In September, CoMinnesota and Nexus hosted an event to address the issues of economic development and cooperatives in African American communities. The event featured author Dr. Jessica Gordon-Nembhard, author of “Collective Courage: A history of African American Cooperative Economic Thought and Practice.”

During her talk, Dr. Gordon-Nembhard discussed the history of cooperative economics and co-op formation. Her book “Collective Courage” highlights a little known and forgotten history: cooperation and cooperative economics are principles and survival tactics of African American communities.

Dr. Gordon-Nembhard’s book begins by expanding the definition of cooperatives by including the development of mutual aid societies. Mutual aid societies share contemporary co-op principles such as voluntary ownership, owner-led and owner-organized, and participatory democracy. In her talk, Dr. Gordon-Nembhard discussed the Free African Society, founded in Philadelphia in April 1787 by Richard Allen, who is also the founder of the African Methodist Church. The purpose of the Free African Society was to serve the spiritual, economic and social needs of Philadelphia’s African American community.

The book also uncovers numerous examples of cooperative economics throughout the history of social justice movements in the United States. Many pioneers in the Civil Rights Movement have their feet rooted in cooperation economics. From Frederick Douglass to the Black Panther Party, the human rights movement is filled with examples of economic self-help.

However, successful use of the cooperative model has come at a cost for some African Americans. The increased visibility and success of black-owned cooperative businesses makes them more visible as targets for racially motivated violence.

Ida B. Wells, journalist and anti-lynching advocate, found out first hand that the quest for ownership, economic control, and access to food was a dangerous undertaking. In 1889, Peoples Grocery was a cooperative owned by 11 prominent blacks, including postman Thomas Moss, a friend of Ida Wells. The store was created to serve the needs of the black community in the black community in Memphis called “the curve.” Peoples Grocery was very successful and attracted customers, black and white, from all over Memphis. The popularity of the new store negatively impacted the business of the white grocery store owner William Barnett, however, and this created tension between white and black customers.

As a result of an altercation between two children at the store, Moss and two of his workers were lynched by a mob organized by the owner of the white grocery store across town. In the end, Peoples Grocery was sold to the white store owner for a fraction of its value.

The Peoples Grocery story isn’t about food. It is about equality and freedom. Similarly, the co-op movement is not just about food either; it’s about community-based economics and activating whole communities. The disparity between co-ops arises, however, because cooperative principles don’t specifically address race, per se. Ideally, cooperative principles would include points on racial equity and justice, in order to appeal more directly to communities of color and empower them.

Dr. Gordon-Nembhard’s book, “Collective Courage,” serves to reconnect communities of color to cooperative principles and practice. The book is also an opportunity to discuss how the cooperative principles might include the values of equity and justice. This reconnection is essential to viability of the co-op movement as a whole, and of local Twin Cities co-ops in particular.

* Join the Seward Co-op Book on February 25 to discuss Gordon-Nemhard’s book Collective Courage. Details here.

* This article originally appeared in the December 2014/January 2015 issue of Seward Co-op’s Sprout! Newsletter.

Lea Vogl, Seward Wellness Manager, and LaDonna Sanders-Redmond, Education and Outreach Coordinator at Seward, were on Fox9 recently to share three great do-it-yourself skin care recipes: Whipped Body Butter, Lavender Bath Bombs, and Beeswax Lip Balm. These would make terrific gifts come Valentine’s Day. (Instructions and recipes at the link!)

http://www.myfoxtwincities.com/story/27827487/3-diy-skin-care-products-from-seward-co-op

Anyone who visited The Craftsman restaurant in
Minneapolis, or Chet’s Taverna in St. Paul back in
the day, knows that chef Mike Phillips is a wizard
at creating delicious, ingenious meat dishes.
But with Red Table Meat Co., his latest venture,
Phillips brings a whole new level of inventiveness
and food awareness to the Twin Cities.

“The IQ of our local food scene is about to
skyrocket,” says Seward Co-op Meat & Seafood
staff member Karl Gerstenberger, about Red
Table Meat Co.

