During the local growing season, Seward Co-op’s Produce department intentionally purchases from area farms, which means we offer produce from dozens of regional providers. To feature some of the savviest farmers in our area, the co-op began a program two years ago called Know Our Grower. We invite local growers to appear in-store, provide samples of their foods, share stories from their farms, and highlight their relationship with the co-op. The presence of farmers, coupled with inviting prices and vibrant produce allows community members to experience the simplicity and freshness of our local food economy. Expect to see growers and samples on select weekends through September, as well as member-owner sales on selected products.


Featherstone Fruits and Vegetables
September 19 – October 2
Featherstone Fruits and Vegetables started in 1995 as Jack Hedin and Jenni McHugh’s five acre garden at the Zephyr Valley Land Co-op near Winona, Minn. Since then, the farm has relocated to land near the town of Rushford, Minn., and now employs 30 people working on 100 acres of optimal vegetable-growing ground. Beginning in late May with lettuce through a summer’s harvest of melons and zucchini into winter squash and carrots in the winter, there’s hardly a month that Featherstone isn’t represented in the produce department. The farm is certified organic and domestic fair trade, and is dedicated to creating a truly sustainable agriculture system. That includes an electric tractor, geothermal heating and cooling for the packing shed, and new for the 2012 growing season – a solar array that generates 60% of the farm’s energy. Demo: Saturday, Sept. 22, 1-4 p.m.

PREVIOUSLY FEATURED GROWERS:
Wisconsin Grower’s Co-op
September 5 – 18
The Wisconsin Growers Co-op was founded in 2006 to help 20 family farms maintain ownership of their land. They 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; as Wisconsin Growers delivers produce all year round, from greenhouse radishes at the first sight of spring clear around the calendar to overwintered parsnips. The keys to this growing season longevity are labor-intensive, fossil-fuel-free farming methods. On nearly forty acres of the co-op land, farmers plant, tend and harvest crops exclusively using horses, horse machinery, and hand tools. In addition to more popular produce items like potatoes, onions, and radishes, the Wisconsin Growers Co-op offers unique, rare heirloom squash varieties, such as Queensland Blue and Long Island Cheese.

Hoch Orchard and Gardens
August 22 – September 4
Hoch Orchard, owned by Harry and Jackie Hoch, is a family farm near La Crescent, Minn. with a long tradition of growing fresh fruit. A handful of the farm’s original trees, planted in the 1940s, can still be found on the farm, but production is concentrated on newer varieties. Besides fifty varieties of apples, Hoch Orchards also grows grapes, plums, apricots (cold-tolerant varieties they have developed right on the farm), cherries, and berries. It is a testament to Harry and Jackie’s farming ability that they are able to grow such high quality fruit organically. Apples are especially vulnerable to pests and disease. Not only is Hoch certified organic, they are also domestic fair trade certified, meaning that their labor practices are fair to all involved.