A quick buzz...
Greetings from Bonnie and all of us at Beier's. Did you catch a 20-pointer for opening deer
season?
Beier's Midway Storage Is Ready For You!

It's been growing all summer, and is finally in full bloom. Well, OK, storage units don't bloom, but you catch my drift! The 28 storage units right on Highway 169 next to Beier's Greenhouse are ready to keep all your special stuff safe and dry!

Call (218) 244-2491 to reserve your unit today. They're going fast, so grab one while you can. Storage units are at a premium in Grand Rapids, and these will fill up right away.

Taking Care of Our Lakeshores
Landscaping help and hints

Preserving our lakeshores is vital to keeping Minnesota beautiful. The native plants and animals that live along the water's edge are easily disturbed. We humans want pretty lawns and flower beds, and we can have those things AND live on the lake, if we take a little consideration.

Living on the lake can sometimes introduce competition for the most beautiful house and lawn. Boaters admire such spreads and the homeowners feel proud. But when a homeowner trucks in sand to make a nice beach, fish, mayflies, and frogs lose their habitats. Public beaches make less impact.

It's icky to swim in muck and grasping weeds, right? Well, tell the kids they're sharing that space with loons and ducks. These waterfowl nest in floating vegetation. Hundreds of species of insects live underwater in these areas, too, providing the very base of the food chain for the whole lake. Fallen trees and shoreline shrubs also provide a home for songbirds, ducks, turtles and fish.

Broad, bright green lawns are for city folk. A mowed lawn sends runoff straight to the lake, along with fertilizers, herbicides, pet waste, goose waste, and lawn clippings. That's not to say you can't have grass around your house--just provide a natural buffer zone between your lawn and the lake (cattails and bulrushes and whatever grows naturally there). Please don't fertilize your lawn. I'll have other articles in this newsletter that will help you keep your lawn green without chemicals.

Don't forget that anything that runs into the water on your piece of the lake eventually ends up in a river and on down to the ocean. All our waters are connected.

You absolutely need a boat landing or dock and a path to the lake. How else can you enjoy it? Try to minimize the impact of these structures. Pay attention to retaining walls and stairs, and keep them in good repair. If you have a steep slope along your shoreline, plant vegetation to help stabilize the area. More information on appropriate vegetation is available from the DNR, and I'll have an article in a future newsletter helping you plan.

Riprap is controversial. Riprap is stone homeowners place in the water to alter the shoreline. It protects against wave action, reducing erosion. It also reduces habitat for fish, birds and insects. You do pay a lot of money for your few hundred feet of water's edge, but make sure you need riprap before you have it installed. Plant some vegetation among the rocks for a more natural look and to help reduce erosion.

If you'd like to download the PDF document from the DNR website, go to http://files.dnr.state.mn.us/publications/waters/shoreland_ rules_fact _sheet_vegetation_management.pdf.

Always feel free to email us at beiersgreenhouse@beiersgreenhouse.com about anything. Thanks for reading!
Poached Venison Shank with Dill Cream Sauce
Serves 4

8 pieces venison shank (veal or lamb may be substituted)
4 3-inch lengths of leek, quartered lengthwise
4 carrots, peeled and cut into quarters
1 fennel bulb, sliced in 1/2 inch pieces
3-4 sprigs fresh dill, or 1 teaspoon dried
1 large onion, cut in 1/2 inch slices
24-30 peppercorns
2-3 bay leaves
1/3 cup red wine vinegar
1 cup white wine
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon white pepper
1 tablespoon sugar
4 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons flour
1/2 cup heavy cream
3/4 cup chopped fresh dill, or 1 tablespoon dried
2 cups julienne leeks
1 cup carrots, peeled and shredded
12 small red potatoes
1 fennel bulb, cut in 1/2 inch slices
1 large onion, cut in 1/2 inch slices

Place the venison shank in a deep pan or dutch oven. Arrange leek, carrot, fennel dill, onion, peppercorn, and bay leaves on top.

In a non-reactive bowl, mix together red wine vinegar, white wine, salt, white pepper and sugar. Pour mixture over venison. Add enough water to just barely cover meat. Poach over medium heat until meat is fork tender.

When the meat is almost done, poach the potatoes, leeks, carrots, fennel and onion until tender. Do not overcook any one of the vegetables.

In a medium saucepan, prepare a roux by melting butter and then whisking in flour over low heat. Cook until mixture is "blonde" in color.

Carefully remove meat from poaching pan. Keep covered in a warm 150 degree oven. Strain broth and reserve, discarding the vegetables.

Whisk 4 cups broth into the roux. Cook over medium heat until sauce is reduced by 10 percent. Whisk in 1/2 cup heavy cream. Remove from heat and stir in chopped fresh dill or dried dill. Keep sauce warm over low heat.

Plate 2 shanks per serving. Arrange vegetables on each plate. Ladle sauce over vegetables and meat.


Recipe courtesy of Beier's Greenhouse. Adapted from The Northwoods Table by Henry Sinkus. Copyright 2000 by Henry Sinkus. Willow Creek Press, Minocqua, Wisconsin.
November 9, 2008
Call Us (218) 326-5357
Extension Office (218) 327-5958

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Thanks for your time! We appreciate our customers so much. We're always available via email, even if the greenhouse is closed for the season.
 
Sincerely,

Bonnie and the whole Beier's Greenhouse team