Tuesday, June 26, 2012
MDA Assessing Needs and Taking Plant Donations for Flooded Vegetable Growers
I didn't have time to write my own story about this, but I wanted to help spread the word.
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Friday, June 22, 2012
CONTACT:
Margaret Hart, Communications Coordinator
651.201.6131, Margaret.Hart@state.mn.us
ST. PAUL, Minn. – The Minnesota Department of Agriculture is seeking information from fruit and vegetable farmers and established community gardens that lost crops due to recent flooding or storms to determine how widespread these losses are. The agency is also seeking garden centers and nurseries that may be willing to donate annual fruit and vegetable plants to these growers so they can replant some of their crops.
MDA Assistant Commissioner Matthew Wohlman says if the need is great enough, a process will be put in place through the Minnesota Farmer Assistance Network (MFAN) to help connect the affected growers with nurseries and garden centers willing to donate plants that would otherwise be discarded.
“We know that there are losses and we know that many nurseries are ready to discard plants that they haven’t sold this season,” Wohlman said. “It only makes sense that we try to match up the need with the availability of plants and help some of these vegetable farmers replant their crop.”
MDA is asking farmers or community gardens that suffered crop losses due to floods or storms and are in need of annual fruit and vegetable plants to call MFAN at 1-877-898-MFAN (6326). Nurseries or garden centers willing to donate excess fruit and vegetables are asked to call the same number, 1-877-898-MFAN. When calling the number, press zero (0) to leave a message.
Friday, June 15, 2012
Celebrate Father's Day & Dairy Month with the Latest and Greatest Cheeses & Beer
MARIE FLANAGAN
Cheese and beer with friends on the patio—is there a better way to celebrate Father's Day or Dairy Month? I’ll leave it up to you to track down some guests, but here are a few small batch, local cheeses (and some beer pairings) that have been sparking interesting conversations around cheese plates lately.
Singing Hills Goat Dairy is Minnesota’s goat farm darling on social media channels like Twitter and Facebook. Lynne Reeck and Kate Wall operate Singing Hills Goat Dairy, a 25-acre farm in Nerstrand, where they’re raising Nubian, Alpine, and Saanan goats and crafting fresh, artisan goat cheese. Creamy and mild, the brine on their slabs of feta-style goat cheese compliments rather than dominates the milky flavor of the cheese. And their fresh curds are soft, slightly salty, and squeaky between your teeth. For a homerun, try their feta piled on a rosemary, parsley, and garlic seasoned lamb burger and wash it down with an American Pale Ale like the World Beer Championship winning Great Lakes Burning River Pale Ale. You can find Singing Hills’ cheeses at Mill City, Fulton, or Kingfield Farmers' markets, or Just Food Co-op.
If you’re the kind of person who can imagine a cheeseburger in one hand and a Central Waters Mud Puppy Porter in the other, get thee some Moody Blue by Roth Kase. This small batch, Wisconsin cow’s milk blue cheese is a bold, creamy cheese smoked over fruit wood, giving it a smokey flavor so assertive that it’s been called “bacony.” Moody Blue out-performed Rogue Creamery’s popular Smokey Blue at the US Championship Cheese Contest in 2009, winning a silver medal. Grab a porter and crumble it on a burger, or make an impressive grilled pizza topped with Moody Blue, caramelized onions, and figs.
