After successfully owning and operating an all organic non GMO food co-op for the first six years we realized it was time to expand to a commercial space as we had outgrown our little garage carport from home shop.   After hearing about our decision to move and expand one of our loyal customers decided to partner with us by contributing a commercial kitchen and juice bar adjacent to and sharing the same building as us, split the rent okay great let's do it we all agreed.

However, shortly after agreeing and upon further discussion after finding the building we'd be moving into together, partner Lisa Piper voiced her concern.  "She's going to hire an interior decorator and contractors for her side of the shop and I'm afraid our thrift store bought shelving and product displays are seem a bit too shabby in contrast."   While standing in the largest room where we would stock our bulk dry goods, packaged goods, etc. I turned to Lisa and said "oh honey, don't worry about it I'll build this room out with custom pallet wood shelving, table, weigh station, whatever we need."  Not convinced Lisa asked if I'd ever done any projects like that before.  Nope.

However, after having lived of grid for a few years in Colorado where I had built my own living space and outbuildings including an outhouse : ) from mostly "repurposed" materials I felt pretty confident I could put some things together that would lend itself to a warm, charming rustic vibe that folks would appreciate. 

Anyone who has tried their hand at working with pallet wood knows just how much can have to go into it sometimes.  Separating the boards, assessing what is worth the effort and the true grit required to get the sanding done for finishing it.  (Pun : )

That having been said I'm glad I thought to get this picture of the "Tea Nook" piece as it was tucked into the space behind it shown in picture at left.  It has since been loaded with bulk Organic Tea items and nobody gets to see the beauty of this free standing pallet wood shelving. 

Take note, whenever you're doing any type of wood working project in a food based establishment everything will be looked over by a local health inspector.  That means in our case that all bottom shelving has to be at least six inches off the floor and all surfaces must look sealed against moisture.   So yeah sanding all surfaces top to bottom and sides is essential to passing an inspection especially when it's a newly established place of business.   And in case you're wondering yes our grand opening was a hit and the majority of our customers preferred the look and feel of our shop space to that of the juice bar which went with what is referred to as "shabby shiek" theme.  That having been said after six months our rental agreement partner bailed on us and we were left wondering what to do with the commercial kitchen and cafe seating space.  Oh boy, that's right had to make some pallet wood tables and benches for cafe seating.  

The photo above gives you folks a small idea of how much work has gone into creating a truly authentic hand made seating and table area that folks appreciate so much we've observed customers taking pictures of the pallet wood furnishings to share with friends and post on varying social media.  
Success has varying definitions and can be very personal in meaning but part of what defined the success of these projects has been the acknowledged appreciation of customers, staff and those interested in the effort involved in the grind that can sometimes be part and parcel of what is really considered sustainable.  

How To cook a Turkey
Relax...This is easier than you think. I’ll help you break down this daunting task step by step and before you know it you’ll have that perfectly golden bird on the table and everyone will be drooling with fork and knives in hand.  
What you will need: A chef knife, and a roaster.  The ideal roaster is a stainless steel roaster with a lid. If you don’t have this you can use a pan with aluminum foil which you will “tent” so it doesn’t stick to the skin. (remember- aluminum is NOT ideal to cook with...next year consider investing in a roaster).

