Seward Co-op is issuing a voluntarily recall of its Chicken Italian Sausage Links because they have the potential to contain bone fragment. Between Feb. 3, 2016 and Feb. 24, 2016, Seward Co-op sold the product affected by this recall at both the Franklin and Friendship stores.

Seward Co-op Chicken Italian Sausage ($8.99/lb.)
Links, approximately 1/3 pound per piece
UPC: 00207316xxxxx

If you purchased any of the above products at Seward Co-op between Feb. 3, 2016 and Feb. 24, 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.

As we enter into the month of March many of us are craving tropical fruits and the warm, sweet sunshine they bring to our kitchens. I am reminded every year by Travis, the produce manager at our Franklin store, that March is mango month. I then remind him that mangoes don’t really come into season until April or May and that we should call it “May-ngo” month instead. I like his catch phrase “March On Mangoes” though, because at this time of year, I really feel like I’m just “marching on”; waiting for spring to come, waiting for local farmers to start selling their first harvests, waiting for the days to get longer and the air to become fragrant with tree blossoms.

Mangoes are one of the world’s most popular fruits and there are hundreds of varieties, yet we are only fortunate enough to sample a few here in Minnesota. The types of mangoes that come through our doors are: Tommy Atkins, Kent, Keitt, Ataulfo, and if we’re really lucky, the Francique mango from Haiti.

Tommy Atkins, Kent and Keitt mangoes are rounded and green to golden red skinned. When ripe, the fruit is sweet and luscious.

Ataulfo Mangoes, also known as champagne mangoes, are oblong with a smooth skin ranging from greenish to deep golden. The smooth, custardy flesh is piney sweet, sometimes accented with a bit of a tang.

A related variety, the Francique, comes from Haiti tasting musky sweet. These mangoes are Haiti’s top export crop and, in some areas, represent a solution to the country’s massive deforestation problem – if small farmers can sell export-quality fruit from grafts on weed-mango trees, they won’t chop the trees and sell them for charcoal. We hope to see some this season.

Pick a mango by its smell and feel. A ripe mango will smell exciting, and will give when you press it very gently, like a peach. Ripen mangoes by leaving them on the counter in a paper bag or with a banana. Whatever you do, don’t refrigerate them! This discolors the flesh and leaches out the flavor. If you cut one that’s gray inside, it’s probably been chilled. Mostly, skin color doesn’t indicate ripeness; sometimes what’s green on the outside is sunshiny orange inside.

Mangoes complement many foods including: ice cream, soft cheese, fish and seafood, chicken, and black bean soup, to name a few. They can be diced and added to salsas, mixed with banana and papaya for a tropical salad, or blended into smoothies. Mango chutney is a classic condiment for Indian meals. While most people love the mango for its sweetness, you can eat them even when green. Sprinkled with chili powder and lime juice, they taste a lot like pickles.

Most mangoes that come from outside the US are dipped in a hot water bath. Mangoes hate this! They are dipped in this hot water bath to remove a potentially invasive fruit fly species that are prevalent in certain areas of Mexico and South America. It changes the texture and flavor-which is why we are always especially excited when we can source undipped mangoes. The Baja region doesn’t have these types of fruit flies, so they are usually undipped when they sourced from that region. Once ripe, they are especially sweet and juicy. Undipped mangoes are only available infrequently, so indulge!

When we began discussing a fair trade avocado program with Equal Exchange, we were told that not only were the avocados organically grown by PRAGOR, a small, farmer-owned cooperative–therefore P6– they were supposedly more delicious than other organic avocados on the market from both California and Mexico. Satisfying our values and our palettes is something for which we strive–but having eaten our fair share of avocados, we were a bit skeptical.

In preparation for Seward’s avocado month this February, we began to bring in cases of Equal Exchange avocados. We were blown away. These were the creamiest, nuttiest, most flavorful avocados many of us had ever tasted. They also steadily ripened and were nearly blemish free with small seeds. Pretty much the perfect avocado.

Taking full advantage of the superlative quality and the sale price ($2.99/pound), I have eaten at least an avocado a day for the past three weeks. Some days for breakfast sliced over rice and a poached egg bathed in lamb broth and topped with kimchi. Other times as a snack with just a little salt and a squeeze of lime or mashed onto a piece of toast with some arugula lightly dressed with lemon juice, olive oil, salt and thinly sliced shallots. I’ve also been mixing a few avocados (2) in with hard boiled eggs (8), lemon juice and salt to create an incredibly creamy, mayo-free egg salad. Surprisingly, I haven’t made guacamole once in the past few weeks –although these avocados would make a delicious guacamole as well.

