In’Cider Information on Minnesota’s 2013 Apple Season

PHOTO BY DAVE HANSEN

It’s mid-September now, and there’s a certain something in the air—maybe it’s because apple season is nigh. I grabbed a bag of SweeTangos at the farmers market last weekend, and they were so juicy and so crisp that I hip, hip, hoorayed. To accompany my three cheers for this year’s apple crop, I put together this Minnesota apple roundup for TC Taste this week.

CHOOSE YOUR APPLE

Apples are seasonal. Each variety has a peak season and specific attributes. While some apples are great for eating plain (Honeycrisp, Zestar!, SweeTango, Haralson), others are better suited for baking or making sauce (Northern Spy, Prairie Spy, Duchess). If you’re concerned about chemicals, some apples are more naturally disease resistant, which means that growers can use fewer chemicals on them in the orchard (Dayton, Pristine, Redfree, William’s Pride, Liberty).  If you want your harvest to last, some varieties can be stored for a long time (Prairie Spy, Keepsake, Honeygold, Sweet Sixteen, Honeycrisp).

Selecting your apple can be tricky with all that information to sort out, so I’ve got the major Minnesota-grown varieties listed here by season, in alphabetical order, along with their general attributes.

EARLY SEASON

• Beacon (sweet, juicy, good eating apple)

• Centennial Crabapple (small, juicy, great for kids)

• Dayton (naturally disease resistant, tart, crisp)

• Discovery (floral, sweet)

• Duchess (good for pies)

• Estivale (sometimes called LaCrescent, sweet, tart)

• Gingergold (sweet, crunchy)

• Jersey Mac (sweet, tart, good for applesauce)

• Lodi (very early, tart, decent pie apple)

• Paula Red (sweet, tart, bright white flesh)

• Pristine (disease resistant, crisp, delicate)

• Redfree (disease resistant, sweet, crisp)

• Sansa (Gala/Akane cross, crunchy, juicy)

• Summer Red (similar to Haralson, crisp, tart, juicy)

• State Fair (tart, crunchy)

• SweeTango (a personal favorite, crisp, tangy, slightly sweet)

• Tyedeman’s Red (juicy, sweet, tart, good for apple sauce)

• Viking (mild, soft, thin-skinned)

• Wellington (tart, early pie apple)

• William’s Pride (disease resistant, slightly spicy, bold)

• Zestar! (a personal favorite, large, crunchy, sweet-tart)

MID-SEASON

• Chestnut Crabapple (nutty, smaller, good for sauce)

• Cortland (bright white flesh, doesn’t brown as quickly, great for fruit salad)

• Gala (sweet, crisp, yellowish flesh)

• Honeycrisp (a personal favorite, well balanced, sweet, tangy, crisp, very popular)

• McIntosh (very tart, juicy, very popular)

• Red Baron (mild, sweet, juicy)

• Sweet Sixteen (a personal favorite, sticky sweet, crisp, juicy, yellow flesh)

• Wealthy (tart, medium sized)

LATE SEASON

• Braeburn (sweet, tart, classic)

• Fireside (sweet, large, good for baking)

• Frostbite (very sweet, smaller, juicy)

• Honeygold (yellow skin, good for cooking, sweet)

• Haralson (firm, good pie apple, sweet)

• Keepsake (firm, crisp, yellowish flesh, can store for six months)

• Liberty (disease resistant, tart, crisp)

• Northern Spy (tart, juicy, great for pies and sauce)

• Pinata (orange in color, slightly spicy)

• Prairie Spy (large, dense, good for baking, long storage time)

• Red Delicious (very popular, firm, dark red, sweet)

• Regent (well balanced, good for eating and cooking)

• SnowSweet (a personal favorite, sweet, slightly tart, white flesh is slow to brown)

FIND YOUR APPLE

The Minnesota Department of Agriculture has a list of 109 apple orchards on their website.  You can search by zip code to find an orchard close to you.

