By: Loris Sofia Gregory, Healthy Kitchen Coach, Apple Valley, MN

May in Minnesota has our taste buds perking up for those perennial delightful flavors of asparagus and rhubarb. Look for local rhubarb and asparagus at Valley Natural Foods! Though asparagus was not grown in the New World until around 1850, there are directions for cooking it in the oldest surviving recipe book created by a Roman food lover in the third century. Asparagus has a long coveted reputation as a vegetable and a medicine, owing to its delicate flavor and its bountiful fiber, protein, beneficial vitamins and minerals. Look for the youngest thin shoots of asparagus, as once the buds start to open the shoots quickly turn woody.

If you are lucky enough to procure some fresh asparagus this month, wrap asparagus in a plastic bag and place in the refrigerator vegetable crisper. Use as soon as possible, within one or two days, before its natural sugars turn to starches. If you cannot use asparagus for more than a day, either wrap the ends in a damp paper towel or bundle the spears with a rubber band and stand them upright in a container in an inch of water.

The website of Featherstone Farm in Rushford Village, Minnesota offers these suggestions for enjoying the spring flavors of asparagus, courtesy of Mi Ae Lipe’s Tastes from the Valley to Bluff: The Featherstone Farm Cookbook (2008).

Don’t miss these upcoming classes!

FRESH & LOCAL DEMO: Tuesday, May 8, 11 am to 2 pm
Featuring vine-on tomatoes, basil and English cucumbers fresh from Living Water Garden in Wells, Minnesota, “full of life, full of water and full of healthy nutrients.”

FRESH & LOCAL: Asparagus to Strawberries
Tuesday, May 15, 6:30 to 8:30 pm; $17 members; $20 non-members
Register at least one week ahead at  Customer Service: 952.891.1212, Ext. 221. or online.

Did you know that nasturtiums (the orange flower pictured) are not only edible but  delicious? They can also add a certain flair to your dish.

Learn how to create that flair in our Wednesday,  May 2nd “Yum Edible Flowers and Weeds” class at Valley Natural Foods from 6:30-8:00 p.m.

Cost is only $14 for non-members and $12 for members.  Come to this class to learn what “weeds” to add to your culinary repertoire along with some fun recipes.

Also, you will get to taste some “flowers and weeds” to see what you like–you might be surprised!!!

Register for the class in-store, by calling 952-8891-1212 ext 221 or online.  Please register by noon on Tuesday, May 1st. The class is taught by Midwest Food Connection’s Kristi Pursell.

By: Loris Sofia Gregory, Healthy Kitchen Coach, Apple Valley, MN

Can you believe that April has arrived? Earth is warming up and preparing to collaborate with us in growing delicious edibles here in Minnesota. New shades of green are emerging day by day. We ponder when everything will be fully green and our first garden sprouts will pop up from moist soil. Regardless of when spring will be here in its full glory, be sure to notice our sprouts and other shades of healthy green at Valley Natural Foods, thanks to FRESH & LOCAL growers in Wisconsin.

In World War II, Dr. Clive McKay, Nutrition Professor at Cornell University, sparked considerable interest in sprouts by announcing, “Wanted! A vegetable that will grow in any climate, will rival meat in nutritive value, will mature in three to five days, may be planted any day of the year, will require neither soil nor sunshine, will rival tomatoes in Vitamin C, will be free of waste in preparation and can be cooked with little fuel and as quickly as a chop.” Dr. McKay was talking about the amazing properties of sprouted soybeans.

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For tasty samples, coaching and more inspiring ideas for healthy eating this month, I look forward to meeting you at:

FRESH & LOCAL DEMO: Tuesday, April 10, 11 am to 2 pm

Featuring Jack and the Green Sprouts, local hummus and flatbreads.

FRESH & LOCAL CLASS: Spring Rhubarb to Winter Squash

Tuesday, April 17, 6:30 to 8:30 pm, Valley Natural Foods in collaboration with ISD 196 Community Education, $18/class. Register at least one week ahead at 651.423.7920 or www.district196.org/ce.

