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Maker ServicesMeet the MN Makers2023-01-24T07:23:38-06:00

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Meet the Minnesota Makers

@meettheminnesotamakers

What do @nikkolettesmacarons , @num.nuts, @seven.s

I call this recipe lucky because there are never a

I call this recipe lucky because there are never any leftovers. 😃 My whole family, especially my kiddos, love the combo of tang with a hint of sweet.

For more adventurous palates, add a sprinkle of red pepper flakes to the dressing. I sometimes add a splash of sesame oil and give it one last toss before serving.

To give the flavors time to meld, this combo benefits from 30 minutes to an hour of resting time in the fridge. When making this as a part of dinner, I prep the salad first and let it sit while we get everything else together.

Lucky Cucumber Salad

2 ½ Tbsp rice vinegar or champagne vinegar

2 tsp sugar

1 Tbsp soy sauce

2 cucumbers, peeled and sliced (remove seeds if you like–I only do this if they’re tough, which I haven’t run into this season with our Featherstone cucumbers)

Sesame seeds and cilantro or mint leaves for garnish

Mix the vinegar, sugar, and soy sauce in a small bowl. Stir until the sugar dissolves.

Put the cucumbers in a mixing bowl. Pour the dressing over the cucumbers. Stir well to combine. Place the bowl in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes before serving.

Sprinkle with sesame seeds and fresh herbs of choice. Add a splash of sesame oil or a bit of red pepper flakes if desired.

Follow @featherstonefarmmn for the fresh organic produce and farm stories!

Follow @meettheminnesotamakers for more recipes and stories of using all the Minnesota made goodness!

Have you visited the Farm at the Arb at the Minnes

Have you visited the Farm at the Arb at the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum?

This beautiful backdrop is the home of the new Taste Maker classes—your chance to meet local makers and learn about their businesses.

Each class is a unique grouping of Minnesota Makers. From farmers to woodworkers, glass fusers to soup chefs, bakers to potters and strudel to chocolate—this is your chance to go behind the scenes and learn just how special these small businesses are.

Classes include live demos and a chance to ask questions of these talented individuals. There is also, of course, sampling of delicious local food and beverage.

Chef Beth Fisher @chefbethfisher #meetthemnmakers #mn #mnstoryteller #mnfood #mnmade #mnfarm #minnesota and Michelle Sharp co-host the classes. Chef Beth prepares a dish for class participants often from the ingredients raised, grown or produced by the makers in the class. Michelle shares a bit about the features of the @meettheminnesotamakers community. Everyone walks away learning something new!

Come experience a new way to support your local businesses. Learn something new. Taste something delicious. Spend some time at the arb (admission included in the price of the ticket).

Registration is now open for the September 28 class featuring @functionalheirlooms , @theblackradish_ _and @blackberryridgefarms at https://arb.umn.edu/learn/taste-makers-september-2024

Mark your calendar for the next class on Saturday, November 9—makers to be announced soon!

See you at the Arb!

Thank you to @umbrellacustomwoodworking , @caro_beans , and @kerryjcheesewiz who were the local maker experts for the sold out June class.

FRESH RECIPE! One-Pot Fresh Tomato Pasta This is

FRESH RECIPE!

One-Pot Fresh Tomato Pasta

This is one of those recipes that I make on repeat. It’s such a tasty and satisfying way to use fresh tomatoes. Tomatoes out of season? Use canned or frozen to get that fresh-from-the vine taste. This truly is a one-pot recipe and a fairly quick meal. Dress it up with sauteed veggies or serve with a side of meatballs.

Ingredients:

16 ounces pasta, if using spaghetti or fettuccine, break the noodles in half

Olive oil, three to four tablespoons–enough to cover the bottom of the pan

2 Tbsp. tomato paste

4-6 cups tomatoes, roughly chopped

Generous handful of fresh basil leaves, slivered

Salt

4 c. water

3/4c. Shredded parmesan cheese

Optional Toppings:

Fried Zucchini

Sliced Olives

Crushed Red Pepper Flakes

Garlic

Sauteed Mushrooms

Cooked Beans

Directions:

Put the olive oil in a deep skillet or a medium dutch oven. Add tomato paste, tomatoes, water, 1 tsp. salt, and basil to pot. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Cook until gently bubbling and tomatoes have started to break down.

