Seward Co-op’s production kitchen is cooking up Fall favorites. Here are some highlights of what you’ll find in our stores:

•Lentil, Squash, and Parsnip Salad (vegan & made without gluten)
•Pumpkin Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting (made without gluten)
•Vegan Macaroni & Cheese (vegan)
•Wheat Berry Apple and Pecan Salad

Sausage

Greek Loukaniko—Loukaniko is the word for sausage in Greek. Our Greek Loukaniko is fresh and made with lamb and pork from Community Foods producer Peterson’s Meats, along with leeks, orange juice and wine giving it a slight tartness. Greek Loukaniko is excellent grilled, pan fried, sautéed or topped on pizza with peppers herbs and feta!

Chicken Wild Rice with Blueberry—Enjoy a punch of fall flavors with this chicken sausage! Made with chicken from Community Foods producer Kadejan, wild rice, ginger, parsley, rosemary, white peppercorn, nutmeg, and dried blueberries. Great with breakfast eggs and hashbrowns, quiche or some roasted veggies!

Thai Chicken Sausage—Thai Chicken is made with garlic, shallots, fish sauce, cilantro, lemongrass, galangal, turmeric, shrimp paste, salt, black peppercorn, makrut lime leaf and chicken from Community Foods producer, Kadejan. Use it to add some heat to stir-fry, soup or sticky rice.

It feels like fall, which means our new seasonal sausage is right on schedule.

We craft our Seward-made sausage in our production facility at Seward Co-op Creamery Café with fresh ingredients. Both are made with chicken from Kadejan in Glenwood, Minnesota.

Chicken Wild Rice and Blueberries
Chicken Wild Rice and Blueberries is full of fresh herbs. It’s a nice mellow sausage, great for kids or breakfast. It pairs well with roasted veggies, eggs and hashbrowns, and quiche.

Thai Chicken
The bird’s eye chili is the star of Thai Chicken. Other fresh ingredients include garlic, shallots, fish sauce, cilantro, lemongrass, galangal, turmeric, shrimp paste, salt, black peppercorn and makrut lime leaf. Thai Chicken is great for adding some heat to stir-fry, soup or sticky rice.

Nürnberger
Oktoberfest starts Sept. 22, but our Seward-made Nürnberger sausage is serving that festive flavor a week early. It’s a limited-run sausage, which means we only make one large batch and when it’s gone, it’s gone. Available in the Meat department, starting Sept. 15.

Head to our Meat department to find our seasonal and everyday varieties.

Blue Fruit Farm
This year we began working directly with Blue Fruit Farm (Winona, Minn.) to bring us a selection of berries and fruits unavailable elsewhere on the market. Earlier this season, they brought us black currants and, in the next few weeks, we will be receiving a few deliveries of aronia berries and elderberries.

Native to North America, the aronia berry (chokeberry) is the most recent antioxidant rich superberry to create a stir. Higher in polyphenolic compounds and anthocyanin than blueberries or cranberries, the aronia berry has become one of the highest ranked foods for its health benefits.

Aronia berries may be eaten raw, but cooking tempers the tartness of the berry and softens its often tough skin. Substitute aronia berries for any recipe that calls for blueberries or currants.

To make aronia berry jam, place a pound of aronia berries in a saucepan, cover with water and the juice of one lemon. Cook on medium to low heat for 20–30 minutes or until they soften. Chop up a large tart apple (try any of Hoch Orchards’ summer apples) with the skin on. Place in a separate saucepan with a little water until it cooks down. Strain out the solids through a sieve and set aside. A little at a time, add ¾ cup of sugar and stir until it is fully incorporated before adding the apple pulp (apple provides the pectin that aronia berries lack). Bring the mixture to a boil until thickened (about 15 minutes). Store in a jar and refrigerate.

Elderberries are another native North American berry. Raw elderberries are quite astringent and contain a small amount of a poisonous alkaloid. Cooking transforms the taste and destroys the harmful alkaloid. Elderberries are high in vitamins A, B, and C and are a powerful immune booster.

