Wreaths and garlands from Trout Brook Vineyard in the St. Croix River Valley are available at Seward Co-op this year. The grapevine was harvested from the vineyard and handcrafted into the wreath base. Evergreen boughs are sourced from locally owned Koehler and Dramm.

An 18-inch grapevine and mixed evergreen wreath is $40. Mixed evergreen garland is available by the foot for $12/foot. We will be accepting pre-orders online and at the Customer Service desk at the Franklin and Friendship stores until Saturday, Nov. 26. Orders will be available for pick-up Saturday, Dec. 3. To order your winter décor, please click the link below:

Winter wreath and garland pre-order

The next time you’re in the Produce department, let one of our staff tell you about our selection of seasonal produce available for the remainder of fall and into winter.

Co-ops around the world share a set of guiding principles with Seward Co-op, including “cooperation among cooperatives,” and “concern for community.” When you purchase delicious healthy food at the co-op, you’re supporting a business that cares about people and contributes to a livable, sustainable community. And when you choose products from co-op farmers and vendors, that impact grows and grows.

This year, fair trade pioneer Equal Exchange marks its 30th year as an organization and its 10th year in the banana trade. Since its inception, Equal Exchange has worked tirelessly to give small farmers a place in the global marketplace with the mission of connecting farmers with consumers. Embedded deep within Equal Exchange’s mission is the importance of long-term trade partnerships, as evident through its partnerships with small farmer banana cooperatives in Ecuador and Peru. Equal Exchange has worked with El Guabo cooperative in Ecuador for 10 years and CEPIBO cooperative in Peru for 6 years.

Equal Exchange’s cooperative supply chain stands as an alternative to the conventional banana industry, which is dominated by multinationals. Equal Exchange bananas are grown by farmer cooperatives, imported and distributed by Equal Exchange (a worker-owned cooperative), and sold on the shelves of cooperatives like Seward Coop. Together, Equal Exchange and its partners are creating a trade model that supports small farmers, builds communities, and enriches the environment.

This coop month, celebrate this important milestone in the cooperative movement and radical banana trade with a special celebration at Lakes & Legends Brewery in Downtown Minneapolis on October 27th. Join Equal Exchange for an evening of discussion, food, and fun that celebrates small farmers striving to change the way American consumers view and eat bananas.

The evening will begin with a meet and greet with Dan Koeppel, renowned author of Banana, and Anibal Cabrera, Ecuadorian banana farmer from El Guabo cooperative. This is a rare opportunity to dig into the realities of the banana business with these banana experts, one Equal Exchange is excited to share with its Minneapolis partners.

The remainder of the evening will include a screening and panel discussion of the award-winning documentary Beyond the Seal, an intriguing piece that portrays the story of a group of small farmers – and the activists and visionaries behind them – striving to change the banana industry. Join us for a truly thrilling evening focused on bananas, small farmers, and the cooperative movement.

For more information about the event, visit facebook.com/equalexchange/events. The event is free and open to public.

Thank you for supporting Equal Exchange bananas over the past 10 years. To many more decades in the future!

Ravdeep Jaidka is the Supply Chain Coordinator at Equal Exchange Bananas. Ravdeep manages the domestic end of the Equal Exchange banana supply chain, making sure the bananas get from the Port of Philadelphia to the shelves of coops and stores on schedule every week. Her favorite way to enjoy a banana is in smoothie form.

We are writing to share that the Seward Co-op Creamery Café has reopened. Going forward, the café will be open Sunday–Tuesday, 8 a.m.–3 p.m., and Wednesday–Saturday, 8 a.m.–9 p.m. We’ve taken the community’s feedback to heart and used it to guide the vision for the new café. Chef Katie Nielson has finalized the menu that features familiar favorites, as well as several new dishes that will range from vegetarian sandwiches to rotating fresh burger flavors to classic brunch fare. Please find the full menu here. Sonny’s Ice Cream, located in Uptown, will be providing hand-dipped ice cream, and we will continue to make our own housemade vanilla soft serve and rotating fruit sorbet flavors. Please stop by soon to welcome our new addition to the Seward Co-op family!

