Seed Savers Exchange @ JLF

We've got seeds! below is a listing of what's on our shelves for this spring...

We're reconnecting with Cowsmo Compost and the Foodlums for their amazing (50 lbs. bags) of potting soil and composted cow manure. we'll also have worm tea from dragsmith farms and an assortment of recommendations from last year's home grown produce.

check back with us for a listing of and contacts for area community gardens!

Seed Savers Exchange @ JLF
3094 N Winn Rd - Decorah, IA 52101
Ph 563.382.5990 - Fax 563.382.6511
http://www.seedsavers.org/

Bean, Purple Pod Pole OG
Lettuce, SSE Lettuce Mixture
Pepper, Beaver Dam
Sunberry OG
Gourd Mixture
Lettuce, Forellenschuss
Gourd, Warted Mixture
Tomato, Wisconsin 55 OG
Tomato, Amish Paste
Cucumber, Bushy OG
Pea, Tom Thumb
Bean, Empress
Soybean, Shirofumi
Carrot, Dragon
Cucumber, Japanese Clmbng
Eggplant, Listada de Gandia
Melon, Charantais
Pepper, Fatali
Squash, Pattison Panache, Jaune Et Verte OG
Prickly Caterpillar
Tomato, Siberian OG
Herb, English/True Lavender
Sunflower, Mixture Spcs/Fms
Squash, Black Beauty Zucchini OG
Squash, Marina di Chioggia
Pepper, King of the North
Squash, Golden Zucchini
Arugula, Apollo
Corn, Mandan Bride OG
Eggplant, Lao Purple Stripe
Gourd, Chinese Mini OG
Bean, Calypso OG
Spinach, Monnopa OG
Tomato, Earliana OG
Onion, Long Red Florence
Sunflower, Mongolian Giant
Pepper, Bull Nose Bell
Soybean, Fiskeby OG
Tomato, Sheboygan OG
Bean, Pencil Pod Gldn Wax
Corn, Smoke Signals OG
Bean, Hidatsa Shield OG
Lettuce, Merveille Quartre
Squash, Amish Pie
Squash, Table Queen
Squash, Waltham Butternut OG
Herb, Genovese Basil OG
Herb, Mrs. Burn's Lemon
Herb, Lettuce Leaf Basil OG
Herb, Cilantro
Herb, Grandma Einck's Dill
Herb, Giant from Italy Parsley
Prairie, Purple Coneflower
Runner Bean, Painted Lady
Eggplant, Diamond
Beet, Chioggia
Beet, Cylindra
Broccoli, Calabrese
Broccoli, DeCicco
Broccoli, Romanesco
Cabbage, Copenhagen Mkt
Cabbage, Early Jersey Wkfld
Cabbage, Mammoth Red
Cabbage, Premium Late Flat
Carrot, Scarlet Nantes
Carrot, St. Valery
Cucumber, Early Fortune OG
Corn, Golden Bantam OG
Corn, Stowell's Evergreen OG
Lettuce, Rubin
Lettuce, Speckled OG
Onion, Australian Brown
Melon, Amish OG
Pea, Green Arrow
Squash, Golden Hubbard
Chard, Rhubarb OG
Radish, Early Scarlet Globe
Radish, French Breakfast
Tomato, Moonglow OG
Watermelon, Sweet Siberian
Chard, Five Color Silverbeet OG
Herb, Lemon Balm
Lima Bean, Henderson Bush
Lima Bean, Sieva
Beet, Bull's Blood
Cauliflower, Early Snowball
Cauliflower, Purple Cape
Cucumber, Double Yield OG
Eggplant, Pingtung Long
Huckleberry, Garden OG
Kale, Lacinato OG
Kale, Red Russian OG
Lettuce, Red Romaine OG
Lettuce, Slobolt OG
Lettuce, Yugoslavian Red
Spinach, America OG
Tomato, Beam's Yellow Pear
Tomato, Crnkovic Yugoslavian
Tomato, Stupice
Watermelon, Cream Saskatchewan
Herb, Bee Balm
Herb, Thyme
Herb, St. John's Wort
Corn, Tom Thumb Popcorn OG
Bean, Climbing French
Beet, Detroit Dark Red
Ground Cherry, Aunt Molly's OG
Brussel Sprout, Long Island
Corn, Mixed Colors Broom
Pea, Amish Snap
Prairie, Downy Sunflower
Melon, Oka
Pepper, Fish
Squash, Cornfield Pumpkin
Herb, Stevia

Soups, Sandwiches, and Salads...OH MY!

Just Local Food is proud to announce a new endeavor with Alchemy Family Farm!

Owner/Chef, Bradley 'Dean' Parent has done it again. Adding to his repertoire of ready to eat tapenades (aegean), spreads (hummus, mushroom herb, smoked salmon), and cold salads (apple-beet, curried yam & walnut); look forward to Soups, Sandwiches, and Green Salads.

The initial menu looks fantastic and will be delivered this afternoon. Lots of local and organic ingredients and compostable/biodegradable containers. The menu will rotate, so stop in often to see what's new.

