August September 2017 ComPost

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C o m P o st

is a publ ic atio n o f

J ust F o o d C o - op

The ComPost

AUGUST/SEPTMEBER 2017

Online Voting is Coming! . . . . . . . . 4 Profit for Impact's Sake. . . . . . . . . . 6 Asked and Answered. . . . . . . . . . . 10 Canning in the Age of Pinterest. . 14 Interview: Groundwire Coffee . . . 16 BTS at JFC. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 Cover Designed by Jessica Hutton, Graphic Designer and Education Coordinator

tell our story.

About the ComPost Fertilizer for the Mind

Board of Directors

Editor: Stephanie Aman The ComPost is a bimonthly publication of Just Food Co-op and is published for the benefit of our membership and the community.The opinions expressed herein are those of the authors and not necessarily those of Just Food Co-op or its members.

For information about submissions, contact Stephanie Aman at 507.650.0106 or outreach@justfood.coop. Letters to the editor are welcome and may be sent to the same email or 516 Water St. S., Northfield, MN 55057.

Just Food Co-op is a proud member of the Twin Cities chapter of the National Cooperative Grocers (NCG).

board@justfood.coop

Dirk Peterson - President Penny Hillemann - Vice President Clark Ohnesorge - Secretary Alyson Center Adam Hoffman Joni Karl Nola Moen Lee Runzheimer

Management Team Sherri Meyers General Manager

Stephanie Aman Marketing and Community Relations Manager

Lindsay Byhre Human Resources Manager

Val Critser Retail Manager

Robert Erpenbach Finance Manager

Membership Benefits • Supporting a locally-owned, sustainable and socially responsible business.

• Email Subscription to The ComPost.

• Profits returned to members as patronage rebates, at the discretion of the Board.

• Member-only prices on Co-op classes.

• Check writing for up to $20 over the amount of purchase.

• Member-only specials on selected items throughout the store.

• 10% case discounts, some exclusions apply.

Crazy Daze 2017 was Crazy Amazing!

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August/September 2017

What's Now? Check out some of the new and seasonal products that are here!

Groundwire Coffee is for sale!

7am-1pm

New Product Alert! New York Seltzer Water

New Hot breakfast program coming this fall!

Watch for it!

It's a flashback to the 80's!

Delicious flavors, awesome memories.

It's almost time, everyone! It's back to school - check out some of the cool lunch boxes that arrive in store mid-August. And great bento ideas for the kids on page 19.

Seasonal apples are coming!

Watch social for some great stories from our amazing farmers.

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Online Voting is Coming!

By: Clark Ohnesorge

Board Secretary, Co-op Member

Online through a secure service, options to vote via paper ballot as well!

In response to high owner interest, Just Food Co-op will offer electronic voting this fall as an option for the selection of board members and approving bylaw amendments.

To ensure we reach all owner-members to explain the new voting options, in September each owner household will receive a postcard containing details of the three ways you can vote:

Clark Ohnesorge

• Online through a secure service, • In-store with a paper ballot, or • In person at the Annual Meeting

By offering several options we hope to increase owner participation in the voting process at the same time we are moving into the paperless era. We will always make a paper ballot available to owners who prefer that option, but we’d like to encourage online voting for its convenience, its low cost to Just Food and most importantly its reduced environmental impact.

As always, there is a limit of one vote per owner number, so please consult your household members before completing your ballot!

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Save the Date!

The Annual Meeting of Just Food Co-op will be held on

Tuesday, Oct. 17 at St. John's Lutheran Church

Just Food's Annual Meeting Announced

Keynote: Stuart Reid, Just Food's First General Manager; Executive Director at Food Co-op Initiative.

Dinner will be catered by the Just Food Deli. We hope you can come!

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Profit for Impact's Sake

By Sherri Meyers, General Manager, Member

We are Stronger Together - Come and make an impact with your Co-op this year!

Grocery competition is coming to Northfield and the surrounding community. Margins in grocery are tight and the pressure to drive margins further downward is real.

Health care insurance costs continue to rise. Political uncertainty causes shoppers to become more frugal.

Customers embrace options like Blue Apron to make cooking at home easier. Amazon buys Whole Foods – is drone delivery of your forgotten pantry item around the corner? What’s an awkward adolescent co-op like Just Food to do? How do we hold on to our market share, let alone grow?

Sherri Meyers

Impact.

The availability of organic foods at most conventional grocers, who often have a larger selection as well as a vast variety of local foods is staggering and intimidating. Our market differentiator is now, more than ever before, what we do for our community. Our impact. We as owners must get better at bragging to our neighbors and friends about the Co-op and telling the story of what Just Food does for the community of Northfield.