This year, fair trade pioneer Equal Exchange marks its 30th year as an organization and its 10th year in the banana trade. Since its inception, Equal Exchange has worked tirelessly to give small farmers a place in the global marketplace with the mission of connecting farmers with consumers. Embedded deep within Equal Exchange’s mission is the importance of long-term trade partnerships, as evident through its partnerships with small farmer banana cooperatives in Ecuador and Peru. Equal Exchange has worked with El Guabo cooperative in Ecuador for 10 years and CEPIBO cooperative in Peru for 6 years.

Equal Exchange’s cooperative supply chain stands as an alternative to the conventional banana industry, which is dominated by multinationals. Equal Exchange bananas are grown by farmer cooperatives, imported and distributed by Equal Exchange (a worker-owned cooperative), and sold on the shelves of cooperatives like Seward Coop. Together, Equal Exchange and its partners are creating a trade model that supports small farmers, builds communities, and enriches the environment.

This coop month, celebrate this important milestone in the cooperative movement and radical banana trade with a special celebration at Lakes & Legends Brewery in Downtown Minneapolis on October 27th. Join Equal Exchange for an evening of discussion, food, and fun that celebrates small farmers striving to change the way American consumers view and eat bananas.

The evening will begin with a meet and greet with Dan Koeppel, renowned author of Banana, and Anibal Cabrera, Ecuadorian banana farmer from El Guabo cooperative. This is a rare opportunity to dig into the realities of the banana business with these banana experts, one Equal Exchange is excited to share with its Minneapolis partners.

The remainder of the evening will include a screening and panel discussion of the award-winning documentary Beyond the Seal, an intriguing piece that portrays the story of a group of small farmers – and the activists and visionaries behind them – striving to change the banana industry. Join us for a truly thrilling evening focused on bananas, small farmers, and the cooperative movement.

For more information about the event, visitfacebook.com/equalexchange/events. The event is free and open to public.

Thank you for supporting Equal Exchange bananas over the past 10 years. To many more decades in the future!

Ravdeep Jaidka is the Supply Chain Coordinator at Equal Exchange Bananas. Ravdeep manages the domestic end of the Equal Exchange banana supply chain, making sure the bananas get from the Port of Philadelphia to the shelves of coops and stores on schedule every week. Her favorite way to enjoy a banana is in smoothie form.

On October 3, TW Garner Food Company issued a voluntary recall of its Green Mountain Gringo All Natural Tortilla Strips, due to potential contamination by stainless steel fragments Between August 3, 2016 and October 3, 2016, Seward Co-op may have sold products affected by this recall at both the Franklin and Friendship stores.

Green Mountain Gringo All Natural Tortilla Strips–$2.79
Size: 8 oz
UPC: 0 53852 00300 2

If you purchased any of the above product at Seward Co-op between August 3, 2016 and October 3, 2016, recalled products will be fully refunded at either our Franklin or Friendship store Customer Service desk. Consumers can find more information at http://app.recallinfolink.com/uploads//10864-28741-GrnMtnGringoAllNaturalTortillaStrips.pdf.

On September 15, Field Day Organic issued a voluntary recall of its organic ranch dressing, due to product mislabeling that has resulted in an undeclared milk and egg allergen. Consumers who have severe allergies to milk and/or egg run the risk of serious or life-threatening allergic reaction if they consume this product. Between Jun. 17, 2016 to Sept. 15, 2016, Seward Co-op may have sold products affected by this recall at the Friendship store.

Field Day Organic Ranch – 8 oz. for $2.99/lb.
UPC # 042563600242
Best By Date: Jan. 28, 2018
Lot Code: W210I

If you purchased the above product between Jun. 17, 2016 to Sept. 15, 2016, recalled products will be fully refunded at Seward Co-op Customer Service. For more information, please contact Drew’s, LLC between 8:30 a.m.–4:30 p.m. EST Monday- Friday at 1-800-228-2980 or email info@chefdrew.com.

