Global Times Volume 2, Issue 1 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
In This Issue
Organic Market Meet the Artisans Recipe Global Travel Bugs
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Hello everyone. It has been a little too long since our last newsletter but I am all set now to provide you with monthly updates on what is happening at the store and with various projects around the world.
We have been very busy expanding the organic market corner and the travel division has taken right off. Not hard to imagine really - this has been a winter to escape to warmer climes. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Organic Market Continues to Grow
It seems each month we add something new to the market corner. If you haven't been in for a while you will notice some real changes. Presently we have 31 varieties of Fair Trade organic tea including traditional tea bag, loose tea, and whole leaf tea in pyramid infuser bags. Along side the tea we have 22 varieties of Fair Trade coffee available in both ground and whole bean. New items include organic maple flakes and syrup, organic salsa (pineapple, mango, black bean), and organic corn chips (blue, multigrain everything, guacamole) for your salsa, organic mustard and ketchup, prepared organic salad dressing including raspberry, goddess, and roasted red pepper as examples. Lining the shelves are a wide selection of Fair Trade organic spices and organic baking flavours, allergy free chocolate chips, medjool dates, shredded coconut and the list goes on.
A new section has been added with the addition of Attitude Eco-certified cleaning products. Made with essential oils (Lime, Ylang Ylang, Grapefruit...) and tea tree, this company takes the environment seriously. Each product has been produced as carbon neutral and certified as such and carries the government of Canada EcoLogo,how many products can say that these days? Not enough.
We have a new, and might I say fabulous, gift box of assorted Fair Trade organic chocolates from Galerie Au Chocolat. Galerie Au Chocolat creates decadent Belgian Fair Trade chocolate products including fondue, sea salt chocolate bars, honey nougat (my favourite!), maple, fire and several more varieties. The assorted gift box includes creams, caramel, sea salt, and maple syrup chocolates just to name a few. We have just brought in one case of these chocolates so don't wait too long... ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Meet the artisans...Kagongo Self Help Eight Kenyan men in their 20's with an talent for painting make up the Kagongo Self Help Group. Using oil on canvas, the artists paint traditional subjects that in the past were sold to tourist shops in Nairobi. But with the political unrest and drastic drop in tourism, the group is looking to market their pieces internationally. Themes of the paintings vary from images of African animals to people in traditional dress performing daily tasks, to abstract images commonly found as batiks. Each piece is signed by the artist. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Recipe: Quinoa Stuffed Bell Peppers
Ingredients: 4 Large Bell Peppers, 1 cup Alter Eco red quinoa, 1 cup Alter Eco Thai rice, 5 cups vegetable broth, 6-8 sun dried tomatoes, 1 med. onion, 3-4 garlic cloves, rosemary, basil, oregano to taste, 1 cup tomato puree, 1 egg
Chop the onion, garlic, and sun dried tomatoes and set aside. Cut the tops off of the bell peppers and rinse the bodies clear of seeds. Trim the seed pod off the tops and save the tops. Heat 2 cups of broth to a boil in a medium sized sauce pan.
Once cooked, place the quinoa in a bowl and add the rice mixture. Add 1 cup of tomato puree and mix well. Once mixed, spoon liberally into bell peppers and put pepper tops back on.
Pour the remaining broth into an oven dish and add the peppers. Cook at medium heat for 20-30 minutes, until peppers are very soft. (Serves 4)
You can find Alter Eco Fair Trade Organic Quinoa in red, black, or pearl at Global A.P.E. 1 lb (454g) bag sells for $9.75 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Global Travel Bugs - Destination of the Month
Christchurch/Dunedin New Zealand.
While trying to think of what place among thousands in this beautiful world to talk about, forefront on my mind was Christchurch, NZ. Having spent time in this fabulous city, and seeing the pictures we all have this week of the destruction, I found myself reminiscing on all the great things we did there and despite the damage, what we can still do there. I included this fantastic photo of Rapanui (Shag) Rock not only because it is spectacular, but so that you can all have a chance to appreciate it. The earthquake didn't just topple buildings and church steeples but this iconic pillar was also reduced to rubble during the quake.
There is something for everyone in Christchurch including wildlife reserves, a gondola, botanical gardens, hiking, biking, historic buildings, and museums to enjoy not to mention the incredibly gracious (& humorous) people. For us, canoeing, or punting if you prefer, on the Avon river within Christchurch made for a pleasant afternoon followed by a stroll through the historic downtown and parks. While there we enjoyed an ice cream in the central plaza while watching local entertainers perform for the large lunch crowds. There are numerous day trips to take from Christchurch and the shore is only 10km away.
My best culinary memory from Christchurch is still vivid in my mind after all these years therefore earns mention. Tucked away on a side street was this little hole in the wall cafe run mostly by college students. We happened in there one day looking for a simple affordable meal. I ordered the usual meat pie (Down Under staple food) and mushroom soup. Hands down to this day that was the best mushroom soup I have had in my life. I haven't been able to replicate it but not for lack of trying. Unlike most mushroom soups this one had a clear broth and fabulous flavour. Sometimes it really is the simple things in life that bring us the most joy!
No matter where I travel in the world I always gravitate to the local wildlife. Dunedin (south of Christchurch) provided some amazing opportunities that I have not had elsewhere in the world. Scrambling down a sand cliff to the beach we were rewarded by the presence of dozens of penguins waddling on the beach and swimming in the waters near the shore. Our efforts to get down (and later back up!) the cliff also afforded us an up close and personal experience with sea lions. Orcas are often seen off the coast in the Kaikura region and opportunities to become acquainted with the flightless Kiwi bird (symbol of NZ) are plentiful. Unlike the Kiwi, the incredible albatross can glide for hours without even flapping their awe inspiring wings (up to 11ft wing span) and you can visit one of the rare albatross breeding colonies in the world (Royal Albatross Colony)outside of Dunedin.
We spent 3.5 months in New Zealand traveling both islands so have plenty of stories to share if you are looking to travel there and need some ideas or assistance in making arrangements. Ironically, New Zealand is where we experienced our first and only earthquake. A strange feeling that I initially wrote off to an unusual case of jet lag until realizing that the reason the ground and my feet were not in sync was because the ground was moving!
Jodie Simpson
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