day.
Of one of many is the chocolate hazelnut sauce we shared yesterday. It's organic and comes in a glass jar! Yeah!
But these are pretty fantastic too, especially for the little ones. By the way, they are !
Drop a heart if you like the hearts! 😀❤😘

😃 GIVEAWAY + SUPER SALE!!
We are **OBSESSED** with this chocolate hazelnut spread. I like to say it's "Like but better" when I try to explain it. The flavor is similar, BUT the ingredients are organic (huzzah!), it comes packaged in glass with a metal lid (huzzah!), and it's made cold processed with organic hazelnuts grown in Oregon (WOW!).
It's utter perfection. It's chocolate. It spreads. It's and and .
What more could you want? But now... we got a special winter promo from the distributor, and we are offering at AT COST, which comes out to more than 50% off of the real price.
Mind you, at the co-op, we already have prices that are lower than the usual. But geez, add the discount, and it's going to be hard to get me to eat anything else for breakfast, lunch, or dinner!
Also, our family used this as the icing on homemade cupcakes (OMG) and a birthday cake last year (WHOAH!). It could not have been more perfect.
ENJOY this super special, which comes ever so perfectly just before Valentine's Day. Perfection!
GIVEAWAY DETAILS:
❤ Want to win a jar of this? Like our account + like this post + tell us what you'll do with this spread!
❤ We'll give away three jars of this deliciousness: 1/ to a friend on IG 2/ to a friend on Facebook and 3/ one randomly to a co-op member as a surprise at the pickup on February 12th.
❤ Winner needs to be local to . You can either swing by the co-op to pick it up on Saturday, February 12 OR one of our amazing members will home deliver it!
❤ Winners will be announced next week!
With LOVE!
Éva & Friends at the MVY Co-op 😘

Well, it's FEBRUARY! This year, we've got several super-eco Valentine's-inspired options, including some sweet cards by
Blue Thistle Prints

HOW LOVELY IS THIS CARD?!

I love that they are: 1/ printed on FSC-certified and recycled card stock 2/ come in a Kraft envelope 3/ they're "lovingly designed, printed, & packaged in-house" by Keli, who is lovely just like her cards!

We also have some heart-shaped eco crayons that are made in the USA and a few other options that are selling fast enough I almost don't want to talk about them here!! (Like the "one love" wool dryer balls, we just have TWO bags left, they're going... going... and you know what comes next!!)

FRIDAY PICKUP!

After speaking with several members about concern over the weather forecast for Saturday, we are for the first time in years moving our Saturday pickup to Friday.

**Pickup is now Friday 2-3pm.**

I understand this was not expected but want to assure you that we will happily do our best to be flexible with home delivery or any other way we can help be sure you get your order (if you have already or WILL place an order).

If you're unable to come on Friday 2-3pm and have already placed an order, simply email us so we can arrange and communicate as needed!!

The weather predictions can be so funny; they are often incorrect. But this time, due to the timing and all the details, we are acting as though the predictions will be correct.

Our rationale for this change:

1/ We care about you and your safety and do NOT want you going out in awful conditions unnecessarily.

2/ If we can simply get AHEAD of it, you have your goods + the pressure is off + everyone is safe!

So many good sales this week!

ALL ORGANIC (of course!):
* almonds at 20% off,
* sunflower seed butter at a whopping 50% off thanks simply to wholesale pricing and our at-cost business model, and...
* navy beans at over 75% off.

This is just a selection of the savings! Everything is at cost, meaning that you will literally always be saving!

ENJOY this beautiful weather, and if you prefer home delivery remember that we have a flat $5 delivery fee anywhere on island!!

EARTH MONTH... MAY?!
We've decided, just this once, to continue Earth Month. Really, we're here 365 days of the year, so that includes every month. And since honoring our planet is a huge part of what we do, this felt lovely!

What does this mean for YOU? New members (and any members who renew your membership this month) receive $10 of co-op cash.