That’s because most local food enthusiasts can
shout the names of three local pork producers
faster than you can say “Michael Pollan,” but how
many local charcutiers can you name? How many
know what salumi is or what lonza or coppa are?
Red Table Meat Co. specializes in exceptional
charcuterie, that is, cold cuts and other prepared
meats, some of which you have simply never tasted
before. Seward Co-op was lucky enough to be
among the very first grocers in the Twin Cities to
carry Red Table Meat Co. meats.

While Red Table Meat Co. may be new,
charcuterie is as old as fire and hunting. It was
originally just a method of food preservation,
not a culinary art, but things changed when, as a
matter of public health, French meat guilds in the
15th century were separated into butchers and
cooks. Because charcutiers could no longer sell
raw cuts as butchers did, they began creating
new pre-cooked pork products such as bacon,
sausage, terrines, galantines, ballotines, pâtés
and confit to keep their businesses alive. And so
modern “charcuterie” (French, the “cooking of
meat”) was born.

Red Table Meat Co. approaches their charcuterie
with that same tradition of creativity. Certainly
there are the familiar cuts (lonza is a loin cut and
dissolves like butter on the tongue; coppa looks
and tastes a lot like prosciutto), but Red Table is
offering new recipes, too. The “Extra Vecchio,” for
example, and the “Francois” are both salami-style
sausages that were inspired by Phillips’ 77-year-old
teacher Francois Vecchio, a Swiss butcher
and master of charcuterie who travels the world
educating chefs in the ancient art.

“All our salumi [with ingredients] are subtly
spiced, the way Francois Vecchio taught Mike,”
says Liz Hancock of Red Table, “so that the pork
can actually be savored.”

Vecchio’s teaching matched perfectly with Mike
Phillips’ philosophy regarding his farmers. He
wants his customers to taste the pork and the
farmers’ excellent work.

Regarding his farming partners, Phillips says, “We
pay them what they need, what they ask for. We
want to make sure they’re making a living and we
want everyone to be in business and to win.”
“Mike grew up with farmers, [and] knows how
hard they strive to create such excellent product,”
Hancock says. “So he has long-time
with these farmers, has visited their farms, and scratched the
pigs. Minnesota and Wisconsin offer great pork, and Mike
wants his customers to taste for themselves how good those
farmers are at what they do.”

Hancock says buying local pork heightens Red Table’s transparency, as well. “You know how far this meat traveled to get to you, from Afton and one-stop in Northeast Minneapolis before it comes to Seward. Good food is a celebration, and we want everyone, Seward Co-op shoppers included, to feel part of this.”

“Those guys are great,” Phillips says of the co-op’s Meat & Seafood department staff. “I know a few of them very well, so we’re excited to have [Red Table] in your store.”

Red Table meats can be found at the Seward Co-op Meat & Seafood counter. Ask any of our knowledgeable staff which cuts are right for you.

If you’re going to make homemade pie from scratch for the holidays, the crust is going to make or break you. You could have the sweetest blueberries, the reddest cherries frozen from last summer, or the very best baking apples from Hoch Orchard, but if you don’t have a touch with the crust, you could end up with fruit goo trapped in a wad of chewy dough.

With that as a possibility, well, you might as well buy a pie from the co-op’s bakery, right?

But if you want to master the delicate art of making yummy crusts, learning from a pro is essential, and we happen to have one on hand for you: Mary Vorndran, Bakery Supervisor at Seward Co-op. If you’ve ever purchased Seward Co-op pies and appreciate the tender, perfect crusts, then keep this article handy for the pie-baking holidays and winter months to come. It’s a treasure trove of great tips and information from, dare we say, our “Queen of Pies.”

I want to make crust that’s as good as Seward Co-op’s. How do I do it, Mary?

First of all, you have to make it in 50-pound batches and build up some massive shoulder strength…

No really, it just takes some practice! Key things to do are to start with good basic ingredients and then just go to town.

When making pie dough at home, I weigh out my dry ingredients in a bowl and then cut cold butter into small squares. I use my hands or a fork to cut the butter into the flour. You want to get the butter pieces to about the size of a pea; it’s OK to have some chunks as this is what will make your crusts nice and flaky. Then dump all the water in at once and mix it together quickly, yet thoroughly. I portion it out and do a quick knead to finish incorporating and to distribute the butter evenly, forming the dough into a round, hockey puck shape. From here, I let the dough chill and rest for a bit.

