Monday, May 19
The neck bone connected to the … lamb bone.
Lamb bones, we’ve got them. Good for soup making, they add a rich meaty flavor to anything you cook them with. Lentil soup cooked with a lamb bone or two, oh my, it just transforms it into a whole new experience. They’d also make a fine treat for your dog (although I’m not an expert on what’s good for your dog, so please check with someone who knows about such things!) We have a lamb liver as well, which would make someone’s animal friend really happy.
Sunday, May 18
Fresh Local Organic Asparagus
Wheatfield Hill is harvesting their certified organic asparagus and we are getting weekly deliveries of it. It's great for grilling, omelets, quiche, fried or blanched. It is also great as a fresh snack with hummus. The green bundles of flowers are snap harvested so the entire spear is tender and not woody at all. Come down to the store to pick up some of this delicious seasonal vegetable, or add a bunch or two to your order for Friday.
Friday, May 16
This Saturday at the Farmer's Market
This weekend at the Just Local Food tasting booth we'll be hosting Richard from Rolling Meadows. He's bringing his enthusiastic personality and his shaker cup of sorghum caramel corn. Wheatfield Hill will have their first major picking of Asparagus available, and other vendors will surely bring a variety of greens, meats, cheese and baked goods. Stop down! A little about the the sorghum fella visiting us:
Rolling Meadows Sorghum Mill
established 1985
Richard became interested in sorghum syrup in 1984, when he could not find a jar of sorghum syrup to purchase. In 1985, he decided that he could produce his own syrup. It wasn't until 1986 that he successfully raised and processed his first crop, 6 gallons total production. Over the years, through research and testing, his operation has grown. In the early 1990's, he made the decision to be serious about syrup production, rather than just a hobby, and built his certified food-processing operation. In 1996, he started to build mechanical harvesting equipment, and today, his harvest is fully mechanical. In 1998, he installed a high-pressure steam boiler which allows him to do preheating and to cook by steam. Today, he produces over 1300 gallons annually. His assistant, Marcia, in charge of sales and marketing, sells to retail markets throughout the state of Wisconsin and does mail order throughout the United States. Marcia also spends considerable time at farm markets and special-event shows. Rich also owns Percheron draft horses and operates Queen Anne Carriage Rides, giving carriage and hay rides in his local resort town of Elkhart Lake.
bikes
Our store is currently located along a beautiful river parkway. We see lots of bikes every day.A lot of Just Local workers ride bikes to work, and overall Eau Claire is a great place to bike. And we have a thriving bike culture, too. Witness a nice summer Saturday Farmers Market with bikes, baskets and trailers with flowers and food. You could even say those bikes are powered by local food.
If you're curious to take a glimpse at just one aspect of Eau Claire's bike scene, take a few minutes to view this video documenting a fun bike race that took place all over town last weekend. Just Local Food is proud to have been a stop in past Alley Cat races, and workers have been known to ride along too...
In other local bike news, rumour is a certain downtown bakery has commandeered a wheeled machine that will forego the combustion engine for a human biped capable of relocating massive amounts of pastries. What's this all mean? You're going to see more and more cool bikes around town. I'm hoping to have our own market cruiser ready for next weekend...
If you're curious to take a glimpse at just one aspect of Eau Claire's bike scene, take a few minutes to view this video documenting a fun bike race that took place all over town last weekend. Just Local Food is proud to have been a stop in past Alley Cat races, and workers have been known to ride along too...
In other local bike news, rumour is a certain downtown bakery has commandeered a wheeled machine that will forego the combustion engine for a human biped capable of relocating massive amounts of pastries. What's this all mean? You're going to see more and more cool bikes around town. I'm hoping to have our own market cruiser ready for next weekend...
Thursday, May 15
Produce 5/15/2008
This week we have been getting more and more local produce they include: spinach, chard, mix lettuce greens and from Sunbow Farm(Eau Claire). We also have arugula from Romar Greenhouse also parsley and mizuna(mild salad green) from Coon Creek organic farm. We also have several new stone fruits from California like nectarines, peaches and apricots. Don't worry we continue to keep many other usual items in produce as well. So come down to the store and get your weekly supply of local early season greens. Or pick up your regular supply of zucchini, beets, bananas, potatoes or what ever else might tickle your fancy.