Blue Fruit elderberries will be sold on the stem. To remove the berries from the stem, freeze them and the berries will easily separate from the stem.

Elderberries make delicious jams and sauces. Boiled down with ginger, cloves, and cinnamon and fortified with honey, an elderberry syrup is a natural remedy for the cold and flu.

Summer Squash
About this time of year, summer squash is a production powerhouse. Each week we bring in hundreds of pounds of green zucchini, yellow squash, zephyr squash, and patty pan squash from Wisconsin Growers Cooperative (Mondovi, Wis.) and even more green zucchini from Featherstone Farm (Rushford, Minn.).

For tender, delicately flavored summer squash, select firm, unblemished, and smaller fruits (under 6 inches in length). Store unwashed in a plastic bag in the crisper for up to four days, and wash before use. Most of the nutritional value is in the skin, so avoid peeling.
Summer squash is commonly a supporting flavor and texture added to sauces (think ratatouille) or sweet quick breads or muffins. When prepared well, however, summer squash can shine as the main ingredient both cooked and raw.

For a quick poached summer squash, slice two small patty pan squash thinly and place in tin foil with a tablespoon of butter, a splash of dry white wine, a clove of crushed garlic, a few sprigs of thyme, and a generous sprinkle of salt and pepper. Close the foil and place on a grill or in the oven for 10–15 minutes or until the package is fragrant and the squash is tender but not soft.

On hot days when I am loath to either heat up the kitchen or eat warm food, I have also been enjoying a marinated zucchini salad using a mixture of small green zucchini and yellow (or zephyr) squash. Using a peeler, create thin slices of the squash, salt layer by layer, and set aside for 15–20 minutes. In the meantime, mix three tablespoons olive oil, three tablespoons lemon juice, and a clove or two of crushed garlic. Rinse the zucchini and drain excess moisture. Add the dressing and allow to marinate for a few hours. Just before serving, toss with a mixture of chopped chives, basil, mint, and parsley; add salt and crushed red pepper to taste.

Local Peaches
This year has been an outstanding year for stone fruit all around. We have now received a few deliveries of peaches grown by Jim and Crystal Barnard on orchards in Wisconsin and Michigan, and the quality and flavor are excellent. In addition to yellow peaches, Jim has brought small amounts of donut peaches. These smaller, flat peaches tend to have thinner, less fuzzy skin with a sweeter flesh, sometimes with almond notes.

For those looking for cases for preserving, these will be available for a limited time. We are offering a case deal, but unlike other years with abundant seconds (blemished fruit), these will mostly be first-quality peaches due to the health of this year’s crop.

We have some delicious organic blueberries in the Produce Department right now, some of the sweetest of the year so far. They’re from California, but the price makes them a great choice for all the grilling you’re going to do this Memorial Day Weekend.

What? Grill blueberries? Oh, yes. Here’s a simple, tasty recipe for fruit cobbler on the grill — or, better yet, cobbler on a campfire — that will wow your friends or camping mates this weekend.

Grilled Peach & Blueberry Cobbler

4-6 servings

Ingredients:

3-4 medium-sized ripe peaches, pitted and halved
Olive oil or melted unsalted butter for the fruit
4 tablespoons unsalted butter for cast iron pan
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup brown sugar, sucanat, turbinado sugar, honey, syrup, or other favorite sweetener
1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
1/8 teaspoon baking soda
1/8 teaspoon sea salt
1 cup buttermilk
1 cup blueberries (or whichever berries are local, in-season)

A cast-iron skillet, especially if you’re grilling/cooking on a campfire

Directions:

Stoke a grill or campfire to medium-high heat.

Cover both sides of peaches with olive oil, melted butter, or other fat to keep peaches from scorching too much; place on grill (or in cast iron skillet if you’re cooking on a campfire), cut-side down, cover, and cook until charred/softened, 4 to 5 minutes per side — less if the peaches are quite ripe.

