Bozeman Co-op

      My good friend Kim and I were just talking about the Bozeman co-op (over some tasty local beers, I might add) so I thought it would be a great time to add it to my list of Montana grocery stores that strive to bring local foods their customers.

If every sizable town in Montana had something like the co-op in Bozeman, Montanans would never have to shop anywhere else.  With its roots going back to 1979, the co-op today consists of two stores specializing in local and organic produce, meats and just about any other item you can think of.  It’s the largest co-op in Montana with 15,000 members. (Bozeman’s population is only 38,000, people! Chew on that for a moment.)  But you don’t have to be a member to shop there.  Their website is a fabulous way to check out the co-op if you can’t get there right away.  It features daily recipes and local items that can be found within the co-op separating them by local produce, within 100 miles of the store and regional items, found within 101-300 miles. 

West Main location (original)

908 West Main St.

587-4039

Downtown

44 E. Main

922-2667

www.bozo.coop.com

Country Pasta

Nothing is quite as satisfying on a cold wet fall day as a big steaming bowl of noodles. My choice to satiate my most recent craving was a simple combination of melted butter, good Parmesan, a squeeze of lemon and the fabulous egg noodles from Polson’s Country Pasta.  Not only is it quite tasty but this is locally made pasta you can really feel good about.

                                             

Dean and Linda Knutson started their pasta making operation in 1990 on their land in Polson.  100% durum semolina from Montana and other nearby states, fresh eggs, mountain water and sea salt are all that goes into their product.  The size of the operation, 2.5 million pounds of pasta each year, may not allow for only Montana-made ingredients but they try to use local vegetables and meats when possible.  And I really appreciate the fact that they employ 25 local people. 

My local foodie heart beat a little faster when I learned of Country Pasta’s exciting new venture, an organic line of pasta which will use organic locally sourced semolina from Great Falls.   When asked why they work so hard, Heather Knutson answered, “Providing jobs and offering people high quality food products to enjoy.  Eating is more than just sustaining our bodies, it is about relationships, entertainment, and happiness…and we love sharing the good food we produce right here in Montana”. 

Pick up a bag of Country Pasta’s locally made regular egg noodles or wide egg noodles in Missoula at the Good Food Store and Orange Street Food Farm, the Bozeman Co-op or the Real Food Store in Helena.  And check out their website, www.countrypasta.com for recipes, online orders and instructions on how to get your local grocery store to carry their pasta. 

The Good Food Store

No matter how much you want to eat local, you still have to have a way to buy local foods.  I would love to drive from farm to farm gathering up all the yummy goodness each place has to offer but that’s just not feasible.  That’s why it’s important that we have stores that strive to sell food that is locally raised.  I’m sure it’s not easy to keep your shelves perpetually stocked, make a profit and sell local when at all possible. So I’ve decided to start profiling some of those stores that I’d like to say a big “Thank You!” to for helping us, the eaters, support local farmers.  I’d always love to hear from anyone that has a store they’d like to add to the list.

The Good Food Store –  Missoula

 If you’ve read even a few posts of my blog, you’ve heard me reference the GFS many times.  You can find me strolling its aisles several times a week. Some people go window shopping in the mall, I go shelf shopping in the GFS.  Here the local foodie can find melons from Dixon, tomatoes from Kalispell, flour from Three Forks, beef from Missoula, tamales from Manhattan, pasta from Polson, wine from Columbia Falls and hummus from Bozeman.  Local foods are well marked and the employees are knowledge, friendly and always willing to answer any local food related questions you may have (see Nowledge is Power post).  Their local food fair held every year in the fall is a “can’t miss” event highlighting local farmers and food.

      1600 S 3^rd St. W

       541-3663

        www.goodfoodstore.com

New Kid in Town

I recently found out that Natural Grocers is coming to town. After a few minutes of research online, I found out that Natural Grocers is a subsidiary of Vitamin Cottage with headquarters in Denver.  They sell pre-made meals, and specialize in organic, healthy foods.  A store in Helena is also in the works. 

I’m sure some people are very excited about a new grocery store coming to town but I’m feeling some trepidation about it.  It remains to be seen how many local food choices they will offer but to me, the bottom line is that the company is not local.  I’ll continue to shop at my true local grocers, the Good Food Store, for the bulk of my food items.  That way I know my food dollars are not only supporting local farmers and food producers but also local employees and employers.  My money will remain in the Missoula economy, not go back to some unknown executives in Denver. 