Tuesday, May 13
UWEC Capstone Article 2 of 4
Not ‘Just Local Food’
Cooperative combines traditional values with eat local movement
By Adrian Northrup northram@uwec.edu
There’s a food movement going on across the country and a small store in Eau Claire, Wis. is at the head of it. Just Local Food, 772 First Ave., is one of the first stores in the country combining the concepts of eating locally and a food cooperative, offering locally produced and distributed products to people in the area. This store is just the beginning, co-owner Aaron Ellringer said. “We know that future is in local food,” he said. “We’re banking on the fact that people are going to be turning to local farmers to provide them with their food.
The founders of Just Local Food came up with the concept for the business when they decided they wanted to work with local farmers to help sell their produce and products and also wanted to own their own business, Ellringer said. Once the concept of combining local food and a co-op was chosen, the founders had to decide what kind of company they wanted to be. They settled on a worker-owned food cooperative. Just Local Food opened as a delivery service in 2004, and opened a store in 2005.
The cooperative structure gives Just Local Food flexibility, Ellringer said. Being a cooperative allows the company to focus on selling local food rather than money.
“Corporations by law are required to make money and all their decisions have to be about making money,” Ellringer said. “…we’re allowed in our bylaws and through the state statutes to consider things other than just making money. To me, it’s an important thing to be able to support and work for our community.”
Just Local food is a local expression of a growing national wide emphasis on local food, University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire associate professor of geography Paul Kaldjian said. However, the idea of eating local isn’t new. “This is a return to kinds of things that happened a long time ago,” he said.
While its business structure is a cooperative, Just Local food is very unique. The worker-owned structure, where the employees own and operate the business without an external board of directors is a different structure than most co-ops. The company was also started recently, rather than during the 1970s like many food co-ops, Ellringer said, giving the business a different perspective. And other co-ops don’t have the main focus on local food like Just Local Food. “Our co-op started recently asking new questions and trying to solve new problems that exist today,” Ellringer said. “… We have the name food and we have the name co-op. And that’s about where the similarity ends.”
Just Local Food is approaching local food from both ends, Ellringer said. Not only are they supplying the food, they are also increasing the demand by educating people about it. Other differences between Just Local Food and a regular co-op is membership fees, Ellringer said. Many co-ops require shoppers to become members of the business or pay a fee to shop there. For Just Local Food there is no membership or fee. Ellringer said he doesn’t like to classify Just Local Food as just a food co-op, but a rather a small-town grocery. “I call it a mom and pop grocery store,” Ellringer said. “Because it gives you the impression that it’s small, you’ll know the people that are there.
Patron Dennis Eikenberry said knowing the people there is one reason he shops there. “I love all the people that work there,” he said. “We know one another on a personal basis. It’s a place where like minded people meet. I’m always running into people there that I’ve never met before and we end up having these long involved conversations. I meet new friends at Just Local Food.”
Just Local Food works with about 50 to 75 local producers. Ellringer said it takes a lot of time and organization working with so many suppliers, and sometimes costs more financially, but it has many great benefits, including supporting local farmers and the economy. “You’re able to recycle money through our local economy time and time again,” he said. About 85 percent of products sold in the store are locally or regionally produced.
Working with so many local producers, Kaldjian said stores like Just Local Food operate similar to a farmer’s market but has a few advantages. First, it makes the products available every day of the week. The business also has the ability to get products from a larger area, and offer a wider variety of products. The store is also able to have more products in stock, he said. Another benefit is stores have the ability to advertise.
Just Local Food has a food policy that determines the types of products they carry. The first policy is that the item is locally produced or distributed. The second is that the product is sustainably grown and or organic. The third policy is that product is of high quality and low cost. Other policies include the products being unprocessed and unmodified, produced or distributed by small businesses or cooperatives, packaged and produced in an environmentally-friendly manner and no exploitation of workers involved with the food. The food policy also bans genetically modified good, partially hydrogenated oils and high fructose corn syrup items from the store, unless they are specifically labeled.
While Just Local Food tries to follow these guidelines, Ellringer said they do make exceptions, for the benefit of their customers.
“We make compromises on the edges in order to keep more customers happy and keep them coming in and shopping.
Trish Cummins, who was a customer on Just Local Food’s first delivery route and now shops at the store twice a week, said she has watched the store evolve.
“They’ve definitely expanded into being somewhere you can do all of your shopping,” she said. “… There’s not a grocery store in town that can rival the organic and local produce they get.