With the unseasonably warm March temperatures, it’s time to start thinking about your garden this year!

However, you may be  asking  “Where do I start?”  If so, let Valley Natural Foods help you formulate a plan for your garden this year.

Starting Wednesday , April 11th, we have a NEW gardening series breaking ground at Valley Natural Foods.

The series continues every Wednesday through May 2nd. Sign up online, in-store, or by calling 952-891-1212 ext 221. Cost is $12 for members and $14 for non-members.

• Wednesday, April 11, 6:30-8:00 p.m--Healthy Soil, Healthy Food–Learn techniques to improve your soil for more plant growth.
• Wednesday, April 18, 6:30-8:00 p.m.–Planting to Save: Beginning Seed-Saving–Learn how to plant seeds this year that you can save for years to come.
• Wednesday, April 25, 6:30-8:00 p.m.–Growing and Cooking with Herbs—Learn to grown many herb varieties that will add flavor to your meals.
• Wednesday, May 2, 6:30-8:00 p.m.–Yum! Edible Flowers and Weeds–Yes, weeds are delicious and can add a bit of  flair to your food.

Have you ever wondered about making your own kim chi? Stop wondering and start making it! Attend our Kim Chi Making class on March 28 and learn from instructor, Angelica Hollstadt, owner of  local company, Angelica’s Garden .  Angelica is an entrepreneur in the true sense of the word. She owns a certified organic farm along with her husband and two sons in Pierce County, Wisconsin.  She grows her own vegetables on this farm for use in her line of various fermented and pickled vegetable products that she sells to the Twin Cities co-ops.

We are very privileged to have her teach this  class, sharing her vast knowledge of vegetable fermentation with our shoppers! During this class you will discover how to make a basic kim chi in a crock pot using radish, carrots, onion and green cabbage.  Kim chi is an excellent probiotic for digestion and overall health!

Register online, in-store at Valley Natural Foods, or by calling 952-891-1212 ext. 221. Cost is $22 for members and $25 for non-members.

8.4% of the U.S population is estimated to have Type 2 diabetes, or approximately 25.8 million people. Even more shocking is over one third of those people are undiagnosed.  Even though lifestyle changes are difficult, more and more people are looking for ways to reduce their own risk for developing the disease.

At Valley Natural Foods, we want to make this lifestyle change easier for you. Join Valley Natural Foods experts for our Let’s Cooperate to Prevent Diabetes program and get four weeks of the coaching (Mondays in April: 2, 9, 16 and 23)  you need to make healthy diet and exercise changes a reality in your life. We will also go over stress relief and relaxation techniques that will help.

Unlike traditional Type 2 diabetes prevention programs, we focus on a more holistic approach to wellness–one that heals not only the body, but the mind and spirit too!

Our experts will also help you to understand simple ways to include more fruits, vegetables and grains in your diet. A diet with more fruits, vegetables and grains is recommended by the American Diabetes and the American Dietetics Association to help reduce the risk for this disease.

You can register for this class online, in-store or over the phone by calling 952-891-1212 ext 221. Cost is $53 for members and $63 for non-members. The cost is for all four  hour and a half coaching sessions.

If you are just starting out on a gluten-free diet or just discovered you have celiac disease, shopping and reading labels can be stressful and time consuming.  Then when it comes to actually cooking your first gluten-free meal or making sure your kitchen is clean from cross contamination, you might just want to give up.

Our advice is to not give up! Instead, take Valley Natural Foods’ Gluten-Free  Basics class  on March 8  with instructors, Shawn Binkowski and Sandra Calcutt! In this class you will have the unique opportunity to learn from our instructors’  over 20 years of combined gluten-free cooking experience! From years of trying many gluten-free items, they will give you their recommendations for the best gluten-free staples to have in your pantry. They will also provide tips on how to organize a gluten-free kitchen to prevent cross contamination, along with introducing you to their favorite cookbooks, resources and websites for making the gluten-free lifestyle easier.

