There’s no better way to celebrate the warmer days of spring than with a cookout or leisurely picnic with locally grown foods from Seward Co-op.

Swing through the produce aisles and visit the meat & seafood counter to pick up everything you need for an evening of al fresco dining.

• Sausages: more than 20 varieties, made by hand with locally raised meats
• Sauerkraut and pickles
• Hamburger and hotdog buns (brat-sized, too)
• Seasonal vegetables for salads and the grill
• Tofu dogs, cheese alternatives, meat-alternative burgers

And visit with our staff to ask about their favorites for this spring and summer. Then sit back, relax and enjoy the sunshine and warm breezes during picnicking, grilling, camping and other outdoor adventures.

Just Local, owned by Rufus Haucke of Keewaydin Farms, sources products from many small-scale organic vegetable farms in the Viroqua, Wis., area and distributes them in the Twin Cities under the Just Local label. Just Local / Keewaydin Farms was the featured Know Our Grower, May 22 – June 4. Demo: Saturday, June 1.

Grower: Rufus Haucke

1. When did you begin farming and what inspired you to pursue farming as a profession?
I grew up on my family’s dairy farm and always loved growing and eating fresh garden veggies. I left the farm for a time and went out to explore the world. As I was working in Colorado as a ski bum, I realized how much I missed being able to grow my own food, the farm, as well as the Driftless region. I returned to the family farm in 2004 to get back to the land and back to the fresh food that I love.

2. Why did you decide to establish Just Local and what criteria do you use to determine whether a farm can become a part of Just Local?
I established Keewaydin Organics and Just Local Foods in 2005. Working with other small farmers in the community helped me meet the demand from the bank of customers I was working with when I got back into farming in 2004. Keewaydin Farm was not able to produce enough on its own, so by partnering with other farms I along with a few others were able to grow and harvest enough volume to keep orders filled for our customers. Keewaydin Organics and Just Local now has grown to a pool of more than 100 farms that we work with throughout the season. For partner farms we look for small family farms that are certified organic and/or farm using sustainable agricultural practices. We also like to feature unique items that many larger distributors don’t carry, such as a wider variety of specialty hot peppers, herbs, and even wild-crafted items.

3. What distinguishes your products from other local produce (i.e., signature products)?
The most unique fact about our product is the freshness and the timely turn-around from the field to the customer. All of our orders are custom picked to order and is on the shelf 24-48 hours later. We also now have our Fresh-Cut local line that is a relatively new concept in the produce world.

4. What is your favorite way to enjoy your own produce?
My favorite produce would have to be in the spring with the greens and salad mixes that come around this time of year. I love to be able to just go outside and pick a salad for lunch or dinner right from the field. I also like to try anything and everything that is growing. . .picking a spear of asparagus and eating as I walk through the field, or a handful of fresh green beans or snap peas. . .even sunchokes dug right out of the ground!

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. This year we are pleased to present an extended program featuring more than 10 area growers over seven months. In addition to those farms growing during temperate months, we’re including growers that push the limits of our northern growing season by using hydroponic systems and greenhouses.

Visit the website often this summer to read interviews with featured Know Our Grower producers. Sample produce from these growers and get great sale prices on selected items.

May 1 – 21: Click here for an interview and photo from LaBore Farms.

May 22 – June 4: Click here for an interview and photo from Just Local / Keewaydin Farms.

Located in Faribault, Minn., LaBore Farms was founded by Michelle Glinski in 2004. In a greenhouse, Michelle can grow hydroponic lettuce, mixed greens and cress year-round without the use of pesticides. LaBore Farms was the featured Know Our Grower, May 1-21. Demo: Saturday, May 11

Grower: Michelle Glinski

1. When did you begin farming and what inspired you to pursue farming as a profession?
I began farming in 2004. I became interested in hydroponics (or sCEA: soilless controlled environment agriculture) while studying plant biology at UW River Falls, but had to wait for several years after graduation to pursue it. During that time, I worked as an analytical chemist, a K-9 officer, and for the USDA. It wasn’t until I was working for the USDA that I really began pursuing the idea of hydroponics as an occupation. I attended my first hydroponic conference and I was hooked.

2. Why did you choose hydroponics over other growing methods?
I choose hydroponics because to me that is the future of agriculture production here in the Midwest. If we want to be able to provide clean produce for ourselves in the Midwest year-round, hydroponics seem to be the answer.

3. What distinguishes hydroponic produce from its soil-grown equivalent?
Hydroponics allows a grower to continuously grow crop after crop in a controlled environment without worrying about soil conditions or the temperature outside. In a good year, I can get up to 14 crop rotations in my greenhouse, while the average outside soil grower can only get a couple. I can also tailor my fertilizer mixture to my crop so there is never an excess of fertilizer being wasted to the outside.