Step 1:  Pour a glass of wine.  Or whatever your choice of relaxation may be.  This can be a fun process if you let it!
Step 2: Put the bird in the sink. This will contain all the juices and make for an easy clean up later. 
Step 3: Take the tie off the ends of your turkey if you have it. Most turkey’s have plastic or string ties keeping the legs together for packaging and shipping. 
Step 4: Take out the “giblets” and innards if your turkey has it. The outside of your package will usually say if your turkey includes the “giblets”. But just in case...put your hand in the cavity and pull out the neck and bag of organs.  SIDE NOTE: So what do you do with these things? You can put them in a sauce pan with water, bring to boil and simmer for an hour or so. This broth can be used for making stuffing or gravy later. 
Step 5: To stuff or not stuff.  If you are stuffing the cavity of your bird now is the time. If you are putting stuffing in it you will fill it (not too tight!) and remember to add 30mins to an hour cook time (depending on the size of your bird). If you are putting fresh herbs, onion, garlic in your turkey you will do this loosely and remember to add 15-30mins cook time (depending on the size of your bird). 
Step 6: Season the skin.  Add your dry seasonings to the breast of your turkey and massage it into the skin a bit. Then drizzle with olive oil on the turkey and the seasonings around the base of it in the pan (approx ¼ c). Try these seasonings- sage, thyme, margarom, terragon, rosemary, garlic, onion
Step 7: Cover and Cook. Put the lid on your roaster and put the bird in the oven.  So how long are we cooking this for you ask? That depends on a few things. For those who want to cook “low and slow” overnight you will be putting the oven at 175-200degrees and cooking for 10hours overnight. This requires a minimum of 2-3 bastings (this means you scoop up the liquid “drippings” from the bottom of the pan and pour it over the bird to moisten it as it cooks). OR  Do the traditional cooking time of approximately 15mins per pound at 325degrees. My personal preference is to start out slow with a temp of 275 degrees the first hour then bump it up to 350degrees for the remaining cook time. This method ensures it is cooked all the way through without drying it out. It may require an additional 15-30mins of cook time (depending on your bird size).  
Step 8: Finish the skin. For the last 20-30mins you will want to take the lid off and let the skin “Golden” up a bit and become crispy. 
TIPS: Don’t rely on the plastic “pop up” to determine if your bird it done.  You will know you are getting closer to “done” when it smells done (yes really!). You can test a small patch for doneness by poking a small hole in the joint where the thick leg meets the body. If the juice is too red….it needs more time.  Be careful not to do this too much as you will lose your moisture! An average size bird (10-12lbs) should take approximately 3-3 1/2hours cooking unstuffed traditionally. 
If using fresh onion and garlic put some inside the turkey and some around the base. Tuck garlic in between the wings and legs. 
If your are not using your giblets for stuffing or gravy remember your pets would LOVE to have some of this cooled off broth drizzled over their food! 
If you are using a quality stainless steel roaster you will not need to baste your turkey- but if you use a cheap pan with aluminum you will need to baste it at least once an hour. 
Remember to let your turkey cool with the lid off out of the oven for at least 20-30mins before cutting (it’s actually finishing cooking without burning during this time.)

​Happy cooking!

It has been brought to my attention that Google's algorithm and team of writers who collate reviews and descriptions and create a brief description or "editorial summary" has proven to be inaccurate.

Yes, we do in fact have a Vegan Cafe and Smoothie Bar at our current commercial location where we keep regular business hours of Monday through Thursday 9 am to 6 pm, Friday 9 am to 7 pm and Saturday 9 am to 6 pm.  So, I'm just writing this blog post so that when Google crawls it for descriptors, hopefully, fingers crossed they will accurately describe our Food Co-op business with Vegan Cafe and Smoothie Bar.  

  Still not sure why Google has us described as having limited hours?  We are open six days a week and nine or ten hours per day.  Those are certainly not limited hours.  Photo at left is of our current Food Co-op and Cafe regular business hours.  We have been at our current location for four years and will be celebrating ten years of business this year.  

Our raw vegan entrees and other menu options consist of specifically selected recipes designed to nourish and nurture our customer's appetites.  With a wide selection of of beverage options, teas, coffee and our famous House Kombucha we cater to a wide variety of vegan and vegetarian health needs and benefits.  Our entire menu has been honed over the years with the guidance of owner Lisa Piper's Raw Food Chef Certification.  Her expertise in the area of raw vegan dietary benefits has contributed largely to the success of our Vegan Cafe.  This is why many of the folks who contribute reviews of our Food Co-op & Cafe refer to it as a "gem" of a find in our area.  Located in League City, Texas south of Houston, north of Galveston Island and nestled in next to League Park of our beautiful historic district.  There are many guidelines for small businesses in the commercially zoned areas of the historic district.  Consequently, there are many quaint businesses in older homes of the historic area.  

