HGC hosted another successful ownership drive on July 28 at the Postmark Grille. The evening started with a delicious red, white and blue burger special then about 40 people enjoyed a social with networking and good conversation. This was followed by a presentation by HGC President, Don Kirkpatrick, with update on HGC’s efforts to open a community-owned, locally sources grocery store in Hudson.
 
Laurie Bergren was the winner of the evening’s drawing for a free HGC ownership, which was generously donated by Co-op owner Hans Friese.

Genie is a native of Argentina but has lived in Hudson for the past 20 years, so she calls Hudson her home. She is an artist and a Landscape Designer. Her art studio, Caminito, is on county Road A just outside of Hudson – this is where she creates her art and also teaches pottery and painting classes. Genie also enjoys playing tennis and all things having to do with nature.
 
Why did you decide to become an owner of HGC?
I always loved the idea and rare concept of knowing where you food comes from.
 
Why do you think it's important for the Hudson area to have a grocery cooperative?
Hudson is a great town, but having a local co-op will make it even better! We shouldn't have to drive miles away in order to get quality food.
 
What value can a local co-op have on people of all ages?
The co-op model in which everyone is an owner makes people take pride, from the youngest members to the oldest, we all must eat, and food from a co-op is better way to do it.
 
Why is it important for current owners to recruit others now?
It is important to recruit so no effort goes in vain. There seems to be a momentum and as we recruit, it becomes more real and more people are going to get on board. So many of us want to see this happen, and the faster people get on board, the faster it will be built. We want our co-op!

If learning about the American food system is of interest to you, here is a book to add to your reading list.
 
Mark Bittman is known for serving up amazing recipes with a healthy side of social commentary. The New York Times columnist and bestselling author recently released a new book, A Bone To Pick (Wiley/The Associated Press) that explores the deeply rooted problems he sees in our corporate food system. Bittman doesn't mince words, he believes the corporate food system is broken.
 
At once inspiring, enraging, and enlightening, A Bone to Pick is an essential resource for every reader eager to understand not only the complexities inherent in the American food system, but also the many opportunities that exist to improve it.

The three-lined potato beetle decided to take up residence in the garden this year. Given it’s name, you would assume these rather pretty flying beetles would prefer to eat potato leaves. Not so in my garden. Apparently they like anything in the nightshade family; potatoes, tomatoes, peppers, and eggplants; but given a choice, they will happily homestead on tomatillo plants.
 
At first, I didn’t think they were doing any harm. There was no obvious sign of leaf gnawing or dark spots. I guess I should have looked closer… on the underside of the leaves. What the Heck is That!?! Lined up all around on the underside leaf edge were these REALLY disgusting looking... slugs. No way was I touching those, even with gloves on! So I very gingerly loped off the leaves into a clear produce/bulk bag (reuse and recycle!), tightly tied the bag, put it in the hottest part of the yard, in full sun, on concrete, and hoped they would return to ash… quickly. These were NOT going into the compost.
 
After a little research, I’m glad I didn’t touch them. It turns out the young offspring have a very disgusting defense/survival mechanism. They poop on themselves and scientists call this a “fecal shield”. Well, that certainly answers the ugliness question. I don’t usually have a problem dealing with fecal matter (I’ve changed many diapers without the aid of gloves and a full-face mask), but these things brought a sustained, 42 or 43 facial muscle activated, “eewwww, gross” expression that I hope is not permanently etched into this aging face. So the next question is how to get rid of them, because if left unchecked they will decimate not only the tomatillos, but possibly all of my nightshade family plants.
 
Step one - Getting rid of the adults
They fly, so they can be difficult to eradicate. We had the same problem with the iridescent Japanese Beetle a couple years ago. Knocking them into a bowl of soapy water took care of them, then we realized the chickens liked them, so we just knocked them into a bowl of water and let the chickens pick them out and eat them. Not so with this beetle. The chickens won’t eat them so squishing them individually is the option. They take a bit of pressure to squish. Or you can try the soapy water method, but I have had more of them fly away than in the bowl.
 
Step Two - Inspecting the underside of the leaves
Look for orange colored “eggs” near leaf veins and run a thumb across them to squish.
 
Step Three - Fecal Shield stage
I will only employ the leaf removal/bag method for this stage. Trust me, this is a really disgusting stage.
 
Step Four - Spray
If you have the little buggers in fecal shield stage, spraying them may not be effective. After all, they are covered in poo. It may be best to hand pick and remove all stages before spraying. Once I am relatively sure I have eradicated all stages, I use a homemade concoction, and so far so good.
 
These pretty little beetles want to go forth and multiply. They lay up to 1500 eggs and can produce three generations in one summer. They can also overwinter in the soil. It seems gardening on any scale is not for the faint of heart. It’s a jungle out there with danger lurking under every leaf.