4. What is your favorite way to enjoy your own produce?
I enjoy diced apples, a nice goat cheese, pecans and a light balsamic dressing with my romaine or arugula.

Wondering how to celebrate Mom this year? On Mother’s Day, Sunday May 12 from 8 a.m. – noon, treat Mom to a special brunch made fresh in our Deli. We’ll be rolling out white tablecloths and flowers to beautify the dining area, too. And pick up a floral bouquet; we’ll custom wrap it for you from 9 a.m. – 3 p.m. Expect a wide variety of prices on plants and mixed bouquets – something for everyone!

Stop by the co-op from 11 a.m. – 3 p.m. on Saturday, May 4 for our Mother’s Day Preview Event. Browse local & fair trade gifts, sample carrot cake from our bakery, and find the perfect greeting card. Also during the preview event, look for product demos from Honeyglow candles and Organic Prairie bacon.

Get creative this spring holiday season with natural egg-dyeing using bulk herbs and spices. Read below for more, and check out this natural egg-dyeing guide from Frontier Co-op.

Ingredients (per each color)
4 cups of water
2–4 Tbsp. ground herbs and spices (see below for suggestions)
1 Tbsp. white vinegar
4–6 hard-boiled eggs

Method
Bring water, vinegar and herbal-dye ingredients to a boil. Add eggs and reduce water to a simmer. Cook about 15 minutes, then cover and let sit another 15 minutes or until the color is as deep as you’d like. Remove eggs, gently rinse and let air dry.

Color Suggestions
Turmeric — gold
Hibiscus flowers — lavender
Coffee — brown
Tea leaves — sepia
Chili powder — reddish brown
Paprika — orange
Dill seed — soft brown
Curry powder — pale orange

Have fun mixing and matching colors, or experiment with other bulk herbs and spices to create your own unique hues.

The co-op is even greener this weekend, as we celebrate St. Patrick’s Day. Look for special St. Paddy’s features around the store.

• Irish cheeses: Irish Harp cheddar – Maple Leaf Co-op, Monroe Wisc.; Dubliner cheddar – Kerrygold, Ireland; Cahill’s Irish cheddar with whiskey – Ireland; Cahill’s Irish cheddar with porter – Ireland
• Meat & Seafood: find corned beef and cabbage in the meat case. Call ahead with your order (612-338-2465), since this is a popular item!

  

• Bakery: Irish whiskey cake, soda bread and Irish cream cream puffs

Sunday, March 17, the Deli hot bar will feature a special St. Paddy’s Day-themed menu
Corned beef
Garlic mashed potatoes with poultry gravy
Smoked salmon potato cakes
Toasted barley pilaf with portabella mushrooms
Greens with turnips, rutabaga and almonds
Colcannon
Mustard braised cabbage

Friday, March 15 – Sunday, March 17: Look for special demos throughout the store, featuring our Bakery’s own soda bread and Irish cheeses from the Cheese department.

Do your bananas support small scale farmers? If you purchase them at Seward Co-op, they do! In 2012, consumers purchased 11 million Equal Exchange bananas. These purchases have tangible impacts on the livelihoods of courageous banana farmers in El Guabo co-op, located in Ecuador, and CEPIBO co-op in Peru. They’re making history for themselves, and quite possibly for the entire banana industry, with their organic, fair trade product.

Great Gifts

No matter how you celebrate the holidays or what favorite items your family and friends enjoy, look to the co-op for locally sourced delights. The grocery aisles are brimming with unique local products for the food lovers in your life. Share your favorite delights with friends and family by gathering items together in a gift basket! Try a pound or two of fair trade coffee, soothing tea, decadent chocolates and candies, and warm and cozy hot chocolate!

We’ve highlighted some staff favorites from around the store.

For more gift ideas, see the list to the left and our Pinterest gift board!

Gift of Membership

If you’re simplifying and trying to purchase less “stuff,” consider co-op membership as a gift. Giving a membership to Seward Co-op is giving your family or friends an investment in our community. As member-owners of Seward Co-op, they will be able to take advantage of member specials throughout the store all year long. In profitable years, members also receive a patronage refund proportional to their spending. And with a 10 percent discount off the total of one shopping trip four times per year, they’ll quickly realize a return on your $75 investment. Perhaps most importantly, members of the co-op participate directly in the local economy by supporting local farmers and producers, and other co-ops, as well. This season, give the gift of cooperation!

A Gift for any Occasion

We also know that shopping for gifts can be overwhelming, so if you can’t decide among our classy housewares, fair-trade chocolate or local body care products, choose a Seward Co-op gift card. With it, you’re guaranteed to have picked the right gift.

Thank you to the 10,872 customers -more than 50%- who contributed $3,012 to the Community Development Foundation (CDF), which will help in the Hurricane Sandy relief efforts. Seward Co-op will donate an addition $1,000 to the CDF.