Seeds are in, and Seward Co-op is diving into spring! Starting your garden from seed and then watching it mature from seedling to fruiting plant can be rewarding, economical and fun.

Considering Minnesota’s relatively short growing season, it can be beneficial to start seeds indoors in spring to give plants a head start before transplanting them into your garden. Each plant has its own unique growing requirements and therefore its own timeline. Refer to Seward Co-op’s Seed Guide as a resource for when to start seeds indoors and transplant outdoors.

Browsing Seward Co-op’s seed racks, surrounded by fresh-cut flowers and an abundance of fragrant citrus, can make the experience of picking out the seeds for your garden inviting—many of the potential options look so delicious and interesting!

However, before you get whisked away by the idea of it all, learn more about Seward Co-op’s seed offerings to determine which brand aligns more with your values and is best for the vision of what you hope to accomplish with your garden—High Mowing Organic, Seed Savers Exchange (a local Community Foods producer), or a combination of the two. Is your primary concern the health of your family, or is it more broad to include environmental biodiversity or healthy habitats for pollinators?

Now, the fun part—make a list of all the crops you want to grow and plot them out to create a feasible plan for your space. We recommend marking a calendar with the dates to start and transplant different crops, using the chart provided on our Seed Guide. Please note some root crops, such as carrots, beets and radishes do not tolerate transplanting. For more home gardening information and resources, please visit the University of Minnesota Extension website.

Soup for You, Seward Co-op’s March SEED grant recipient, provides free, healthy, organic meals to all members of our community. Round up at the registers at all Seward Co-op locations throughout March to support their work serving our neighbors.

The nonprofit café is open Monday through Friday, 11 a.m.–1 p.m., at Bethany Lutheran Church, 2511 E. Franklin Ave., Minneapolis, right down the street from Seward Co-op Creamery Café and the Franklin store. All are welcome to come and share a meal. Enjoy live music on Tuesdays. Donations are accepted but not required.

Soup for You Café started just over four years ago and has served nearly 70,000 bowls of soup that are nutritious, freshly prepared, globally inspired, locally sourced, vegan and vegetarian.

Follow Soup for You on Facebook.

Minnesota FoodShare
When you round up for Soup for You this month, you’re also supporting Seward Co-op’s contribution to the Minnesota FoodShare March Campaign.

The largest grassroots food and fund drive in the state, the Minnesota FoodShare March Campaign brings together various community organizations, businesses, and faith communities to help stock nearly 300 food shelves statewide.

In 2018, over $8.1 million dollars and 5.5 million pounds of food were raised by Minnesota food shelves and Minnesota FoodShare.

This small-business, big-ideas competition helps bring together, support, and celebrate the entrepreneurs in our community. This competition is proudly brought to you by the Powderhorn Park Neighborhood Association and is for both small business owners who are growing and emerging. Compete for cash prizes and business incentives in a supportive, community environment. Seward Co-op is proud to be a sponsor of this event.

Q: Why Powderhorn Shark Tank?
A: To create a community-focused space to support home-grown businesses and ideas to succeed and thrive. Unlike many traditional business competitions, Jurors rank the proposals based on more than profitability; applications are evaluated on how deeply they address a societal need and how rooted the business is in the community.

Q: Who is an entrepreneur? Who is eligible?
A: Any Minneapolis resident with an idea to sell is eligible to apply to Shark Tank. Many applicants are first-time entrepreneurs, and most have never participated in a business competition before. All competitors must be over the age of 16 at the time of the competition

Q: Who wins Shark Tank?
A: We have prizes for start-ups and established businesses. Winners were from a range of industries – food, drinks, repair, salon, craft – but they were all ranked highly for their presentations and proven need in the community. Here are the winners from last year’s 2018 Shark Tank Competition:

Start Up Winners:
rabbit Grub (fb @rabbitgrub)—bike-powered vegan food
Good Barrel Kombucha (ig @goodbarrelkombucha)—Minneapolis kombucha in Minnesota barrels