Food problems, like the increasing number of unknown ingredients in foods like pesticides and growth hormones, and contaminations, intimidate people and get them interested in where their food comes from, Kaldjian said. “As the list of the ingredients gets longer and more chemical, the more people feel uncomfortable,” Kaldjian said. “…Local foods also benefit from this. It’s the desire to understand what we really are eating and what we’re feeding our kids.” Food contamination outbreaks have increased sales at Just Local Food, Ellringer said. Customers sometimes come in for a certain ingredient and then get interested in the idea of local food, he said.
Ellringer said they also sometimes use exceptions to their food policy to test products for local farmers. For example, Ellringer said that if a farmer was interested in making chicken hot dogs, but wasn’t sure if they would be popular, Just Local Food may find chicken hot dogs from another nearby vendor to test the market.
“If we find out that customers are buying them up like crazy and they’re spending this much money on them,” Ellringer said. “We can share that information with our local farmers and hopefully develop a product that can sell.
Local products may cost more, but Eikenberry and Cummins said they are willing to pay more for local products. And if more people bought the products, Cummins said, prices would decrease.
“The more people who can afford to shop this way (locally), the more people that do, the prices will start to come down,” she said.
Cummins said her family shops at Just Local Food to reduce their environmental impact. Buying food that has to be transported to the area causes damage to the environment and uses unnecessary food miles, she said.
Food miles are the distance between the place of production and consumption of food, Kaldjian said. The more miles the food travels, the more energy is used and the larger impact on the environment.
Buying locally also supports the local economy, Kaldjian said, and keeps revenue in the area. Buying locally isn’t a new concept. Kaldjian compared it to buying American and supporting the U.S. economy, and the idea of buying Wisconsin cheese.
While it is difficult to do with working with so many local vendors, Just Local Food is generating revenue, and that revenue is increasing every year, Ellringer said. In 2007, the company sold over $350,000. Most of the best sellers in the store are local products like dairy, beef and vegetables, Ellringer said.
Ellringer said he thinks the idea of local food is and will take off across the country. He receives phone calls from people across the country curious about Just Local Food, and how the business works. While the exact model may not work, Ellringer said there are parts of Just Local Food that can be replicated. “There are farmers and consumers and workers out there that want to figure out this puzzle,” he said. “How do we create a food system for local food? We’ve done it. So people want to see that and how we’ve done it.”
Cooperative combines traditional values with eat local movement
By Adrian Northrup northram@uwec.edu
There’s a food movement going on across the country and a small store in Eau Claire, Wis. is at the head of it. Just Local Food, 772 First Ave., is one of the first stores in the country combining the concepts of eating locally and a food cooperative, offering locally produced and distributed products to people in the area. This store is just the beginning, co-owner Aaron Ellringer said. “We know that future is in local food,” he said. “We’re banking on the fact that people are going to be turning to local farmers to provide them with their food.
The founders of Just Local Food came up with the concept for the business when they decided they wanted to work with local farmers to help sell their produce and products and also wanted to own their own business, Ellringer said. Once the concept of combining local food and a co-op was chosen, the founders had to decide what kind of company they wanted to be. They settled on a worker-owned food cooperative. Just Local Food opened as a delivery service in 2004, and opened a store in 2005.
The cooperative structure gives Just Local Food flexibility, Ellringer said. Being a cooperative allows the company to focus on selling local food rather than money.
“Corporations by law are required to make money and all their decisions have to be about making money,” Ellringer said. “…we’re allowed in our bylaws and through the state statutes to consider things other than just making money. To me, it’s an important thing to be able to support and work for our community.”
Just Local food is a local expression of a growing national wide emphasis on local food, University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire associate professor of geography Paul Kaldjian said. However, the idea of eating local isn’t new. “This is a return to kinds of things that happened a long time ago,” he said.
While its business structure is a cooperative, Just Local food is very unique. The worker-owned structure, where the employees own and operate the business without an external board of directors is a different structure than most co-ops. The company was also started recently, rather than during the 1970s like many food co-ops, Ellringer said, giving the business a different perspective. And other co-ops don’t have the main focus on local food like Just Local Food. “Our co-op started recently asking new questions and trying to solve new problems that exist today,” Ellringer said. “… We have the name food and we have the name co-op. And that’s about where the similarity ends.”