Once the peaches are grilled/cooked, transfer to a cutting board with a spatula and, when cool to the touch, cut the halves into slices.

Put the butter in a 10- to 12-inch cast-iron skillet and place it on the grill to melt butter.

Mix flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl until well-mixed. Add buttermilk; whisk it up.

Once butter is melted, pour batter from bowl into in cast iron skillet; do not mix with the butter. Scatter the grilled fruit and berries over the batter beautifully (do not mix this either. Arrange stunningly and lovingly.)

Cover pan with foil and grill cobbler until the juices are bubbling and the batter is golden, about 45 minutes on a grill — maybe an hour on a campfire.

Let cool for 5 minutes before serving.

Serve with a fruity stout by the lake.

If you’re going to make homemade pie from scratch for the holidays, the crust is going to make or break you. You could have the sweetest blueberries, the reddest cherries frozen from last summer, or the very best baking apples from Hoch Orchard, but if you don’t have a touch with the crust, you could end up with fruit goo trapped in a wad of chewy dough.

With that as a possibility, well, you might as well buy a pie from the co-op’s bakery, right?

But if you want to master the delicate art of making yummy crusts, learning from a pro is essential, and we happen to have one on hand for you: Mary Vorndran, Bakery Supervisor at Seward Co-op. If you’ve ever purchased Seward Co-op pies and appreciate the tender, perfect crusts, then keep this article handy for the pie-baking holidays and winter months to come. It’s a treasure trove of great tips and information from, dare we say, our “Queen of Pies.”

I want to make crust that’s as good as Seward Co-op’s. How do I do it, Mary?

First of all, you have to make it in 50-pound batches and build up some massive shoulder strength…

No really, it just takes some practice! Key things to do are to start with good basic ingredients and then just go to town.

When making pie dough at home, I weigh out my dry ingredients in a bowl and then cut cold butter into small squares. I use my hands or a fork to cut the butter into the flour. You want to get the butter pieces to about the size of a pea; it’s OK to have some chunks as this is what will make your crusts nice and flaky. Then dump all the water in at once and mix it together quickly, yet thoroughly. I portion it out and do a quick knead to finish incorporating and to distribute the butter evenly, forming the dough into a round, hockey puck shape. From here, I let the dough chill and rest for a bit.

Roll it out for your pie or freeze for use at a later date.

Do I need lard or any other special ingredients to make a good crust? Why do some people swear by lard and some swear by butter?

People swear by their personal preferences. If it works for you and you like it, keep doing it. The only way to find out what works for you is experience, so make lots of pie and make it often.

Leaf lard makes very crispy and flaky pie crusts, which is why some people like to use it, but it can leave something to be desired in flavor. Personally, I’m not a fan of using lard for dessert pies, but it’s great for savory items like pasties, pot pies, or galettes. Our own Seward Co-op Meat & Seafood department has plenty of leaf lard available, along with other fat varieties like duck fat and heritage breed Red Wattle pork fat.

We use all butter for our pies in Seward Co-op Bakery, specifically from our friends at Hope Creamery. While we try not to swear here, I guess you could say that’s what we swear by, as it gives our pies that nice, golden buttery flake.

Why do pie crusts fail if I follow the recipe perfectly? What should I look out for? Why did my crust get all chewy and dense?

Like most things in baking, it’s not the recipe—it’s more about technique and experience. I hate to say “failure,” because chances are it’ll still be good enough for someone to eat. But if it’s not up to your standards, try again. You’re only out some flour, butter and time.

Pie crusts get chewy and dense when the pie dough is over-worked. You can try to not knead the dough as much next time or add a dash of vinegar when you mix in the water. It won’t affect the flavor at all, but the acid will break down the gluten strands, making the dough tenderer in the end.

Another trick is to make sure everything is very cold. You can stick your bowl and utensils in the freezer for a bit to help avoid the butter from melting.

