Blog

Farmers Market Fix: 10 must-grab picks from Mill City's next indoor market

Posted in on Thu, 03/13/2014 - 4:43pm by Kate Heilmann -

Although we seem to be on the other side of the Polar Vortex, all those mini-mountains along the sidewalks remind us that summer vegetables are still months away. Thankfully, winter farmers markets continue to give us a taste of those salad days. With the Mill City Farmers Market about to hold their next indoor market, we asked marketing manager Kate Heilmann to give us her list of 10 not-to-be-missed items.

Eat Local, Fund Local: Four tasty Kickstarter campaigns bring more flavor to the Cities

Posted in Out & About on Tue, 03/11/2014 - 5:21am by Elizabeth Millard -

Kickstarter has been a boon to an array of creative businesses, from small arts organizations to dance troupes to filmmakers — recently, it expanded to include more categories, such as food businesses and farming enterprises, and the result is delicious.

Started in 2009, the site is a crowdfunding platform where funders pledge to support a specific project within a certain timeframe. The fledgling enterprises set the dollar goal, and if pledges meet that amount by the deadline, they get the funds. If not, the venture goes unfunded.

Stubborn as an Ox: South Minneapolis coffee shop refuses to let long winter shutter its doors

Posted in Out & About on Fri, 03/07/2014 - 7:00am by Christina Vanov... -

Whether you’re ticking off the days that we’ve been below zero (53 at last check) or griping about the endless battle with snow and ice removal, it seems you can’t escape a conversation in Minnesota without at least broaching the subject of this long winter.

It’s hard to argue that it has hit some harder than others, and that includes local small business owner, Melanie Logan, who runs the vibrant South Minneapolis coffeehouse Blue Ox Coffee Company at 3740 Chicago Ave. S., Minneapolis. Logan recently made the hard decision to turn to social media and ask her customers and supporters for a little extra help while winter still has us in its polar vortex headlock. She sat down with Simple, Good and Tasty to talk about the overwhelming response to her request and her hopes for the shop’s future.

Hunting for Dinner: Consider the Beaver

Posted in on Mon, 03/03/2014 - 1:29pm by Jamie Carlson -

First, an editorial note: it's a little impossible to write about beaver without sounding... euphemistic. So, we acknowledge the great reserve shown by Jamie Carlson, which must have been challenging. Rock on, Jamie!

Five Surprising Places to Eat Local

Posted in Out & About on Fri, 02/28/2014 - 7:00am by Christina Vanov... -

Knowing which field a pig frolicked in before being turned into your lardon used to be the stuff of fancypants restaurants and Portlandia sketches.

But eating food grown or raised within a small radius of where one is currently standing is becoming more common in the Twin Cities, as the people who help feed us realize it can be good not just for health and planet, but also for the bottom line.

It’s easier for consumers to choose local, not only when grocery shopping or making a dinner reservation, but in all of the places they might want to grab a bite. Here are five surprising places to eat local in Minneapolis and St. Paul.

At work

Lifting Winter Blues: 7 Natural Strategies

Posted in Health on Thu, 02/20/2014 - 4:37pm by Jesse Haas -

It's winter. And in the Midwest, it's been kinda rough, with 42 days of below-zero temperatures and plenty of snow. If weathering the cold and gray is making you glum, here are seven ideas for boosting your mood and your energy so the next couple months don't feel so heavy.

Fortify yourself with vitamin D-3, the "sunshine vitamin." Low blood levels of vitamin D are linked to depression, as well as obesity, diabetes, heart disease, autoimmune disease, osteoporosis, and cancer. This fat-soluble vitamin is the only vitamin that can be generated by the body in a super cool chain-reaction that is catalyzed when our skin is exposed to sunlight, specifically UV-B rays.

More Than a Box o' Vegetables: Tips on Choosing a CSA

Posted in Farms & Gardens on Thu, 02/20/2014 - 3:26pm by Elizabeth Millard -

Well-known farmer and author Joel Salatin once said, "Don't you find it odd that people put more work into choosing a mechanic or contractor than into choosing the person who grows their food?"

Let's change that.

There are many ways to create connections with local farmers, from shopping at co-ops to frequenting farmers markets that feature locally grown produce. But to really get to know the people who grow your food from seed to harvest, consider a community supported agriculture (CSA) share. (For a quick primer on CSAs, zip over to this article for a CSA 101 description.)

Tradition, Memory, and Cinnamon: Making My Grandmother's Beef Soup

Posted in Recipes on Mon, 02/17/2014 - 3:35pm by Laurie Jesch-Kulseth -

I grew up on a small dairy farm in western North Dakota, and I still get terribly homesick from time to time. Even though I've spent more of my life away from there, it still has my heart. It's still my home. One of the hardest parts of growing older is wanting those comforts of the past, but coming to terms with the fact that they'll never again be as you remember them. It's the pull of nostalgia, I suppose, to miss being that carefree kid running around the farm and seeing childhood friends, to miss regularly seeing my aunts, uncles, and cousins. To miss talking with my grandparents, who have all passed away.