happy new year!

Hey there.

The first few months in our new location have been pretty great. Of course, nothing like this ever happens without problems and we've had our share of those as well. While everything in the store isn't as we'd like it (will it ever?) we're very pleased with the increased traffic and sales. Our suppliers are getting used to increased orders (some of them have doubled the amount of product they are bringing us!) and workers are getting used to increased work. Through the stress of it all, we are looking forward to getting more settled in the new year. Thanks for sticking with us.

Beaver Creek Ranch

We've been working with Doug and Kathy Anderson from Beaver Creek Ranch since our days over on Gibson Street in 2006. Their ranch is outside of Grantsburg, WI, dangerously close to Minnesota. They farm a variety of animals along with truckloads of certified organic grains. Because they work directly with retail stores, they don't pay the extra cost of certifying each of their animals, saving a little bit of money and helping to keep the costs down. And because we work together in a trusting relationship, we're able to pass on their great products to you at fair prices.

And speaking of prices, we've dropped the price of the Turkey tenderloins this month down to $6.49 for a 1 pound package. The turkey tenderloin is the tender inner part of the turkey breast, delicious white meat. Also on sale are big pork tenderloins.

For your holiday feast we have a few whole frozen turkeys - you have just enough time to thaw and brine them!

Other products from BCR we're proud to carry:

• chorizo sausage - using a recipe from the wife of the warden at San Quentin (where Doug was a prison guard in a previous life!)
• apple brats - pork and sometimes turkey
  
• hot dogs (we've been selling these like crazy, some folks have been bold enough to call them "the best hot dog I've ever had" and only $4.79 a package, too!
  
• chicken breast - one of our top sellers
• ground chicken and ground turkey - versatile basic ingredient for a variety of meals
  
• breakfast sausage links - mmmmmmm
• bacon specially cured in a spinach brine - absolutely delicious and free from chemical additives
• italian sausage great for pasta, pizza and grillin'

Thanks so much, Doug and Kathy, for providing our store and community with such great food with which to nourish our bodies and souls!

Holiday Hours

Hello friends,

this year's holiday hours are as follows:

Winter Solstice (Sunday, December 21st) OPEN NORMAL HOURS 8am-9pm!

Christmas Eve (Wednesday, December 24th) 8-2pm

Christmas Day (Thursday, December 25th) CLOSED

New Years Day (Thursday, January 1st) CLOSED

Beeler's Ham, Nueske's Bacon, and Anderson Farm's Corned Beef

Beeler's Pure Pork

According to Beeler's website, "the Beeler pork tradition started in 1846 when our great-great Grandpa Fred immigrated from Germany to the gently rolling hills of Madison County, Iowa."

"As with all Beeler pork, HELUKA® pork is natural, meaning Beeler pigs are raised without any antibiotics or growth promotants whatsoever, and are never fed animal by-products. Their diets consist of all vegetarian ingredients: corn, soybean meal, vitamins, and minerals."

At Just Local Food, we've had many requests for natural hams, and they are very hard to find locally. A customer recommended Beeler's ham, so we decided to give it a try. We'll have half hams available for Christmas, and several of the quarter hams and steaks. We hope you enjoy this new product for us, which you will find in our refrigerated section.


Nueske's Applewood Smoked Bacon
Wittenberg, WI

Anyone who's tasted or even smelled this bacon knows how good it is (our customers in the store last Saturday know what I mean). Nueske's is especially lean, since most of the fat is rendered during its 24 hours in the smokehouse over an open fire of applewood logs. This bacon is famous nationally, and has been written up in The New York Times, The Chicago Tribune, and Saveur Magazine. I do need to mention that sodium nitrite is used in the brining process; this is the only meat product we carry that contains it.


Corned Beef on New Year's Day

We have Anderson Farm's natural corned beef brisket, which is uncured and smoked. It can be difficult to find a local, natural corned beef, but this is it. Whenever we've had Lynn Anderson in the store for tastings, the corned beef is a big hit. So, if you're in the mood for a delicious corned beef and cabbage dinner, come and get it.

we need paper bags

Hey there ! If you have any extra paper grocery bags, please bring them in to us. It helps us keep costs down and of course keeps more trees in the earth recycling carbon dioxide into oxygen that we breathe. Thanks!!

New in Frozen

During our move the frozen department went through quite an expansion. We still carry the products we used to like Sno Pac organic frozen vegetables (with new midwest soup mix!), Cascadian Farm juice concentrate, One Sun pizzas, Gourmet Parlor Organic frozen pizzas, Marie's bread and some Ian's organic products like chicken nuggets, french toast sticks and fish sticks.

New to our department I'd like to introduce Happle Gourmet Food Kringles out of Iowa. Here is what they have to say about their Kringles:"Old world skill and care has made Kringle an international favorite. Kringle is a traditional Danish pastry shaped into a ring and filled with a fruit or nut filling. Kringle do not contain any dairy ingredients and are Vegan. They make a delightful breakfast, snack or dessert. They are available in almond and apple."

You will also see the return of Food For Life gluten free breads. We have brown rice and millet bread. We are still carrying the sprouted english muffins as well.