Roll it out for your pie or freeze for use at a later date.

Do I need lard or any other special ingredients to make a good crust? Why do some people swear by lard and some swear by butter?

People swear by their personal preferences. If it works for you and you like it, keep doing it. The only way to find out what works for you is experience, so make lots of pie and make it often.

Leaf lard makes very crispy and flaky pie crusts, which is why some people like to use it, but it can leave something to be desired in flavor. Personally, I’m not a fan of using lard for dessert pies, but it’s great for savory items like pasties, pot pies, or galettes. Our own Seward Co-op Meat & Seafood department has plenty of leaf lard available, along with other fat varieties like duck fat and heritage breed Red Wattle pork fat.

We use all butter for our pies in Seward Co-op Bakery, specifically from our friends at Hope Creamery. While we try not to swear here, I guess you could say that’s what we swear by, as it gives our pies that nice, golden buttery flake.

Why do pie crusts fail if I follow the recipe perfectly? What should I look out for? Why did my crust get all chewy and dense?

Like most things in baking, it’s not the recipe—it’s more about technique and experience. I hate to say “failure,” because chances are it’ll still be good enough for someone to eat. But if it’s not up to your standards, try again. You’re only out some flour, butter and time.

Pie crusts get chewy and dense when the pie dough is over-worked. You can try to not knead the dough as much next time or add a dash of vinegar when you mix in the water. It won’t affect the flavor at all, but the acid will break down the gluten strands, making the dough tenderer in the end.

Another trick is to make sure everything is very cold. You can stick your bowl and utensils in the freezer for a bit to help avoid the butter from melting.

And use cold water, too—throw an ice cube in there for reassurance if you like.

Are there vegan options for awesome crust?

Of course! A lot of pie crust in our parents’ generation were actually vegan and made with shortening. We use Spectrum palm shortening in Seward Co-op Bakery’s vegan pie dough, which is a more sustainable option and doesn’t give you that weird mouth-coating like other hydrogenated oils can.

What’s your favorite pie to eat and to make?

Oh man, that’s tough. I simply am a pie lover. I have never met a pie I didn’t like. For some reason, pies that are in season just taste better. Lately, I’ve been a big fan of Seward’s apple cranberry custard pie, which was newly created last year. There’s a lot going on between the custard, streusel topping and the apples and cranberries which meld so nicely together. It’s our most complex pie to make, so I’d have to say that’s my favorite right now to make and to eat.

UPDATE: Since this article was posted, Isuroon Ethnic Food Shelf received $18,558.25 in SEED donations from Seward shoppers for the month of December 2014. This is a new record for SEED donations at Seward Co-op.

Imagine emigrating to a faraway nation. The culture, the alphabet, the weather, and everything you encounter on a daily level is completely alien to you.

Strangest of all, the food is so foreign that you can’t eat it. It’s meat (maybe?) but you’re not even sure what animal it’s from. Regardless, you have no money to buy it, even if it was something you could eat. You’re a complete stranger, stranded, poor, and hungry.

New Minnesotans from East Africa encounter this daily, according to newly formed non-profit Isuroon in Minneapolis. Often, newly arrived immigrants too poor to shop aren’t able to find food shelves offering food that their religious views will allow them to eat. The food they need must be “halal” – that is, permissible for Muslims to eat or drink under Islamic law. For this reason, Isuroon Executive Director Fartun Weli said in comments to Hennepin County Commissioner Peter McLaughlin recently (video via The Uptake), the Muslim immigrant community in Minneapolis needs an ethnic food shelf. In addition to halal food, such a food shelf would need offer whole grain, whole foods, and limit the processed foods available to customers. Somali elders aren’t familiar with or are simply baffled by processed food, so they won’t eat it. (Imagine a Somali elder encountering Spam in a food shelf. Free, yes, but it’s hard for newcomers to understand what Spam even is.)

Here’s the main problem according to Fartun and Isuroon: No food shelves in Minneapolis offer halal foods.

