Don't sack those bags...

Just Local Food is accepting your plastic and paper grocery sacks! In the past, your donations have allowed us to avoid purchasing bags... but we're running low. To prevent broken milk bottles and bruised apples in the parking lot, please dig those (preferably clean) plastic and paper grocery bags out and bring them in.

Tausend Dank!

Enter to win $100 at Just Local Food Co+op!

Enter the Eat Local Challenge for your chance to win $100 at our store!

LOCAL FEST!

Howdy Friends!

Just Local Food Cooperative is inviting you to celebrate with us Thursday, September 22nd, from 3-7 pm in the parking lot at 1117 South Farwell.

Food, beer, and live music will be provided, including (but not limited to):

-Lazy Monk Brewing of Eau Claire, WI (featuring Leos' soon-to-be-released Oktoberfest seasonal)

-Vinny Weible of Eau Claire, WI (playing blues, folk, bluegrass, and old-timey hillbilly music from 3-5 pm)

-The Klezmazels of Eau Claire, WI (playing Klezmer-style, Gypsy-style, East European and German polka from 5-7 pm)

-Gingerbread Jersey of Augusta, WI (serving succulent bratwurst on the grill)

-Eat My Fish of Menomonie, WI (serving fresh, smoked, and pickled rainbow trout)

-Big Donkey Pizza of Eau Claire, WI (serving locally made pizza)

-Class Apple of Eau Claire, WI (serving locally picked apples)

-Sauerkraut, sauerbraten, and much more!

Whether it is your first time visiting our store, or your tenth time that week, please stop by and say hello, and partake of this first annual community event.

We are so proud to work with all of the great many farmers, butchers, brewers, bakers, artists, artisans, entrepreneurs, distributors, and tradesfolk who have labored to improve our land, secure our economy, beautify our community, and keep our bodies fed and healthy.

Thanks to all of you for supporting us for more than seven years!

See you at the store!

Supplier Visit: Maiden Rock Winery & Cidery

Nestled above the bluffs of the Mississippi River Valley, just up the hill from Maiden Rock and a few miles north of Stockholm, WI is a true Wisconsin treasure. JLF owners, Christopher and Nik, and worker, Noel, recently had the privilege to tour the Maiden Rock Orchard and Winery. The orchard is owned and operated by husband and wife Herdie Baisden and Carol Wiersma. Over the past decade, Herdie and Carol developed ten acres of orchard with fifty varieties of apple including a handful of heritage varieties.

Carol, our tour guide for the day informed the JLF crew that the orchard was developed based on Herdie’s vision – to have a cidery at his retirement. Even the logo: an Indian maiden holding an apple is based on a vision Herdie had upon seeing the Land O’ Lakes logo while living in Florida.

Carol and Herdie currently own 85 acres. Sixty-five are fenced to protect their crop from the local deer population (the fencing was partially funded by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources through annual hunter’s fees). Their ten acres of orchard is protected by the unique geography of the Mississippi River Bluffs. Though they use Integrated Pest Management to protect their apple crop if necessary, the predominant southerly winds (even through winter) keep insects at bay and provide natural protection from infestation. Unfortunately, some of their more sensitive trees were planted south of their barn as a means of protection, only to have those chilly winter winds skirt round the bluffs and protective tree-shield. The orchard, latitudinally located in growth hardiness zone 4a, also supports plants that require the slightly longer growing season of zone 4b due to its proximity to the Mississippi.

On site, Herdie and Carol currently ferment apples to create an array of ciders and wines. They also create Grandaddy’s Apple 2-Pepper Chutney in regular, hot and super hot!!! and Dolgo Crabapple Jelly. The chutneys and crabapple jelly are available at Just Local Food.

The folks at Maiden Rock Winery & Cidery strive to maintain a strong connection with local producers: they buy honey for their cider from Honey Hill Apiary – who is also a primary supplier of honey at JLF and peppers for their chutneys and grapes for their wines come from local farmers. Carol and Herdie take pride in their products being flavored by Wisconsin – and based on what we’ve tasted, Wisconsin tastes mighty good.

Other products found at the Orchard include Cherry Amaretto Preserves, Chipotle Apple Raspberry Sauce and Apple salsas. These goodies are produced for Herdie and Carol by people located in Eastern Wisconsin that they know and trust to use high-quality, clean ingredients and produce a delicious product (the Cherry Amaretto Preserves are especially good on vanilla ice cream).

The Cidery also carries a number of Wisconsin wines and meads produced throughout the state as well as wine making supplies for do it yourself-ers.

When not tending to the orchard, brewing an astounding array of wines and ciders (with the help of Tony, their full-time employee and a handful of other dedicated employees), interacting with the masses of people who visit the cidery daily for tastings or creating other sumptuous foods, Herdie and Carol host weddings at the cider and an annual Renaissance Dinner in December (complete with boar’s heads).

Carol's tone made made it clear that she and Herdie are dedicated to maintaining the health of their land and working with their neighbors to preserve natural spaces. In the future, they plan to donate some of their land to the West Wisconsin Land Trust and are involved in preventing sand mines from opening locally.

As the leaves continue to turn and the apples ripen,a perfect way to spend an afternoon is a bike ride, stroll or drive through the rolling bluffs of the Maiden Rock area with a stop at the Maiden Rock Winery and Cidery. Directions and more information can be found here: www.maidenrockwinerycidery.com. Or just stop by JLF for some of Carol and Herdie’s chutneys, dolgo jelly, salsas, preserves and sauces.

It's Harvest Season...

Harvest season is here and the produce shelves at Just Local Food are overflowing with the season’s bounty. The transition from summer heat into autumn chill delivers a plethora of tomatoes (more than seven local varieties), apples (five local varieties), carrots, peppers, onions, garlic, sweet corn, fresh cilantro, cucumbers and more! Fresh-picked goods arrive throughout the week… Yesterday we received local McIntosh Apples from Tim at Blackberry Hills Farm in Wheeler and Chestnut Crab, St. Edmund’s Russet and Wodarz Apples from Conrad at Leighton Orchard in Prairie Farm. These apples are all NON-SPRAYED. Certified organic apples from Schaeffer’s Run Orchard in Chippewa Falls are scheduled to arrive later tomorrow. Come and get it while it’s FRESH.

Something Positive

Just Local Food has been a partner with Positive Avenues in Eau Claire for a couple of years. Our relationship has grown and we are always delighted to see and hear about some of our efforts in helping people in our community.

Sue Howe, Program Supervisor from Positive Avenue visits our store several times a week to pick up food that we donate. Recently she came by and shared this picture of a beautiful salad that was made by volunteer Larry Coleman. Sue calls his work "food art" and I must say this picture is worth more than a thousand words. Larry Coleman's work of ART is about healthy food that brings true health. What is more gratifying is knowing that this nutritional food is bringing healthy outcomes to the people who rely on the services of Positive Avenues.

Just Local Food is committed to donating "something positive" to Positive Avenues and our community.