We have added some Amy's quick meals. We have the veggie pot pie, several burritos, indian palak paneer meal and the cheese enchilada meal. Another new and exciting item is Turri's frozen pasta. We are carrying three cheese tortellini, ravioli and gnocchi. This is a conventional product from Michigan. Here is an excerpt from their website: "Anthony and Angeline Turri founded Turri's Italian Foods in 1949 in Detroit. They started by making pasta products for local restaurants and grocery stores. All of their products were based on old family recipes and soon the name Turri became synonymous with quality. As the customer base grew, so did the number of Turri family members who were pressed into service. Instead of playing sports after school, the Turri children Tony, Bernie, Tom, and Mary were making, packing and delivering ravioli. This family tradition has continued through the years so that today the fourth generation of Turri's is making pasta."

Finally we have added a line of conventional pizzas from Milwaukee at great prices. Palermo's Pizza. We carry cheese, supreme, combo and roasted pepper and goat cheese. Here is the Palermo's philosophy: "We will settle for nothing less than the very best. This unyielding standard of quality and excellence are just a few of the values that have been passed down to the current generation by our founder, Gaspare "Papa Palermo" Fallucca. We also strive to be a good corporate citizen as well as an environmentally sensitive company. Over the years, Palermo's has donated both money and pizzas to numerous charitable organizations to aid them in caring for those that they serve, as well a seeking opportunities to reduce our impact on the environment by recycling and conserving energy wherever possible."

Please Ponder the Persimmon

We have organic persimmons in our produce department, and they are a real treat. I wasn’t very familiar with them, but bought one out of curiosity. After some reading, I learned that they are at there best when mushy, and are NOT ready to eat until that point. I’m on my 4th one this week, and the photo shows how beautiful it is when sliced. All you need to do is cut one open, take a spoon and scoop out the yummy inside for your own personal treat, and get happy about how delicious and different and beautiful it is. You can cook with them too – I posted a recipe for Apple Spice Bread (substitute persimmon) in the store, and here are a few links for you. So, if you’re new to the persimmon, or haven’t had a good one in a while, I encourage you to come in and try them.

You may also find that “persimmon” is a fun word to use, such as “Percy, please pass the persimmon, pronto.”

Portuguese Kale and Chorizo Soup

This is hearty and warming soup for lunch or dinner, and makes enough for several meals or lots of leftovers. I was inspired by the “dino” kale and giant leeks in our produce cooler, and thought chorizo would be perfect for the wintery weather. All ingredients are from the store. This recipe was adapted from one by Emeril Lagasse in the book Becoming a Chef.

1 large leek
2 cloves garlic
5 stalks celery
2 zucchini
3 bunches kale
5 large red potatoes
1 cup green split peas (optional)
1 pound chorizo
2 quarts tomatoes (or 28-oz. can)
2 quarts chicken, turkey, or veggie stock or water
Salt
3 bay leaf
¼ t. thyme
Red pepper flakes
Black pepper
Pecorino Romano cheese

Carefully rinse leek, chop, sauté in olive oil in a large stockpot. Add chopped celery, a good pinch of kosher or sea salt, then the chopped garlic, and continue cooking carefully. Brown the chorizo in a separate pan, crumbling to desired size, and add cooked meat to stockpot (leaving the oil behind). Add the tomatoes with their juice and stir, and add the stock or water. Add another pinch of salt if you think it needs it. Add the bay leaf, thyme, and a good sprinkle of red pepper flakes. [Add the green peas, if using, bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer, cover, and cook about an hour or two until those darn peas are soft enough. They are a nice addition, but seem to take forever to cook!]

Thoroughly rinse the kale, then stem and chop it and add to the pot. Cube the potatoes and add, and check the liquid level; add more liquid if necessary. Bring the pot back to a boil, then reducing to a simmer. Cover and cook at least until the potatoes and kale are tender, adding the chopped zucchini to the pot along the way (zucchini doesn’t take long to cook).

This is the kind of soup that tastes good the first day, but gets much better the next day, when the flavors have more time to blend. Taste and adjust salt, and serve with a fresh grind of black pepper and maybe a good shaving of Romano cheese.

The ULTIMATE Turkey Sandwich?

A memorable sandwich starts with really good bread, and in my opinion, there is nothing better than a loaf from Marie’s Original Bakery (from Marie's, or from our freezer case). Next comes the main ingredient for which the sandwich is named, in this case, turkey, leftover from your Thanksgiving feast. Or, if you finished off your leftovers, you could always cook up some turkey tenderloin, always available in our meat department. A little cheese might be called for, such as a Crystal Ball Farm cheddar (smooth and on the mild side), Vern’s aged cheddar (sharp!), or whatever your favorite is. I like Dijon mustard, just enough for some flavor without overpowering everything. Now, to make it really tasty, put it on a griddle or pan with a little olive oil or butter to get the bread nice and crispy. After the cheese is melted and the bread is golden brown, the sandwich is ready to go. Unless, you choose to indulge yourself with some avocado slices, Becky’s Olive Salsa (this is unbelievably good on a sandwich!), or perhaps go Reuben-esque with some sauerkraut/Powerkraut…
Here’s to making a sandwich you can get excited about!