Crab apples were the only apples growing reliably in Minnesota before the mid-1800s, but years of experimentation and tree losses from harsh winters have resulted in our state producing some of the most flavorful and unique apples you will find. A short growing season and variable pest problems in local apple orchards make Midwestern organic apples rather rare. We are fortunate to be in partnership with orchards that are either certified organic or using high standards of integrated pest management and bee-friendly applications.

Whistling Well Farm

Whistling Well Farm is an apple orchard located in the St. Croix River Valley. The orchard was planted in 1972 by Carol and Charlie Johnson and their sons, and it now grows a selection of Minnesota’s favorite apple varieties, such as SweeTango, Honeycrisp, Haralson and Zestar. Through a partnership with Cornell University and by practicing integrated pest management, Whistling Well is committed to sustainable and bee-friendly orchard management.

Partner Farms

In 1971, after years of working in the family orchards with his father during the 1960s, Jim Barnard was ready to buy his first farm. He purchased an orchard in Illinois, where he was introduced to organic farming. The environmentally responsible, homegrown business flourished over the seven years he owned it. In 1976, Jim and his wife Crystal left Illinois for Egg Harbor, Wis., to transform a 30-acre dairy farm into a sustainably managed orchard. Over the past 40 years, they have grown their orchards to more than 70 acres. They now collaborate with their son on the management of the orchard and the business.

Here are some popular varieties you’ll see throughout the season:

Honeycrisp

Flavor Profile: Honeycrisp apples are sweet with a trace of acidity and little depth or complexity. There can also be essences of pear-drop flavor.
Uses: Eat raw, salad, cooking

Regent

Flavor Profile: Regent apples offer a dose of honey flavor and plenty of acidity with a crisp juicy flesh.
Uses: Eat raw, cooking

Haralson

Flavor Profile: Haralson apples have an excellent, distinctive, tart flavor and are very crisp and juicy.
Uses: Eat raw, pies, cider

Red Delicious

Flavor Profile: Red Delicious apples are crisp and juicy—not too sweet, not too tart.
Uses: Eat raw

Owned by urban and rural farms in the Twin Cities region, Shared Ground Farmers’ Co-op markets sustainably grown produce and grass-fed meats direct to consumers and to wholesale and retail accounts. Shared Ground Co-op represents a diverse group of producers united around a commitment to cultural and ethnic diversity, environmental sustainability, and social justice. The founding members of the cooperative are Cala Farm, Stone’s Throw Urban Farm, Whetstone Farm, Agua Gorda Cooperative, and La Familia Cooperative. Stop by to visit with representatives from Shared Ground Farmers’ Co-op Saturday, Oct. 22 11 a.m.–2 p.m. at the Franklin store and 3–6 p.m. at the Friendship store.

On September 7, Westby issued a voluntary recall of its 4% cottage cheese (16 oz. and 24 oz. containers) due to the possible presence of alkaline phosphatase, a naturally occurring enzyme in milk that is typically deactivated during pasteurization. Between August 17, 2016 and August 26, 2016, Seward Co-op may have sold products affected by this recall.

Westby 4% Cottage Cheese
16 oz ($2.99 retail)
UPC: 0075038800415
Lot Code: 10-6-16 cc
Plant: #55-372

24 oz ($3.99 retail) sizes
UPC:0075038800420
Lot Code: 10-6-16 cc
Plant: #55-372

If you purchased the above product between August 17, 2016 and August 26, 2016,recalled products will be fully refunded at Seward Co-op Customer Service. Consumers can find more information here.

On September 2,Aura Cacia issued a voluntary recall of its Organic Lavender Milk & Oat Bath due to an elevated microorganism count that may cause possible health risk. Between June 1, 2016 and September 1,2016, Seward Co-op may have sold products affected by this recall at the Franklin store.

Organic Lavender Milk & Oat Bath – 1.75 oz for $2.99
UPC: 5138190307
Lot #: 5289

If you purchased the above product between June 1, 2016 and September 1, 2016,recalled products will be fully refunded at Seward Co-op Customer Service.Consumers can find more information at https://www.auracacia.com/recall.