The Mariposa Co-okie

Grab the Mariposa Co-okie through the end of March while supplies last! Made by Crust Vegan Bakery specifically for our 45th Anniversary, the Mariposa Co-okie contains Crust's favorite vegan ingredients found at Mariposa. Spot the ingredients below in the book summary.

The adventure continues...

Wait.

What is happening?

You notice your vision bleaching and unbleaching as you stagger through a reality that you no longer recognize. The Earth is coming unbalanced and all around you there are cookies within cookies inside Snackimals meta-reflecting at infinitum like mirrors set to face one another. You are bombarded by an equal exchange of images pretzeling around one another and chipping away at your psyche. Your head feels like it's filled with marshmallows as you stagger forward using the last of your energy, assuming you've reached the end of your existence.

And then you awaken. You shake off the memory of the dream, sweet as agave and still so clear in your brain. You roll out of bed and make a pot of coffee, but every color of life seems to be dulled after dreaming of a snack so vibrant. 

How to cook with cheese

Cheese is good for more than just cheese and crackers. Try some of our favorite recipes below.

Cheddar, Fig, & Apricot on Sweet Potato Chips

Ingredients

• Cabot Cheddar
• Fig Spread
• Dried apricots
• Honey
• Almonds or pecans for garnish
• Food Should Taste Good Sweet Potato Tortilla Chips

Directions

1. Lay chips on a serving platter, top each one with a slice of Alpine Cheddar, a teaspoon of fig spread, and top with a small piece of dried apricot.
2. Drizzle with honey and garnish with almonds of pecans if desired. Repeat until you have your desired amount. (one 8 ounce bar of cheese will make 16 pairings)

Apple Cheddar Gluten Free Scones

Ingredients

• 1 cup gluten-free oat flour (GF oats blended into flour)
• 1/4 cup coconut flour     
• ¼ cup potato starch (could use tapioca or corn starch)     
• 3 packets Stevia     
• 1 tablespoon psyllium husks (or 1 teaspoon Guar Gum)     
• 1 tablespoon baking powder     
• 6 tablespoons applesauce     
• 2 tablespoons honey     
• 1 egg     
• 2 tablespoons coconut oil, chilled     
• 2 tablespoons unsweetened almond milk     
• 1/2 chopped red apple, medium     
• 4 ounces Cabot Sharp Cheddar, shredded (about 1 cup)   
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon     
• 1/4 teaspoon sea salt     

Optional: extra coconut oil for brushing on top along with cinnamon and stevia for sprinkling.

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400°F.     
2. Shred cheese and chop apple.     
3. Combine all dry ingredient in one bowl, and all wet ingredients in another, except for the coconut oil.     
4. Combine wet ingredient into the dry ingredients until thoroughly mixed. "Cut" in chilled coconut oil by teaspoon (think of typical scones where you cut in cubes of chilled butter). Fold in apples and cheese.
5. Form dough into a circular shape on tray sprayed with nonstick spray. Cut into four "scones". Lightly brush extra melted coconut oil on top of dough, and sprinkle with cinnamon and Stevia (or sugar of choice).
6. Bake in oven for 12-15 minutes, or until browned on outside.

Cheesy Mexican Frittata

Ingredients

• 6 eggs 
• 1/4 cup greek yogurt
• 3 ounces Cabot Pepper Jack, crumbled (about 3/4 cup)
• 1 cup black beans, rinsed and drained 
• 1 cup cooked brown rice 
• 1 red pepper, diced 
• 1 white onion, diced 
• 1 clove of garlic, chopped 
• 1/2 cup salsa 
• 1/4 teaspoon cumin 
• 1/2 teaspoon chili powder 
• 1/4 cup cilantro  
• Salt and pepper, to taste  
• Oil, for sautéing

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F.
2. Place a cast iron skillet on medium-low heat.   
3. Once heated, add oil to the skillet. Add garlic, onion, and red pepper. Saute until cooked through. Add spices, salt and pepper, rice, beans, and salsa.  
4. While the vegetable mixture is cooking, in a large bowl, beat eggs and yogurt together. Pour the eggs over the vegetables evenly. Bring the heat up to medium. Let cook until the eggs start to set on the edges, about 6 minutes. In last minute of cooking, sprinkle cheese and cilantro on top. Once the eggs start to set, place the entire skillet in the oven for 10 minutes.
5. Remove from oven, slice, and serve with extra cilantro and salsa for garnish!

