What a great day we have planned for this Thursday’s monthly Gluten-Free Day. Our grocery department scatters the store with gluten-free samples for you to try and the demo kiosk features gluten-free products and recipes all day.

Thursday May 20 at the Demo Kiosk:

11am-2pm | Beyond the Grain, gluten-free baking mixes and flours. This is a great local product first developed by Sheila Halbaier to feed both her son and herself . Come chat with her to learn more.

3pm-6pm  | Summer Salads with our grocery staff Sheryl. What a great way to prepare for summer by trying a new gluten-free recipe while dreaming up ways of sharing it in the coming warm and sunny months.

Watch our Co-op Calendar for Gluten-Free Day each month. Keep your eyes peeled for Gluten-Free Cooking/Baking classes this fall.

Perhaps you’ve been shopping at Valley Natural Foods within the past few weeks and noticed an ominous rumble. Or maybe you’ve stepped outside to enjoy the patio and were greeted by the roar of earth-movers and rock-rollers: landscaping tractors.

Rumors run rampant among staff as they ask one another, “Did something break?” Some believe it is a garden in the making: a community garden or produce garden. The juice bar attendants are most curious since they get to watch the ground-breaking activity as it occurs. “What is it?” asked a deli supervisor.

Our blog readers were the first to get a hint a few weeks ago. Our dirt pile and rumblings will become an outdoor Garden Classroom. The space is intended to teach and demonstrate various gardening techniques, styles and plantings. It ties into our Farm to Market education—a belief that we should know where our food comes from. The Garden Classroom also supports our mission of a healthy community.

Want to get healthy—get dirty! Get dirty gardening, that is. Look for future announcements of classes and community resources on our Co-op Calendar and within this blog.

The Taste of Lakeville was here again and Valley Natural Foods was there with our cheese. We sampled some of our best local and natural cheeses to pair with the fantastic wine and beer tastings at this event.

This was an exciting opportunity for Valley Natural Foods to participate in a community event to share in the discovery of new tastes and interesting combinations of flavor.

The Taste of Lakeville was held at the Lakeville Art Center on May 13th. This event was sponsored by the Lakeville Rotary Club as an annual fundraiser. Proceeds raised from this event are given to the Lakeville Rotary Foundation which supports community projects and high school student scholarships. Last year’s Taste of Lakeville proceeds contributed over $70,000 to support programs and non-profit groups including the Community Action Council, the Lakeville School District’s S.A.D.D. program, LNHS/LSHS Band, STRIVE, and the new Miracle Field, just to name a few.

 On Saturday, May 8th  between 3:00 and 5:00 p.m., watch our very own Produce department prepare and serve up two delicious salads at our demo kiosk!  Take advantage of specially priced produce!

Want to make something great for Mother’s Day or even a graduation party? Are you grilling and looking for tasty side dishes? We’ve got the perfect potato salad you can make in a jiffy that everyone will love! As well as a unique and colorful salad that is not only nutritious but sure to be a hit! You can’t go wrong with our easy to make recipes and the freshest available produce right here in our store. Any questions? Ask our produce department who will be on hand during the demo to offer samples and answer all of your questions. Don’t forget to check out our meat department where we have an exciting variety of homemade brats and sausages to complement all of your salads. 

Butterball Potato Salad and Spring Fruit Salad

Butterball Potato Salad

2 pounds German Butterball potatoes
6 Tbsp. canned white tuna, drained and flaked
2 Tbsp. plus 1 1/2 tsp. apple cider vinegar
6 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
3 hard-boiled eggs, peeled
2 Tbsp. garlic, minced
1/3 C. sweet onion, finely chopped
2 Tbsp. fresh parsley, minced
3 small celery stalks, chopped
1/4 C. mayonnaise
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. pepper

Rinse potatoes in cold running water. Cook in a large pot of boiling salted water until tender, about 35 minutes. Cool and let dry. Cut potatoes into 1/4-inch thick rounds then quarter. Set aside in a large bowl. Whisk oil, garlic, onion, and vinegar in a small bowl; add 2 hard-boiled egg yolks and mash. Add tuna, salt and pepper and whisk. Coarsely chop remaining egg and egg whites. Wash and dry the celery and parsley before cutting. Add the vinaigrette, parsley, mayonnaise, and celery to the potatoes and mix well. Serves 3-4.

