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Meet the Minnesota Makers

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Here’s a weeknight friendly supper that’s easy Here’s a weeknight friendly supper that’s easy to adapt with what’s in your fridge (or fresh from your CSA box)! Napa Cabbage Saute This is one of those recipes that is delightfully flexible. Have winter squash on hand? Peel, chop it and use that. Still have zucchini in your veggie drawer? Slice it up and add it in. Prefer bacon to sausage? Crisp it up and add it in along with your cabbage. The colors are pretty and the cabbage holds a bit of crunch to give you a variety of textures. If there’s any leftovers, this reheats perfectly for a quick lunch (that feels a little virtuous too). This is weeknight friendly too, especially if you are able to prechop the veggies. Serve with cooked orzo, couscous, quinoa, rice or a grain like Kernza or barley for a full meal. Ingredients: 1 medium onion, cut in wedges to make slivers 1 large pepper chopped (can use a mix of hot and mild peppers too) 10-16 ounces smoked sausage, cut into slices (I used chicken apple) 2-3 cups chopped squash, summer or winter both work 3 tsp. fresh thyme (2 tsp if dried) ½ of a savoy cabbage, cut lengthwise and then chopped into bite size pieces 2 Tbsp cider vinegar Olive oil for sauteing Salt and pepper to taste Directions: Warm olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onions and peppers. Cook 2-3 minutes. Add squash, sausage, and thyme to the skillet. Cook, stirring frequently, until the squash softens and the cut edges of the sausage start to brown. Should take about 10 minutes for summer squash, 15 for winter squash. Fold in cabbage to the mixture. Stir until tender, about 7 more minutes. Turn off heat once tender. Stir in cider vinegar. Add salt and pepper to taste. My kiddos like drizzling a little @thesaladgirl dude ranch dressing on top too. Would you make this? What @featherstonefarmmn produce should we feature next week?
⚫️What is Meet the Minnesota Makers? 🟢This ⚫️What is Meet the Minnesota Makers? 🟢This account is all about building community support around our small businesses. I love learning their stories and sharing them with you! 🟢In this space we talk all about local food, farms, artists, and artisans. 🟢We work together to make it easier for everyone to shop locally. We also connect small business owners with each other. ⚫️How? 🟢Maker features about the local businesses you love. 🟢Cooking in season with ingredients sourced from Minnesota’s farmers and food producers. 🟢Sharing travel adventures with my family throughout our land of 10,000 lakes. 🟢Working with small business owners to share their own stories with confidence through MTMM consulting for websites, social media, and customer connections. 🟢Holiday gift guide featuring dozens of local makers for unique gifts. 🔵🟠Visit meettheminnesotamakers.com to sign up for my newsletter and search the directory of maker features about local farmers, food producers, artists, artisans, and authors. 🟠🔵 🔵🟠Use the contact form to send me your suggestions as well.🟠🔵 💕Thanks for being here! Glad to have you as a part of our community. Share with a friend to spread the MN love. 💞 #mn #minnfluencer #minnesota #mnsmallbusiness #mnmaker #mnmakers #mnlove #womanowned #mnfood #mnfoodie #mnsmallbiz #mnsmallbusiness
30 looks good on @featherstonefarmmm. It was so 30 looks good on @featherstonefarmmm. It was so cool to attend founding farmer Jack’s retirement party along with this celebration of 30 years of organic farming. My whole family made the trek to Rushford to see where our food comes from. Partygoers braved rain, mud, flies, and, in some cases, a lengthy drive to celebrate this fabulous farm. After a mid-afternoon shower that forced us under the tents and into the farm’s buildings, we enjoyed a gorgeous late afternoon and evening filled with vibrant music, delicious food (thank you @latitude44mn!), and some fantastic mud stomping (the kids thought it was great). When not exploring mud puddles, kids made bug masks, slurped apple cider (thank you @hoch_orchard), and used vegetable stamps to make their masterpieces. Abby saved the first hayride from being stuck in the mud forever when we toured the central fields! Past farm crew members came back to visit and celebrate thirty years of building this community centered on feeding people organic, locally-grown