Recall: Applegate Chicken Nuggets

It has come to our attention that there has been a recall of Applegate Naturals Chicken Nuggets. The affected product is an 8 oz boxed package that contains approximately 18 pieces of "Applegate Naturals Chicken Nuggets" with a "Best Before 09/27/2016" date. The products subject to recall bear establishment number "P-2617" inside the USDA mark of inspection. 

The product has been pulled from Mariposa shelves and will be restocked when the issue has been addressed. If you have purchased this product, please notify the Manager on Duty the next time you shop and you will be reimbursed for the product. No other dates or lot numbers have been affected at this time.

Please email marketing@mariposa.coop or call 215-729-2121 with any concerns.

Introducing Happy Valley Meat!

Since losing Troutman & Sons all natural beef at the end of 2015, Alex, our Meat & Cheese Buyer, has been searching for an alternative beef provider that meets our quality and value standards. We are happy to announce, we are bringing in fresh beef from Happy Valley Meat Co., an all natural beef provider that connects small family farms in Centre and Lancaster County with dining and retail locations like us! Happy Valley Meat Co. beef can also be found in popular Philadelphia restaurants like, Fork Restaurant, High Street on Market, Talula's Garden and more. Their ground beef and sirloin can be found in our fresh case and beef cubes in our freezer. Looking for a recipe? Check out this beef piccata.

Beef cuts that cannot be fulfilled by Happy Valley Meat Co. will be fulfilled by Styker Farm, a local farm in the Pocono Mountains. In addition to the pork products they supply, Styker Farm will provide us with NY strip steak, Delmonico steak, shank/soup bones, chuck roast, and short ribs.

Enter to win a Dinner for Two - an $80 value!

To enter, shop at Mariposa through February 12 and you will receive a raffle ticket from your cashier. Write your name and contact information on the ticket and place it in one of the mason jars on the table by the exit door. One winner will be announced on February 13. One entry per person please!

Products include:

• Your choice of Martin's chicken sausage or Tofurkey sausage
• Two Co-op Basics traditional marinara sauce
• Two pounds organic spaghetti
• Pint of strawberries
• Organic cherry tomatoes
• Organic spinach/arugula mix
• Fresh tomato
• Fresh mozzarella
• Organic balsamic vinegar
• Metropolitan Bakery baguette
• Organic brownie mix
• 3 Chocolove bars
• Sunbeam beeswax candle

Win our Game Day giveaway - a $75 value!

Just in time for your Game Day themed festivities, we are now stocked with chicken wings after a looonggg hiatus! Like the rest of our Bell & Evans chicken products, our chicken wings are antibiotic and filler free and 100% air chilled. Find chicken wings in our meat case for $3.79/lb To celebrate the return of the chicken wing, we are giving away a Game Day themed gift basket!

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To enter, shop at Mariposa through January 31 and you will receive a raffle ticket from your cashier. Write your name and contact information on the ticket and place it in one of the mason jars on the table by the exit door. One winner will be announced on February 1. One entry per person please!

Products include:

• Your choice of chicken wings, tempeh, or seitan
• Two cans of  diced tomatoes
• Organic carrots
• Organic cherry tomatoes
• Two avocados
• Field Day Co-op Basics salsa
• Cholula
• Calavo guacamole
• Cabot sharp cheddar cheese
• Bearitos taco shells
• Kettle salt & pepper chips
• Bearitos corn tortilla chips

A farewell to C.O.P.A. soaps and NS Troutman & Sons

We regret to inform you, C.O.P.A. Soaps founders and NS Troutman & Sons All Natural Beef suppliers, two of our beloved local vendors, will no longer be sold at Mariposa. Due to an extreme increase in the cost of their raw materials, C.O.P.A. soaps are moving to online retail store and are no longer offering wholesale prices to retail locations. We apologize for any inconvenience this has caused you and your C.O.P.A loving hearts. Expect an expanded line of local Volta Soaps to be available by mid January.

NS Troutman and Sons, our local and all natural beef supplier is going out of business. They have been a cornerstone in our local food chain and have provided us with over three years of great service. We have stocked up on their products to hold us over while we search for a new supplier. If you have any questions, please ask an employee or feel free to email Alex at meat@mariposa.coop.

Thank you for your cooperation!

2015 Year In Review

Before we jump into 2016, we want to reflect on the hard work and the progress we made in 2015. Thank you to all of our dedicated members and staff for a great year! Began our three year strategic planning process With your feedback, we were able to compile your thoughts, opinions, and dreams about Mariposa into a three year strategic plan. This plan will guide us through the next three years and directly affect the work we do.