Sandwiches
"Il Rustica"(dairy)-A vegetarian selection featuring roasted eggplant, roasted red bell pepper gorgonzola cheese, sliced red onion, pepperoncini, and kalamata olive. Served with a caramelized onion aioli on baguette bread.
$6.99

Greek Chicken (meat/dairy)-House roasted Coon Creek Family Farm organic chicken is served with feta cheese, sliced tomato, red onion, kalamata olive tapenade, and cucumber. Served on ciabatta bread.
$7.49

Salads
Tex-Mex Salad (meat/dairy) - A mix of black beans, tri color peppers, corn, pico de gallo salsa, ancho chili roasted Coon Creek Family Farm organic chicken, and pepper jack cheese. Served on a bed of organic romaine lettuce with a smoked tomato vinaigrette.
$7.49

Asian Noodle Salad (vegan)- A selection of organic lettuces topped with udon noodles, orange sections, toasted almonds, celery, snow peas, and scallions. Served with a hoisin vinaigrette.
$6.99

Soups
Tomato-Basil Bisque (dairy)
$7.99

North African Lentil (vegan)
$7.99

New Mexican style Posole (meat)
$8.99

produce

Here's the quick buzz in produce:

Citrus season is still on with great cara cara (red navel) oranges, plenty of firm kumquots, bright blood oranges and a variety of tangerines. Check out the honey tangerines later this weekend. Also from down south we've got some great looking zucchini and bright delicious rainbow chard. A variety of local Blackberry hills potatoes are still available in bulk. Still a good supply of pears and apples. Plenty of garnet and jewel yams, nice and firm. Special purchase of scallions and cilantro. Nice looking red and green bell peppers, prices way down from last month. A new box of lemons is in and our last two local Harmony Valley soup mixes of the season are on the shelf (other local roots still available - try!). All items listed are certified organic.

And Seed Savers Exchange just notified me that our heirloom seeds should be in next week. That's over 100 varieties of heirloom and organic seeds that will be in store soon! Local potting soil, compost and other early gardening supplies will come as well!

New Products

New in Packaged grocery:

Amish Naturals egg noodles
Erewhon Gluten Free Brown Rice Cereal
Organic India Tulsi Pomegranate tea
Garbanzo bean flour (dedicated to the "bean lady")
Strawberry Kefir, Vanilla Kefir, Plain Kefir
Environkidz crispy rice berry bars
Triple berry cereal bars
Cute little tins of baking powder
K-toos gluten free sandwich cookies (making a reappearance)
Lundberg organic cinnamon toast rice cakes (also making a reappearance)
Late July cheese sandwich crackers in a box  (we also carry the snack size bags)

In the freezer:
Palermo's "hearth italia" organic pizzas made in Wisconsin

From the Malt Beverage department:
Two varieties from Northwoods Brewpub from right here in Eau Claire:
-Lil' Bandit Brown Ale (silver metal winner at the Great American Beer Festival)
-Floppin' Crappie English Mild Ale

Will have more Furthermore beers in again by next week:
-Makeweight (only three cases!)
-Proper
-Three Feet Deep
(-possibly Fatty Boombalaty)

Three new ones from Viking:
-Mørketid (The Norwegian name for midwinter polar darkness), a German Schwartz beer
(black beer) - seasonal
-Invader Doppel Bock - seasonal
-Mjød, a Honey Brackett; the 1st brewed in the US. It is like a Mead - a honey wine
with malt.  available in 22oz. bottles

Try some Beer Thursday the 26th

Bummer!
Canceled due to inclement weather.
Will be rescheduled soon.

If you are under the age of 21, please disregard this message!

Jessie, the beer ambassador from Tyranena Brewery in Lake Mills Wisconsin will be at Just Local Food Thursday February 26 from 4 to 6pm. Have a taste, learn about the brewery and the varieties they offer, and take home some discounted bottles.

Bread and Coffee Reviews

Say,

Some amazing bread we sell was highlighted in last week's Leader Telegram.

Take a peek at Audrey Fessler's and Jeff Vahlbusch's Diners' Notebook!

And hey - the fresh coffee at Just Local was featured in the Spectator this week. Take a peek:

Coffee crawl - Showcase

nuts!

Can you believe how widespread this salmonella contaminated peanut butter recall is? CRAZY!

We've been staying on top of it at the store. As you can imagine, we've been mostly unaffected by the recall. Our peanut butters come from our fellow worker-owned cooperative, East Wind in Missouri (read their recall statement). Pictured right is an East Wind community member "tubbing" some nut butter. Their full line of peanut butter is totally safe and unaffected by the recall. We also have a few jars of Kettle peanut butter, also unaffected.

We have some peanut butter sandwich crackers from Late July, they source their peanuts here and have safe product.

In fact, the only product we've had to pull is the Nutz over Chooclate Luna Bar. Please contact Clif directly if you have one of these products dated 28OCT08 to 31DEC09 at home. See their recall webpage, read the company statement and letter from their owners.

Valentine’s Day is this weekend!

Valentine’s Day is coming up soon. Why go out when you can have a romantic dinner at home? We’ve got (almost) all the goods for a memorable evening. How about a couple of steaks, oven-roasted potatoes, and some beautiful broccoli or a micro-green salad with blue cheese, walnuts, and oranges? Add some tunes in the background, two candles and a nice bottle of red wine, and you’ve got a groovy evening started. Maybe a roast chicken or Cornish game hen, rice pilaf, squash and a white wine is more your style.

