The holidays are upon us! Family and friends gathering around the table, celebrating each other and the events of the past year. Whatever you're celebrating, we here at Harmony can't wait to help you - whether it's selecting the perfect entree or the perfect present. A celebratory dinner should be exactly that: a time to share delicious food with family and friends. While many people wish to serve traditional family favorites, for most, there's still plenty of room to liven up your holidays with a few new flavors, local foods, and even nutritional boosters.
Holiday Celebrations: Harmony Celebrates with you
Celebrate Classics • Celebrate Comfort • Celebrate Local Flavors • Celebrate Traditions • Celebrate • Culture • Celebrate Friends & Family • Celebrate Community • Harmony is here for all your celebratory needs.
The traditional centerpiece is, of course, the turkey. Whether you roast it, brine it, deep-fry it, or grill it, Harmony is pleased to carry a variety of locally and regionally-grown birds.
Kadejan turkeys, raised in MN and ND, are free-range with no antibiotics and no growth hormones
Organic Prairie turkeys are certified organic, fed only 100% certified organic feeds, and are raised according to the strictest organic production and humane treatment standards
Ferndale Market turkeys, raised free-range on a third-generation family farm in Cannon Falls, MN, are always free of antibiotics and hormones
If your holiday celebrations are more toward the honey-glazed ham than the stuffed roasted bird, we’ve got you covered there, too. Beeler’s has some excellent whole and half hams, bone-in and boneless, that we here at Harmony think are delicious on any special occasion.
They're always antibiotic-free and growth hormone-free, too, and raised on non-GMO feed.
We never forget the vegetarians and vegans, either; we've got Gardein holiday roast and stuffed turk'y, too! Our website has some great holiday dinner ideas for both omnivores and herbivores alike if you'd like to think outside the box.
What better way to celebrate the harvest and the year's accomplishments than by supporting your local growers? Local means real food coming from real people in our same community or region; with everything from fish to honey, wild rice and maple syrup to bison and every kind of fruit and veggie that northern Minnesota gardens can produce. Shopping at the co-op isn’t just about eating delicious food, it’s about spending your money in a way that most positively impacts the people around you. For every dollar spent at the co-op over a thousand dollars goes back into the community; we pay our growers, they pay their bills, suppliers, and employees, and that money can keep recirculating.
Buying local also supports northern Minnesota’s cultural traditions, such as our hand-harvested wild rice and our line of foods from the Red Lake Nation. As a locally owned cooperative we celebrate the history of the diverse cultures around us that have shaped who we are as a community, particularly the local food system, ways of sustainable living, and respect for the land.
Our Co-op Basics program offers everyday low prices on many popular grocery items, helping you save money on delicious, quality organic food. There’s maple syrup and coconut milk, canned corn and green beans, olives and crackers; from-scratch staples and ready-made snacks, juice and sparkling water for sipping on in between the snacks.
We have both standard and gluten-free options for such traditional staples as gravies and mixes, stuffing, and canned soups (for the perfect casserole), and pies and pie crusts. Warm up some delicious, fresh local breads (like Bramble Bee Bread, made right here in Harmony's Community Kitchen) and serve with rolled butter (Rochdale Farms, from next door in Wisconsin, is on Owner Deals all this month) or vegan spread (we love Miyoko's cultured vegan butter- it even browns!).
We know wintertime isn't just for eating lots of delicious food (though truth be told that's definitely one of our favorite parts). Gift exchanges are also an important part of holiday celebrations, and we are happy to help you find the perfect present, whether you're DIY or buying something ready-made. Our staff has collected some of our favorites here: https://www.harmonyfoods.coop/holiday-staff-picks
When shopping for gifts, think of purchasing fair-trade certified items (like Alaffia baskets or Equal Exchange chocolate and coffee). Fair trade items mean that the grower, farmer, or crafter has been fairly paid for their hard work and allow them the opportunity to give back in their own community, Just like gratitude is a small thing that yields big rewards in our lives, fair trade is a simple idea with profound results.
As excited as we are for the presents that you'll give to your loved ones, we're even more excited for the opportunity to give something back to our community. On Friday, November 29th, Harmony Co-op will host our annual “Shop Local, Give Local” event that will generate donations for 2 local non-profits (Indigenous Environmental Network & Bemidji Community Food Shelf Farm Project).
Indigenous Environmental Network (IEN) is an alliance of Indigenous peoples whose mission it is to protect the sacredness of Earth Mother from contamination and exploitation by strengthening, maintaining and respecting Indigenous teachings and natural laws (www.ienearth.org).
Bemidji Community Food Shelf Farm Project are dedicated to sustainable farming practices and employ cover cropping, crop rotation, mulching, and other organic approved crop management techniques. In addition to supplying a wide variety of produce to Food Shelf customers and their families, they have a number of other projects and programs. https://bcfsmn.org/urbanfarm_bcfs/
The day will feature free coffee, cider, and treats along with 10% off at the registers from 8 a.m. - 8 p.m. -- you'll definitely want to get the rest of your holiday shopping done today! Not only will you be able to save on some truly thoughtful and unique gift ideas (while sampling delicious food!), you'll know that you're making a difference and helping important causes in our local community -- and that's definitely something to celebrate!