This month, there’s a slew of new products at the Coop. From fair trade to a jet lag kit, there’s something for everyone. From Rapunzel Pure Organics, we have Bittersweet Baking Chocolate made with pure chocolate and 70% cocoa. Rapunzel uses only 100% certified organic commodities and ingredients that are grown and purchased through the Hand in Hand fair trade program, which ensures farmers in developing countries are paid based on a fair pricing structure independent from the world market. From Equal Exchange, we have a new line of organic chocolate made with cocoa. Available varieties are Milk Chocolate, Dark Chocolate with Almonds, and Very Dark Chocolate. These bars are made with cocoa from the farmer cooperatives CONACADO, in the Dominican Republic, and CACVRA, in Peru, and the fairly traded organic sugar comes from cooperatives in Paraguay and Costa Rica.

Snackin’ and Sippin’ We’re getting in some new products from Vegan Creations, including Seitan and Vegan Biscotti. Seitan is made from wheat gluten and has been used in China and Japan for centuries as a high-protein meat substitute. It is prepared with a savory mix of spices and cooked to a firm consistency. There sure-to-be-good Vegan Biscotti comes in a Almond, Hazelnut and Chocolate Chip. We will, most likely, be getting more of Vegan Creations’ products in the near future.

We’ve got plenty of new snack foods this month. From Cracklebred, we have a new line of fat- and cholesterol-free, allnatural flat bread. The line is available in Original, Tomato and Fine Herbs Veggie, and Multigrain. In addition to the flat "bred," we now carry Nature’s Path’s Organic Signature Series Crackers. This line, which has no trans fats, is available in several varieties — Tamari Flax, Garden Veggie, Lemon Poppy, Tamari Sesame, Deep Chocolate and Ginger Spice. To delight your sweet taste buds as well, we have Vanilla, Choco and Lemon Organic Wafers from Helwa Wafers. Made in Holland, these wafers are sweetened with cane sugar and contain only organic ingredients.

Since at Mrs. May’s they "are m o s t l y nuts," we have a new snack line that is vegan, wheat-free, gluten-free and non-GMO (genetically modified organisms). We are currently carrying Almond Crunch, Black Sesame, and Pumpkin Crunch. Slow-dry roasted with a touch of sea salt, the nuts are made with premium dry-roasted nuts, toasted sesame seeds, natural fruit pieces, organic evaporated cane juice, rice malt, and sea salt.

We’ve done salty, sweet. Now for… chreese (rhymes with "trees")? From Road’s End Organics, we have Nacho Chreese Dips. This fun vegan, gluten-free and wheat-free product is a organic alternative to queso dips. The Nacho Chreese Dip is available in spicy and mild. The "Juice Guys" are at it again, this time with Nantucket Nectars Organic. The line contains 100% juices and juice cocktails made from USDA-certified organic fruit. The organic cocktails are sweetened with organic cane juice or organic cane sugar only. The line is currently available in Blueberry Banana, Banana Mango Carrot, Very Raspberry, and Cranberry Orange.

Pretty Cheesy! From the Champagne region of France we have two new, very festive cheeses. The Chaource is the most renowned of the soft-ripened bloomy rind cheeses. It is a rare, though rumored to be fabulous cheese. Delice de Bourgogne is similar to the classic Brie both in appearance and texture; this is a sumptuous cheese that delivers an extra triplecream punch to the palate. From local Jasper Hill Farm in Vermont come Constant Bliss and Bayley Hazen Blue, which has a low salt level and hints of hay and hazelnuts. "The Christmas [holiday] desserts from Italy are on the way!" (Thanks Ken!)

Cookin’ at the Coop New this month is Dr. Fred Pescatore’s Healthy for Good! Mac Nut Oil. Dr. Pescatore is former associate medical director of the Atkins Center and mastermind behind this pure Australian macadamia nut oil. Made from macadamia nuts that originate in Australia, the oil is said to be more healthy than olive oil and more stable than canola oil. We’ll let you be the judge of that. Over near Ken and Gustav in the cheese department, you’ll find some delightful oils from Sicily. Among them are Paesano’s Extra Virgin Olive Oil. This interesting unfiltered oil is only bottled once a year after its first pressing in mid- October. We also have Asaro Partanna’s Extra Virgin Olive Oil and Asaro’s Premium Olive Oil, which is available in Garlic, Rosemary, and Porcini Mushrooms.

Cleaning up "Coop Style" From Edward and Sons come some organic breadcrumbs. The vegan seasoning comes in Italian Herbs and Lightly Salted. We also have an authentic blend of Indian spices including cumin, corriander, cinnamon, cloves, and black pepper with no MSG.We have Punjabi Chhole (chick peas) from Arora Creations.

From cooking, we go to cleaning. Earth Friendly Products brings us Dishmate in Lavender and Natural Pear. The liquid hand dish washing product contains no phosphates, dyes or perfumes. Though used for dish washing, it acts as a cleaner for hand washable clothes and is mild on sensitive skin.

HaBA… Great Month! Kathleen has a new Burt’s Bees make-up display up and running. From Dr. Hauschka, we have a Jet Set. The "jet lag kit" contains hand cream, leg and arm toner, a facial toner, a rejuvenating facial mask and an eye solace. From Naturally Clear we have a three-part acne kit that contains a supplement, a cleanser and a skin mist. It is a 15-day supply.

It should be noted that some Tom’s products that we have long carried have been discontinued. Included are the Almond Shampoo and Honeysuckle Baby Shampoo. We will be getting in Jasmine Baby Shampoo/Body Wash to replace the Honeysuckle Baby Shampoo. Tom’s Unscented and Calendula roll-on deodorants have made some changes to their ingredients: They now contain zinc for a "longer-lasting" formula.

From Herb Farm, we now have Holy Basil in capsule form. Back in stock, we have Kava root vegetarian capsules, as it is the only Kava root we can find. Also back in stock is Skullcap Tincture. Garden of Life brings us Goatein IG — a protein powder that is made from goat’s milk and contains immunoglobulins, peptides, growth factors, and eight essential amino acids. Also, we now have Fruits of Life - a 100% natural blend of more than 21 nutrients including antioxidant food concentrates of blueberries, raspberries, strawberries and blackberries.