produce. I loved having the chance to talk with other shareholders about what they love about Featherstone. (Turns out I’m not the only superfan out there!) Everyone had the chance to see behind-the-scenes where the farm packs boxes, stores fall crops, dries the onions, and squeezes in late season tomatoes. I learned even more about their history and vision for the future. It was really compelling to follow the self-guided tours and learn about their wins and losses over the past 30 years. I look forward to my next visit to this beautiful corner of southeastern Minnesota. It’s still possible for you to join this community for the winter season! Comment CSA and I’ll send you a link with info and a discount code. Maybe you’ll be the next Featherstone superfan… #meetthemnmakers #mnfarmer #featherstonefarmmn #csafarm #csaproduce #mn #mngrown #mnfood #mnfoodie
“I feel like my pots aren’t really finished un “I feel like my pots aren’t really finished until somebody uses them,” shares Wendy Eggerman of St Paul’s Functional Heirlooms. Swipe through to see a few stunning pieces! Ceramics are both beautiful objects and a domestic necessity used in intimate ways. “I love the function of the pieces I create. You are able to eat out of them; you put your mouth to them,” muses Wendy. “How many forms of art do you put your mouth to? How many forms of art do you interact with on that level?” For Wendy, being someone who also loves to eat and to cook, working with ceramics just made sense. Plus, as she explained, she loves being able to play in the mud. The design of her pieces unites her multicultural background. The basic forms, heavy on straight lines and solid function, is a nod to her Norwegian side and the clean lines of Scandinavian design. The earthenware clay that she always uses recognizes her Mexican heritage and the barro de canelo pottery, also known as cinnamon clay, in her childhood home. Whether a coffee mug or a salt cellar, a candlestick holder or a bowl, Wendy’s pieces are built to be used. “Sometimes they do chip, sometimes they do scratch, sometimes they do get a little stained. I think that makes them so much more alive.” “I put a lot of myself into my pots. I am a little bit chaotic and scattered and always learning something new,” observes Wendy. “I bring my Scandinavian practicality and my Mexican warmth into the function of each piece. The chaos informs the function. If my pieces aren’t being used in some way, shape or form, then I’m not doing my job.” Pottery available at local galleries including @gallery360mpls and @silverwoodpark in St. Anthony. Full listing of galleries at functionalheirlooms.com. Find Wendy in person at the @northernclaycenter on Nov 17 and the ASI Julmarknad Handcraft Fair in December. Follow @functionalheirlooms to see what’s fresh from the kiln. Visit functionalheirlooms.com for more of Wendy’s inspiration. Join Functional Heirlooms Sep 28 at the Farm at the Arb. Wendy is one of three MN Makers sharing her story at this unique class celebrating local goodness. Full feature at meettheminnesotamakers.com
Tomato Squash Pasta This recipe is built for earl Tomato Squash Pasta This recipe is built for early fall when the tomatoes are still coming in (or maybe you have some slightly wrinkly ones to use up) and the first winter squash have arrived. I used a butternut for this version, but buttercup, acorn, and kabocha are all tasty options. If you find yourself with any leftover sauce, break off some chunky bread to enjoy every last bit! Tomato Squash Pasta Olive Oil 1 Onion, chopped 2-3 Tbsp dried sage, crumbled 4 cups chopped tomatoes 4-5 cups winter squash, peeled and chopped 1 pound cut pasta, like penne, cascatelli, or ziti To serve: Shredded Parmesan Fresh Ricotta Cheese Red Pepper Flakes Fresh Parsley Set a pot of water to boil for pasta. Cook and drain the pasta while working on your sauce. Warm a large skillet over medium heat. Add olive oil (2-3 Tbsp). Add onion (and garlic if desired) and cook for a couple of minutes. Add chopped tomatoes and squash. Cook until the squash is tender (test with a fork but it should be around 15 minutes). Combine sauce and pasta. Serve with a dollop of ricotta (as pictured), sprinkle with parmesan, fresh herbs, and red pepper flakes. Hurray for squash season! Save this for easy reference and share with your squash-loving friends! #mnfood #mnfoodie #feattherstonefarm #csarecipe #mnfarm #squashrecipe #pastarecipe #whatsfordinner #meetthemnmakeres #mneats
