Co-op to host Meet Your Farmer event

Celebrate South Dakota-grown vegetables at Wednesday’s Meet Your Farmer event at the Sioux Falls Food Co+op, 410 W. 18th St., featuring local farmers, a $5 dinner and activities for kids.

The free festival will run from 4 to 7 p.m. and will include veggie painting, a build-your-own-kabob bar and discussions with farmers and co-op board members.

“We are so grateful for our relationship with the Sioux Falls Food Co+op and its members. They believed in us and supported us by purchasing our produce when we were just dipping our toes into the wholesale produce game,” said Ian Caselli, owner of Caselli’s Market Garden.

Attendees can visit with Caselli and the farmers behind Dakota Mushrooms and Microgreens, Prairie Greens Produce, IronFox Farm and others to learn about their products and growing practices.

The co-op also will host its $5 community dinner from 4 to 7 p.m. during the event. The menu features a caprese chicken salad and a vegetarian mushroom option. It will showcase local tomatoes grown by IronFox Farm, Blue Sky Vegetable Co. and Prairie Roots, mushrooms from Dakota Mushroom and Microgreens and leafy greens from Prairie Greens Produce and Caselli’s.

The co-op prepares and serves a community dinner every Wednesday for $5. Meals have included items such as pulled pork with kale slaw, bratwurst with spring mix salad, and greens and sausage pasta. There is always a vegetarian option and sometimes vegan or gluten-free options. The kitchen uses local and organic ingredients when possible.

This week’s “Fresher is Fun” event is the sixth of eight retail-store events in the state promoting the purchase of South Dakota-grown specialty crops. Additional events will occur in August in Rapid City and Nisland. The events are sponsored by the South Dakota Specialty Producers Association through the Specialty Crop Block Grant program overseen by the state Department of Agriculture and Natural Resources.

The Sioux Falls Food Co+op is a community-owned grocery store that has been in operation since 1973. Customers don’t have to be co-op members to shop. The store offers a large variety of local foods, organic options and a full kitchen serving breakfast, lunch and dinner.

The co-op works with more than 70 local producers to bring fresh food to more people while supporting local farmers, suppliers and economies. It offers a wide variety of specialty crops over the season, including apples, aronia, dried beans, berries, flowers, honey, mushrooms, tomatoes and other vegetables. In addition, it offer other products such as local bread, butter, cheese, eggs, flax, meats and personal-care items.