This aromatic cabbage, sauerkraut, sausage stew hails from central Europe and is Poland’s national dish. It brings together some of our favorite seasonal items that also happen to be on sale at Seward Co-op through Oct. 16. Seward-made Nürnberger sausage is $2 off per pound for everyone and organic gala apples from Hoch Orchard in La Crescent, Minnesota, are $1.50 off per pound for co-op owners. Visit our specials page for more ways to save.

Sausage and Cabbage Stew
Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
Servings: 8

Ingredients
2 tablespoons canola oil
12 ounces Seward-made Nürnberger sausage, cut into 2-inch pieces
1/2 pound smoked ham, cut into 1-inch cubes
1/2 large yellow onion, diced (about 1 cup)
2 garlic cloves, minced
4 ounces mushrooms, cut in 1/2-inch slices
1/2 pound green cabbage, shredded
1/2 pound sauerkraut, drained
1 apple, diced (about 1 1/2 cups)
1 can (14.5 ounces) diced tomatoes
1/2 teaspoon allspice
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

Preparation
In a large stockpot or Dutch oven, heat the canola oil over medium heat. Brown the pieces of sausage and smoked ham. Add the onions and garlic and sauté for several minutes until the onion starts to soften. Add the remaining ingredients and stir well. Lower the heat, cover and continue to cook for 45 minutes. Stir every 10 minutes or so to prevent sticking.

Serving Suggestion
Traditionally, this stew is served with potatoes and rye bread, and is often made a day ahead of time, allowing the flavors to mingle overnight. Deviled eggs or creamed herring are served as an appetizer with this dish. For a lighter meal, add a fresh green salad, or lightly-steamed broccoli, carrots, or green beans.

Recipe courtesy of National Co-op Grocers.

This recipe makes four jar salads—perfect for packing with lunches—or two large salads. The kale is sturdy enough to keep, so this recipe is great for Sunday night meal prep.

Ingredients:

• 1 medium sweet potato, diced
• 2 Tbsp. olive or coconut oil
• 1 bunch green kale, shredded
• ¼ cup Salad Girl Crisp Apple Maple Organic Vinaigrette salad dressing
• 1 red bell pepper, diced
• Handful green beans, chopped
• 1 carrot, shredded
• 1 medium beet, shredded
• 1 small apple, diced or shredded
• Four clean 12- or 16-oz. glass jars

Preparation:

Heat oil in a pan over medium-high heat. Add sweet potato and a few dashes of salt and cover, stirring occasionally, until tender. Cool. Meanwhile, shred kale into bite-sized pieces, wash, dry and place in a large bowl. Add Salad Girl dressing and massage until the kale begins to wilt. Set aside. While kale sits and sweet potato cooks, prepare the rest of the vegetables. Once the sweet potato is mostly cooled, divide and nestle in the bottom of four jars, followed by layers of the rest of the vegetables and apple, and top with the kale.

On March 18, 2014 from 6–8 p.m., the Seward Co-op convened a community meeting to discuss the new Friendship Store. The meeting, held at Sabathani Community Center, was designed and facilitated by Yvonne Cheek of Millennium Consulting Group. The agenda for the meeting was shaped by interviews with community residents and by a planning committee of the Seward Co-op. Approximately 100 people attended the meeting.

This report includes information generated at the community meeting by the attendees.

Meeting Purpose:

Engage neighborhood residents in a discussion about the Friendship Store.

Meeting Goals:

• Share updates on the Friendship Store.
• Provide information about co-ops and ownership in the co-op.
• Discuss ideas for Friendship Store products and services.

Agenda Items for the Community Meeting included “Welcome & Meeting Purpose” by LaDonna Redmond, Education & Outreach Coordinator Seward Co-op; Role of Facilitator & Opening Question; “What Is a Co-op? How Does It Work?” by Sean Doyle, General Manager, Seward Co-op; “Friendship Project Progress, Store Design, Capitalization & Hiring” by Erik Hatting, Initiatives Manager, Seward Co-op and Barb Doyle, HIRED; “Questions and Answers; Anchor Questions for Discussion; Acknowledgement of Seward Co-op Managers” by LaDonna Redmond; “Store Tours / Running for the Board / Ownership in the Co-op / Participating in Future Community Events and Milestones” by Tom Vogel, Marketing Manager, Seward Co-op; “Next Steps and Closing Remarks” by LaDonna Redmond.

Questions to the community:

Question #1:

Where do you shop for groceries now, and what are your thoughts about that store?

Comments from some participants about what matters:

• cost
• proximity to my home
• organic items
• location
• fast check out
• easy to walk to
• quality of produce
• easy access

Question #2:

What types of products serve your family’s needs?

Question #3:

What deli foods would you like to see at the new store? Would you (often or sometimes) use the deli for your lunch or dinner needs?

Deli Use

Question #4:

What topics would you like to know more about? What classes would you like to take at the Friendship Store?