Emerging Winners:
Support Local Hustle (ig @picklewitch)—Black, Indigenous, People of Color collective
Jaxonmade (ig @jaxonmade)—home of handcrafted design, custom upholstery and furniture repair

Established Winners:
Curl Power (ig @curlpowersalon)—presents Curl Camp! Curl education, cleanse, and style session for parents of curly kids
Hamburguesas el Gordo (@hamburguesas_el_gordo)—Authentic Mexican food in the Twin Cities

Q: Where do I go for further information?
A: All information about applying for Shark Tank and attending the event can be found at https://www.ppna.org/powderhornsharktank

Application Deadline: Feb. 28, 2019 | Powderhorn Shark Tank Event: May 18, 2019

Watermelon Water Recall

A recall of Watermelon Water has been initiated by World Waters, LLC due to the potential presence of soft plastic that may be loosely floating in the finished product. While they are unaware of any adverse events associated with this product to date, the presence of the plastic could potentially be a choking hazard. This is a voluntary recall made with the knowledge of the Food and Drug Administration. Affected product was on the shelves at both Seward Co-op stores at the time of the recall.

Seward Co-op has removed all affected product from shelves. The recall includes:

Watermelon Water
UPC: 852921005004
$4.49

Affected product has a lot code and expiration date of:

AW00719 3/9/2019
AW01419 3/16/2019
AW00219 3/4/2019
AW00719 3/9/2019
AW00319 3/5/2019
AW00919 3/11/2019

If you purchased this product at Seward Co-op between Nov. 8, 2018, and Feb. 8, 2019, you will be fully refunded at either our Franklin or Friendship store Customer Service desks. For questions and additional information, email customercare@wtrmlnwtr.com, or call (719) 284-9699.

The money raised through Seward Co-op’s SEED roundup program in February will go to the Dreamland Co-Café, a project of the Cultural Wellness Center.

The Dreamland Co-Café project will create a blend of Culinary Heritage, self-love, and business incubation for African American food entrepreneurs in a cooperative and supportive environment that will allow us to reconnect, rediscover and reinvent the culinary traditions of our past.

The Cultural Wellness Center is located at 2025 Portland Ave. S. in Minneapolis. The Cultural Wellness Center promotes health and healing through exploration of an individual’s culture.

Part of the Cultural Wellness Center’s philosophy is, “Everyone has culture and no one culture has the authority to impose a universal truth or reality. We create a space and a process for people to privately study their own culture, hold internal dialogues, practice ritual, and ceremony—as well as to come together with people from other cultures to learn from each other and to celebrate, work, and learn together as a unified community. As we move into the future, successful and mutually beneficial interfacing of different cultures will be critical to creating sustainable health and wellness in community.”

Round up at the register at all Seward Co-op locations throughout February and support the Cultural Wellness Center’s Dreamland Co-Café project!

Seward Co-op appreciates our owners and shoppers. Enjoy 10% off bulk purchases on Thursday, March 21, as a thank you.

Bulk is a cornerstone of food co-ops. You can purchase as much or as little as you wish. Clean out empty glass jars and containers, scour the corners of your kitchen, and bring your own reusable packaging.

Shopping in bulk is an opportunity to choose an alternative to food manufacturer packaging, and to customize your household’s meals with foods that work best for you. We do carry reusable options and offer complimentary bags and containers.

Enjoy 10% off bulk items during our Bulk Sale at both Seward Community Co-op locations. Co-op owners can stack their quarterly owner discount to maximize savings!

Included in the sale:
•bulk foods
•bulk coffee
•bulk herbs/spices
•bulk water
•bulk repack
•off-the-shelf 25-pound bags (flour, rice, etc.)
•bulk repacked wellness items (beeswax beads, clay, Epsom salt, citric acid, lavender flowers)
•bulk dates (produce)
•bulk shampoo and conditioner
•bulk lotion
•bulk tinctures
•bulk liquid soaps
•bulk bar soaps

Not included in the sale:
•special orders
•produce (besides dates)
•flowers
•containers
•bulk eggs

Stop by and stock up at our Franklin and Friendship stores during regular business hours 8 a.m.-10 p.m. on Thursday, March 21.