Or have some good friends over for a beer tasting, salad, tortellini with tomato sauce, and an assortment of Ben & Jerry’s, and just make fun of the whole V-day. We’ve got you covered…

supplier quotes about our store

With high fuel prices and an uncertain economy, there is no better time to support area businesses and local farmers. Just Local Food has always used this philosophy and it makes good sense. Today more than ever, consumers want to know and enjoy knowing where there food comes from and once again Just Local Food makes this possible. Their staff is very knowledgeable, friendly and helpful. Their presence in the community is greatly appreciated by the many people who visit the farmers market and their service to our local consumers is a valuable asset which will only continue to increase in value as time goes by. I appreciate the economic and environmental impact they are making in our area and want to Thank them for making a positive difference. Steve Pechacek Next Generation Organic Dairy

Just a few short years ago Aaron contacted Beaver Creek Ranch to enquire if we would sell him some meat products. He further stated his idea of direct delivery was relatively new but he was willing to work towards its success. He went on to say that a “store” would be a long term goal. Beaver Creek made its first delivery in one small box; now two or more moves later Just Local Food has not only proven its success but the working relationship that Beaver Creek has had with Just Local Food continues to grow as well. Congratulations to Just Local Food, success to the staff and the community! Doug & Kathy Anderson Beaver Creek Ranch

We think Just Local Food is awesome. Just Local Food has been a very supportive customer of our coffee. We really appreciate Just Local Foodsmission of selling both healthy and local foods in the Eau Claire area. The home delivery model of Just Local Food is very innovative and a great way to reach a larger customer base. We really value Just Local Food as a customer. We know they will do great in a larger storefront. Jody Slocum Farmer to Farmer

We at Coon Creek Family Farm consider it an honor and a priviledge to work with the fine folks at Just Local Food. Their committment to local food is a great asset to the entire Chippewa Valley. We greatly appreciate all they do! Vince and Julie Maro

When we started up 4 years ago, Just Local Food had been a great help in getting our name out there. Just Local Food is the smallest retail location we supply but they have outsold all of the other locations. Virgil Gingerbread Jersey Cheese

Just Local Food has polished up the old slogan “purveyor of fine foods” and it given new meaning. We are pleased to have played a small part. Helen Wheatfield Hill Organics

Just Local Food is a great place to stop at and shop. They have a big selection of fresh and natural food and products. It is a great outlet for us to sell our products at. The owner/employees are always very friendly and helpful when you are there. It's a great store and we are very pleased to be a part of it. Doug Sjostrom Honey Hill Apiary.

Sno Pac Foods has been doing business with Just Local Food for over 4 years distributing our organic frozen vegetables. They are a great account for us. They are friendly, easy to work with and they provide a great service to their customers by providing local and organic products to their customers at affordable prices. We wish them well. Peter Gengler, Sno Pac Foods, Inc. Caledonia, MN

“Just Local Food is the Juggernaut of beer sales” Chris Furthermore Beer

“Just Local Food is the highest seller of Viking Beer in my region” beer rep

saturday sample and farmer showcase

Coming up this Saturday January 24 we'll be serving up white bison chili starting around 11am. Please stop by to meet our bison supplier of many years, the Filla family of Golden Hills. Their animals live in the beautiful valleys south of Osseo. They are one of the only certified organic bison producers in our area. We carry a variety of meat cuts cuts including the ever popular ground bison.

kombucha

We've got the first two varieties of Kombucha in the store for you. We are still looking for alternate suppliers and finding ways to get quality kombucha at fair prices. In our refrigerated section we have GT's Original and Citrus varieties. These are added to other tea options in the cooler, including sweet leaf teas and guayaki yerba mate.

Kombucha: The kombucha culture, sometimes mistakenly referred to as a mushroom, is a symbiotic colony of yeast and bacteria (the friendly type). Kombucha Tea is made by combining the culture, with a mixture of black tea, and sugar. The ingredients are allowed to "ferment", usually from 7-10 days. The resulting beverage contains dozens of elements, many of which are known to promote healing for a variety of conditions. Traditionally, Kombucha use has spread (for over 2000 years) by the passing of Kombucha Cultures from family to family, and friend to friend.

Just Local Food has been working with a local entrepreneur looking to bottle locally made kombucha - stay tuned for that! Until then, please enjoy the commercial varieties we now have available if you're not making it yourself.

bulk coffee

Sales of our bulk coffee have been good. And that's good for you, because it means our bins have fresh beans in them. And fresh coffee tastes better.

Farmer to Farmer French roast continues to be our best seller, although medium is giving it a run for the money. These are both guatemalan beans brough tto us via Farmer to Farmer, a locally based non-profit organization that works directly with the communities around Lake Atitlan.
Bike Fuel and WHYS radio blend are our selections from Just Coffee. What is Bike Fuel? Our new improved blend combines the chocolaty smoothness of our light Bolivian coffee from AIPEP, with the smoky richness of our Super Dark from Chiapas, Mexico. An electrifying blend sure to get your motor running. This coffee is organic, shade grown, and always 100% fair trade.

And did we mention we'd be overjoyed to grind your coffee for you? Just ask and we'll fire up the antique grinder behind the counter a make a ruckus on your behalf. For your convenience we do have new and used coffee bags, and we welcome you to bring your own container for your bulk purchase.

We also have a wide variety of packaged whole bean fresh roasted coffee, now located an aisle away from the bulk.

produce

Now that football is pretty much over, it's OK for you packer fans to try out some viking purple potatoes. Organically grown in Wisconsin by Blackberry Hills. We also have their red skinned sangria and yellow nicolai potatoes. We also have plenty of Harmony Valley Soup Mix in 3# bags - inside each one: Carrots, parsnips, turnips, rutabaga, celeriac or sunchokes. Don't forget local mississippi greens grown by Gail up in Barron! (give a little shout to send some sunshine their way!) These are the healthiest most nutritious thing you can get - a mixture of over ten varieties of leafy greens and herbs. Fresh rosemary too.

