We're closed on Labor Day (Sept. 1)

Just a reminder that Just Local will be closed this Monday for Labor Day. So be sure to come in over the weekend to stock up for your end-of-the-summer cookouts.

We’ve got all kinds of good stuff for the grill. Salmon filets, brats (lamb, pork, turkey apple, bison), sausages (Italian, chorizo), and hot dogs (natural beef, chicken, and bison), ground beef and bison, steaks, pork chops, chicken (parts and whole), lamb chops, racks, ground.

Add some ears of corn, red peppers, eggplant, squash, make a big batch of guacamole or salsa with chips, a potato salad with some yummy little fingerlings or reds, and enjoy it all with some nice cold Wisconsin beer.

Oh yeah...

SALMON has returned to our freezer

We just restocked our freezer with wild-caught Chinook salmon. These salmon are caught off of the Alaskan coast, and processed and frozen at sea, for the ultimate in frozen freshness.

We get these salmon through Beaver Creek Ranch. Doug from Beaver Creek explained to me why the labels occasionally have “Chile” on them. The salmon are NOT from Chile, but some of the processing boats are in international waters (off the Alaskan coast), and are from different countries, including Chile. These boats label the fish they package and freeze with the boat’s country of origin. Mystery solved. Eat salmon.

Here's a nice video to show How to Grill Salmon:
http://allrecipes.com/HowTo/How-to-Grill-Salmon-Video/Detail.aspx

Bison Steak Sale!

We've got a few nice thick bison steaks left, and they're yours for 20% off regular price. If you're already a buffalo fan, or have wanted an excuse to try it, stop down and pick one up for the grill.

Here are some tips on grilling bison:
http://www.bisonbasics.com/recipes/rib_loin/fvrt_stk.html

Grassfed bison steaks are similar to 'select' grade beef steaks in that there is little or no inter-muscular fat, or what is known as 'marbling'. That's why it is very important to get to know your barbecue's cooking temperament. Little or no marbling means that the steak can be cooked very quickly and end up being easily over done if left on the grill just a minute or two too long.

For best results, tender bison steaks should first be seared over high heat for about a minute on each side. Then to avoid over cooking, the steak should be finished over medium/medium-low heat with the barbecue cover closed. For a 3/4 inch thick steak, usually only another 3 to 4 minutes of cooking per side is all that's required for a rare steak. Medium rare will only take a minute or so longer.

Produce 8-21-2008

This week in produce we received four kinds of local garlic: Chesnock Red, Romanian Red, Georgian Crystal and Georgian Fire. Georgian Fire has a good flavor with a moderate to hot spiciness and it is listed as endangered and hard to find according to the Seeds of Diversity Catalogue. Georgian Crystal has a smooth and zesty taste and is also listed as endangered. Chesnock Red is great for cooking or roasting and has purple stripes. Romanian Red has a strong flavor with red and brown cloves. Locally we have also received: blueberries, raspberries, watermelon, cantaloupe, cherries, blackberries, cauliflower, zucchini, patty pans, eggplant, cucumbers, broccoli, sweet corn, cabbage, purple peppers, green peppers, russet potatoes, yellow onion, beets, arugula, heirloom tomatoes, white cherry tomatoes and roma cherry tomatoes. We also have many other delicious fruits and vegetables in produce so come down to the store anf check things out.

delivery vehicles

Hey there. Just a reminder to y'all that our weekly delivery service is still going strong. Those of you that have been with us since the beginning will remember the old postal service step van we powered with biodiesel. Or maybe you saw the Ford Escort powered by vegetable oil. Now we're delivering food around town in a couple of late model Volkswagens that get great mileage. Why VWs?? They are small, efficient, and capable of the task. We know they won't last forever, though, so we're looking to the future to see what we might replace them with. This morning a few nice folks from the NEV car store in LaCrosse brought a Wisconsin-made electric vehicle to our store for a public demonstration. Without a doubt, it is unique, in looks and in how it gets around. We've got a lot of homework to do before we know whether it will work for our delivery service. The purchase price is fairly steep, especially compared to used VW's, but the operating costs per mile are just a few pennies. A crowd of interested locals were there to greet it, along with a few TV crews. You might have seen the story on WQOW, which is one reason why I'm posting this info here. Their headline reported that we've added the van to our route - we haven't - we just hosted the NEV guys from LaCrosse, and will again September 20 if you're interested in seeing it for yourself. Feel free to comment on this post if you have an opinion or ideas on the NEV or our delivery service! And thanks to WQOW for the coverage, the LT for printing an announcement of the visit, and the fellas from LaCrosse who took time out of their day to share this innovative new vehicle with us.

important local food survey

I received this from long-time supporter and UWEC economics professor Eric Jamelske, who kindly asked me to post this to our website. I heartily endorse your participation!

The University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire Economics Department and University of Wisconsin-Extension are asking you to participate in a short 10 minute survey on household food purchasing.

There's even a carrot on a stick for you donkeys out there! Upon completing the survey you can enter a drawing to win one of six prizes totaling $350. (1 - $100 Prize and 5 - $50 Prizes) The survey and more information can be found at this web address.

Click on the link that says take the survey now. Thank you for your participation!

More Details:

In Wisconsin there is a strong push to develop a more robust local/regional food system, for economic development as well as for environmental and health reasons. Recently there has been a great deal of attention surrounding where the food we eat actually comes from, how far it travels and how healthy and nutritious it really is.