And use cold water, too—throw an ice cube in there for reassurance if you like.

Are there vegan options for awesome crust?

Of course! A lot of pie crust in our parents’ generation were actually vegan and made with shortening. We use Spectrum palm shortening in Seward Co-op Bakery’s vegan pie dough, which is a more sustainable option and doesn’t give you that weird mouth-coating like other hydrogenated oils can.

What’s your favorite pie to eat and to make?

Oh man, that’s tough. I simply am a pie lover. I have never met a pie I didn’t like. For some reason, pies that are in season just taste better. Lately, I’ve been a big fan of Seward’s apple cranberry custard pie, which was newly created last year. There’s a lot going on between the custard, streusel topping and the apples and cranberries which meld so nicely together. It’s our most complex pie to make, so I’d have to say that’s my favorite right now to make and to eat.

by Hannah B., Produce staff

This week a customer asked me if the local spinach we have right now is a different variety than the kind we had last week, because the leaves are so much thinner and flatter, and also somewhat pointed.

Meanwhile, I spent some time researching Vidalia sweet onions to see what makes them different from other sweet onions.

In both of these cases, different varieties could be the answer – but growing conditions are really what have the biggest influence on flavor, texture and appearance of at least these two particular vegetables.

Which begs the question: What do we mean when we talk about growing conditions? It’s the amalgamation of weather, soils, hours of sunlight or anything else that occurs as the plant is growing. In the case of the spinach, it is the lengthening days and, yes, warming temperatures that are causing the changes. I suspect that this spinach was grown in a hoop house, where the temperatures would be quite a bit higher than outdoors. The Vidalia onions are grown in 20 counties in Georgia where the soil lacks sulfur, which means that they don’t develop the heat associated with other onions. We have Vidalias right now-enjoy them while you can, for they are only available for another month or so.

I’ve noticed that vegetables in the early spring are as a rule tender, mild, and very green,ramps being an outstanding exception to the mild rule. I’m not sure what the reason is for this scientifically, but poetically it makes sense that the first edibles to emerge from the soil would be cleansing and easy to eat. Some of the exceptional local products this week areasparagus, zucchini, and watercress-sounds like an excellent salad. Individually, here are some suggestions for quick preparations.

Asparagus is best when the stems are thick-a slender stalk is often starting to become stringy. You should prepare and eat this vegetable almost as soon as you acquire it. When I was growing up, we ate asparagus for every meal as long as it was in season. One way that we dealt with the bounty was to marinate it-steamed, laid in a pyrex baking dish and covered with a vinaigrette, it grew more flavorful overnight.

Zucchini has been coming in small but increasing amounts from Wisconsin Growers for the past couple of weeks. This looks to have been grown in a hoop house-it’s been too cold for zucchini plants to thrive outside yet. Fresh, young zukes should be cooked only briefly to preserve the texture, and with simple seasonings, so you can enjoy the flavor.

The watercress, wild-crafted from clear streams at Keewaydin Farms is the real thing. As the days grow warmer, it can become quite spicy, but this first batch is mild, with a radishy bite. Add it to salads, sandwiches or soups.

We love Kolo Kai ginger and turmeric. It’s not local, but it is fresh. Kolo Kai is an organic farm in Kauai. The farmers, Ben and Colette, harvest the roots to order and then ship it priority mail, so what ends up in our store is never more than a week old. This year, we couldn’t carry it during the winter, because it was so cold that the packages froze on the way to our store. We’re safely past polar vortices, so we’ve resumed ordering it, and wow, the turmeric is the best I’ve ever seen.

Lastly, pint containers of California blueberries have arrived. For as long as I’ve worked here, this has been the signal that the warm months have come to stay. My favorite way to eat them is mixed with Seven Stars yogurt and Nature’s Path heritage flakes. Something about the crunchy flakes and tangy yogurt really brings out the sweetness and juiciness of the berries.