Make-ahead meals are great to have waiting in the freezer during the busy holiday season. Healthy family dinners are a priority to many, but sometimes can be difficult. Practical expectations are important for maintaining a manageable and low-stress season. This pasty recipe is easy to multiply or divide to suit any family size, and it keeps well in the freezer for up to eight months. Not to mention, this recipe fits our Nourish standards by feeding a family of four for under $15 ($10 for recipes without meat).

If cooking is out of the question, our Deli offers an extensive selection of other options in the Grab n’ Go. Our Co-op Creamery Café is another option for getting a P6 meal on the go. The daytime menu is served 8 a.m.-3 p.m., and the evening menu is served 5-10 p.m. Stop in for a snack or drink special on your way to and from your holiday shopping during out social hour between 3-5 p.m.

Pasties

Recipe makes 4 servings

Crust:

¼ lb. lard

½ cup boiling water

2 cups all-purpose flour

½ Tbsp. salt

Filling:

1 potato, peeled and diced

1 carrot, peeled and diced

½ large rutabaga, peeled and diced

½ lb. ground sirloin

1 large sweet onion, peeled and chopped

1 Tbsp. salt

½ Tbsp. black pepper

1 egg whisked for wash

Crust:

Pour boiling water over the lard until the lard is dissolved. Add salt to flour and add this to the water and lard. Mix together until it forms a ball. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.

Filling:

Combine the filling ingredients in a large bowl. Let sit and meld together, while rolling out the crust. Cut the dough into four even pieces, about five ounces each, and form into balls. Make sure the dough is cold for easier handling. Flour a work surface and roll out each ball of dough into an eight-inch circle, inch thick.

Evenly divide filling into four portions. Put large cupful of filling on one half of the dough circle; dab ice water around the edge of the crust to seal. Add a tsp. of butter on top of the filling before sealing. Fold crust over top of filling like a turnover, and seal edges well. Make three small slits on top of each pasty for venting. Brush top with egg wash.

At this point, you have some options. You can either pop these directly into the oven or freeze the pasties uncooked for up to eight months. To freeze and cook at a later date, wrap individually in aluminum foil then place in a freezer bag to avoid freezer burn. When you wish to cook the frozen pasties, remove from freezer and defrost and follow the instructions that follow. If baking right away, place fresh pasties on parchment lined baking sheets and bake at 425° F for 15 minutes; then turn oven down to 350° F for 60 minutes or until nicely browned.

This time of year is all about gathering, no matter what your celebration looks like. Most soirees are centered around food, family and/or friends. At some point during this season, your host may ask that you bring a dish to pass, a prerequisite for attending most holiday get-togethers. We’ve investigated many potential offerings and landed on this delectable wild rice dressing. We carry a variety of wild rice options at both the Friendship and Franklin stores, but one of our favorites is from the P6 producer Native Harvest.

The Native Harvest product line was founded by legendary Anishinaabe activist and author Winona LaDuke and is produced by White Earth Land Recovery Project (WELRP). Native Harvest was created as part of an effort to preserve indigenous traditions and knowledge, including the protection of native seeds and heritage crops, as well as naturally grown/raised fruits, wild plants, and animals. WELRP also seeks to preserve and restore traditional practices of sound land stewardship, language fluency, and community development. Native Harvest’s Mahnomin, or wild rice, grows naturally in the lakes and rivers of Northern Minnesota and is hand harvested and wood parched by tribal members using traditional methods. The wild rice dressing below is not only delicious, but it is also so beautiful it will turn heads as you walk in to your next gathering.

Kale and Wild Rice Casserole

Ingredients

2 large bunches of Kale, leaves torn

1 lb. cremini mushrooms, sliced

2 Tbsp. olive oil

1 Tbsp. butter

2 cloves garlic, minced or grated

2 Tbsp. fresh thyme, chopped

¼ teaspoon nutmeg

¼ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon pepper

4 Tbsp. flour

1 cup milk (recommend 2%)

1 cup chicken broth (or vegetable broth)

¼ cup heavy cream or canned coconut milk

4 cups cooked wild rice

1 ½ cups gruyere cheese, shredded

2 Tbsp. olive oil

2 large sweet onions, sliced into thin rings

Salt and pepper

Instructions
Grease a 2–3 quart casserole dish. Set aside.

Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat and add all of the torn kale to the skillet with one cup of water, then cover. Wilt the kale in the skillet for 10–15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Once the kale is wilted and all of the water has been absorbed, remove the kale from the skillet and set aside.

Reduce the heat to medium and add two tablespoons of olive oil. Sprinkle the mushrooms into the skillet in a single layer, and let them sizzle until they have caramelized on the bottom. After approximately two minutes, toss them once and season to taste with salt and pepper. Continue to cook without stirring for about five minutes.

Add the butter to the skillet and cook until the butter begins to brown. Reduce the heat to medium-low and add the garlic, thyme and nutmeg and cook for about 10 seconds.

Add the kale back to the skillet with the mushrooms, garlic and spices and toss well.

Sprinkle the flour over the kale and mushrooms and cook for one minute. Add the milk and broth, bring to a boil, and cook two–three minutes or until there is a thick sauce. Add the cream and stir to combine. Remove from the heat and stir in the cooked wild rice. Pour the mixture into the prepared casserole dish.

Preheat the oven to 375 F.

Increase the temperature to medium-high heat and add onions and ¼teaspoon each salt and pepper. Cook mixture while stirring constantly, until the onions begin to soften and turn golden brown for about 20 minutes.

Sprinkle half the cheese over the casserole and then add the onions and the remaining cheese.

Bake the casserole for 20–25 minutes or until the cheese is melted and the onions are crispy.

Recipe adapted from “Half Baked Harvest”

Brussels Sprouts

For the most part, even a light frost signals the end of the growing season across the north. But for many members of the brassicaceae family (Brussels sprouts, kale, cabbage, collard greens), cooler temperatures trigger a survival response that enables them, to not only survive, but improve with hard frosts. As temperatures plummet, these plants sweeten, as starches are converted to sugars as a form of anti-freeze.

Unlike local kales and cabbages, which have grown sweeter as the seasons progress from summer to fall, local Brussels sprouts reappeared a little over a month ago and are truly a seasonal treat both in timing and flavor. A slow-growing crop, Brussels sprouts are started in the spring but aren’t harvested until the late fall, ideally after a transformative frost. We source organic Brussels sprouts from the Thimmesch Farm (La Farge, Wis.), Keewaydin Farm (Viola, Wis.), and Wisconsin Growers Cooperative (Mondovi, Wis.) and receive fresh deliveries up to four days a week.

Select small, bright green sprouts with tightly compact heads. Store in an uncovered bowl in the fridge for a few weeks or longer. The outer leaves may wilt with time but they can be removed just before cooking.

Brussels sprouts may be prepared whole, halved, quartered, chopped, or pulled apart leaf by leaf for salads or tossed in oil and baked for a variation on a kale chip. If cooking whole, be sure to score the base with an ‘x’ to allow the heat to penetrate the core for more even cooking. In their prime, Brussels sprouts are delicious very simply seasoned with butter or olive oil, lemon juice, salt and roasted in the oven until browned and tender.

I also love a sweet late season Brussels sprouts salad with a warm vinaigrette.

5 Tbsp. white wine vinegar

1 Tbsp. grainy mustard

1 Tsp. sugar

1 small shallot finely sliced

¼ cup lardons

¼ walnuts

1 lb. Brussels sprouts finely sliced

½ cup loosely packed arugula

Shaved Pecorino Romano

Salt and pepper

Warm the vinegar, mustard, and sugar in a small saucepan. Season with salt and pepper. When the sugar has dissolved, pour the mixture into a small bowl with the sliced shallot. Let sit for 10-15 minutes.

