On May 12, we celebrated World Fair Trade Day and the hard work, resilience, and innovation of small-scale farmers and artisans. And this May, Fair World Project is partnering with brands committed to working with farmers to offer deals on their fair trade products, along with offering more opportunities to get involved.

The basics of fair trade: Fair prices paid directly to farmer organizations, with premiums for organic production and community development. The fair trade movement is also supporting small-scale farmers as they tackle climate change.

From coffee to cacao, from mint fields in India to shea nut trees in Togo, small-scale farmers are combining traditional regenerative organic farming practices with new innovations. They are the kind of food and farming systems that we need to build resilience and tackle climate change.

The Eating Wild class on May 17 was canceled due to a family emergency. Participants already registered are being notified and will receive a refund.

Know Our Grower samplings scheduled for that afternoon at each of our stores were also canceled. We apologize for any inconvenience.

Were you really looking forward to learning more about wild foods, such as ramps, nettles and watercress? Click here for some information and a great recipe for all of you foragers out there.

Seward Co-op’s 17th Annual Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) Fair was held Saturday, April 21, at a new location—the Creamery Café! We lucked out with weather and it was once again a huge success, both for farmers and attendees—what a difference a week can make weather-wise. For the fourth year in a row, it was a sunny, temperate spring day for the event, which showcased more than 30 area CSA farms.

We added new activities and programmatic elements to the fair this year. Midwest Food Connection taught children how to plant seedlings by leading them through the process. Community organizers, focused on the sustainable food movement presented informative Farmer Talks. Hmong American Farmers Association (HAFA) shared the history of how Hmong people came to the United States, and talked about the HAFA programs focused on providing immigrants with land access. Michael Cheney, of Project Sweetie Pie shared Farm Bill updates and encouraged community members to become more active and engaged in local politics. Reginaldo Haslett-Marroquin, shared his thinking around regenerative agriculture and how Main Street Project’s poultry CSA is making it a little easier for Latinos to become small-scale farmers. In case you missed the event, Facebook Live video footage is posted to our Seward Co-op Facebook page.

Inside, Creamery Café staff served up tasty brunch and lunch fare, and offered specials on taquitos and local beer from fellow co-op, Fair State. Thank you to all who were able to attend! It was a wonderful fair, which brought together neighbors and farmers, on a gorgeous spring day. Here’s to a bountiful growing season!Thank you to all who were able to attend! It was a wonderful event, which brought together neighbors and farmers, on a gorgeous spring day.

For folks still interested in exploring CSAs, both Franklin and Friendship stores are drop sites for a variety of local CSAs. Check out the weekly schedule below:

The Land Stewardship Project’s directory, is a great resource as well, posted on Seward Co-op’s website.

Photo by: John Yuccas

Seward Co-op Creamery Café hosted its fourth Farm Table dinner on Tuesday, April 17 with Dream of Wild Health, a Native American-led, nonprofit farm and youth-leadership program. The meal, created by Chef de Cuisine Matt Kappra, featured Indigenous ingredients supplemented with locally raised, grown, or made ingredients.

Photo by: John Yuccas

Some of the Creamery’s Farm Table dinners have featured local farms which are too small-scale to meet the demand of Seward Co-op stores, but a perfect size to meet the volume of our Café. Most recent Farm Table dinners have highlighted SEED recipients. Diners were thrilled to enjoy ingredients sourced from Native-owned producers, and inspired by Dream of Wild Health’s community work. Fresh and crisp produce from Wozupi Tribal Gardens’—spinach, daikon radish, winter greens—brought color and brightness to plates throughout the three courses. Red Lake Nation Fishery’s wild-caught walleye took center stage in the smoked walleye rillettes and again with a slow roasted duck breast, their sweet-and-sour chokeberry sauce balanced the savory elements of the dish. Puffed wild rice from Autumn Harvest piqued the curiosity of many Farm Table diners and sparked conversation throughout the room.

Photo by: John Yuccas

Red Lake Nation Fishery— As an Indian Nation, the people of Red Lake Nation are the guardians of the land and protect its natural state by managing over development. They are dedicated to preserving the health of beautiful Red Lake and all of its inhabitants. The tribal fisherman still fish in the traditional ways, using the wisdom of elders that was handed down from generation to generation. The fish are wild-caught by tribal fishermen, employing local knowledge and ancestral practices to deliver quality fish products in the most natural way. In doing this the tribal-owned company is helping the local Red Lake economy grow, by providing many jobs, and reinvestment opportunities in their small community.

Wozupi Tribal Gardens is an organic farm committed to growing food in a way that nourishes the earth, the community, and people’s minds and bodies. Using environmentally-sustainable and fair labor practices, they grow vegetables, herbs and fruit, produce eggs, honey, and maple syrup, and provide educational, therapeutic, and fun opportunities at the farm and through community outreach.