Add pasta. Stir frequently to prevent sticking. Once pasta is cooked through, shut off the heat and stir in the parmesan cheese. Sauce will thicken as it stands.

Serve in bowls with desired toppings.

Swipe through the see the sauce take shape. Last picture is how we garnished our bowls this time!

What would you add to your bowl? Let us know in the comments.

Follow @featherstonefarmmn for the fresh organic produce and farm stories!

Follow @meettheminnesotamakers for more recipes and stories of using all the Minnesota made goodness!

NEW CLASS ANNOUNCEMENT! Next Taste Maker Class at

NEW CLASS ANNOUNCEMENT!

Next Taste Maker Class at the Farm at the Arb—Saturday, September 28 from 10-12:30.

Meet creative small business owners to learn about their work.

In this all-new class, you will:

*Taste a recipe from Chef Beth Fisher using grass-fed beef and local organic produce.

*Learn why Belted Galloway cattle thrive during Minnesota winters.

*Hear a farmer’s perspective on regenerative agriculture and what it means for water and soil health.

*Meet a nationally-renowned potter who makes earthenware pots that pay homage to her Mexican and Norwegian roots.

*Discover how artists create unique surfaces using terra stigillata and masking tape on ceramics.

*Sample fresh organic produce grown in the heart of Minneapolis. Discover the community-building motivation behind this hyperlocal urban CSA.

You’ll meet:

Erin Gervais— @blackberryridgefarms believes that what you eat matters. Blackberry Ridge raises Galloway cattle because of their winter hardiness and excellent meat quality. This family farm produces 100% grass-fed and finished beef in the bluffs outside Winona.

Wendy Eggerman—In her @functionalheirlooms workshop Wendy makes functional pottery to brighten your day and elevate the moment. Wendy’s work has been exhibited nationally. Her inspiration is found in the kitchen and enhanced by her love of antiques as well as her multicultural heritage.

Carrie Thompson and Jade Townsend of @theblackradish_ — an Artist-led Urban Market Garden and CSA in the heart of South Minneapolis. Carrie and Jade provide affordable, locally grown produce using sustainable and organic farming practices. They foster community through the weekly gathering of CSA pickup, their dedicated volunteers, and the local yards that nourish.
@chefbethfisher Known for her years of teaching at various cooking schools and creative culinary work at several popular Twin Cities restaurants, Beth now focuses on enhancing the Arboretum’s fast growing culinary offerings and kitchen classroom educational experiences.

Register at the Arb’s website https://arb.umn.edu/learn/taste-makers-september-2024

Let me introduce you to Kerri and her amazing anim

Let me introduce you to Kerri and her amazing animal friends at @eagleeyefarmwi

The Meet the Minnesota Makers team crossed the border into Wisconsin for a fun day trip.

A happy place tucked away in River Falls, WI, Eagle Eye Farm is home to an amazing variety of animals: Highland Cattle, porcupines, llamas, chickens, miniature goats, and talkative Kune Kune pigs.

The stars of the farm are the inquisitive and delightful alpaca, including TikTok sensation Oliver.

Prized for their fleece, these alpaca love visitors. They’re just as curious to see you as you are to see them. They’re hoping for treats and will follow you about.

The farm is open for visitors of all ages from preschool groups, team outings, and craft classes and camps for kids through adults.

Book a self-guided or a private tour to visit with the animals and feed an alpaca or two.

Try an alpaca or goat yoga class. Walk an alpaca, camp on the farm, or meet the porcupines.

Don’t miss @allthingssheared — the on site farm store stocked with scores of locally-sourced and made products.

Information about these events at https://eagleeyefarm.net

Kerri invited my family for a private tour of the farm. It’s hard to convey just how adorable the alpaca are. They are playful and curious. They are impossible to resist when then look at you with their giant droopy eyes and mops of fur on their heads. They are impossibly soft when you pet them. It was simply delightful to view these beautiful animals in person.