If you’re looking for a referral, some of the most popular you-pick orchards include:

• Aamodt’s in Stillwater

• Afton in Hastings 

• Apple Jack in Delano

• Applewood in Lakeville

• Baker Orchard in Centuria, Wis.

• Deardoff in Waconia 

• Emma Krumbee’s in Belle Plain

• Havlicek's in Veseli

• Minnetonka Orchards in Wayzata

• Sponsel's in Jordan

• Pine Tree in White Bear Lake (Minnesota Monthly wrote a review of of Pine Tree Apple Orchard a few years ago.) 

All kinds of farmers' markets have an apple vendor or two—my go-to apple stand is Doug Bolstorff’s Cedar Grove Orchard stand at the downtown St Paul Farmers Market. They have good apples, decent prices, and friendly service. I also like the Sweetland Orchard stand where they sell amazing apple cider donuts. For 2013, Sweetland will be at the Bloomington, Fulton, and Kingfield farmers' markets.

Don’t have time to hit the farmers' market, a farm stand, or the orchard? No problem. Co-ops have you covered with collections of local apples from local organic orchards.

MAKE APPLE CRISP

I eat at least one apple a day this time of year—I just can’t help myself. Meanwhile, my husband goes bonkers for apple crisp. He has a pretty simple and utterly lip-smacking recipe for crisp that he inherited from his mom.

Ingredients

For the filling:
4 cups of largely diced medium baking apples
1 tsp. ground cinnamon

For the topping:
1/2 c. all-purpose flour
1/2 c. old-fashioned rolled oats
2/3 c. brown sugar
1/3 c. butter, melted (one stick)
3/4 tsp. nutmeg
3/4 tsp. cinnamon

Heat oven to 350 degrees F (177 C). Butter a 9-inch (23 cm) square (or 2-quart) baking dish.

Make the filling:
Core apples then cut into 3/4-inch (7 cm) pieces. Add apples to a large bowl and toss with cinnamon.

Make the topping:
To make the crisp topping, combine flour, oats, and sugar in a medium bowl. Add the melted butter and combine. Sprinkle and press down the topping over the apple filling.

Bake for 35-45 minutes or until the apples are tender and the topping has turned light golden brown.

HIT UP AN APPLE PARTY

Just can’t get enough of this apple stuff? It’s time to party. The 65^th Annual Applefest is taking place in La Crescent Minnesota this weekend, Sept. 19-21.  There’s a run/walk, music, a poker tournament, golf outing, beanbag tournament, and a kiddie parade. 

Cross-posted from: In’Cider Information on Minnesota’s Apple Season - Twin Cities Taste - September 2013 - Minnesota

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

The Soft Cheeses of Summer 2013

MORCELLA from  Shepherd's Way;  MARIE FLANAGAN (3)

What goes with this month’s warm summer breezes and seasonal sneezes?  Why, soft summer cheeses, of course.

And lest you think that delicious, creamy, soft cheeses need hail from France or Italy, think again. These three soft cheeses are all made right here in the Midwest.

The first cheese on my list is the softest and lightest–Morcella, made by Shepherd’s Way Farm in Minnesota. Morcella is a soft-ripened sheep’s milk cheese made with local morel mushrooms by Shepherd’s Way’s cheesemaker Jodi Ohlsen Read. Irresistibly creamy, mild, earthy, and delicate, Morcella can be easily overwhelmed by strong flavors, so enjoy it simply with crusty bread. And grab it while you can–this small-batch cheese is made with spring and summer milk, so it’s only available through September.

On the other end of the flavor spectrum is Arabella cheese from a relatively new cheese maker, Jacobs and Brichford of Indiana. Their Arabella is a soft, tallegio-style cheese made with grass-fed milk from Jersey, Normande, and Tarentaise cross cows. Pale yellow, creamy, buttery, earthy, and aromatic, Arabella’s strong flavor profile can accompany a bottle of barbera or valpolicella with grace.