Isuroon’s mission is to create such a food shelf, but securing funding has been difficult: The non-profit needs $150,000 just to start work. When Isuroon came to Seward Co-op to apply as a SEED recipient, Fartun told us that a donation from the co-op’s SEED program would not only help the “bottom line,” it would help to legitimize Isuroon as a viable non-profit, too. Seward’s December donation will probably be the largest and primary funding for Isuroon’s food shelf to date.

“Isuroon” is a Somali word that means “woman taking care of herself,” and while Isuroon’s webpage says they are a group dedicated women’s health and wellness, they see the entire Somali community in Minneapolis as part of their mission, too. Imam Hassan Mohamud, a legal advocate for Isuroon, tells the story that Mohammed had to give advice to his community but the community was angry and wouldn’t listen to him. He spoke to his wife and asked, “What should I do?” His wife gave him advice which he followed and and the community opened up and began to listen to Mohammed.

“This is the importance of the woman in our community,” he said. (Quote via The Uptake video.)

During this month of so many holidays, sharing, and generosity, Seward shoppers have an opportunity to make a huge impact through SEED donations for Insuroon. All of the food shelves to whom Seward donates SEED money do crucial work, but this is an opportunity for Seward shoppers to help create something that doesn’t exist, something that some of our new Somali neighbors desperately need.

So remember in December….round up at the register!

Fartun Weli and Christine Dietsche tabling at Seward Co-op.

(Photo courtesy Isuroon)

The movement to change the way Americans eat is many decades old in Minneapolis, and Pillsbury United Communities’ Waite House is one of the oldest forces of them all. For nearly fifty years, Waite House has been targeting “both the immediate needs and the root causes of inequalities in health and nutrition” in the Phillips Neighborhood and beyond. Its innovative approaches are truly inspiring.

Last week, during a small get together in our dining area, Seward Co-op proudly delivered a check to Waite House for $18,497.68, the sum of November’s SEED money (the at-the-register donations from Seward shoppers and owners). In the photo above are representatives from Waite House and Seward Co-op’s cashier staff and front end.

Waite House’s Health & Nutrition programs are varied and ambitious, but they’re all aimed at providing solid opportunities and access to food for families in the Phillips Neighborhood who might not otherwise receive them. Programs include:

Get your calendar out and start planning for January.

Upcoming Seward Classes

LaDonna Sanders-Redmond, Education and Outreach Coordinator for the Seward Co-op, visited KARE-11 recently with a terrific winter soup recipe: Crock Pot Chicken Gumbo.

Gumbo is actually pretty easy to make; it just has a lot of ingredients and a number of steps, so people sometimes get intimidated. Just remember LaDonna’s Important Gumbo Tip: Don’t walk away from the roux! You have to keep stirring it. If you’re patient and tend to it, you’ll have the base for a thick, delicious batch of gumbo. (Look how syrupy and thick that completed Gumbo is!)

Watch the video to get all the steps right, then follow the recipe below. Much thanks to KARE-11 and LaDonna for this video and recipe!

Crock Pot Gumbo (Recipe serves 6)

Ingredients:

• 1/3 cup flour

• 1/3 cup cooking oil

• 3 cups chicken broth

• 12 to 16 ounces chicken sausage, sliced about 1/2″ thick

• 2 to 3 cups diced cooked chicken

• 1 1/2 cups sliced okra

• 1 cup chopped onion

• 1/2 cup chopped green pepper

• 1/2 cup chopped celery

• 4 cloves garlic, minced

• salt, to taste

• 1/2 teaspoon pepper

• 1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper

• hot cooked rice

Instructions:

· For roux, in a heavy 2-quart saucepan stir together flour and oil until smooth. Cook over medium-high heat for 4 minutes, stirring constantly. Reduce heat to medium. Continue to cook, stirring constantly, for about 15 minutes more or until roux is dark reddish brown. Let roux cool.

· Add chicken broth to a 3 1/2 to 6-quart slow cooker. Stir in roux. Add sausage, chicken, okra, onion, green pepper, celery, garlic, salt, pepper, and red pepper. Cover and cook on LOW for 8 to 10 hours, or HIGH for 4 to 5 hours.

· Skim off fat. Serve with hot cooked rice.