Bruce Bacon is the only hero I ever got to meet. The rest come from books and history. What’s more, he knew me before I knew him; a testament to the Seward Co-op’s commitment to the local food economy and the sanctity of sustainable soil. He knew what we were up to…

We met on April 11, 2010 following my brief presentation on creating a local, retail buying program at the Sustainable Farming Association’s Crow River Chapter Spring Social. My talk focused on how retailers and providers can work symbiotically and the event was titled “Cooperative Retailers Joining Sustainable Providers.” From that point on, I was happy to join Bruce by supporting the purchase of Garden Farme goods and walking his land as part of my training as a herbalist with Lise Wolff. He also taught me how to speak for the soil.

I’ve always been awed by Bruce’s dedication to his land and regard Garden Farme as one of the most diverse plots of soil in the upper Midwest. Bruce clearly knew and loved his trees; bringing in some nice, big cherry trees (not the kind you harvest but the wild kind). He was real happy about the spreen in his garden (a purple variety of cultivated lambsquarter) and he was one of the first to grow Gete Okesomin (a one-of-a-kind squash with an ancient history). He was also quite fond of mustards that would self-sow, adored sorrel and had a fancy for his basil patch…so colorful.

Bruce was always trying to get me to visit and bring my son. Last time I visited, summer of 2016, Bruce wasn’t able to walk me around, so we trilled around in his van astounded by the variety of insects flying in the windows; hallmark of a healthy ecosystem. Later, my son got to drive down the Garden Farme road; his first time behind the wheel.

Bruce’s dedication to the land made him heroic for me; forever postulating on the benefits of diversity, no-till soil and creating habitat for pollinators. As a single dad, he also made me feel like a hero; always asking about my boy and always telling me it was going to turn out alright. It did.

He was organic before anyone owned the term. He was building the soil poetically before there were many words for what he was doing. He was farm to table before it occurred to anyone to trend it and make it hip. He was practicing permaculture before anyone set down instructions. He was composting before there was enough compost to compost. He supported artists and the community before community was a catch phrase. His honey is still at the Seward; best honey there is.

And, wow, could he throw a party…

Celebrate Bruce Bacon — Support Garden Farme!
Events on Sunday, December 10, 2017:

MUSIC, FUN, AND FUNDRAISING FOR GARDEN FARME
2–5 pm at Hook & Ladder, E. Lake Street & Minnehaha Av.
Local musicians – film clips of Bruce and the farm – admission by donation.
Garden Farme honey and soil science posters for sale.
All funds after expenses will go to Garden Farme.

SHARING FOOD AND STORIES IN MEMORY OF BRUCE BACON
5–9 pm at Powderhorn Community Center, E. 35th Street & 15th Av.
Bring a story to tell, bring a dish to share, everyone welcome!
Potluck food and drink, stories of Bruce, Garden Farme honey sales.

Our co-op is on a mission to help get 2018 started on a great note with Discover, our new free bimonthly guide to saving money and living well. Discover is the result of more than 140 community-owned cooperative grocers across the country working together, to offer great food and delicious deals. With more than $50 in coupon offers, along with timely tips and a great seasonal recipe, the January-February edition of Discover will launch you into a great new year of good health. Stop by the co-op to pick up your free copy beginning in January, and save on resolution-ready products for the whole family, like Organic India, Liberte, Evolution Fresh and Woodstock.

On Dec. 20, Bearded Brothers announced a voluntary recall of Bearded Brothers bars due to mold found on random bars. Consumption of this product may (but likely will not) cause sickness. The mold is visible to the eye. Seward Co-op does not currently have affected product on the shelf, but may have sold it between Sept. 21–Dec. 20, 2017.

Colossal Coconut Mango—1.52 oz, $2.99 with the following lot code and best by date.
UPC: 85403000508

Lot Code Best By Date
BCM02272017 EXP 02272018
BCM03022017 EXP 03022018
BCM03032017 EXP 03032018
BCM03062017 EXP 03062018
BCM03142017 EXP 03142018
BCM04042017 EXP 04042018
BCM04122017 EXP 04122018
BCM04152017 EXP 04152018

Mega Maca Chocolate—1.52 oz, $2.99 with the following lot code and best by date.
UPC: 85403000506

Lot Code Best By Date
BMC03052017 EXP 03052018
BMC03062017 EXP 03062018
BMC03282017 EXP 03282018
BMC03302017 EXP 03302018
BMC04052017 EXP 04052018
BMC04272017 EXP 04272018

If you purchased this product at Seward Co-op between Sept. 21–Dec. 20, 2017, it will be fully refunded at either our Franklin or Friendship store Customer Service desk.