Avocado season in Michoacan, Mexico where the PRAGOR farms are located, is long – from September to March – but it is nearly over for this year. With citrus season waning as well, now is the time to make the following salad!

Roasted Citrus and Avocado Salad

Adapted from Bon Appetit

Ingredients

1 blood or Valencia orange, sliced ” thick, seeds removed

1 Meyer or regular lemon, sliced ” thick, seeds removed

4 Tbsp. olive oil, divided

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

¼ small red onion, thinly sliced

2 Tbp. fresh Meyer or regular lemon juice

1 bunch watercress or arugula, thick stems trimmed

½ cup fresh mint leaves

1 avocado, cut into wedges

Method

Preheat oven to 425°. Toss orange and lemon slices with 1 Tbsp. oil on a rimmed baking sheet; season with salt and pepper. Roast citrus, tossing occasionally, until lightly charred in spots and starting to caramelize, 10–15 minutes. This makes the citrus flavor more complex. Let cool.

Meanwhile, combine onion and lemon juice in a large bowl; season with salt and pepper and let sit 5 minutes (onion will soften a bit and get slightly sweeter and less harsh).

Add roasted citrus to bowl with onion along with arugula and mint. Drizzle remaining 3 Tbsp. oil over; season with salt and pepper and toss everything to combine and coat. Add avocado and very gently toss until lightly dressed (avoid crushing the avocado). Serves 4

On Saturday, Feb. 13, P6 vendors, local artists, and Seward staff came together to make the Friendship Grand Opening Celebration a success. Local musician, Chrys Carroll performed with Ayanna Muata for eventgoers in the classroom, while Seward staff painted kids’ faces and handed out free cookies from Seward’s Bakery. Just Coffee Cooperative, a P6 coffee vendor out of Madison, Wis., served 18 Milk Wagons, a coffee made especially for our Co-op Creamery Café. P6 producers Red Table Meat Company, Lone Grazer Creamery, and LUV Ice Cream shared samples with attendees. In addition to meeting local producers, shoppers had the opportunity to connect with staff and learn more about Seward’s recent expansion and our Nourish program, as well as talk with Chef Lucas Almendinger from the Co-op Creamery Café. It was a well-attended event with great energy; thank you to everyone who came out to show their support! Click here to see a photo gallery.

Hello,

Garden of Life LLC is voluntarily withdrawing a Garden of Life RAW MEAL protein powders because they have the potential to contain Salmonella Virchow. Between Sept. 1, 2015, and Jan. 30,2016, Seward Co-op may have sold products with lot numbers affected by this recall at both the Franklin and Friendship stores. See list below.

If you purchased any of the above products at Seward Co-op between Sept. 1, 2015 and Jan. 30, 2016, please return them to either the Franklin or Friendship store customer service desk for a full refund. Various products were offered at a sale price in the time frame that the recall is covering. If you bought the product at a sale price, the Customer Service desk will be able to identify the sale price for the refund. The products that remain on the shelf are lot numbers unaffected by the recall. Questions may be directed to Garden of Life at 1-866-465-0051, Monday-Friday between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. EST. Any additional updates can be found at www.seward.coop/posts/productrecalls .

Blood Oranges and Beets

There are a few fruits that I look forward to all year and when they are finally in season, I eat as much of them as I can as often as possible. Not only eaten out of hand, but added to dishes sweet and savory alike. In the winter, during citrus season, the blood orange is my fruit of choice with its sanguine flesh and raspberry flavor.

Blood oranges likely originated in the Mediterranean and they are still the primary orange grown in Italy. In the United States, blood oranges are grown in both Texas and California. The characteristic garnet colored flesh develops with low nighttime temperatures. In Minnesota, most of the blood oranges are imported from California where cool nights this winter have produced a stunning crop.

There are three different varieties – Tarocco, Moro, and Sanguinello. The Moro and Sanguinello have deep red flesh and often a ruddy blush to the skin as well. Moros are more bitter and tend to be more commonly grown in the United States than the sweeter Sanguinello. The Tarocco are the other variety commonly grown in this country. Taroccos have a mostly orange flesh with red veining. They are the sweetest of the three varieties and reportedly have the highest vitamin C content of any orange.

