Author: mmourad

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Discover our BULK Pure Soap Flakes products

Pure and natural, plant-based, cleaning and laundry products. Free of additives, enzymes, fragrance, and sodium lauryl sulfate. Made in Minnesota. More info: https://puresoapflakes.com/

Source: https://puresoapflakes.com/

Pure Soap Flakes: Small, translucent, crystal like, silky flakes of pure Castile soap concentrate that are saponified from a signature blend of organic vegetable oils of coconut and Smude Sunflower Seed. Melts in water to create a liquid soap, and can be used for bathing, cleaning or laundry; great for people with sensitive skin, babies, and pets! $15.56/lb

Laundry Powder: A special formulation of ground Pure Soap Flakes, aluminum free baking soda, and washing soda. Can be used in HE, front and top loading washing machines. Only 1 tablespoon per load! 2 tablespoons for extra large or soiled load and 3 for super soiled. Add 1 Cup 3% hydrogen peroxide or 1 tablespoon oxygen bleach (sodium percarbonate)
with whites as a natural bleach / Add 1/4 cup distilled white vinegar in the rinse to naturally
condition and soften clothes if needed. $8.19/lb

BULK Dishwasher tabs: Can be used to clean coffee pots too. Ingredients : Baking Soda, Borax, Citric Acid, EcoBleach, Himalayan Salt, Solar Salt and Washing Soda. Shipped in paper bag. Wrapper free. Directions : Toss 1 cube in to automatic dishwasher per cycle.
Fantastic for drains and septic! $9.95/lb

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Do you know about arrowroot powder?

Arrowroot powder (or flour) is derived from the root of a tropical plant called Maranta arundinacea. It can replace corn starch as a thickening agent, but it is not derived from (often genetically modified) grains, and is obtained through a more natural process. Arrowroot powder can also be mixed with other flours for gluten-free baking. And it has multiple health benefits!

Try it for $4.67/lb (in bulk).

Photo: Downshiftology.com

More information: https://downshiftology.com/5-things-you-need-to-know-about-arrowroot-powder/

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What to Do with (Very) Brown Bananas? Try a Delicious Vegan, Low-Waste, and Easy BANANA BREAD!

A great way to use the coop’s (half-price) ripe bananas. And you can also freeze bananas to make it later! Most ingredients available in bulk at the coop.

Recipe and photo by AmbitiousKitchen.com (Monique Volz)

Prep Time: 15min / Cook Time: 45min
Servings: 10 slices (~200 cal/slice).

  • Wet Ingredients:
  • 3 medium to large extra ripe bananas, mashed (1 to 1.5 cups) – Frozen bananas should be thawed first and drained of excess liquid.
  • 1/3 cup (75g) coconut oil
  • ½ cup (100g) brown sugar or coconut sugar
  • ½ tablespoon vanilla extract
  • 2 tablespoons dairy free milk (oat, soy, etc.) – Add 2 more if you use whole wheat flour
  • Dry ingredients:
  • 1 ¾ cups (210g) all-purpose flour
  • Gluten-free? Use or 1-to-1 GF flour replacement, with upcycled ingredients!
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • OPTIONAL: ½ cup chocolate chips
  • OPTIONAL: ½ cup chopped walnuts, pecans, etc.
  • Instructions:
  1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 8 ½*4 ½ inch pan. If you use a larger pan, note that your bread will be thinner and will take less time to cook.
  2. In a large bowl, mix together the wet ingredients. In another large bowl, mix together the dry ingredients.
  3. Add dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix until just combined: Do not overmix! Keep some lumps of bananas, etc. If you’d like, add the chocolate chips or nuts or both.
  4. Add the batter to the pan. Bake for 40-50min or until a tester inserted into the middle comes out clean.
  5. Allow bread to cool in the pan for 5-10min, then transfer to a wire rack to finish cooling.
  6. Serve sliced and cold. Can be served with nut butter spread on top.
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New Snack available in bulk: Roasted Soy Beans!

We now offer Roasted Salted Soya Beans in bulk. Great as an appetizer and zero-waste snack option. Lightly salted, high in protein and fiber, vegan and gluten-free. Can be mixed with dried fruit and other nuts! Available at $5.52/lb. Grown in the U.S. and delivered by Tootsi Impex U.S.A.

