SOMETHING 'SWEET' TO EAT. If you've been around downtown Eau Claire's coffee shops or local cooperative grocer, you might have seen a small, wallet-sized "zine" available to pick up, thanks to Sweet's Produce in Otter Creek. The regional farm offers Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) programs and now, hopes share new ways for Chippewa Vallians to get creative with their seasonal produce. (Submitted photos)

Looking for some new ways to turn your veggie haul into a culinary adventure? Sweet’s Produce in Otter Creek has brought non-digital, paper-and-ink creativity to the Eau Claire and Menomonie areas with its pocket-sized zines: “How to eat an entire box of vegetables.”

The first print of these zines – found in local coffee shops, bookstores and cooperative grocers – sparks conversation around the farm’s Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) programs and how to get innovative with seasonal produce in the summertime.

Taya Sweet and Seamus Fitzgerald-Sweet, co-owners of Sweet’s Produce, said they have been in Otter Creek since 2023, but have been farming for close to a decade. Before moving to western Wisconsin, Sweet’s Produce was named Growing Lots and located in Minneapolis, Minn.; at the time, the duo planted their produce on top of vacant parking lots.

From June to October, Sweet’s Produce offers its CSA members weekly, biweekly and peak season boxes. In each box, members can expect an assortment of fresh produce – plus, an email newsletter from Taya on how to maximize your use in each box.

“Food culture is built through relationships and I want to start my relationship with the (Chippewa Valley) with the zine as a creative gift.” –Taya Sweet, co-owner of Sweet's Produce

Sweet’s Produce distributes its CSAs to six pick-up locations across Minneapolis, St. Paul, Menomonie and Eau Claire.

With each new season, Taya explained their CSA program has become the backbone to their success. In return, Taya said she wanted to create a physical zine to keep conversations flowing and offer customers ideas on how to make the most out of their boxed produce.

“I wanted the zine to illustrate all the delightful pleasures we miss when we sleep on the incredibly abundant veggies that Midwest summers have to offer,” Taya said. “Food culture is built through relationships and I want to start my relationship with the (Chippewa Valley) with the zine as a creative gift.”

Taya Sweet and Seamus Fitzgerald-Sweet, co-owners of Sweet’s Produce, pictured above. (Submitted photo)

A view of Sweet’s Produce farm in Otter Creek, pictured above. (Submitted photo)

Taya said their CSA program not only nourishes Sweet’s Produces’ success, but the relationships between friends and loved ones. Inside the hand-crafted zine are ways to connect with fellow community members around fresh produce: “host a monthly brunch”; “potluck with your people”; “be a part of a meal train for someone facing a difficult time.”

For those interested in picking up the first issue of the zine, don’t wait. There are limited copies at SHIFT (615 Graham Ave., Eau Claire), Dotters Books (307 S Barstow St., Eau Claire), Brewery Nønic (621 4th St. W, Menomonie) and Leona’s Pizzeria (406 Galloway St., Eau Claire).

To learn more about Sweet’s Produce in Otter Creek, visit their website at www.sweetproduce.com and Instagram page (@sweetsproduce).