Check out the details here >> https://mvycoop.org/blog/earth-month-may
And if you're ready to join, you can do so here >> https://mvycoop.org/membership

ALSO, FYI, we'll be posting some of our favorite eco foodie organizations and businesses this month. Do you have a favorite on island to share? We'd love to make sure they're included in the mix! 😃

Earth Month Continues! Earth Month MAY — MVY Co-op Hello lovely co-op community! Earth Month ends April 30, but what if we carried the spirit of it beyond April? We and our fellow eco island organizations, we are HERE 365 days a year. We've decided this once to continue the Earth Month Fun... with Earth Month MAY. We know Earth Month was tech

$7 HOME DELIVERY ANYWHERE ON ISLAND +
Dates & Chocolate Chips are on sale this week due to a distributor discount that we're passing on!

(Side note: This is nothing new! We literally always share the discounts with you, much like our fantastic friends at Vineyard Grocer and Health Food Store. We're not affiliated exactly but so grateful... did you know that they bring most of our bulk foods to the island with their deliveries?! Because Elio believes in our mission, even if on the surface it looks like we're "competitors". What beautiful friends we have in our community!!)

OK, back to the co-op goodies. LOTS of great sales this week, and of course all the prices are pretty dang awesome because we offer it all at cost. If you're a member, you know! If you haven't joined us yet, check it out, we'd be glad to welcome you >> http://mvycoop.org/join

HOW IT WORKS (if you're not already familiar):

* Each week, orders are open from Monday 6pm until late Wednesday night (so they are open NOW!)

* You order whatever you'd like by prepaying online. (Our shopping experience is SUPER smooth and easy.)

* You select a time slot to come by and pick up on Saturday. At your chosen time, we'll have your order already packed up and ready for you outside, with a team member there to help if you have any questions.

* If Saturday pickup is not possible or convenient for you, you can select $7 home delivery. That's a flat rate for anywhere on island. YES, even including all the up-island towns. We have volunteers who are stepping forward Every. Single. Week. to bless fellow members who could use a friend to grab their goodies.

* Starting next week, we'll be on our spring/summer schedule and will have pickups on both Thursdays evenings AND Saturday afternoons.

* That's it. It's super simple. Right now, we have about 90 options in our online shop. You'll find things like rice (arborio, jasmine, basmati, brown, sushi); beans; island honey and emollients from Island Bee Company of Martha's Vineyard; Dean's Beans Organic Coffee Company (YUM! We have quite a few of their favorites!); quinoa and buckwheat; heaps of dried fruit options like medjool dates, apricots, extra plump flame raisins; sea salt and sugar. We also have zero-waste self-care and household items, like 100% recycled TP and compostable floss in a reusable glass jar, plastic-free dish washing blocks, etc.

ALL FOODS ARE CERTIFIED ORGANIC! Except honey, which can't be certified organic because who knows which flowers those bees have pollenated

We are SO GRATEFUL the co-op is here, that we get to be part of it, and that this need is being met. We've estimated that, in addition to saving money by paying at cost, that THOUSANDS of bags have been diverted from the landfills by offering backyard compostable packaging.

CHECK IT OUT HERE >> http://mvycoop.org

SALES THIS WEEK! We have quite a few sales happening, simply because our distributor has them on, and of course we are passing on the special pricing. These are a few -- almonds, walnuts, cranberries. But you'll find that medjool dates, chocolate chips, and several others are on sale too.

THESE ARE ALL CERTIFIED ORGANIC!

If you're new to the co-op, you can check it out at http://mvycoop.org

We offer a 7-day free trial for new members to join our lovely community. We'd love to have you in our midst!! http://mvycoop.org/join

COMPETITION AND GRAND PRIZE:
This week, in the spirit of community and sharing, we wanted to propose a little friendly competition: a Co-op Cookie Cook-off!

THE FLAVOR
Cookie flavor of the moment is oatmeal raisin! Please click here to see our blog post and get some inspiring recipes >> https://mvycoop.org/blog/cookie-cook-off

HOW TO ENTER
💚 You make a batch of oatmeal raisin cookies this week and send us a picture by submitting it to [email protected].
💚 Just by entering, you’ll receive a free month of co-op membership!
💚 The deadline to enter is Sunday, March 14th.
💚 The grand prize winner will be announced Monday, March 15th!

THE PRIZE
💚 The Grand Prize winner for the best cookies will receive a free month of membership AND $20 dollars co-op cash!
💚 So ready, set, let’s go, bakers! We can’t wait to show just how talented you all are.

We now have a FREE 7-day trial of the co-op so you can check out how it works!

Links/details in comments >>