Striding forth between the delicate Morcella and the bold Arabella is Good Thunder, a new(er) cheese fromAlemar Cheese Company in Minnesota. Made with grass-fed milk from Cedar Summit Farm, Good Thunder has a stiffer, pasty texture, with a smoothness that is slightly reminiscent of its sister cheese, Bent River. The lovely squares of cheese are molded and salted by Kieth Adams and his crew, and then the rind is washed in Surly Bender, an oatmeal brown ale. This somewhat “stinky” cheese has a soft, orange rind, and a slightly smoky flavor that pairs well with a variety of beers, including brown ales and black ales.

So why not bypass the stove, and treat yourself to soft cheese and salad for dinner or a picnic? All three of these beauties are available throughout the Twin Cities at various farmers markets and co-ops (I spotted all three at Seward Co-op last weekend, and saw Steven Read sampling Morcella at the Minneapolis Farmers Market on Sunday).

 GOOD THUNDER FROM ALEMAR CHEESE CO.                             ARABELLA FROM JACOBS AND BRICHFORD

Cross-posted from The Soft Cheeses of Summer - Twin Cities Taste - July 2013 - Minnesota

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

Check out Some MN Farms for Free at the 2013 Eat Local Farm Tour

MARIE FLANAGAN (4)

The 2013 Eat Local Farm Tour will take place next Saturday, July 20th. Presented by the Twin Cities area food co-ops, the goal of the event is to introduce the Twin Cities to the local farmers that make our seasonal, fresh, local food system possible.

My husband and I grabbed the opportunity to visit a few farms during the 2012 tour. Our stops included Shepherd’s Way, where we spent time perusing products at their on-farm store and laughing at their charismatic flock of sheep. At Simple Harvest Farm Organics, goat-milking was the activity of the day. Perhaps the most interesting part of the day was our stop at L & R Poultry and Produce, where we witnessed how they were using sweet corn as a trap crop for squash beetles, and laughed at the antics of pastured-raised turkeys hunting down insects. Taking the time to see expert farmers in the field bolstered our appreciation for the profession–it also reaffirmed our decision to leave poultry-raising to the experts.

 

Included in this year’s tour event are:
Kohnert Organic Farms

Living Land Farm
Chankaska Creek Ranch & Winery
East Henderson Farm
Cedar Summit Farm
Shepherd’s Way
L and R Poultry & Produce
Simple Harvest Farm Organics
Thousand Hills Cattle Company
Ferndale Farm
Gardens of Eagan
Riverbend Farm
Women's Environmental Institute
10th Street Farm & Market
Big River Farm
Growing Lots Urban Farm
Beez Kneez
Stone's Throw Urban Farm

Details for each farm are a bit different, so be sure to check out the Eat Local Farm Tour guide book online or pick it up at an area co-op, including: Eastside Co-op, Harvest Moon Co-op, Just Food Co-op, Lakewinds Natural Foods, Linden Hills Co-op, Mississippi Market Natural Foods Co-op, River Market Community Co-op, Seward Co-op, St. Peter Food Co-op, the Wedge, and Valley Natural Foods.

Find more information at themix.coop.

Cross posted from: 2013 Eat Local Farm Tour - Twin Cities Taste - July 2013 - Minneapolis, St. Paul, Minnesota

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

New University of Minnesota Extension Website Offers Local Food Resources

MARIE FLANAGAN

A group of folks from the University of Minnesota Extension, Buy Fresh Buy Local South Dakota, FARRMS (North Dakota), North Dakota State University Extension, and the Northwest Regional Partnership (Minnesota) have teamed together to launch a new Community and Local Food Resource website.

Announced this spring, the website contains extensive links to tools, videos, articles, reports, fact sheets, websites, and more that will help farmers, extension educators, and communities who are looking to build their local food system infrastructure.

