Saving Seeds is for Novice and Expert Green Thumbs

When I moved out of my parent's house 15 years ago, my mother gifted me with a jar of her "rattlesnake snap" pole bean seeds. These are the same seeds of the same beans that I ate as a kid. Last Christmas, she presented me with a dozen or so packets of seeds she’s saved, from tomatoes to dill weed seeds. I have planted and harvested those seeds, and will continue to do so because it’s nostalgic and interesting to me. They are my family’s heirlooms.

Being the daughter of a seed saver, I like to plant saved seeds and heirloom varieties in my backyard garden. The Seed Savers Exchange is the largest organization worldwide devoted to preserving heirloom varieties. It defines an heirloom as "any garden plant that has a history of being passed down within a family, just like pieces of heirloom jewelry or furniture. Some companies have tried to create definitions based on date, such as anything older than 50 years."

On March 4, I attended the 30th Annual Seed Saver’s Exchange at the Kelley Farm in Elk River, Minn. The historic farm has been leading seed-saving activities in Minnesota since 1981.Seed-saving enthusiasts gathered and celebrated the seed saving tradition with seed art and a gardening presentation. And you know what’s really cool? A lot of people brought seeds to trade, but even those who didn't were able to take home some seeds.

Didn’t make the event? No problem. You can still get your green thumbs on some saved seeds by visiting a local store with a Seed Savers Exchange rack. Here’s a list of locations selling Seed Savers seeds:

Albert Lea Seed House 1414 West Main Street Albert Lea, MN 56007 Phone: 800-352-5247	Drummers Garden Center 281 Saint Andrews Dr Mankato, MN 56001 Phone: 507-388-4877	University of MN Lanscape Arboritum 3685 Arboretum Dr. Chaska, MN 55318 Phone: 952-443-1403
Cook Country Coop 20 East First Street PO Box 1433 Grand Marais, MN 55604 Phone: 218-387-2503	Linders Garden Center 270 W Larpenteur Ave Saint Paul, MN 55113 Phone: 651-488-1927	Mazopiya 2571 Credit Union Dr. Prior Lake, MN 55372 Phone: 952-233-9142
Seward Coop 2823 E Franklin Ave. Minneapolis, MN 55406 Phone: 612-338-2465	Hillside Greenhouse 1934 4th Ave Windom, MN 56101 Phone: 507-832-8300	Kingsley Mercantile 2 Main Ave. N. Harmony, MN 55939 Phone: 507-886-2323
Moms Food Co-op 122 N. Buchanan St. Cambridge, MN 55008	Rainbow Food Coop 103 S Main St Blue Earth, MN 56013 Phone: 507-526-3603	Viola Nursery and Greenhouse 3120 100th Ave. NE Eyota, MN 55934 Phone: 507-259-3272
East Side Food Co-op 2551 Central Ave. NE Minneapolis, MN 55418 Phone: 612-788-0950	Abrahamson Nurseries 20021 St Croix Trail N Scandia, MN 55073 Phone: 651-433-2431	Grassroots Cooperative 1917 2nd Ave. Anoka, MN 55303 Phone: 763-427-4340
Mississippi Market 1500 W. 7th St. Saint Paul, MN 55102 Phone: 651690-0507	Abrahamson Nurseries 2100 Tower Dr W Stillwater, MN 55082	City Center Market 122 Buchanan St. N. Cambridge, MN 55008 Phone: 763-689-4640
Bluff County Co-op 121 W. 2nd St. Winona, MN 55987 Phone: 507-452-1815	Amelia's Flower & Garden Shoppe 910 W 36th St Minneapolis, MN 55408 Phone: 612-208-1205	Super Fresh Produce 2101 4th St. NW Austin, MN 55912 Phone: 507-438-2358
Linden Hills Co-op 3815 Sunnyside Ave. Minneapolis, MN 55410 Phone: 612-922-1159	Eggplant Urban Farm Supply 1771 Selby Ave Saint Paul, MN 55104 Phone: 651-645-0818	Andrew Skoog 3500 Vicksburg Ln. #334 Minneapolis, MN 55447 Phone: 612-804-1143
Sailers Greenhouse 17011 Sunset Ave. Shakopee, MN 55379 Phone: 952-403-0630	Greenwood Plants 6904 NW 18th Ave. Rochester, MN 55901 Phone: 507-282-1988	Vintage Farmer 41 Oak Ave. S. Annandale, MN 55302 Phone: 763-691-3925
Mississippi Market 1810 Randolph Ave. Saint Paul, MN 55105	Delano True Value 1005 Crossings Dr. Delano, MN 55328 Phone: 763-972-7272	Good Earth Food Co-op 2010 Veterans Dr. Saint Cloud, MN 56303 Phone: 320-253-9290
Mother Earth Gardens 3738 42nd Ave. S. Minneapolis, MN 55406 Phone: 612-724-2296	Just Food Coop 516 S Water St. Northfield, MN 55057 Phone: 507-645-7415	Becker Pet & Garden 1008 Washington Ave. Detroit Lakes, MN 56501
The Granary Food Coop 47 2nd St. NW Ortonville, MN 56278 Phone: 320-305-9685	By The Woods/Diggin' In 78 W 78th St. Chanhassen, MN 55317	Becker Pet & Garden 1008 Washington Ave. Detroit Lakes, MN 56501

