In the midst of opening our second full-service grocery store this October, the Friendship store, we opened the Co-op Creamery Café in August! Recently, Co-op Creamery Café’s Chef Lucas Almendinger was invited to the WCCO-Mid Morning show to share his secrets on how to compose a gorgeous seasonal roasted autumn vegetable salad. See how it’s done here.

Heartbeet Farm

Co-op shoppers! This Saturday, producers from Heartbeet Farm will be in the Franklin store! This family farm is owned and operated by Joe and Rebecca Schwen. Located in Zumbro Falls, Minn, the fields that now comprise Heartbeet Farm are the same fields that Joe was raised on and where he learned to farm. Recently, Joe and Rebecca have begun to cooperatively market their produce as Heartbeet Farms along with two nearby small family farms: Easy Yoke and Hare & Tortoise. Working together allows these farms to operate at a scale that enables them to directly interact with the plants, soil, animals, and farm ecosystem while still being productive, efficient, and sustainable. They employ a combination of draft horses, small tractors, woodstove heated greenhouses, and other technologies to grow a wide variety of vegetables. Look for beets, shiso, Hakurei turnips, and many other items from Heartbeet Farms throughout the growing season. All three farms are dedicated to farming in a healthful, holistic, and sustainable way and are certified organic.

Q&A with Rebecca from Heartbeet

1. When did you begin farming and what inspired you to pursue farming as a profession?
For Joe, he grew up doing it. It came as a natural progression in his life, and he always really enjoyed it. He says he liked watching things grow (still true!). For me, Rebecca, it came out of my love for food, and my desire to live a handmade life. The irony now is that I have no time to cook, despite being surrounded by spectacular veggies and other farm fare. My passion for food led me to work on a farm, which I found immensely fulfilling in a direct, hands on way. I pursued it as a “career” as I pursued it as one of my life’s passions.

2. Can you describe your approach to farming?
Our approach focuses on a few things. The appropriate scale is important, which for us is a human scale. What can we do and how can we do it in a way that allows us direct interaction with our plants, soil, animals, and farm ecosystem while still being productive and efficient, and sustainable on many levels. We don’t pursue organic certification partly due to this practicality of scale issue and also because our goal is to do not only what is required for certification but to go beyond that and focus on building soil and curbing erosion.

3. What distinguishes your products from other local produce?
Our farm and its health and vitality are very important to us. Farming is not only how we support ourselves financially, it’s what we do, as a lifestyle! We try to approach farming with craft and make our farm sustainable on many different levels. We involve our kids on the farm and raising them in this environment is important to us as we are a completely family owned and operated business.
On the more technical side, we decided last year to dedicate the time and finances toward long term soil balancing. We are working field by field to return the trace minerals to our soil so that our plants are healthier and our produce is sweeter, tastier, and more nutritious. In this way, we focus big time on the quality of our product, and the quantity will always take second place. Another practice that sets our farm apart is our use of draft horses. We have a team of Percherons that do many of the field work tasks on our farm.

4. What is your favorite way to enjoy your own produce?
We wait all year for heirloom tomato season and enjoy them in great quantity every day when they are around. Tomato, egg, & cheese sandwich (raw sharp cheddar from Organic Valley); tomato on top of a bagel & cream cheese; with slices of fresh sweet onion and mayonnaise in a sandwich, & especially the classic Italian caprese salad – tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, & whole fresh basil leaves drizzled with balsamic vinegar and olive oil, all soaked up with some crusty bread. We fry thick slices of eggplant in plenty of olive oil & salt them and eat as is or added to some kind of tomato sandwich! Many of our favorite ways to eat cole crops (vegetables in the mustard family, including broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, collards, kale, and kohlrabi) and root veggies is in fermented form

Seeking Principle Six (P6) – Co-operative Trade Movement National Director
Principle Six (P6) – Co-operative Trade Movement is a multi-stakeholder co-operative, comprised of retail and wholesale co-op members, working together to build economic relationships rooted in the values of co-operation. P6 promotes small farmers/ producers, co-operative businesses, and local farmers/ producers to consumers in retail co-ops. Currently there are ten co-operatives participating in the movement. Visit P6.coop for more information.

