One of the many great things about Minnesota is the joyful sight of autumn marked by cool crisp air and the vibrant changing colors of fall leaves. Autumn also marks the time we start enjoying comfort foods, especially when we use recipes that call for fresh produce from this season’s harvest.

The availability of abundant, colorful varieties of winter squash is another reminder that our beautiful Minnesota autumn has arrived. This week’s Produce Possibilities recipes pair together our local squash and imported pomegranates for a fresh taste of fall crispness and comfort.

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 Join us anytime between 3:00-5:00 p.m. on Saturday, October 2nd for a demo and tasting experience at the Valley Natural Foods demo kiosk.

Click here to see this weeks Produce Possibilities recipe

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Produce Possibilities this week is all about fruit! Apples, pears, and figs are featured in our recipes, with a delicious accent splash of flavor from Meyer lemons.

The apples in the Apple-Pear Salsa recipe are local and may come from one of three orchards we purchase from. The first, which we have had our longest relationship with, is Cedar Hills. They are located in Hutchinson and provide our HoneyCrisp and Haralson apples. The next is Whitewater Valley Orchard. They are located near St. Charles and they provide many different varieties throughout the season including; Regent, Fortune, Freedom, Northern Lights, Red Baron, Enterprise, McIntosh, and Sweet Sixteen.  Applewood Orchard, located in Lakeville is our newest supplier for Zestar, Cortland and Sweet Sixteen apple varieties.

The rest of the fruit in our recipes may not be local, but definitely a part of the fall flavor. Figs are available for such a short time, and you don’t want to miss these exciting fruits! Pears are now in full swing for the season and are at their peak in quality as well. Meyer lemons have just shown up and are the heralds of the upcoming citrus season. Explore these and many more exciting combos with Produce Possibilities!

Click here to see this weeks Produce Possibilities recipe

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Fall is a time of bounty. A phrase repeated over and over but still, it really does apply, especially in Minnesota. Apples are now coming in left and right. onions, potatoes, and other root veggies are now all harvested and waiting for us to use throughout the fall and winter. Squash of so many sizes and shapes to even know what to do with are stacked high. Crucifers, like broccoli, cauliflower, and Brussels sprouts are now getting to their sweetest and most delicious time for harvesting. Yes indeed, bounty is abound. This is what we celebrate for this week’s produce possibilities.

Our recipes this week deliver a delightful combo of sweet and salty. Mixed with fresh herbs and some wonderful accents, we can accomplish a symphonic dining experience where all the flavors harmonize to create pure enjoyment. The Maple-Pecan Glazed Root Veggies combine earthy flavors of roots and tubers with sage and garlic as well as Cippollini onions. Topped off with pecans and drizzled with pure maple syrup, this recipe can’t help but remind one of fall traditions. The second recipe, Bacon Wrapped Brussels Sprouts, delivers a salty punch of fun flavor. With Parmesan-thyme butter on the inside to bring out the Brussels better side and the bacon wrap on the outside to get that smokey satisfaction, these sprouts are nothing to scoff at.

Click here to see this weeks Produce Possibilities recipe

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Orange and green foods are great eaten together, so here’s an idea for two delicious dishes that celebrate these rich colors. 

Butternut squash is gorgeous orange, and by nature sweet. This recipe balances this flavor with the heat from the Aji Amarillo Chili, and the bitterness of raw chocolate. The touch of vanilla, salt, and honey highlight everything. In the end, we want to taste the squash mostly, but with complimentary flavors to give it context.

If you haven’t noticed, this is the time to enjoy some extraordinarily beautiful broccoli. Ours is coming from very nearby (Gardens of Eagan) and is truly not-to-be-missed. This recipe uses everything but the tough skin on the stalk, and is a good companion dish to the sweet/spicy squash.  

Enjoy the colors and flavors of the harvest season!

Join us at the Valley Natural Foods Kiosk on Saturday, September 11, anytime between 3:00 – 5:00 p.m. for free demo and tastings of this weeks recipes!

Click here to see this weeks Produce Possibilities recipe

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Busy fall schedules call for easy recipes that feature the summer harvest. Our no-cook pasta sauce is a refreshing way to serve pasta that allows the flavors of ripe summer tomatoes to shine through. Since it improves with time, the kale salad can be thrown together several hours before serving; perhaps in the morning in preparation for the evening meal.

Join us Saturday, August 28 any time between 3:00-5:00 pm at the Valley Natural Foods Demo Kiosk for a taste experience! 

Desserts always tend to be the tedious part of the meal and perhaps the hardest as well. This weeks Produce Possibilities features two very simple Mexican recipes that should complete a meal without wasting too much time on measurements. The first recipe is plantain chips dipped in Cajeta, (with Cajeta being the least known in comparison with sweetened condensed milk and Nutella.) Plantains contain a lower sugar content than bananas, and are less frequently used because unlike a banana, they need to be cooked. This recipe should prove why the extra hassle of cooking is worth the wait.

