4/21/2013

Urban Moonshine’s mission is to bridge the gap between the backwoods radical herbalist and the modern consumer with accessible, widely applicable herbal formulas. 

Jovial King was inspired to start Urban Moonshine because her herbal teachers said again and again, the root of good health is great digestion, and to get someone’s digestion on track, you should give them bitters.  

Jovial is a Vermont native and a family herbalist.  She studied with many herbalists as a young woman and loves herbs.  She’s passionate about distilling the broad spectrum of long term use tonic herbs into easily accessible, tasty herbal formulas that are effective and safe for most people to use to improve their health and deal with the deep systemic problems of modern life.

Urban Moonshine makes all of its formulas from dried herb to finished product in their facility in Burlington, VT.

Urban Moonshine is proud to source the bulk of its bitters formula herbs from local organic medicinal herb growers including Jeff  and Melanie Carpenter at Zack Woods Herbs in Hyde Park (who also sell their herbs at The Coop).

We carry an assortment of Urban Moonshine bitters and tonics at The Coop, stop by our Wellness Department to learn more!   

Click here or below to see the Urban Moonshine crew in action!

The Urban Moonshine Crew from Urban Moonshine on Vimeo.

12/27/2012

Did you know there are 150 rose species (Rosa damascena)? The oldest cultivar is R. gallica the “apothecary’s rose.” Rose is probably the one flower most steeped in legend and symbolism. Extolled for its beauty, perfume and medicinal virtues, the rose is known for its ability to open the heart. The Greeks used rose as a daily tonic. It is the traditional Valentine’s Day flower, enjoyed as a bouquet or an uplifting essence. This season try Urban Moonshine’s Joy Tonic soda, which can be made by combining one dropper of Joy Tonic with a splash of soda. There are many ways to enjoy the wonderful healing qualities of the rose check out these great recipes from our Wellness Manager, Carmen Reyes!

Rose Recipes

Rose Body Scrub

2 Tbsp sea salt
1 Tbsp Weleda Rose Oil

Mix and allow the salt to soak up the oil.

Rose Water Spray (for body and room)

1/2 cup distilled water
6 drops Aura Cacia Rose Absolute Essential Oil

Add water to a four-ounce spray bottle, and then add the essential oil.

Rose Linen Spray

2 cups distilled water
3 Tbsp vodka
5-15 drops Aura Cacia Rose Absolute Essential Oil
1 Tbsp finely chopped lemon and orange peel

Add all ingredients to a spray bottle (add the essential oil last)

Rose Perfume

3 ounces vodka
30 drops Aura Cacia Rose Absolute Essential Oil
small funnel
coffee filters
empty perfume or cologne bottle

Add the oil to the vodka. Shake gently and allow the mixture to age for two to three weeks. This aging allows the alcohol to extract the aromatic constituents of the oil that are only partially soluble in the alcohol. You may notice globules of the undissolved constituents floating around in the mixture – this is normal. After aging the mixture, chill it briefly and filter it using the funnel and a coffee filter. Let the mixture settle. If any additional globules form, chill and filter again. Repeat this process until all traces of undissolved oil are removed. At this point your personal essence is ready to use.

5/16/2012

Looking for more freedom in your gluten-free choices? Wish it could be easier to find the foods you like without having to read through all the labels? If you are thinking "heck yes!" then you’ll be happy to hear that we recently redesigned our gluten-free shelf tags so that you can find gluten-free products with ease! Look for this shelf tag throughout the store, and be sure to let us know if we can identify products for you based on your specific dietary needs. We want to be your resource for gluten-free foods and information so that you can live your life as taste-fully as possible!

Gluten-free foods have been one of our most asked-for products at The Coop.  This year we were thrilled to be able to offer many new gluten-free editions from our brand new gluten-free section in our bulk department (yahoo!) to the much anticipated gluten-free offering from The Alchemist Cannery: Celia (hooray!). We are constantly looking for new gluten-free products to carry at The Coop, and strive to offer a diverse and tasty mix of foods from local vendors and other producers that meet the needs of our Member-Owners and shoppers. Check out the list of new products below and let us know if you have any suggestions for what you would like to see us carry in the future. Bon Appétit!

New Gluten-Free Products

Grocery

Edward and Sons: Organic Brown Rice Snaps, Unsalted Plain
K.P.’s BBQ Sauce: Sweet and Tangy
Little Duck Snacks: Strawberry Mango, Blueberry Apple, Apple Banana
Happy Baby Puff Snacks: Sweet Potato
Bakery On Main Granola Bars: Peanut Butter and Jelly, Chocolate Almond, Apple Cinnamon
Bob’s Red Mill Oats: Quick Cooking, Steel Cut
Glutenfreeda Instant Oatmeal
Natures Path Cereal: Mesa Sunrise with Raisins
Purely Elizabeth Cereal: Cranberry Pecan, Original, Pumpkin Fig
Snyder of Hanover Pretzel Sticks
Hain Pure Foods: Baking Powder                    

Beer

The Alchemist, Celia Saison 4 Packs

Wellness

Did you know that the entire line of Country Life Vitamins is gluten-free? They were the first supplement company to be certified gluten-free by third party verifier. If you are worried about gluten in your supplements, you can choose Country Life Vitamins rather than having to scrutinize the small print of vitamins labels.

Gluten-Free Resources

The Gluten-Free Page 

The Gluten Intolerance Group®  

Celiac Sprue Association

Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis Network 

Celiac Disease Foundation