Our annual Know Our Grower series continues as our growing season thrives. Know Our Grower is an opportunity to connect shoppers with the talented group of local farmers producing our food and sample recipes that allow their flavors to shine. Come chat and sample with Featherstone Farm this December! They will be in the Franklin store on Saturday, Dec. 3 from 11 a.m.-2 p.m. and the Friendship store on Saturday, Dec. 10 from 11 a.m.-2 p.m.
Featherstone Farm started in 1995 as Jack Hedin and Jenni McHugh’s five-acre garden at the Zephyr Valley Land Co-op near Winona, Minn. Since then, the farm has relocated to land near the town of Rushford, Minn., and now employs nearly 50 people working on over 250 acres of optimal vegetable-growing ground. Beginning in late May with leaf lettuce through a summer’s harvest of zucchini and cherry tomatoes into winter squash and carrots in the winter, there’s hardly a month that Featherstone isn’t represented in the co-op’s Produce department. The farm is certified organic and is dedicated to creating a truly sustainable agriculture system. That includes geothermal heating and cooling for the packing shed, as well as a solar array that generates about 60 percent of the farm’s energy.
The 2016 season has proven to be the worst in Featherstone Farms’s 20 years in business. The fourth wettest year in Minnesota history has produced crop losses far in excess of anything they’ve ever experienced. Featherstone has lost 20% of their crop income and is facing a $350,000 loss. They are hoping to raise $150,000 by Thanksgiving. Folks can help by going to our website at featherstonefarm.com.
Since April 2016, tribal citizens of the Standing Rock Lakota Nation and allies have gathered to oppose and raise awareness of the 1,170-mile Dakota Access Pipeline, which threatens to pollute the Missouri River and harm sacred cultural lands and tribal burial grounds. Seward Co-op stands with Standing Rock and has supported the movement with donations to groups traveling to Standing Rock. These donations have been used to purchase food and supplies requested by the leadership at the Sacred Stone camp, and Seward Co-op staff and board members have been a part of some of these groups. Seward Co-op staff is also reaching out to leaders in the Native American community in the Twin Cities to augment actions they take in support of Standing Rock. We encourage community members to learn about current needs of the camp http://sacredstonecamp.org/supply-list/ and to donate http://sacredstonecamp.org/donate/.
On October 28, Back to Nature voluntarily recalled the following product because it was mislabeled. The chocolate in the Chocolate Chunk Cookies contained milk, an undeclared allergen. Between July 30 2016 and October 28 2016, Seward Co-op may have sold products affected by this recall at both the Franklin and Friendship stores.
Back to Nature Chocolate Chunk Cookies –$5.29
Best By Date: 5/8/17-5/12/17
Size: 9.5 oz.
UPC: 1989801100
If you purchased any of the above product at Seward Co-op between July 30 2016 – October 28 2016, recalled products will be fully refunded at either our Franklin or Friendship store Customer Service desk. Consumers can find more information at http://www.fda.gov/Safety/Recalls/ucm526992.htm?source=govdelivery&utm_medium=email&utm_source=govdelivery.
On October 18, Seward Co-op removed Hylands teething gel and teething tablets from our shelves, due to an FDA recommendation warning consumers that homeopathic teething tablets and gels may pose a risk to infants and children. The FDA recommends that consumers stop using these products and dispose of any in their possession. Between July 1, 2016 and October 18, 2016, Seward Co-op may have sold products affected at both the Franklin and Friendship stores.
Hylands Teething Gel–$8.99
Size: 0.5 fl. oz.
UPC: 35497375212
Hylands Teeting Tablets – $10.99
Size: 135 tablets
UPC: 35497331271
If you purchased any of the above product at Seward Co-op between July 1, 2016 and October 18, 2016, affected products will be fully refunded at either our Franklin or Friendship store Customer Service desk. Consumers can find more information at http://www.fda.gov/NewsEvents/Newsroom/PressAnnouncements/ucm523468.htm.
