The Debut of the Wisconsin Artisan Cheesemaker Guild

Jeanne Carpenter of the popular cheese blog Cheese Underground has announced the formation of a new Wisconsin Artisan Cheesemaker Guild.

Wisconsin is the most prolific cheese producing state in the United States, making as many as 600 different varieties of cheese; it has more licensed cheesemakers than any other U.S. state, to boot. So it didn’t come as a surprise when I received the news.

Similar to other state cheese guilds, The Wisconsin Artisan Cheesemaker Guild is a member-based organization offering networking and educational opportunities for beginning and current artisan and farmstead cheesemakers in Wisconsin. With two workshops already scheduled this summer, they’re moving full steam ahead.

Carpenter recently shared all sorts of details about the new guild, which is meant to be a sister organization toWisconsin Cheese Originals, a 200-member group catering to cheese education for consumers. Together, both organizations celebrate Wisconsin artisan and farmstead cheesemakers.

The Wisconsin Artisan Cheesemaker Guild currently has 28 members and is open to beginning or current artisan or farmstead cheesemakers within the state of Wisconsin (associate memberships for retailers may be added in the future, Carpenter said, so stay tuned). Guild members pay an annual fee of $150 per company, and all employees of member companies are invited to attend or participate in all activities. Some specific educational workshops or tours have additional fees to help cover expenses; you can stay abreast of that info and all events at wicheeseguild.com.

"The guild is an opportunity for smaller cheese companies to gain access to more information about cheese aging, new cheesemaking styles, and to visit other cheesemakers in Wisconsin and abroad to expand their knowledge," Carpenter said. She plans to organize at least two educational workshops and two membership meetings per year.

The Wisconsin Specialty Cheese Institute (WSCI) is helping facilitate that by sponsoring the guild for the first two years. In fact, all guild members become WSCI members and gain access to WSCI programming and benefits, so only new guild members who are not already WSCI members need pay the $150 guild membership fee. Current WSCI members who are also artisan or farmstead cheesemakers are encouraged to join the guild in order to be invited to all events.

Cross posted from: The Debut of the Wisconsin Artisan Cheesemaker Guild - Twin Cities Taste - April 2013 - Minnesota

[where: Sustainable Food, St. Paul, Minneapolis, Twin Cities, Minnesota]

Celebrate Earth Day: Grow Your Own Celery with Celery Scraps

It's Earth Day! Let's grow celery using kitchen scraps!

I stumbled across a tip for growing celery that sparked my interest a few weeks ago.
The tip said you could stick your scrap celery stalk in some soil and grow more celery.

So I decided to conduct my own experiment to see if it would actually work, and so far....SUCCESS.
I am growing celery from kitchen scraps. BOOM.

The Method

1. Get your mitts on a celery stalk stub.
2. Set the stub in a dish of water, with the bottom of the stub pointing downwards. Let it sit for 24-48 hours.
3. Transfer the stub to a pot with soil and/or compost.
4. Water well for the first week.
5. Water routinely. Watch your celery grow.

Here's mine, so far!

Grow celery from a celery stalk stub. Photo by Marie Flanagan.

I also read that you can do similar plantings with ginger root, garlic, sweet potatoes, and green onions, but I haven't tried those yet.

[where: Sustainable Food, St. Paul, Minneapolis, Twin Cities, Minnesota]

Get Ready, Set...Twin Cities Farmers' Market Season Starts Soon

Mark your calendars and pack your reusable grocery bags. In spite of the snow on the ground, farmers markets around the Twin Cities are gearing up for season openers in the coming weeks!

Prepare to stroll through outdoor markets as you sample and/or purchase fresh produce, plants, baked goods, cheese, meat, honey, maple syrup, confections, soap, crafts, and more. Take some time to talk with the vendors to learn more about their products and what makes them special. In addition to goods to take home, most markets have vendors and/or food trucks with food and drinks, as well as live music and activities for kids. Make the most of your visit by checking out the markets’ websites to see what’s happening on any given weekend.

Here are some of the opening dates for Twin Cities farmers markets:

• Nicollet Mall Farmers Market – April 25, 2013
• North Lyndale Minneapolis Farmers Market – April 27, 2013
• St. Paul Farmers Market - Downtown - April 27, 2013
• Midtown Minneapolis Farmers Market – May 4, 2013
• Mill City Farmers Market – May 11, 2013
• Northeast Minneapolis Farmers Market – May 11, 2013
• Fulton Farmers Market – May 18, 2013
• Kingfield Farmers Market – May 19, 2013
• Apple Valley Farmers Market – June 1, 2013
• Linden Hills Farmers Market – June 2, 2013 
• Minnesota Zoo Farmers Market - June 13, 2013
• Burnsville Farmers Market – June 15, 2013
• Lakeville Farmers Market – June 22, 2013

More market tips and tricks:

• Avoid the crowds by going early.
• Get the best deals by going late.
• Wear sensible shoes and sunscreen.
• Pack a water bottle.
• Bring reusable bags.
• Bring cash, preferably small bills.
• Talk to the vendors, but don’t monopolize their time. If you have a lot of questions, ask if you can contact them during the week.