In a skillet, brown the lardons then remove from the skillet with a slotted spoon. To the same skillet, add the chopped walnuts and cook also until slightly browned. Remove from heat and add the shallot mixture and a pound of thinly sliced Brussels sprouts. Toss until the sprouts are well coated. Transfer to a bowl, mix in the arugula, thinly shaved Pecorino, and the reserved lardons. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

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

“If you want to go quickly, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.” — African proverb

In December, many African American people in the United States will turn their attention to Kwanzaa, a cultural holiday that begins on Dec. 26 and goes through Jan. 1.

The name Kwanzaa is derived from the phrase “matunda ya kwanza,” which means “first fruits” in Swahili, a pan-African language which is the most widely spoken African language.

Developed by Dr. Maulana Karenga, Kwanzaa was created to introduce and reinforce seven basic values of African people. Collectively these values are called the Nguzo Saba, which in Swahili means the Seven Principles. The Seven Principles are: Umoja (unity); Kujichagulia (self-determination); Ujima (collective work and responsibility); Ujamaa (cooperative economics); Nia (purpose); Kuumba (creativity); and Imani (faith). Everyday throughout Kwanzaa a different principle is honored.

The fifth day, Ujamaa, focuses on Cooperatives Economics, encouraging us to think about how we spend our time, talent and treasure in ways that up lift the African American community. Ujamaa reminds us that African American communities in the past have been forced by segregation to find ways to meet basic needs such as food, clothing and shelter. In order to meet the needs of community, we must stand together; individual efforts are not enough.

On Saturday, Dec. 12, 1–2:30 p.m. WIN Institute and Seward Co-op are hosting a Kwanzaa Celebration at the Friendship store. We will eat a cultural stew called Pamoja Tutashinda, (Together We Shall Win) and WE WIN students will share the importance of Kwanzaa and how it helps build community. The event will be rounded out with African drums dance, and stories.

WE WIN Institute, Inc.
Friendship Store
FREE

Seward Co-op has your holiday shopping and dining needs covered! Here are our holiday hours of operation to bear in mind when planning gatherings with family and friends. Please note the hours of the Co-op Creamery Café differ from the Friendship and Franklin stores.

We’d also like to remind owners to redeem the 50% off postcard for the Co-op Creamery Café that you received in the mail. We will accept the coupon all day on Dec. 31 (the Creamery will close at 2 p.m. that day), and we have extended the offer through 10 p.m. on New Year’s Day.

Franklin and Friendship stores:
Christmas Eve: 8 a.m.–8 p.m.
Christmas Day: CLOSED
New Year’s Eve: 8 a.m.–8 p.m.
New Year’s Day: 10 a.m.–10 p.m. (Note: this was listed incorrectly in the Sprout! newsletter as open at 11 a.m.)

Co-op Creamery Café:
Christmas Eve: 8 a.m.–2 p.m.
Christmas Day: CLOSED
New Year’s Eve: 8 a.m.–2 p.m.
New Year’s Day: 8 a.m.–10 p.m.

Wondering what to get your favorite foodie? Seward Community Co-op offers gift cards that may be purchased and used at any of our three locations–Co-op Creamery Café, Franklin, or Friendship Store. Gifts cards can be purchased over the phone from our stores, and in-person at the Café.

If you would like the gift card mailed to you or the recipient, please call either of our stores and ask for Customer Service. The phone number to the Franklin store is 612.338.2465 or 612.230.5595 for Friendship store. All we need is, the desired amount on the gift card and the debit or credit card to which to charge the purchase in order to process payment. The card can then either be mailed to you or the recipient, or picked up at the store that was called.

Our Co-op Creamery Café offers in-person gift card sales. If you wish to purchase a Seward Co-op gift card at the café, please speak to someone at the register or to your server.

The 2015 Annual Meeting and Friendship Ribbon Cutting at the Friendship store was a lively and fun event held earlier in October! Checkout this recap video shot and produced by Andrés Cid and Andrés Peréz in case you missed it!