March means Banana Month at Seward Co-op, so watch for specials and deals on Equal Exchange bananas throughout the month. According to the USDA, the average American eats 26 pounds of bananas per year. That’s a lot of bananas — and a big opportunity for impact. Most bananas are grown on giant plantations as a monoculture with bananas stretching as far as the eye can see. The banana industry is notorious for low wages and heavy chemical use, causing major health problems for humans across banana-producing regions. Together, Equal Exchange and their banana partners are creating a trade model that supports small farmers, builds communities, and supports the environment.

Equal Exchange’s mission is to build long-term trade partnerships that are economically just and environmentally sound; to foster mutually beneficial relationships between farmers and consumers; and to demonstrate, through their success, the contribution of worker cooperatives and fair trade to a more equitable, democratic and sustainable world. Next year is Equal Exchange’s 30^th anniversary, and the 10^th year of their banana program. Equal Exchange bananas are sourced from small-scale farmers located in Ecuador and Peru. They work with El Guabo cooperative, a farmer-run cooperative with 350 small-scale banana farmers in Ecuador, and The Central Association of Small Producers of Organic Banana (CEPIBO), a group of seven different farmer associations with a total of 800 families operating 900 hectares of land across northern Peru.

Seeing the Equal Exchange brand on a banana (or an avocado) guarantees a customer that their fruit is sourced from a small farmer who receives a fair price for their fruit. It’s not just a better wage, it’s a better way of life. Farmers own their land and are helping to rebuild their own communities through hard work and enterprise. It also guarantees that the grower cooperatives are working directly with the Equal Exchange produce team, rather than through a go-between like the majority of farmers and plantations in the produce industry.

Check out this interesting web documentary called Beyond the Seal that was created by Katherine Nagasawa and Leah Varjacques that talks a lot about Equal Exchange, small farmers, and the banana industry.

Banana Curry Stir Fry Sauce

Ingredients:
2 bananas, peeled and chopped
1 clove of garlic
1 Tbsp. rice vinegar
2 Tsp. curry powder
1 Tsp. agave nectar (or honey)
1 Tsp. onion powder
1 Tsp. coconut oil
3/4 cup unsweetened canned coconut milk

Method:
Combine all ingredients together in a blender and blend to a smooth texture.
Sauté any veggies you have on hand (peppers, onions, carrots, celery, leeks, etc.) until tender. Add the banana curry stir fry sauce and heat through evenly.

Adapted from therawproject.com

Meet the local producers who bring us fruits, veggies, flowers, and meat throughout the local season by visiting their farms on the 2015 Eat Local Farm Tour!

Take the kids, meet friends along the way, or bike to local urban farms near you on Saturday, July 18. The 2015 Farm Guide booklets are available here or at the Seward Co-op Customer Service Desk.

Twenty-one local farms are opening their doors to the Eat Local Tour this year:

10th Street Farm & Market

Big River Farms/Minnesota Food Association

Buttermilk Falls CSA & Folk School Retreat

East Henderson Farm

Garden Farme –

Gardens of Eagan

Growing Lots Urban Farm

Humble Pie Farm

Shepherd’s Way Farm

Simple Harvest Farm Organics

Singing Hills Goat Dairy Farm

Star Prairie Trout Farm

Stone’s Throw Urban Farm

The Beez Kneez

Thousand Hills Cattle Company

Whistling Well Farm

Women’s Environmental Institute

The tour is free and there’s no need to register! Just decide which farms you’d like to visit, note when they’re open for visitors, and drive there or “caravan” with family and friends. (The co-op is not providing transportation.)

To find when farms are open, get a copy of the 2015 Farm Guide and check the farms’ listings. Visitors are welcome to show up during these times.

Your Twin Cities-area food co-ops support the annual Farm Tour. For more information:
2015 Eat Local Farm Tour Facebook Page

And follow the hashtag:
#‎EatLocalFarmTour

On an icy visit to Len Busch Roses (LBR) in Plymouth recently, there was a fizz and spark in the greenhouses.

“Everything builds up to this,” said Jason Lenz, LBR’s director of business development. “It doesn’t get any bigger than Valentine’s Day.”

Here at Seward Co-op, you’ve see Len Busch Roses’s flowers all year long—though maybe not quite so many as you’ll see in the next two weeks. Indeed, you may smell roses from the parking lot before you ever enter the store, we’ll have so many.