In the past year, Just Food committed to a Living Wage for our employees and paid out $1.6M in wages and benefits, which stayed in our local economy.

We don’t pay anyone out of state to help us run our business – that’s payroll that stayed in Rice County! Just Food built a kitchen at The Key and supplies them with a weekly food donation to hold regular meals. Just Food donated over $13,500 in food directly to various community partners who were able to feed a healthy snack to children in need. Our department managers spent countless hours last year working with local farmers and producers helping them with issues such as expected order quantities, how to create an order guide, and what the Co-op looks for in produce quality. This resulted in a stronger local food-shed through improved processes, increased purchases from local producers and stronger relationships in the local food community. This is how Just Food is different from a big box store or a multinational company and why folks choose to spend their dollars at the Co-op. The impact Just Food has on our community is profound. But this cannot and will not happen without profit.

As we look to the increased competition coming to Northfield and the flattening

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of our sales growth, we notice the profits are beginning to decline. We must begin to watch our expenses more closely, and our margin dollars, and consciously control what is in our control. Managing our labor budget is now a daily conversation. Reviewing our supply purchases carefully must be par for the course. Reducing utility usage is not only sustainable and supports our Ends, it’s fiscally necessary.

Without profit, we cannot do the things in our community that support our Ends. We cannot make the impact that we want to, that we are called to, without profit. Profit is not a dirty word! Profit allows us to pay our staff a living wage, profit allows us to donate food to our community partners and profit allows so many of our staff to feed their souls with the impact of our good works.

Profit for impact’s sake. Not profit for profit’s sake.

In Cooperation with Growing Up Healthy, produce is distributed at a Mobile Food Market in Faribault, MN.

Each of us at Just Food has a role to play in impacting the community, whether you are a cashier, farmer, owner, department manager, producer, board member or customer. It is the weaving together of all of our efforts that create a healthy, sustainable, profitable, impactful Just Food Co-op. In the coming year, we will tell our community about the impact of Just Food and ensure that everyone in Northfield understands their role in weaving our future.

We are stronger together. Come, make an impact with us this year.

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We're Listening!

Feedback: Maybe do .05 cents donate/bag credit at the register instead of planet patches - just an idea

Reply: Thanks so much for this idea!

Did you know that your planet patches are worth .05 cents to the Community Action Center (CAC)? For every Planet Patch that is placed in the drop, Just

Feedback: When will out of stock items be back"? Sign on shelf.

Feedback: I wish you had a grocery delivery service!

Reply: We work very hard to get items back in stock - it's as frustrating to us as it is to many of our customers!

When something is out of stock, please be assured that we have attempted to order it; the product simply might not be available at our distributor. If the sign indicates a vendor out of stock - the out of stock time is often unknown.

Thanks for your feedback!

Reply: We do too! As we work through some of our systems and head toward expansion, this is a piece we are looking at. Unfortunately, some services that are available it the cities (like instacart) are not available in our area. We are looking at some creative solutions for solving

Feedback: Valley Natural now has "safe" new nut grinders again.

Any updates on honey? It would be fabulous to be able to get these things that are only available at other Co-ops and not at grocery stores.

Food donates that .05 cents to the CAC. You may always ask to round up your bag credit at the register - we just don't want to presume! Thanks for this feedback!

Reply: As we look toward expansion, we are looking to bring back the nut grinders and a honey warmer. At this time, the nut grinders that meet the new Minnesota Health Code guidelines are cost prohibitive. We hope to be able to provide this service in the near future!

this issue though! We know it's needed and wanted by our community!

Feedback: More Asian specific produce

Feedback: Wondering (hoping) you would consider getting Kite Hill almond yogurt! (Dairy Free)

Reply: Is there something specific we are missing? Please let anyone in our produce department know what you are looking for! We are glad to help source and find what you need.

Reply: Unfortunately, we are at the mercy of our vendor with Kite Hill.

They have discontinued many lines to our warehouse, but we are actively seeking a new source. Stay tuned!

Feedback: Very pleased - store is always clean, they have what, the sales go through different depts - no complaints!

Reply: Thanks so much for taking the time to let us know! We appreciate you noticing the good work of our staff!

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August/September Spring 2016 2017

Lorem Ipsum The | The ComPost Newsletter | Just of Your Food Co+op Co-op

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Just Food Events Saturday, August 5

Coffee with the Board Come and chat with your board members and enjoy a cup of coffee and a treat!

At the front in the store 10:00 am to 12:00 pm

Wednesday, August 16

Just Food Co-op Board Meeting The regularly scheduled Just Food Coop Board meeting is on Wednesday, August 16. If you wish to attend, please contact Sherri at gm at justfood dot coop one week in advance of the meeting.