Let the countdown begin!

Cross posted from: Get Ready, Set...Twin Cities Farmers' Market Season Starts Soon - Twin Cities Taste - April 2013 - Minnesota

[where: Sustainable Food, St. Paul, Farmers Markets, Minneapolis, Twin Cities, Minnesota]

Old Fashioned Blueberry Whole Wheat Pancakes

Not long ago, we had a household project requiring my husband's attention. Now, he's got a lot on his plate, so to sweeten the deal, I offered to make his favorite breakfast when he got the project done - blueberry pancakes. He loved the pancakes and said it was "totally worth it," so I thought I'd share the recipe, in case you need to make "incentive" pancakes.

Old Fashioned Blueberry, Whole Wheat Pancakes
adapted from an All Recipe recipe

Makes 6, 6 inch pancakes

• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour 
• 3 1/4 teaspoons baking powder 
• 1 teaspoon salt 
• 1 tablespoon white sugar 
• 1 1/2 cups milk 
• 1 egg 
• 4 tablespoons butter, melted 
• 1 pint blueberries 

1. In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, salt and sugar. 
2. Make a well in the center and pour in the milk, egg and melted butter; mix until smooth. 
3. Preheat oven to 150 degrees. 
4. Place an oven-safe pan in the oven. 
5. Heat a lightly buttered griddle or frying pan over medium high heat. 
6. Pour or scoop the batter onto the griddle, using approximately 1/2 cup for each pancake (use 1/4 cup to make smaller cakes). 
7. When the cake starts to bubble, sprinkle blueberries on top, let it sit for 30 seconds, and then flip it. Brown other side. 
8. Place the pancakes on the pan in the preheated oven to keep them warm while you're working. 
9. Serve warm with butter, maple syrup, and fresh blueberries.

Enter to Win Reetsyburger's Cheese Giveaway!

When a box of cheese arrives at your doorstep, an average day gets upgraded to first-class - especially when it’s Culture Magazine sending you new cheese from Coach Farm. And today could be YOUR most excellent day too. Right here, right now, you have an opportunity to win free Coach Farm goat cheese from yours truly.

Earlier this month, I was selected by Culture Magazine during their "Hello My Name Is...Blogger Contest" to write about a new style of cheese. For this particular contest, they sent me a shipment of Coach Farm goat cheese including a brand new variety of raw goat’s milk cheese.

Many remember Miles and Lilian Cahn as the owners of the famous Coach Leatherware Company – you know, the makers of belts, wallets, and those oh-so coveted handbags. Well, in 1985, the Cahns sold Coach Leatherware, and since then they’ve been “held hostage” by their herd of more than 1000 Alpine French goats at Coach Farm. 

Located outside of New York City in the Hudson Valley, Coach Farm's cheesemaker Mark Newbold crafts artisanal goat cheese for a wide variety of customers, including foodie major leaguers like Mario Baltali and Pierre Chambrin. Coach Farm bagged a 1st place prize at the 2008 World Championship Cheese Contest for their Triple Cream Wheel, and that’s just one of many awards they’ve locked down.

Coach Farm's new, raw goat's milk cheese. Photo by Marie Flanagan.

The as yet unnamed, Coach Farm raw milk goat cheese that arrived on my doorstep was all dolled up in an insulated box, tucked in alongside a few cheesy companions. As I unpacked the box, I smiled when I got my mitts on the big hunk of raw goat’s milk cheese. Reminiscent of bûcheron, a French cheese which is usually aged for 25-50 days, Coach Farm's raw milk cheese is made with unpasteurized milk and aged for at least 60 days. 

It has a bloomy, edible rind, and inside the rind, the cheese proffers two layers of flavor and texture. A thin creamline of smooth pâte gives way to a substantial layer of semi-firm, slightly tangy chèvre. Pair it with a glass of sparkling Vouvray and some grapes, and enjoy it at brunch or for an evening dessert. The flavor is clean and bold enough to pair with your beet salad, but it expresses itself more nobly alongside some simple fresh fruit. And for that reason, I suggest Noble Raw as the name for this new cheese. 

My first-ever cheese giveaway. A collection of Coach Farm cheeses. Photo by Marie Flanagan.

With so much cheesy splendor in the house, I'm obligated to pay it forward, so I’m sharing some of this shipment with one, lucky reader. Included in the shipment will be a round of their award-winning Triple Cream, 4 ounces of their classic fresh goat cheese, and a piece of their brand new, unnamed raw goat’s milk cheese. 

