Just Food Co-op

THE CHALLENGE:
Eat 50% of your food from the 5 state area from March 3 through March 10.

THE DETAILS:
Just sign up on the poster at the front of the store the last week of February, or make a mental commitment if you’d like your challenge to be more private. Then try to make sure that half of the foods you eat or ingredients you use are locally produced. It’s that easy!

Because this is YOUR challenge (not ours), we encourage you to make it your own. If 80% seems too intimidating, go for 50%. If you preserved a lot of local foods during the growing season, perhaps you want to increase your challenge to 75%, or reduce your local food area to 50 miles instead of 5 states. Some folks decide that they will not count spices and salt toward their 50%, some do. Some families try for 50% by weight, others count ingredients. The idea here is to set your own challenge before March 3, and then try to meet that challenge for the week. It may seem overwhelming at first, but just remember that local meats, dairy products, breads, and root veggies are abundant! And if you get tired of cooking, head over to our deli cooler and hot bar where you can find some local choices.

THE SOURCES:
* Look for the local label at Just Food Co-op, or ask a helpful staff member for assistance in finding our many local products. No matter where you shop, read the label to find out where your product was grown or produced.
* Try something new. You’ll have the chance to sample a variety of delicious locally-produced foods on Saturday, March 3 from 11-1 in Just Food Co-op.
* Ask your favorite restaurant or coffee shop if they are sourcing any of their ingredients locally. Many of the local coffee shops use local dairy products, and some restaurants source some of their ingredients locally too!
* Talk to a local farmer! Stop by for CSA Day on March 10 from 11-2 and find a community supported agriculture that meets your needs. You can purchase a share of the upcoming harvest right then and there!

THE INSPIRATION- Events During the Challenge:

Eat Local Tasting
Saturday, March 3, 11 a.m.–1 p.m.
in the aisles of Just Food Co-op. Cost: FREE.
Thinking of taking the Eat Local Challenge? Stop in and discover all of the great local food available right now!

The Northern Heartland Kitchen Book Signing & Talk
Saturday, March 3
11–1 Book signing at the front of the store
1–1:30 Author talk in the Community Room
Cost: FREE Presenter: Beth Dooley
Beth Dooley, author of The Northern Heartland Cookbook, will be at Just Food to kick off the Eat Local Challenge. She says, “Join me in a discussion into all of the reasons why eating locally makes sense—flavor, health and nutrition, environment, economy, food safety, land preservation, community—and how eating local creates a true home.”

Bulk Beginnings: Local Edition
Tuesday, March 6, 7–8:30 p.m.
Cost: FREE Presenter: Monica Caldwell
Join us for an informational class that will make you a bulk area expert. Monica will sample several dishes made with bulk items, provide recipes, review cooking instructions, and provide a detailed tour of the bulk area with an emphasis on local. An emphasis on the wonderful local items found in our bulk department will add to your repertoire of delicious, simple, and cost-conscious meals. Limit of 12 participants.

What’s the Buzz?
Wednesday, March 7, 6:30–8:30 p.m.
Cost: FREE Presenter: Joerg Kessler
For thousands of years people have benefited from the industrious honey bee. Learn about honey bee culture, products and services provided by bees, implications of their disappearance, how to support these native pollinators, and how to start beekeeping in your backyard. Joerg is the Director of the Minnesota Hobby Beekeepers Association and has been keeping bees for seven years.

Northfield Local Food Action Network at Thursday’s Table
Thursday, March 8
5–6:30 p.m. in the Northfield Community Resource Center’s dining room.
The Northfield Local Food Action Network is volunteering at Thursday’s Table (a weekly free community meal presented by the Northfield Community Action Center, http://communityactioncenter.org)) during the Winter Eat Local Challenge, and you can help! This event is sponsored solely by the Northfield Local Food Action Network. Please contact Angel Dobrow to volunteer at 612-216-1206.

CSA Day
Saturday, March 10, 11a.m.–2p.m.
in the store. Cost: FREE.
Come and meet the farmers who run our local Community Supported Agriculture businesses, and sign up for your share of the harvest!