Saturday, September 1

Coffee with the Board Come and chat with your board members and enjoy a cup of coffee and a treat!

10:00 am to 12:00 pm at the front in the store

Start time of 6:15pm

Thursday, August 17

Wellness Third Thursday Celebrating Third Thursday with other downtown businesses! Stop in and save 5% off your wellness purchases (excludes clearance). Stock up time!

Thursday, August 17

Top 4 Health Key for School Success Tuesday, August 8

Northfield Promise Fair Formerly coordinated by Northfield Community Services, this Northfield Promise Fair (Fun, Activities, Information, Registration) is now being held four times per year at Greenvale Park Community School. Just Food is excited to attend - come and see us and all the community partners that provide opportunities for everyone!

School begins in just a couple weeks.

What plans do you have in place to support a healthy start and successful year? Dr. Noel Aldrich will present 4 key plans to provide sustaining energy, strengthen the immune system, and improve moods through the seasons.

Topics will include allergies, protein, and mood swings.!

Free - 6:00pm-7:30pm

Free!

Greenvale Park Community School 6:00pm to 8:00 pm

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Sunday, September 10

JFC in the DJJD Parade!

Just Food is a proud MAJOR sponsor of the Defeat of Jesse James Days again this year. Watch for us in the parade - we'll be handing out local apples again this year and are excited to be able to help sponsor this awesome community event!

Saturday, September 16

Local Fair - Sample Day! Come for our sample day - delayed a week because of Defeat of Jesse James Days.

Stop in and sample some great local products at our local sample day fair.

A great way to meet and thank your farmers!

Wednesday, September 20

Just Food Co-op Board Meeting The regularly scheduled Just Food Coop Board meeting is on Wednesday, September 20. If you wish to attend, please contact Sherri at gm at justfood dot coop one week in advance of the meeting.

Start time of 6:15pm

Free!

In Store- Just Food Co-op 10:00am to 1:00 pm

Thursday,September 21

Saturday, September 16

Celebrating Third Thursday with other downtown businesses! Stop in and save 5% off your wellness purchases (excludes clearance). Stock up time!

Healthy Homes, Healthy Families Avery Hildebrand of Conservation Minnesota will talk about the harmful effect of chemicals in our everyday household products and how you can minimize the risks in your home.

Just Food is proud to sponsor this class and provide a green cleaning kit giveaway; everyone that attends is eligible to enter!

Wellness Third Thursday

Free Northfield Public Library questions, call: 507-645-1802 11:00 am to 12:00 pm

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Lorem Ipsum || The The ComPost JustNewsletter Food Co-opof Your Co+op

Spring 2016 August/September 2017

Spicy Corned Beef Hash With Chorizo

Garlic Basil Ratatouille

Serves 4. Total time: 30 minutes

Serves 6 . Total time: 30 minutes

3 tablespoons unsalted butter 1 cup onion, finely chopped 2 cups cooked corned beef (1/2 pound), chopped 3 cups cooked potatoes, cubed (Shortcut: use frozen potatoes) 1/2 cup cooked chorizo, casings removed, chopped 4 eggs (optional) Salt and pepper

2 tablespoons olive oil 1 yellow onion, diced 1 red or green bell pepper, seeded and diced 3 tablespoons minced garlic 1 small zucchini, diced 1 small yellow squash, diced 1 small eggplant, stem removed, cut into 1/2-inch cubes 1 14.5-ounce can diced tomatoes 1/3 cup minced fresh basil 2 tablespoons pine nuts Salt and black pepper to taste

1. Heat butter in a large (14-inch) cast iron or nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and cook a few minutes, until translucent.

2. Mix in the chopped corned beef, chorizo and potatoes. Stir and spread evenly over the pan.

Turn heat to medium low and press down on the hash mixture with a spatula.

3. Shake, but don’t stir, the hash mixture. Let it brown like a giant potato pancake, being careful not to burn the butter.

4. Once browned, use the spatula to flip over sections in the pan so they can brown on the other side, pressing down with the spatula as needed. (Add more butter to the pan if the hash is sticking.)

5. Continue to cook in this manner until the hash is nicely browned and looks lightly crisped.

6. Remove from heat, stir in some freshly chopped parsley. Add plenty of freshly ground black pepper, and salt to taste.

1. In a large soup pot, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat.

2. SautĂŠ the onion, bell peppers and garlic for a few minutes. Add the zucchini, yellow squash, eggplant and diced tomatoes (with juice) and bring to a simmer.

