Here’s the facebook event: https://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=206444456057790

The Artichoke Food Coop needs volunteers to cover weekly shifts and fill in the gaps. Haven’t been the Artichoke yet? It’s a small vegetarian food cooperative grocery store with lots of organic, local and bulk item. They’re the spot to go to pick up all your ingredients for a stellar vegan mac & cheese recipe, your bulk spices, and your soy cheese and your vegan marshmallows.

Randi Whitney, the volunteer coordinator, recently emailed us at VegWorcester calling for volunteers.

From Randi:

Volunteers get 10% off all of their purchases at the store! We really need shift volunteers and we also have other jobs for people to do that don’t involve running a shift. We need people to do our signage, help with the website, keep an updated price list in the store, help figure out our new register computer system, clean the store, help fix some things around the store, and other things. People can email me rwhitney26@gmail.com or call me 978-549-4141 if they are interested or have questions. Artichoke is the only food cooperative store in Worcester. It caters to vegetarian and vegan lifestyles and it doesn’t run without volunteers.

Email or call Randi if you can pitch in a few hours.

Definitely pick up a copy of this week’s Worcester Magazine. In it you’ll find the latest article in the Soy de Worcester column. The piece is online, but WoMag always looks better in print.

Valentine Treats for your Vegan Sweetie

Are you a long-time vegetarian, looking for something new to do this Valentine’s Day? Or maybe a die-hard meat-eater with a vegan sweetheart? Somewhere in between? No matter where you’re coming from, these romantic vegan Valentine’s date ideas are sure to impress:

The Bean Counter is the place in Worcester to get vegan desserts for your schnoodle. You can order a vegan cake ahead of time, either a full-sized or a small cake. Not good at planning ahead? Bean Counter is also the spot to hit up if you get a hot date at the last minute or, heaven-forbid, you forget to buy a present for your long-time love. The cafe on Highland Street always has fresh-baked vegan cupcakes, cookies and sometimes even has vegan cakes available for immediate purchase.

This year, Valentine’s Day falls on the Lunar New Year, also called Chinese New Year. Two of Worcester’s East Asian vegan restaurants are celebrating with special dishes and special hours.

Decadent double dipped vegan chocolate apples from CorpseCakes

This weekend will be busy at Buddha Hut on Chandler Street. On Saturday it hosts its monthly vegan buffet. While not usually open on Sundays, this year the restaurant is opening its doors on Feb. 14 for special Valentine’s Day dinner hours.

Duck Yao is celebrating Valentine’s and Chinese New Year and will be offering a special item this weekend: fried, pounded rice cakes filled with veggie ham and beans. Space is limited at this underground restaurant, so make reservations early by calling 413-296-4797.

Plan to spend the Valentine’s evening at home, snuggled up with your sweetie? Stop by the Artichoke food co-op to pick up some decadent chocolate treats and non-dairy ice cream. The Artichoke’s fresh-food selection may be sparse, but there is no better place in Worcester to find vegan and fairly-traded chocolate bars. Choose from a wide selection that includes blended orange dark-chocolate, espresso bean, and almond chunk. While you are there, consider bringing home a pint of the non-dairy ice-cream. The flavors the co-op stocks vary, but if you’re lucky it will still have some coconut-chocolate available.

One Love is the perfect place to relax with your love this Valentine’s Day. Want to spend an hour or two chatting over dinner? This small Jamaican restaurant features many options for those seeking a meatless meal. Sip some water with watermelon and chat while owner Venice Fouchard prepares your food. The rasta pasta and spinach roti are perfect for sharing. The stewed akee fruit has a texture similar to scrambled eggs but a distinct flavor that sticks out from the curry dish. You won’t be let down by the creative and flavorful dishes.

Don’t want to go out this Valentine’s? What better way to impress your date than making a home-cooked, gourmet meal? In addition to a wide array of fresh, organic fruits and veggies, the Living Earth has a bulk foods section and many specialty vegan items like soycheese and mock meats. With all the interesting ingredients available at Living Earth, you’ll certainly be able to come up with a creative dish that woos your darling.

