Alberta Co-op Grocery

by Amber, Perishables Buyer

I’m always amazed when I can find enough refrigerated space for new items- it’s a serious challenge, and I feel inspired to release special announcements to celebrate these feats of slotting wonder.  Here goes:

Location: Corvallis, OR

Products:  Fresh Mozzarella, Smoked Mozzarella, Cheddar Curds, On Fire Cheddar Curds, Garlic Lovers’ Mozzarella Curds, Sundried Tomato and Basil Mozzarella Curds

What’s special:  I can be a mozzarella snob.  I’ll admit it.  I cut my teeth in the natural foods business working at Guido’s Fresh Marketplace in Massachusetts.  Italian families know their mozzarella, for sure.  Full Circle’s Fresh Mozzarella is amongst the best cow’s milk mozzarella I’ve ever tried, right up their with my love for Don Froylan’s Queso Oaxaca.  Since this is a fresh mozzarella, it has a higher moisture content than the Don Froylan, making it ideal for a Margarita pizza or topping for lasagna.  Their curds are also unstoppable-good.  My favorites would have to be the On Fire Cheddar Curds, made with habaneros, and the Garlic Lovers’ Mozzarella.  So. Good. Oh my gosh.

Location:  Portland, OR

Products:  Organic Chicken Eggs

What’s special:  Rated 5 out of 5 on the Cornucopia Institute’s Egg Guide, these eggs have been certified awesome all over the place.  This family farm is not only located right here in Portland, but offer certified organic, pasture raised, cage free, antibiotic and growth hormone-free vegetarian fed eggs.  Don’t just trust me on this one- click on the links!

Location:  Conway, MA

Products:  Chickpea (in bulk), Sweet White, Garlic Red Pepper, Three Year Barley, Hearty Brown Rice, Dandelion Leek, Adzuki Bean, Golden Millet, Koji

What’s special:  The last 6 months we’ve been out of this miso, and maaaaaaaaan, have I heard about it from all of you.  Only seasonally available, South River Miso is a family owned artisanal miso company making handcrafted, wood-fired, certified organic miso for over 30 years.  They were perhaps the first ever domestic miso company in the United States.  Stop by and check out their soy-free chickpea miso in our bulk section, or a wide variety of specialty misos.  Some favorites are their 3-Year Barley, their (kind of “whoa” expensive) Dandelion Leek Miso, and keep your eyes out for new varieties as the season progresses!  Keep your eye out for a special guest in our bulk department as well- koji!

Koji is back in bulk, in the supplement/bulk cooler in the Bulk aisle, at just $21.49/lb.

Thats right, we have an organic brown rice koji in bulk.  Koji is brown rice cultured with Aspergillus oryzae, and is used as a starter to make a number fermented foods such as miso, sake, amazaké, rice vinegar, and mirin.

We are getting ours from South River Miso. Here is a amazake recipe they offer, from their website:

“Pronounced ah-mah-ZAH-kay, the word literally means “sweet sake”. It is a delicious, creamy hot rice drink with a “…rich, ambrosial flavor…most popular during the winter months, especially at New Year’s. Rich in natural sugars, it has long served as a sweetening agent in Japanese cookery.” It can be used in place of sugar in many recipes, and is especially nice for baking.Homemade Amazaké

Ingredients:
3 cups brown rice
1 1/2 cups dry Brown Rice Koji

Directions: Pressure cook brown rice using 3 cups rice to 5 cups water for about 45 minutes. Or boil rice without pressure using 6 cups water to 3 cups rice for 50-60 minutes. Do not use salt in the cooking.

• When done, stir the grain from top to bottom and transfer into a glass, Pyrex, or ceramic mixing bowl. Let the grain cool down to 110-130º F.
• Use about 1 1/2 cups dry koji to 4 cups cooked grain. Stir koji well into the warm rice. Try to fill the bowl almost full and cover with a lid or plate to conserve heat. The mixture will tend to be thick but will thin out as it ferments.
• Keep the container in a warm place for 5-8 hours or overnight. The temperature of the fermenting grain should stay between 115-130º during incubation. You can incubate Amazaké in the bottom of your oven over the pilot light. You can also use a hot water bath with a larger bowl, keeping the water 130-140º F.
• If possible, stir mixture with a wooden spoon several times during incubation, checking the temperature as you go. The grain should start to smell sweet and become more liquefied as it ferments. If after 5 hours it is not sufficiently sweet to your taste, let it ferment 2-3 hours longer. When the fermentation is complete, the mixture will be sweet tasting, and the individual grains will be soft.
• Now simmer the Amazaké over a low flame for 15 minutes to stop further fermentation. This is now your Amazaké base, which you can store in glass jars in the fridge until ready for use.

To serve as Amazaké: Combine 1 part base with 1 1/2 to 1 3/4 parts water in a saucepan and bring just to a boil. Season lightly with salt, pour into preheated cups, and top each portion with a dab of grated gingerroot.

To use as a sweetener: Substitute 3 1/2 tablespoons Amazaké base for 1 tablespoon honey (or 2 tablespoons sugar) in any of your favorite preparations. Rich in enzymes, it is especially good in breads, cakes, pancakes, waffles, or muffins where it assists in the leavening process and adds a rich moistness.”

My friends that are fermenting fiends keep pushing the book Wild Fermentation by Sandor Ellix Katz.  Check it out at the library for other fermenting projects, or check out South River Miso’s website for more recipes!