The Franklin Avenue bridge (County Road 5) is closed for repairs through September 2016. Here is the alternative route to Seward Co-op’s Franklin store and Creamery Cafe.
Living Water Gardens is located on the outskirts of Wells, Minn., about 100 miles southwest of the Twin Cities. Three generations work together and handle the operation that grows 7,000 tomato plants and a variety of other vegetables in hot and humid greenhouses situated on roughly an acre of land. Like many of the producers that make their way onto Seward Co-op’s shelves, Living Water Gardens looks for opportunities to incorporate sustainable practices whenever possible. But the real difference is that they’ve traded in soil and earth for water and hydroponics. The water used at Living Water Gardens is the secret ingredient in the cultivation of their delicious produce. It tends to have high levels of iron, which cause frustration when they build up and clog the irrigation system, but it yields a tasty and nutrient-dense tomato.
The hydroponic process is quite involved and begins with starting seeds in rockwool, a fabric that promotes growth and decreases the spread of disease. Once the seeds bloom into healthy seedlings, they are moved from the nursery to the greenhouse, which provides ideally controlled growing conditions. To keep the greenhouses between 70–85F., old pallets are burned. Living Water Gardens partners with an organization that collects, bundles, and delivers pallets that would otherwise end up in a landfill. In the greenhouse, tomato plants are strung up on a single-string trellis system where they are able to reach their ideal “working height” and produce fruit from April to December.
In the spring, the well-being of honey bees is at the forefront of our minds. After all, we all benefit from a thriving bee population. Learn more below about how to get involved in supporting a healthy bee population!
Learn about the basics of starting your own hive, bee biology and bee advocacy from the Beez Kneez, a social enterprise working to “revive the hive for healthy bees, healthy lives.”
Click here to register!
Join our friends from The Beez Kneez bicycle-delivered honey to celebrate “Healthy Bees, Healthy Lives”, a campaign created by The Beez Kneez to protect pollinators from harmful pesticides and other chemicals. On Saturday, April 9 they will be in the stores promoting the annual Dandelion Honey Pastry Chef Challenge coming up on Wednesday, April 13th. We’ll be sampling their different honey varieties in store as well as the return of Honeybee Cream Puffs made by our bakery using Beez Knees honey.
The month of March is a time where we see a juxtaposition of fresh, spring vegetables coming from California and Mexico and winter storage crops available from local farms. A perfect pairing of spring and winter crops can be enjoyed with the following recipe; Creamy Asparagus Soup. It’s vegan; the cream comes from one of my favorite potatoes, the German Butterball. We are still getting these golden spuds locally from Driftless Organics in Wisconsin, where Josh and Noah Engle are selling a large bounty of stored potatoes harvested in the fall. Organic asparagus is in season in Mexico and California and we are selling it at the lowest prices I have seen in all my years as Produce Buyer. I would definitely sauté some asparagus to have alongside the soup. In fact, I ate a pound of asparagus last night, simply sautéed in butter with salt and pepper.
Asparagus contains anti-inflammatory phytonutrients as well as anti-oxidants. It contains significant amounts of inulin, fiber and B-vitamins. Inulin is a pre-biotic which helps with digestive issues and inulin also promotes healthy blood sugar levels. Inulin can be found in other foods such as artichokes, bananas, garlic, leeks, onions and sunchokes.
Speaking of sunchokes, I hear the C-op Creamery Café will be featuring overwintered sunchokes from a local farm on their upcoming new Evening menu. Overwintered vegetables have been left in the field during the frozen months and dug in the spring when the ground thaws. Overwintered produce is another great example of the winter to spring transition. Keep an eye out for overwintered parsnips and sunchokes in our stores this spring!
1 ½ lbs. asparagus spears, trimmed
1 ½ Tbs. olive oil
1 ½ cups finely chopped shallots (about 10)
½ lb. boiling potatoes, peeled and cut into ½-inch cubes
2 vegetable bouillon cubes
1 Tbs. fresh lemon juice
Coarsely ground black pepper for garnish
1. Reserve 8 spears of asparagus for garnish. Cut remaining asparagus stalks into 1-inch pieces.
2. In medium saucepan, heat oil over medium heat. Add shallots and cook, stirring often, until beginning to brown, 8 to 10 minutes. Add potatoes, cut-up asparagus and 4 cups water. Cover and bring to a boil over high heat. Add bouillon and 1 teaspoon salt. Reduce heat and simmer, partially covered, until potatoes are tender, about 10 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, in wide, deep pot of lightly salted boiling water, blanch reserved asparagus spears until just tender, about 3 minutes. Using slotted spoon, remove spears to colander and rinse under cold running water, drain well and set aside.
4. In food processor or blender, process soup in batches until smooth and creamy. Return to pot and add freshly ground pepper to taste and lemon juice. Adjust salt to taste. Garnish with asparagus spears and ground black pepper. Serve hot.
Recipe courtesy of Vegetarian Times
Store Specials |
Owner Deals |
Mar. 30 – April 12 |
These parfaits are perfect for breakfast, or even a delicious dessert. To assemble parfaits, layer a clear, tall glass with your favorite P6 yogurt (mixed with honey if preferred), honey-sweetened lemon curd, and honey granola.
4 Tbsp. unsalted Rochdale butter, cut into small pieces
cup Beez Kneez honey
4 large Schultz egg yolks
2 large Schultz eggs
cup fresh lemon juice (about 6–8 lemons)
1 Tbsp. finely grated lemon zest
In a medium bowl, cream butter and honey until fluffy. Beat in eggs slowly. Pour in the lemon juice and pour mixture into medium-sized, saucepan. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until mixture has thickened and becomes jelly-like, about 5–7 minutes. Make sure to pull the pan off the stove before it gets to a rolling boil. It’s done when the curd sticks to the back of the spoon. Immediately remove from heat and stir in lemon zest. Cool and store in the refrigerator.