And for those of the creepy, kooky and altogether ooky nature … CorpseCakes is your choice for alternative and sub-cultured goodies for the post-mortem extracted sweet tooth. All CorpseCakes cupcakes and cakes are created to your liking, offering a variety of hand-painted/custom sweets tailored to your dietary needs including vegan tasties. For ordering information e-mail CorpseCakes@gmail.com

On this week’s 508 podcast, Mike Benedetti and Brenden Melican talk to Tracy Novick about local education policy then talk to Greg Opperman about winning the Mac Daddy competition and creating the world’s best vegan mac & cheese recipe. Greg also talks up the upcoming Worcester VegFest is going to be. If you’re just watching this for the Mac Daddy, you will need to be patient or skip ahead. Greg comes on at the 22 minute mark. My favorite part is when Greg explains TVP as mock beef to Tracy.

You can watch or download the show from archive.org.

SAVVY’s vegan Thanksgiving was seriously over the top

Last Monday, SAVVY, the veg group at Clark, held their annual vegan Thanksgiving. It was huge, with somewhere around 200 people. The line was out the door.  Crazy. If you missed it this year, put it on your calendar now for next year. Vegan mac & cheese, cornbread, veg turkey, gravy, stuffing, it was all there. So yummy. Check out the photos.

Don’t have a Tofurky yet? Get one in Worcester

Going to someone else’s house for Thanksgiving? Prove to your fam that vegetarians need not be condemned to the side dishes. Bring a Tofurky roast with you. It’ll show them an example of some tasty vegetarian food and give you something good to eat. You can still pick up a veg “turkey” roast from a couple places in Worcester:

• The Artichoke Food Coop at 800 Main Street has Tofurky for about $12 each (serves 4 or 5). 5% discount for coop members.
• If you’re looking for a larger vegetarian roast, Buddha Hut at 415 Chandler Street is selling frozen veg “turkey” roasts for a little over $20. These giant things could serve as a centerpiece for your dinner. Serves around 8.
• You can also pick up a Tofurky from Trader Joe’s on Route 9 in Shrewsbury. They’re the same kind as you can get at the Artichoke, also priced about the same at around $10.

Vegan Thanksgiving Potlucks Galore

Don’t have plans to Thanksgiving Day? Stephen and Megan are opening up their home for a vegan Thanksgiving potluck.  Bring a dish to share. More info on the Worcester Vegan Meetup.

Still haven’t had enough Tofurky? On Friday, December 4, WPI’s new veg group, VegPolytech, is hosting their first-ever vegan Thanksgiving potluck. Email Genevieve for details: gboman@wpi.edu.

Good news! The Artichoke Food Coop (800 Main Street, Worcester) has now restocked their vegan yummies. Back in July I announced on the VegWorcester blog that the Artichoke had begun stocking vegan cheese and marshmallows. Well, they sold out pretty quickly and have now refined their ordering a little bit. In addition to the standard veg options like produce, fruit, rice, beans, tofu, veggie burgers, tempeh, and so on, you’ll find a variety of new vegan specialty items on their shelves.

From this week forward you can pick up the following vegan products at the coop:

• Teese and Dandies from Chicago Soy Dairy - Soy cheese and skeleton-free marshmallows. They have two flavors of Teese: Cheddar & Mozzarella.
• Nayonnaise/Vegenaise – Vegan mayo. Great for potato salad.
• Coconut Bliss – Rich ice cream made from coconut milk.
• Better than Sour Cream – Soy-based sour cream. Put it on your baked potatoes.
• Barely Legal Treats – Every week there are new freshly-baked vegan sweets. Cupcakes, cookies, muffins, scones, etc. All vegan, all organic, all fair-trade, all awesome.

Stop by and give some of these new products a whirl. The Dandies are great for making smores over a Fall campfire. The Teese is perfect for pizzas. And Barely Legal cupcakes are best eaten by the dozen.