Spring Fruit Salad

1 pound strawberries, quartered, then sliced lengthwise
2 Abate Fetel pears, cut into 1/4 inch wide by 1 1/2-inch long slices
1 package blueberries
1 head Bibb lettuce, cut into 1-inch strips
4 oz Salad Girl Savory Strawberry Dressing
1/4 sweet onion, very thinly sliced
1/2 package feta cheese crumbles
1/3 C. walnuts, chopped, toasted

Wash all fruit well before cutting.  Mix strawberries, blueberries, pears, onion and feta cheese. Add half the dressing and toss. Rinse and pat dry the lettuce before cutting. After cutting, toss with remaining dressing. Dish out a bowl of lettuce and top with fruit mixture. Sprinkle with walnuts. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serves 3-4. 

It’s not too late – if you’re still looking for ideas to make Mom smile on Mother’s Day (or any day!)  let Valley Natural Foods inspire you with some fun ideas:

• Pick up a delicious made-from-scratch cake from our deli.
• Purchase a co-op gift card from customer service.
• Visit us Saturday, anytime from 3:00 – 5:00 p.m. for the Produce Possibilities demonstration, and then impress Mom on Sunday by making the recipes yourself. see this weeks recipe
• Bring Mom in to the store on Sunday and treat her to brunch from our hot food and salad bar selections.
• Pick up a beautiful hanging basket of flowers (quick – they’re selling out fast!)
• Buy her a Fair Trade floral arrangement from our produce department.
• Check out the selection of potted fresh herbs sold in nifty wooden crates (located next to the floral arrangements.)

What do you get when two cool companies collide? The perfect brew for the perfect day, and incentive to peace out in a green way. Groovy.

In less pyschedelic terms, Peace Coffee and Blue Sky Guide have joined forces to celebrate World Fair Trade Day on Saturday, May 8. For one day only (May 8, 2010) you can get a free one-pound bag of Pollinator Blend from Peace Coffee when you purchase a 2010 Blue Sky Guide – while supplies last. So shop early, savor a sample cup of the brew and enjoy the coupon savings for the remainder of the year.

World Fair Trade Day is a global event. Peace Coffee is 100% Fair Trade, 100% soul-soothing and taste-bud satisfying. They are a local roaster, making small-batch coffee for the Twin Cities. Pollinator Blend is a spring seasonal coffee with complex blending notes of carmel and ginger sweetness with a brisk, black tea-like flavor, hints of chocolate and a crisp, refreshing finish.

Sip, sigh and save with the World Fair Day one-day-only-deal! See you Saturday by the coffee pot.

Wednesday, May 19 from 6:30-8:15 p.m.

Heritage Library

20085 Heritage Drive, Lakeville

Many children’s products have recently been recalled due to toxic chemicals, such as lead and cadmium. The Lakeville Friends of the Environment (LFE) is sponsoring this event, conducted by Clean Water Action as a part of the Health Legacy Coalition.

LFE advises families to bring the following items to be tested: children’s jewelry, vinyl toys such as rubber ducks and bath books, painted wooden toys or any other item you would like to test.

In addition to testing, Kim LaBo of Clean Water Action and the Health Legacy Coalition will present on common household products that may contain toxic chemicals. She will identify these chemicals, the products they are in and the safer alternatives.

Valley Natural Foods carries a great selection of non-toxic cleaners and beauty products. The co-op is also helping LFE raise funds to put on community awareness events such as this. If you are interested in contributing to LFE, collection cans are posted at each register.

For more information on LFE or this event, contact the group at 952-250-3320.

Driving Force Energy Co. makes power-packed foods that are energizing and tasty. Made in small batches by Brenda Stanton right here in the Twin Cities metro area. She says she uses Minnesota grown grains and honey in the bars and local butter in the popcorn too.

On the website, she stated: “I’ve learned to love good wholesome ingredients.  I decided to come up with my own recipes after not being satisfied with what I found and I decided to turn them into a product that I could share with the world.  I hope you enjoy them as much as I do!”

Want to try a sample? Brenda is visiting our store!

When: Wednesday May 12, 4:00 p.m.-7:00 p.m.
Where: At the demo kiosk

View our Co-op Calendar for more demos and events at Valley Natural Foods