The University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire Economics Department and Chippewa Valley Center for Economic Research and Development (CVCERD) have partnered with UW-Extension Barron/Chippewa Counties on a very timely research project. Our goal is to characterize the landscape of local food production and consumption (Supply & Demand) in West Central Wisconsin.

You are being asked to participate in a survey of households to aid the UWEC-CVCERD and UW-EX in quantifying the purchase of locally raised food by households in the region. Completing this survey will take about 10 minutes of your time and your participation is entirely voluntary.

new in bulk

In our ongoing quest to serve you better and work more directly with family farmers for a wide variety of foods, we have recently found a new source for some of our beans, grains and dried fruit. Ferris Organic Farm in Michigan is both certified organic and Kosher. Read for yourself, a quote pulled directly from their website.

"Our 200 acre farm consists of about 150 tillable acres and has been certified organic since certification began. We have just changed to the Global Organic Alliance organic certifier. All grains, beans,and flour produced here are Kosher and Parve (Congregation Bais Chabad). We have an ‘on farm’ certified organic dry bean and grain cleaning facility, the first one certified organic in the mid-west. We have a modest warehouse building that contains an office, cold room and re-bagging room."

Please note that only some of these beans and grains are grown directly on their farm, such as pintos and raw wheat germ. We have been searching hard for a bulk supplier that can cover many of our needs and bring it all to us in one shipment versus sourcing out many suppliers that would require multiple shipments, thus using more fuel (and increasing delivery costs) to get it to us! Please do let us know however if you can source a more local or regional product for some of the items listed so that we can constantly be aware and proactive. Send requests or suggestions to Jen. I am happy to receive any word on more regional suppliers of any of these items.

New items to the shelves at JLF:

• Pinto beans (Michigan)
  
• Wheat Germ, raw (Michigan)
  
• Red Lentils (Turkey)
  
• Green Lentils (Canada)
  
• French Du Puy Lentils (Canada)
  
• Quinoa (Peru)
  
• Bulghar (Turkey)
  
• Dried Mango slices (Thailand)
  

Sorry folks, they only have the sweetened, unsulphured available to us, we used to carry the unsweetened through a different supplier. Let us know what you think.
Stop in and bulk up!

Produce 8/13/08

This week in produce at Just Local Food we received: apricots, avocados, bananas, green top carrots, cauliflower, celery, black mission figs, ginger, black grapes, red grapes, green grapes, grapefruit, kiwi, lemons, limes, mango, portabella mushrooms, shiitake mushrooms, white nectarines, yellow nectarines, red onions, yellow onions, white onions, valencia oranges, white peaches, yellow peaches, red sensation pears, green peppers, plums, pluots, purple potatoes, red potatoes, yellow fingerling potatoes, russet potatoes, yukon potatoes, strawberries and yams. Local this week we have: zucchini, red watermelon, yellow watermelon, cantaloupe, sweet corn, heirloom tomatoes, cherry roma tomatoes, shallots, garlic, Walla Walla onions, crimini mushrooms, white mushrooms, leeks, cucumbers, Mississippi greens, cherries, cabbage, broccoli, beets, basil and beans. This week we are unable to get any salad greens or spinach, the truck that delivers to our main produce distributor tipped over so they don't have any and Dragsmith is sold out of them this week. We should get them back in next week.

Moving Update

We are well on our way to securing a new location for our grocery store in Downtown Eau Claire, and we should be able to announce the spot in the beginning of September. Thanks to our many customers and new investors, we've raised over $60,000 in equity in just the past few months which is enough to leverage the $250,000 needed for our new project. So many thanks to our great farmers that produce the food we sell, and you, our customers for your continued support. We can still use more community investors, just let us know if you are interested!

regional and local products new to the shelves

We have a few new additions to our now twice a week Co-op Partners produce order. Each new item has a story, and since they all come via Co-op (aka the Wedge) they have something special about them...

Mrs. Clarks, a company that was actually Mrs. Clark, is now an Ag Cooperative in Iowa. We have their plain Mayonnaise.

French Nuggets are tasty, good for you and made in the Cities. We have almond and peanut. These are hearty, delicious chocolates that aren't too sweet - I call them vitamins, they do your body good!

SunButter - an alternative to peanut butter, and produced in a truly peanut-free facility. We carry their certified organic variety, made from delicious organic sunflower seeds.

Produce 08/06/08

This week in produce we have; apricots, avocado, bananas, burgundy beans, carrots, cauliflower, celery, Rainier cherries, eggplant, Kadota figs, garlic, ginger, black grapes, red grapes, green grapes, champagne grapes, kiwi, Meyer lemons, limes, mangoes, cantaloupe, watermelon, Portabella mushrooms, Shiitake mushrooms, nectarines, Valencia oranges, peaches, pears, green peppers, Simka plums, Red Raven plums, Dapple Dandy pluots, Flavor Grenade pluots, purple potatoes, red potatoes, yellow Fingerling potatoes, russet potatoes, Yukon potatoes, spinach, Acorn squash, Kabocha squash, Spaghetti squash, strawberries, purple tomatillo, tomatoes and yams. Local this week we have Dragon Langerie beans, Flat Roma beans, beets, broccoli, cabbage, dark sweet cherries, Emperor Francis cherries, sweet corn, basil, cucumbers, garlic, leeks, Wissota greens, Mississippi greens, Crimini mushrooms, White Button mushrooms, scapes, shallots, tomatoes and zucchini. The stone fruits have been fantastic this year so far and I am looking forward to getting more local choices on them as well. The local cherries we just started to get are fantastic. We got a new variety this morning called Emperor Francis, they look and taste similar to the Rainier cherries that we have been getting but are better because they are local. So come down and pick out some produce that you don't have in your garden or at the farmers market.

