At Seward Co-op, we are very proud of our Bulk foods department. Bulk has been a keystone of the co-op from its earliest days, and it continues to be one of our greatest successes.

Whether shopping in bulk is a new prospect for you, or you’ve been shopping bulk exclusively for decades, we have a rare treat for you: a 10-percent-off sale on all bulk items on March 24. All day — for one day only — everything in the Bulk department (even sale items) is 10 percent off.

Please join us Thursday, March 24, in the Bulk departments of both stores, where extra staff and product vendors will be on hand to answer questions and assist you in shopping the best way possible — in bulk.

Throughout the day, enjoy samples of bulk products like Equal Exchange coffee (at the Franklin store), granola, and Barsey’s almonds. Also visit with a handful of our suppliers, including Equal Exchange and local grain producer Whole Grain Milling.

(The March 24 bulk sale does not include: reusable glass and plastic containers; items sold per pound in other departments, such as Produce; and Meat & Seafood).

Homemade Soba Noodles

Ingredients:

For the noodles:
2 cups buckwheat flour
1 cup white spelt flour (can also substitute with all-purpose flour)
1-1 1/4 cup hot water

To serve:
2 carrots, diced, shaved, or cut into matchsticks
1 bunch spring onions, finely chopped
2 Tbsp. garlic oil (or 2 cloves of minced garlic and 2 tablespoons of your choice of oil)
2 Tsp. toasted sesame seed oil
1 lime, cut into wedges
Cashews (optional)
Protein of your choice, such as fried tofu

Method:
Combine the buckwheat flour and kamut or spelt flour in a large mixing bowl. Add the water gradually, and then work the flours and water together, kneading to form the dough. If at any point the dough feels too crumbly, add a little more water. Alternatively, if the dough is too sticky, add a little more kamut or spelt flour. Knead the dough until it comes together in a smooth, round ball, then turn it out on the counter and knead it with the heel of your hand. The dough should be soft and smooth; if any cracks appear, add a little more water. Once it’s smooth, shape the dough into a flat rectangular parcel. This will help the dough keep its shape as you roll. Sprinkle the semolina or buckwheat starch onto the counter and lightly over top of the dough, which will prevent sticking. Now it’s time to start rolling out the dough: The best way is to roll from the center outwards, shaping the edges as you go so that the dough remains rectangular. This will save you from having to trim later. Spread a generous handful of semolina or buckwheat starch over the dough. Then fold the top third of the dough down and spread it with more starch.

Fold the bottom third of the dough upwards, like you would fold a letter, and coat that with the semolina or starch, as well. Begin cutting the noodles approximately half a centimeter (a quarter of an inch) thick. Keep slicing until you have used all of the dough. Toss the cut noodles with a little more semolina or starch so that they don’t stick together. Bring a large pot of water to a boil, salt the water generously, and drop in the soba. Cook the noodles for one minute, then drain them, and rinse them under cool water immediately. Use your hands to lift and gently shake the noodles as you rinse them; this helps to remove the starchy film that coats the noodles as they cook. After rinsing, drain the noodles and serve them cold or at room temperature. Toss the noodles with garlic oil, toasted sesame oil, and soy sauce. Toss in protein and scatter with chopped spring onions, carrots, and toasted cashews over top.

Serves 4

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.

Try our latest Nourish recipe for Mushroom Polenta Bowls. It’s one of our “Feed 4 For Under $10” recipes (find more in our recipe rack by the Customer Service Desk) and it’s a great one for using up leftover vegetables – a budget-friendly recipe in every regard.

Mushroom Polenta Bowls

Ingredients:
3 cups vegetable broth
1 cup water
1 cup cornmeal / polenta
1 Tbsp olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
8 oz white mushrooms, sliced (Nourish Hint– substitute or add any leftover vegetables you might have)
¼ tsp dried thyme
8 oz. frozen chopped spinach
1 cup marinara sauce
2 oz. feta cheese (optional)
Salt & Pepper to taste

Method:
Bring 3 cups of vegetable broth to a boil in a sauce pot. Stir together the cornmeal and one cup of water, then pour into the boiling broth. Stir the mixture and allow it to come back up to a simmer. Turn the heat down to low, place a lid on top, and allow to simmer for 10-15 minutes, or until very thick. Stir occasionally to prevent it from sticking to the bottom of the pot.

Add the olive oil, mushrooms (and/or vegetables), garlic, and thyme to a large skillet and sauté over medium heat until the mushrooms are limp. Season the mushrooms lightly with salt and pepper.

Remove the mushrooms from the skillet (leaving any liquids behind in the skillet) and add the frozen spinach. Sauté the spinach until heated through. Season lightly with salt and pepper.

Spoon one cup of polenta into each bowl, then top with ¼ cup of marinara sauce (warm the marinara sauce in the microwave or a small pot if desired). Divide the mushrooms and spinach between the four bowls, then crumble ½ oz. of feta over each bowl. Serve warm.