“My biggest surprise in running Blackberry Ridge “My biggest surprise in running Blackberry Ridge Farms is how much failure is involved in farming. Nearly every day we say, ‘Okay, that didn’t work, what will we do next?,’” shares Erin Gervais. “We are constantly pivoting and innovating. It’s so humbling and at the same time incredibly rewarding. Success is far sweeter after some failure.” In 2015 Erin Gervais and her dad Will founded Blackberry Ridge in the bluffs outside Winona with 40 heads of Galloway cattle. Will was retiring from his business career and Erin was preparing for the birth of her second child. This proved to be a great moment for starting a new venture. Their 600 acres of bluff land make for an ideal rotating pasture for their now nearly 250 cows. Grass fed beef tastes different from corn-fed conventional cattle. It’s a leaner meat with a flavor that reflects the rich grasses of the animals’ diet. “I was nervous when we butchered our first animals. What if it’s great for the land, but we don’t like it?” reflects Erin. “It turned out that I love it. I actually prefer it.” Thanks to regenerative agricultural practices, they bring life back to land that had been stripped of its top soil. “We feel like we have a really good product and we’ve gotten so much better. The quality of the grass affects the quality of the animals.” Erin’s middle son, the one she was expecting when they bought those first heads of cattle, has especially thrived with life on the farm. At age nine he recently told Erin that he likes playing on his soccer team well enough, but he likes farming better. The relationships with their customers is a steady joy. Both through @themeaterymn for national shipping and Blackberry Ridge’s own website for local delivery, Erin connects with customers about their own stories of why they choose locally-raised, grass-fed beef for their tables. Join Blackberry Ridge Farms Sep 28 at the Farm at the Arb. Blackberry Ridge is one of three MN Makers sharing their story and samples (exquisitely prepared by @chefbethfisher !) Visit https://www.blackberryridgefarms.com/. Follow along at @blackberryridgefarms Full feature at meettheminnesotamakers.com
Lot by lot The Black Radish flips the narrative on Lot by lot The Black Radish flips the narrative on how subdivided small spaces function. Urban lots don’t need to be spaces of consumption alone.   In addition to raising organic vegetables, plucky chickens and their own two free-range kids, Carrie and Jade build community. Since founding their urban farm in 2018, they now distribute a 12-14 weekly share of organically-grown produce. “We’re amazed at how growing food in our urban area has brought so many people together,” said Carrie.  “We wanted to do something that would bring our community together after years of working in the art world,” shared Jade. Living about a mile from George Floyd Square, Carrie and Jade sought to create a fruitful space for community healing. “The upheaval of the past few years really drove our mission to build something different, something for everyone to share,” said Jade.  “I think building community and valuing nourishing food should be more important to us as a society,” explained Jade. “It takes work to get people to see that. It takes work to have people not just see their home as a financial investment but rather as an investment into their community.” “We’re not going to replace large-scale agriculture. This is another option. It’s more sustainable than driving produce across the country. Hyperlocal produce tastes better. You’re eating it almost right off the vine. The food is good. It’s good for you,” shared Jade. “There’s something community building about knowing that you’re eating food that was grown in your neighborhood. That’s pretty powerful.” Join @theblackradish_ at the @mn_arb this Saturday, September 28. The Black Radish is one of three Minnesota Makers sharing their story and providing samples of organically-grown hyperlocal produce (exquisitely prepared by @chefbethfisher !) Swipe through for some recent farm adventures—including a hyperlocal vampire? Visit theblackradishmpls.com Follow @theblackradish_ to join Carrie, Jade and their kids on the Wednesday Rounds.  Class registration link: https://arb.umn.edu/learn/taste-makers-september-2024 📸 credit: Sarah Carroll of @togreenerpastures