Sadly a good-smelling rose is a rarity in many American stores these days.

“Smell these,” Lenz said offering a bouquet of a dozen scarlet roses. He smiled as members of his tour took in the flowers’ scent. “Raspberries, right?”

Comparing LBR roses’ outstanding fragrance to inexpensive commodity roses from the giant rose-industry “farms” in South America isn’t really fair. Have you ever purchased a rose bouquet from a big-box grocer or garden store recently? The price is attractive, of course, but those flowers often have no appealing smell (if they open at all).

“Those roses have to travel all the way from Ecuador,” Lenz explained. “So they’ve been bred for hardiness and longevity, while that classic rose fragrance has just gone away, year by year.”

Sadly for a company with “Roses” in its name, LBR has watched its rose production diminish from 50,000 stems per year to 10,000–15,000 per year (due to their concentrating more on growing alstroemeria, gerbera daisies, tulips, tropicals, and ferns). Because the South American rose industry is so enormous, streamlined, and inexpensive, it puts huge pressure on smaller American producers like LBR to lower their prices.

“And now it’s Africa undercutting South America,” Lenz said, referring to titanic industries in South Africa and Kenya, which are even cheaper and have massive global reach. A rose can be cut in the morning in Kenya and appear in a British grocery that same night.

So how does a flower producer in Plymouth compete? Mainly by telling a story of sustainability and local pride. That’s why LBR is a P6 producer after all.

In 1965, founder Len Busch began his company by growing pom poms and then expanding to roses four years later. Though his son Patrick is CEO now, Len is still around.

“He comes in once a month to give us our beatings,” Lenz joked.

Since 1965, the company has grown to include over 500,000 square feet of greenhouses and an intricate steam system run on salvaged brush from local communities, chipped for two boilers that provide the steam (on this particular day, a line of gray-barked, brittle Christmas trees was ready to provide steam for the Valentine’s Day rose buds). This system provides over 90 percent of the energy needed at LBR.

With increased regulation on the floral industry, LBR has had to institute a rather involved IPM (integrated pest management) system, using spiders, wasps, and other beneficial insects to control mites that enter the greenhouses. LBR spends $25,000 a month on this system.

“Oh, yes, we take [sustainability] very seriously here,” Lenz said.

Today, the company employs 180 full-time workers who enjoy full benefits, and this stands as a stark contrast to South American and African flower companies, too. The global flower industry in third-world countries has frequently faced serious charges of abuse aimed at them, including: child labor violations, low pay, exposure to toxic pesticides and fungicides that have been banned in the U.S., firing injured or pregnant workers, etc. Meanwhile, longevity at Len Busch Roses in considerable.

“I started working here 27 years ago,” Lenz said, a little sheepishly. “Started when I was 15, went to college, then came back to get a job [here] in Plymouth. What can I say? It’s a great place to work.”

Paying a little extra for LBR roses than the commodity roses you’ll find at other stores makes a ton of sense. It’s not just an investment in your sweetheart, but also in the Earth, and for the greater good as well.

Seward Co-op’s Flowers and Plants from Len Busch Roses (Plymouth, MN)

Starting Thursday, February 12th, Seward Co-op will carry these flowers for Valentine’s Day.

Cuts
Gerbera Daisy – 3 stem bunches for $6.99
Alstroemeria – 10 stems for $12.99
Stargazer Lily – 2 stems for $7.99
Asiatic Lily – 3 stems for $7.99
Tulips – $9.99
Roses- 12 stems for $29.99
Snapdragons- $14.99

(We’ll also have Mixed Bouquets at various price points – but these are not totally local grown)

Potted Plants (locally grown; many of these aae in the store now!)
Cyclamen – 6-inch for $12.99
Kalonchoe- 6-inch for $12.99
Bulb gardens – 4-inch for $5.99/ large $12.99
Orchids – 4-inch for $23.99; 2-inch for $14.99
Azaleas – 6-inch for $21.99

Also from LBR (but not locally grown)

Jasmine wreaths (beautiful scent!)
Azalea trees
Many mixed bouquets
Single roses sleeved with greens
Half dozen rose bunches
Cut orchid bouquets

Read about this Saturday’s event Seward Co-op’s Valentine’s Day Sweetheart Sampler

(Photo courtesy Isuroon Ethnic Food Shelf)

We’re pleased to announce the recipients of Seward Community Fund (SCF) grants for 2014. Grants funded by SCF are awarded annually to organizations whose work aligns with our Ends Statement:

Seward Community Co-op Ends Statement: Seward Co-op will sustain a healthy community that has equitable economic relationships; positive environmental impacts; and inclusive, socially responsible practices.

