Sound Consumer

Dedicated since 1961 to informing and inspiring the PCC community through the co-op’s vision of advancing the health and well-being of people, their neighborhoods and our planet.

Browse by Year

Browse by Month

Sound Consumer, April 2010

Green cleaning

Growing up in my house, spring cleaning was a yearly tradition anticipated more than any holiday — for several days each April, my Norwegian-born mother and grandmother would clean and organize every closet, wash and iron all the curtains, scour every tile and appliance, and dust every nook and cranny until the entire house gleamed.

Growing up in my house, spring cleaning was a yearly tradition anticipated more than any holiday — for several days each April, my Norwegian-born mother and grandmother would clean and organize every closet, wash and iron all the curtains, scour every tile and appliance, and dust every nook and cranny until the entire house gleamed.

Agave: considering the issues

Agave syrup (or nectar) is an increasingly popular sweetener used in drinks, nutrition bars and some desserts. It’s also increasingly controversial. Agave syrup has about the same number of calories per teaspoon as white sugar but its lower glycemic index doesn’t cause as great a rise in blood sugar.

Agave syrup (or nectar) is an increasingly popular sweetener used in drinks, nutrition bars and some desserts. It’s also increasingly controversial. Agave syrup has about the same number of calories per teaspoon as white sugar but its lower glycemic index doesn’t cause as great a rise in blood sugar.

Supporting biodiversity with heirlooms

Josh Kirschenbaum stopped in the middle of the field, bent over a tangle of leaves, pulled a bit at the vines, and uncovered a deep-green globe freckled with yellow dots. That Moon and Stars watermelon, an heirloom variety, was one of 1,200 vegetable and fruit varieties growing on the Territorial Seed Company trial farm.

Josh Kirschenbaum stopped in the middle of the field, bent over a tangle of leaves, pulled a bit at the vines, and uncovered a deep-green globe freckled with yellow dots. That Moon and Stars watermelon, an heirloom variety, was one of 1,200 vegetable and fruit varieties growing on the Territorial Seed Company trial farm.

Notes from the Cellar

It’s the stuff that keeps songwriters in business. I put the glass to my nose and the heady weave of fruit, earth and garrigues pushes the first emotional domino. Like a freight train, that sad, lonesome feeling that’s been hanging in the shadows for a couple days feels like it’s going to leap right through my chest.

It’s the stuff that keeps songwriters in business. I put the glass to my nose and the heady weave of fruit, earth and garrigues pushes the first emotional domino. Like a freight train, that sad, lonesome feeling that’s been hanging in the shadows for a couple days feels like it’s going to leap right through my chest.

Grace Harbor Farms

Tim and Grace Lukens and their son, David, run Grace Harbor Farms, a small dairy not far from the Canadian border. PCC shoppers may best know them as the makers of a luscious, cream-top yogurt crafted from the golden whole milk of Guernsey cows.

Tim and Grace Lukens and their son, David, run Grace Harbor Farms, a small dairy not far from the Canadian border. PCC shoppers may best know them as the makers of a luscious, cream-top yogurt crafted from the golden whole milk of Guernsey cows.

The beginning farmer: Turning challenge into opportunity

Having successfully cleared the major hurdle most new farmers face — securing land — Orting Valley farmer and owner of Crying Rock Farms, Joel Blais, now is wrestling with the realities of what it means to be a small-scale organic pork producer. Joel shared the following reflections about his biggest challenges.

Having successfully cleared the major hurdle most new farmers face — securing land — Orting Valley farmer and owner of Crying Rock Farms, Joel Blais, now is wrestling with the realities of what it means to be a small-scale organic pork producer. Joel shared the following reflections about his biggest challenges.

Letters to the editor

Shopping for quality food · Green medicine · Gluten-free is easy · Agave concerns · Non-homogenized, slow-pasteurized milk · Dave’s bread · Soy in Vegenaise · BPA in receipt paper

Shopping for quality food · Green medicine · Gluten-free is easy · Agave concerns · Non-homogenized, slow-pasteurized milk · Dave’s bread · Soy in Vegenaise · BPA in receipt paper

News bites

More farms in Washington · Non-GMO #1 · GE alfalfa comments · USDA defines pasturing · Prison term for false organic marketing · Bob’s Red Mill gift · Monsanto “faked” data, insider claims · India defers first GM food crop · Sauerkraut as good as Viagra · Soda linked to pancreatic cancer

More farms in Washington · Non-GMO #1 · GE alfalfa comments · USDA defines pasturing · Prison term for false organic marketing · Bob’s Red Mill gift · Monsanto “faked” data, insider claims · India defers first GM food crop · Sauerkraut as good as Viagra · Soda linked to pancreatic cancer

Your co-op

Notice of annual member dinner meeting · Make your voice heard — please vote · Meet the candidates and enjoy great PCC food · Board report

Notice of annual member dinner meeting · Make your voice heard — please vote · Meet the candidates and enjoy great PCC food · Board report