October 2011

Honey Candy Apples

As another Halloween rolls around and I am faced with the specter of a 5 year old crazy with sugar and the excitement that comes from anticipated treasure, I am again reminded of my own early childhood. I feel like I was just coming into my trick or treat years when suddenly parents became aware of the "dangers" of strangers giving their children treats. 

 

Homemade cookies, candy coated pretzels and snack mixes started disappearing and I was left with nothing but a popcorn ball which my parents questioned the validity of. I'm sure, as a kid, I must have thought these treats a bit of a rip off anyway. My goal was to be able to recreate the candy section at the local store in my bedroom. Nonetheless, I try and ignore that fact in order to let a more ideal nostalgia creep in. Plus, I would much rather bake a batch of cookies than have to go and buy sacks of candy to hand out. 

 

Read more »

Oils and Fats: An Overview Without Fear

Photo shows from left to right: Olive, Coconut, Toasted Sesame and Butter.

Look, its time we got over our fear of fats and started accepting them for the healthy, necessary part of our diets that they are. They are as necessary as any other element of food in order to have a nutritious, balanced diet. As a chef, I am able to see the value and deliciousness in all fats. As a realist, I understand that too much of anything can hurt you and that of course, there are some things it would be best not to form a habit around. See, I can appreciate a piece of baguette dipped in extra virgin olive oil AND a glazed donut fried and dripping in who knows what blend of hydrogenated and processed oils.

 

Read more »

Farm in the Cities

Every now and then an event comes along that sets new standards -- for charity, for food, for collaboration. This Sunday at Solera in downtown Minneapolis has all of the makings for exactly that. Coming together for one special night to benefit Second Harvest Heartland are 16 chefs and 6 farms. Check out the press release below for the who, what, where and when!

 

Farm in the Cities 2011 is a fundraising event for Second Harvest Heartland to spotlight local farmers’ foods and the restaurants that serve them.  This event is presented by Six Rivers Cooperative and the participating restaurants on Sunday, October 30th at Solera Cocina de Espana in Minneapolis.

Read more »

On Becoming a Farmer

Be careful what you wish for. Sometimes that’s the prime thought in my mind, especially when I’m staring at a bushel basket of carrots and the prospect of a day of canning ahead of me when I’d much rather be doing ANYTHING else. Well, this is what I wished for and dreamed about for years, and for the most part, I am not sorry I made the decision to move from the suburbs to the country.

 

Read more »

October SGT Book Club This Week!

The Simple, Good and Tasty book club meetings are fast approaching and I expect an interesting and lively discussion this week. Why you ask? It seems that school lunch and what we are feeding our kids was always somewhere in the food discussion this summer and on into Fall. Governor Dayton declared September farm-to-school month and don't forget, the chocolate milk debates that were raging at the beginning of the summer.

 

Read more »

Top Five Lessons in Making Apple Cider

The best part about making apple cider is that it is so easy and fun to make. Granted, there is some equipment that is required such as an apple grinder, press, and a vat to hold all of the cider. But the basic process is simple: get a group of friends together, spend a beautiful autumn day picking apples, turn on the tunes while sorting and thoroughly washing the apples, grind them into mush, let the press squeeze out all the juice, give the apple pulp to the neighbors for their dairy cows, then drink the fresh squeezed cider to your hearts delight.

 

Read more »

Changing the Country One Student At a Time

"When schools become a model of what would be a healthy meal, then we are going to improve overall children's health." --Lynn Mader.

The other day I chatted with Lynn Mader, an IATP (Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy) staff member who works on the Farm to School program in Minnesota. We talked about the successes and challenges of the program and how it is working to bring positive change to our community, to our state and to our country.

Read more »

Happy Trails: Biking and Eating in Minneapolis

A beautiful day on Nicollet Mall

By the time you read this, our two-week run of glorious Indian summer will have passed. While it was here, I acted like a true Minnesotan (I'm a transplant), and got outside while the getting was good. I'm a newbie to bicycling, and my younger son just started kindergarten, so I grabbed the opportunity to take longer rides and try some new things. The long stretch of good weather is probably gone for a while, but many of the lessons I learned and places I visited can be appreciated year round.

Read more »

Autumn and Introductions: A New Voice For SGT

Weaning time is an autumn tradition around my family’s farm. It’s as synonymous with fall as Football Saturdays and pumpkin patches. Recently, we separated our 2011 calf crop from their mommas. Everything went smooth for the most part. Of course, the calves took it harder than the momma cows but after a day and a half of full-out bawling and whining, peace stepped in and normalcy was restored. As a rancher, I love getting in the new calf crop and evaluating them. 

 

The weather this fall has been a huge blessing. Weaning time naturally is very stressful for the calves. They’ve depended on their mothers all summer – it’s all they’ve known – and now it’s time for them to depend on themselves. It’s time for them to enter the next season in their lives. The sunshine and heat has made this year’s process much more palatable. 

 

Read more »

Roasted Tomato Soup for a Fall Supper

If you’re wondering why I would be talking tomatoes in October, you can rest easy. I’m not talking just any tomatoes. I’m talking ugly ass tomatoes. And I mean that in a nice way. Ugly ass tomatoes are like rainy days. Bear with me – this is a super tortured simile. You know how when it’s sunny, you feel guilty if you’re not outside? After a while, a rainy day comes as a relief because you don’t have to feel bad about poking around inside the house, right? Well, in August, when the tomatoes are gorgeous and bursting with life and flavor, you probably feel guilty eating them any way but raw. Turning a beautiful August tomato into sauce seems wrong somehow. But right now, giant buckets of ugly ass tomatoes are being sold for a song at the farmers markets. You don’t have to feel guilty about roasting them, simmering them, or cooking them into sweet caramelized submission because they are cheap, plentiful and so very ugly ass. And, like a rainy day, what a relief!

Read more »