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

Local Food Resource Hubs Memberships Now Open to Minneapolis Residents

Hubs support gardeners to grow healthy, sustainable, local food March 2, 2012

City of Minneapolis News Release

(MINNEAPOLIS) Minneapolis residents who want to grow their own food but don’t know how, and residents interested in low-cost seeds, seedlings, compost or classes can now become part of a neighborhood-based support network of urban gardeners and local food advocates.

The Local Food Resource Hubs Network, an initiative from the City of Minneapolis, community partners and Gardening Matters, is now in its second year. The hubs are designed to get Minneapolis residents and community gardeners the tools and education they need to grow, preserve, cook and compost their own fresh produce by offering supplies, classes and connections. Hubs benefit communities by connecting neighbors and have been established in four Minneapolis areas: north Minneapolis, south Minneapolis, Phillips and Ventura Village, and northeast and southeast Minneapolis.

Residents can join a Local Food Resource Hub and select the type of membership. Prices vary. Small garden memberships will receive 10 packets of seeds and 12 seedlings, medium garden memberships will receive 20 packets of seeds and 24 seedlings, and large garden memberships will receive 50 packs of seeds and 72 seedlings.

Members can pick up packets of seeds and seedlings at their hub’s distribution event this spring. Seeds and plants will be distributed April 14 and May 19. More information about distribution events will be sent to members and be available at www.gardeningmatters.org.

Memberships are available on a first-come, first-served basis. To reserve a membership spot, residents can contact Gardening Matters at 612-821-2358, download the membership form (in English, Spanish, Hmong or Somali), or sign up online at www.gardeningmatters.org/hubs. Members plan and organize hub activities and events throughout the year. For more details, visit www.gardeningmatters.org/hubs/hubs-events-calendar. Last year the Local Food Resource Hubs Network served more than 600 members, distributed more than 14,000 packets of seeds and 15,000 seedlings, and expanded residents’ food growing skills through classes and training. To learn more, visit www.minneapolismn.gov/health/homegrown/index.htm.

The Local Food Resource Hubs Network was a recommendation from Homegrown Minneapolis, a comprehensive initiative of the City of Minneapolis to improve the growing, processing, distributing, eating and composting of healthy, sustainable, locally grown foods within the city. The Local Food Resource Hubs Network is made possible by funding from the Minneapolis Department of Health and Family Support and the Minnesota Department of Health’s Communities Putting Prevention to Work initiative of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.


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

Sauerkraut’s Sister

Angelica and Mike Hollstadt spend a lot of time surrounded by 10-gallon crocks of vegetables. That’s because they’re the force behind Angelica’s Garden. The husband-and-wife team harvest two acres of organic green cabbage, napa cabbage, garlic, and daikon radishes in Elmwood, Wisconsin, and make Angelica’s Kimchi in the basement of their farmhouse.

Kimchi is the Korean way of preserving vegetables through fermentation, and Angelica’s is particularly vital. The Hollstadts crank out more than 7,000 jars of kimchi, sauerkraut, pickled beets, and such each year, mostly for Twin Cities-area co-ops. Like sauerkraut, kimchi abounds with fiber, vitamin C, and natural lactobacilli that aid digestive health.

Anyone who loves sauerkraut on a bratwurst will flip for kimchi on a corned-beef sandwich. Try mixing it in with a stir fry for traditional kimchi bokkeumbap, or simply serve it as a side next to some pork for a little zip with your chop.

