Garden Fuss

Spicy Italian Polish From Tollefson Family Pork - MPLS Farmers Market It's officially spring when the  Farmers Markets  start opening one by one. Each market around the city has their own distinctive personality. The treats, treasures, and specialties vary so widely that you have to visit more than just one to find your staple vendor(s). Minnesotans by and large are a hardy bunch. We have our own brand of crazy and creative. If there is something new to experience we will come out en  masse  rain or shine, sleet or snow with shovel in hand to support the arts, good food, community, and a plethora of causes.  I've gotten so caught up in trying to do it all that I have not left enough time in the day to update you all on the going- ons  around town. That is until now....  For starters, today the Midtown Farmers Market opened up and I have to say that the food trucks are a very welcome sight to my near-sighted eyes. Two of the v...

Slowly but surely I am getting caught up on all things green here at home and around town. Today I want to again promote and spread the word about the Local Food Resource Hubs , an initiative of Gardening Matters, the Minneapolis Health Department, Homegrown Minneapolis and many other neighborhood and gardening organizations throughout Minneapolis and St. Paul. Here’s how it works:   Hubs are organized by neighborhoods. You sign up as a member of your neighborhood (southside, northside, st.paul, etc.) and select a small, medium, or large garden package . There is a sliding scale for each size, and scholarships are available.  You get seeds and starter plants of your choice, free gardening classes and (starting this year) potential access to a tool lending library. Starting this year, it is also possible to purchase strawberry and raspberry plants at a steep discoun t. Seeds are purchased in bulk from Johnny’s Selected Seeds (non GMO!) and repackaged by...

2013 Tank Garden I have put off using this method for a few years because of the success I've had with winter sowing  my plants. Then around Christmas I started having conversations about the 2013 gardening season and what my plans were. The topic of onions came up and I quickly threw out the fact that I wasn't an authority on growing them successfully. In the past I have shared onion sets with my sister in-law and we just couldn't figure out why we only end up with tiny bulbs. However, after some research and further discussions with professionals [ie.. a Master Gardener and the U of Minnesota extension service] I found out that onions in a zone 4a can be grown from sets successfully and we should have pre-ordered because we were getting and planting them too late. Also, there may have been an issue of not providing enough high phosphorus fertilizer and something about side dressing with urea. So far this year the onions look great! I've started them indoors...

Already I am full on into my 2013 garden planning. I have sketches in no less than (3) notebooks and random scratch paper that I will undoubtedly lose just before I need them the most (Early to mid May). I'm trying to not repeat this cycle from years past but life has a way of taking over and gremlins have a way of moving my cherished plans before I can put them into action.... So besides my nutty professor gardening planning antics I have been watching the previously full freezer decline in all things summer veggie and fruit related. Including our stores of: raspberries, strawberries, collards, kale , Swiss chard , green tomatoes, tomato sauce, edamame, pesto, and so on and so forth. Besides surmising our vanishing nom noms, a fellow bloggers pondering kale post jump started me on a kale talk today. Inspired would be more accurate! There are few vegetables that both intimidate and give mental pause to so called adventurous eaters than greens. Everyone has an o...

My mother, brother, husband, children, best friend, and anyone else who spends a little time with me know full well how much I love yogurt, cheese, fermented foods and drinks. I try not to be pushy with it, but sometimes I just get so darn excited about a "new" (to me) find that I just want to pass on something good. Just so you know, today is one of those days! My daughter and I have had all out stomp down arguments because previous attempts at making the aforementioned yogurt failed big time. We bought the fancy "starters", we tried crock pots, pricey milks, and heating pads. We searched for the best yogurt machines which only led to more arguing resulting in creating a loose smelly mess.  I now know that the problem we had is a problem many others have; we over think things. Yogurt has been made and consumed for eons, or at least as far back as 2000 BCE [according to Wikipedia]. Yogurt or Yoghurt is a Turkish word meaning " curdled or coagulated; to thi...

The T.V. networks have been running this Ashley furniture ad lately where one neighbor starts questioning the other about whether or not his family has won the lottery , gotten a raise , or an inheritance because a delivery truck is parked in front of their house full of new furniture. Of course around the holidays they would start airing these types of commercials to inspire self conscious hosts to "jazz" up their space with something new and improved. Anyone with a busy home life can attest to the wear and tear every day living has on their space. Having lived several years in our active home with both children and pets has surely taken a toll on the furniture. I would love to win the lottery, a home makeover from the DIY network, or a mega gift from Ellen to spruce up our abode. However, I just don't see any of those things in the cards we hold at this time. The poor economy hasn't helped to improve my attitude about buying new anytime soon either. ...

The new year has just begun and I am meeting new people and participating in projects that a year or two ago hadn’t even crossed my mind. Who could have known that chronicling my gardening, DIY, and Foodie exploits could put me in touch with so many great people? Well, I am especially excited today to touch on some of the activities within the city of Minneapolis this year that have to do with access to good nutritious food, engaging residents in conversations about urban agriculture, and improving the health and resiliency of our entire community. Whether it be through the Gardening Matters’   “Local Food Resource Hubs”, a citywide initiative like Homegrown Minneapolis, or the Chard your Yard initiative that Transition Longfellow is kicking off this year; Minneapolis residents have an opportunity to fellowship with their neighbors and friends in embracing a healthier and maybe even a sustainable way of living with each other. The 1 st Saturday of this month I was...