FRESH

A communications/journalism class at UWEC spent their Spring semester this year creating a magazine focused on promoting local food. It's called Fresh, and it is. The printed magazine is a full color work of art, but they didn't have a budget to produce them en masse. However, they now have a link to the content online.
Check it out!

Sylvan Hills Garlic

This years garlic is close enough to smell. Pictured from left to right is your garlic growing in the field, your garlic hanging to dry so it can be stored and finally the man growing the garlic. Sylvan Hills is a certified organic farm that grows many different kinds of produce but specializes in garlic. Larry at Sylvan Hills grows several varieties of garlic, most are very spicy and delicious. They include; Romanian Red, Georgian Fire, Georgian Crystal, Music and Chesnek Red. We should start to see Sylvan Hills garlic show up in the store in another week or so.

One Sun Pizzas

One Sun pizzas are new in our freezer case. See what the makers have to say about their pizza:

"Our devotion to living a healthy and holistic lifestyle stretches beyond out sustainable farming practiced and family business model. We absolutely LOVE out fresh, wholesome pizzas made right inside our farm's certified kitchen, utilizing veggies still warm from the sun."

"We keep it creatively simple...what's fresh in the garden goes on your pizza. Our farming practices ensure you are getting the highest quality produce mother earth can muster."

"You can trust our crust, it's handmade and mixed by a real live farm wife! Erin mixes up certified organic stone-ground wheat and white flour into two distinctive crust options that will have you aching for just one more slice of pizza heaven."

We are carrying Veggie Revolution, a spinach and garlic pizza on whole wheat crust, and the Romeo and Juliet, a cheese an asparagus pizza on whole wheat crust.

Produce List 07-29-08

This week in produce we received; apricots, avocados, bananas, carrots, cauliflower, Rainier cherries, eggplant, red seedless grapes, green seedless grapes, champagne grapes(small black grapes full of flavor), grapefruit, kiwi, Meyer lemons, limes, Kent mango, cantaloupe, watermelon, portabella mushrooms, shiitake mushrooms, nectarines, valencia oranges, peaches, green peppers, red peppers, Italian sweet peppers, plums, cherry tomatoes and yams. Local this week we have blueberries from Wheatfield Hill, cabbage, broccoli, Mississippi greens, Wissota greens, beets from Six River Co-op, zucchini, cucumbers, crimini and white mushrooms, garlic, garlic scapes and spinach. I also want to mention Dragsmith Farms is now certified organic.

Easy recipe for Stone Fruit Chutney

Thin sliced peaches/nectarines, plums/apricots, and cherries in a lightly spiced syrup of sugar, garam masala, and white wine or white balsamic vinegar...

I found this recipe in Bon Appetit magazine, and since I had an abundance of ripe stone fruits (nectarines, plums, and cherries) from Just Local, decided to give it a try. It was wonderful! I reduced the amount of sugar by half, and also the amount of white wine vinegar and garam masala, to just give it a subtle Indian flavor.

For an appetizer, I spread toasted slices of Marie's Bakery baguette with Bass Lake chevre (goat cheese, also from JLF!), and topped with some of the chutney. So good! We finished it off later that weekend as an ice cream topping.

http://www.bonappetit.com/magazine/2008/08/stone_fruit_chutney

Powerkraut

I am excited to share that we finally have raw sauerkraut in the store thanks to Adrienne Caldwell of Powerkraut. Even more exciting is that it is grown and processed not to far down the road in Viroqua, WI.

Currenty we are stocking:
Classic: organic green cabbage and sea salt
Purple: organic red cabbage and sea salt
Kim Chi: *organic...*green cabbage, *carrots, *daikon, *onion, *kale, *red bell peppers, *garlic, ginger, *red chili peppers, *paprika, *cayenne, and sea salt

Local, Raw, Organic, Fermented, Slow Food.

Check out Adrienne's blog for more info on the history and health benefits of these products.

Produce for the Week of 07-22-08

This week in produce we have; avocados, bananas, beets, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, celery, Rainier cherries, dates, garlic, ginger, grapes(red,black,green), grapefruit, kiwi, Meyer lemons, limes, Kent mangoes, Ataulfo mangoes, cantaloupe, shiitake mushrooms, portabella mushrooms, nectarines, onions, Valencia oranges, peaches, jalapeños, red peppers, Italian sweet peppers, plums, spinach, purple tomatillo, tomatoes, watermelon, yams and zucchini. Local this week we have; broccoli, raspberries, blueberries, peas, garlic scapes, hydroponic tomatoes, cucumbers, Mississippi greens, mixed lettuce greens, green top beets, crimini and white mushrooms. New this week we finally got in a batch of this years potato crops they include; purple potatoes, yellow fingerling potatoes, red potatoes and russet potatoes. Sorry if you have had to buy sprouting potatoes, but our building is not a/c causing things to think it is time to grow or ripen faster depending on the produce. Also, new this week we have champagne grapes, they are small table grapes that taste like childhood when you pop them in your mouth. So come on down to the store and check us out or have something added to your delivery.

Governor Picks Eau Claire to Launch Buy Local Campaign!

You may remember us reporting on our involvement in a "buy local" consortium in partnership with numerous local farms, Sacred Heart hospital & River Country RC&D. Well, today the Governor wanted to be in Eau Claire to launch the State's Buy Local Buy Wisconsin program. Some highlights of the Governors visit to Sacred Heart this morning:

• many farmers, front and center, and getting oversized (in more ways than one!) checks from sacred heart
  
• sacred heart hospital representatives who are clearly walking their talk, with an agressive sustainable action plan with local food at the heart, showing that this institution supports local food efforts in all degrees
• politicians from all sides, I met Rebublicans, Independents and Democrats while representing JLF, proving our own experience that local food crosses all boundaries!
  