Researchers received a SARE grant to work with rural Minnesota, North Dakota, and South Dakota communities to identify needs. They hope the website will address their needs through the tools and resources for farmers, community groups, Extension educators, and others interested in local food systems.

"The release of this website coincides with the kick-off of a new season of farmers markets, CSAs and farm-to-institution programs,” said Greg Schweser, community food systems planner for the University of Minnesota Extension’s Regional Sustainable Development Partnerships. “It will be useful to those working in local foods seeking production assistance, expanded marketing opportunities, developing stronger businesses, creating new sourcing options, educating citizens and crafting more beneficial public policies.”

Cross posted from New University of Minnesota Extension Website Offers Local Food Resources - Twin Cities Taste - May 2013 - Minneapolis, St. Paul, Minnesota

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

Sweet Science Ice Cream Available at Verdant Tea

DUSTIN BLACK

The Twin Cities has a new ice cream stop to add to your list this summer. Sweet Science, a small ice cream company with big flavors, has landed a fulltime retail location.

Ashlee Olds started making ice cream for friends five years ago. After working at Black Sheep Coffee Café and Rogue Chocolatier, she was inspired to make a line of small batch ice cream called Sweet Science, with a logo in the shape of a vanilla molecule.

With a Business Management and Entrepreneurship feather under her cap from Metro State, Olds works in her community commercial kitchen space in St. Paul where she uses local products like Castle Rock organic milk and other certified organic ingredients, “with names you can pronounce.” Her notably smooth salted caramel is their mainstay flavor, but Olds also is whipping up nontraditional flavors like blood orange (pictured here) stracciatella (inspired by La Marianna’s Italian gelato), rhubarb cinnamon almond, and strawberry buttermilk.

Previously, Sweet Science ice cream was somewhat tricky to track down, with monthly tasting events at the kitchen space, and scoops for sale at food trucks or events. But this week, Olds announced that in early July pints of Sweet Science ice cream will become available at Verdant Tea’s new location in the former Seward Coop space in South Minneapolis.

Olds and Verdant Tea met at North Coast Nosh. There, they sampled each other’s products, and as they learned more about their individual business philosophies, the more they fell in love with the idea of working together. Once they get their bearings in the new space, they hope to combine their products to offer tea and ice cream flight pairings, and even chai and matcha milkshakes.

“Starting in early July, you'll be able to stop by Verdant Tea's new shop and buy pints and cups of Sweet Science—all day any day,” said Olds. “Their hours will be 8 a.m.-8 p.m., which means our customers can stop by and get Sweet Science ice cream almost anytime.”

With ice cream labels that cleverly nod to the periodic table of elements, you can’t miss Sweet Science pints. I’m fond of the blood orange flavor, a riff on the classic Dreamsicle, but if you’d rather sample before you buy, swing by the next Sweet Science tasting event this Friday, June 14, 2013, 5-8 p.m. at the Sweet Science commercial space on Pierce Butler Road.

Cross posted from Sweet Science Ice Cream Available at Verdant Tea Retail Space - Twin Cities Taste - June 2013 - Minneapolis, St. Paul, Minnesota

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

Record-Breaking Year Brings Sweet Smiles for MN Syrup Producers

SAPSUCKER FARMS

Despite what some consider an excruciatingly long winter, followed by a cold and snowy spring, Maple syrup producers in Minnesota are smiling. It’s no wonder—most of them produced record levels of syrup this spring.

Minnesota is the most north and west of U.S. states to commercially produce maple syrup, according to Jerry Jacobson, vice president of the MN Maple Syrup Producers Association. The association boasts about 100 members, many of whom attended the annual MN Maple Producers Association Annual Meeting and reported record years for 2013.

“At the meeting, everybody said they did better and many reported record crops. About 80% at the meeting said it was their best year ever,” said Jacobson.