The second recipe is called Good Night Dessert, and is usually made during the holidays because of its dark rich red color as well as the beets being a winter crop in Mexico. Beets show up rarely in desserts, and this recipe shows off their richness and sweetness. 

Click here to see this weeks Produce Possibilities recipe

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Join us Saturday, August 14 at our demo kiosk anytime between 3:00-5:00 p.m. and taste the experience!

Zucchini Anyone? It seems in the flurry of summer activities sometimes picking zucchini can get overlooked. When you walk into the garden to find a huge zucchini, the most common reaction is “let’s make zucchini bread.” After a month of zucchini bread though, the idea gets a little worn out. Enter the classic Italian recipe of stuffed zucchini. Both tasty and healthy, this recipe allows you to turn your boring zucchini into a beautiful dinner centerpiece. With lean ground chicken or turkey and all the fresh vegetables and herbs, this recipe has what it takes to be a hit at home.

Corn is King! Right now the biggest crop everyone talks about in Minnesota is the sweet corn. Where can we get it? Is it fresh? Is it local? Organic? These are the questions we hear every day in the produce department. The sweet corn at Valley Natural Foods right now is almost exclusively from Gardens of Eagan. This farm has a huge history regarding sweet corn. The farm itself has been in organic operation for over 30 years and has been growing sweet corn almost as long. Just this week the farm has finished its sweet corn trials which they do every year, testing out dozens of new varieties of sweet corn to find that perfect ear. The combination of sweet corn grown at Gardens of Eagan and the “special” sauce makes this new recipe an instant classic in our book.

Click here to see this weeks Produce Possibilities recipe

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Heirloom tomatoes are cherished for their deep wonderful flavors, and the narrow window of opportunity we have here in the upper Midwest to enjoy them is wide open!  Our heirlooms are from a cooperative of farmers in Wisconsin, and are delivered twice a week.

This week’s recipe is for a basic tomato sauce that showcases ripe yellow and red heirloom tomatoes. This meal will be all about amazing flavor, so be sure to enjoy this in a relaxed setting to be able to really take in its beauty.

You’ll also see green and purple tomatoes in our heirloom display. One year the green striped tomatoes tasted nearly as sweet as honeydew melon! The best way to appreciate these varieties is to take a few home and enjoy them side by side, topped with a little olive oil and salt and pepper. The distinctions of flavor are best appreciated in comparison with each other.

This week Produce Possibilitities also showcases a budget-friendly kitchen gadget called a spiral slicer. You’ll easily find these on-line, and it might be the tool that unleashes some real artistry in your kitchen. Here we use the slicer to make incredibly wonderful zucchini spaghetti, and a confetti of edible salad decorations that thrill guests.

Click here to see this weeks Produce Possibilities recipe

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Produce Possibilities recipes for this week offer a refreshing spiciness to the taste buds.  Poblano peppers are a mild chili, and are roasted here to make it easier to remove the skins. Aji Amarillo is a dried chile, and is very unique with almost fruity overtones. Here we rehydrate and mince the Aji Amarillo to season the filled Poblano pepper. The package gives instructions for creating a very simple chili hot sauce which will keep for weeks in the fridge. Along with the Monterey Jack and St. Pete’s Blue cheese, this vegetarian Chile Relleno recipe brings several rich flavors together.

Bosc Pears are known for their subtle nutmeg-like flavor.  Here they are showcased in a salad that highlights this spiciness, including dried allspice in the dressing.

Click here to see this weeks Produce Possibilities recipe

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 Click here to watch Matt from our produce department prepare White Nectarine and Tomato Salsa on FOX 9. Then, stop by our Valley Natural Foods demo kiosk on Saturday July 24, anytime between 3:00-5:00 where Matt will present a demo and free taste experience of that recipe!

“Savoring the Season” is a phrase often used here at Valley Natural Foods. In fact, some kind of seasonal language is used every day in the produce department. This week’s recipe features some local produce but what we tend to forget about is that the local season doesn’t always run together with what we think should be in season right now.

For example, there is no local season for white nectarines here in Minnesota but some of us don’t want to miss out on this delicious fruit. The best way to take advantage of our produce department is to ask the broader question of “what tastes good and is fresh?” Certainly the peak of the California watermelon season rivals that of Minnesota’s, so why wait for great quality when one can have it multiple times.

One example of using the local season as an advantage for better taste comes in tomatoes. For local tomatoes, the amount of time between being picked and coming to your table can be as little as one or two days, yet it may be a few weeks for California or Mexican tomatos. Some of our local tomato varieties are vine-ripened which adds even more flavor and nutrients to the tomatoes. Because of the high quality in both nutrition and flavor of all our organic produce, one can never go wrong with what’s local and in season.

Click here to see this weeks Produce Possibilities recipe

Click here to see all the Produce Possibilities Menus