It’s our 40th anniversary and we’re celebrating 40 years of cooperation with a summertime party you won’t want to miss. Join us for our 40th Anniversary Block Party in the parking lot at the Co-op on Saturday, August 13 from 2 to 5 p.m. What can you expect? Look for our local food tasting event,
What’s Fresh? Beans! Bean season is here and we have a bunch of varieties for you. Beans are loaded with fiber, protein, and vitamins A and C. This week you’ll find green beans from Great Oak Farm in Mason, Wisconsin, yellow wax beans from Hermit Creek Farm in Highbridge, Wisconsin, and rattlesnake and haricots verts from Hungry
Chequamegon Food Co-op has been nominated for a Retailer of the Year award by New Hope Network for its micro-loan, Produce Promises and CHIP for Change programs. New Hope Network is a consulting firm for the healthy lifestyle products industry.
The awards, presented at Natural Products Expo East in Baltimore, Md., will honor four retailers in the categories of Innovation, Sustainability, Best New Store, and Community Engagement & Outreach. Three natural grocers have been nominated in each category. Maya Wenner, Chequamegon Food Co-op grocery manager, will represent the grocery store at Expo East. Winners will be announced at an awards ceremony on Friday, September 23, 2016.
“We want to thank New Hope Network for recognizing our commitment to local foods,” said Meagan Van Beest, marketing and member services manager. “Our community benefits in so many ways from the partnerships we have developed with local farmers and value-added food producers. We keep more money in the local economy, support a variety of jobs, and reduce our environmental impact by decreasing the miles products travel before reaching our shelves. Add to this how good it all tastes, and local food is a win-win.”
Chequamegon Food Co-op’s micro-loan program is a revolving loan fund for agricultural producers and processors. Produce Promises is a purchasing agreement program where the Co-op asks local farmers to commit to growing and selling a certain amount and type of produce to the Co-op. The CHIP for Change donation program lets customers round up their purchase total at the Co-op’s registers to help fund the micro-loan program.
In 2015, the Co-op collected $20,934.60 in CHIP funds and loaned out $22,450. The goal of all three programs is to support and grow the regional farming and food processing economy and increase the amount of locally and sustainably produced products available for sale.
Chequamegon Food Co-op was founded in 1976 and is currently celebrating 40 years as a cooperative, community-owned grocery store. The Co-op is an innovative leader in the local food system, developing relationships with local businesses to provide the freshest local food and highest-quality value-added products.
To learn more about Chequamegon Food Co-op and its community programs, please contact Meagan Van Beest, marketing and member services manager, at (715) 682-8251 or meaganv@cheqfood.coop.
What’s Fresh? Cherry Tomatoes! Cherry tomatoes are loaded with antioxidants, including cancer-fighting lycopene. They also help with heart health by lowering overall cholesterol levels. Pints of cherry tomatoes from Great Oak Farm in Mason, Wisconsin are here this week. Honey-Roasted Cherry Tomatoes Cherry Tomato Salad with Buttermilk-Basil Dressing Easy Cherry Tomato Pasta Sauce Baked Chicken with Cherry Tomatoes
Simple Summer Salads – Local Style! Salads offer a quick and easy option for summer nights when it’s too hot to cook or you just want to spend more of your time outside enjoying yourself rather than laboring over getting a meal prepped. Lettuce, tomato, carrots, and some dressing makes it easy. But you don’t
What’s Fresh? Basil! Basil is loaded with vitamin K, a key nutrient for both blood clotting and bone health. Traditionally, herbalists used basil to soothe cuts and bug bites. Today, it’s often used as a digestive aid. Lovely basil from Hermit Creek Farm in Highbridge, Wisconsin is in stock this week. Grilled Vegetable Antipasto Zucchini Latkes with Parmesan,
As many of you know, our area experienced severe flooding on Monday, July 11. While the main Chequamegon Bay communities of Ashland, Bayfield, and Washburn made it through relatively unscathed, outlying smaller towns were extremely hard hit. Now, efforts are underway to rebuild Highbridge, Marengo, Mellen, Odanah, and Sanborn. Here’s what we know and how you can help.
