Citrus Season is here!

Organic Tangerines (Satsuma and Fall-Glo) have arrived!

Cranberries, papaya (pictured on the right), kiwi, dates, bananas, local IPM or local+organic apples, lemons and limes, grapefruit, grapes... quite the possibilities right now for a wonderful fruit salad right here in Eau Claire!

recipe ideas:

-lunch box favorite salad

-Persimmon Salad with Toasted Walnuts and Dried Cranberries

-Roasted Ratatouille Pizza

Brats!!

It's still grilling season, and we have lots of brats to choose from:

• Pork Apple (Beaver Creek Ranch)
• Turkey Apple (Beaver Creek Ranch)
• Lamb Brats (Lambalot Acres)
• Mushroom-Cheddar Brats (Crescent Meats)
• Fresh Blue Cheese Brats (Crescent Meats)
• Fresh Brats (Crescent Meats)

Plus, we have ONE Golden Hills bison ribeye steak left, which is available for 20% off.

Apparently some guys have strong opinions about the absolute best way to cook brats. And here's one guy who has two completely contradictory opinions. What do you think?

• Tony Fatso Siciliano's parboil-in-beer-then-grill method (LINK to video)

• Tony Fatso Siciliano's grill-first-then-put-in-beer method, because he says "Real grillers don't boil meat under any circumstances." (except when doing a video, of course). (LINK to article)

Thanks to Tony Fatso Siciliano for the photo!!

Eat Local Challenge 2009

What is the Eat Local Challenge?

Challenging the Chippewa Valley to eat locally, within 100 miles, for the entire month of September.

For the hard-core: A contest to eat completely within the 100 mile radius of the Challenge.

For most people:

• Consciously buying and eating more local food, making the effort to seek out local food.
  
• Substituting local products for national brands (such as milk and eggs).
  
• Trying some different locally grown vegetables or meats.
  
• Eating one primarily-local-ingredient meal a day.
  
• Making the decision to buy local whenever possible.

Just Local Food's involvement:

We encourage you to come to our store, and try some of the amazing local food available. Many of our products come to us direct from the farm, such as organic milk (in glass bottles) Crystal Ball Farms (89 miles), fresh eggs from Matt Buvala (52 miles), organic chicken from Coon Creek Family Farm (10 miles), salad greens from DragSmith Farms (59 miles). We work directly with many local farmers and suppliers to get food that is fresh and sustainably grown, that has been raised for flavor and nutritional goodness rather than its ability to be transported across the country (or hemisphere), which keeps money in the local economy, and reduces the amount of energy required for shipment.

To make it easy to spot local foods within our store, look for the Eat Local Challenge logo or a red "LOCAL!" label on the shelves. There are many other great foods outside the 100 mile radius that we get direct from the farm, such as the tortilla chips from Whole Grain Milling (Welcome, MN), that you may also want to try.

Check out one of our in-store tours called Just Local Food 101. Aaron will take you around the store and tell you the stories behind the local food we carry. The more you know about your food and the people who grow it, the more you'll get why we're so passionate about local food.

We have some great ideas for easy local meals. Once you form a new habit, it’s easy. You just need to start. We look forward to helping you discover all the benefits of eating locally.

Current Just Local Food 101 Schedule:

Thurs, Sept 3, 7pm – 8pm
Thurs, Sept 10, 7pm – 8pm
Mon, Sept 14, 10am – 11am
Thurs, Sept 17, 7pm – 8pm
Tues, Sept 22, 10am – 11am

For more information:

Pick up a copy of A Second Opinion for details and ideas.

Why eat local? Here’s 10 reasons.

http://www.eatlocalchallenge.com/

http://eatlocalchallengecv.blogspot.com/