A word to the wise, you might want to call before stopping by: 508-752-3533. It is an all-volunteer cooperative, so sometimes things come up and the volunteer ditches his or her shift early or entirely forgets to come in.

The Artichoke Food Coop is now offering Teese and Dandies from Chicago Soy Dairy–the best vegan cheese and marshmallows available. The Artichoke is not only the first place in Worcester to offer these goodies. It is not only the first place in Central Massachusetts. The Artichoke is the first place in the entire state of Massachusetts to sell Teese and Dandies.

Chicago Soy Dairy offers 3 flavors of Teese. But until the Artichokes see how it sells, they are only stocking the Cheddar. If it sells well, you can expect them to add Mozzarella and possibly others.

Dandies are the yummy little vegan marshmallows. They don’t contain any gelatin, so you’re not eating a skeleton. Gelatin is often made from the scraps on the floor of slaughterhouses: animal bones, skin, and hooves. Yuck!

Dandies, on the other hand, are really tasty and are just like marshmallows you would find at Big Y or Stop and Shop. You can make s’mores with them, vegan rice crispy treats, or just eat them plain.

If you haven’t tried these two yummy products yet, go out and pick some up asap. I made grilled cheese last night, then roasted marshmallow over a fire. Delicious.

Celebrate!

When the Main South farmers market launched in early June, I asked: Are you getting your food from one of Worcester’s farmers markets? Well, now all of our city’s farmers markets are in full swing. You can find more info about the Main South market and the details for the other 5 markets in the new issue of Worcester Magazine.

Worcester’s 2009 Farmers Markets:

Mondays
June 15-Oct. 30, 9:30 a.m.-2 p.m.
306 Chandler St., Beaver Brook parking lot

Tuesdays
July 7-Oct. 27, 1-5 p.m.
51 North Lake Ave., Umass Medical

Wednesday
June 15-October 30, 9:30 a.m.-2 p.m.
306 Chandler Street, Beaver Brook parking lot

Thursday
June 18-Oct. 29, Noon-5 p.m.
215 E. Mountain St., Salem Covenant Church

Friday
June 15-Oct. 30, 9:30 a.m.-2 p.m.
306 Chandler St., Beaver Brook parking lot

Saturday
June 6 –Oct. 31, 10 a.m.-2 p.m.
Corner of Benefit & Main streets

We’re lucky here in Worcester, because you can find a farmers market open every day of the week (except Sunday). They’re a great way to get affordable, fresh, locally-grown fruits and veggies. Plus you can get some vegan pastries from Barely Legal Treats at the Main South market. Yum!

Worcester’s farmers markets
Here’s what I love about Worcester: It has a lot of interesting things, but you have to do a little looking to find them. Did you know that Worcester has 6 or more weekly farmers markets? Each one offers fresh, organic produce and yummy baked goods. And you can’t beat the prices when you’re buying directly from the producer.

The Main South Farmers Market
Of them all, the Main South farmers market really stands out. 2009 is its second year and this weekly event will definitely be the most interesting farmers market in Worcester. What sets it apart from the others is that it has more of a festival tone to it. Yeah, you can buy your groceries there, but it’s also a weekly celebration of sustainability and Massachusetts foods. There’s live music, cooking classes, yummy vegan treats, and some nifty educational-type things.

When is it?
The Main South farmers market starts June 6 and lasts 22 weeks–that’s all the way through October.

Where is it?
It takes place at the corner of Main Street and Benefit Street, right across the street from the Artichoke food coop.

Are you going to be there?

The Stone Soup Community Center had their 2nd annual party last night, complete with a murga group, puppet show, and stacks of vegan cupcakes. Barely Legal Treats came through again with some really stellar ‘cakes. Two of them contained fruit, but I don’t think that would count for my mutual self-betterment challenge.

Mike has some good videos from the party last night.

Also yesterday was the Artichoke food coop’s annual craf t fair. There were 5 or so local crafters crammed into the little storefront on Main Street selling tshirts, winter hats, handmade soaps, I brought some SoyWallets, and Randa brought some vegan cupcakes. I love having those cupcakes everywhere I go.