Buying Local Just Got Easier

“Let good food be thy medicine” declares a sign outside Harvest Moon.

The Long Lake grocery coop will mark its third year of providing good food to the community with a celebration on June 15. Vendors will be on hand to provide free samples and there will be customer contests and give-aways.

Since opening its doors in 2010, the store has become a vital part of the Lake Minnetonka community. And it hopes to enhance its local presence
through a commitment to local foods and goods.

“Local is fresher,” said Harvest Moon marketing and branding director Dani Steele. According to Steele, fruits and vegetables lose up to fifty percent of their nutritional value within four days of being harvested.  

In addition to produce, the store carries a variety of local foods, from cheese to chocolate.

Honey from Ames Farm in Watertown is displayed on a shelf. The store carries baking mixes from Northern Lites which mills Minnesota-grown grains like wild rice for quick bread and pancake mixes. Another shelf carries BT McElrath chocolates hand-crafted in Minneapolis.

The dairy department carries organic milk from Cedar Summit Farm in New Prague, whose cows are 100 percent grass fed. The cage-free eggs from Larry Schultz Farm in Owatonna are from chickens whose feed contains organic flax seed, increasing the omega 3 level in the eggs.

This summer, Harvest Moon is teaming with other coops and local farmers for the annual Eat Local Farm Tour on July 20 (www.facebook.com/EatLocalFarmTour.coop).

People can talk to local growers and tour farms like Riverbend Farm in Delano (www.rbfcsa.com) and other rural and urban farms across the Twin Cities.

“Our local focus is an opportunity to bring together the community, and to develop a relationship with local farmers, artists, and health practitioners,” said operations manager Robyn Johnson. 

“People like a product that’s unique and good for you,” Johnson said. “We’ve done the research and selected the products, making it easier for people to shop.”

One way the staff does research is by inviting producers to the store.

A representative from Yogi Tea, based in Oregon, recently met with Harvest Moon staff to discuss the medicinal qualities of tea ingredients which can increase energy, relax the mind, detoxify the body, or suppress appetite. 

Staff members also visit local growers and farms, and they experience
the foods and products for themselves.  Some items are designated an “Employee Favorite,” marked with a sign.

The store strives to maintain a balance of 90 percent organic and 10 percent conventional goods. The price of organic and natural foods can cause some shoppers sticker shock. In response, Harvest Moon recently undertook a price re-set. 

“We want to be sure our prices are in alignment with this market,” Steele said. 

Still it may be worth it to pay a bit more for organic. 

“Cutting corners on food doesn’t necessarily yield the best results,” said Johnson. “If you’re only eating affordable, processed food, eventually your body will feel the repercussions.”

Harvest Moon also partners with small producers in other states and countries, which provide spices from Iowa, avocados from California, coconuts from Mexico, and olives from Spain.

“We try to find small producers in other regions,” said Johnson.  “We buy from independent companies that are connected to local growers.”

The store’s local focus extends beyond food.  Customers can purchase locally made candles, books, and personal care products such as body lotions made by Gemstone in Minneapolis (www.gemstone-organic.com).

“Everything in the world vibrates at a frequency,” explained Steele.  “Rocks have a frequency. At Gemstone, they soak the rocks, so the energy gets infused into the water that they use in the face and body crèmes.”

Customer Kristen Kummel likes to choose local foods for her family.  

“I think local vegetables taste better,” she said. “My kids like asparagus tossed with olive oil and a little sea salt.”

“Local, small growers are able to give a higher level of quality,” said Johnson. 

“Freshness is difficult to mass produce.”

You can learn more about Harvest Moon at www.harvestmoon.coop.