Mark your calendars for Mother’s Day, Sunday, May 8, and make sure to plan something special for the important moms in your life. What it means to be a mom is a continually evolving concept that looks different in every family. There are stay-at-home moms, birth moms, adopted moms, step-moms, and many people who just step up to the plate and stand in as “Mom.” We should celebrate these individuals in our lives every day, but picking up a little something special or doing something thoughtful this Mother’s Day will mean a lot to those who do so much for us day in and day out. Seward Co-op has a wide array of gift options and plenty of seasonal ingredients to prepare a delicious meal sure to please any mom.

Mother’s Day Preview Event
Saturday, May 7 Noon–3 p.m.
Both stores

Browse locally made gifts, sample treats from our bakery and pick up some kid-friendly recipes for breakfast in bed. On Mother’s Day, May 8 from 8 a.m.–noon, treat Mom to a special brunch made fresh in our Deli. We’ll be rolling out white tablecloths and flowers to beautify our dining area. And if you’re planning to pick up a floral bouquet, we’ll custom wrap it for you from 9 a.m.–1 p.m.

P6 Meal for Mom

Honey takes center stage in this quick, easy and delicious meal for mom. The beeconscious sides that accompany the bee-centric main dish are simple and require very little preparation. Wherever possible, we call out P6 ingredients — products from farms or companies that meet at least two of the following criteria: small, local, and cooperatively owned. Whether or not the mom in your home cooks, we are confident she will be impressed and appreciative of your efforts and thoughtfulness.

Grilled Spring Chicken Sausage

4 Seward Co-op handmade spring chicken sausages (meatless options are available in our Grocery department)

1 package brat buns

1 jar Fleur de Beez Creole-style mustard

Weather permitting, get the grill started by filling a chimney with charcoal. Once all of the charcoal is lit and covered with gray ash, pour coals into grill. Arrange the sausages in a sauté pan and fill with water (or beer) until sausages are submerged in cooking liquid. Poach over medium-high heat until the internal temperature of the sausages registers 140°–145° F. Place sausages directly on grill grates to carefully char sausages for 3 minutes. If grilling is not an option, brown in sauté pan after poaching. Serves 4.

Honey-roasted Carrots

2 bunches of carrots

2 Tbsp. olive oil

2 Tbsp. Beez Kneez Honey

Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 450° F. Cut carrots into thirds, then toss with oil, honey, salt and pepper. Place carrots on a baking sheet in a single layer and bake for 25 minutes. Serves 4.

Blue Cheese with Honey Spread

½ lb. Monforte bleu cheese

¼ cup Beez Kneez honey

1 Rustica baguette

2 Tbsp. olive oil

Preheat oven to 450° F. Make crostinis by cutting baguette into ½-inch discs. Place discs on baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil. Toast in oven until bread is browned around edges, about 5–8 minutes. Place bleu cheese on plate and drizzle with honey. Serve with the crostinis. Serves 4.

Spinach Salad with Honey-glazed Pecans

1 Tbsp. Nordic Creamery butter

½ cup pecan halves

1 Tbsp. Beez Kneez honey

8 oz. spinach

1 pint raspberries

2 Tbsp. olive oil

2 Tbsp. Locus Lane Vineyards verjus blanc vinegar

Melt butter in small frying pan over low heat, then add pecans and honey. Cook for 2–3 minutes, stirring constantly until mixture is caramelized. Spread out on wax paper to cool. In a bowl gently toss together spinach, pecans, and raspberries. Add oil and vinegar and toss again until everything is coated. Serves 4.

Seward Co-op’s 2016 Community-Supported Agriculture (CSA) Fair on Saturday, April 16, was once again a huge success, both for farmers and attendees. For the second year in a row, it was a sunny, temperate spring day for the event, which showcased more than 30 area CSA farms. For those interested in exploring CSA available in our region, look to the Land Stewardship Project’s directory published on Seward Co-op’s website here. Thanks to all farmers and fair-goers who attended — here’s to a bountiful growing season!

Maytag Dairy Farms is expanding its voluntary recall of Maytag blue cheese wedges, wheels and crumbles because they have the potential to be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes. Between Nov. 24, 2015 and Feb. 28, 2016 Seward Co-op may have sold products with lot numbers affected by this recall at both the Franklin and Friendship stores. See list below.

