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

Vote in the Volume One reader Poll!

Head here for the skinny, or vote straight from the lists below by clicking "yay" for your favorites...

UWEC's Fresh Start Farmers Market

Come stop by our booth at UWEC's farmers market Thursday mornings throughout September and October!

Just Local Food and several other local vendors will be on campus (between Zorn Arena and Hibbard Hall) from 7:30-11:30 selling fruits and vegetables, flowers, coffee, breads and cookies, cheeses and yogurts, and many more great ways to start off any Thursday morning!

Help support our local economy! meet some Foodlums! enjoy a cup o' java! Witness the University's moving towards greater sustainability and community connections! see you there...

honey

straight from the farm:

The subject of raw honey could be and has been debated forever. However, we at Honey Hill Apiary would like to make the following statement for you, our customers, about our views on this issue.

We feel that the only true raw honey comes directly from the hive in the form of comb honey. USDA, which is responsible for classifying honey, does not acknowledge the term “raw honey” nor do they put it into any classification. Any honey you see in a jar has been processed in some way. Honey does not have to have bits of wax and various particles floating in it to be healthy for you. All of our honey is produced in Wisconsin. Our honey is warmed to a low temperature, strained (not pressure filtered), and packed into containers. That’s it! We add nothing to our honey, nor do we take anything away from it. All the nutrients are still in every jar of Honey Hill’s honey. Again we feel the only raw honey is comb honey, and we will not attempt to mislead our customers into thinking that they are getting anything other than what the label represents. Thank you for trying our honey and if you ever have any questions, we will always be here. Just give us a call or email.

• All pure honey will granulate in time. Most of the types of honey that are produced in this area will granulate shortly after extraction. One week to one month.
• To turn granulated honey back into liquid honey it must be heated to about 130 degree F. No way around it as that is about the melting point of honey.
• Raw: In its natural condition; not changes by art, manufacture, etc. Not processed, edited. All liquid honey has been removed from its wax comb, which is a change or process.
• Our honey is gravity strained through a cloth, not pressure filtered.
  

now taking resumes

Just Local Food is opening our door to new workers (see the open door there?). We’re looking for enthusiastic individuals with interest and experience in the following ways:

~in store and market customer service shifts
~weekend and evening help
~various departmental and committee work

Part-time positions may grow into a full-time opportunity. After a 90 day training period, workers are invited to become worker/owners or stay on as employees at the co-op.

If interested, please submit a resume ASAP!

To be included on resume:
~Work Experience
~Interests in 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
772 First Avenue
Eau Claire, Wisconsin 54703
715.577.5564

fresh produce

Boy howdy, it's harvest season! We've got cars, trucks and vans pulling up everyday with fresh new items for the store. And with a bunch of students back in town, and folks easing up on vacations, store sales are up and we're turning over the produce more - which means more variety and better quality for you!

In addition to our longtime local partners like Wheatfield Hill (tomatoes, melons...), Sunbow (tomatoes...), Sylvan Hills (garlic, summer squash...), Dragsmith (greens & more...) and Harmony Valley (cucumbers...) we have recently befriended Altruistic Farms, from south of here, near Gilman. Now here's a sweet old fella who has been growing great food for ages, and knows how to do it right, the old fashioned way, what we might call "clean" growing. We're consigning their sweet corn for $2 a dozen right now, and have a few other products from their farm you'll enjoy.

Also on the hotlist for produce this week are Helen's Melons - Wheatfield Hill certified organic watermelons in a variety of sizes and colors - all good. How about some excellent local russett potatoes, pairing quite well with any variety of Larry's (Sylvan Hills) garlic that is now in abundance. Have you had walla walla onions? Not the ones from Texas, but the ones from Chippewa? Expert local grower Jon Behling brought us these whoppers, eat 'em like an apple.