Additionally, organizations that meet the following requirements are given preference in SCF grant-making:

• Based in the communities served by Seward Co-op.
• Reflect the cultural diversity of our communities.
• Use the funding for specific projects rather than general operating costs.
• Nonreligious and nonpartisan.
• Registered 501(c)(3) non-profit organizations.

Granting funds through the SCF embodies our co-op’s commitment to grow, not just as a business, but as a resource for organizations whose work aligns with our vision for a healthy community.

Below are this year’s 2014 SCF recipients:

AfroEco ($4,000)
AfroEco is actively organizing with partners to develop a local food system in North Minneapolis that co-produces community health and wealth.

Ananya Dance Theatre ($5,000)
Ananya Dance Theatre’s choreographer Ananya Chatterjea, visual artist Seitu Jones, and behavioral artist Marcus Young will partner with Frogtown Farm, Afro Eco, and the Indigenous Peoples Task Force to produce an evening performance reflecting and honoring the age-old work of women who cultivate, nurture and protect land and agriculture.

Cedar Cultural Center ($4,000)
Midnimo (Somali word for “unity”) builds knowledge and understanding of Somali Muslim culture through music. Midnimo consists of week-long artist residencies featuring Somali musicians from around the world that include public concert performances and activities in the classroom and the community.

Centro de Trabajadores Unidos en Lucha (CTUL) ($5,000)
CTUL is a low-wage worker-led group organizing for fair wages, fair working conditions, and a voice in the workplace for all workers in the Twin Cities.

“Radical Roots” ($4,000)
“Radical Roots” is a documentary film that will explore the origins and future of the American natural food movement by uncovering the drama behind its most dynamic center: the food cooperatives of the Twin Cities. It’s a tale of hippies and draft resisters, Black Panthers and organic farmers, and a takeover attempt by a secretive Marxist organization, setting in motion a debate over race, class, health, and democracy.

Hmong American Farmers Association ($5,000)
The Hmong American Farmers Association (HAFA) is a membership-based, social justice minded nonprofit organization that works with Hmong American farmers in the Twin Cities and the surrounding metropolitan area.

Isuroon ($5,000)
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.

Native American Community Development Institute (MACDI) ($4,000)
NACDI is committed to transforming the American Indian community to effectively respond to 21st-century opportunities. Funding will support the launch of the Anpetu Was’te Cultural Arts Marketplace, which will serve as a gateway to the American Indian Cultural Corridor at the Franklin Light Rail Transit Station.

Trans Youth Support Network (TYSN) ($5,000)
TYSN’s mission is to make it possible for trans and gender non-conforming youth to survive adultism, racism, sexism, and economic injustices in systems they must engage with in order to get basic needs met. Funding will support a youth leadership development program.

Waite House Neighborhood Center ($4,000)
Waite House’s Community Culinary Arts program embodies Seward Co-op values and vision around P6 principles through training young chefs for careers and life, including a 10-week apprenticeship with Executive Chef Austin Bartold, through which young people learn how to promote food justice in a commercial kitchen.

WE WIN Institute ($5,000)
WE WIN Institute is dedicated to the academic and social success of all children. This funding will support our summer Youth Gardens enrichment program.

(SCF recipients are announced at the annual meeting in October. The deadline for applications each year is June 30.)

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.

UPDATE: Since this article was posted, Isuroon Ethnic Food Shelf received $18,558.25 in SEED donations from Seward shoppers for the month of December 2014. This is a new record for SEED donations at Seward Co-op.

Imagine emigrating to a faraway nation. The culture, the alphabet, the weather, and everything you encounter on a daily level is completely alien to you.

Strangest of all, the food is so foreign that you can’t eat it. It’s meat (maybe?) but you’re not even sure what animal it’s from. Regardless, you have no money to buy it, even if it was something you could eat. You’re a complete stranger, stranded, poor, and hungry.