One of my favorite flavor pairings with blood oranges is beetroot. The earthy sweetness of the beetroot is offset beautifully by the ripe brightness of the blood orange. For winter vibrancy, both red and gold beets lend saturated color to the plate and a rich array of vitamins and nutrients to the body. Full of vitamins A, B, C, potassium, folate, manganese and dietary fiber, beets are hailed as anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidants, and detoxifying. An added bonus – even in February, our selection of beets is still coming from Heartbeet Farms in Zumbro Falls, Minn.

Blood Orange, Beet, and Fennel Salad

Adapted From Bon Appetit Magazine

2 medium red beets, tops trimmed

2 medium golden beets, tops trimmed

3 blood oranges

1 medium navel orange (preferably Cara Cara)

1 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice

1 Tbsp. fresh lime juice

1/2 small fennel bulb, very thinly sliced crosswise on a mandoline

1/4 red onion, very thinly sliced on a mandoline (about 1/3 cup)

Good-quality extra-virgin olive, pumpkin seed, or walnut oil (for drizzling)

Coarse sea salt, such as fleur de sel or Maldon sea salt, and freshly ground black pepper

1/4 cup loosely packed fresh cilantro leaves

Preheat oven to 400°. Wash beets, leaving some water on skins. Wrap individually in foil; place on a rimmed baking sheet and roast until beets are tender when pierced with a knife, about 1 hour. Let cool.

Meanwhile, using a sharp knife, cut all peel and white pith from oranges; discard. Working over a medium bowl, cut between membranes of 2 blood oranges to release segments into bowl; squeeze juice from membranes into bowl and discard membranes. Slice remaining blood orange and Cara Cara orange crosswise into thin rounds. Place sliced oranges in bowl with the segments. Add lemon juice and lime juice.

Peel cooled beets. Slice 2 beets crosswise into thin rounds. Cut remaining 2 beets into wedges. Strain citrus juices; reserve. Layer beets and oranges on plates, dividing evenly. Arrange fennel and onion over beets. Spoon reserved citrus juices over, then drizzle salad generously with oil. Season to taste with coarse sea salt and pepper. Let salad stand for 5 minutes to allow flavors to meld. Garnish salad with cilantro leaves

Pi(e) Day is Monday, March 14! Celebrate by picking up some homemade pie from Seward Co-op. We have whole pies and pies by-the-slice available in a wide range of flavors— key lime, French silk, and raspberry, just to name a few. Whole key lime pies are on special for $21.49 or $3.49/slice. Our pie is handmade by our bakers with the freshest ingredients possible, so be sure to stop in and get a taste.

Right now, the Seward Meat Department offers goat cuts from P6-producer Peters Family Farm in Fountain, Minn., and we’re very excited for you to give it a try.

Seward Co-op was introduced to Travis and Jen of Peters Goat Farm by our former beef producer Bonnie Austin of Hill and Vale. In 2008, the couple acquired a 40-acre plot, situated on a hillside in Minnesota­ — perfect for raising goats. The goats graze mixed grass pastures in season and are fed hay in the winter. This diet makes them slightly sweeter and more delicate than lamb.

While goat might seem an unusual meat to some, the truth is it’s only unusual in the United States. Goats’ popularity throughout the world is a result of their ability to thrive in nearly any environment. Additionally, because they are “browsers” rather than grazers means they have a relatively low impact on farmland.

Here are five other things you maybe didn’t know about goat:

1. Goat is the most widely consumed meat in the world. Seventy percent of red meat eaten worldwide is goat.
2. Goat is quite similar to lamb in how it cooks, so you can cook goat all the ways you’re used to cooking lamb: grilling, roasting, stews, and braising.
3. Goat comes in most of the same cuts as lamb: shoulder, stew meat, ribs, shoulder, etc.
4. A key reason Seward Meat Department is excited about carrying this meat is that goats are a far less environmentally impactful livestock than cattle. They require far less space and are a small footprint livestock.
5. Goat is one of the leanest meats. Comparatively, chicken is twice as fatty, lamb is six times fattier, and pork has nine times the fat of goat.

So, come and get your goat from Peters Family Farm and see what others are eating worldwide.