Just Local Food is approaching local food from both ends, Ellringer said. Not only are they supplying the food, they are also increasing the demand by educating people about it. Other differences between Just Local Food and a regular co-op is membership fees, Ellringer said. Many co-ops require shoppers to become members of the business or pay a fee to shop there. For Just Local Food there is no membership or fee. Ellringer said he doesn’t like to classify Just Local Food as just a food co-op, but a rather a small-town grocery. “I call it a mom and pop grocery store,” Ellringer said. “Because it gives you the impression that it’s small, you’ll know the people that are there.
Patron Dennis Eikenberry said knowing the people there is one reason he shops there. “I love all the people that work there,” he said. “We know one another on a personal basis. It’s a place where like minded people meet. I’m always running into people there that I’ve never met before and we end up having these long involved conversations. I meet new friends at Just Local Food.”
Just Local Food works with about 50 to 75 local producers. Ellringer said it takes a lot of time and organization working with so many suppliers, and sometimes costs more financially, but it has many great benefits, including supporting local farmers and the economy. “You’re able to recycle money through our local economy time and time again,” he said. About 85 percent of products sold in the store are locally or regionally produced.
Working with so many local producers, Kaldjian said stores like Just Local Food operate similar to a farmer’s market but has a few advantages. First, it makes the products available every day of the week. The business also has the ability to get products from a larger area, and offer a wider variety of products. The store is also able to have more products in stock, he said. Another benefit is stores have the ability to advertise.
Just Local Food has a food policy that determines the types of products they carry. The first policy is that the item is locally produced or distributed. The second is that the product is sustainably grown and or organic. The third policy is that product is of high quality and low cost. Other policies include the products being unprocessed and unmodified, produced or distributed by small businesses or cooperatives, packaged and produced in an environmentally-friendly manner and no exploitation of workers involved with the food. The food policy also bans genetically modified good, partially hydrogenated oils and high fructose corn syrup items from the store, unless they are specifically labeled.
While Just Local Food tries to follow these guidelines, Ellringer said they do make exceptions, for the benefit of their customers.
“We make compromises on the edges in order to keep more customers happy and keep them coming in and shopping.
Trish Cummins, who was a customer on Just Local Food’s first delivery route and now shops at the store twice a week, said she has watched the store evolve.
“They’ve definitely expanded into being somewhere you can do all of your shopping,” she said. “… There’s not a grocery store in town that can rival the organic and local produce they get.
Food problems, like the increasing number of unknown ingredients in foods like pesticides and growth hormones, and contaminations, intimidate people and get them interested in where their food comes from, Kaldjian said. “As the list of the ingredients gets longer and more chemical, the more people feel uncomfortable,” Kaldjian said. “…Local foods also benefit from this. It’s the desire to understand what we really are eating and what we’re feeding our kids.” Food contamination outbreaks have increased sales at Just Local Food, Ellringer said. Customers sometimes come in for a certain ingredient and then get interested in the idea of local food, he said.
Ellringer said they also sometimes use exceptions to their food policy to test products for local farmers. For example, Ellringer said that if a farmer was interested in making chicken hot dogs, but wasn’t sure if they would be popular, Just Local Food may find chicken hot dogs from another nearby vendor to test the market.
“If we find out that customers are buying them up like crazy and they’re spending this much money on them,” Ellringer said. “We can share that information with our local farmers and hopefully develop a product that can sell.
Local products may cost more, but Eikenberry and Cummins said they are willing to pay more for local products. And if more people bought the products, Cummins said, prices would decrease.
“The more people who can afford to shop this way (locally), the more people that do, the prices will start to come down,” she said.
Cummins said her family shops at Just Local Food to reduce their environmental impact. Buying food that has to be transported to the area causes damage to the environment and uses unnecessary food miles, she said.
Food miles are the distance between the place of production and consumption of food, Kaldjian said. The more miles the food travels, the more energy is used and the larger impact on the environment.
Buying locally also supports the local economy, Kaldjian said, and keeps revenue in the area. Buying locally isn’t a new concept. Kaldjian compared it to buying American and supporting the U.S. economy, and the idea of buying Wisconsin cheese.
While it is difficult to do with working with so many local vendors, Just Local Food is generating revenue, and that revenue is increasing every year, Ellringer said. In 2007, the company sold over $350,000. Most of the best sellers in the store are local products like dairy, beef and vegetables, Ellringer said.