In addition to our owner Lisa Piper's knowledgeable experience as a Raw Food Chef we have other staff members who contribute their own unique skills and experience to Food Co-op & Cafe.  We have certified herbalists and folks who are attending school or other forms of training experience to enhance their knowledge and skills.  

Visit us today and experience why we have become a five star reviewed business on Yelp, Google and Happy Cow.  Our store has been featured in many magazines, radio, video and more.  This post is meant to simply get the attention of Google so they will accurately describe our business in their "editorial summary" as per the instruction of one of their representatives.  

Oh yeah and P.S. we rent out our Commercial Kitchen at nights and weekends for folks looking for Commissary Food Truck needs, Caterers and other Food Vendors needing a Commercial Kitchen Rental. 
Oh and P.S.S. We have the largest selection of organic herbs, spices and teas in all of Texas with the Herb Room portion of our store.  Nobody has contested that yet and probably won't.  Thanks for reading, feel free to comment below. 

I often hear so much advice or recommendations of herbs to take when I get sick by well intended people.  Having a couple of autoimmune disorders my body responds very differently than others. This was my reminder that many people are unaware that some herbs that help a solid immune system strengthen can actually hurt someone with an  autoimmune disorder.

An Autoimmune disorder is when your body attacks itself when the immune system is stimulated. The body can misread a natural immune stimulate as a foreign object and sends out the signal to go attack. This happens in different ways according to the specific autoimmune disorder.

Many peoples “go-to” medicine and herbs for healing a cold or flu can actually worsen someones symptoms if they have an autoimmune disorder. This is because most of these herbs or remedies are meant to stimulate the immune system into response.
It’s important to remember that everyone’s body responds differently. The following herbs could potentially exacerbate an autoimmune disorder.

Common Herbs to avoid:
~Echinacea
~Elderberry
~Elderflower
~Olive leaf
~Goldenseal
~Astragulus
~cat’s claw
~Asian Ginsings
~St. Johns wort

There are some herbs and foods that only certain types of autoimmune disorders don’t do well with. Some people find they can do these and some can not.  This is mainly due to an imbalance of T-helper cells in the immune system. To over simplify - When someone has an autoimmune disorder they generally have a dominance of Th1 OR Th2 cells. it's this imbalance that is the immune systems problem.
​
Here is a list of some conditions that have Th1 dominance:
Type 1 diabetes, celiac disease, Hashimotos, Multiple Sclerosis, Graves, chrones, psoriasis, Rheumatoid arthritis, Sjornes, Lican planus  

Here is a list of some conditions that have Th2 dominance:
Lupus, Asthma, scleroderma, cancer, IBS, sinusitis, Allergies, Multiple chemical sensitivity,

Herbs and items to use caution with :
~Licorice root (due to the Glycryrhizin -Th1)
~Lemon Balm (thyroid disorders- Th1)
~oatstraw (celiac)
~white willow bark (Th2)
~Soybean (due to the Genistin- Th2)
~medicinal mushrooms such as Chaga, Reishi, Maitake (due to Beta glucan- Th1)
~Caffeine (Th2)

So what do you do when you get sick and want to assist your body in healing quickly?  Try some of the following:

1. Vitamin C - This can come from many sources including foods like citrus and mango, or superfoods like Camu Camu powder. kidney beans, garbanzo beans cashews or almonds.   Or herbs such as Hibiscus and rose hips
2. Adaptogens- Adaptogens are herbs that balance, restore and protect the body. Including some of these such as Ashwagandha , Rhodiola, Holy Basil, Maca, moringa, Gotu kola.
3. Probiotics- Natural sources are best such as Sauerkraut, fermented veggies, kombucha, kefir, and yogurt
4. Vitamin D- you can head outside in the sun to get this. Or for Vegans/vegetarians you can try Thornes vit D
5. Vitamin A- from sources such as carrots, sweet potatoes, kale, spinach, broccoli, Winter squash
6. Vitamin E- From sources such as Avocados, Brazil nuts, Sunflower seeds, Almonds, spinach, Butternut squash and olive oil
7. Bone broth- Chicken or Turkey are best.
8. Homeopathy- (Occillococcinum is great for the flu) 
9. Fluids- try drinking liquids high in Vit. C such as orange juice or grapefruit juice. Lemon or lime juice are both very detoxing. Aloe juice helps support the lungs and inflammation
10. Detox Baths- Try an apple cider vinegar bath with 2-4 c Vinegar in hot water.  Or try 1lb Himalayan sea salt for a 45min-1hr soak. You can also try an herb infused bath or essential oil bath.
11. Essential Oils- It is imperative that you use high quality medicinal, therapeutic grade essential oils.  Detoxifying oils: Lemon, Lime, Grapefruit, Wild orange. oils for immune support- Melaleuca, peppermint, rosemary, clove, ginger, marjoram.  Oils for assisting the body with cough- equal parts Lime, White fir, marjoram on the lungs. (Avoid Thyme, geranium and ylang ylang).

Here are a few other items to try with caution.  Some people with autoimmune disorders have different responses to these therapies.

1. Fire cider- This recipe contains stimulating foods that can help kick your immune system into gear to clear out an illness. You can find the basic recipe here. These foods are also very detoxing which is very helpful. Be on the look-out for a more sluggish feeling or lingering illness. This would be an indicator that your body may not respond well to this.
2. Adaptogen spices-  these include Black pepper, Cumin, nutmeg, Turmeric (some Th2 people don’t do well with this), Cinnamon, ginger.

If you keep a journal you can start to narrow down the foods and herbs that are helpful for you and those that do not suit your body. Know that often the response is subtle so it may take trying something over the course of several days to know how it truly effects you. You can also try muscle testing a food or herb to see how your body may respond. You can learn how to do this here

Remember that the road to health is a continuous journey.

If you'd like to speak with one of our store's herbalists or want to order any of the supplies or products mentioned in this post directly from us just Contact Us.  






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Most folks didn't plan on spending their Labor Day Weekend with shovels, gloves, buckets or dragging sheet rock and flooring from their homes for trash pick up.

We are very grateful that our store and cafe survived rather unscathed and are working to help our food co-op members as much as we can.   We have now heard from thirty six food co-op members who lost their homes, vehicles and most all personal belongings to Hurricane Harvey.  

​One of those people stopped by today to pickup some cash donation assistance from the co-op as FEMA is so inundated with requests for help that some folks are experiencing delays with having their files processed.  Federal bureaucratic discussions aside, we are hearing about how our co-op members are needing immediate assistance.  Schools, businesses and many offices are still closed and we have been working with a local church to help provide some community support through food co-op donations.  There are many ways to help by donating to various non profit organizations and shelters where clothing and food are the two primary needs.  If you'd like to help a local food co-op member in need or non member residents who are also in need of food visit our recently added Hurricane Harvey Help page for more information.  

​Here's another way local folks who were fortunate to stay dry during the storm can help out....SHOP LOCAL and get back to your normal routine. Our local mom and pop businesses often run week to week depending on every penny that comes in the door in able to stay open the following week. Being closed a week or so greatly impacts our mom & pop shops which greatly impacts our local economy! Since 90% of all new jobs in the US are created from local mom & pop businesses you can help ensure those who suffered great losses during the storm have a job to go back to help their family get back on track by spending your money in a local business. So think about these purchases:
1. Go ahead and buy Aunt Lulu's birthday gift at Nana's Attic in League City instead of the Fancy chain store at the Mall.
2. Purchase your hardware needs from Kilgores in League City instead of a Nationally known supplier. 
3. Go ahead and get your lawn done from the local kid down the street like normal
4. Get your hair trimmed from the Local lady's little salon on Main street instead of that chain salon.
5. Get your nails done at that small corner salon to help the nail tech have a paycheck to take home to her flooded family.
6. Restock your pantry from the Local Food co-op instead of the large chain store and help them continue to create jobs for their employees.
7. Take the family out to eat at that small local cafe and help the waitress who lost everything keep her job.
This is the other way we start to rebulid our community economically! <3

 Lisa asked me to watch a video of Houston's Rawfully Organic Food Co-op owner where the gal expresses her deep sadness and grief of closing her business after eleven years. That was the largest food co-op in all of Texas (some claim of entire country) and supported many local farms and gardeners.  . You can watch her video on You Tube.