Thanks to all who joined us at the Seward Co-op Creamery Café on Sunday, Oct. 9, for the ice cream social with Sonny’s Ice Cream. We couldn’t be more excited to partner with this family-owned business that continues to churn small batches of ice cream made with fresh, whole ingredients the way it has been made since 1945. Now that the Creamery is open again, let us reintroduce ourselves with new weekly specials beginning Wednesday, Oct. 19.
Saturday Nights
$50 per couple
Choose the perfect beverage to sip — beer, wine, coffee, tea or a bottled beverage from our drink cooler. For starters, share a small plate or one of our appetizer-size side dishes. Your choice of two entrees from the following for the main course: salmon, soba noodles, burger and fries, or our beet Reuben and fries. Save room for dessert! You can choose one of our daily scratch-made bakery items to split. If you have a hard time deciding, please don’t hesitate to ask one of our knowledgeable staff for a recommendation.
End the week with happy hour at the Seward Co-op Creamery Café!
Wednesday–Saturday, 3–5 p.m.
Enjoy $1 off:
Owner Appreciation Day
As a token of our appreciation for our engaged ownership, all Seward Co-op owners receive 15% off their order every Thursday.
Live Music
Please join us for live music from 6–9 p.m. beginning Saturday, Oct. 22. Here is the upcoming schedule:
Wreaths and garlands from Trout Brook Vineyard in the St. Croix River Valley are available at Seward Co-op this year. The grapevine was harvested from the vineyard and handcrafted into the wreath base. Evergreen boughs are sourced from locally owned Koehler and Dramm.
An 18-inch grapevine and mixed evergreen wreath is $40. Mixed evergreen garland is available by the foot for $12/foot. We will be accepting pre-orders online and at the Customer Service desk at the Franklin and Friendship stores until Saturday, Nov. 26. Orders will be available for pick-up Saturday, Dec. 3. To order your winter décor, please click the link below:
Winter wreath and garland pre-order
The next time you’re in the Produce department, let one of our staff tell you about our selection of seasonal produce available for the remainder of fall and into winter.
Co-ops around the world share a set of guiding principles with Seward Co-op, including “cooperation among cooperatives,” and “concern for community.” When you purchase delicious healthy food at the co-op, you’re supporting a business that cares about people and contributes to a livable, sustainable community. And when you choose products from co-op farmers and vendors, that impact grows and grows.
This year, fair trade pioneer Equal Exchange marks its 30th year as an organization and its 10th year in the banana trade. Since its inception, Equal Exchange has worked tirelessly to give small farmers a place in the global marketplace with the mission of connecting farmers with consumers. Embedded deep within Equal Exchange’s mission is the importance of long-term trade partnerships, as evident through its partnerships with small farmer banana cooperatives in Ecuador and Peru. Equal Exchange has worked with El Guabo cooperative in Ecuador for 10 years and CEPIBO cooperative in Peru for 6 years.
Equal Exchange’s cooperative supply chain stands as an alternative to the conventional banana industry, which is dominated by multinationals. Equal Exchange bananas are grown by farmer cooperatives, imported and distributed by Equal Exchange (a worker-owned cooperative), and sold on the shelves of cooperatives like Seward Coop. Together, Equal Exchange and its partners are creating a trade model that supports small farmers, builds communities, and enriches the environment.
This coop month, celebrate this important milestone in the cooperative movement and radical banana trade with a special celebration at Lakes & Legends Brewery in Downtown Minneapolis on October 27th. Join Equal Exchange for an evening of discussion, food, and fun that celebrates small farmers striving to change the way American consumers view and eat bananas.
The evening will begin with a meet and greet with Dan Koeppel, renowned author of Banana, and Anibal Cabrera, Ecuadorian banana farmer from El Guabo cooperative. This is a rare opportunity to dig into the realities of the banana business with these banana experts, one Equal Exchange is excited to share with its Minneapolis partners.
The remainder of the evening will include a screening and panel discussion of the award-winning documentary Beyond the Seal, an intriguing piece that portrays the story of a group of small farmers – and the activists and visionaries behind them – striving to change the banana industry. Join us for a truly thrilling evening focused on bananas, small farmers, and the cooperative movement.
For more information about the event, visit facebook.com/equalexchange/events. The event is free and open to public.
Thank you for supporting Equal Exchange bananas over the past 10 years. To many more decades in the future!
