A Sugar Beet meets a Squash Blossom: Good Food is Happening in Oak Park!

By Cheryl Muñoz and Amy Henderson 

The Sugar Beet Co-op had an incredible Membership Drive Kick-off Party at Unity Temple in January.  You were likely there or you heard about it... we had over 300 people come out to show their support for a local, independent grocery store.  
As we were setting up, my friend Anne White asked if she could join the co-op. Our board happily walked her through the application, processed her payment and we smiled at eachother... OUR FIRST MEMBER!  This is HAPPENING!

It's going to take a lot of "Annes" to create a grocery store and community center that celebrates local, sustainably grown food but our first member is a passionate visionary in our community and we are proud to have her support.   

Please go to our website to learn more about The Sugar Beet Co-op.  www.sugarbeetcoop.com

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We recently spoke with Anne White, community and environmental activist, and our first Sugar Beet Co-op member about Oak Park, our Earth, and our food.

SB: How long have you lived in Oak Park?
AW: Five years. I moved here from Washington D.C. after my granddaughter was born to be closer to family. I was already coming to the area often to visit family and attend the Green Festival.

SB: What do you think makes our community so unique?
AW: The natural landscape, the trees, the proximity of houses to one another, the diversity of housing, the open parks, and the walkability attracts people wanting to live in a community. Every time I leave Oak Park, when I return you can see Oak Park is visibly a community. It’s a village.

SB: What do you feel is the most pressing environmental issue facing us today?
AW: The issue is people, and the result is climate change. We have between now and the year 2050 to act. Humans are in denial, they’re afraid, and it’s overwhelming, but we have to work together to make change.

SB: The One Earth Film Festival was this past weekend. Which film had the biggest impact on you?
AW: “Chasing Ice.” Every single person needs to see this film. It visually shows the damage being done by us in a part of the world that is so beautiful. You don’t have to hear the science talking heads explain it. It’s a wake-up call, and you can feel it in your heart.

SB: Do you have a garden? What is your favorite thing to grow? To cook?
AW: I’m a Squash Blossom. We have a community garden behind Buzz Cafe. We remediated the soil, we use only heirloom seeds and grow bio-dynamically.* The great thing about the Squash Blossoms is we grow food together, and the garden is ours.
My favorite thing to grow is eggplant. I love to watch it grow, it is so beautiful. I like to cook Turkish food and eggplant is a main ingredient.

SB: What is your earliest food memory?
AW: My paternal grandparents had a 40-acre farm in Northern Georgia. Every Sunday we’d meet in my grandmother’s kitchen, and we'd go out the back door and gather produce. Standing in the Northern Georgia sun, eating a vine-ripened tomato, it doesn’t get much better than that.

SB: What do you think has changed the general public’s opinion about the importance of eating locally grown food?
AW: I think the threat to food from pesticides. Also, a lack of trust in the FDA and the Department of Agriculture. Even organic certification gets manipulated! People want to know “Is my food healthy?” “Who grew my food?”

SB: Why did you decide to join the Sugar Beet Co-op? If someone is considering joining, what would you tell them?
AW: I heard Cheryl Muñoz speak about the co-op during a Green Sanctuary meeting, and I just so wanted to see this happen. If you want to eat locally, you have to build a critical mass, and contribute your time and money. You have to take action now.