CLASSES

• Cultural/ethnic cooking
• Different cultural traditions
• Cooking healthy meals
• Healthy ingredient substitution
• Vegetarian cooking
• From garden to stove
• Diabetic cooking
• Soul food cooking
• Chemistry of cooking
• Shopping at the co-op on a budget
• Meal planning
• Healthy eating
• Food preservation
• Cooking dry goods
• Authentic Latino cooking
• Cooking gluten free
• Cooking from scratch
• Canning
• How to use different products to save money
• How to make vegetables taste better
• How to use spices
• Too busy to take classes, but love that they are available

WOULD LIKE TO KNOW MORE ABOUT

• How to eliminate meet from my diet and eat healthy
• Information on products in front of me. Educate staff on how to educate me.
• Information on product origin
• Small, local companies
• Recipes
• Commercial kitchen
• Partnering with local organizations
• Partnering with Senior Center at Sabathani
• Partnering with high schools

Wisconsin Growers Co-op was founded in 2006 to help 20 families maintain ownership of their farms. Its members are dedicated to the idea that if farmers take “good care of the soil, the soil will pay back with high-quality produce.” This mindset has proven effective; Wisconsin Growers often brings us produce all year long, from greenhouse radishes at the first sight of spring clear around the calendar to over-wintered parsnips. The key to the longevity of their growing season are labor-intensive, fossil fuel-free farming methods. On nearly 40 acres of the co-op’s land, these farmers plant, tend, and harvest crops exclusively using horses, horse machinery, and hand tools. In addition to more popular produce items such as potatoes, onions, and radishes, the Wisconsin Growers Co-op offers unique heirloom squash varieties, such as Queensland blue and Long Island cheese. WI Growers was the featured Know Our Grower Oct. 2 – 15. Meet the Grower: Sunday, Oct. 5.

Sales & delivery staff: Al Weinrich

How do you describe the Wisconsin Growers Cooperative?
Wisconsin Growers is a group of 30 small family farms that came together to help each other market their produce. Some farmers have only a small garden plot and others have several acres of produce. All of the farmers are Amish at this time. Farms are located in west/central Wisconsin near the towns of Black River Falls, Mondovi and Taylor. Labor is traded on the farms if someone needs help with just about anything such as weeding, planting and harvesting. Farmers/growers take turns on the growers board (a 3-person board of directors) helping to manage everything from planning what type of produce each grower will grow, to making sure the produce truck gets loaded on time as well as assisting the sales manager, as needed.

Wisconsin Growers products are either labeled organic or “sustainably grown.” When they are labeled “sustainably grown” can you describe the approach to farming?
When our produce is labeled as “sustainably grown” our growers are to follow the same requirements as the certified organic growers. The only difference being they don’t pay a certifier, which may be a financial hardship if they are a small grower. Soil building practices and amendment applications on both organic and sustainably farmed fields of Wisconsin Grower farms all follow the same National Organic Program standards.

What distinguishes your products from other local produce?
Our produce is checked both at the farm and as it is aggregated at the loading dock which ensures consistent good quality. Also, horses are used to cultivate the produce.

What is your favorite way to enjoy your own produce?
I most enjoy tasting the fresh raw produce while picking it up from the farms or as it is delivered. Especially green beans, tomatoes, and of course watermelon and muskmelon.

Just Local, owned by Rufus Haucke of Keewaydin Farms, sources products from many small-scale organic vegetable farms in the Viroqua, Wis., area and distributes them in the Twin Cities under the Just Local label. Just Local / Keewaydin Farms was the featured Know Our Grower, May 22 – June 4. Demo: Saturday, June 1.

Grower: Rufus Haucke

1. When did you begin farming and what inspired you to pursue farming as a profession?
I grew up on my family’s dairy farm and always loved growing and eating fresh garden veggies. I left the farm for a time and went out to explore the world. As I was working in Colorado as a ski bum, I realized how much I missed being able to grow my own food, the farm, as well as the Driftless region. I returned to the family farm in 2004 to get back to the land and back to the fresh food that I love.

2. Why did you decide to establish Just Local and what criteria do you use to determine whether a farm can become a part of Just Local?
I established Keewaydin Organics and Just Local Foods in 2005. Working with other small farmers in the community helped me meet the demand from the bank of customers I was working with when I got back into farming in 2004. Keewaydin Farm was not able to produce enough on its own, so by partnering with other farms I along with a few others were able to grow and harvest enough volume to keep orders filled for our customers. Keewaydin Organics and Just Local now has grown to a pool of more than 100 farms that we work with throughout the season. For partner farms we look for small family farms that are certified organic and/or farm using sustainable agricultural practices. We also like to feature unique items that many larger distributors don’t carry, such as a wider variety of specialty hot peppers, herbs, and even wild-crafted items.

3. What distinguishes your products from other local produce (i.e., signature products)?
The most unique fact about our product is the freshness and the timely turn-around from the field to the customer. All of our orders are custom picked to order and is on the shelf 24-48 hours later. We also now have our Fresh-Cut local line that is a relatively new concept in the produce world.

4. What is your favorite way to enjoy your own produce?
My favorite produce would have to be in the spring with the greens and salad mixes that come around this time of year. I love to be able to just go outside and pick a salad for lunch or dinner right from the field. I also like to try anything and everything that is growing. . .picking a spear of asparagus and eating as I walk through the field, or a handful of fresh green beans or snap peas. . .even sunchokes dug right out of the ground!