New Minnesotans from East Africa encounter this daily, according to newly formed non-profit Isuroon in Minneapolis. Often, newly arrived immigrants too poor to shop aren’t able to find food shelves offering food that their religious views will allow them to eat. The food they need must be “halal” – that is, permissible for Muslims to eat or drink under Islamic law. For this reason, Isuroon Executive Director Fartun Weli said in comments to Hennepin County Commissioner Peter McLaughlin recently (video via The Uptake), the Muslim immigrant community in Minneapolis needs an ethnic food shelf. In addition to halal food, such a food shelf would need offer whole grain, whole foods, and limit the processed foods available to customers. Somali elders aren’t familiar with or are simply baffled by processed food, so they won’t eat it. (Imagine a Somali elder encountering Spam in a food shelf. Free, yes, but it’s hard for newcomers to understand what Spam even is.)

Here’s the main problem according to Fartun and Isuroon: No food shelves in Minneapolis offer halal foods.

Isuroon’s mission is to create such a food shelf, but securing funding has been difficult: The non-profit needs $150,000 just to start work. When Isuroon came to Seward Co-op to apply as a SEED recipient, Fartun told us that a donation from the co-op’s SEED program would not only help the “bottom line,” it would help to legitimize Isuroon as a viable non-profit, too. Seward’s December donation will probably be the largest and primary funding for Isuroon’s food shelf to date.

“Isuroon” is a Somali word that means “woman taking care of herself,” and while Isuroon’s webpage says they are a group dedicated women’s health and wellness, they see the entire Somali community in Minneapolis as part of their mission, too. Imam Hassan Mohamud, a legal advocate for Isuroon, tells the story that Mohammed had to give advice to his community but the community was angry and wouldn’t listen to him. He spoke to his wife and asked, “What should I do?” His wife gave him advice which he followed and and the community opened up and began to listen to Mohammed.

“This is the importance of the woman in our community,” he said. (Quote via The Uptake video.)

During this month of so many holidays, sharing, and generosity, Seward shoppers have an opportunity to make a huge impact through SEED donations for Insuroon. All of the food shelves to whom Seward donates SEED money do crucial work, but this is an opportunity for Seward shoppers to help create something that doesn’t exist, something that some of our new Somali neighbors desperately need.

So remember in December….round up at the register!

Fartun Weli and Christine Dietsche tabling at Seward Co-op.

(Photo courtesy Isuroon)

Get your calendar out and start planning for January.

Upcoming Seward Classes

LaDonna Sanders-Redmond, Education and Outreach Coordinator for the Seward Co-op, visited KARE-11 recently with a terrific winter soup recipe: Crock Pot Chicken Gumbo.

Gumbo is actually pretty easy to make; it just has a lot of ingredients and a number of steps, so people sometimes get intimidated. Just remember LaDonna’s Important Gumbo Tip: Don’t walk away from the roux! You have to keep stirring it. If you’re patient and tend to it, you’ll have the base for a thick, delicious batch of gumbo. (Look how syrupy and thick that completed Gumbo is!)

Watch the video to get all the steps right, then follow the recipe below. Much thanks to KARE-11 and LaDonna for this video and recipe!

Crock Pot Gumbo (Recipe serves 6)

Ingredients:

• 1/3 cup flour

• 1/3 cup cooking oil

• 3 cups chicken broth

• 12 to 16 ounces chicken sausage, sliced about 1/2″ thick

• 2 to 3 cups diced cooked chicken

• 1 1/2 cups sliced okra

• 1 cup chopped onion

• 1/2 cup chopped green pepper

• 1/2 cup chopped celery

• 4 cloves garlic, minced

• salt, to taste

• 1/2 teaspoon pepper

• 1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper

• hot cooked rice

Instructions:

· For roux, in a heavy 2-quart saucepan stir together flour and oil until smooth. Cook over medium-high heat for 4 minutes, stirring constantly. Reduce heat to medium. Continue to cook, stirring constantly, for about 15 minutes more or until roux is dark reddish brown. Let roux cool.

· Add chicken broth to a 3 1/2 to 6-quart slow cooker. Stir in roux. Add sausage, chicken, okra, onion, green pepper, celery, garlic, salt, pepper, and red pepper. Cover and cook on LOW for 8 to 10 hours, or HIGH for 4 to 5 hours.

· Skim off fat. Serve with hot cooked rice.