Ellringer said he thinks the idea of local food is and will take off across the country. He receives phone calls from people across the country curious about Just Local Food, and how the business works. While the exact model may not work, Ellringer said there are parts of Just Local Food that can be replicated. “There are farmers and consumers and workers out there that want to figure out this puzzle,” he said. “How do we create a food system for local food? We’ve done it. So people want to see that and how we’ve done it.”
UWEC Capstone Article 1 of 4
This is the first of four articles we'll be publishing that were written by UWEC student (graduating this weekend) Adrian Northrup. She wrote them as a series for her capstone project, and kindly gave us permission to publish them here. Adrian did an excellent job researching her articles and we feel she has done the community a great service by thoroughly understanding our cooperative and effectively communicating that to readers. Thanks Adrian, and good luck!
Parking lot replaces storefront
Downtown grocery relocates; jail expansion to tear down building
By Adrian Northrup
If the Just Local Food building, 772 First Ave, is paradise, Eau Claire County plans to tear it down and put up a parking lot.
Frank Draxler, purchasing manager for Eau Claire County and project manager for the Eau Claire County jail expansion, said the County Board voted 17-9 to purchase the building that Just Local Food rents at a meeting on Mar. 18. The county acquired the building for $210,000 in early April, Draxler said.
Eau Claire resident Ben Carolan, who opposes the downtown jail expansion, said he's unhappy with the county's decision.
“It was nice having a storefront on the river,” he said. “I'm really disappointed that they have to tear down the building and replace it with a concrete slab.
Just Local Food co-owner Aaron Ellringer said the business was planning to move from the location before the purchase went through. However, the jail expansion project was a factor in their relocation decision.
“It's (the jail expansion project) created an environment that makes it impossible to plan for our future,” he said.
A 2006 fire at their original store location placed Just Local Food to their current First Avenue location.
Just Local Food was founded in 2004 and began as delivery service, distributing locally grown and produced items to customers, Ellringer said. Their business began to grow, and the company opened their first store in their warehouse on Gibson Street in 2005. In early 2006, a fire caused major damage to the building and forced a move. While searching, the Just Local Food owners came across the building located on First Avenue, which was an old food distribution warehouse being used for storage, Ellringer said. After talking to the owners of the building and a few upgrades, Just Local Food moved in.
The fire has helped prepare Just Local Food for their move, he said.
“There’s that saying that goes ‘whatever doesn’t kill you makes you stronger,” he said. “We know what it takes to move our business. Our customers know what it takes, our suppliers know. So, in some sense, we have been prepared.
Eau Claire County plans to tear down the building in late fall or at the end of the year and use the land for a parking lot, but Ellringer said Just Local Food would like to relocate by this summer.
“We just are anxious to get started on the next phase of our growth,” Ellringer said.
Ideally, Ellringer said, the business would like to be in the downtown area.
The business is preparing for the move by raising funds and gathering volunteers to help, Ellringer said. Customers of Just Local Food will also play a key role in the relocation.
“They’re very supportive and they want to know what they can do to help,” he said.
Ellringer said Just Local Food is ready for the move.
“We're growing, we're expanding and we're planning for our future,” he said.
Both Draxler and Ellringer said they have been in preliminary talks about the relocation, but no decisions have been made.
Construction on the jail expansion project could begin before the Just Local Food building is torn down, Draxler said. Eventually the building will have to be torn down.
“At some point we have to say that’s long enough because we’ll need that space for staging equipment and employee parking,” he said.
Draxler said the parking lot is necessary for the jail expansion project.
“At a minimum we have to replace our current parking and provide adequate parking for new employees and new public,” he said.
The purchase of the Just Local Food building will allow 54 more parking spaces in the jail expansion project, Draxler said.
Parking lot replaces storefront
Downtown grocery relocates; jail expansion to tear down building
By Adrian Northrup
If the Just Local Food building, 772 First Ave, is paradise, Eau Claire County plans to tear it down and put up a parking lot.
Frank Draxler, purchasing manager for Eau Claire County and project manager for the Eau Claire County jail expansion, said the County Board voted 17-9 to purchase the building that Just Local Food rents at a meeting on Mar. 18. The county acquired the building for $210,000 in early April, Draxler said.
Eau Claire resident Ben Carolan, who opposes the downtown jail expansion, said he's unhappy with the county's decision.