I’m sure you will find me in the aisles of Natural Grocers within days of opening just like many other Missoulians.  I can’t help but check things out.  If I find products there that I like, I may return occasionally.  And if they do, hopefully, place local products on their shelves, that “occasionally” may turn into “somewhat frequently” but they can never replace the almost total local experience I can get at the Good Foods Store. 

Scotty's Table

I find it very difficult every Saturday after hitting the farmer's market to just walk on by Scotty's Table restaurant without stopping for lunch.  After all, the farmer's market and the restaurant are a perfect combination since Scotty's strives to use local food whenever possible.  The majority of their beef, lamb and pork come from local ranchers and farmers.  Their delightful breads are delivered by bicycle from Bernice's Bakery and Le Petit Outre and they use quite a bit of produce from local farmers. 

Some of the locals they partake of include Clark Fork Organics, Blue Willow Farms, Mannix Brothers Ranch and Montana Natural Lamb to name a few.  They also offer a selection of local wines and beers to round out any meal.

It's easy to say I love Scotty's Table for the commitment to using local but I really go there because everything is just so darn tasty.  I recommend their burger for lunch. Simple yet tender and flavorful.  Or choose from the wide selection of their unique salads. Personally, I hope to make it there before the mole quesadilla is gone from the menu. 

If you are looking for a romantic dinner, Scotty's also fits the bill.  The atmosphere is warm and cozy and the rib-eye with grilled tomatoes and chimichurri will win over anyone's heart.  For more of the menu, which changes (a good sign that the restaurant is using local seasonal ingredients), check out their website at www.scottystable.com. 

Scotty's Table is located under the Higgins Avenue bridge in the basement of the historic Wilma Theater in Missoula.

Farmer's Market Pasta

I envy those chefs on TV when they talk about going to the Farmer's Market, picking out what looks good and then just throwing a bunch of ingredients together at home to create this fabulous meal. I'm a strict "follow the recipe" kind of gal myself. So I was quite pleased with my budding culinary prowess when I did just that with this pasta dish. 

Ok, so I may be fibbing just a titch.  I kind of sort of borrowed the basic premise from Betty Crocker but only sort of.  If I can do it, you can, too. And as I always say, if the ingredients are local, fresh and tasty it's really hard to mess up anything you try. 

To try the recipe, go to the Recipe page on my blog.

"Nowledge" is Power

I have always loved the boneless skinless chicken breasts that the Good Foods store sells.  They not only look pretty, all pink, bright and glossy, but they taste far superior to that funky tasting crap Tyson puts out that you can buy for a song at Wal-Mart. I have been happily buying my Good Foods chicken whenever I feel the urge for poultry and naively went on my way thinking I was buying locally raised fowl.  After all, it is right next to the Montana raised steaks and pork tenderloins. 

So you can imagine my dismay when I actually bothered to read the label and realized that the chicken is not only not from Montana but, horror of horrors, NEBRASKA!  I’m from Oklahoma and being the good Okie that I am, I was raised to believe nothing good comes out of Nebraska.  Here’s one of my favorite Nebraska jokes: What does the “N” stand for on the helmets of University of Nebraska football players?  Answer: Nowledge. 

The new me, who’s trying to eat more local foods, wondered why it is that people can raise chickens in their backyards here in Montana but I can’t find locally raised chicken in my favorite grocery store. So I decided to ask.  (As a side note, you can buy a locally raised chicken from Choteau or St. Ignatius at Good Foods but it’s the entire bird.  No neatly broken down parts.)   

According to the very nice gentleman behind the meat counter at Good Foods with the very nice Australian accent, there is no chicken manufacturing here in Montana. It seems that no one has really made a serious effort to try and get an operation set up and if someone did, there probably wouldn’t be enough chickens raised locally to supply the buyers.  I had no idea.  He agreed that it was an interesting situation and I assumed that with all the knowledge he had to give he had this question before.  

So the moral of this story is threefold.  One, always read the labels and make sure what you’re buying is local. Two, if you want to see some changes in your local food supply, ask questions, contact your local grocery store, research local small scale chicken farmers.  Maybe you can be the one to change the system.  The third and most important, don’t sweat the stuff you can’t immediately change.  I’ll continue to buy those cornhuskers’ chickens without any guilt knowing that it’s the best I can do right now.  Remember, any small effort you make toward supporting local foods can in turn have a profound impact on our local economy and your long-term health. 

Nebraska. Of all places.