Meet Shawn and Sandra at our education kiosk (located just beyond our produce department) on February 28th from 12pm-2pm to try some gluten-free goodies and to learn more about this class.

There are many ways to register for this class! Pre-registration is required at least 32 hours in advance. Register online, in-store, or over the phone by calling 952-891-1212 ext. 221. View our entire  Education at the Co-op class schedule through May 2012.

Parents, do you need help cooking a healthy meal for your family? Well, look no further than your preschooler!  You probably are thinking, “What!?”

However, it is true. It is easier to get your kids interested in eating healthy if they are actively involved in helping cook family meals early on.  So how do you go about it?

Do consider bringing your child, ages 3-6 to our Preschool Sous Chef class at Valley Natural Foods on February 15th from 5:30-7:00 p.m.  Kids will learn how to help their Mom and Dad in the kitchen by exploring concepts of where food comes from, how to make healthy choices, learning kitchen safety, eating the rainbow, and incorporating numbers, letters, shapes and colors into cooking.  This is a fun, hands-on class where children will be demonstrated the process of assisting in meal preparation.  The goal of the class is to make parents feel more confident about allowing their preschooler to help out in kitchen along with teaching families that cooking healthy is easy and affordable. All recipes prepared during the class are vegetarian; only one will include dairy.

This class is taught by Michelle Horowitz, an instructor from Urban Baby. Urban Baby is a nonprofit Minneapolis organization that empowers families to grow and cook fresh foods for babies, toddlers and young children.

The class fee is for one adult and one child.  Parents can bring more than one child but will need to pay for an additional registration.

Register in person at customer service, by calling 952-891 ext 221, or online.  If you register in-store, use our education  coupon for $3.00 off each class purchase.

If you register online, enter “HEALTHYCOOKING” in the box after “Have a discount code, enter it here” and save $3.00.

By Loris Sofia Gregory, Healthy Kitchen Coach, Apple Valley, MN

“A chickpea leaps almost over the rim of the pot where it is being boiled. ‘Why are you doing this to me?’ The cook knocks him down with the ladle. ‘Don’t try to jump out. You think I am torturing you. I’m giving you flavor, so you can mix with spices and rice and be the lovely vitality of a human being. Remember when you drank rain in the garden? That was for this.’” And so goes “Chickpea to Cook” by renowned Sufi poet Rumi writing in the 13th century. What a lovely vision of soft garden rain bringing us vitality. And considering their nutritional punch, there simply is nothing in our co-op that is healthier for you and your pocketbook than the legumes—the dried peas, beans and lentils found on our bulk trail.

Remember to  sign up for the FRESH & LOCAL: Easy Healthy Meals on the Bulk Trail Class!

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If you are following a gluten-free diet,  do you have to give up pizza forever? What about that upcoming Superbowl party? Going to a party where you can’t eat any of the appetizers can be drag. However, it doesn’t have to be that way and you definitely do not have to give up pizza forever.

Consider taking our Gluten-Free Pizza and Flatbread class on January 25th from 6:30-8:00 p.m. and learn how to make a killer gluten-free pizza that everybody will enjoy!

Attend the class to taste amazing gluten free-recipes for an appetizer pizza, a pizza crust and a dessert pizza. Take home the recipes too! Also, discover the many gluten-free pizza options at various restaurants and at Valley Natural Foods.

Instructors, Shawn Binkowski and Sandra Calcutt have a combined over 20 years of experience living the gluten-free diet and they’ve compiled only the best information for this class. Meet Shawn and Sandra during their demo at Valley Natural Foods on January 18 from 2-4pm.

So come and learn from a couple of gluten-free cooking pros and get your gluten-free questions answered!

The cost is $32 for non-members and $27 for members. You can only register for this class in-store by calling 952-891-1212 ext 221 or stop by customer service. Save with this coupon!

View and sign up for other Valley Natural Foods classes here.

Be sure to view our in-store print version of our class booklet as this includes  a few classes that are not available for online registration.