The mystifying weather accounts for the record year, he says. “The late spring, combined with all the snow we had, meant temperatures were moderated so that the trees didn’t warm up too quickly.”

Maple syrup is made from sap, and producers need about 40 gallons of sap to make one gallon of maple syrup. Throughout Minnesota, trees produced high levels of sap during the three-week sap run this year, and the sap they produced was good quality, according to Jacobson. In neighboring Wisconsin, producers reported record-breaking levels as well.

“Wisconsin’s 2013 maple syrup production was 265,000 gallons, more than five times the production of 2012,” said Greg Bussler with the USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (PDF). “This is the highest production since NASS began keeping track in 1992.”

Debbie Morrison at Sapsucker Farms in Mora, Minn. was a bit anxious about this year’s season, especially after last year's drought, which yielded just 10 gallons of syrup. But Sapsucker ended up making 210 gallons of syrup, matching their all-time previous record.

“For about two weeks, the sap was just gushing,” said Morrison. “We were doing everything we could to collect it and cook it. It gushed, and gushed, and gushed for about two weeks. The sap was so beautiful and pristine this year. It was the best sap we’ve had. It made amazing, light syrup.”

Jacobson said that at least 60% of syrup entered for judging at the Annual Meeting of the MN Maple Producers Association was grade A, light amber, the highest quality in maple syrup ranking.

But could there be too much of a good thing? Jacobson and Morrison both assured me that producers won’t have any trouble selling their syrup.

“In Minnesota, most syrup producers sell out of everything they make, which is about 20-30,000 gallons annually,” said Jacobson.

Morrison echoed that sentiment, saying, “We’re pretty sure that we’ll be able to sell it all.”

Grade A, light amber syrup is sometimes called “fancy” syrup, and it’s highly sought after by in-the-know syrup fans. Available at local co-ops, farmers' markets, and specialty shops around the state, look for a bottle of maple syrup made in Minnesota, and top your flapjacks with some record-breaking syrup this summer!

Cross posted from: Record-Breaking Year Brings Sweet Smiles for MN Syrup Producers - Twin Cities Taste - June 2013 - Minnesota

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

MN Breakfast on the Farm Events for 2013

With Dairy Month, county fairs, and budding farm fields all around the corner, several Minnesota farms are preparing for their county’s annual “Breakfast on the Farm” event.

Breakfast on the Farm events feature select farms, menus chock full of hearty local breakfast fare, activities, and more. Because each individual county organizes their respective breakfast event, the date, location, price, and other details vary by county.

Here's a quick breakdown of what's coming, and where:

Clay County Breakfast on the Farm
Saturday, June 1, 2013, 7 a.m.-Noon
Western MN Steam Threshers Grounds, Rollag, Minn.
Groetsch Dairy, Albany, Minn.
Greg and Sue Harguth Farm, 31723 State Hwy 13, Waseca, Minn.
Goldview Farms, Waverly, Minn.
Jim and Connie Sathre Farm, Adams, Minn.
Dan and Rosie Middendorf Farm, Verndale, Minn.
Ed and Sherri Twohey Farm, Stewartville, Minn.
4-H Food Stand, Cass County Fairgrounds, Pine River, Minn.
Autumnwood Farm, Forest Lake, Minn.
Beltrami County Fairgrounds, Bemidji, Minn.
DuWayne and Laura Holm Farm, Shevlin, Minn.
Perry Meyer and Jason Enter Farm, New Ulm, Minn.
Rice County Fairgrounds, Faribault, Minn.