Elected a new Board Meet them here (and keep an eye out for information on 2016's Board Elections in March)!

We turned 44! Don't we look good?! Along with celebrating our 44th birthday, we raffled off some of our favorite products on social media and in store and held a membership referral drive.

Introduced Eating Healthy on a Tight Budget Have you been yet? Eating Healthy on a Tight Budget is an initiative developed by Mariposa staff and members to educate, provide strategies, and hold discussions on balancing health, nutrition, and personal budgets. Monthly workshops entail a tour of Mariposa, including information on how to navigate the aisles and find the products you need, as well as an interactive cooking workshop on how to prepare a sample of healthy and affordable food. Workshops are free, open to the public, and held every third Saturday from 11 a.m. - 1 p.m.

Implemented a new POS system & distributed Membership Cards Out with the old and in the with the new! Our new POS (point of sale) system is more efficient and offers better reporting for our staff. We were also able to (finally!) distribute membership cards to all of our members with the unveil of our new system.

Redesigned our cashier stations and checkout lines Our redesign allowed for two additional cashier stations and a speedier checkout line. We even added an express lane for those shopping for just a few items during our busiest hours.

Redeveloped new member orientations The need to redevelop our new member orientations stemmed from new members increasingly unable to attend a two hour member orientation, creating a backlog of new members waiting to become active members. New members can now become active members in as little as 24 hours once they complete the 10 minute member orientation.

Held our first Membership Appreciation Day Our Membership Department is looking to make this an annual event. A big thanks to our members who helped us throughout the day and to Bartram's Garden for allowing us to use their space.

Created a Membership Bulletin You can now find all member related information - including working-member interest forms, membership info, and event flyers - on the east wall by the Member Services Desk.

Began the search for a Transitional GM For most of our 40+ years of operation, we have been collectively managed. This past year, however, we implemented an interim co-management team to address some of the challenges associated with rapid staff and sales growth. We would like to thank Jamila Medley, who worked with us as our Organizational Development Coordinator until September, and Sam McCormick, our Operations Coordinator who will be leaving us mid-January, for their time spent growing and supporting Mariposa.

Early next year, we are seeking to hire a longer-term Transitional General Manager who can meet financial, operational, and strategic planning goals while working with staff to design and implement a new, sustainable democratic management structure. This position will begin in the spring of 2016 and will be contracted through the end of 2019. Upon recommendation of the Management Structure Committee, the Board has named Bull Gervasi, our current Facilities and Produce Coordinator, as the Interim General Manager until we hire a longer-term Transitional General Manager. Read more about Bull's interim role.

2015 in Review: Co-op News Round-Up

Temple’s Student-Run Rad Dish Co-op Opens Locally Sourced Cafe

PPA Approves Taxi Worker Co-op Following Threat of Lawsuit

How Cooperative Grocery Stores are Bringing Food Access to Low-Income Neighborhoods

These Nine People Gave Up the Middle-Class Dream. Was It Worth It?

Co-ops are Ready For Their Close Up

A Case for a Cooperative Economy

PACA and local food co-ops receive $25,000 USDA grant

Ride the BLAST!

Ride the BLAST Saturday, December 12! The BLAST, Baltimore & Lancaster Avenue Shoppers’ Trolley, is a free trolley that will loop between Baltimore and Lancaster Avenues from 12 p.m. - 5 p.m. Jump on and off the trolley to save at local shops on both avenues.

Introducing Co-op Basics

Mariposa buyers are always looking for ways to lower prices without compromising the quality of the products we offer and, to that end, we were delighted to enroll in a new purchasing program through

National Cooperative Grocers

that has allowed us to immediately lower prices on all of our Field Day brand products. Field Day offers a wide array of organic, natural, and non-GMO staple items, such as the pastas, broths, crackers, and paper goods, that will form the foundation of the "Co-op Basics" program we'll be building in 2016 to improve the affordability of Mariposa for all shoppers. In the meantime, enjoy low-priced Field Day products marked with the purple Co-op Basics tag.

Field Day 12-pack Recycled Toilet Paper - was $11.99, now $6.99! 

Field Day Organic Brown Rice Pastas - were $3.29, now $1.99!

Field Day Organic Pasta Sauces - were $3.69, now $2.99!

Field Day Organic Salsas - were $3.49, now $2.99!

Field Day Organic Broths - were $2.99, now $2.29!

...and more! over 25 items in total!