“It was nice having a storefront on the river,” he said. “I'm really disappointed that they have to tear down the building and replace it with a concrete slab.
Just Local Food co-owner Aaron Ellringer said the business was planning to move from the location before the purchase went through. However, the jail expansion project was a factor in their relocation decision.
“It's (the jail expansion project) created an environment that makes it impossible to plan for our future,” he said.
A 2006 fire at their original store location placed Just Local Food to their current First Avenue location.
Just Local Food was founded in 2004 and began as delivery service, distributing locally grown and produced items to customers, Ellringer said. Their business began to grow, and the company opened their first store in their warehouse on Gibson Street in 2005. In early 2006, a fire caused major damage to the building and forced a move. While searching, the Just Local Food owners came across the building located on First Avenue, which was an old food distribution warehouse being used for storage, Ellringer said. After talking to the owners of the building and a few upgrades, Just Local Food moved in.
The fire has helped prepare Just Local Food for their move, he said.
“There’s that saying that goes ‘whatever doesn’t kill you makes you stronger,” he said. “We know what it takes to move our business. Our customers know what it takes, our suppliers know. So, in some sense, we have been prepared.
Eau Claire County plans to tear down the building in late fall or at the end of the year and use the land for a parking lot, but Ellringer said Just Local Food would like to relocate by this summer.
“We just are anxious to get started on the next phase of our growth,” Ellringer said.
Ideally, Ellringer said, the business would like to be in the downtown area.
The business is preparing for the move by raising funds and gathering volunteers to help, Ellringer said. Customers of Just Local Food will also play a key role in the relocation.
“They’re very supportive and they want to know what they can do to help,” he said.
Ellringer said Just Local Food is ready for the move.
“We're growing, we're expanding and we're planning for our future,” he said.
Both Draxler and Ellringer said they have been in preliminary talks about the relocation, but no decisions have been made.
Construction on the jail expansion project could begin before the Just Local Food building is torn down, Draxler said. Eventually the building will have to be torn down.
“At some point we have to say that’s long enough because we’ll need that space for staging equipment and employee parking,” he said.
Draxler said the parking lot is necessary for the jail expansion project.
“At a minimum we have to replace our current parking and provide adequate parking for new employees and new public,” he said.
The purchase of the Just Local Food building will allow 54 more parking spaces in the jail expansion project, Draxler said.
Monday, May 12
Fresh Local Arugula
Romar Greenhouse is now supplying us with fresh arugula. Most of the produce we will be receiving from them is cut that day and on our shelves that evening. We will also get some heirloom tomatoes, spinach and more. These pictures are the starts that they will sell at the farmers market and of Jordan(JLF) and Martha (Romar) cutting fresh arugula to bring to the store that day. Romar specializes in heirloom tomatoes and they have 30 plus varieties of tomatoes several peppers and many other starts to be able to sell at the farmers market.
Wild in Wisconsin
It is not only local season but also wild season. We have already received wild ramps(leeks) and we are expecting morel mushrooms soon also. The ramps, if you have never tried one, is like a spicy spring onion with delicious greens. They could be used in anything that you would like onions or leeks in and the greens taste great fresh in salads. We are selling them for $1.99/bunch and that gets you about 10-14 individual ramps. I am also hoping to get an assortment of wild foods all summer long, if you have any requests let us know.
Friday, May 9
try delivery
Have you been to our store? It can all be delivered.
We can deliver anything we have in stock to you on Friday, and we'd be glad to. Our co-op started as a delivery service and we're still running strong, reaching out to every side of town and beyond. Save a trip, we're in your neighborhood anyway, and we'll bring it all right to your door. We can even call you on Friday morning to confirm your order and add as much as you'd like.
Of course, it still helps us and our suppliers if we get orders in by Monday at noon, but we understand that not everyone's life works on a schedule like that all the time.
Email an order.
Or phone: (715)577-5564
We can deliver anything we have in stock to you on Friday, and we'd be glad to. Our co-op started as a delivery service and we're still running strong, reaching out to every side of town and beyond. Save a trip, we're in your neighborhood anyway, and we'll bring it all right to your door. We can even call you on Friday morning to confirm your order and add as much as you'd like.
Of course, it still helps us and our suppliers if we get orders in by Monday at noon, but we understand that not everyone's life works on a schedule like that all the time.