• a great local food snack table, sacred heart walking their talk
  
• an incredible, progressive speech (ad hoc, I didn't see cue cards) by the Governor that expressed a good understanding of food and farm issues, and presented ideas that will help keep Western Wisconsin at the forefront of local food systems development
  
• a $41,000+ check (in the form of a grant) for our own local consortium to get off the ground!

In all, $225,000 for this program (a few projects throughout the state) is totally awesome and woefully inadequate at the same time. I'm confident these grants will help develop sustainable projects that in turn will need to be replicated throughout our state and beyond. Seeing what this community can do in supporting our unique store over the past few years give me hope and energy to push forward with our important, delicious work. Thanks for visiting, guv!

In Need of A/C

If you have been in lately you know just how warm and humid it is in the store. Our landlord, Eau Claire County, has given us access to A/C that helps cool the back of the store, but our front area is steamy! We are hoping one of our wonderful, giving patrons might be able to donate or loan a window a/c unit. We're also hoping we can find a few handy folks to help install it. Since we're moving soon, we'll only need the A/C for a month or two, which is why we're hoping you can help out! The window is 38inches wide and 18 inches tall. Email Adam or give a call to the store to let us know if you can help! Thanks!

what's local: garlic scapes

It's a little early for this year's hardneck garlic yet, but we're thinking of it. It's about this time most garlic growers visit the rows and trim the top of the plant, called a scape, to encourage bulb development. The garlic scape is a completely edible, green vegetable with plenty of true garlic flavor. Use it in pretty much anything calling for garlic or green onions, or do as Larry does and eat garlic scape omelets (we served these briefly at last Saturday's farmers market as well).

You won't find garlic scapes in any other grocery store in town, and probably not again here until next year. If you have ever seen a recipe that called for garlic scapes, now is your chance. And if you are growing your own garlic at home, now is the time to trim your scapes!

I've made garlic scape pesto in the past, and had a few customers remind me of it. Here's a recipe that looks like the right proportions, and I stole their picture too!

Local Food Kickoff Thursday!

We would love for you to join us in celebrating the announcement of statewide "buy local, buy wisconsin" grants and the launch of a new local food initiative spearheaded by Sacred Heart Hospital, River Country RC & D aimed to bolster our local food systems. Workers from Just Local Food have met along with the consortium and look forward to developing long lasting relationships that sustain our local economy. The event is this Thursday, 10am at Sacred Heart Hospital up on Clairemont Avenue and will feature prominent figures such as the Governor of Wisconsin himself! They know Eau Claire is serious about local food...

Fresh Produce Week of July 14th

This week in the produce department at Just Local Food we received: apricots, grapefruit, red and green seedless grapes, limes, yellow nectarines, valencia oranges, plums, shiitake mushrooms, grape cherry tomato, garlic, yellow onion, russet potato, yukon potato and pitted dates. New this week we have Italian sweet peppers, they come from T&D Willey farm and they look like hot peppers (long and skinny) but are sweet and good for frying. Local produce this week will consist of cucumbers from Minnesota, green top beets from Harmony Valley, crimini mushrooms from Eden WI, garlic scapes, spinach, Mississippi greens (micro greens), Wissota greens (spring mix lettuce), broccoli and snap peas. The last six are all coming from Six Rivers Co-op (formerly Dragsmith Farms), look for their delivery Thursday afternoon around 3:30. Don't forget to stop by our store after the farmer's market to pick up anything you can't find there!

new on the shelves...

We are proud to be working with a new worker-owned distributor of regional and organic foods that is offering a good selection of products and regular, consistent delivery. As you know, most of our products come straight from the farm or producer. But we need to work with a "middleman" to get decent prices on great food like Eden safe canned beans and dangerous snacks like Kettle chips (the ones we carry are made in Wisconsin!). Although we have access to literally tens of thousands of products through our new distributor, our worker owners are scrutinizing the fine details of each product and brand to see how they filter through our food policy.

In our first delivery this week we've mostly restocked some basics like the Eden canned beans referenced above, turbinado sugar, ketchup, tamari, peanut butter, crackers and more. As we familiarize ourselves with our new partners we'll be passing along special deals and will be happy to place special orders to meet your needs.

History of Eau Galle Cheese

Doesn't this picture of Leo Buhlman just make you want to learn a little bit about the history of Eau Galle Cheese Factory?

borrowed from the Eau Galle Cheese Factory website:

Eau Galle (pronounced: O Galley)--a quaint village nestled in the rolling hills of western Wisconsin--has had a milk processing plant since the mid-1800's.

Leo Buhlman, Founder, apprenticed for eight years as a cheese maker in Switzerland before coming to the United States in 1926.

After working at a number of Wisconsin cheese factories and learning English, Leo purchased the then closed cheese plant in Eau Galle in 1945 and it became known as the Eau Galle Cheese Factory.

He made and marketed swiss cheese for the next thirteen years. In 1958 he made and marketed cheddar cheese to meet the changing market. Within the next couple of years he began making hard Italian cheese which to this day is Eau Galle Cheese Factory's niche.

In 1964, his son, John Buhlman, took over management of the plant. But Leo continued putting in long days making cheese until he was 89 years old and it became too difficult for him to get around on his two walking canes.