Cost: Free
Menu: Scrambled eggs, pancakes, strawberries, breakfast sausage, coffee, milk, and ice cream
Activities: Kids pedal tractor pull, farm commodity booths, farm animal zoo, spring planting, barrel train rides, horse drawn wagon rides, tractor wagon rides, merry-go-round, and entertainment

Stearns County Breakfast on the Farm
Saturday, June 1, 2013, 8 a.m.-1 p.m.
Cost: Adults $5, children 5 and under free
Menu: Pancakes, eggs, sausage, milk, and coffee
Activities: Farm tours, children’s barnyard, Princess Kay of the Milky Way, Vikings cheerleaders, live radio broadcasts, educational booths, and ice cream cones

Waseca County “Breakfast” on the Farm
Thursday, June 6, 2013, 4-8 p.m.
Cost: Free
Menu: Hamburgers and pork burgers
Activities: Magician, DJ Grain Simmons, kids activities, farm tours, and information booths

Wright County Breakfast on the Farm
Saturday, June 15, 2013, 7 a.m.-1 p.m.
Cost: Adults $3, children 5 and under free
Menu: Chris Cakes pancakes, sausage, milk, and coffee
Activities: Farm tour, cheese and ice cream samples, wagon rides, educational agriculture booths, petting zoo

Mower County Breakfast on the Farm
Saturday, June 22, 2013 7:30-11:30 a.m.
Cost: Adults $3, children 6 and under free
Menu: Chris Cakes pancakes, sausage, coffee, orange juice, and milk
Activities: Farm equipment on display, farm safety display, organization displays, horse wagon rides, and kiddie barnyard

Wadena County Breakfast on the Farm
Saturday, June 22, 2013 8am-Noon
Cost: Farmer’s share or free will offering
Menu: Pancakes, sausage, strawberries, ice cream, coffee and milk

Olmsted County Breakfast on the Farm
Saturday, June 29, 2013, 6:30-11:30 a.m.
Take the bus from the Olmsted County Fairgrounds. Bus ride is free providing at least one member of your party is wearing a $5 Rochesterfest Button.
Cost: Adults $6, children 5-12 $3, under 5 free
Menu: Chris Cakes pancakes, sausage, milk juice, cheese, and coffee
Activities: Horse-drawn wagon rides, free petting zoo, educational agricultural displays, and exhibits

Cass County Breakfast on the Farm
Saturday, June 29, 2013, 9-11 a.m.
Cost: Farmers share

Washington-Ramsey County Breakfast on the Farm
Saturday, June 29, 2013, 1-4 p.m.
Cost: Free
Menu: Lunch while supplies last
Activities: Farm tours, product samples, and farm animals

Beltrami County Breakfast on the Farm
Sunday, June 30, 2013, 8:30 a.m.-Noon
Cost: $5 suggested donation (100% of proceeds will go to agricultural youth programs via 4-H and FFA)
Menu: Pancakes, ice cream, strawberries, sausage, ham, coffee, and milk
Activities: Wagon rides, animal exhibits, and informational booth

Clearwater County Breakfast on the Farm
Saturday, July 6, 2013, 7-11 a.m.
Cost: Free
Menu: Pancakes, strawberries, whipped cream, sausage, coffee, and milk
Activities: Farm activities and agricultural educational sessions

Nicollet/Brown County Breakfast on the Farm
Saturday, July 13, 2013, 7-10:30 a.m.
Menu: Pancakes, eggs, sausage, milk, and coffee

Rice County Breakfast on the Farm
Wednesday, July 17, 2013, 7:30-9 a.m.
Cost: Free to first 175 people
Menu: Eggs, sausage, fruit, rolls, coffee, orange juice

The cost for some breakfasts is listed as “farmer’s share.” Pam Dahlman, public relations staff at the MN Farm Bureau, explained that this pricing strategy brings attention to how much a farmer or rancher earns per dollar spent on food. The price at those events will be adjusted according to the current market’s farmer’s share, or 16%.

“Currently, farmers and ranchers receive $.16 on average for every food dollar that consumers spend on food,” explained Dahlman. “It shows that there are a lot of different factors that go into the price of food.”

Check the MN Farm Bureau website for event updates and more information, including driving directions.

Cross-posted from Breakfast on the Farm - Twin Cities Taste - May 2013 - Minnesota

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