Source: Tootsi Impex U.S.A.
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New Product: Jade Green Pearl Rice

Try our new Jade Green Pearl Rice, made from organic short-grain rice (a.k.a sushi rice, grown in China) infused with bamboo concentrate. This rice has a moist texture, a delicate taste, and a great light green color from the chlorophyll in the bamboo!

Delivered by Tootsi and available in bulk for $7.22/lb.

Organic Jade Green Pearl Rice (Source: Tootsi Impex)

Cooking tips:

  • Do not rinse it! Rinsing can remove the bamboo, which dulls the dolor.
  • 1.5 to 1 water to rice ratio
  • Simmer 15 to 20 minutes. Just cook until the water is absorbed.
  • Steam covered for 5 minutes. This final step is important to get the right texture. Jade rice is moist and stickier than a standard white or brown rice.

Adapted from: https://www.acouplecooks.com/jade-rice/

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We now have cassava flour!

Also called manioc or yuca, cassava flour is gluten-free and grain-free (made from cassava root), and one of the best replacement for wheat flour because of its starchy content. Our cassava is organic and produced in Brazil. Available at $4.19/lb.

You can try it in simple recipes such as waffles and pancakes, or delicious 5-min tortillas.

Cassava Flour Tortillas (Source: Downshiftology.com)

(Sources: Bob’s Red Mill and PaleoGlutenFree.com)

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Please answer our annual survey before 1/31!

Best wishes for 2024! If you are a member and/or shopper at the coop, please fill out our annual short survey and let us know about your experience. We welcome any feedback and (constructive) suggestions to collectively improve what we are doing!

The survey should take less than 10 minutes and will be open until the end of January. All working members, non-working members, and regular or occasional shoppers are encouraged to answer. Feel free to circulate widely!

Link to the survey: shorturl.at/dNOS9

If you have any question[s] related to the survey, please contact: survey@4thstreetfoodcoop.org.

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Try our zero-waste laundry options!

For clean clothes and a cleaner planet, try out several package-free, sustainable, skin-friendly laundry options:

  • Tru Earth laundry sheets or “eco-strips”: 1 strip = $0.40/load
  • Pure Soap Flakes BULK Laundry powder ($8.19/lb, 1 tea spoon per load = less than $0.15/load) or pure Castile soap flakes ($15.56/lb) to make your own cleaning products
  • Ecos unscented or magnolia lily BULK liquid laundry detergent ($2.65/lb, approximately $0.20/load)
  • Vermont BULK Castile soap
  • Dr Bronner’s BULK Castile soap
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Don’t make toilet paper out of trees, make a tree out of toilet paper!

Discover Who Gives a Crap‘s Limited edition 100% bamboo toilet paper!

“These 48 double length, 3 ply rolls stack to create an eco-friendly tree that gives the happiest room of your home the festive treatment. Wrapped with cheerful ornaments and hidden surprises, this toilet paper makes even the grinchiest go to the bathroom with glee.” (Picture: https://us.whogivesacrap.org/)

$1.66/roll. The company donates 50% of its profits to build toilets around the world. More details: https://us.whogivesacrap.org/products/stackatree

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Sign a petition to save NYC Compost Program

As co-operators, it’s safe to say we’re friends of community composting. But recently announced city budget cuts may completely eliminate the NYC Compost Project, Food Scrap Drop-Off Sites, Community Composting, and Outreach for the city’s Curbside Composting / Brown Bin program. Please consider signing this petition to urge NYC’s mayor, sanitation commissioner, and city council to halt the elimination of community compost programs. 

Link to the petition: https://www.grownyc.org/petition#newmode-embed-47342-61846


Community composting ensures 8.3 million pounds of organic waste are processed locally and diverted from landfill each year, and provides 325+ community groups with thousands of pounds of finished compost to enrich our street trees and green spaces while preventing flooding and erosion. Furthermore, there cannot be a successful Curbside Composting program in New York City without the outreach, education, and support provided by community composters. Thank you for your support!