P6 is looking for an energetic person who will lead the co-op as we build membership and refine our operations. The ideal candidate will have a demonstrated history of success in facilitating diverse interests in support of a shared vision, exceptional communication skills, and a passion for co-operatives. This is a full-time position working out of Seward Co-op in Minneapolis, MN.

Overview

The P6 National Director is the first point of contact for current and prospective P6 member co-ops and is responsible for all day-to-day management, coordination, implementation, and promotion of the P6 Program. For more information on P6 please visit p6.coop.

Minimum Qualifications
• Organizational skills, attention to detail, strongly self-directed
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills
• Strong networking and relationship development skills
• Ability to lead a diverse group and create shared alignment across stakeholders
• Experience with sales and recruiting
• Organizational management skills and supervisory experience
• Experience with organizational budgeting and financial management
• Familiarity with and/or enthusiasm for the cooperative business model
• Computer proficiency, experience with Microsoft Office and WebEx or equivalent
• Ability to travel frequently
• English proficiency

Compensation: DOE

Please e-mail cover letter, resume, salary requirements or requests for further information to Nick Seeberger, P6 Board President at nseeberger@seward.coop by Sunday, November 15th, 2015.

Seward Co-op’s 2015 board of directors election culminated at the annual meeting on Oct. 6. The board of directors governs the entire co-op — Franklin store, Friendship store, Creamery Café — and is comprised of nine co-op owners. Through a democratic election, four seats were filled this year. Full results are available here.

Congratulations to Louis Alemayehu, David Hoffman-Dachelet, Joe Riemann and Mary Alice Smalls! Together with five others, these individuals are responsible for articulating the vision and goals for Seward Co-op that management pursues and achieves.

The 2015 election saw a pool of highly qualified candidates. Thank you to all who ran, and all who voted.

Seward Co-op is issuing a voluntary recall of Cascadian Farms Frozen Cut Green Beans (16 oz.; retail $3.39) due to the possible presence of Listeria monocytogenes. No illnesses have been reported in connection with this product. We have pulled the product from our shelves.

The affected product’s UPC code is UPC: 000219085014 with a Best by Date of 6/29/2017. The product would have been sold between July 6, 2015 and October 4, 2015. If you have purchased the product and are in doubt, do not consume the product. Recalled products will be fully refunded at our Franklin store Customer Service desk.

Last Saturday, co-op shoppers had the opportunity to meet members of Featherstone Fruits and Vegetables. The farm was started in 1995 as Jack Hedin and Jenni McHugh’s five-acre garden at the Zephyr Valley Land Co-op near Winona, Minn. Since then, the farm has relocated to land near the town of Rushford, Minn., and now employs nearly 50 people working on over 250 acres of optimal vegetable-growing ground. Beginning in late May with leaf lettuce through a summer’s harvest of zucchini and cherry tomatoes into winter squash and carrots in the winter, there’s hardly a month that Featherstone isn’t represented in the co-op’s Produce department. The farm is certified organic and is dedicated to creating a truly sustainable agriculture system. That includes geothermal heating and cooling for the packing shed, as well as a solar array that generates about 60 percent of the farm’s energy. Featherstone also operates a community-supported agriculture program and is currently signing people up for their winter 2015-2016 season!

The 2015 Annual Meeting at the Friendship store was quite likely the largest one in Seward Co-op’s history – in terms of sheer number of people in attendance and in terms of the size of the event. The night’s agenda was packed, and we were thrilled to see such a great turnout.

The 2015 board of directors election saw a pool of highly qualified candidates, and we are excited to have assembled such a strong board of directors. On behalf of the board, thank you to all who ran, and all who voted. Congratulations to election winners Louis Alemayehu, David Hoffman-Dachelet, Joe Riemann and Mary Alice Smalls! For full election results, please click here.