Look for Ron Schaeffer's certified organic local apples later this week - we'll have honeycrisp and soon some connell reds. Now, I've read and heard about some local orchards "going green" but don't confuse less toxic spraying with what Ron does on his certified organic orchard. Of course, spraying fewer chemicals is a good move (most do it to save money, not because they are convinced organic food is important), but it is far from the commitment and shift in orchard care that is required by organic standards. I'm sorry to say, but if you really get down to it with the conventional orchards around here, they are nice, wonderful people but they are spraying some nasty stuff on the fruit and into the environment. Ron proves, every season, that you can grow a great tasting apple without the crap, and he deserves our support. Believe me, it's not easy being the organic orchard in a sea of "conventional" out there on County K. (and how did it get to be that spraying chemicals is conventional?) Yeah, pumpkin cannons are cool, slingshots and mazes are fun, donuts taste great, but when it comes to having an apple you can enjoy, feel good about and feed to your kids, stop by Schaeffers Orchard run or buy some at our store. It makes a difference, and the other orchards are catching on. Keep up the good work, folks!

We're moving soon!

Hey there. I'm sure you've heard that we are moving our store soon. Our landlord (as of April this year), Eau Claire County, gave us until mid-October to vacate our current location along the river here. After scouring downtown Eau Claire for the perfect location, we now have an accepted real estate offer on a building that will close (that's close as in real estate close, not close the store!!!) on September 15. We will be moving in mid-October. Now the question you (and everybody else) have is WHERE IS IT!?!? Well, we're buying a building - ours to keep, adore, improve and expand as we see fit. Considering the bad luck we've had on locations so far (fire, wrecking balls) we really need to keep the location private and secret until we close (real estate close, you know, September 15th!). Believe me, we will be holding a press conference and letting you know where we're moving as soon as we possibly can. Until then, we have a request. You have probably heard rumors about where we're moving - everybody likes to guess and/or make assumptions. It's fun. However, we'd really appreciate it if you kept these rumors and assumptions quiet until we can announce publicly. We say this for a few reasons, the main one is that our real estate offer is contingent upon it being kept quiet until closing. The other is, well, we'd like to be the ones announcing it at the right time. It's gonna be awesome, and we can't wait to share the great news, and our slick new business plan with you, when the time comes!

transitions

Just Local Food is like no other business out there. There's a lot of reasons for that. One is you, our customers. We have the best dang customers around. Supportive, understanding, caring, dedicated... you rule. We wouldn't be here without you. And of course there are the farmers, and Just Local Food just wouldn't exist, quite obviously, without them and the fruits (and meats, and vegetables, and dairy-aires) of their labor. They are great too, but you know that, because you eat their food. The other piece of the JLF puzzle is the "middleperson" - in our case it's workers, and for the most part worker/owners.

We don't spend a lot of time tooting our own worker horns. We're busy, forging new ground, building on successes, making blundering mistakes, picking up the pieces and running again - you know, operating a store, delivery service, a few farmers market stands, educating the public about local food, cooperatives, farm practices... it's hard work. Nobody else is doing it like this. The pay is low, benefits as most workplaces call them are essentially nonexistent (so far). And working in a democratic, cooperative atmosphere is exhausting, if not impossible at some times. (It's pretty cool too, don't get me wrong!)

Over the past few years, we've had the pleasure of working with some awesome, inspirational, hard working folks. And they don't get much better than Joe Ziehr and Ash Clough. Dedicated community folks who put their all into this place, through some pretty rough times to be sure. It is with a lot of sadness that we say good bye to Joe and Ash. But with sadness also comes great wishes toward their futures, as we know they will carry on with their dedication to community, family, and the greater good. Thank you, Joe and Ash, from the bottom of our hearts. You have helped build something great here. We still have a lot to learn from you...

Art in September

Well folks, this is our last art show in our store here on First Avenue.

Just Local Food presents an art exhibit in September featuring:

Lois Images: whimsical photo manipulations by Lois Bravo

“I create my art images by taking a photograph, using Photoshop CS2 to liquefy the colors, and then re-forming the colors into a unique and different ‘Lois Image’ that has no resemblance what-so-ever to the original photo except for the colors, which are usually vivid, intense, and stimulating. My images are surrealistic and primitive in style. They seem to exhibit a startling, dreamlike supernatural quality, an altered awareness that is sometimes subtle, sometime obvious.”

Artist's Opening Reception: Saturday, Sept 6 4:00-5:30pm

Show length: * from Sept 1 – Sept 30

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...