Minneola tangelos. Giant pomelos. Yellow "cheddar" cauliflower. Fresh deep green leafy chard. Three kinds of organic apples. Sunburst and satsumas are almost out. Plenty more citrus yet to come this season!

A Seed rack for your gardens is on order and soon to come...

This week's featured supplier is Blackberry Hills . This family farm has been bringing late season potatoes and onions for us all to enjoy. Thanks, Hermann's, for the wonderful food!

Blackberry Hills Farm
Blackberry Community Farm is located in Otter Creek Township, Dunn County, Wisconsin. Our family farm is a 30-acre homestead surrounded by woods. It consists of: a mixed orchard; flower, herb and vegetable gardens; honeybee yard; berry patches; beautiful rolling hills; and woods with abundant wildlife. 2009 will be our 19th season doing organic farming and the 14th season of CSA farming.

yellow chips

We are now back in fruitful supply of Whole Grain Milling Co. organic yellow corn chips. We apologize for any symptoms of withdrawal you may have experienced during our outage of these delicious chips, our best selling grocery product. If you haven't tried these tortilla chips, please treat yourself to a bag next time you're in the store, or add a bag (or three) to your home delivery order. In addition to being outright delicious, they are also perfectly nutritious. WGM Yellow chips are made from specially chosen organic yellow corn grown carefully on the Hilgendorf's farm in Southern Minnesota. Made fresh on a regular basis and brought directly to us, we're proud to sell thousands of bags of these chips every year!

Other favorites in stock: Beaver Creek Ranch spinach cured bacon. Farmer to Farmer french roast. Cultural Revolution yogurts. Viking Brewery JuleOl. Watkins Oberli Grade A Maple Syrup quarts.

Now Taking Resumes!

Hola Amigas y Amigos!

I'm happy to announce that we’re looking for enthusiastic individuals with interest and experience in the following ways:

~in store and market customer service shifts
~various departmental and committee work
~business management and co-ownership
~weekend and evening help

Part-time positions may grow into a full-time opportunity. After a 90 day training period, workers may be invited to become worker/owners.

If interested, please submit a resume ASAP! (we'll be taking applications until February 1st)

Please include on your resume:
~Work Experience
~Interests in particular store departments
~Collective/Cooperative / Group involvement
~General availability including number of hours per week and times available (i.e. week days, weekends, day or evening)

Please email, drop off, or mail your resume to:

Just Local Food Cooperative
1117 South Farwell Street
Eau Claire, Wisconsin 54701
715.552.3366

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!

New Grab-n-Go Products from Romar

Bob and Martha, aka Romar Greenhouse, have added more products to their already diverse line.

New Products include:
Roasted Vegetable Spread Sandwich
Smokin' Macaroni & Cheese 8oz
Lentil Soup 16oz
Chocolate Chip Muffins
Blueberry Muffins
Oatmeal Butterscotch Muffins

Also look forward to:
Scones
Pasta Salad
Potato Salad
and more in the upcoming months

Don't forget to check out their other products as well.
Whole Chickens, Chicken Parts, Smoked Chicken, Dog Treats, and Seasonal Produce.

giving thanks

Well of course the holiday is upon us! We at the store, and the many farmers and food producers we work with, have a big THANKS to give to you. We know you have many choices out there where you can get things to put in your body. We deeply appreciate the support you give us!

(pictured here are actual turkeys living at Coon Creek Family Farm)

Those of you who ordered turkeys will be getting a call, if you haven't already, letting you know when to pick up or when we'll deliver. We ordered a few extra fresh turkeys, so if you've got a last-minute urge to cook up a fresh local turkey, give us a call or stop down and we'll let you know if we have one left for you! We highly encourage you to brine your turkey, Coon Creek has a great sheet on this, or you can try this with cut-up parts, or just search "turkey brine".

Whole turkey alternatives:

• turkey tenderloin is the inner part of a turkey breast. Tender, delicious white meat.
• chicken, we have whole, cutup or how about a smoked chicken?
• pork tenderloin - we have a few large pork tenderloins
  

We also have on hand plenty of delicious, local, non-meaty things to eat. Great local organic cranberries, garlic, squash, greens... Plenty of festive sparkling juices, a wide getting wider selection of great beer, breads... and don't forget the butter!

We'll be closed on Thanksgiving day, but open regular hours the rest of the week - which means you can stop in the store right on up until 9pm the day before should you need something! Call ahead if you'd like: 552-3366.

you asked for it!

Thanks so much for sharing your hopes and dreams for the store with us. In the past month, in addition to moving our store to a great new location, we've been able to respond to many of your requests. The products below are now on our store shelves as a direct result of your comments. Please keep them coming!

So, here's what we have on hand, thanks to you: flour tortillas, mints, tarts, gum, garam masala, peanut butter puffins, powdered milk, buttermilk powder, kashi cereal, ginger chews, nutritional yeast, trash bags, low sodium soaps, baby products, cranberries and even a bike rack! Also, due to lots of requests, we have quite a few gluten free products like snacks, cookies, pasta, crackers, chips, bread, muffins, brownies, chicken nuggets and coming soon - locally produced "cause you're special" gluten free mixes!