Autumn Harvest—Ronda and Randy Beaulieu are proud to offer wild rice that is hand-picked by members of the Ojibwe Nation. The rice is then “parched” or finished, in Sawyer, Minnesota. Traditional wild rice is dramatically different than paddy-grown “cultivated” wild rice and offers a true taste of Minnesota.

On April 17, Traditional Medicinals announced a voluntary recall of its Throat Coat Lemon Echinacea Tea. An ingredient within this product tested positive for Salmonella in the samples retained by the supplier. Salmonella was not detected in Traditional Medicinals testing of this lot or in this product. However, out of an abundance of caution, they are recalling this product. No illnesses have been reported to date. Seward Co-op does not currently have affected product on the shelf, but could have sold affected product between Jan. 30—April 17, 2018.

Traditional Medicinals
Throat Coat Lemon Echinacea Tea
UPC: 3291700159
Lot Number: 19482

If you purchased this product at Seward Co-op between Jan. 30—April 17, 2018, it will be fully refunded at either our Franklin or Friendship store Customer Service desk.

Seward Co-op’s annual Know Our Grower program hosts local farmers who supply our stores and kitchen with produce grown using sustainable practices, soil restoration, organic pest control methods, and more. In addition to those farms growing during temperate months, we also work with growers that push the limits of our northern growing season by using hydroponic systems and greenhouses. Visit our Classes and Events calendar often this summer to read about our featured Know Our Grower producers. We’ll have lots of opportunities to meet farmers in the stores, sample unique and delicious recipes using their produce, and get great sale prices on selected items.

The first farm we’re featuring is Keewaydin Farms out of Viola, Wisconsin. Rufus Haucke from Keewaydin will be sampling on Thursday, May 17 at the Franklin store from noon-2 p.m. and at the Friendship store from 3-5 p.m. Check out the Eating Wild class Rufus is hosting that evening from 6-7:30 p.m. in the Friendship classroom.

About Keewaydin Farms

At the end of Haucke Lane in southwestern Wisconsin, you’ll find Keewaydin Farms, home to 15 acres of organically certified market garden produce, maple sugaring operations, a 40-cow dairy, grass-fed chickens, and a herd of swine. Founded in 1976 by Richard and Mary Haucke, Keewaydin Farms is second-generation owned and operated by Richard and Mary’s children, Jacob, Rufus and Jessica Haucke. In 2008, Keewaydin Farms began reaching out to neighboring certified organic farms. Jason and Jennelle Thimmesch grow Swiss chard, parsley, and cilantro on Thimmesch Farm. EZ Farming is a collaboration between Brian Wickert and his sons Zach and Ethen, who grow summer squash, beets, shallots, cabbage and winter squash. Tilth Farm grows around 20 acres of certified organic asparagus. Keewaydin Farms is honored to work with neighbors to provide fresh organic produce to stores like Seward Co-op. They believe farming is about community, that cooperation and sharing of markets makes us all stronger in the long run.

Take Action: call Governor Dayton and ask for his commitment to VETO any packaging preemption bills.

Seward Co-op opposes preemption on single-use packaging fees and sustainable to go food containers. We’ve joined a large community of neighbors, local officials, environmental justice activists, public health advocates, businesses, and restaurants to stand together and oppose legislative measures seeking to prohibit cities’ authority to reduce packaging waste. (See full list of coalition members at right.)

• Eureka Recycling
• Seward Community Co-op
• Women’s Congress for Future Generations
• Environment Minnesota
• Minneapolis Climate Action
• Sierra Club North Star Chapter
• Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy

Seward Co-op supports the City of Minneapolis regarding ordinances like Green To Go and in any efforts that encourage more sustainable choices. We believe that the State should not revoke municipal movements towards environmental sustainability. Join us by asking MN Governor Mark Dayton to veto packaging preemption bills no matter where they show up. Cities should have the ability to respond to the needs of their community members and that includes regulating unsafe/unhealthy packaging and products that can harm people in their communities and their environment. Based on what we learned last year, we anticipate these measures to be added to omnibus bills that will be passed by the House and Senate, so we need the Governor’s commitment to oppose these measures.

Please call Governor Dayton and ask him to veto ALL packaging preemption bills: 651-201-3400

SF 3253/ HF 3814 would prohibit a fee on single-use bags or any problem food, beverage, or food/beverage packaging, but also prohibits going to the legislature to ask for a tax (money that would go to the city to support programs like litter cleanup) on problem food, beverages, or food/beverage packaging. We are expecting this will show up in the tax omnibus bill.

HF 3606/ SF 3135 would prohibit the regulation of single-use food and beverage containers and would overturn Minneapolis and St. Louis Park’s “to-go” packaging ordinances as well as not allow a city to place a fee on single-use bags. This bill has passed through the House Government Operations and Elections Policy Committee and we are watching for where it goes next.

Seward Co-op’s primary partner in this legislative advocacy is Eureka Recycling. Please reach out to Allison at Seward: 612.436.4043 or Megan at Eureka: 612-490-2900 with questions.
Thanks for joining us!