Spices at the Co-op

 

Why are we talking about spices? Many reasons, not the least of which is that Co-op spices are organic, fresh and delicious!

We also thought it was time to talk about an initiative the Board approved some time ago. On the recommendation of our Sustainability Committee, we instituted a feasibility study to look at reducing the amount of packaging we use to sell our spices.

Packaging spices, although a lovely redolent experience, is fussy. We use a small scoop to place spice into a very small plastic bag. We then need to tie it off securely. These bags then need to be weighed, and a label printed and applied. Fussy. Time consuming. And the bag, the tie and the label are not recyclable.

Our Sustainability Committee saw an opportunity to change things up. The Board accepted their recommendation to offer a small variety of spices in bulk in order to test the willingness of our shoppers to do the work themselves. Bring your own container, scoop your spice, weigh it and go.

We started with five common spices, and have recently expanded to thirteen. The decision to expand further has just been made, but we are aware that the pre-packaged spices are extremely convenient. The Board is trying to figure out how to accommodate both the convenience to our busy shoppers and our commitment to zero waste. Any ideas? Please share.

I will leave you with one of my favorite spice blend recipes. All the ingredients are available at the Co-op. Here are the ratios for a Moroccan spice blend, which goes very well in tagines, with eggs and many vegetables, and with anything requiring chickpeas.

 

Moroccan Spice Blend

(Base measure 1/4 tsp.)

1 measure each of turmeric, allspice, cloves, ginger, cinnamon and black pepper
2 measures each of cumin, paprika, coriander and salt.

 

Enjoy!

Helene Golden