Herbivores and locavores and carnivores alike, if you aren’t already shopping at the Bushwick Food Co-Op, you are missing out on some seriously fine culinary possibilities.
When was the last time you had spigarello broccoli? And when was the last time you knew the name of the farmer who plucked that spigarello from the lush upstate New York soil? At Bushwick Food Co-Op, you can purchase a wad of spigarello broccoli grown in upstate New York for less than the cost of a subway ride (as of recent fare hikes, anyway!) And while you’re getting your spigarello fix, you can pick up some fresh/local/organic/non-genetically modified New York Yukon Gold Potatoes, Baby Spinach, Tangerines, Arugula, bread baked at Roberta’s, and Brooklyn brewed vegan cheeses.
But don’t panic, beef lovers! The co-op is not strictly a place for veggie-heads. You can also snag yourself some choice cuts of steak, juicy chickens, or grain fed turkey. If you’re looking for something mildly exotic, they’ve got duck and rabbit. And of course, all of the meats sold at the co-op are grass-fed, antibiotic- and hormone-free.
So how does it work? The cost of being a member is minimal – only 50 dollars – and you get to work at the co-op four hours a month, which means meeting new pals and chillin’ at The Loom. Members of the co-op enjoy steep discounts on a wide variety of meat and produce. At your average natural food store, expect a mark up of at least 60 – 100%, but at the co-op it’s only 24% for members. But let’s say you aren’t totally sold on easy, cheap access to locally grown organic groceries. No worries – even nonmembers can shop at the Bushwick Co-op, they just won’t enjoy the same super-low prices.
Currently, the Bushwick Food Co-op is open three evenings a week, but at the end of March they’ll be open on Saturdays, too. As the Co-op starts to grow (they hold new member orientations every other week!), expect longer hours, a wider selection, and more food-oriented community events like cooking classes and bake-offs.
Skeptics amongst you may query: isn’t “eating local” just some hippie-dippie trend like recycling? Well, while the environmental benefits of eating local are hotly debated, there is no question that eating more vegetables will reduce your carbon footprint, that ingesting fewer antibiotics will slow the rise of superbugs, and that sharing a new stellar recipe with your neighbor will be fun! And with a health conscious and food-knowledgeable staff, the Bushwick Food Co-op is the perfect place to go green.