Family & Home

Did This Muskrat Eat My Potatoes?

muskrat My daughter sure thinks so, but I dunno. We've got loads of rabbits in our yard, along with chipmunks, squirrels, and gophers. I'm pretty sure I've never seen a muskrat anywhere near my yard. But I do know this: yesterday morning I was raving to friends and co-workers about the state of our garden - the radishes, chives, leeks, snow peas, and potatoes were looking great - and when I got home, there was a big hole where the potato used to be. Mr. Muskrat, I have your number!

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Did This Muskrat Eat My Potatoes?

muskrat My daughter sure thinks so, but I dunno. We've got loads of rabbits in our yard, along with chipmunks, squirrels, and gophers. I'm pretty sure I've never seen a muskrat anywhere near my yard. But I do know this: yesterday morning I was raving to friends and co-workers about the state of our garden - the radishes, chives, leeks, snow peas, and potatoes were looking great - and when I got home, there was a big hole where the potato used to be. Mr. Muskrat, I have your number!

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The Local Easter Meal

Ah, Spring is in the air! For my family, that means loads of birthday celebrations, along with Easter, Passover, and May Day. We celebrate whenever we can. Easter Sunday is an easy one to do with local, sustainable, and organic foods, especially if you live in Minnesota, land of the pig and root vegetable. The folks at TheKitchn.com have provided a terrific list of places to find sustainable ham (heritage breeds), just in time for Easter.

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The Sustainable Passover Seder

I had a blast at my good friends' Passover Seder last night. Awesome people, an exciting story ("Let my people go!" Moses demands each year), and terrific food. My wife and I made the matzo ball soup again this year, this time a more local, organic version - free range chickens, organic chicken broth, home-made matzo balls (with locally raised cage-free eggs, all from The Wedge Co-op) - and even the kids asked for more.

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Star Tribune Features Common Roots and Whittier Public School

There was a short article in the Star Tribune last week about Common Roots Cafe (whose terrific local, sustainable food I featured last week) and the support they give Whittier schools in Minneapolis. Here's a quote:

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Backyard Farming: More Local Than a CSA

A Backyard Farm is a local Twin Cities business whose goal is to help people in Minneapolis and St. Paul grow farms in their yards. The website offers a host of services, ranging from consulting homeowners on what to plant (and where to plant it, how to care for it, etc.) to the most full service option, which includes not only planting and growing organic vegetables, but even picking them and delivering them from your backyard farm to your front door.

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Wanna Buy a Side of Beef?

cow1 Buying a side of beef is a great way to get great quality, locally grown food at a reasonable price. But is it practical for you? A whole lot of blogs and other sites can help. I've tried to pull a few of them together.

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