Anyhow, she makes mention of large corporations pushing out small businesses of the food industry. Apparently that's her reason for closing her business but she doesn't mention anything more specific than that.  However, shortly after her announcement Amazon now owns Whole Foods Grocery Store conglomerate.  We did a bit of our own research and weren't too surprised to learn that a large corporation's brute force buying power of massive quantities drives the per unit price down excessively low.  In the conventional food world is where that started but when folks learned about the harmful effects of pesticides, herbicides and gmo's organic farmers and gardeners have been able to provide a much needed local food source while being able to earn a living at it.  

So much of online shopping and its' impact on so called "brick and mortar" retail stores that it's become a mundane topic with folks learning to simply accept the overall convenience.  When you think of shopping online the first word that comes to mind is Amazon.  So, what kind of changes are going to be made at the newly owned Whole Foods chain?  Online grocery shopping has been available for years, that is nothing new.  In fact some small local food co-ops offer online ordering of produce shares but when you consider just what sort of possibilities exist in the future of getting organically grown produce from an online power house such as Amazon, well I don't have that kind of an imagination.  And it certainly doesn't mean that our store is considering an online shopping cart for ordering produce shares as a means of keeping up with technology.  That having been said, here's a quote from a CNN story about retail stores closing which ran back in April.     

I'm not interested in notions of becoming an alarmist as there's other information to be considered.  Much more.  However, if you want to read further about the potential o​f Amazon's influence on everyday life here's a very good (if disconcerting) related story from The New Yorker Magazine.

We've all become used to the term "global economy" even if it does seem a bit daunting or intimidating considering what changes might take place in the years to come.  However, there is substantial proof that there are some things working against their notions of "taking over".  

Whole Foods was busted for several naughty mistakes the most glaring being false labeling, importing from China, selling gmo products which they claimed were not and other nonsense.  It's no wonder they sold out.  All this information can be found online (one of the perks of technology) so how much of those mistakes will be ratified by Amazon's take over?Like I said I don't have that type of imagination and it's not my job to accuse all those folks of being criminally fraudulent.  But what we do know and understand by working with local organic farmers and gardeners is that it's is often extremely difficult if not impossible to meet all the criteria of USDA Certified Organic labeling.  Not to mention it is extremely expensive.  So, the long and the short of it all is here's a bit of good news for folks who like bad news, you know who you are : )  When you shop from a local, reputable supplier of organic produce such as your local food co-op provided by our store you know you are getting products and services that meet standards of integrity and loyalty with due diligence.  And sometimes, that's better than saving a few bucks by shopping online particularly if you have severe food allergies and or want the best quality nutritional foods for you and  your family.

One more final note about Amazon and online shopping.  We have done some preliminary research and found that there are some items or products simply not available for example gluten free herbal tinctures and a few other specialty items.  With all that's been discussed here we don't take issue with selling products via Amazon especially when we and a potential new customer could benefit.  We are all so proud of the business we have built over the past six to seven years and you, our customer reading this can be too.  Consider supporting our GoFundMe Campaign and hope y'all are enjoying your summer and have a safe and happy Fourth! 

We just wanted to let our fund raising supporters know how much we appreciate their contributions and show how we have put some of those funds to use.  For example, before we could expand our options of dry goods inventory we needed more glass storage containers as well as additional shelving.  This was something we wanted to do when we first opened at was once our "new" location.  With repeated requests of folks looking for some items we didn't have in stock, we listened and now have some if not all of those items available now.  Photo above is of our new jars and shelving.

