Alberta Co-op Grocery

by Richard, Grocery Buyer

This past winter holiday season I found myself being driven to some unknown restaurant in Chicago by a good friend of mine who happens to be Korean. I wasn’t told where we were going, and when we got there he refused to let me order. He wanted me to have a traditional Korean dinner, or at least as close to one as you’re going to get in an older converted Denny’s. He proceeded to order everything in Korean to keep the mystery alive until the food landed on our table…and with a few of the dishes, I’m still not certain what it was I agreed to ingest.

The food ended up being delicious, probably the best meal I had my entire vacation (and that includes Christmas with all the traditional fixins!). Ironically, the course I remember most distinctly was not one of the main entrees, but the kimchi that arrived at the beginning of the meal. It was perfectly fermented and seasoned. In fact, I probably ate more of it than any of the three other entrees we shared.

When my trip ended and I arrived back in Portland, a little part of my mind (and some of my taste buds) seemed to have missed the flight and were still lingering outside that restaurant on Lawrence Ave. in Chicago. I said to myself, let it go Richard. You can always go back and repeat the experience next year; or better yet, I could try to mimic the recipe in my own kitchen. Truth be told, I haven’t taken the time to make kimchi in years and this winter and spring has been no exception.

Thankfully, Choi’s Kimchi Company has come to the rescue! I no longer have to choose between mimicking the recipe or flying back to Chicago because I can’t wait that long. I was the lucky recipient of a sample jar of Choi’s Napa Cabbage Kimchi.

I was taken with this kimchi from the moment I opened the jar. The spices and fermentation were intoxicating before any of the vegetables even entered my mouth. I tried to resist eating the kimchi until I had made a meal to surround it, but I found myself eating pretty much all of it directly from the jar. The Napa cabbage was still wonderfully crisp and with just the right balance of sweetness and heat.

So this story has a happy ending, because while I still have a craving for a particular kimchi, now I can find it in the refrigerated section of my co-op and workplace. Better yet, it’s locally produced right here in Portland!

Though I may be a little addicted to the Napa Cabbage Kimchi, Choi’s makes several other varieties, including: mild and spicy Daikon, and a more mild version of the napa cabbage (for those of you who don’t always want the fire breathe).

While I couldn’t help from eating all the kimchi right out of the jar, if you’d like more information about recipes, the health benefits of kimchi, or just to know more about the company you can find them on the web at www.choiskimchi.com.

by Geanna Marek, Working Owner

Have you tried flavored vinegars? I really haven’t gone out of my usual balsamic and apple cider circle to try other varieties, but when I saw Hoskins Berry Farm’s Blackberry Vinegar at ACG, I knew I had to pick it up. The question that came next was, obviously, how the heck would I use and consume it?

My mind raced over all the possibilities: add it to some jam (I think it would taste amazing with strawberries or blackberries), use it as a dip for shortbread with some nice coconut oil, or simply add it to another recipe in place of normal vinegar. I settled on using it in a recipe, but instead of a basic vinegar replacement, it became a major flavor enhancer.

I added it to a homemade BBQ sauce that I like to marinate tofu in. It added the most delightfully tart flavor to my dinner. My ingredients for the BBQ sauce are usually ketchup, liquid sweetener (I prefer maple syrup or agave), liquid smoke and Bragg’s amino acids, but this time I added the vinegar instead of the sweetener, and it was delicious.

Hoskins Berry Farm is a certified biodynamic and organic farm located in Philomath, Oregon, that produces both fruit and medicinal herbs. According to the back of the bottle, the farm sought out biodynamic certification because the owners believe that type of farming is “a holistic approach to agriculture that emphasizes self-sustainability. The farm is viewed as a living organism that achieves health and vitality when the dynamic interactions of nature are balanced.” Plus, in my humble opinion, the end product taste pretty darn good.

A 5 ounce bottle of blackberry vinegar is available for $4.99 at ACG, and contains raw unfiltered biodynamic/organic blackberry vinegar with 4% acidity.