In 1986, the Eau Galle Cheese Factory retained the village name when it built and moved to a new state of the art facility four miles East of Eau Galle on State Hwy 25, two miles North of Durand.

In 2005, once again, the factory underwent measures to improve its facility and added all new automated equipment. The Plant also was certified in 2005 for Organic production of hard Italian cheeses.

The Eau Galle Cheese Factory continues to be operated by the Buhlman family which takes pride in the cheese it produces.

Romar Chicken

Romar Greenhouse, one of our favorite local growers of amazing arugula and heirloom tomatoes, brought us a nice selection of chicken. It is naturally raised, but is not certified organic. In addition to whole chickens, we have 8-packs of legs, 4-packs of thighs, and packages of wings. It has been difficult at times to find good local chicken by the part, so we’re excited to offer it. Give it a try and let us know what you think.

While we’re on the subject of chicken, Coon Creek Family Farm has more of their great organic whole chickens available again. We also carry boneless, skinless chicken breasts in individual packages from Beaver Creek Ranch. And, the chicken hot dogs from Gifts from the Good Earth have been hot sellers this summer.

AllRecipes.com has some good information and recipes for chicken. Here are a few tidbits to get you started…

Deboning a Chicken Thigh
Cooking meat on the bone keeps the meat juicier and more flavorful, but some people prefer boneless. Here’s how to do it yourself (this method works for the leg, and there are also links to cutting up a whole chicken, and deboning a chicken breast).
http://allrecipes.com/HowTo/Deboning-a-Chicken-Thigh/Detail.aspx

Grilled Chicken Thighs Tandoori
"Moist, luscious, and delicious. Just the right blend of spices make this chicken dish one of my most requested. Great hot or cold. If using thighs with skin, you can put over direct medium heat for the last few minutes to crisp skin."
JLF note: Another recipe where all ingredients can be found in our store. Consider ditching the olive oil spray, unless you use it already, and dab with real olive oil instead.
http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Grilled-Chicken-Thighs-Tandoori/Detail.aspx

Spicy Stuffed Chicken Thighs
"An easy recipe to make that's full of flavor. Boneless chicken thighs are stuffed with spicy Italian sausage, then baked with diced tomatoes, onion, bell pepper, and crushed red pepper flakes. Can be served with rice or pasta."
JLF note: We have Italian sausage in the store, but not the spicy variety; you could add hot red pepper flakes if you wanted to add the heat.
http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Spicy-Stuffed-Chicken-Thighs/Detail.aspx

New Products in Refrigerated

Farmer's All Natural Creamery - Kalona, Iowa
Organic Cottage Cheese 4%Milkfat
Organic Sour Cream
www.kalonaorganics.com

Eichten's - Center City, MN
Smoked String Cheese 8oz
www.specialtycheese.com

Donnay Dairy - Kimball, MN
Granite Ridge Goat Cheese

Salad Girl Organic Salad Dressings - Willernie, MN
Crisp Apple Maple Dressing
Blueberry Basil Dressing
www.saladgirldressing.com

Berghoff - Janesville, WI
Famous Old-Fashioned Draft Root Beer

Mt Sterling - Mt Sterling, WI
Raw Sharp Goat Cheddar
www.buygoatcheese.com

Lightlife - Turners Falls, MA
Gimme Lean Ground Sausage Style
www.lightlife.com

Essence of Blue - Grand Junction, MI
Blueberry Nectar Lemonade
www.theblueberrystore.com

Apple Rush - Blue Island, IL
Sparkling Raspberry Apple
Sparkling Pomegranate Apple
www.applerush.com

CHEESE

The following list is of all cheeses in the store as of 07.01.2008.
All are sourced from Wisconsin with a few exceptions from Minnesota.
Sheep, Goat, OG, Raw, and MN are labeled.
If not labled, fill in cow and/or WI.

Bass Lake Canasta Pardo (sheep)
Bass Lake Chili Pepper Chev're (goat)
Bass Lake Country Plain Chev're (goat)
Bass Lake Goat Muenster w/ Green Olives (goat)
Bass Lake Herb Chev're (goat)
Bass Lake Pepper Chev're (goat)
Bass Lake Sharp Cheddar
Bass Lake Vegetable Chev're (goat)
BelGioioso Fresh Mozzarella
BelGioioso Mild Provolone
Black River Gorgonzola
Castle Rock Artisan Blue (OG)
Castle Rock Colby (OG)
Castle Rock Harvest Moon (OG)
Castle Rock Raw Milk Cheddar (OG, raw)
Castle Rock Smokey Blue (OG)
Crystal Ball 1yr Cheddar (OG)
Crystal Ball 3yr Sharp Cheddar (OG)
Crystal Ball Gouda (OG)
Donnay Granite Ridge Goat (OG, goat, MN)
Eau Galle Asiago
Eau Galle Italian
Eau Galle Parmesan
Eau Galle Romano
Edelweiss Emmentaler Swiss
Eichten's Smoked String Cheese (MN)
Gingerbread Jersey Aged Cheddar 1yr
Gingerbread Jersey Baby Swiss
Gingerbread Jersey Cheese Curds
Gingerbread Jersey Colby Longhorn
Gingerbread Jersey European Gouda (raw)
Gingerbread Jersey Jalapeno Cheddar
Gingerbread Jersey Manchego Viejo
Gingerbread Jersey Mozzarella
Gingerbread Jersey Mushroom & Onion Jack
Gingerbread Jersey Smoked Cheddar
Gingerbread Jersey Smoked Mozzarella
Gingerbread Jersey Swiss
Gingerbread Jersey Taste of Athens
Gingerbread Jersey Taste of Sicily
Grand Cru Gruyere
Grasspoint Mozzarella
Great Midwest Habanero Jack
Great Midwest Morel Leek Jack
Kronenost Swedish-Style Fontina
Mt. Sterling Feta (goat)
Mt. Sterling Goat Jack (goat)
Mt. Sterling Raw Mild Goat Cheddar (goat)
Mt. Sterling Raw Sharp Goat Cheddar (goat)
Mt. Sterling Raw Smoked Goat Cheddar (goat)
Next Generation Caribbean Cheddar (raw)
Next Generation Cilantro Roasted Garlic Cheddar (raw)
Next Generation Colby (raw)
Next Generation Garlic Parsley Cheddar (raw)
Next Generation Mild Cheddar (raw)
Next Generation Parsley Cheddar (raw)
Organic Valley Feta (OG)
Organic Valley Stringles (OG)
Pasture Pride Juusto
Pasture Pride Muenster
Pastureland Cheddar (raw, MN)
President Brie
President Camembert
Sartori Sarvecchio Double Aged Parmesan
Stettler Cream Havarti
Van Gogh Gouda
Vern's 8yr White Cheddar

