Buckwheat and Daffodils

Easter is around the corner, the days are getting longer and we’re real excited about the prospect of spring veg and beyond in 2016…

We have just had another great Saturday Session which was all things Gluten Free and with the added bonus of a beautiful sunny day.

From the mocha Pulsetta Thins to the maize and rice Dove fusilli tossed in roasted Dig-In Veg, it was (we think) a fab showcase of our backroom GF stock, a nice chance to get some new cooking ideas and really great to chat to the community.

A big thanks to Scott at Greencity Wholefoods who as our main backroom supplier, gave us two boxes of tasty treats to try. A big thanks also to Emma who manages the Vegware Community Fund and who sorted us out with donated cups and spoons (compostable of course). Cheers also to Manager Mike for giving us an improved table setup out front and to Marie, Julie and Isla who were in doing Saturday shifts in the shop.

The best tasters were those made with the gift of time from our Volunteers and we just can’t run events at all without you (or – indeed – the shop itself). A huge thanks must go to Kateriina for her fabulous banana bread and brownies, Cory for hear beautiful baba ganoush and houmous (challenge of the day was spelling this on our tasting labels and, as I’ve just realised, we failed),  Sorour for her beautiful seeded crackers – delivered enroute to the airport for a trip away (now that’s dedication!) – Nicky for her colourful marzipan leaves and fellow PACE subgroup members Sheena for fudgy avocado goodness and Chelsea for her brilliant buckwheat carrot cake and mixed pasta.

We’re hoping to get recipes online soon in a new section on the website thanks to Katie our new Dig-In volunteer web developer. You’ll notice a few tear off recipe bundles hanging around in the shop which include last month’s fabulous soups by Frankie, Janet and Chelsea – read about them in our newsetter archive for February here if you missed them.

We love having events outside the shop – it really engages people shopping, brunching or enjoying a coffee (though with the prospect of free chocolate brownies as you walk by who wouldn’t be engaged really…). People create a great buzz outside the shop and, we hope, draw more folks in to buy. We are always on the lookout for ideas or volunteers (or indeed anyone with an interest in anything!) to help make them happen. Don’t hesitate – come in and chat or get in touch with our Promotion and Community Engagement (PACE) subgroup here.

We do need your support to be a sustainable feature here at 119 Bruntsfield Place and we do want to spread the word wider that we’re a great place to get your groceries – for both social and economic reasons… More on that and our recent AGM and upcoming April events soon…

Till then, Happy Easter to those celebrating and hang in there with our lovely East Coast Organics kale….clocks are a changing, daffodils are a blooming… Spring 2016 is on!