Holidays at Harmony: Celebrating Together
Here in northern Minnesota, the winter holidays always seem a little more exciting. The snow comes a little earlier here than it does a lot of other places, and it just serves to ramp up the anticipation. Watching the northern lights glow across the night sky and shimmer across the snow with a warm cup of cocoa in your hand or going on a walk outside with the snow crunching underfoot and your breath puffing out in clouds around your face; it’s hard not to get into the spirit when it feels like nature itself is putting up the decorations.
The heart of any human celebration, no matter your heritage, culture, birthplace or language, is food. Have a traditional feast with a baked ham or turkey, crispy skin and savory meat and piles of potatoes and dressing and casserole; have a giant appetizer feast and little tapas plates to mix-and-match all the snacks you can eat. If you’re celebrating at a distance this year, make sure to send a box of local goodies from Bemidji with love; any visiting guests will certainly appreciate some souvenirs to bring home, too. No matter where, what, and with whom you’re celebrating, we here at Harmony are here to help you have the very best holidays possible this year.
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 cultures that shape who we are as a community, particularly local food systems, ways of sustainable living, & respect for the land & water.
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 we recognize for many holiday meals is, of course, the turkey - whether you roast it, brine it, deep-fry it, or grill it. This year, we’ve got some truly excellent turkeys from a local favorite!
Harmony is exclusively carrying Ferndale Market turkeys this year at the best price ever!
· *3rd Generation Family Farm in Cannon Falls, MN
· *Humanely raised without antibiotics or hormones
· *Always free range
· *$1.29 per lb
We can't wait to help you find the perfect turkey and everything else you need for your holiday celebration. Limit 2 per household. Pricing is available through November 24th, or while supplies last. Ferndale Fresh turkeys at $2.99 per lb will also be available by reservation.
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 several brands of plant-based holiday roast, including Field Roast and Tofurkey holiday roasts! Our website has some great holiday dinner ideas for both omnivores and herbivores alike if you'd like to think outside the box.
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 or vegan spread.
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 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!
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.
During November's National Native American Heritage Month, Harmony is highlighting the importance that Indigenous peoples play within our business and community. Take a walk down our aisles and see all of the indigenous-owned products we carry year-round, check out the Ojibwe food, language & art packet for our Kid's Explorers program, and be sure to attend Harmony's Buy Local Give Local event on November 26th to meet the two indigenous-owned organizations who are this year's Buy Local Give Local community recipients!
*The mission of the White Earth Land Recovery Project is to facilitate the recovery of the original land base of the White Earth Indian Reservation while preserving and restoring traditional practices of sound land stewardship, language fluency, community development, and strengthening our spiritual and cultural heritage. Read more about the great work they do here!
*The Gitigaanike Initiative was created with the goals to decrease diet-related health issues, increase access to local healthy foods & develop a local foods economy incorporating community beliefs & attitudes about contemporary & traditional foods. Read more about the great work they do here!
The day will feature 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!