If you purchased any of the above products at Seward Co-op between Nov. 24, 2015 and Feb. 28, 2016, recalled products will be fully refunded at either our Franklin or Friendship store Customer Service desk. Questions may be directed to Seward Co-op’s Franklin store at 612.338.2465 or Friendship store at 612.230.5595.

Hello,

Garden of Life LLC is voluntarily withdrawing a Garden of Life RAW MEAL protein powders because they have the potential to contain Salmonella Virchow. Between Sept. 1, 2015, and Jan. 30,2016, Seward Co-op may have sold products with lot numbers affected by this recall at both the Franklin and Friendship stores. See list below.

If you purchased any of the above products at Seward Co-op between Sept. 1, 2015 and Jan. 30, 2016, please return them to either the Franklin or Friendship store customer service desk for a full refund. Various products were offered at a sale price in the time frame that the recall is covering. If you bought the product at a sale price, the Customer Service desk will be able to identify the sale price for the refund. The products that remain on the shelf are lot numbers unaffected by the recall. Questions may be directed to Garden of Life at 1-866-465-0051, Monday-Friday between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. EST. Any additional updates can be found at www.seward.coop/posts/productrecalls .

Garden of Life LLC is voluntarily withdrawing a limited quantity of its Raw Meal Organic Shake & Meal chocolate, original, vanilla and vanilla chai because they have the potential to contain Salmonella Virchow. Though Garden of Life routinely performs pathogen testing on every finished good lot to ensure safety and no product has ever tested positive for the presence of Salmonella, the company felt it was in the public’s best interest to take this voluntary action. Between Sept. 1, 2015 and Jan. 30, 2016, Seward Co-op may have sold nine raw meal products with lot numbers affected by this recall at both the Franklin and Friendship stores. If you purchased any of the products below at Seward Co-op during that time period, please return them to either the Franklin or Friendship store customer service desk for a full refund. The products that remain on the shelf are lot numbers unaffected by the recall.

RAW Organic Meal Chocolate (32-35 oz.) retail $57.99
UPC:0065801011593 Lot Numbers: 47198800, 47225900, 47249200, 47226000, 47226100

RAW Organic Meal Chocolate (16-17.4 oz.) retail $26.99
UPC:0065801011695 Lot Numbers:47226200, 47226201, 47247800

RAW Organic Meal (2-3 oz.) retail $5.49
UPC:0065801011553 Lot Number:47214800

RAW Organic Meal (32-35 oz.) retail $57.99
UPC:0065801011414 Lot Numbers: 47214600, 47236000, 47248901, 47246500

RAW Organic Meal (16-17.4 oz.) retail $26.99
UPC:0065801011696 Lot Number:47225800

RAW Organic Meal Vanilla (2-3 oz.) retail $5.49
UPC:0065801011612 Lot Number:47248000

RAW Organic Meal Vanilla (32-35 oz.) retail $57.99
UPC:0065801011602 Lot Numbers:47216100, 47225500, 47198601, 47225600, 47253900, 47216200, 47225601

AW Organic Meal Vanilla (16-17.4 oz.) retail $26.99
UPC:0065801011693 Lot Numbers:47226400, 47257401

Questions may be directed to Garden of Life at 1-866-465-0051, Monday-Friday between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. EST.

In 2011, Seward Co-op launched SEED, a fundraising program that allows customers to “round-up” their grocery bill for recipient organizations that share our commitment to a healthy community. Since then, the co-op has raised hundreds of thousands of dollars that have gone back into the community.

This past December, the co-op set a new SEED record when it raised $24,099 for Isuroon Ethnic Food Shelf in a single month. A heartfelt thank you goes out to the 50,081 customers who made this possible. Isuroon is dedicated to building Somali women’s self-sufficiency so that they can lead healthier, more productive lives in Minnesota, nationally and in Somalia. Funding will support the creation of an ethnic food shelf serving the Somali community in South Minneapolis.

Evan Healy announced a recall involving Chamomile Eye Cream (0.5 oz; retail $31.99). The recall is being issued due to reports of contamination and mold. We have removed all product from the shelf and will discontinue the item.

We will be providing an alternative from Evan Healy, their Certified Organic Wild Carrot Nourishing Eye Balm. Recalled products will be fully refunded at either our Franklin or Friendship store Customer Service desk.

The affected product’s UPC code is UPC: 6081783501030 would have been sold between January 26 and December 30, 2015.