Now on to our featured item this week:

just tomatoes

In the quest for simple, clean and supremely healthy snacks we have found nothing to compare to the just tomatoes line of fruits, berries and veggies. On a special shelf you will find these incredibly kid friendly edibles. While not produced locally, these pass through our food policy pretty easily. They are unique, produced by an innovative small family business, we work directly with them, and the ingredients are ridiculously simple.

hearty breads and gluten free, dairy free muffins and brownies!

Hi Friends,

I'd like to invite you to enjoy (this Friday and every Friday) a new regional and organic bread from our friends at the Community Homestead, a intentional community working with special needs adults in baking bread, woodwork, crafts and organic gardening to build abilities, community, co-operation and health.

this week we'll be receiving whole wheat sourdough, crunchy oat and cinnamon raisin breads and gluten-free and dairy-free carrot date muffins and gluten-free and dairy-free chocolate and mocha brownies.

These wholesome foods are hand made, hand kneaded, and made with great love, we're thankful to our friends at Crystal Ball Farms for helping deliver this product (one of our bakeries and our dairy now are just down the street from each other!) with our Friday milk deliveries.

We look forward to sharing these fantastic breads and treats! enjoy!

fresh produce

Now that the downtown farmers market is closed for the season, you may think that there is no more local produce. Well, let us set you straight on that one. We have been cultivating relationships with local farmers for nearly five years, and we can tell you with complete confidence that there is plenty of local produce to be had these days.

One big category of great local fresh produce is squash. On hand today we have: buttercup, butternut, spaghetti, orange kabocha, red kuri, delicata, sugar loaf, sugar dumpling and acorn.

We are also carrying local organic cranberries, organic and heirloom apples, organic hydroponic tomatoes, beautiful red and orange carrots, brussels sprouts, fennel, turnips, rutabaga, beets, broccoli, kale, chard and cabbage.

Our certified organic cranberries come directly from Ruesch Century Farm (100 years in the family!) near Wisconsin Rapids, right in the heart of cranberry country. They built their first cranberry bog in the early 1990's and have added 3 beds since then. They dry rake some of the berries and actually use hand rakes which was the traditional harvesting method for many decades until mechanical pickers were invented. The downside is that it takes much longer to harvest. All the berries are hand sorted, placed in containers by hand, labeled by hand. All very time consuming stuff.

We sell the cranberries in bulk, so feel free to bring your own container to fill with these delicious, seasonal berries.

local and regional energy bars

Low on energy? Don't have time for a full meal? Looking for a great snack for you or your kids? We've got you covered!

Go Macro

In our never-ending quest for high quality products made close to Eau Claire, we've stuck onto two companies here in Wisconsin. Go Macro is a small business in Viola, the heart of organic agriculture.

MacroTreats are macrobiotic desserts and snacks, including a variety of nutritious bars and healthy cookies which are irresistibly delicious. MacroTreats use high fiber, macrobiotic ingredients and contain slow burning, complex carbohydrates. In addition to being vegan, our products do not have any refined sugars or artificial sweeteners. Instead, MacroTreats use organic ingredients, whenever possible, and are grain sweetened with brown rice syrup, which retains nutrients. They contain no preservatives, synthetic additives, hydrogenated oil, refined flour, or artificial flavors/coloring. We carefully prepare MacroTreats to preserve maximum nutritional content and enhance flavor. Above all, MacroTreats are positively delicious!

Oskri

Oskri is another company in Wisconsin that makes their own delicious and simple treats. We carry a variety of coconut bars and sesame bars from them. We're also finding out customers really like the Jalow bars, and I'm including info on them below so you get an idea of what they are all about!

Cranberry Almond Jalow Bar

Ingredients: Chicory Root Extract, Almonds, Cranberries, Rice Crisp, Amaranth, Buck Wheat.

Features: Gluten Free, Lactose Free, Vegan, Kosher, Halal.

Product Description:

Jalow Bars are designed for those who want to limit their sugar intake, they are low in sugar (3 or 4 grams per bar), low in carbs and low in Calories. Such properties make them suitable for diabetics, they are delicious bars made with kids in mind.

The Jalow bars are made with the finest ingredients, with no additives, preservatives or artificial sweeteners. Chicory Root Extract is used as a binder but also increases the fiber content for each bar.

Bulk Coffee from Just Coffee and Farmer TO Farmer!

Hi friends,

please come join us for a cup of coffee at our new store, we'll be happy to introduce you to our new bulk coffee selection (in case you want to bring in your own container, buy any fraction of a pound of coffee or for whatever other reason that keeps your cup fresh!).

currently we're testing four bulk varieties from Farmer to Farmer and Just Coffee.

Farmer To Farmer: FRENCH & MEDIUM ROASTS

Just Coffee: REVOLUTION ROAST & BIKE FUEL

Get Your Turkeys!!

Thanksgiving is coming up, and it's time to think about reserving a locally grown turkey. We have 2 options for you this year:

Coon Creek Family Farm certified organic turkeys are locally raised, and will arrive at our store frozen for pickup or delivery on a few dates before Thanksgiving. If you’ve had them, you know how delicious they are. They are $4.49/lb, in sizes S (10-12#), M (13-15#), L (16-20#), XL (over 20#).

Beaver Creek Ranch is offering free-range fresh turkeys this year; they will be available for pickup at our store on one date before Thanksgiving (probably Nov. 21). They need to be kept at 35-38 degrees F, until you cook it on or before Thanksgiving day. They are $3.89/lb, and are available in L (16-20#) and XL (over 20#).