If you have suggestions for new cheeses e-mail jordan@justlocalfood.com.

4th of July

The store will be closed on Friday July 4th. We will be open on Saturday, July 5th as usual.

Due to the 4th of July landing on Friday this year we will be delivering milk on Thursday July 3rd. Please call or email if there are problems with this time. 577-5564 or lissa@justlocalfood.com

Thank You. Have a great holiday weekend!

This Saturday, June 28, 11-3pm – Anderson Farm Samplefest

Lynn Anderson from Anderson Farm is going to be at the store this Saturday, sampling her delicious all-natural hot dogs, kielbasa, and corned beef. They were a hit back in December when she was at Just Local, so we hope you’ll stop by to give them a try.

To help you stock up for your summer grilling pleasure, you will save 10% on the purchase of 2 or more Anderson Farm products (Saturday June 28 only).

Produce 6/24/08

This week in produce we finally received local strawberries. Also local this week we have tomatoes, crimini mushrooms, mississippi greens, heirloom lettuce, spring mix lettuce, asparagus and kale. New this week we have watermelon, cantaloupe, figs and leeks. We have a lot of stone fruits like nectarines, plums, pluots and peaches. The green beans we have been receiving have been excellent.

Rising Milk Prices

For the first time since we opened over 4 years ago, we have to change our milk prices. Because of our unique and close relationship with Crystal Ball Farms, we have remained sheltered from the rising milk prices until now. This change is due to the increased costs of feed prices and fuel. On the upside, and also because of our extraordinary relationship with the farm, our prices are still much lower than other organic milk which retails from $4.50 to $6 a half gallon, much of which is not local and may be homogenized or destroyed by over-pasteurizing!

As of July 1, our new prices for premium fresh organic milk from Crystal Ball Farms will be:
1/2 gallons of whole, reduced and skim milk - $3.50
1/2 gallons of chocolate milk - $4.00
Quarts of whole, reduced and skim milk - $2.60
Quarts of chocolate milk - $3.20
Quarts of half and half - $3.50
Pints of chocolate milk and half and half - $2.25
Pints of cream - $3.50

Butter will stay at $7.00 a 1 pound tub.
The bottle deposits will remain the same as well. $1.50

Thank you for your understanding and continued support of our hardworking local farm neighbors!

Ahhh, Safe Cans

Direct from the Eden Website:

Are Eden Beans packed in cans with enamel lining that contains bisphenol-A?

No. Eden Organic Beans are packed in steel cans coated with a baked on oleoresinous (a natural mixture of an oil and a resin extracted from various plants, such as pine or balsam fir) c-enamel lining, that does not contain bisphenol-A. These cans cost 14% more than the industry standard cans, which do contain bisphenol-A.


One question we get a lot is "why does organic food cost more". Well, now you know why you might be spending a few more pennies on organic canned beans at our store. These are not the cheapest "organic" beans they can import from China, these are regionally grown beans, handled carefully, cooked properly, and put in a can that won't contaminate or poison the food. There isn't really a comparison!

This Week in Produce

New this week we have purple tomatillos, red peppers,cilantro and jalapenos(I must have been in the mood for salsa when I made the order). We also received; leeks, avocados, grapes(black,green and red), mangoes, nectarines, peaches, pluots, plums, apricots, mediterranean cucumbers, green peppers, potatoes(red, yukon and russet), rainier cherries, bing cherries, broccoli, green beans, yellow beans, roman beans, cherry tomatoes, cantaloupe, yellow onions, coconuts and bananas. Local this week we have hydro tomatoes, white mushrooms, mississippi greens, asparagus, kale, chard, heirloom lettuce and cilantro.

sad ending, new beginning

I'm posting this with a bit of sadness and lots of hope - thanks to Nathan and the wonderful people at Native Bay who have done our local farmers well the past three years, and been an exemplary partner in local food education...

The following is from Native Bay:

Hello Everyone,

It is with great sadness that we must inform all of you that after three years of business, Native Bay will be closing at the end of this month. Our last day of business will be Sunday, June 29th.

This was not a decision that was reached lightly. We struggled very hard for (exactly) three years and all of us here at Native Bay have put in more hard work than you can imagine keeping our restaurant afloat. However, mounting debts, uncertainty towards the future and some severe burnout on behalf of many of us have forced us to throw in the towel.

