Detroit Lakes, MN

Do you have a recipe or a food product that you think is worth selling or producing? Are you involved with food production or are you food entrepreneur? Mark your calendars and register today for the From Recipe to Reality on November 2, 2010.  M-STATE Business & Entrepreneurial Services in [...]]]> From Recipe to Reality

Detroit Lakes, MN

Do you have a recipe or a food product that you think is worth selling or producing? Are you involved with food production or are you food entrepreneur? Mark your calendars and register today for the From Recipe to Reality on November 2, 2010.  M-STATE Business & Entrepreneurial Services in Detroit Lakes will host The FOOD ENTREPRENEUR ASSISTANCE PROGRAM – From Recipe to Reality, conducted by experts from The Food Processing Center of the University of Nebraska. Make an investment in your business today.

Topic covered at the seminar will include market research, product development, packaging, labeling, pricing, product introduction, promotional materials, food safety, legal and business structure.  Questions that will be discussed are; how do I start a food company? How do I start selling my family recipes for salsa, BBQ sauce, salad dressing, jams or jellies to stores or how to mass produce my product? How do I add value to foods I am growing on my farm? Can I sell products broadly that I now sell at farmers markets?  All of these topics and more will be covered in this full day seminar, so do not miss this opportunity to expand your knowledge for your future.

This seminar has a year’s worth of information packed in to one day. Take advantage of this chance to learn from the experts from the University of Nebraska, Food Processing Center.

For more information or to register contact Jacqueline Bennett at 218-844-5420 or Jacqueline.Bennett@minnesota.edu

$350/person or $150 for a spouse
Includes all materials and lunch

Class date: Nov 2, 2010
Time: 8:00 am – 5:00 pm
Location: M State – Detroit Lakes
Room C 103

900 Hwy 34 E
Local: 218.844.5420
Fax: 218.844.5423

When deciding whether [...]]]> In recent days, I have been asked about storing herbs. I have herbs in my garden which are doing surprisingly well, so I would like to save some for the winter months. Here is some information from a recent Home Food Preservation Newsletter for August prepared by University of Minnesota Extension Educators.

When deciding whether to preserve herbs by either freezing or drying, begin by thinking about how you would later like to use them. Secondly, consider for quality sake, which is the best preservation method for the herb you are preserving.
Dill, mint, oregano, parsley, rosemary, thyme and tarragon dry well. Although herbs can be dried by air, oven, microwave or food dehydrator, the food dehydrator is the preferred drying method for a quality product.
Freezing preserves essential oils, and it’s the oils that give herbs their flavor. It is a good choice for cilantro, chives, dill, parsley, sage, oregano and basil.
If you are planning to use the frozen herbs in soups, stews, dressings or sauces, try preserving herbs in a paste. Simply blend the herbs with oil to make a paste, which you can freeze in a plastic container, bag or in ice cube trays. This is a good method to help preserve the color of basil as it tends to darken when frozen. You can freeze one kind of herb, such as basil, or make your own blend, such as oregano, thyme, parsley and sage.

I have never tried making a paste before, but it looks like a good method. Another way I have preserved herbs in the past was in ice cube trays – put a recipe amount in the bottom of the tray, then fill with water. When the water is frozen, pull ice cubes out and store in freezer bags until use.

Any other good ideas out there?

Watch this news report. Any comments on the chickens shown? Any idea how they got salmonella? Any idea how we can keep this from happening again? Funny how none of our local eggs (from neighbors, farmers markets, etc.) have these problems. I don’t think pasteurization is the only answer.

Other recent salmonella outbreaks from peanut butter, [...]]]>

Watch this news report. Any comments on the chickens shown? Any idea how they got salmonella? Any idea how we can keep this from happening again? Funny how none of our local eggs (from neighbors, farmers markets, etc.) have these problems. I don’t think pasteurization is the only answer.

Other recent salmonella outbreaks from peanut butter, spinach and processed foods were also in large scale commercial food production. Hmmm.

Summer may be winding down, but the garden is still pumping–and so are the [...]]]> Below is a note I received from Amy a few days ago. Her cooking classes sound like lots of fun, and her place is amazing! Both cooking classes listed below feature pork! Maybe I should attend and learn how to cook…

Summer may be winding down, but the garden is still pumping–and so are the classes. I’m taking suggestions (for dates or classes) for September, and will be posting that schedule soon, but right now I want to let everyone know that I have a few spots still available in August classes: Country French, on Friday, August 27th, and Heritage Farmhouse Supper, on Tuesday, August 31. Call (732-0450) or email me soon if you want to bring a group. Four spots are available in each class.

As always, feel free to pass this note to friends you think might be interested. I look forward to seeing you out here. (Note: Free basil to anyone who wants it.)