This is an open love letter to my CSA. I’m a f This is an open love letter to my CSA. I’m a first year summer CSA member—long time winter fan. Here’s why. I wasn’t sure about committing to a CSA. A friend talked me into splitting a share with her. I had just moved to Minnesota and had a baby. I thought this was a terrible idea. That was 12 years ago. We’ve subscribed to @featherstonefarmmn winter CSA every winter since. After a few years of sharing a box, we now enjoy one for our family of four. Unique things that I love about the winter CSA: The pick up is every other week. It feels slower paced than the weekly summer boxes. Being able to customize the box. We’ll always take extra golden beets when they’re available. I steer clear of mustard and collard greens (I’ve tried them—just haven’t figured out a recipe that makes me love them–yet). Winter CSA items last. We had beets that were harvested in October get buried in the back of the produce drawer. We found them in May. I felt bad about it. Then I was impressed with how good they still were! We eat better because of having their fresh veggies on hand. It makes menu planning easier too. The box is the base that I work around. We eat in sync with the seasons without having to think about it. Delicious add ons–just when winter feels like it will never end–frozen watermelon juice shows up as an option! High tunnel greens are a treat as well. Everything in the box is organic and grown with care. I keep the peelings and scraps to make vegetable stock because I trust that it’s safe to use every last bit of anything in the box. I shared my love of our Featherstone box with friends and family long before I started sharing stories and recipes through Meet the Minnesota Makers. I get to help Featherstone with some content creation now. It’s a dream assignment given my long-time appreciation of their care of both people and their products. If you enjoy being a part of a summer CSA community, you’ll be impressed with the variety of the winter boxes. Interested? I have a discount code that I’d love to share. Comment CSA and I’ll DM you. Thank you for choosing locally grown! Michelle, aka Featherstone Farm CSA Superfan
What do @nikkolettesmacarons , @num.nuts, @seven.s What do @nikkolettesmacarons , @num.nuts, @seven.songs.organic.farm, @shedthebee and @mangomancooks have in common? The need for shared use commercial kitchens. Many great local products begin in the home kitchens of cottage producers with a passion and a dream. When these producers find success, their natural next step is to increase their production and widen their audience. But the road from farmers’ market favorite to co-op shelves can present challenges. A significant hurdle is that by law any food or beverage for sale in a grocery store, coffee shop, or gift boutique must be produced in a licensed commercial kitchen. Few new food or beverage entrepreneurs can afford to acquire their own commercial kitchen or enter directly into outsourced manufacturing. Most go the timeshare route, opting to rent time in a shared-use commercial kitchen, where multiple enterprises make use of the same kitchen space. These shared-use kitchens can serve as a springboard to new markets and new horizons. They also often lead to thorny questions around timing, geography, cost, and atmosphere. Finding the right shared-use kitchen at the right time and in the right place is a perennial challenge. For more about finding the right fit for a growing food and beverage business, check out my article in volume 7 of Local Feast! magazine. Available in co-ops, coffee shops, and small businesses throughout MN, IA, and WI. The issue includes a captivating article on upcycling spent grains by @bethdooleyskitchen and a profile on Leah Treleven, founder of @sweethaven_tonics . There’s a delicious mocktail recipe too. The digital edition is also available at https://www.local-feast.org/magazine. My feature in on pp. 22-26. Thank you to Jason Robinson of AURI, Chris Brockel of FEED, and John and Nikkolette Krumheuer of @mspkitchenery for sharing your perspective on shared use kitchens in the upper Midwest. Thank you to @localfeast and @renewingthecountryside for inviting me to contribute to this year’s issue. Check out the Local Feast website for information on the 2024 local food festival in Rochester on Saturday, November 2.
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!

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