Angelica’s Garden in Elmwood, Wisconsin - Minnesota Monthly - March 2012 - Minneapolis, St. Paul, Minnesota

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

Greenhorns: a Documentary on America's Young Farmers

The Greenhorns documentary is coming to the Twin Cities this March.

The Greenhorns is a national non-profit with the mission to recruit, support, and promote young farmers in America. They work to bring people together around the agrarian revival taking place all over this land of ours. Last spring, the released a 45-minute documentary telling the stories of the young farmers who are the face of the Agricultural Renaissance.

The newly updated, 50-minute version will be screened at three locations in the Twin Cities in March:

• March 8th at Macalester College in St. Paul, 7 PM in the James B. Wallace auditorium in the basement of the Campus Center. Sponsored by MPIRG
• March 12th at Bryant Lake Bowl in Minneapolis, 7-9 PM, with a panel to follow. Sponsored by the Land Stewardship Project
• March 27th at the Casket Cinema in the Casket Arts Building in NE Minneapolis, 7-10 PM with panel to follow. In collaboration with California Street Farm

All screenings have been generously sponsored by The Wedge Co-op, The Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy, and Stone's Throw Urban Farm.

Contact Emily Hanson, Farmer and CSA Manager at Stone's Throw Urban Farm with questions. 651-323-0037.

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

Bliss Granola: Satisfy Your Sweet Tooth and Keep Your Resolution Intact

Bliss Granola: Satisfy Your Sweet Tooth and Keep Your Resolution Intact - Dara & Co. - January 2012 - Minnesota

Cross-post from Minnesota Monthly.

Film-loving candyphiles will certainly remember Willy Wonka, and his famous quote: “Invention, my dear friends, is 93% perspiration, 6% electricity, 4% evaporation, and 2% butterscotch ripple.” Butterscotch. Just the thought of it evokes memories of gooey blondie bars, creamy sundaes, and decadent puddings. The sweet and salty combination of brown sugar and butter makes butterscotch sundaes spectacular, and butterscotch chip cookies give chocolate chip cookies a run for their money. But how can I reconcile my enthusiasm for butterscotch with my New Year’s resolution to eat healthier? I found one answer at Golden Fig: Bliss Gourmet’s Butterscotch Pecan granola.

Bliss Gourmet Food’s granola is based on the muesli recipe that Australian-born Leslie Powers served at her restaurant in Australia, The Metro. Now living in St Paul with her husband, a St Paul native, and her family, Powers is making small batches of granola once per week in her incubator kitchen in St. Paul.

Powers uses organic whole grain oats, and many of her ingredients are sourced locally. She wants her granola to be “as Minnesotan as possible,” so she gets her grains and seeds from Whole Grain Milling Company in Welcome, MN, honey from Ames in Watertown, MN and Black Bear Honey in North Oaks, MN, and her maple syrup from Northern Lakes—tapped and processed in Minnesota.

Along with seasonal flavors such as pumpkin spice in the fall and pecan cinnamon in the winter, she makes a slightly sweeter “Sweet & Salty” line of granola, which includes butterscotch pecan and chocolate hazelnut. Among other ingredients, the oats, sunflower seeds, pecans, butterscotch chips, and sea salt give Bliss Gourmet’s Butterscotch Pecan granola a crunchy texture and sweet and salty flavor. With your first bite, you immediately taste the sweetness of the butterscotch, brown sugar, and Minnesota maple syrup, but by the end of the bite, the sea salt becomes more detectable, balancing the sweetness. As a bonus for those with gluten sensitivity, all of her flavors are available in certified, gluten-free versions as well.

Bliss Granola is available at the Mill City Market, Cooks of Crocus Hill, Kopplin’s, bibelot, Guse Green Grocer, Grassroots Gourmet at Midtown Global Market, and the Golden Fig in the Twin Cities. Bliss out your diet some by sprinkling it on your morning yogurt and fruit for a bit of crunch, or whipping up a deft dessert by topping some baked apples with it. Your sweet tooth will thank you.

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

FanFrikkinTastic Pulled Pork? Yes, Please.

FanFrikkinTastic Pulled Pork? Yes, Please. - Dara & Co. - January 2012 - Minnesota

Cross-post from Minnesota Monthly.