My kiddos loved meeting the different animals. They especially loved feeding the alpaca and be followed around by the curious animals.

My favorite part was watching Kerri’s clear connection with her animals. Kerri founded Eagle Eye Farm with her late partner. In the past year, Kerri has grown the farm, bringing in new ways to connect with the local community.

@eagleeyefarmwi is within an hour’s drive of most of the Twin Cities metro.

Have you been? What was your favorite? #meetthemnmakers #mn #knowyourfarmer #mnstoryteller #mndaytrip #riverfallswi #alpacafarm #agrotourism #familyouting #minnesota

Here’s answers to the questions you didn’t kno

Here’s answers to the questions you didn’t know you had about the Forever Green Initiative at the U of MN.

Who?

Founded in 2012 by the late Don Wyse and co-director Nick Jordan, this unique group in the College of Food, Agricultural and Natural Resource Sciences (CFANS) combines research with commercialization efforts. Forever Green develops new crops and sustainable agriculture in partnership with farmers and rural communities.

What?

A portfolio of over 15 crops including perennial wheat, oats, flax, and alfalfa, winter annuals like pennycress and winter durum, and native woody crops like hazelnuts and elderberry. Multidisciplinary teams work to develop these crops and launch the product from the test field into MN’s agricultural landscape.

These crops are locally-grown, beneficial for soil and water, and, in the case of the food crops like Kernza® perennial grain, quite delicious.

Adding perennial and winter-annual crops to established summer-annuals (primarily corn and soybeans), makes Minnesota’s agriculture healthier. It makes farms more productive through an extended growing season.

Where?

Working with MN farmers, Forever Green improves rural communities by creating new industries and employment opportunities.

This is a big deal. Minnesota has 55.6 million acres to contain our 10,000 lakes. 27 million, nearly half, are farmland.

How?

Partnerships with farmers, producers, AURI, @thelandinstitute in Kansas and environmental groups like @friendsmissriv add to the productivity of Minnesota’s agriculture.

Key to the success of these programs is partnering with makers to develop products that feature these amazing ingredients. There needs to be a market to close the loop.

We have an innovation ecosystem in the upper Midwest developing new opportunities in agriculture. It’s like the farming equivalent of Silicon Valley.

Why?

To make the sustainable crops profitable for farmers across Minnesota.

To make it possible for our farmers to be able to run a profitable business.

Ready to dig deeper?

Full feature at meettheminnesotamakers.com

Learn about Forever Green at evergreen.umn.edu. Follow them on YouTube too!

Easy Versatile Kernza® Scones This tasty recipe

Easy Versatile Kernza® Scones

This tasty recipe is courtesy of Christopher Abbott of The Perennial Pantry. Christopher and his team have worked with Kernza to develop accessible recipes to delight curious home cooks. Visit perennialpantry.com to order Kernza flour, Kernza whole grain (swipe to see!), and other sustainable pantry items.

Read the last post or visit meettheminnesotamakers.com for the full feature about Perennial Pantry, based in Burnsville and Northfield, MN.

Ingredients
1 Cup Kernza Flour
1 Cup Whole Wheat Flour. Can also substitute 1 Cup of all purpose, cake/pastry, and whole wheat pastry flour here.
2 tbsp Demerara Sugar, plus more to sprinkle on top. You can also substitute raw cane sugar.
3 1⁄4 tsp Baking Powder
1 tsp Kosher Salt
1 1⁄2 Cups Cold heavy cream, plus more to brush on top.
Heat the oven to 400°F. Line a half sheet pan with parchment or a silicone mat.

Combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. Stir with a spoon to combine. Add half the cream, stir a few times, then add the rest of the cream, and stir until a mostly-cohesive dough forms. Finish bringing together by hand —until there are no more noticeable dry spots, but don’t overwork!—then transfer to a lightly floured work surface. Use your hands to pat the dough into a circle that’s 6 inches wide and 1 inch high. Cut into 6 triangles. Brush the tops with plenty of cream, then sprinkle with demerara sugar (they should be completely covered).

