Summer Squash

Did you know summer squash is not really a vegetable? The many varieties of summer squash are a type of “pepo”, or hard-walled berry that are harvested while the rind is still tender and edible. Summer squash is in season now and we are carrying at least five varieties (green and gold zucchini, crookneck, zephyr-my personal favorite for its sweetness-, patty pan, and calabacita, a small tender zucchini). Wisconsin Growers Co-op, Featherstone Farm, Heartbeet Farms, and Sin Fronteras are delivering these squash multiple times each week. Select firm, unwrinkled, evenly shaped squash and store in your crisper drawer.

Sin Fronteras

Sin Fronteras (Without Borders) is a Stillwater, Minn-based family-farm growing fresh, healthy Latino food. Farmers Eduardo Rivera and Madeline Shaw bring to the Twin Cities sustainably grown and at times challenging to find varieties of chile peppers, tomatillos, and espasote along with familiar roots, greens, and herbs. These foods can be found at area coops, the Linden Hills Farmers Market, and through a culturally appropriate Latino CSA. Look to their Facebook page for recipes using Sin Fronteras produce.

Wisconsin Growers Co-op

Wisconsin Growers Co-op was founded in 2006 to help 20 families maintain ownership of their farms. Its members are dedicated to the idea that if farmers take “good care of the soil, the soil will pay back with high-quality produce.” This mindset has proven effective; Wisconsin Growers often brings us produce all year long, from greenhouse radishes at the first sight of spring clear around the calendar to over-wintered parsnips. The key to the longevity of their growing season are labor-intensive, fossil fuel-free farming methods. On nearly 40 acres of the co-op’s land, these farmers plant, tend, and harvest crops exclusively using horses, horse machinery, and hand tools. In addition to more popular produce items such as potatoes, onions, and radishes, the Wisconsin Growers Co-op offers unique heirloom squash varieties, such as Queensland blue and Long Island cheese.

Featherstone Fruits and Vegetables

Featherstone Fruits and Vegetables 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 Farm also operates a large community-supported agriculture program.

Heartbeet Farm

Heartbeet Farm is a family farm 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.

June marked the start of our annual Know Our Grower series! The vitality and sustainability of our local food system depends on the presence of a diverse network of growers and the support of a dedicated consumer base. Seward Co-op’s annual Know Our Grower program is an opportunity to connect shoppers with the talented group of local farmers producing our food and sample recipes that allow their flavors to shine.

We continue the tradition this year with specials and sample events at both of our store locations. Visit the Seward Co-op website often this summer to read interviews with featured Know Our Grower producers and get more information.

Heartbeet Farm

Heartbeet Farm is a family farm 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.

Stop in and chat with Heartbeet Farm and sample local produce!

Franklin store: Saturday, July 9th 11 a.m.–2 p.m.

Friendship store: Saturday, July 9 3–6 p.m.

There’s no better way to celebrate the warmer days than with a cookout or leisurely picnic with local, seasonal ingredients from Seward Co-op. Swing by either of our locations and peruse our selection of ethically sourced grilling items! Then sit back, relax and enjoy the sunshine and warm breezes during picnicking, grilling, camping and other outdoor adventures.

• Seward Co-op offers more than 20 varieties of housemade sausages, concocted in our production kitchen in the Creamery and made by hand with locally raised meats. Be sure to ask staff about our new smoked options.

• Seward’s cheese mongers enjoy helping shoppers find the perfect cheeses for grilling and melting — think outside of the box and try something new!
• Condiments, sauerkraut and pickles — many from local, artisanal P6 producers

• Hamburger and hotdog buns (brat-sized, too)
• Seasonal vegetables for salads or the grill
• Tofu dogs, cheese alternatives and meat-alternative burgers

• Don’t forget dessert! We have a vast selection of organic and locally churned ice creams, sorbets and non-dairy treats, pints and pops.

Take advantage of the longest days of the year and celebrate dad on Sunday, June 19. Struggling to find the perfect gift to show your appreciation for dad’s love and support? Browse our selection of handcrafted and local gifts.

• Badger Shave and Beard Care
• Darn Tough socks
• SunLeaf P6 shaving bar & bar soaps
• Stanley travel mugs
• Juniper Ridge campfire incense
• Klean Kanteen insulated growlers (Franklin location only)

If all else fails, everybody knows the way to a father’s heart is through the stomach.

Know Our Grower

June marks the start of our annual Know Our Grower series! The vitality and sustainability of our local food system depends on the presence of a diverse network of growers and the support of a dedicated consumer base. Seward Co-op’s annual Know Our Grower program is an opportunity to connect shoppers with the talented group of local farmers producing our food and sample recipes that allow their flavors to shine.

We continue the tradition this year with specials and sample events at both of our store locations. Visit the Seward Co-op website often this summer to read interviews with featured Know Our Grower producers and get more information.

Mhonpaj’s Garden–Saturday, June 11th, Franklin: 11 a.m.–2 p.m.; Friendship 3–6 p.m.

Mhonpaj’s Garden, owned by the Lee family of Stillwater, MN, started out as May and Chue Lee’s hobby farm. Thanks to support and training from the Minnesota Food Association, a non-profit that supports the growth and viability of small minority farms, it has grown to a be a thriving family farm that supplies us with ample Asian greens, arugula and radishes. Besides growing food for retail, CSA and farmers market, the farmers at Mhonpaj’s Garden are dedicated to teaching workshops about traditional Hmong vegetables and cooking in schools, non-profits, and other organizations. The farm is named for Mhonpaj, the Lee’s daughter, who is now responsible for the business and outreach part of the organization.