Ravdeep Jaidka is the Supply Chain Coordinator at Equal Exchange Bananas. Ravdeep manages the domestic end of the Equal Exchange banana supply chain, making sure the bananas get from the Port of Philadelphia to the shelves of coops and stores on schedule every week. Her favorite way to enjoy a banana is in smoothie form.
We are writing to share that the Seward Co-op Creamery Café has reopened. Going forward, the café will be open Sunday–Tuesday, 8 a.m.–3 p.m., and Wednesday–Saturday, 8 a.m.–9 p.m. We’ve taken the community’s feedback to heart and used it to guide the vision for the new café. Chef Katie Nielson has finalized the menu that features familiar favorites, as well as several new dishes that will range from vegetarian sandwiches to rotating fresh burger flavors to classic brunch fare. Please find the full menu here. Sonny’s Ice Cream, located in Uptown, will be providing hand-dipped ice cream, and we will continue to make our own housemade vanilla soft serve and rotating fruit sorbet flavors. Please stop by soon to welcome our new addition to the Seward Co-op family!
This year, fair trade pioneer Equal Exchange marks its 30th year as an organization and its 10th year in the banana trade. Since its inception, Equal Exchange has worked tirelessly to give small farmers a place in the global marketplace with the mission of connecting farmers with consumers. Embedded deep within Equal Exchange’s mission is the importance of long-term trade partnerships, as evident through its partnerships with small farmer banana cooperatives in Ecuador and Peru. Equal Exchange has worked with El Guabo cooperative in Ecuador for 10 years and CEPIBO cooperative in Peru for 6 years.
Equal Exchange’s cooperative supply chain stands as an alternative to the conventional banana industry, which is dominated by multinationals. Equal Exchange bananas are grown by farmer cooperatives, imported and distributed by Equal Exchange (a worker-owned cooperative), and sold on the shelves of cooperatives like Seward Coop. Together, Equal Exchange and its partners are creating a trade model that supports small farmers, builds communities, and enriches the environment.
This coop month, celebrate this important milestone in the cooperative movement and radical banana trade with a special celebration at Lakes & Legends Brewery in Downtown Minneapolis on October 27th. Join Equal Exchange for an evening of discussion, food, and fun that celebrates small farmers striving to change the way American consumers view and eat bananas.
The evening will begin with a meet and greet with Dan Koeppel, renowned author of Banana, and Anibal Cabrera, Ecuadorian banana farmer from El Guabo cooperative. This is a rare opportunity to dig into the realities of the banana business with these banana experts, one Equal Exchange is excited to share with its Minneapolis partners.
The remainder of the evening will include a screening and panel discussion of the award-winning documentary Beyond the Seal, an intriguing piece that portrays the story of a group of small farmers – and the activists and visionaries behind them – striving to change the banana industry. Join us for a truly thrilling evening focused on bananas, small farmers, and the cooperative movement.
For more information about the event, visitfacebook.com/equalexchange/events. The event is free and open to public.
Thank you for supporting Equal Exchange bananas over the past 10 years. To many more decades in the future!
Ravdeep Jaidka is the Supply Chain Coordinator at Equal Exchange Bananas. Ravdeep manages the domestic end of the Equal Exchange banana supply chain, making sure the bananas get from the Port of Philadelphia to the shelves of coops and stores on schedule every week. Her favorite way to enjoy a banana is in smoothie form.
On October 3, TW Garner Food Company issued a voluntary recall of its Green Mountain Gringo All Natural Tortilla Strips, due to potential contamination by stainless steel fragments Between August 3, 2016 and October 3, 2016, Seward Co-op may have sold products affected by this recall at both the Franklin and Friendship stores.
Green Mountain Gringo All Natural Tortilla Strips–$2.79
Size: 8 oz
UPC: 0 53852 00300 2
If you purchased any of the above product at Seward Co-op between August 3, 2016 and October 3, 2016, recalled products will be fully refunded at either our Franklin or Friendship store Customer Service desk. Consumers can find more information at http://app.recallinfolink.com/uploads//10864-28741-GrnMtnGringoAllNaturalTortillaStrips.pdf.