We would like to thank all of you who have supported us throughout our run here. It was those of you who truly understood our mission of incredible fine dining and local food that kept us going strong as long as we did. Even though we're closing the doors, we don't consider what we did here at Native Bay a failure. We helped bring the notion of local food -- and all that that entails -- to this community and we made plenty of people happy along the way. We've made connections with a host of fine folks -- whether they be farmers, producers, customers or our own staff -- and these are relationships that will continue long after Native Bay is a mere memory.

Here in our last two weeks of business, we hope that any of you who are interested will take the time to come out and enjoy one (or maybe three) last meal(s). We would like to raise as much money as we can in our last days to make sure that we get as many of the bills paid up as possible. Even if you can't make it out, any kind words or feedback you might have for us would be greatly appreciated.

Finally, our closing does not come without a few silver linings. Primarily, please know that we won't quit our core mission of fine dining and local foods. Soon after we get our whole aftermath squared away, we will be in search of a new building where we can start anew and focus on what we did best. We are firmly committed to the Chippewa Valley, since we've come to believe that the farmers and producers in our region are some of the most progressive and amazing people in the whole country. Certainly, our next endeavor will be a smaller venture and in a location that doesn't bring with it such a seasonal fluctuation of business, which will in turn allow us to focus even more energy on our goal of creating a dining experience that's worth writing home over. We may need some help along the way too, so please don't be afraid to contact us if you feel you can be of assistance.

If anyone would like to send us comments, please either mail or email them to the addresses below (this account doesn't get checked frequently) or, as mentioned before, come and join us during our last little run.

A heartfelt "Thank You and Goodbye For Now",

The Staff at Native Bay

Native Bay Restaurant and Lounge
9504 County Hwy S South
Chippewa Falls, WI 54729
715.726.0434

info@nativebayrestaurant.com
www.nativebayrestaurant.com

new in packaged goods

We're exploring new suppliers, and deeper relationships with existing local and regional suppliers. These products come in through Vern's Cheese, a distributor that has been serving us reliably for some time. His route stops every two weeks, on Mondays. We'd be happy to place a special order for you as well.

The products pictured here and described below are not the backbone of our business, but they are folding into our purpose in finding "as local as we can" and "as good as we can". There are no local farmers making organic pretzels in packages we can sell in our store; this is the best we can find, through businesses and co-ops we trust. Made in Wisconsin or Michigan. And these aren't "health food" either, necessarily. Nobody's perfect and we all like a pretzel or some cheap kraut now and then too...

East Shore Specialty Foods
Pretzels and dippin' mustards made in Wisconsin. When I called to ask about hydrogenated oils in their pretzels, the nice woman said "Oh we took those out a few years ago." The mustards are simple. If you have favorites you think we'd like to sell, let me know! (silver spring organic line mustards will be coming in soon)

Venus Crackers
We've got a lot of requests for crackers. Here's a shot, let us know what you think.

Flanagan's Kraut
Made in Wisconsin. A conventional product at a conventional price.

Mro-Cos Sex Olives
Garlic stuffed sicilian olives. Pretty good, not local or organic...

Berghoff Root Beer
Made in Wisconsin, one of the few root beers made with sugar instead of high fructose corn syrup.

Blue Nectar Blueberry Lemonade
100% juice.

We also received some cranberry juice cocktails made in Wisconsin from Door County cherries, but I tossed them in the "clearance cart" right away because of the high high fructose corn syrup content, great cherries, not so great and overly sweet drink...

this Saturday: Farmers Market and Art Fair!

Just Local Food workers will be abuzz in Phoenix Park this Saturday. Laura, Aaron, Ash and Zac will be split between the Farmers Market stand with Laura's great food samples, cheese and beverages; and the OAFA food court with our new Fruit Stand - fresh delicious organic fruits like grapes, cherries, pluots and more! Please stop down, say hi, and take part in these great events in our community.

Safe Local Tomatoes

Are you looking for safe tomatoes? I would like to inform you that our major produce supplier, Co-op Partners, has theirs tested at a lab and has assured us they are safe. Also, you should know that we can always trace back where all our produce starts. So you should always feel safe to shop with us. A side from tomatoes we have been receiving a lot of stone fruits from California. They include plums, pluots(plum apricot mixed), peaches, nectarines, apriums and apricots. Other fruits we are getting right now would include strawberries, rainier cherries, honey dew melon, bananas, kiwi, citrus and grapes. For now they are all coming from California but soon they will be local. We also have avocadoes, atualfo mangos, hayden mango, pears, garlic, onions, kabocha squash, spaghetti squash, acorn squash, shiitake mushrooms, portabella mushrooms, green peppers, carrots, cucumbers(Mediterranean), zucchini, celery, beets, broccoli, meyer lemons, limes, grapefruit, tangerines, kumquats and fair trade apples. The green beans are so beautiful I need to mention them seperately. Local, we have micro greens, red leaf lettuce, spinach, mixed lettuce greens, kale, chard, crimini and white button mushrooms. Did I mention our tomatoes are also local and certified organic? (pictured: PLUOT)

mushrooms

We always have a great supply of fresh mushrooms. They are almost always from Wisconsin, if not, from Minnesota, and only occasionally Pennsylvania. Shiitake, portabellas, crimini, white button...

Have you heard of umami? Mushrooms have it, especially shiitakes, morels & criminis. Sorry we haven't had many morels in this year, the ones through our distributor would have been forty bucks a pound, and the wildcrafters haven't brought in much.