Serves 4

Recipe adapted from budgetbytes.com

More about Seward Co-op’s Nourish .

(Photo courtesy Isuroon Ethnic Food Shelf)

We’re pleased to announce the recipients of Seward Community Fund (SCF) grants for 2014. Grants funded by SCF are awarded annually to organizations whose work aligns with our Ends Statement:

Seward Community Co-op Ends Statement: Seward Co-op will sustain a healthy community that has equitable economic relationships; positive environmental impacts; and inclusive, socially responsible practices.

Additionally, organizations that meet the following requirements are given preference in SCF grant-making:

• Based in the communities served by Seward Co-op.
• Reflect the cultural diversity of our communities.
• Use the funding for specific projects rather than general operating costs.
• Nonreligious and nonpartisan.
• Registered 501(c)(3) non-profit organizations.

Granting funds through the SCF embodies our co-op’s commitment to grow, not just as a business, but as a resource for organizations whose work aligns with our vision for a healthy community.

Below are this year’s 2014 SCF recipients:

AfroEco ($4,000)
AfroEco is actively organizing with partners to develop a local food system in North Minneapolis that co-produces community health and wealth.

Ananya Dance Theatre ($5,000)
Ananya Dance Theatre’s choreographer Ananya Chatterjea, visual artist Seitu Jones, and behavioral artist Marcus Young will partner with Frogtown Farm, Afro Eco, and the Indigenous Peoples Task Force to produce an evening performance reflecting and honoring the age-old work of women who cultivate, nurture and protect land and agriculture.

Cedar Cultural Center ($4,000)
Midnimo (Somali word for “unity”) builds knowledge and understanding of Somali Muslim culture through music. Midnimo consists of week-long artist residencies featuring Somali musicians from around the world that include public concert performances and activities in the classroom and the community.

Centro de Trabajadores Unidos en Lucha (CTUL) ($5,000)
CTUL is a low-wage worker-led group organizing for fair wages, fair working conditions, and a voice in the workplace for all workers in the Twin Cities.

“Radical Roots” ($4,000)
“Radical Roots” is a documentary film that will explore the origins and future of the American natural food movement by uncovering the drama behind its most dynamic center: the food cooperatives of the Twin Cities. It’s a tale of hippies and draft resisters, Black Panthers and organic farmers, and a takeover attempt by a secretive Marxist organization, setting in motion a debate over race, class, health, and democracy.

Hmong American Farmers Association ($5,000)
The Hmong American Farmers Association (HAFA) is a membership-based, social justice minded nonprofit organization that works with Hmong American farmers in the Twin Cities and the surrounding metropolitan area.

Isuroon ($5,000)
Isuroon is dedicated to building Somali women’s self-sufficiency so that they can lead healthier, more productive lives in Minnesota, nationally and in Somalia. Funding will support the creation of an ethnic food shelf serving the Somali Community in South Minneapolis.

Native American Community Development Institute (MACDI) ($4,000)
NACDI is committed to transforming the American Indian community to effectively respond to 21st-century opportunities. Funding will support the launch of the Anpetu Was’te Cultural Arts Marketplace, which will serve as a gateway to the American Indian Cultural Corridor at the Franklin Light Rail Transit Station.

Trans Youth Support Network (TYSN) ($5,000)
TYSN’s mission is to make it possible for trans and gender non-conforming youth to survive adultism, racism, sexism, and economic injustices in systems they must engage with in order to get basic needs met. Funding will support a youth leadership development program.

Waite House Neighborhood Center ($4,000)
Waite House’s Community Culinary Arts program embodies Seward Co-op values and vision around P6 principles through training young chefs for careers and life, including a 10-week apprenticeship with Executive Chef Austin Bartold, through which young people learn how to promote food justice in a commercial kitchen.

WE WIN Institute ($5,000)
WE WIN Institute is dedicated to the academic and social success of all children. This funding will support our summer Youth Gardens enrichment program.

(SCF recipients are announced at the annual meeting in October. The deadline for applications each year is June 30.)

Your local food producers and all the Twin Cities’ food co-ops would like to invite you to a day out on the farm.

Join us on Saturday, July 19 to explore the local food world, visit with your farmers, and see your food from their perspectives. The Eat Local Farm Tour, now in its fourth year, provides an opportunity for you to connect with land and people who grow and make your food.

You will find the scenery on the farms in the countryside to be picturesque; rolling hills, lush green land and happy cows. Your urban farm tour could include some fun folks on bikes in bee costumes that will lead you to the sweet honey and bees that produce it for you. You get to decide how you best want to connect to your food. Consider packing a picnic lunch for your family and taking in the beauty of the countryside. The co-ops also welcome you to stop by for lunch. You don’t need to be a member to shop at the co-ops, and you will find many of the foods that you saw in the fields on your co-op’s shelves. It’s that fresh!

