Parkers Farm has expanded the voluntary recall of several products due to possible contamination by Listeria monocytogenes bacteria. Recalled products include all 12 ounce and 16-ounce peanut butter in plastic tubs with sell-by dates on or before and 12/31/2010. The co-op has pulled all affected products from the shelves.

If you have purchased peanut butter with these sell-by dates,you are advised to throw it out.

We’re proud to bring you more delicious all-natural baking mixes from another great local company. SheCooks Baking Mixes are made in St. Paul by Shelagh Mullens from organic, stone ground, whole grain flours, all natural ingredients and no trans-fats. Delicious cornbread, pancakes, popovers and fruit breads are just as easy as pie!

Get a dollar off any SheCooks mixes in March with your Simple Good and Tasty Local Food Lovers card, too.

Linden Hills Co-op is eliminating all still water in plastic bottles smaller than a gallon from its shelves as of November 1. The co-op’s Green Team’s mission is to propose changes that will help Linden Hills Co-op reduce waste, lower its carbon footprint, and lighten its environmental impact.

Since 1992, Happle’s Gourmet Pies have been bringing smiles to faces all over the midwest. Starting now, you can get the perfectly spiced, flaky-crusted goodness of a Happle’s organic pie right here at Linden Hills Co-op! Family owned and operated in Williamsburg, Iowa, Happles makes their pies with loving care.

All the ingredients are certified organic, trans-fat free, dairy-free and VEGAN. No animal products are used in the pie, and the crust is made from organic spelt flour. Delish!

Yet another great Minnesota made product, Uncle Pete’s Sweet and Spicy Mustard comes from just north of St. Cloud, and yes, there really was an Uncle Pete! This unique Polish style mustard is his secret recipe, handed down from father to son, and now available at Linden Hills Co-op to enhance your summer grilling and entertaining.

We like it with Prairie Breeze cheese, but you should also check Uncle Pete’s website for recipes and serving ideas.

We’ve carried Lucini’s excellent olive oil and outstanding pasta sauce for a while now, so it was an easy choice to add this line of vinagrette salad dressings. Lucini Italia uses all natural ingredients to create their Tuscan Balsamic & Extra Virgin Vinagrette; Fig and Walnut Savory Balsamic; Bold Parmesan and Garlic and other flavors. Here’s a great recipe for a Shrimp Caesar Salad using their Parmesan and Garlic dressing—mangia!

These refreshing beverages bill themselves as “the world’s first adult soft drinks,” and since they’re based on original recipes that were first used by Thomas Fentiman in 1905, we suppose they’re right! And right now, you can order a Fentiman’s ice cream float at the deli counter—a fantastic (somewhat) grown-up summertime treat.

The Ginger Beer, Curiosity Cola, and Victorian Lemonade are hits with the co-op’s staff already—try the Dandelion and Burdock, Shandy or Tonic Water for a refreshing change of pace. Sold in four-packs or singles in the deli aisle.

Richard Flax has been making fantastic barbecue sauce for nearly 20 years—and bottling it for just the past several. The former owner of Riche’s Kicken Kitchen Cafe in Minneapolis’s Corcoran neighborhood has perfected his “down under” recipe, and we’re thrilled to add another great local product to our grocery lineup.

Richard’s sauces have won several awards, including a First Place in the Big Island BBQ Contest in Albert Lea this August for his Blackberry Chipotle BBQ Sauce and a Second Place at the 2008 American Royal BBQ Sauce Contest in Kansas City for the Rich and Spicy Sauce.

Emily Kaster is now in her second career at Linden Hills Co-op (some long-time shoppers will remember her from her cashiering days, before she moved to Vermont). Besides energetically stocking groceries, building displays, and offering incredible customer service, Emily is our resident workout expert and unofficial spokesmodel for cooperatives and the work they do in communities across the country.

Thanks to everyone who submitted ideas in our co-op budget shopping tips contest! The winner, chosen at random, of a $75 co-op gift card is Sheri Williams of Minneapolis, and here are her great shopping tips:

1. Make a list of those “impossible to find except at the co-op items” and plan shopping trips to take full advantage of the membership discount coupon.

2. Shop the “endcaps”. They always have the sale items. The store does a great job labeling the monthly specials as well.

3. Go bulk!!! Especially for oatmeal, dried beans, spices and nuts.

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