Quantities are limited, so please stop by the store to sign up for one or more turkeys as soon as you can. Deadline Nov. 17, but you want to get in earlier to ensure your selection. Or, e-mail Laura (at JustLocalFood.com) with your request, and she will either e-mail or call you to confirm your order was received. Include your name, your e-mail & phone number, the turkey type, size, and quantity, and whether you want to pick it up or add it to your delivery.

THANK YOU!

WOW! I don't want to sound too cheesy but... Eau Claire is a great place to live. We're so proud of our new store, and we're so happy to share it with you. The support for our new location is out of this world and beyond our dreams. This post is to say THANKS to YOU all! Large and small. Folks who talked with us about financing. People who scrubbed the floor underneath the shelves. Maybe you brought us a meal. Stopped in to grab a snack. Helped to move product, emptied freezers, organized shelves. Painted. Peeked in and said "hi"...

This is YOUR store, whether you are a shopper or local farmer, we are here to serve you. Please continue to share your thoughts and challenge us to be better. This is a journey, thanks for the fun ride!

Viking Beer Sampling Friday

Once again we will be having a beer sampling.

Stop in and try a few of the beers Viking Brewing has to offer.

And meet Randy and Anne of Viking Brewing Fame.

Friday October 24th
3PM-6PM
at the NEW Just Local Food Cooperative Building (1117 S. Farwell St.)

$4.99 4 packs during the sampling (reg. price $5.49)

a bit about the brewery...
Viking Brewing Company, established in 1994, was the first microbrewery in Northwest Wisconsin. Viking brought back that time-honored tradition of a local, family run brewery that takes pride in brewing unique and outstanding beers; over 22 different styles.

We're there!

Hey! We've moved into our new store!

Thanks so much to our many volunteers - cleaning shelves and floors, painting, moving product, more cleaning, making food for us to eat while cleaning... We couldn't have done this without you.

We can't wait to have you visit us in our beautiful new store. You are going to LOVE it!

And thanks so much to the employees at Johnny's Market for making it a smooth transition for us. We wish you the best!

new hours, new store!

We're busy gearing up for our new storefront, due to open in just over a few days! Thank you ahead of time for your patience and understanding as we make our new store a really great place to shop and work. We just wanted to let you know a few things as we get closer. Plenty more news will follow.

We're moving into Johnny's Market, 1117 South Farwell Street.

We'll be open at our current location up until Sunday, October 19th. We'll be open that Sunday but you'll definitely feel a moving vibe around the store. On Monday October 20th we'll be closed at both locations, making the major move, as all of our product will migrate to Farwell and we'll be setting up our systems. We anticipate having everything over there and open again for business that Tuesday, October 21st! The next few months will be full of tweaking and changes in our new store, and we're saving our official "grand opening" for January 2009. We're putting off the big party so we can listen to your feedback and tweak our operations to meet the growth and excitement of our new spot.

Starting Tuesday October 21, in the new location, our hours will be thoroughly expanded:

Monday through Saturday 8am to 9pm

Sunday 8am to 6pm

fresh produce

Roasting?

Local late season harvest continues! New in this week are purple top beets from Harmony Valley Farm in Viroqua, these awesome roots are certified organic and certified delicious - start your oven.

Also local, and also certified organic, are a wide variety of squash. Acorn, butternut, delicata, red kuri, spaghetti, sugar loaf and sweet dumpling are all in - pumpkins are squash, too. Prices vary from $.79 to $1.19 per pound - a great deal for some great squash.

We also have a variety of potatoes (yellow, red, red fingerling, russet, yellow fingerling) and yams.

Other fresh stuff:

Greens are rolling in on a regular basis. A new box of figs just came in, as well as some late season emerald beauty plums from California. Local pears & grapes. Plenty of mushrooms and garlic too!

beer sampling THURSDAY

beer sampling is over - it was awesome, and he'll be back again soon I'm sure!

Mark from
SAND CREEK BREWING CO.
of Black River Falls, WI
will be sampling BEER
THURSDAY October 9th
from 3-6PM.

Come try a ...
Sand Creek Golden Ale
Sand Creek English Style Special Ale
Wild Ride IPA
Sand Creek Hard Lemonade
Oscar's Chocolate Oatmeal Stout
Pioneer Black River Red

Also,
Sand Creek
six packs for
$6.99
during the sampling.

we're moving!

That's right! The stars have aligned and Just Local Food has found a new home for at least the next 15 years. When we began nearly five years ago, a grocery store selling half a million dollars worth of food and employing 12 people was a distant dream. Only with your help and the overwhelming support of our community could we have dreamed of, then procured, a prime retail outlet from which to feature our food. We're most of the way there.

Now you're probably gonna kill me when I say we won't be announcing our location until next week. But it is only fair to the people who are moving out of the building we'll be moving to. We'll have plenty of time to share the new address and make sure you know how to get there.

HINT: It's at the corner of Farwell and Washington.

For now, some details:

• we'll be saying "goodbye" to our chest freezers and welcoming big open glass doors - you'll be able to see all of our frozen items before making a selection! How novel, and grocery-store like!
• we'll also be saying "goodbye" to our cranky dairy and deli coolers and "hello" to a big walk-in cooler with floor-to-ceiling glass doors, how cool is that!?
  
• we'll have expanded hours, and a parking lot for bikes, strollers and cars
  
• all departments are researching new products, talking to producers and poring over catalogs to find new products to carry in our slightly expanded and more efficient retail space
• we're looking at more than doubling our produce section
• we'll be fully moved in and mostly through the transition before the end of THIS month, October 2008!