Email an order.
Or phone: (715)577-5564
Wednesday, May 7
gingerbread jersey cheese
If you haven't had time to focus in on our gingerbread jersey cheese selection, I wanted to make note of two, and perhaps next time you are in you'll take a moment to admire the variety of cheese the Schunk family is producing for us.
Manchego Curado - Curado translates to aged. Try some alone, in a potato sunchoke gratin, or with bread and ham... "True" manchego curado comes from the Spanish Castilla-La Mancha region, but I'll trust Virgil on this one and try the original next time I'm in Spain (please note I may never make it to Spain).
Smoked Mozzarella has a strong, deep earth and smoky flavor that can add flavor spunk to nachos or pizza or guide a whole dish along its smoky course, like this risotto with yam puree and kale!
Manchego Curado - Curado translates to aged. Try some alone, in a potato sunchoke gratin, or with bread and ham... "True" manchego curado comes from the Spanish Castilla-La Mancha region, but I'll trust Virgil on this one and try the original next time I'm in Spain (please note I may never make it to Spain).
Smoked Mozzarella has a strong, deep earth and smoky flavor that can add flavor spunk to nachos or pizza or guide a whole dish along its smoky course, like this risotto with yam puree and kale!
Tuesday, May 6
next best
If you really can't wait for fresh local strawberries, we have the next best for you. Fresh, non-local certified organic strawberries from family operated farms in California. California will never, ever be able to send us a strawberry like you can get at Charlotte's or Sylvan Hills. They've been diesel refrigerator trucked from 2,206 miles away – about 1 day 7 hours straight, and were grown picked & packed for that purpose. That said...We can get you some strawberries that are pretty dang good, and were produced without pesticides or fumigants. We'll be getting a variety of strawberries from
along the Pacific Coast as they ripen northward through the spring, culminating in our local berries being ready around June. By all means, hold out until then for fresh berries. But if you can't wait, here's a detailed link to information on the supplier that we're getting our fresh organic strawberries from this week, Martinez Farms. They are a family owned farm business, and as the article details, they are Certified Organic for reasons I'm sure you'll appreciate.And how does this help local farms? Here's just one way: By continuing to shop at our store and purchasing products like these, you are giving us information that we can share with local farmers. In this instance, if a local farmer knew folks were willing to spend $5 a box for strawberries in May, and we can sell 10 cases a week, they might be willing to invest in greenhouses or raised beds to coax an early crop to help meet our early season strawberry needs in the future... who knows?
wild and native
Back in stock, from the White Earth reservation near Minnesota, are genuine wild rice (manoomin), hominy (mandaamin), and the rich and delightful refrigerated maple butter. Wild Rice is a native plant to our bioregion, and an excellent source of food for humans. We chose Wild
Rice from Native Harvest because of their unique business model and their work on preserving wild rice. Unfortunately, truly native wild rice is being threatened by, among other things, genetically modified "wild" rice being imported to Wisconsin for processing and sale from paddies in California. Your purchase of Wild Rice from our store works in many good ways.
Your purchase directly supports:
1. native wild rice production on the White Earth Reservation.
2. your local cooperative that works to preserve farmland and native food sources.
3. organizations that are working to prevent GMO rice from contaminating native manoomin plots
And manoomin comes in the same shipment as Maple Butter, the pinnacle of simple local food pairings!
As far as hominy, dried corn kernels which have been hulled and degermed, try some in a soup with fresh veggies, a coon creek chicken back and some RP's egg linguini tossed in at the end. Skip the chicken and the hominy shines too!
Rice from Native Harvest because of their unique business model and their work on preserving wild rice. Unfortunately, truly native wild rice is being threatened by, among other things, genetically modified "wild" rice being imported to Wisconsin for processing and sale from paddies in California. Your purchase of Wild Rice from our store works in many good ways.Your purchase directly supports:
1. native wild rice production on the White Earth Reservation.
2. your local cooperative that works to preserve farmland and native food sources.
3. organizations that are working to prevent GMO rice from contaminating native manoomin plots
And manoomin comes in the same shipment as Maple Butter, the pinnacle of simple local food pairings!
As far as hominy, dried corn kernels which have been hulled and degermed, try some in a soup with fresh veggies, a coon creek chicken back and some RP's egg linguini tossed in at the end. Skip the chicken and the hominy shines too!
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