During a recent trip to the Seward Co-op, I sent the following text to some pals: “Pulled pork at our place tonight?” Their response: “Yes, please.” I had the pork covered—literally; aPastures A Plenty pork shoulder roast had been in the slow cooker all day, and would be falling off the bone by 6 p.m. I had all the fixins for red cabbage slaw at home. But I did not have time to get home and make my own BBQ sauce. I made a beeline for the condiments section, hoping to find a barbecue sauce that would work for a saucy, slaw-topped, pulled pork sandwich.

I spotted a new sauce bottle with a catchy name:FanFrikkinTastic Original Style Barbecue. The label told me it was sweet and spicy, all natural, made without preservatives, and gluten and dairy free. It also said it was made in Minneapolis. The sauce looked right in the bottle—not too thick, not too thin, and similar to a Piedmont or North Carolina barbecue sauce in appearance.

At home, I tasted the sauce. It was thin, tangy, slightly sweet, and just a bit spicy—a good match for the rich pulled pork. I pulled the pork and mixed in about 2/3 of the bottle of sauce, and I set aside the other 1/3 for serving with the pork. I served the pulled pork on toasted Minnesota-made Solomon Breads potato rosemary rolls, and topped the sandwiches with some spicy, creamy slaw that I made with red cabbage. The sandwiches were a hit. And the leftovers were even better, since the pulled pork had a chance to marinate in the sauce overnight.

Marie’s Slow Cooker Pulled Pork

Serves 8-10

1 (~2 lbs.) pork shoulder roast
1 small onion, diced
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 bottle of sauce
4 tbsp. of your favorite rub seasoning

Trim the roast. In a hot pan, brown the roast on all sides. Remove the roast from the pan and set aside.

Using good broth (or beer), deglaze the pan. Rub the roast all over with your favorite rub seasoning. Place the onions and garlic in the bottom of your slow cooker. Pour the pan sauce over the onions and garlic. Place the rubbed roast on top of the onions. Cook on high for 5 hours. Turn down to low and cook for another 3 hours.

After letting it cool slightly, pull the bones out of the pork. They should simply slip out. Remove the roast from the slow cooker. In a bowl, pull the tender pork apart, incorporating about 1 cup of sauce and the onions and garlic from the bottom of the slow cooker. Serve on buns with cole slaw. Serve more sauce on the side.

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

The Chocolate Holiday

The Chocolate Holiday - Dara & Co. - February 2012

Cross-post from Minnesota Monthly.

Valentine’s Day—it’s the one day out of the year when red pumps, red roses, and everything heart-shaped goes out for a night on the town, and—of course—chocolate can’t be left behind.

I’ve shared my Valentine’s Day Legacy Truffles thrills before, and we can’t get enough of Mademoiselle Miel, BT McElrath, and Sweet Jules, but today I wanted to give a Valentine’s Day shout-out to Wisconsin-made Gail Ambrosius truffles.

Gail Ambrosius grew up on a dairy farm in Wisconsin. After some traveling and eventual training in France with Valrhona and Cluizel in 2004, she began producing beautiful, decadent truffles in Madison, Wisc. An enthusiast of single origin, dark chocolate, Ambrosius sources chocolate from around the world—Hawaii, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Peru, Colombia, and Venezuela. Single origin chocolate means the beans are all from the same growing region, sometimes an extremely specific one, and each has subtle differences. Ambrosius works with farmers and importers who understand her passion for single source chocolate and share her values of biodiversity and sustainable agricultural practices. She says, “that sense of mindfulness and respect, learned on my parents’ farm, is something I try to bring to my business every day.”

As for the truffles, whether it’s the classic raspberry truffle (pictured here) made with mouthwatering raspberry puree and crunchy cocoa nibs, or a more exotic lemongrass with ginger truffle that infuses dried organic lemongrass into coconut puree, you’re bound to find something that satisfies. Her “Beerific Taster’s Box” comes with seven truffles and six beer pairing suggestions. Her single-origin collections of truffles and bars offer a petite tour of single source chocolate from around the world, and for those sweethearts out there, a sweetly wrapped “Lover’s Box” includes a heart-shaped caramel, a brandied cherry cordial, and one each of the passionfruit, Lucille's vanilla, cinnamon/cayenne, and rose truffles.

Surdyk's started carrying Gail Ambrosius products last fall, and they’ve got the Lover’s Box, along with a small assortment of truffles, bars, and chocolate “tumbled” dried cherries on their shelves this week. For a bigger selection, shop online and have them shipped directly.

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