More specific information, with manufacturer codes and dates of affected product, may be found at http://www.evanhealy.com/.

When shopping at our stores you may notice some signage updates aimed to enhance the Seward shopping experience. Our aim is to provide customers with more prudent information about products on our shelves in order to remove the guesswork from the decision making process. We’d like to draw your attention to the produce and cheese signage in particular.

In Produce, we have increased the amount of signage categories in an effort to be more transparent about our producers’ farming practices and further educate our shoppers on various growing practices. The new color-coded signs give customers a quick way in which to determine if products are certified organic, non-organic, or somewhere in-between. Look for green, yellow, and brown headers on produce signage and in our Seward Co-op color guide to produce. We have literature available at the Customer Service desk that offers definitions of growing practices associated with the labels on the shelf.

In the near future, our cheese signage will note the type of milk used (depicting a silhouette of the source animal for easy identification). The reverse side of the signage will include a brief paragraph composed by our cheese mongers, noting flavor profiles, potential parings, and textural characteristics.

Over the last six months, you may have been noticed as our expansion projects unfolded and came to fruition with the opening of a new restaurant and store. Needless to say, there’s a lot of growth happening at Seward Community Co-op. Now that the majority of grab ‘n’ go, bakery, and sausage production has been transplanted from the Franklin store to the Co-op Creamery building, production at the store level has significantly changed. Kitchen staff in the stores have shifted focus to preparing the daily hot bar offerings, and, at Franklin, soup.

The new soup production kitchen at Franklin occupies the space the Bakery once did, and staff continues to concoct a variety of vegan, vegetarian, and meat-based soup options that Seward shoppers expect and love. On a weekly basis, about 50 gallons of soup are produced for Friendship and 75 gallons for Franklin. Half of that is packed for the Deli shelves and half is served on the hot bar. Stop in and pick up favorite standbys, or try the new options.

Make-ahead meals are great to have waiting in the freezer during the busy holiday season. Healthy family dinners are a priority to many, but sometimes can be difficult. Practical expectations are important for maintaining a manageable and low-stress season. This pasty recipe is easy to multiply or divide to suit any family size, and it keeps well in the freezer for up to eight months. Not to mention, this recipe fits our Nourish standards by feeding a family of four for under $15 ($10 for recipes without meat).

If cooking is out of the question, our Deli offers an extensive selection of other options in the Grab n’ Go. Our Co-op Creamery Café is another option for getting a P6 meal on the go. The daytime menu is served 8 a.m.-3 p.m., and the evening menu is served 5-10 p.m. Stop in for a snack or drink special on your way to and from your holiday shopping during out social hour between 3-5 p.m.

Pasties

Recipe makes 4 servings

Crust:

¼ lb. lard

½ cup boiling water

2 cups all-purpose flour

½ Tbsp. salt

Filling:

1 potato, peeled and diced

1 carrot, peeled and diced

½ large rutabaga, peeled and diced

½ lb. ground sirloin

1 large sweet onion, peeled and chopped

1 Tbsp. salt

½ Tbsp. black pepper

1 egg whisked for wash

Crust:

Pour boiling water over the lard until the lard is dissolved. Add salt to flour and add this to the water and lard. Mix together until it forms a ball. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.

Filling:

Combine the filling ingredients in a large bowl. Let sit and meld together, while rolling out the crust. Cut the dough into four even pieces, about five ounces each, and form into balls. Make sure the dough is cold for easier handling. Flour a work surface and roll out each ball of dough into an eight-inch circle, inch thick.

Evenly divide filling into four portions. Put large cupful of filling on one half of the dough circle; dab ice water around the edge of the crust to seal. Add a tsp. of butter on top of the filling before sealing. Fold crust over top of filling like a turnover, and seal edges well. Make three small slits on top of each pasty for venting. Brush top with egg wash.

At this point, you have some options. You can either pop these directly into the oven or freeze the pasties uncooked for up to eight months. To freeze and cook at a later date, wrap individually in aluminum foil then place in a freezer bag to avoid freezer burn. When you wish to cook the frozen pasties, remove from freezer and defrost and follow the instructions that follow. If baking right away, place fresh pasties on parchment lined baking sheets and bake at 425° F for 15 minutes; then turn oven down to 350° F for 60 minutes or until nicely browned.