Portabellas work great on the grill, I recommend you soak them in oil and tamari or your favorite marinade to keep them moist. Have you ever brought out a little cast iron pan to the grill? You can set it on the grate and saute some onions, garlic and shiitakes or criminis while you've got the rest of your meal going...

This Saturday, June 7: another Kubb Friendly

From our friends on campus:

The Eau Claire Berserkers and UWEC Foodlums are hosting kubb friendlies on the first Saturday of each month from noon to 2pm at Peace Park (across from Just Local Food on 1st and Grand). The friendlies consist of kubb and food. They are not tournaments, rather friendly, open matches for learning and fun. If you are a rookie or if you are the world champion, if you have a couple hours or only 15 minutes, regardless of age or sex, you are more than welcome. The grill is always hot and the lumber is always being tossed.

If you'd like to have a great afternoon (or practice for our August 2nd Midwest Kubb Championship & Fundraiser!) invite friends, bring some serious hunger and a kubb swagger!

Come on down to see why we think Eau Claire is "Kubb City USA"... this is how we create community.

sister city project: Miramar Costa Rica

A few weeks ago, Just Local Food was asked to help host a delegation of representatives from Eau Claire's sister city in Costa Rica. Our role is helping to make agricultural and cooperative connections during the "agriculture weekend" July 5 and 6 (that's in just a few weeks!). Among the folks coming up to visit our area is a representative from a coffee cooperative, and they'll be joining th Coffee Grounds at the Farmers Market on Saturday the 5th, hopefully sharing fresh brews of coffee beans from their area. On Sunday, Just Local Food will be hosting the entire delegation for a quick tour of our store, then embarking on a farm tour to visit a few local farms. We're also planning on stopping in Augusta for the Bean and Bacon days parade around noon, then embarking on further tours and ending with dinner at a restaurant in the area.

Are you interested in helping out with our visitors? We are looking for donations to cover meal expenses for these wonderful people, transportation, translators (spanish/english), farm hosts and more. Let Aaron know if you have any ideas or would like to contribute.

farmers market

The Downtown Eau Claire Farmers Market has been off to a wonderful start this year. Just Local Food is proud to continue our tradition of setting up alongside many of our suppliers and representing farms and fair-trade products at our own booth.

Like last year, we are bringing down fresh organic fair trade coffee every Saturday. Stick a travel mug in with your reusable shopping bags so you can enjoy a fresh cup while you peruse the pad. You are also very welcome to use one of the many ceramic mugs that we offer for wandering and to-go. We bring fresh coffee for a few reasons, one of which is to offer samples of different coffees for you to try. So please don't feel bad grabbing a mug and giving our daily brew a try, it is why we bring it. You'll notice we don't charge for coffee, we only ask for a donation. Why? We trust you.

By bringing our mugs to the market and avoiding styrofoam cups we are accomplishing several goals. We're reducing the overall waste that the Market produces. We're conserving landfill space. We're saving money for our co-op that allows us to keep our prices down. We're setting an example for other businesses. And we're retaining the genuine flavor and overall integrity of our fair trade organic coffees by not exposing them to plastics, waxes or styrofoam. Thanks for your support, and we look forward to seeing you on Saturday to share a cup of Joe, a delicious sample prepared by our staff, or just a simple wave & smile.

We also bring down bottled artesian water from a local family farm. This is not the kind of bottled water that's just tap water or from a Coke bottling plant. It truly is fresh, clean Wisconsin groundwater that is bottled near Osseo on Glenn and Bev's farm. I've been to the plant and they are doing the right thing. They would love to bottle in glass returnables, but they can't afford the bottles and equipment yet. This is the next best, and a far step above the corporate waters available elsewhere and keeps money in our area.

Crystal Ball Farms aged cheddars, small chocolate milks and Eau Galle Italian cheese are a few other products we try to bring each week. We're also featuring new products and inviting suppliers to join us, so you'll see a variety. We're trying to make it worth your visit every Saturday. See you there!

Art Reception this Saturday evening

“Longing Exists within the Night Sky”

Interpretive paintings of Tsunami survivors by Johanna Sinz

Artist's Opening Reception: Saturday, June 7 5:00-6:30pm

Show length: from June 1 – June 31

From Johanna:
Spring 2005 I began to research the Tsunami crisis particularly the disaster in Bande Ache. Thousands of women were left widows, more than one million left homeless and one in three had lost a job. Women had to share tents with strange men, they had no privacy to wash or to breastfeed. 150,000 women were pregnant when this tragedy struck. They struggled to find adequate health care. Many girls were unable to go back to school because nearly all of their teachers died and their college was destroyed in Bande Ache. Over 1,100 children were left orphaned and over 3,600 homes were destroyed. Women had to be strong and resourceful. They developed amazing bonds and friendships courageously surviving together in this male dominated society. I felt a connection with these particular women in Bande Ache the more I learned about them. Relating my pain with theirs allowed me to release emotions through painting.

I deal with situations and feelings that I am going through by painting; it has been an outlet for my emotions. Painting helps me to heal from past experiences that have happened in my life. I can let myself go through painting, putting what's in my heart and head out onto the canvas. It is essentially my escape from reality. It is a form of release, physically getting images out of my head onto the canvas releases me from being tied to the emotions.

When I started to research and study the Tsunami crisis this past spring, I began to incorporate natural disaster into my work. The water, layers, wind that I create is a grounding spot and metaphor of the events in my life. Texture is very important in the paintings, it represents how deep the emotions run. The layers that I create symbolize not only landscape but time elapsing over the landscape. Healing and washing over the destruction that has happened. By using layers and textures I form a personal language to convey my message.

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.

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.

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...

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.

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.”

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.