3. Cover the pot and simmer on low for 10 to 15 minutes, stirring frequently. When the eggplant and squash are tender, stir in the basil and pine nuts, and taste for salt and black pepper.

4. Remove from heat and serve warm.

Recipes from www.strongertogether.coop

Using locally sourced foods from the late summer and early fall abundance, create these quick, nutrient packed meals!

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Canning in the Age of Pinterest

By Vicki Scott, Social Media and Creative Coordinator

W

e live in a world that offers us abundance year-round.

We can get strawberries in winter, grow basil in a window container, and we never have to skip meat just because it was a bad year for chickens. But, it wasn’t that long ago that we Minnesotans had to plan ahead if we were going to have enough food to last us through the less abundant parts of the year.

Canning, freezing, and preserving were a part of life and a part of 14

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the culture of summertime. Often people in rural areas would have gardens, and farmers markets where the bounty of the summer could be bought and sold so that everyone had a variety of nutrient rich foods to eat during the winter months. So, while there was a place for playing in the sun, many of the additional daylight hours were spent becoming well prepared.

This preparedness strategy, though no longer strictly August/September 2017

necessary in our global foodshed, can have some fantastic outcomes both for your table this winter, and for your wallet.

Not your grandma’s canning. You no longer need to have 1,000 Ball jars and a pressure canner and an acre of storage space. Have you ever considered canning in small batches? Perhaps you only had a few leftover blueberries. Whip together a quick jam (just add sugar and gelatin if you desire), then choose the jar accordingly.

It’s likely that you have a nice fruit jar in your cupboard or recycling. Canning lids are sold in a variety of locations in a variety of sizes, and these can be much more affordable than a highvolume canning set. Alternatively, if you have a foodsaver bag system, think about using those

for storage purposes and transferring your saved food into a serving container when you are ready to eat.

Consider the pickle. Pickling can be an easy way to use up some of those extra CSA items that would go bad otherwise. Every-once-inawhile we get too many carrots, peppers, or an extra cabbage in our CSA basket or from the farmers market. Instead of trying to force cabbage into every meal solution, make a quick sauerkraut. This can also be put into a foodsaver bag or a jar. You’ll be glad for the taste of summer during the fall, your family will be glad that they didn’t have to eat all the carrots, and it cuts down on waste.

Freezer bags are your friend. Everything can be frozen, in one form or another, if you know how to do it properly. This is where Pinterest comes in. Freeze your herbs in ice cube trays using a bit of olive oil. Not only does the oil keep the the herbs from browning in the freezer, it also keeps the freezer burn away. Plus, the small portions allow you to add an infusion of flavor to winter dishes using fresh herbs that you’ve already pre-chopped. Fruit is also ideal for freezing.

Our mothers taught us to set aside overripe bananas for baking. But, if you take a minute to peel those same bananas, break them into smaller pieces, add some blueberries and blackberries, now you have a premade smoothie bag. Then those breakfasts and snacks take care of themselves.

What I’m suggesting is, yes, the same type of preparation that some of us used to do when we were younger, but also putting those pinterest boards to good use. You don’t have to add a gingham square and a piece of twine to each jar unless you want to. It’s all about figuring out what will work for you. If you have limited pantry space, consider filling up your freezer. Perhaps the pickles, after a fermentation period, can stay in the refrigerator. With just a few small shifts you’ll be able to take advantage of case sales on fruit, great prices from farmers markets, and you’ll never have to compost a CSA basket again!

Canning, freezing, and preserving were a part of life and a part of the culture of summertime.

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By Vicki Scott, Social Media and Creative Coordinator

Coffee is Back!

A

Interview with Cody Larson, owner of locally roasted Groundwire Coffee

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s of July 3, 2017 Just Food Co-op proudly serves Groundwire Coffee. During planning period and discussions on bringing back coffee to our customers, we considered several factors that helped make our decision. We knew we wanted to work with a local vendor and offer the coffee at an affordable price. When we first approached Cody, the owner at Groundwire, we all became focused on maintaining the quality of the product as well. Finally, we reached the decision to use Groundwire equipment in our store in order to brew and serve the batches of coffee to our patrons. The coffee is changed out every two hours so that the product is always fresh and hot.

But, the fabulousness doesn’t end there. Since part of the appeal of working with Groundwire is their single origin batches, we will never mix the batches or compromise the integrity of the coffee being sold in our store. We will also

August/September 2017

Locally Roasted Coffee at Just Food

work our hardest to tell you which batch of coffee is being served at any given time.

The following is an interview with Cody Larson, Groundwire owner local coffee roaster and entrepreneur.

