Co-op Boxes

Sign up for a full box of fresh, hand picked fruits and vegetables every week!

Only $20 a box

Pick-up days Tuesdays or Fridays

Recipes posted weekly using ingredients from the box!

crockpot corned beef and cabbage

2 pounds cornd beef brisket with spice packed
4 red potatoes ( small )
4 carrots peeled and chopped (2-3 inch pieces )
2 turnips cut into quartes
3 sticks of celery (2-3 inch pieces )
4 cloves of garlic ( chopped )
1 red pepper ( cut in thin slices)
1 green pepper ( cut in thin slices )
1 yellow onion (chopped )
1 head of cabbage ( cut in quaters )

place corned beef in the crockpot with about 1/4 cup chicken stock
or water (optional ) add the spice packet that came with the corned beef
cover pot and place on low
about 5 hours into the cooking add hole potatoes and carrots,turnips,garlic,onions
until the vegetables are almost tender about 2 hours
add cabbage red peppers green peppers celery and cook for about 1 hour
serve up veggies and slice meat across the grain
its the bom

Why I Shop at Vito's All Seasons Market

The other day I was yearning for an experience food writer Ruth Reichl describes in her book, Garlic and Sapphires: The Secret Life of a Critic in Disguise.  The way Reichl writes about about shopping in New York's neighborhood markets made me want to move there.  And that's saying a lot considering the last time I was in New York City during the late Eighties, the subway terrified me and the city streets were so unkempt and creepy that I vowed never to go back. But the New York City Reichl describes sounds downright homey. The shopkeepers know their customers by name.  They offer fresh produce and local specialties. They suggest recipes to go with the goods. Reichl's shopkeepers care about the quality of their products and their customer service, not just the bottom line.  It reminded me of shopping in Europe at small corner shops and roadside stands, all within walking distance, and all locally owned. 

I finished Reichl's book depressed that I live in a big-box-store city bereft of any unique qualities.  I have gone to Wal-mart and Target in many cities and in every instance completely forgot where I was, which I guess is the point. Same merchandise, same store layout, same design. A Target in San Diego is just like the Target in Sandy, which is just like the Target in Orem. 

Then I happened upon All Seasons Market on 700 East and 8800 South here in my own little corner of Sandy. And suddenly, I found what I was looking for.  

Maybe it's because owner Vito Lema lived in New York City, but somehow stepping into this tiny grocery store made me feel like I live Reichl's world, in a place where the shopkeeper knows my name (he did by the time I left) and even walked my groceries to the car.  The fruits and vegetables were fresh and bright, beautiful to look at and even better to eat.  And the prices! After years of shopping Wal-mart and other grocery chains, I've been duped into thinking they always have the best deals.  Not so. Lema proves that smaller stores can offer quality foods at comparable--and even better--prices.  Take the organic broccoli I bought for 99¢ a pound, an unheard of price for organic, especially in the middle of winter.  Gorgeous red peppers sell for 50¢ (delicious roasted and added to spaghetti sauce or homemade pizza), and lush spinach goes for 99¢ a bunch. And if you like salad, you'll swoon over crisp romaine, red and green leaf lettuces at less than a dollar a head, long lovely stalks of celery and avocados packaged in their own plastic boxes for only 50¢ each. I'm not the most consistent cook in the world, but for some reason beautiful vegetables make me want to spend an entire day cooking. That's why when I shop at All Seasons I get in the mood to whip up salads, roast vegetables and juice some big, sweet carrots. During my most recent visit I developed a craving for borscht, which I haven't made for years. So into my basket went a deep purple head of cabbage, two big sturdy beets and a few onions. Then I spied some asparagus, which reminded me of spring, so I tossed those in my basket. Then collards that made me think of a green smoothie recipe from my sister.  Oh, and some kale to make a soup from my vegetarian cookbook, and an eggplant because I love eggplant Parmesan.  And two ruby red tomatoes that brought back a memory of when my mother visited from California and ordered a sandwich at Subway. When asked if she wanted tomatoes she stared at the pale slices still firm and green on the inside and said, "Ewww. Those won't taste good at all. Don't you know you're supposed to let those things ripen on your windowsill until they get a nice deep red?"  

And the list goes on. It just goes to show you that Vito Lema's store can inspire even the most reluctant of cooks, reminding us of how delightful it is to work with good ingredients. And just as a home cooked meal can nourish our spirit as well as our body, shopping at a charming local market like All Seasons can do the same.  

Have you ever bought a zucchini one day only to have it go moldy on you the next?  That doesn't happen when you shop at All Seasons. "Customers say that my produce lasts longer," Lema tells me as he carries my groceries to the car. As a former produce manager, he knows that bigger stores keep their produce in storage for days before they put it out for the customer. "I don't keep my produce in the back for a week before I put it out," Lema says. "I don't order too much and I put it out right when I get it."  You may not find a mountain of lettuce, half of which is wilted or slimy or rusty at the edges. But you will find a small display, carefully chosen and cared for that is guaranteed to taste as good as it looks. 

Though Lema orders from other suppliers in the winter, in the summer he grows his own produce organically on land behind the store. 

All Seasons Market also carries a large selection of locally produced bread, milk, cheese, apple cider, and Colosimo's  sausage. 

Vito's All Seasons Market also makes soups and sandwiches to order.  Call ahead and they'll have it ready by the time you get there.

All photos and text by Susan Hayward. Originally posted on SusanHaywardPhotography.typepad.com.  

Used with permission.

pasta with mushrooms

1- 1lb.pasta
     2lb table spoons olive oil
      12 oz mushrooms
       3 garlic cloves
      1/2 cup finely grated parmesan cheese
      1 Red pepper
2 -    cook pasta in a pot of boiling watter until
      aldente, keep one cup cooking water.
      drain pasta and return to pot.
3 -  meanwhile heat olive oil in a frying pan
     add mushrooms and sliced red peppers
     add your seasons salt & pepper
        cover your frying pan (it will be full) cook.
     toss accasionally, until mushrooms have softend
     and released their liquid 7-10 minutes uncover frying pan
     and reduce heat to medium.
     cook tossing accasionally tender,and grown,
     10 to 12 minutes.
     add mushrooms mixture and cheese to pasta,
     toss to combine add as much reserved pasta water as
     necessary to create a light sauce. serve immediately.
     top with more parmesan cheese.
                thats it.
   If you want to add chicken or beef or any lefover protein it will work well.
          its cool
       

Buy Local

Eating locally produced food is good for the community. And it tastes better, too. Take this honey. Though Bee Anderson Honey has hives all over Salt Lake, they happen to have one busy beehive right around the corner from Vito's. It's not anything like your average big-box-store brand. Bee Anderson honey is thick, creamy, and delicious. Once you taste it you'll be hooked for life.

CO-OP BOX SIMPLE TOFU STIR FRY

1 package of tofu-firm.
1and a half lbs broccoli
2 tbsp oil
3 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp rice vinegar
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
4 garlic cloves minced
1 tbsp cornstarch
1 bunch green onions
2 tbsp ginger grated

Blanch broccoli in salted boiling water
Heat a frying pan with the oil and fry the tofu in 1/2 inch cubes until brown
Add broccoli to pan and toss together.
Whisk remaining ingredients together and add to pan
Stir together until coated and serve on rice.

You can use a wok or large saute pan.  Cashews or peanuts to spice things up.
If you use this recipe please tell us how it went.

Deli Sandwiches

Our best seller!  Delicious prime rib sandwich. Comes with soup or salad, chips and a drink.
$7.95