Meet our local hot-sauce makers at our Hot Sauce Tasting on Saturday, March 16, 2-5 p.m., at Seward Co-op’s Franklin store.

Spice up your stash with sales on select products.

Featuring:

•Lucky’s Honey Mustard & Hot Sauce

•Hellraising Hot Sauce

•Cry Baby Craig’s

•Nuclear Nectar

Frito Lay has issued a voluntary recall of 7.33-ounce Stacy’s Simply Naked Pita Chips due to undeclared milk ingredients.

People who have an allergy or severe sensitivity to milk could experience a life-threatening reaction if they consume the recalled product.

Seward Co-op has removed all affected product from shelves. The recall includes:

Stacy’s Simply Naked Pita Chips
Size: 7.33 ounce
UPC: 0 28400 56463 2
Use-by Date: 23 APR 2019
MFG Code: 65M127902

If you purchased this product at Seward Co-op between Nov. 7, 2018, and Feb. 5, 2019, you will be fully refunded at either our Franklin or Friendship store Customer Service desks.

Need help with meal prep? March classes kick off with two approaches to cooking as a component of wellness. Join Jesse Haas and Vanashree Belgamwar, two local instructors for:

Ayurvedic Cooking for Your Constitution
March 7, 6-8 p.m., Friendship store
$25/$20 co-op owners
REGISTER

Practical Meal Planning Strategies for Health (+ Sanity)
March 19, 7-8 p.m.
$20/$15 for co-op owners
REGISTER

Meet the Instructors

Vanashree Belgamar
Bachelor of Ayurvedic Medicine and Surgery (BAMS)
Vanashree practices in multiple locations, including Wellness Minneapolis near Seward Co-op’s Friendship store. Join her on March 7, 6-8 p.m., at the Friendship store for a cooking class with an introduction to Ayurveda and the concept of doshas. Click here to learn more and register for Vanashree’s class. Visit Vanashree’s website to learn more and like Vanashree Ayurveda LLC on Facebook!

“Ayurveda is a whole science in itself and has answers to everything with reason. I love Ayurveda because it is the most natural and gentle way to treat and heal.It is a very ancient science but its applicable anytime, anywhere because its principles are universal. This healing in harmony with nature is what inspires me to practice Ayurveda. ‘Prevention is better than cure’ is what Ayurveda focuses on a lot more and this preventative aspect of Ayurveda always encourages me to educate people and make them aware about their well-being.”

Jesse Haas, CNS
Jesse Haas, a longtime Seward Co-op class instructor and the co-founder of Wellness Minneapolis, is a heart-centered and deeply intuitive nutritionist. She combines nutritional counseling and whole foods culinary education to help her clients understand why they’re not feeling well and how to change that one meal at a time.

Join Jesse on March 19, 7-8 p.m., at the Friendship store to get some practical strategies for meal planning that will make feeding yourself and your family a breeze. Jesse will equip you with home pantry staples, lists, meal planning hacks, recipe formulas and sample meal plans. Click here to learn more and register for Jesse’s class.

We’re seeing green at Seward Co-op! Celebrate St. Patrick’s Day with seasonal Seward-made products and specials on Irish products. They’re available only for a limited time so shop holiday products now!

•Corned beef from Peterson Craftsman Meats brined in house

•Seward-made Irish soda bread from our bakery

•New shepherd’s pie from Seward Co-op’s sausage makers

•Ask our cheesemongers about our Irish cheese selection! We’ll have the following sales on cheese, too:

Cahills Irish Porter Cheddar $17.99/lb. (reg. $19.99/lb.) 3/11-3/17
England Sage Derby $14.99/lb. (reg. $15.99/lb.) 3/11-3/17
Kerrygold Dubliner $14.99/lb. (reg. $15.99/lb.) 3/13-3/17

Head to the hot bar this weekend for traditional Irish dishes:

Rosemary Garlic Chicken
Sautéed Greens
Black Eyed Peas with Thyme
Mustard Braised Cabbage
Corned Beef