Stone fruit season has begun! When we talk about stone fruit, we are talking about peaches, nectarines, plums, pluots, apricots, and cherries. The name “stone fruit” comes from the stone-like seeds inside. These varieties peak from June-September and the harvest spans warm climate regions. About a month ago we welcomed the first yellow peaches from Mexico and they were luscious and juicy–best eaten over the sink. It’s fun to watch as the season progresses to see from which regions the stone fruit is sourced. As mentioned the first harvest comes from Mexico, then California, followed by Washington’s, mid-summer yields Colorado peaches, and we close out the season with local Wisconsin and Michigan fruit from Partner Farms. Some notes about stone fruits:

Apricots have velvety skin and flesh, and are smooth and sweet with a faint tartness.

Cherries are the smallest stone fruits. There are many varieties of dark sweet cherries as well as the even sweeter yellows. The most popular yellow cherry is the Rainier and it has a delicate honey like flavor.

Peaches have soft and fuzzy skin with juicy, luscious flesh. Yellow fleshed peaches tend to have a balanced sweet/tart flavor unless they are the late season sub-acid varieties which are very sweet. White peaches have little to no acidity and are very sweet.

Nectarines are smooth skinned and very similar to peaches yet often have a thicker texture and become more syrupy when ripe. White nectarines have little to no acidity.

Plums are generally grouped into red and black categories though there are a great number of varieties of sweet, juicy plums. Plums sometimes have tart skin which compliments the ultra sweet flesh.

Pluots are hybrids of plums and apricots. There are numerous varieties of pluots resulting from different combinations of plum and apricot varieties as well as plum to apricot ratio variance. Pluots usually have a more complex flavor profile than plums. Some varieties you will see this year are flavorosa, flavor grenade and dapple dandy.

While stone fruit season is exciting, one of the most disappointing occurrences in the produce department is coming across a mealy, dry peach or nectarine. We taste test the stone fruit that goes onto the sales floor whenever possible, but sometimes the fruit just isn’t ripe enough to be able to decipher its future. There is a scientific explanation as to why stone fruit becomes dry, or mealy. Enzymes that help break down the undesirable qualities are produced in the ripening process. These enzymes work to break down chloroplast and pectin. Chloroplast is responsible for the green color in unripe fruit and pectin is the reason unripe fruit is hard. As the chloroplast is broken down, you may notice a change in color from greens to reds and yellows. With the disintegration of the pectin, the cell walls are broken down, starch is converted to sugar, and the fruit becomes juicy and soft. These enzymes do not work correctly if the fruit is not handled properly from the time the fruit is picked to the time is arrives at our stores. When unripe fruit is harvested, then lowered to 50 degrees, then brought up to room temperature, these enzymes can be compromised. The pectin is either not disrupted at all or entirely dissolved, and the starch never quite makes the transition to sugar causing gritty, undesirable fruit.

Growers cannot ship peaches that are fully ripe in most cases; therefore, temperature control for peaches is of the utmost importance. It is every peach growers challenge to wait to pick the fruit until it has ripened enough on the tree but not so much that it will bruise during shipping. When selecting peaches you should look for ones that are heavy for their size and have a peachy scent. Avoid peaches that give to slight pressure and feel light. Do not refrigerate stone fruit at home unless it is fully ripe and you have an excess.

There are so many ways you can use stone fruit. Eating out of hand always works, but you can also roast, poach, sauté, bake, make pies and crisps, toss in salads, make jams, sauces, salsas and chutneys, or grill stone fruit. Now that we have an abundance of local tomatoes and peaches and nectarines coming in, it would be an ideal time to try this peach salsa recipe.

Ingredients

1 ripe peach, peeled, pitted, diced (could use nectarines)

1 medium yellow or orange tomato, cored, cut into 1/2-inch pieces

1 Tbsp. chopped fresh mint leaves

1 Tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro

¼ cup chopped sweet onion, such as Vidalia

1 Tbsp. lime juice, plus more to taste

1 tsp. minced, seeded jalapeño, plus more to taste

¼ tsp. kosher salt, plus more to taste

Preparation
Toss all ingredients in a bowl. Season to taste with additional lime juice, jalapeño or salt, if desired. Serve salsa with tortilla chips, or spoon onto grilled chicken or fish.

The Franklin and Friendship store are open from 8 a.m.–8 p.m. and the Co-op Creamery Cafe is closed on July 4th. Stay safe and stop in if you need anything!

June 11, 10 a.m.-12 p.m.

Friendship Store

Join Coastal Seafoods and the Seward Co-op Meat and Seafood Department for a special intro to the Seward fish case! We’ll discuss seafood sustainability and sink our teeth into preparation techniques like grilling, baking and breading. Walk away with the confidence to cook your catch of the day! Karl Gerstenberger, Meat and Seafood Manager at the Friendship store, is a Northern California trained chef and former fish cook at Aquavit.

Karl Gerstenberger, Seward Co-op Meat and Seafood Department and Chris Nelson, Coastal Seafoods
$12/$10 co-op owners

On May 20, SunOpta expanded the May 3 voluntary recall of its roasted sunflower kernel products, because they may contain listeria. Between May 5, 2016 to May 19, 2016, Seward Co-op may have sold products affected by this recall at both the Franklin and Friendship stores.

Bird Bars – various sizes for $12.99/lb.
UPC code 0-0200619-XXXXX where the X’s are various numbers

Ginger Golden Beet Kale Salad-various sizes for $9.99/lb.
UPC code 0-0203336-XXXXX where the X’s are various numbers

If you purchased any of the above products at Seward Co-op between May 5, 2016 to May 19, 2016, recalled products will be fully refunded at either our Franklin or Friendship store Customer Service desk. Questions may be directed to Seward Co-op’s Franklin store at 612.338.2465 or Friendship store at 612.230.5595. Consumers can find more information at www.recallinfolink.com.