A new cheese that’s making a big splash is Chris Roelli’s Red Rock cheese. The Roelli Cheese Haus in southern Wisconsin is making naturally rinded, creamy cheddar cheese, dosing it with big shots of annatto, and lacing blue mold veins through it to make a visually stunning cheddar-blue cheese. It’s aged in Red Rock caves for a minimum of 60 days while it develops its signature stark blue veins and natural blue rind. Red Rock’s bright color is dramatic on a cheese plate, and its flavor takes a grilled buffalo chicken sandwich to another level, especially with a smoked beer, like a Stagecoach Smoked Porter from Stagecoach Brewing Company in Mantorville, Minn. You can find Red Rock in the Seward Co-op Cheese Department. Want to see Red Rock in action? Check out this video from Wisconsin Cheese Talk:
Posted on Wednesday, June 13, 2012 in Permalink
Cross-posted from TC Taste: Celebrate Dairy Month with the Latest and Greatest Cheeses - Twin Cities Taste - June 2012 - Minnesota
[where: Sustainable Food, St. Paul, Minneapolis, Twin Cities, Minnesota]
Wednesday, June 13, 2012
Twin Cities Veg Fest is for Vegans, Vegetarians, and Omnivores
The first ever Twin Cities Veg Fest will take place from 10am to 5pm at Coffman Memorial Union on the Minneapolis campus of the University of Minnesota on July 14, 2012.
From the event planners:
"Twin Cities Veg Fest is for anyone and everyone – from vegetarians and vegans to omnivores! If you’ve ever thought about becoming vegetarian or are interested in reducing animal suffering, you’ll love Twin Cities Veg Fest.
Learn where your food comes from, how to be a healthy vegetarian or vegan, and why being compassionate benefits everyone. Plus you’ll enjoy tons of free vegan food samples and delicious vegan cuisine."
[where: Sustainable Food, St. Paul, Minneapolis, Twin Cities, Minnesota]
Friday, June 1, 2012
New Sausages Coming Your Way from Shepherd's Way Farm
Shepherd’s Way Farms makes some of my favorite sheep’s milk cheeses. It’s no secret that their cheese is good—they’ve received scores of accolades for their popular black wax coated Friesago, soft and creamy Hidden Falls, light and tangy Shepherd’s Hope, and spicy Big Woods Blue cheeses. Imagine my surprise, then, when I headed to Mill City Market and found a freezer full of unfamiliar sausages at the Shepherd’s Way market stand.
That’s right, three weeks ago, Steven and Jodi Ohlsen Read of Shepherd’s Way introduced several new varieties of specialty sausages, and they’re made with pasture-raised lamb and pork from their farm in Nerstrand, Minn.
In addition to the existing Merguez, Westlund, and Barlage sausages, the Reads are now selling a sausage made with orange peel and red wine called Sogn Harvest, a Sage and Ginger breakfast sausage, a Big Woods Blue traditional bratwurst made with blue cheese, smoked snack sticks called Birr Sticks, and a hard-to-find smoked sausage link (which is rumored to have notes of coriander and mustard) called Woodsman.
“I’ve always been interested in specialty meats,” said Steven Read. “Charcuterie is an emerging trend, and it’s been fun developing new ideas and seeing them become final products. It’s gratifying and exciting to see people responding.”
The small-scale Sage and Ginger sausage, with just a slight essence of ginger, makes a good breakfast sausage, but could very well be served any time of the day, and a pack of Birr Sticks tucked in with your camping gear will make the great outdoors all the greater this summer. According to Read, the Woodsman links seem to be flying off the shelves faster than they can make them.
Read grew up Swedish in Minnesota, and says making cased sausages and meat sticks simply reflect his upbringing.
Although the Reads raised the animals on their farm and developed the recipes for their new line of specialty meats, they didn’t have the ability to make their own sausages on-site, so they teamed up with sausage maker Dean Anderson at Geneva Meats in Geneva, Minn. Read explained that processing off-site was less expensive than having on-site facilities and licensing, although he acknowledged that it would be fun to have their own processing facility someday. The work they do on their small, family-based farm demonstrates their support of local, sustainable, slow food—they’ve hosted thousands of visitors to the farm, educating and promoting sustainable agriculture, land stewardship, and local foods.
Shepherd’s Way Farms' new line of sausages can purchased at the Mill City Farmers' Market, or you can send them an email and they’ll bring them to the St. Paul Farmers’ Market for you. They hope to start selling the new sausages at local co-ops this summer.
