Star City Blog / Food

HowNowGreenCow.org Launches July 26th in Honor of Nebraska Local Foods Awareness Week

Nebraska will celebrate Local Foods Awareness Week July 25th through July 31st, as consumption of local foods:

- reduces our carbon footprint by decreasing the miles our food must travel from farm to plate,

- improves the nutritional value of our diet through freshly picked fruits and vegetables, and

- increases support of our local economy.

In honor of this celebration, the website How Now Green Cow will launch July 26th to educate the residents of Lincoln, Nebraska and surrounding areas on how to use local resources to “live green and save green.”

Featured Business: Ideal Grocery

By Hilary Stohs-Krause

Beefsteak tomatoes from O’Neill.  Prairie Bloom Camembert from Raymond.  Kolaches from Wilbur. Must be Ideal Grocery.

“For the last 30 years, it’s been my place to shop,” said John Baldus of Lincoln. “It’s like an old-style grocery where they get to know you personally. . .It’s not a warehouse.”

Produce clerk David Neely, 65, has been at Ideal for the last 12 years.

“When I first started working here,” he said, “it was like stepping back in time.”

Open Harvest's Grand Opening October 16th

By Sarah F. Sullivan

After three years of attempting to expand their premises, on October 16th at 9 a.m., co-op grocery Open Harvest will hold its Grand Opening to showcase its bigger and better store. After a ribbon-cutting ceremony with Mayor Chris Beutler, patrons and enthusiasts will be able to enjoy various giveaways and sales that will last for four weeks following the Grand Opening.

From its modest beginnings in 1975 in a tiny space at 27th and Randolph to its current location in South Street Plaza, Open Harvest has long seen the need for more space.

Locally Produced Angus Beef Available at Russ's Market

By Sarah Sullivan and Dennis Kornbluh

Last week a few lucky members of the press were given the opportunity to sample a product that was recently introduced at Russ’s Market: locally-produced steaks from the Platte River Ranch Natural Angus Beef program. The new product, which comes from 100 percent grain fed, laboratory-verified, locally produced Angus cattle, is provided by the Greater Omaha Packing Company, which supplies steaks to many top area restaurants. 

This may be a sign that food purveyors are taking notice of the growing trend among consumers to prefer natural and local foods.  Literature provided by Russ's Market claims that the Platte River Ranch Natural Angus Beef Program gets its grain-fed, natural Angus cattle from family farms in Nebraska and Iowa.  The cattle are said to be raised on a 100% vegetarian diet of corn and whole grains, without artificial flavors, coloring ingredients, or chemical preservatives.  The beef is delivered in sides and is cut into steaks in Russ's meat department to maintain freshness and control quality.

Lincoln's Ethnic Grocery Stores, Part 2

By Alexis Abel

Roasted chickpeas, Lebanese flatbread, pickled eggplant and frozen whole eel aren’t the types of products you can expect to find stocked next to the Lay’s potato chips at your favorite Russ’s Market. But, surprisingly, all of these items are readily available in Lincoln. For all you fearful foodies afraid to venture into Lincoln’s ethnic markets, we sent our crack team of culinary detectives out to investigate five more stores. Here’s what they found out:

Ethnic Grocery Stores Abound in Lincoln

By Alexis Abel

On Memorial Day in Lincoln, most families are preparing for the hot and humid American summer to come.  When it comes to food, many will adhere to the iconic Bud Light and grilled burgers smothered with ketchup and melted American cheese. But not everyone is content with such standard fare. For those seeking something a little out of the ordinary, Lincoln has a lot to offer in local grocery stores that pack exotic foods and flavors into small spaces.

It’s no surprise to many that Lincoln is home to myriad ethnic supermarkets. Since the 1980s, Nebraska in general and Lincoln in particular has seen an influx of people from Africa, Asia, the Middle East and of course, Mexico. According to the 2000 Census, Nebraska had the highest increase in foreign-born persons in the last decade than any other midwestern state. Nebraska is also fifth for refugee resettlement per capita when compared to states of similar population. More than half of refugees that come to Nebraska settle in Lincoln.