We will not be "running down" our inventory before the move, so please continue to shop at our store until we're through the move. And while we will be adding new products and making some changes - don't worry, we are still Just Local Food. We will be paying close attention to our food policy when making our decisions, and doing our best to communicate the facts about the food we sell.

So that's it for now, we're back to the new store layout, supplier calls, responding to customer input and, oh yeah, running our store as-is. Thank you so much for helping us make this dream come true!

“The day is coming when a single carrot, freshly observed, will set off a revolution.” ~Cezanne

save raw almonds

We get a lot of requests for almonds, and we do carry some almonds in bulk from California. They can be labeled as "raw", but sadly, the federal government has made it illegal for farmers to sell truly raw almonds. Thankfully, the locally-rooted Cornucopia Institute, along with other consumer and farmer groups around the country, are challenging this insane law. Even though truly raw almonds cannot be (legally) sourced from farms in the USA, you CAN get truly raw almonds from abroad! Before we go buying almonds from China, we'd like to see a grassroots effort to overturn the law succeed. I've included part of an informative article below. Please stop by Cornucopia to learn more about how you can help!


From Cornucopia: “This is yet another example of how government, under the guise of ‘public health,’ is interfering with an individual’s fundamental right to consume the foods of their choice,” noted David G. Cox of Columbus, OH and a legal advisor to The Cornucopia Institute. “The government’s police power does not authorize the USDA to choose for the individual what foods should be in the marketplace.”

Mitch Wallis, another member of the Cornucopia legal team, added that “in one fell swoop, the USDA and its agribusiness-dominated California Almond Board, have taken away all consumer access to a truly ‘raw’ almond. Almonds are, especially in California, perhaps the ‘king of nuts.’ If they can get away with destroying the almond, what does this portend for the future of all nuts and ultimately for all raw and natural foods?”

“It goes against all reason for the USDA to require domestic almonds to be pasteurized while allowing unpasteurized almonds to be imported from abroad,” observed Eli Penberthy, a Seattle, WA-based food and farming analyst with The Cornucopia Institute. “Small-scale and organic farmers in California have lost sales to retailers and consumers who are instead choosing to buy truly raw almonds from Italy and Spain.”

Fatty Boombalatty

We have 10 cases of Fatty Boombalatty
left until next spring. Pick up a six pack while you can.

Off their website...
Fatty Boombalatty: a dangerously drinkable Belgian
Availability: Spring/Summer. ABV: 7.2%.

The conception and naming of this beer happened in one fell swoop. Unsure whether to offer a light session beer or a fun ball-buster as our warm weather seasonal, we decided on a beer that would be “a big, fatty boombalatty” version of a Belgian white. And away we went, taking a recipe for a white beer and ramping up the grain bill by 50%; we dropped the amount of wheat by 75% to keep the beer rough around the edges. We bucked tradition by steering the bitterness in the direction of a pale ale, and coupling hops with coriander in the fermenter. The resulting beer gives you all the bubblegum goodness of a big Belgian, with enough crispness to cut through the sweet profile, thus making you want to sip it again and again. Dangerous, indeed!
furthermorebeer.com
ready.fire.aim

pomegranates, potatoes, peppers plus +

Well the weather is cooling off but our fresh, organic & local produce section is still pretty hot. We just received a van load of a variety of certified organic squash from Larry at Sylvan Hills. Check out the recipe for butternut kuri curry squash soup we sampled at last Saturday's market, available in the store. We have some Wisconsin grown luscious pears in today, along with a box of pluots, more great avocadoes, 80# of fresh sweet potatoes, delicious small green grapes, some huge mangoes and two boxes of organic fair trade bananas.

Pomegranates are weird. Looking, that is. But they pack a nutritious punch. Full of antioxidants ready fight cell damage, their seeds and juice are known for their healing powers. Be like an ancient priestess and adorn yourself with the fruit. Or just eat one and live longer, as the Chinese have long known. Take one home today! Check out this awesome website for everything you need to know about pomegranates!

art in october

“My Little Garden Friends”
The Photography of Kathy Tank

Opening Reception: Thursday, October 16th from 6:30-8:00pm featuring David Tank, author of “River of Hope: My Journey with Kathy in Search of Healing from Lou Gehrig’s Disease”. David will share Kathy’s story and specifically address the dietary and lifestyle changes she had made after being diagnosed with Lou Gehrig’s Disease.

Kathy was known to many in the area as The Garden Tender because of her garden maintenance business. But, as she put it, my love of gardening started when I was still in the womb and my mother chatted tenderly to her daisies and mums. Kathy was a Master Gardener, Master Composter and former co-president of the Otter Creek Garden Club.

In late 2004 she began noticing some muscle weakness and was later diagnosed with ALS (Lou Gehrigs disease). By June of 2006 she was no longer able to continue her gardening business and working in her own gardens had become a challenge. But she was unwilling to give up. She redirected her energies to photographing her gardens and writing feature articles about gardening for the Eau Claire Leader-Telegrams Home Front magazine.

This collection of photographs depicts Kathys gardens from her point of view; close and intimate. Because she used no pesticides, she had a number of little friends that enjoyed her flowers with her. She was delighted each time that she met someone new among her flowers and enjoyed sharing their pictures with friends and family. She had also begun to share her pictures
with a wider audience and had winning photographs in contests in Wisconsin and Pennsylvania.