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Cross posted from TC Taste: http://www.minnesotamonthly.com/media/Blogs/Twin-Cities-Taste/May-2012/Orange-Peel-and-Red-Wine-Sausage-Comin-Your-Way/
That’s right, three weeks ago, Steven and Jodi Ohlsen Read of Shepherd’s Way introduced several new varieties of specialty sausages, and they’re made with pasture-raised lamb and pork from their farm in Nerstrand, Minn.
In addition to the existing Merguez, Westlund, and Barlage sausages, the Reads are now selling a sausage made with orange peel and red wine called Sogn Harvest, a Sage and Ginger breakfast sausage, a Big Woods Blue traditional bratwurst made with blue cheese, smoked snack sticks called Birr Sticks, and a hard-to-find smoked sausage link (which is rumored to have notes of coriander and mustard) called Woodsman.
“I’ve always been interested in specialty meats,” said Steven Read. “Charcuterie is an emerging trend, and it’s been fun developing new ideas and seeing them become final products. It’s gratifying and exciting to see people responding.”
The small-scale Sage and Ginger sausage, with just a slight essence of ginger, makes a good breakfast sausage, but could very well be served any time of the day, and a pack of Birr Sticks tucked in with your camping gear will make the great outdoors all the greater this summer. According to Read, the Woodsman links seem to be flying off the shelves faster than they can make them.
Read grew up Swedish in Minnesota, and says making cased sausages and meat sticks simply reflect his upbringing.
Although the Reads raised the animals on their farm and developed the recipes for their new line of specialty meats, they didn’t have the ability to make their own sausages on-site, so they teamed up with sausage maker Dean Anderson at Geneva Meats in Geneva, Minn. Read explained that processing off-site was less expensive than having on-site facilities and licensing, although he acknowledged that it would be fun to have their own processing facility someday. The work they do on their small, family-based farm demonstrates their support of local, sustainable, slow food—they’ve hosted thousands of visitors to the farm, educating and promoting sustainable agriculture, land stewardship, and local foods.
Shepherd’s Way Farms' new line of sausages can purchased at the Mill City Farmers' Market, or you can send them an email and they’ll bring them to the St. Paul Farmers’ Market for you. They hope to start selling the new sausages at local co-ops this summer.
------
Cross posted from TC Taste: http://www.minnesotamonthly.com/media/Blogs/Twin-Cities-Taste/May-2012/Orange-Peel-and-Red-Wine-Sausage-Comin-Your-Way/
Celebrate Cedar Summit's 10th Anniversary at Milkapalooza
Cedar Summit is spreading the word about their 10th anniversary Milkapalooza party. Details about the event are posted below.
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Make plans to help celebrate ten years of on-farm milk bottling at the farm in New Prague at Milkapalooza on June 23, 2012, 10am – 3pm. Come help celebrate, it will be a great day for certified organic, 100% grass-fed family fun on the farm.
Lunch will be available for purchase. Food will be provided by Valley Natural Foods, and options will include Cedar Summit hamburgers, vegan vegie burgers, creamy organic coleslaw, kids plates, and cookies and milk for dessert.
You will be able to sample local cheeses and tour the farm with family members. They will have calves for petting and ponies for riding. Local beekeepers will also be showing off their bees – not for petting!
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Make plans to help celebrate ten years of on-farm milk bottling at the farm in New Prague at Milkapalooza on June 23, 2012, 10am – 3pm. Come help celebrate, it will be a great day for certified organic, 100% grass-fed family fun on the farm.
Lunch will be available for purchase. Food will be provided by Valley Natural Foods, and options will include Cedar Summit hamburgers, vegan vegie burgers, creamy organic coleslaw, kids plates, and cookies and milk for dessert.
You will be able to sample local cheeses and tour the farm with family members. They will have calves for petting and ponies for riding. Local beekeepers will also be showing off their bees – not for petting!
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