On Dec. 8, World Finer Foods, LLC announced a voluntary recall of its Rapunzel vegetable, no salt bouillon due to incorrect labeling. Seward Co-op does not currently have affected product on the shelf, but could have sold affected product between Sept. 8–Dec. 8, 2017.

Rapunzel Vegetable Bouillon, No Salt
Affected lot numbers: 112075, 113390, 114805, 116205, 118230 and 119631
Affected best buy dates: 9/10/2018, 11/12/2018, 12/17/2018, 03/04/2019, 05/23/2019 and 7/22/2019

If you purchased this product at Seward Co-op between Sept. 8–Dec. 8, 2017, it will be fully refunded at either our Franklin or Friendship store Customer Service desk.

Join us at the Seward Co-op Creamery Café for a dinner event featuring our January SEED recipient, Southside Community Health Services. Learn about and support Southside’s unique approach to reducing chronic health conditions in our communities. We’ll dine on a meal inspired by Southside’s “prescription CSA” program, which provides healthy, locally grown fresh food to their patients. Tickets are limited, so grab your seat right away.

Purchase Tickets via Eventbrite.
Three-course dinner: $35
Non-alcoholic kombucha drink pairing: $9
Beer and wine also available for purchase.

Introducing a two-part story from Jim VanDerPol, who owns Pastures A Plenty together with his wife, LeeAnn, and children, Josh and Cindy VanDerPol. Seward Co-op has purchased pork from Jim and his family for 18 years, and our staff is grateful to build our knowledge of soil health thanks to him! Look for part two from Jim in our spring Sprout!.

The impact of soil biology upon its chemistry has guided recent thinking in farming circles about soil. Since the end of World War II, we have learned to associate increased production of field crops with proper amounts and balances of three main elements in soil: N(nitrogen), P(phosphorus) and K(potassium). In the last several decades, we’ve begun to pay attention to other minor elements in soil such as sulfur, copper, iron, magnesium and manganese. These were all thought to exist in measurable quantities in the soil, and for years it was thought that fertilizers containing these elements could be added as needed without paying a great deal of attention to factors such as tillage, tractor traffic, diversity of plant life, internal and external drainage, and weather.

There were always difficulties with this view, and those difficulties have been adding up. Applying fertilizer rarely appears to be tightly correlated with harvesting successful crops. Some soils produce good crops without tests showing a great amount of the main nutrients in the soil. Other times the elements could be in surplus, and yet the yields are mediocre, as other factors were evidently in play. Considering soil biology brings some of this into better focus.

There are quite probably thousands or tens of thousands of tiny species in the soil, many of which have not yet been recognized or completely categorized (which is hard to believe in this time of detailed information about so much!). It is these tiny critters whose activities provide some of the answers to the gaps in our understanding of our soils and our farms. Some are visible and others not, they are predator and/ or prey, and they need to be in some kind of balance to best do the work we would like them to do. We don’t entirely understand what that balance should be because we don’t know what these tiny plants and animals are, or what they all do.

Pastures A Plenty tries to operate now with these five general soil health practices:

1. Keep the soil covered;

2. Minimize soil disturbance (tillage);

3. Increase crop diversity;

4. Keep living roots in the soil; and

5. Integrate livestock.

I believe these general practices enable us to foster our farm’s biological health without yet completely understanding what we are doing. We think that enhanced soil life serves as an intermediary between chemical nutrients and plant growth. We talk much about carbon movement now, both out and particularly into the soil, and about the movement of water. It is exciting, and the learning will extend well into the future. Soil health is a hot topic, especially in grazing circles. We’ll be studying at several workshops and meetings each winter. In the next part of this story (be sure to read the spring issue of Seward Co-op’s newsletter), I’ll share details about Pastures A Plenty’s evolution from a conventional farm focused on mainly on corn and soybeans to pasture-based livestock farming.

On Dec. 5, Seward Co-op has announced a voluntary recall of Seward-Made vegan chocolate cake with ganache and chocolate cake with brown butter frosting due to milk and egg allergens not listed on the label. Seward Co-op does not currently have affected product on the shelf, but could have sold affected product between Dec. 1–5, 2017.

Chocolate cake with ganache (vegan) $9.99/lb.
Chocolate cake with brown butter frosting $6.99/lb.

If you purchased this product at Seward Co-op between Dec. 1–5, 2017, it will be fully refunded at either our Franklin or Friendship store Customer Service desk.