Sound Consumer archive
December 2009

PCC Farmland Trust saves Orting Valley Farms

by Kristin Vogel

It is with great excitement and gratitude that PCC Farmland Trust announces the preservation of 100 acres in Pierce County. This property, Orting Valley Farms, has been our most complex and ambitious project to date and has involved the time and generous efforts of many project partners and concerned community members. Saving it is an accomplishment on many levels.

Sustainable Christmas trees

from the editors

Which is more sustainable — a live-cut Christmas tree or an artificial tree that lasts many years? We’ve had both, not being sure of what’s more naughty or nice. So when we saw an editorial on this question in our regional agriculture paper, the Capital Press, we thought ’tis the season to share what it said.

Compendium, not your average greeting card company

by Ethan Schaffer, Climate Solutions

I’ll be the first to admit, I’m not a greeting card connoisseur. But it didn’t take me long to figure out that Fremont-based Compendium is not your average card company. Compendium is a shining example of a new wave of companies that are embracing a triple bottom line: people, planet and profit.

Recipes from the December issue

Stuffed Mushrooms with Balsamic Reduction · Gorgonzola, Mascarpone and Hazelnut Crostini

Winter: time to shift to crucifers!

by Goldie Caughlan, PCC Nutrition Education Manager

Many call them “brassicas” or “cole crops” (hence, “coleslaw”) and they include broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, collards, and kale and all their kin — including mustard greens and some roots. What unites this nutritious family botanically is their similarly patterned flowers — four petals in the form of a cross; hence, crucifer, a “cross-bearer.”

What's new in store — December 2009

Spice up your holiday with a great selection of seasonal items including peppermint chai, rice nog, hot buttered rum beverage blends and more.

Notes from the Cellar

Prelude to the sequel

by Jeff Cox, Beer and Wine Merchandiser

Here we go again (already). Another lap around the sun almost done. With mere weeks remaining of the annual descent into darkness, it’s time to have a look around before commencing the long, slow climb back into the light.

PCC Farmland Trust celebrates 10 successful years

by Kathryn Gardow, Executive Director
PCC Farmland Trust

What a ride it has been! PCC Farmland Trust’s 10th anniversary year has been a time of meeting new people, adding new farmland, expanding the trust’s work, and visiting its farms. Thank you for supporting the trust’s work. We could not do it without you!