Cody Says: We source really awesome coffee from producers and importers that we know and trust, and roast it with care in Northfield, MN. Q: What made you decide to source and roast coffee as a business?

A: Before getting into roasting I had no experience working in coffee. Coffee was something that I took for granted.

I didn't really think about it that much.

That all started to change when I found an old Chemex at an estate sale for ten cents. From there I fell down the rabbit hole pretty hard. I bought a better grinder, a gooseneck kettle, a digital scale. I read a lot of nerdy coffee forums and watched way too many YouTube videos. It was one thing after another until I came up with the brilliant idea to purchase, with no roasting experience, a commercial coffee roaster, dead set on bringing high quality, locally roasted coffee to Northfield.

Q: You recently changed the name from Stoke to Groundwire. How did you land on Groundwire?

A: The name change was a result of a trademark conflict, and after a lot of thought, coming up with great names only to find them already in use. I thought of Groundwire while wiring up a 220 volt outlet for my espresso machine. I’d probably thought of dozens of other names that day, and for the few months prior, but this one stuck out, I think, because on the surface the name has nothing to do with coffee. Except,

of course, that coffee comes out of the ground and the play-on-words with coffee grounds. There was also the theme of coffee electrifying you, giving you a jolt, and getting you wired. So, the more I thought about it, the more the concept of a groundwire made sense for my vision of the company.

When I'm sourcing coffee, not only do I look for top-notch quality, but also coffees with a story. I like to have that connection. Then, when I looked up the definition of "ground wire" and found that it was literally a direct connection to the earth, I was sold. Through sourcing these super tasty, hyper-transparent coffees, and relating their unique stories to the customer, Groundwire lives up to its name, offering coffee drinkers a better connection to the origin of their morning cup.

The logo was designed by Normal Folk Design out of Minneapolis. It's inspired by vintage wiring diagrams. The circular icon is based on the symbol for ground used in electrical diagrams. I think it looks like a globe, too, which was totally unintentional, but nonetheless brings the “direct connection to the earth” theme into the logo.

Shrub. We try to pick up coffees from the same producers season after season and develop relationships and strengthen bonds.

Q: What are your parameters for picking beans?

For us to buy a coffee these three parameters are a must: • top-notch quality • transparency • social and environmental sustainability Just Food is proud to work with a local producer that we know and trust.

Currently we sell 12oz. cups for $1.99 and 16oz. cups for $2.49 and we offer cream and sugar so you can dress up your cup the way you like it. During the month of July we are brewing Groundwire’s dark roast known as No Coast.

You can also find Cody at The Riverwalk Market Fair every Saturday through October 21st. We look forward to watching Groundwire continue to grow and connect this community with their coffee.

Q: How do you go about developing relationships with the farmers you source from?

A: Our coffees are sourced in partnership with quality-focused importers such as Cafe Imports, Red Fox Coffee Merchants, Onyx and Coffee August/September 2017

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Back to

With Just Food!

Packed Lunches Made Easy!

G

etting your kids involved in making some easy, healthy meals for their lunches might be the easiest way to ensure they are eating well during their long day at school.

Check out the great snackable meals for your kiddog on the next page. You can create your own lunchable, more affordably, with delicious foods. Ask us how!

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Bento Lunches Kids love to help! Get them involved in picking out produce and healthy proteins for their lunches!

The thermos is your friend!

A simple sandwich or wrap with cut up cucumbers, radishes and cherry tomatoes with an apple on the side.

Easy Egg Drop Soup or leftovers warmed and put in the stainless steel container will nourish your child for the rest of the day!

Super Simple, Super Delish!

A salad is a great option to toss in a larger container.

Put the dressing in a little cup with its own lid.

Homemade protein bites, celery and carrots, fruits and a cheese quesadilla are solid choices for all kids!

Options are limitless. Add meat, or not.

Cheese, fruit, veggies. YUM!

Check out pinterest for more ideas for beautiful bentos!

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516 Water Street S Northfield, MN 55057 507-650-0106 justfood.coop NEW Hours Beginning July 3!

Open Daily 7am - 9pm

Just Food Co-op ENDS Statement Just Food Co-op nourishes a Just, Healthy and Sustainable Community • Justice – We strive for fairness in all our relationships in the community and throughout the supply chain.

• Health – We provide healthy, sustainably produced products, and we work to strengthen our local foodshed through ongoing support and partnerships.

• Sustainability – We work to build a resilient social, economic and ecological environment in our community and beyond.

• Education – We are a community resource for education and information about healthy, sustainable food and lifestyle.

We do this in context of being a financially viable, member-owned cooperative business.

Everyone Can Shop, Anyone Can Join!