The Latest - Archive

All dried up: Adventures in food dehydration

Posted Thu, 10/01/2009 - 9:58pm

—by Anne Holzman

A friend with a bumper crop of tiny, imperfect pears got me started last summer. They’d be perfect for drying,

I said, then persuaded my husband to set up the food dryer we hadn’t used in years.

Have you tried...

Posted Thu, 10/01/2009 - 9:12pm

—by Katharine Holden

Hampden Park Co-op is stuffed to the brim with good things. Let me tell you about a few products you and your family might enjoy.

It's time for hot cereal

Posted Thu, 10/01/2009 - 8:59pm

—by Jill Cadwell

As the temperatures cool, Zach (my partner) is once again asking for his favorite Red River hot cereal for breakfast. An alternative to Cream of Wheat or Malt-O-Meal, Red River cereal has a hearty nutty flavor, soothing texture, whole grains, and omega-3 fatty acids. But Zach just likes the taste.

A Year in Produce

Posted Thu, 10/01/2009 - 4:15pm
Featured resource: 
Roasted Butternut Squash and Vegetables with Pasta

—by Annie Van Cleve

As we draw to the end of yet another harvest season, it is time to review what we have learned before winter numbs our memories. Below is a list of the bounty grown in Minnesota between the months of May and November. Minnesota Growing Season*.

The Other Plantain

Posted Thu, 10/01/2009 - 3:56pm

—by Judith Sims

In the last issue of this newsletter you were introduced to the fruit called plantain, a crop of which there are some 40 species in the Musa genus, including bananas. But there is a small herb that grows well in compacted soil and can often be found along footpaths and roads that is also called plantain. Some 200 species of the Plantago genus are found around the world. If you have ever used psyllium seed as a fiber supplement or stool bulking agent, you have probably used the seeds of Plantago ovata, a species cultivated in India for sale to the U.S. market.

Membership News - October, 2009

Posted Thu, 10/01/2009 - 5:00am

—by Naomi Jackson, Membership Coordinator

There have been many changes at our co-op during the past year. Our store has expanded, and everyone is enjoying the added space and the new products we are now able to carry. We bought the building that we’ve rented space in for so many years, which means we now have a firm control over our future, but we also have mortgage payments.

Helen DuFault has retired after many years as general manager (don’t worry, you can still find her in the kitchen four days a week!). We have hired a new general manager, Matt Hass, whom many of you have met in the produce section.

Food Deserts and Food Insecurity: Even in Minnesota

Posted Thu, 10/01/2009 - 2:33am

—by Rachel Fang

What are food deserts?

Imagine not being able to walk or drive to a grocery store for fresh milk or produce; imagine taking two bus rides to get the fruit, bread, or eggs you need for your family. When I first heard the term “food desert” I thought someone had misspelled the final course of a meal. You know, where cake and pies and ice cream are served. But a food desert is an area, sometimes urban sometimes rural, where good quality, affordable, and healthful food is not available. Areas where people are forced to travel long distances to find grocery stores or farmers' markets and pay high prices at small convenience stores where fresh fruits and vegetables are of marginal quality are all too common, even in Minnesota.

Budget-Friendly Dried Beans

Posted Thu, 10/01/2009 - 2:14am
Featured resource: 
Cuban Style Black Beans
White Bean Soup with Rosemary, Basil, and Garlic Croutons
Caribbean Beans and Greens Wraps

—by Caroline Daykin

The current economic recession that followed close on the heels of a global increase in food prices has been enough to discourage even the most ardent supporter of the organic movement. With organically produced chicken as high as $9 per pound, and certified organic skim milk at around $3.50 for a half gallon, budget-focused organic consumers face a challenge in procuring their protein.

Fortunately, nutrient-rich plant seeds, otherwise known as beans, are still available for next to nothing. Ranging from $1.75 to $2.29 per pound, dried beans are one of the most affordable ways to eat organically.

Moving Forward at Hampden Park Co-op

Posted Sat, 09/26/2009 - 5:55pm

—by Nicolet Lyon

Hampden Park Co-op serves its members and community by providing delicious and wholesome food grown in an ecologically sound manner and by involving its members in the process from field to table. Our mutual mission is grounded in respect: for the growers who deserve to make a fair wage and work in safe conditions, for the earth and the limited resources available, and for the eaters who deserve clean and healthy food. This work we do together has only grown in importance since the co-op opened its doors over 30 years ago.

It’s time now to make some important decisions, and the co-op’s Board of Directors would like your help in deciding how the co-op will move forward sustainably.

Have you tried...? August/September 2009

Posted Mon, 08/31/2009 - 2:47am

-by Katherine Holden

Bulk Peanut Butter, Oils, and More

Way in the back of the co-op, just before you get to the eggs, is an island that houses the bulk peanut butter buckets. There’s no sign. But if there were a sign it would indicate that this is where you find the divide between the post-modern co-op shopper and what my mom always called the crunchy-granolas. If you buy jars of name-brand peanut butter at the co-op, you are a post-modern co-op shopper. If you buy containers of locally packaged organic peanut and other butters, you have good taste. But if you bring in your empty peanut butter jar, weigh it empty, and refill it from the bulk peanut butter bins, you are a crunchy-granola. And our planet is lucky to have you on it.