An effort is underway to consolidate community involvement in the flood relief recovery process. The Chequamegon Bay Flood Relief group hopes to coordinate donation collection and volunteer opportunities. This group is being operated by Elle Abeles-Allison, Chris Corrigan, Jacob Gigler, and Wendy Kloiber. These folks are pulling together local contacts for each community, creating a list of needed items, and coordinating anyone who wants to volunteer their time to help with the flood cleanup. For more information, visit their Facebook page and website.
For information about road closures and detours, check out local law enforcement Facebook pages. Ashland County Sheriff’s Department and Bayfield County Sheriff’s Department
Hermit Creek Farm made it through the storm with minimal damage to the farm itself. Steven and Landis Spickerman said that their biggest challenge now is making deliveries because a culvert near the end of their driveway washed out. They managed to get their CSA boxes to town by shuttling them across the washout to a waiting rental truck.
River Road Farm has lost 80 to 100 percent of their crops for this season. The storm also washed away years’ worth of soil amendments. All the livestock on the farm was rescued, however. Todd and Kelsey Rothe are still assessing the extent of the damage. See the donation information below for ways to help River Road Farm.
Great Oak Farm made it through the storm with very little damage. Farmer Chris Duke just had to wait out the extra moisture in his fields and was back in them to cultivate this weekend.
Hidden-Vue Farm lost several recently seeded fields to flood waters, but otherwise fared well. All of their animals are safe. Farmer Dave Nortunen also said he’s thankful that their new greenhouse didn’t blow away.
If you would like to volunteer your time either helping local families cleanup their homes or assisting with coordination of donations, sign up with the Chequamegon Bay Flood Relief group on their website.
Many locations in the area are taking donations of cash and goods. Here are some specific ways you can donate.
River Road Flood Relief Fund on GoFundMe – Set up by Chris Corrigan (the Ashland Farm-to-School nutrition coordinator), this online fund aims to help Todd and Kelsey Rothe rebuild their farm. River Road Flood Relief GoFundMe page
Co-op Farm Flood Relief Fund – Your cash donations at the Co-op will go directly to farmers who apply for flood relief. Look for the donation boxes at the registers.
Bad River Tribal Relief Fund – Cash donations to this fund are being distributed to all local affected communities. Collection is happening at area businesses (including the Co-op) or can be made directly to Associated Bank, Bad River Tribal Relief Fund, Account # 2236069189, 221 4th Street, Ashland, WI 54806.
Food & Goods Donations – Drop off cleaning products, bottled water, food, and other goods for affected families at Chequamegon Food Co-op, Midland Services – Sanborn Ave., Marengo Town Hall, Sanborn Community Club, and SuperOne-Ashland. The collection process is being spearheaded by Bad River Social Services, but local community contacts for other affected areas should be installed soon.
What’s Fresh? Napa Cabbage! Napa (or Chinese) cabbage is a good source of vitamin C, along with a little bit of calcium and iron. It has a much milder flavor compared to traditional cabbage. We’ll have fresh Napa cabbage from Hermit Creek Farm in Highbridge, Wisconsin in this week. Try out something new with these fun
Eating Local on a Budget By: Co+op, stronger together Maybe you’ve noticed the buzz about “eating local,” and you’d like to give it a try—after all, wouldn’t it be great to know more about where your food comes from and enjoy the benefits of freshly picked, locally raised foods from right nearby? While local foods often come from smaller producers
What’s Fresh? Kohlrabi! Crunchy, fresh kohlrabi is as cool as it looks. The name means “cabbage turnip” in German, and it’s easy to see why when you bite into one. The flavor is lighter, milder, and sweeter, with hints of turnip and radish. We have both purple and green kohlrabi from Hermit Creek Farm in
What’s Fresh? Lettuce! A cool, crisp salad makes a perfect meal on a hot day. Go beyond iceberg, and try a variety of lettuces as the base for your salad. We have a lovely salad mix from Hermit Creek Farm in Highbridge, Wisconsin, red butterhead leaf lettuce from Twisting Twig Gardens and Orchard in Bayfield,
What’s Fresh? Radishes! Radishes, those tangy red roots, are loaded with antioxidants like sulforaphane, which helps inhibit cancer cell growth. They also contain high amounts of vitamin C, B6, thiamin, along with minerals including iron, magnesium, copper, and calcium. Add this to the fact that radishes only have about 20 calories per cup, and there’s