All the best,
Amy

Country French
Friday, August 27, 5:30 to 8:30

Somehow the French manage to be rustic and elegant at the same time. Starting with a local take on the classic brandade (swapping salted codfish for smoked whitefish), we’ll progress through a classic (more or less!) pork belly and French lentil salad and then make a simple country apple tart.

smoked whitefish brandade with baguette
mixed greens with marinated cherry tomatoes and aged cheddar
black maple glazed slow-cooked pork belly
French lentil salad
apple tart with puff pastry

Heritage Farmhouse Supper
Tuesday, August 31, 5:30 to 8:30
Join me on a trip back in time to the era of culinary excess, heartland-style–when all the cheese was freshly dripping, the pickles were homemade and all the corn was hours from the stalk. Some participation in this class, so please bring an apron if you’d like to participate.

Pickle Plate (pickles, sausage, homemade dilled pot cheese)
Corn fritters with buttermilk dip
Breaded Pork Chops stuffed with ham and gruyere
Coleslaw with bread and butter pickles
Glorified rice pudding with candied pineapple and rum-soaked sour cherries

Why is the government going after the little gal?

This Saturday at 9am Pacific, Michael Olson’s Food [...]]]> A FOOD CHAIN RADIO RELEASE FROM METROFARM.COM

When it comes to organic, they say, “Everybody’s got to play by the rules, whether they sell $1 or $10 million of product.”  Their declaration leads us to ask…

Why is the government going after the little gal?

This Saturday at 9am Pacific, Michael Olson’s Food Chain Radio hosts Sharon Grossi of Valley End Farm for a conversation about the government’s enforcement action upon her farm.  NOTE:  The government has refused to participate in this conversation.

Topics include why small farms and their customers gave the word “organic” to the government; what happened to “organic” when it became a property of the government; and why the government is now going after the little gal instead of the big guys.

Listen on your radio, computer or IPOD: Food Chain Radio

Note: Visit the farm website to get some background information. I do not know the details of the government’s action, and am looking forward to finding out. ~Andrea

Take 1 pound of ground pork. Previously thawed is preferable, but frozen also works. Place in hot pan with a little water. [...]]]> This may seem like an obvious meal choice, but here is my take on making spaghetti with ground pork! Click for more recipes from our farm kitchen! Or send me your pork ingredient requests!

Take 1 pound of ground pork. Previously thawed is preferable, but frozen also works. Place in hot pan with a little water. Frozen pork should be heated at a lower temperature until the meat thaws thoroughly.

While meat is cooking, season. I use basil, garlic powder, crushed red pepper, sage, pepper & salt to taste. Browning the meat with seasoning adds flavor that is missed with sauce alone. Onion also really adds flavor, but Rodney doesn’t like it in his, so I haven’t used it in the picture below.

Open 1 quart of homemade spaghetti sauce and a package of Angel Hair pasta. I prefer Angel Hair because it cooks quickly and is not as stiff as “Spaghetti” noodles. (So am I really making spaghetti? I don’t understand Italian, so maybe what I prepare is called “Pasta with red sauce and meat”…) If you don’t have a quart of my homemade spaghetti sauce in your larder, any spaghetti sauce will do. I guess. Put water to boil in large pot.

Take out one Rodney size serving and place in bowl. Rodney does not like sauce (anything made with tomatoes) so he gets special treatment at this house. Or he won’t eat. If you do not have a Rodney in your household, skip this step. Unless you want to nibble while the rest of the meal is being prepared. And the table is getting cleared and set. And your husband is not going to be home for a while. Or… you get the picture.

Add sauce. Place noodles (1/2 pound for our family) in boiling water and cook “al dente.” I couldn’t tell you exactly what “al dente” means; I just wanted to use the phrase. Cook until cooked, but not overcooked.

Drain and rinse the noodles. Rinse or not to rinse? That is really your choice. I always rinse mine. Add a splash of olive oil too keep the noodles from sticking. At this point, I was taught to mix the sauce/meat mixture and the noodles. As you already know, this doesn’t work in my house, so we keep the two separate. Rodney gets his noodles with meat and no sauce.

Quickly put cheese and garlic powder (and maybe some fresh herbs if you have any) on pre-made bakery bread sticks and place in pre-heated oven. Or in my case, forget to preheat the oven and start at this point. It doesn’t take long to melt cheese, thank goodness.

Serve yourself, take a picture, and enjoy! As you can see from the picture below, I make my spaghetti sauce with the whole tomato. I’m lazy like that, and besides, the skins add nutrients and texture!

Rodney’s real big on flowers, especially those for Mom. It’s exciting to have one of those in the house. He certainly doesn’t take after his daddy! Rodney helped me pick out and plant a flower bed yesterday. I know, a little late, but the flowers were really cheap!

If you’re 8 you know the correct answer. I can’t get these things to quit roosting on my deck. Any suggestions? I cleaned up their dirty area, hoping I could keep it clean, but they are back again tonight. I shooed them away a few times, but they are back before I can shut the [...]]]>

If you’re 8 you know the correct answer. I can’t get these things to quit roosting on my deck. Any suggestions? I cleaned up their dirty area, hoping I could keep it clean, but they are back again tonight. I shooed them away a few times, but they are back before I can shut the house door. Hmmph.