By Anya Firszt, General Manager
Hello dear Owners,
Before we ring in the new year, there are a few holidays and events to celebrate in what will seem like four very short weeks.
As some of you already know, one of my favorite events to celebrate is the winter solstice, which occurs in the Northern Hemisphere on December 21. It is the one day of the year that has the fewest hours of sunlight, and then the earth begins its turn back towards the sun again, and voila, we begin to have more hours of sunlight!
Whatever and however you celebrate the holidays, the Co-op is here to help you with your holiday feasts and gift-giving list. You’ll find a wide selection of baking and cooking ingredients and supplies to spread joy and good cheer with your friends and family.
Come on in to what we have in store for you.
Holiday Gift Ideas
Having a hard time coming up with a meaningful holiday gift idea? Consider the gift of a Co-op Ownership! Any Paid-in-Full Ownership ($56 single or $91 household plus a $2 administrative fee) purchased between December 1–31 will receive a $5 gift card for the giver (you) as well as the receiver! Check out the details on page 22 of this issue of the Reader.
Dolores Kamm/Kamm’s Farm Bakery Bread
Dolores Kamm, along with her sisters and nephew, started selling their organic bread at the Dane County Farmers’ Market when the market started in the early ‘70s. About that same time, Kamm became a vendor of the Co-op and for forty years delivered bread to sell to Co-op shoppers. Dolores stopped delivering bread to Willy East and West in February 2014, when she was 90. She continued to bake bread for friends and family for another 10 years. Sadly, Dolores passed away on October 26th of this year.
A Celebration of Life gathering is scheduled, in person or virtual, on December 8, 2024, beginning at 1:00 pm at the Oregon Village Hall Community Room. Light refreshments will be served and most notably many of Dolores’s favorite foods and recipes will be shared. Learn more at willystreet.coop/dolores.
Hot Toddy Anyone?
Last month I reported we would end our in-house juice production effective November 15th. The most frequent comment made to me about ending the service was, “can you share the Hot Toddy Concentrate recipe with me?”
Hot Toddy Juice Concentrate
Equal parts:
- fresh squeezed lemon juice
- juiced ginger
- raw honey
- warm water
Add the warm water to the honey and stir well to help the honey break up/dissolve. Then add the lemon and ginger to the mixture. Bottle and refrigerate if not using right away. Store for 7 days in the fridge or put in the freezer for a much longer shelf life.
To use the concentrate: add 4 fl oz of concentrate to 12 fl oz of hot water. Increase the amount of concentrate if you like a stronger potency. Alternatively, you could add the concentrate to 12 fl oz of sparkling water for a Toddy Spritzer.
FY2024 Annual Report
You can expect to receive our last fiscal year’s annual report in your mailbox or inbox before the end of the calendar year. And, on page 19 you can read about this year’s budget.
Coffee with the General Manager
Last month, we invited Owners to join me for a cup of coffee in the Willy North Commons and tell me what you like about our North store and what we can do to improve. We had a wonderful turnout with more than 20 people offering kudos and constructive input. Thank you so much for your time, ideas, and comments. Based on that positive reception, we’ll plan for more of these in the coming year. In the meantime, please feel free to email me at a.firszt@willystreet.coop or call 608-237-1210 with your concerns and/or comments.
Special Store Hours
- December 24 (Christmas Eve) closing at 6pm
- December 25 (Christmas Day) closed
- December 31 (New Year’s Eve) regular hours
- January 1 (New Year’s Day) closed
I hope you all have a wonderful end to 2024 and make the most of 2025.
Cheers,
Anya