Transfer the scones to the lined baking sheet, spacing them out evenly. Bake for about 20 minutes—rotating the tray halfway through until well-risen, with browned bottoms and a golden- brown crust.

*A few notes here: Before brushing/sprinkling the cream and sugar, we transferred the scones to a baking sheet and put the sheet in the freezer for ten minutes. This really helped the scones hold their shape during the baking process. We then added the cream and sugar toppings immediately before baking.

“Bringing an entirely new crop out into the worl

“Bringing an entirely new crop out into the world while making it something that people can easily become familiar with and start to use is fundamentally a very hopeful act,” observed Christopher Abbott. “I think what kept me coming back to Kernza and going through the adversity of figuring out how to make Kernza work is that it’s fundamentally an optimistic kind of win-win-win story that pulls people from different walks of life together. It’s a story about agriculture that also includes foodies, environmentalists, and curious cooks.”

Located in the south Twin Cities metro, Perennial Pantry sells Kernza® perennial grain flour, grains, pasta, and pancake mix on its website, with dozens of products available through a monthly CSA. Launched by a crowdfunding campaign in 2020, this Minnesota small business has a big vision to change the way the world grows most of its food. It challenges us as consumers to think differently about what we keep in our cupboards and cook in our kitchens. (Swipe through for crave worthy crackers!)

Perennial Pantry develops recipes for ready-to-eat foods that include Kernza and other perennial crops to provide consumers direct access to regenerative agricultural products. The end result is a celebration of taste – both of familiar products and items that may be new to the curious cook.

Talking with Christopher, it’s hard not to get excited about Kernza and other perennial crops taking root in US fields. Supplying Kernza grain and products direct to consumers allows Perennial Pantry to serve as a bridge to bring it and other climate-positive food products to a wider audience.

CSA subscriptions currently available at perennial-pantry.com

Sign up for the Perennial Pantry newsletter for 15% off your first order.

Follow @perennialpantry and follow @meettheminnesotamakers for more MN small business owners.

This feature is sponsored by the Forever Green Initiative at the University of Minnesota. Perennial Pantry is one of several innovators in sustainability that Meet the Minnesota Makers and Forever Green celebrate in this maker series.

More about Christopher’s hopes for Kernza in the full feature at meettheminnesotamakers.com

“I would say business ownership is one of the ha

“I would say business ownership is one of the hardest things I’ve done outside of having kids,” says Christine “Montana” Rasmussen, owner of River Rock Kitchen & Baking Co in St Peter. “I see where I get to have an impact in the community with my bakery business by buying directly from local producers as well as the impact of those who purchase from me.”

Fostering these local connections introduced Montana to Kernza® perennial grain. Belle Plaine’s Ben Penner Farms provided Montana with some samples of the Kernza he had planted. “I got really excited about Kernza. It’s local. My friend is growing it. It’s sustainable. Why don’t more people know about this?”

Montana applied for a grant from the MN Dpt of Ag to underwrite the research needed to incorporate Kernza across the bakery’s menu. “I felt like this lightbulb went off. Incorporating Kernza in the majority of our menu items will have the biggest impact. It will educate our customers about this perennial grain, bring in its subtle nutty taste, and allow our bakery to use as much of the flour from our local growers as possible.”

Montana highlighted another way in which her bakery has a local impact on sustainability. As a high schooler, Montana always wanted to work in a bakery. Unable to find a job in the crowded Missoula food scene, she always includes high school students among her staff members. “I want them to see how their work has an impact on the greater community. I like having a hand in teaching the younger generation.”

Visit www.riverrockbakery.com for catering, menu offerings, and a list of local partners.

Follow @riverrockbakeryco to see what local ingredients are in today’s goodies.

Follow @meettheminnesotamakers to discover the small business owners leading Minnesota on a more sustainable path forward.

This feature is sponsored by the Forever Green Initiative at the University of Minnesota. River River Rock Kitchen & Baking Co is one of several innovators in sustainability that Meet the Minnesota Makers and Forever Green celebrate in this maker series.

Full feature of Montana’s journey to business ownership at meettheminnesotamakers.com

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