Following the announcement of the election’s outcome, community members shared their support and stories about their deep roots in the Bryant and Central neighborhoods. The We Win drummers signaled the ribbon cutting ceremony, and a vast crowd watched in anticipation as Friendship Store Manager Ray Williams, Diversity and Community Engagement Manager LaDonna Sanders-Redmond, and Greater Friendship Missionary Baptist Church Pastor Billy Russell cut the ribbon and invited shoppers in to check out the new Friendship store. Thanks again to all who came out to support the co-op.

Thanks to speakers:

• City Councilperson Alondra Cano
• State Representative Karen Clark
• City Councilperson Elizabeth Glidden
• City Councilperson Cam Gordon
• Stephanie Zawistowski, speaking on behalf of Mayor Betsy Hodges
• Pastor Nazim Fakir, St. Peter’s AME Church
• Eric Weiss and Mike Stebnitz, Carrot Initiative
• Gary Cunningham, Metropolitan Council member & nephew of Kenneth “Mo” Burton
• Pastor Billy Russell, Greater Friendship Missionary Baptist Church

Of the many reasons to love eating with the seasons, I find the anticipation of the next season’s harvest perhaps the most satisfying. The feeling of excitement for the return of certain fruits and vegetables after months away – when they are in their prime and often when we like to eat them most.

This summer, we’ve had our fill of vine-ripened tomatoes, succulent stone fruit, and hydrating melons – all of which require no heat or fuss to enjoy. As summer winds down and the weather cools, cool season bulk greens such as arugula, spicy mix, salad mix, and spinach have returned from Heartbeet Farm and we have been enjoying deliveries of late season raspberries. We’ll have both until the frost. We also have squash, sweet potatoes, and fall apples to look forward to cooking with and feasting upon for months to come.

In the past few weeks, squash availability really blossomed. Now, beyond the standard butternut and spaghetti squash we have acorn, blue hubbard, buttercup, red kabocha, red kuri, and delicata. Over the next few months, this list will grow to include over a dozen winter squash varieties each with unique flavors and textures suited to different preparations.

Butternut squash makes a richer and nuttier pie than any pumpkin pie I’ve tried. Roasted buttercup is my favorite for a pureed soup. For a quick snack, halve a delicate squash lengthwise, brush the flesh side with olive oil and tuck a clove of garlic and a few sprigs of rosemary or thyme in the cavity and place flesh side down on a baking sheet. Roast until soft and fragrant. Add a little butter, salt and pepper and eat right out of the skin.

I love simmering thick wedges of a red kuri squash, skins on, in 1 cup dashi (Japanese broth made of kombu and bonito flakes), 2 Tbsp. mirin, 2 Tbsp. sake, 2 Tbsp. sugar, 1 Tbsp. soy sauce and a pinch of salt until the broth is reduced by half and the squash is tender. Equal parts savory and sweet, this makes a delicious side or could be eaten over rice with a little of the cooking broth poured over.

Squash risotto is perhaps my favorite way to eat winter squash. In a heavy pan, heat a tablespoon of butter and a little olive oil over medium heat. Add 2 cups of squash (butternut or buttercup are great here) cut into ½ inch cubes. Cook until the squash begins to soften – around 10 minutes. Add 1 cup of Arborio rice, stir to coat the squash and cook for a few minutes until the rice begins to appear translucent. Add ½ cup of dry white wine, stir until the wine has evaporated. Add in heated vegetable or chicken stock ½ cup at a time allowing each to be absorbed by the rice up to 3 cups in total. When finished, the rice should be tender but not soft and the squash should be fully incorporated. Add ½ cup of grated parmesan, salt and pepper to taste and garnish with sage and more parmesan.

To navigate the many squash varieties, look to Produce staff. Information is also posted next to squash displays with basic flavor profiles and suggested uses. In the next Sprout! newsletter, Snow, Seward Co-op’s Produce Buyer, profiled the squash varieties expected from our local farms this year. Perhaps the best way to become familiar with the different squash varieties is to try and taste them all!