The time is NOW. Do what the readers of this blog do best – gush about food. To enter for a chance to have this cheese shipped to you, either share this blog post on facebook -OR- write a description of your favorite goat cheese dish in the Twin Cities in the comments section below (if you live elsewhere, share a favorite restaurant's goat cheese preparation in your locale). This is your chance to WIN FREE CHEESE! Enter by the 18th.

Please note: My contest has been posted on multiple blogs. You need only enter on one of them.

[where: Sustainable Food, St. Paul, Minneapolis, Twin Cities, Minnesota]

Minnesota Ranked 16th in Nationwide Locavore Index

Strolling of the Heifers, a local food advocacy group in Vermont, has released its second annual Strolling of the Heifers Locavore Index, ranking the 50 states and the District of Columbia in terms of their commitment to local foods.

Minnesota came in 16th place (up from 17th in 2012), while our surrounding states ranked higher - North Dakota came in 3rd, Iowa came in 5th, and Wisconsin came in 9th place.

The Index used data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the U.S. Census bureau, and  LocalHarvest's CSA database.

Click on the image to see a larger version.

[where: Sustainable Food, St. Paul, Minneapolis, Twin Cities, Minnesota]

Minneapolis Urban Farmers Circulate Local Food Questionnaire for Political Candidates

MINNEAPOLIS, MN. A group of Minneapolis urban farmers have banded together to ask candidates in this year’s municipal elections to support policies that will help grow our increasingly diverse and productive local food economy. 

The Minneapolis Urban Farmer's Collaborative has invited candidates for Minneapolis City Council, Parks & Recreation Board, and Mayor to complete a candidate questionnaire to determine where the candidates stand on current policy issues relevant to urban agriculture, including food production on public park lands, on-site vegetable sales for urban producers, and ownership of chickens for small-scale commercial purposes. 

Among the members represented in this collaborative are composters, mushroom growers, beekeepers, backyard farmers, and CSA, wholesale, and market farmers. Their operations are scattered across the Twin Cities and represent both for- and non-profit business models.

“The goal of this questionnaire,” says collaborative member Michael Pursell , “is to give voters a better sense of how supportive their candidates are of our city's local food entrepreneurs.  We've shown in recent years that our small businesses are making valuable contributions to Minneapolis health, commerce and communities and we think Minneapolis has the potential to be a real leader in urban agriculture. But we need local government to support our work and remove unnecessary barriers to our success."

The questionnaire is already being circulated among this year’s municipal candidates, and completed candidate questionnaires are being posted on the Minneapolis Issues Forum at www.e-democracy.org for public viewing as they become available.

Minneapolis citizens can help grow the local food movement by encouraging candidates from their wards and districts to respond to the questionnaire and by supporting local-food-friendly candidates this November.

CONTACT: Michael Pursell, 651-485-1034

[where: Sustainable Food, St. Paul, Minneapolis, Twin Cities, Minnesota]

Michael Pollan is Coming to Minneapolis!

Michael Pollan, a superstar of the local, sustainable food movement, is coming to St. Louis Park.

Described in a 2006 New York Times book review as a "liberal foodie intellectual," Michael Pollan started transforming our notions about food and health with his 1991 book Second Nature: A Gardener’s Education. By the time his book In Defense of Foodcame out in 2009, Pollan had gained a reputation as being an authority on how to eat healthfully and sustainably. These days, In Defense of Food is a popular book club selection, and Pollan has become a household name. He’s appeared on Oprah, The Colbert Report, and NPR’s Morning Edition. He was named by Newsweek as one of the top 10 “New Thought Leaders” in 2009, and named to the 2010 TIME 100, the magazine’s annual list of the world’s 100 most influential people.

On Thursday, May 2, from 7-9 p.m., Minnesotans will have the opportunity to hear Pollan speak at Beth El Synagogue, in conjunction with their Inspiring Minds Series.

“The Inspiring Minds Series has brought people like Jane Goodall, Gloria Steinem, and Deepak Chopra to Minnesota,” explained Kelly Velander, marketing and communications director for Beth El Synagogue. “Along the lines of spiritual inspiration that we promote through this series, Pollan will show us how the classical elements of earth, water, fire, and air are a part of the food we eat.”

Appetizers will be provided by Stewart and Heidi Woodman of Heidi’s and Birdhouse. Tickets start at $60 for general admission. A $500 premium ticket will get you special, upfront assigned seating and admission to a private VIP reception with Pollan prior to the public presentation (reception attendees will also receive a copy of Michael's brand new book Cooked: A Natural History of Transformation for signing, and the opportunity to have a photo taken with Pollan). A portion of the proceeds will go to Appetite for Change, a nonprofit organization in North Minneapolis.

Beth El Synagogue
5224 West 26th St., St. Louis Park
952-873-7300, bethelsynagogue.org

Cross-posted from: Michael Pollan to Speak at Beth El Synagogue - Twin Cities Taste - April 2013 - Minnesota

[where: Sustainable Food, St. Paul, Minneapolis, Twin Cities, Minnesota]