2 cups Whole Grain Milling rolled oats
½ cup Equal Exchange nuts, chopped
¼ cup Bergin Fruit & Nut Co. sunflower seeds
3 Tbsp. Beez Kneez honey
2 Tbsp. coconut oil, melted
½ tsp. vanilla extract 1 large pinch sea salt
Preheat oven to 300º F. Combine all ingredients in a mixing bowl and use your hands to mix well and toss to coat. Spread mixture in a thin layer on a baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes, until lightly toasted. Cool before serving or storing.
The month of March is a time where we see a juxtaposition of fresh, spring vegetables coming from California and Mexico and winter storage crops available from local farms. A perfect pairing of spring and winter crops can be enjoyed with the following recipe; Creamy Asparagus Soup. It’s vegan; the cream comes from one of my favorite potatoes, the German Butterball. We are still getting these golden spuds locally from Driftless Organics in Wisconsin, where Josh and Noah Engle are selling a large bounty of stored potatoes harvested in the fall. Organic asparagus is in season in Mexico and California and we are selling it at the lowest prices I have seen in all my years as Produce Buyer. I would definitely sauté some asparagus to have alongside the soup. In fact, I ate a pound of asparagus last night, simply sautéed in butter with salt and pepper.
Asparagus contains anti-inflammatory phytonutrients as well as anti-oxidants. It contains significant amounts of inulin, fiber and B-vitamins. Inulin is a pre-biotic which helps with digestive issues and inulin also promotes healthy blood sugar levels. Inulin can be found in other foods such as artichokes, bananas, garlic, leeks, onions and sunchokes.
Speaking of sunchokes, I hear the C-op Creamery Café will be featuring overwintered sunchokes from a local farm on their upcoming new Evening menu. Overwintered vegetables have been left in the field during the frozen months and dug in the spring when the ground thaws. Overwintered produce is another great example of the winter to spring transition. Keep an eye out for overwintered parsnips and sunchokes in our stores this spring!
1 ½ lbs. asparagus spears, trimmed
1 ½ Tbs. olive oil
1 ½ cups finely chopped shallots (about 10)
½ lb. boiling potatoes, peeled and cut into ½-inch cubes
2 vegetable bouillon cubes
1 Tbs. fresh lemon juice
Coarsely ground black pepper for garnish
1. Reserve 8 spears of asparagus for garnish. Cut remaining asparagus stalks into 1-inch pieces.
2. In medium saucepan, heat oil over medium heat. Add shallots and cook, stirring often, until beginning to brown, 8 to 10 minutes. Add potatoes, cut-up asparagus and 4 cups water. Cover and bring to a boil over high heat. Add bouillon and 1 teaspoon salt. Reduce heat and simmer, partially covered, until potatoes are tender, about 10 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, in wide, deep pot of lightly salted boiling water, blanch reserved asparagus spears until just tender, about 3 minutes. Using slotted spoon, remove spears to colander and rinse under cold running water, drain well and set aside.
4. In food processor or blender, process soup in batches until smooth and creamy. Return to pot and add freshly ground pepper to taste and lemon juice. Adjust salt to taste. Garnish with asparagus spears and ground black pepper. Serve hot.
Recipe courtesy of Vegetarian Times
Store Specials |
Owner Deals |
Mar. 16 – Mar. 29 |
Store Specials |
Owner Deals |
Mar. 2 – Mar. 15 |
|
Any number of hollowed white eggs
One pot per color of dye
1 Tbsp. white vinegar per cup of strained dye liquid (optional)
Bowls or egg cartons for drying dyed eggs
Paper towels
Don’t be too precious about this process. It’s meant to be fun for you and your kids, so proportions aren’t exact and don’t need to be.
1. Hallow…desired amount of white eggs
Start by gently washing the eggs with soap and water. Take a pin and delicately push it into one end of the egg making a whole about the size of an eraser. Stick the pin in the hole and wiggle it around to break the yolk. Next, make a pin size hole on the opposite end. Finally, empty the contents of the egg into a bowl and reserve in the refrigerator for up to two days. We like to use the egg innards in this two-ingredient pancake recipe.
2. Shop …for the veggies and other items that you’ll use for creating your dyes.
Some of these items can be gathered over the days running up to your egg-dying extravaganza.
Err on the side of more veggie matter rather than less when creating your dyes.
You can use juices and beverages for dying, too.
Rule of thumb: If you’d freak out upon spilling a certain liquid on a white shirt, then it’s going to make a decent dye. These ingredients may be mixed in any combination for some great effect, too. We encourage you to experiment and see what you come up with!
3. Chop …your veggies and prepare your dyes.
We found that chopping fine, but not too fine, worked best. We used roughly 4 cups veggie matter for 4–6 cups water. Drop the veggies into the water and bring to a boil, turn heat down to low and simmer, covered, for 15–30 minutes. The dye is ready when it reaches a hue a few shades darker than you want for your egg. Finish by adding white vinegar right after simmering.
4. Pop …your eggs in the dye.
Strain the veggie matter out and set your hollowed eggs in the dye for several hours (or even over night). This will result in clean, crisp colors. After removing eggs from the dye, try draping wet onion skins over the eggs for an hour or two to take advantage of the onion skins’ cool patterns. Red cabbage would work as well.
You can experiment also with different amounts of vinegar, too. More vinegar will leave a thick film on the eggs that you can leave on and let dry, making them look gnarly and wonderful. Or you can rub the film away with a paper towel to find interesting patterns beneath, as the veggies and vinegar will soak into different parts of the egg. Dry your eggs in bowls or eggs cartons over night.