​Of course some of the items we needed had to do with meeting our own efficiency needs.  Items such as the set of stainless steel shelves in our "behind the scenes" food prep area allowed us to expand the cafe kitchen space and meet some new health inspector requirements.  

This has been a challenging time for us since acquiring the former juice bar facility both financially and trying to figure out just what to do with the acquired service kitchen space.  

Fortunately Lisa and Toni have joined efforts to formulate diverse menu options which are as delicious as they are nutritious.  Whether you're interested in a cool refreshing smoothie bowl, a packaged meal to take with you or order a meal made on request which can be enjoyed in our newly expanded seating area.  That brings us to the next item in the form of what folks have dubbed a "mini farm table" complete with custom made benches all constructed mainly of pallet wood and other recycled materials that Jeff found lying around his shop.  So, how much of the fundraising money went toward the purchase of this little gem of an item?  Zilch, nada, nothing.  We had to cover some bills and pay staff so I didn't request that we replenish supplies used from my shop such as lacquer, sandpaper, etc.  Instead, we used some of the donated funds for a farmer's market table.  Yep, I needed a break from sanding pallet wood.  : )

  Some shelving has since been added to accommodate our new amount of product being supplied by three additional farmers.  

Although frustrated by having to postpone the bike tour aspect of our fundraising and reschedule other summer events due to unplanned family obligations we're very pleased to see how folks are lending their support and products as we move forward with our expanding efforts. 

We hope y'all are enjoying your summer with family and friends, come for a visit and check out how we have put your support to work for you!

After a few weeks of promoting our Store's Fund Raiser where you can "read all about it" : ) and receiving much support from loyal customers and friends we decided it was a good time to get a blog post added to our site.  

Last week was a bit hectic at our store with some plumbing repairs, training and welcoming our new manager Robby, Toni's fender bender in Houston who came in the very next day to create menu board (above photo) and Jeff getting the new pallet wood table and benches for much needed additional cafe seating.  Now that the dust from those projects and minor mishaps has (for the most part) settled and cleared we're beginning to feel excited for our store's new potential.

Fortunately, we're not alone in our enthusiasm for the cafe.  Houston Press freelance writer Jennifer Fuller found our store while visiting League City Park and decided to write this feature article for us.  It was a big help in getting our cafe promoted and we were able to experience a potential for just how successful the cafe will be. A couple of weeks later Jeff received an email from a Voyage Houston staff member who wanted to do a story about Bike Tourings' photography.  Jeff pitched them a story about our store and cafe and a second article was featured.  

As excited as we are about our vegan cafe we have significant decrease in the number of produce shares being ordered.  This is most likely due in large part to the expanded variety and availability of organic produce at the much larger supermarkets.  That having been said if you're looking for local organic produce then keep in mind that we have been working with local farms and Gabriel's continued efforts at the co-op garden has been supplying some excellent produce and herbs as well.

In an effort to get more folks interested in ordering our organic produce shares again we are now offering substitutions when placing orders.

If you don't want a particular item tell us what you  would like instead and we will swap the item if it is of an approximately equal dollar amount value. 

We have also been doing our best to add more local as we are now working with two more farmers able to supply even more local produce when available.  Anyhow, we need some rain here, our local gardener expert said he had to haul water to the co-op garden last week as the rain tanks were emptied.  Hey Lacie, if you're reading this we do not need to purchase a rain gauge.  : )

Also, if anyone knows where we can get some citronella plants please let us know in the comments section.  Mosquito season hasn't been at all bad, yet but the back porch area would really benefit from some bug bite deterrent this summer.  Or you can ask Lisa if she has any of her home brewed bug spray available to purchase from the Herb Room.   Again, just a reminder that if you can afford any sort of donation as we continue to develop our cafe and staff our GoFundMe Campaign has been a big help.  Thanks so much to all our loyal customers who have been generously contributing.  With your help we have been able to get through this rough patch and looking forward to our store's continued success and meeting your nutritional needs.