Kathy died in November 2007 after complications from a fall. Amazingly, she had been making progress in reversing her ALS, something the experts had told her was impossible. I am confident that she would have appreciated my sharing these portraits of her little garden friends with a larger audience. I hope that you enjoy seeing them as much as she enjoyed taking them.

-David Tank

Kielbasa, Chorizo, and Tiny Chickens

Here's what's new in the meat department:

Randy & Lynn Anderson from Anderson Farm brought in some of their best-selling products, made from 100% grass feed beef. Nitrate-free uncured beef kielbasa, sliced summer sausage (good for snacking or in sandwiches), and beef sticks. Their delicious uncured beef hot dogs are now back in stock, plus we still have a few of their wonderful corned beef brisket awaiting your taste buds.

We have a new product from Beaver Creek Ranch in our freezer, fresh chorizo in bulk 1# packages. It is seasoned with salt, spices, paprika, and garlic. How about making a big steamy pot of lentil and chorizo sausage soup? We’ve got the ingredients right here in the store!

Matt Buvala, who provides our wonderful organic free-range eggs, brought us some small stewing chickens at a great price. They’d be great in soup or stew or even Coq au Vin, if that’s your style. The chickens are $7.99 each, and are in the store for a trial basis. Come and get yours, and let us know if you’d like these to be a regular item.

Here is a link to all kinds of chicken soups and chowders.

Thanks to Dave for the above links and info…

moving update

Well I'm sure you've read the news about the country's financial situation this week. What a time to be getting a loan for a new building! We are working overtime to secure our financing to complete our move. Believe me, we're chomping at the bit to tell you when and where. We do have a sign-up sheet at the store if you'd like to help with our move in any way. Another way you might help is to consider purchasing Class C Preferred Shares in our business. They are available in $100 increments, accrue an optional 5% yearly dividend, and your money will stay and work hard right here in the Chippewa Valley.

Every little bit helps! And thanks to those who have already contributed to our equity fund now over $60,000 strong, and to all of our customers - old & new, that keep us going! See you soon...

calling all kids, walkers, bikers!

Eco-parade "float"

Update: It was a fun time, we handed out hundreds of local apples to smiling adults and kids! Apples instead of candy in a parade? Right on!

Calling all JLF supporters! Just Local Food has been invited to participate in the International Fall Festival parade this Saturday 9/20. We will be riding bikes/trailers, walking & pushing strollers, wearing Just Local Food carrot shirts and Eat Local Challenge shirts and passing out stickers and apples. We're inviting any and all of you to join us if you'd like. We'll have extra t-shirts on hand for you to wear. We'll be parading between a hydrogen powered car and the cute little electric van we hosted at the store a few weeks ago.

Meet us in Wilson Park, the south side on Earl Street between Farwell and Barstow streets sometime between 2 and 3 to join in the fun. Email Aaron for more info.

Carr Valley Cheese & other refrigerated updates

I'm excited to share that we have started working with Carr Valley Cheese. This Cheesemaking operation spans 4 generations dating back 100 years. To say the least, they know how to make darnn good cheese. We're starting with the eight varieties listed below, but look forward to many more making their way through the store in the months to come.

Mammoth Cheddar

Mammoth Cheddar is a very old traditional style of cheese. It is a 74 lb. wheel that is cellar cured. We grow native molds on the surface of the cheese and cure it for 10 months. The flavor is very fresh and delicious with some fruity afternotes. This cheese won 2nd place at the 2006 American Cheese Society Competition.

Black Sheep Truffle

Inspired by the truffled cheese of Italy, Sid has created this award winning sheep milk cheese which is washed in truffle oil and aged over 6 months. Has a sweet unique earthy flavor from the black truffle pieces throughout the cheese. It was awarded 1st Place at the 2006 American Cheese Society Competiton.

Mobay

Sid's whimsically delicious take on the famous French cheese, Morbier. Our version features a layer of sheep milk cheese and a layer of goat milk cheese separated by a layer of grape vine ash and pressed together. The flavor is both delicate and rustic. Taste each layer separately and then together for three different flavor profiles in one great cheese. Mobay took 2nd Place in its class at the 2004 and 2005 American Cheese Society Competition.

Chevre au Lait

Made with 100% goat milk, this gouda style cheese is aged for extra flavor. Excellent table and snacking cheese.

Cocoa Cardona

Chocolate and cheese unite beautifully in this award-winning American Original. Made in 8-lb. wheels, from goat milk, it features our delicious Cardona aged and rubbed with cocoa powder. The cocoa flavor is subtle, the rind a lovely brown, and the end result like nothing you've ever tasted. It took 1st Place at the 2004 and 2nd in 2006 American Cheese Society Competition and Best of Class & Overall Second Runner-Up out of 1,000 entries in the 2005 U.S. Championship Cheese Contest.

Creama Kasa

An incredibly rich and flavorful triple-cream cheese that's like pure heaven. Creama Kasa is made from cow milk. Its flavor is buttery and piquant, and it melts in your mouth. Perfect for spreading on warm, crusty bread.

Wildflower Cheddar

Wildflower Cheddar is a cheese made from the milk of cows that graze on lush spring and summer wildflower pastures.

Also new in refrigerated...

Coon Creek Organic Eggs

Bubbies Pure Kosher Dill Pickles

Organic Valley Neufchatel Cheese Spread

Rosewood Organic Tofu

Elderberry Kitchen Raspberry Poppyseed Dressing

Elderberry Kitchen Raspberry Agave Dressing

Elderberry Kitchen Pasta Salad Dressing