Confirmed on this year’s tour are: Kohnert Organic Farms, East Henderson Farm, Cedar Summit, L and R Produce, Simple Harvest Farm Organics, Thousand Hills, Ferndale Farm, Humble Pie Farm, Bossy Acres, Singing Hills Goat Dairy, Gardens of Eagan, WEI, 10th Street Farm & Market, Big River Farm, Whistling Well Farm, Shepherd’s Way Farm, Star Prairie Trout Farm, Growing Lots, Beez Kneez, and Stone’s Throw.

Stay connected to the Eat Local Farm Tour and meet other tour attendees before the big day by following the tour’s Facebook page. Seward Co-op will have hard copies of the Tour Guide on hand in the store on June 26.

The local season is beautiful, tasty, but oh-so brief. The Twin Cities co-ops truly hope you’ll join us for an expedition of food, farms, and the Minnesota landscape on The Eat Local Farm Tour.

The new Farm Bill, or, the Agricultural Act of 2014, is being signed into law today, and as usual, every sector of the country and economy is finding something to despise in it.

The sustainable foods movement can take heart and celebrate several small victories though. Farm Bill 2014 makes it easier for low income Americans to shop at farmers markets; it reinstates the National Organic Certification Cost Share program which reimburses the cost of organic certification to farmers; and it generally promotes sustainable agricultural practices and funding at higher levels.

But Seward has been watching the Farm Bill proceedings closely, and we did see some reasons to worry and finally lament – especially the inclusion of an $8.6 billion cut to “food stamps” (better known as SNAP, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program). Cutting SNAP even by the relatively small amount of $8.6 billion of an almost trillion dollar Farm Bill has caused hunger activists nationwide to hit the panic button.

With good reason. The “cut” in question shuts a loophole that only fifteen states have been taking advantage of but will leave tens of thousands of American children without access to food in the very near future. The Philadelphia Tribune predicted that the SNAP cut would mean $90 less per month per household in Pennsylvania (imagine if your household suddenly lost $90 per month for food). Neither Pennsylvania nor its food pantries are ready to deal with the fallout caused by this cut.

Minnesota was not one of the fifteen states that took advantage of the soon-to-be-closed loophole, so Minnesotans who receive SNAP benefits won’t be directly impacted. But because Seward Co-op has a sizable number of owners and shoppers who use federal assistance like WIC (funded by SNAP), we were watching the Farm Bill proceedings carefully.

The co-op’s Ends Statement (think “mission statement”) says the co-op values “equitable economic relationships” and “inclusive, socially responsible practices.” WIC fulfills both of these Ends by making food available to more shoppers who might not be able to afford it otherwise. As a result, the co-op takes its involvement with the Minnesota state WIC program very seriously.

A great way of seeing just how important WIC is to the co-op is to look at how we handle three specific items. Eggs, baby formula, and bananas all need to be made available to WIC shoppers, but because we value selling local, organic, and Fair Trade versions of these products, we had a decision to make: Either switch out suppliers and sell conventional (cheaper) eggs, bananas, and baby formula, or sell those premium-priced products at cost or a loss.

We choose the latter. Why? Because our Ends statement direct us to include shoppers who might not be able to afford these foods otherwise. Only about %.05 of store sales come from shoppers and owners who use WIC, so we figured it was better to remain part of the WIC program and continue to sell Equal Exchange Fair Trade bananas to all our shoppers than choosing to turn our backs on either WIC shoppers or our banana farmers.

Furthermore, Seward shoppers who are enrolled in one or more state or federal assistance programs can join the co-op on a Needs-Based Owner-Membership. Owners who qualify for the needs-based option also qualify for a needs-based 5% discount on all purchases.

In an era when the Farm Bill and its social programs are open to slashing cuts, when access to clean, healthy food is more difficult thanks to the weaker buying power of many Americans, co-ops like Seward strive to make it as fair as we can for all our member-owners to eat well and stay healthy. This is a true neighborhood co-op: We want all our neighbors to shop here.

TASTE OF THE SOUTH
Maple Glazed Chicken
Mustard Roast Pork
Macaroni & Cheese
Baked Beans
Creole Roasted Yams

Members who attended the annual meeting were treated to a special commemorative video, produced by Pilcrow Partners, featuring several stories from individuals who have been involved with the co-op in one way or another over the years. That same video is now available online. To view the full-size video, visit us on YouTube, or check it out below:

In recognition of our 40th anniversary, we are publishing Growing with Purpose: 40 Years of Seward Community Cooperative, a commemorative book chronicling the co-op’s history. Researched and written by local authors Patricia Cumbie and Kari Cornell, this account features interviews with many of the individuals who have played a part in the co-op’s four decades in the Seward neighborhood. The book also features beautiful original photography by local photographer Chris Bohnhoff.

Looking for the perfect gift? Growing with Purpose is a valuable resource for Seward Co-op members, new and old, and anyone interested in the cooperative natural foods movement. Purchase your copy in the store today.