|
Stuffed Leg of Lamb
Ingredients: 4 large potatoes, peeled & cubed Salt & pepper to taste 2 tablespoons butter 1/2 cup half-and-half cream 1/2 lb ground elk meat 1/4 teaspoon Italian seasoning 1 small onion, chopped 1 parsnip, peeled & diced 2 cups frozen mixed vegetables 1 tablespoon butter, melted 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder Directions: 1. Remove plastic netting or twine from around the leg of lamb, if any, and open up the roast on a cutting board. Place the boned side of the roast up. With a sharp paring knife, cut away any excess fatty areas. Use a sharp knife to cut 1/2-inch deep slits in the meat about 2 inches apart, to help the meat lie flat. Cover the meat with a sturdy piece of plastic wrap or a cut-apart food storage bag, and pound the meat with a mallet or the edge of a small plate until the roast is about 3/4 inch thick everywhere, and 10 to 14 inches square.
2. Preheat an oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
3. Sprinkle the upper side of the meat with salt and pepper, and then spread spinach leaves over the top of the roast to within 1/2 inch of the edges. Break up the goat cheese and sprinkle it evenly over the spinach, then sprinkle the pine nuts over the cheese.
4. Roll the roast up into a tight cylinder, and tie the roast together with kitchen twine at 2 inch intervals. It's okay if a little stuffing protrudes from the sides of the roast.
5. In a flat dish, mix together the flour, 1 tablespoon of salt, 1 tablespoon of pepper, the thyme, and the fennel seeds, and press the tied roast firmly into the flour mixture to coat all sides.
6. Heat the sesame oil in a heavy oven-proof or cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat until the oil shimmers, and sear all sides of the roast, including the ends, to a golden brown color. Lay the roast into the skillet, place into the preheated oven, and roast to your desired degree of doneness, or an internal temperature of 145 degrees F (65 degrees C) for medium, about 40 minutes. Remove from the oven, cover with a doubled sheet of aluminum foil, and allow to rest in a warm area 10 to 15 minutes before slicing. |
|
Lamb
|
|
Local Food - It's About More Than Food
Ask anybody why they buy locally and they'll probably start with reasons like "it's fresher", "it tastes better", "it's higher quality", and so on. All are great reasons to purchase locally, but when we focus only on the product it's easy to overlook the very backbone of agriculture that makes the product possible: the family farm. We were reminded of this the other day when we read a monthly e-newsletter from Pahl's Market in Apple Valley.
Pahl's Market has been a Minnesota Grown member from the very first days of the program and among all the usual newsletter articles about gearing up for spring planting an article with the simple title of "Dad" got our attention. For a rare glimpse of what it's like to grow up on a family farm, in this case a fifth generation farm, please take a moment to read Gary Pahl's article about his dad. If you're like us, you'll never again take the "family" part of "family farm" for granted.
Editor's Note: Gary Pahl's father Wayne passed away on March 26th. Our hearts go out to the family.
|
|
Earth Day - Monday, April 22nd
Do you want to meet up with community members to celebrate Earth Day? Visit Explore Minnesota Toursim online for list of events or check with your local city/counties for Earth Day celebrations. However, you certainly don't need a scheduled activity to particpate in Earth Day! Bring you family and friends and make your own Earth Day celebration by picking up trash and recycling at a nearby ppark, a local walking path, community roads or anyway!
According to the US Environmental Protection Agency, the first Earth Day celebration took place on April 22nd, 1970. The day was founded by then US Senator Gaylord Nelson of Wisconsin. He wanted to push the topic of envionmental protection into US policy. In a speech at one of the first Earth Day events in Denver Nelson said, "Our goal is not just an environment of clean air and water and scenic beauty. The objective is an environment of decency, quality and mutual respect for all other human being and all living creatures." (A full copy of the speech notes are available here.)
Earth Day events were held all across the nation, so it was impossible to capture the exact size of the first celebration. It is believed that millions of Americans celebrated across the country at state, county or city celebrations.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Savor Minnesota - TODAY!
The 4th annual Savor Minnesota will be held on Satruday, April 20th, 2013. The event was developed to showcase the best of Minnesota food and drink, underscoring the importance of supporting the local movement while spotlighting top producers throughout the state.
Admission is $40 at the door and all attendees must be 21 years or older. Doors will open at Noon, with beer & wine served from 1-5p. Savor Minnesota takes place at Cantebury Park, in Shakoppe, MN.
Attendees receive a souvenir wine glass, reusable bag, and event booklet with over $100 in discounts from participating exhibitors. Attendees will be able to purchase up to 6 bottles of wine from our MN wineries as they exit the show area. |
|
Eggs Turn Into Chickens?
Do you know what comes first, the chicken or the egg? This might be one of the most debated questions in the world. But for young children in Maplewood the answer is simple - it's the egg!
Playschool Child Care, Inc is located in Maplewood, MN and provides care for young toddlers through school age children. They recently contacted us asking for help to find a local farmer who could provide eggs for their upcoming lesson about the life cycle of a chicken. Playschool feels its important to use local resourcese whenever possible, and what could be better than Minnesota Grown kids raising Minnesota Grown chickens? We were able to assist Playschool with a list of Minnesota Grown members who were interested in working directly with the school. They were able to contact and made arrangements to use eggs from True Cost Farm of Montrose, MN.
On Tuesday, April 16th, the kids helped place their newly arrived eggs in an incubator. An incubator will keep the eggs at a constant 99.5 degrees & allows the teachers to control the humidity.
Each day, the children will check on their eggs. The teachers will have to ensure the eggs are turned 3 times a day - even on the weekends! Its bound to become their favorite part of sPlaychool!
The techers have lessons, games and activites planned thoughout the 21 days cycle. Students will learn the life cycle of a chicken; including, how the embroy looks at each stage of development.
The kids will also help create the outdoor coop for the soon-to-be hatched baby chicks. Well, they'll get to help modify and update the exisiting chicken coop!) We can't wait to stop by again to hear about how much the children have learned and to see the baby chicks!
Playschool also has a few gardens that are planted and eaten by the kids! It is wonderful to see young children being introduced to agriculture at a young age. Knowing where food comes from and how it's produced is a valuable life lesson.
Many Minnesota Grown farms provide learning experirences for the young and the young at heart. Some offer tours, workshops. Schools, insitutions, day cares or learning programs that are interested in working with local farms may visit the Minnesota Grown Directory to explore the possibilities and find a farm near them. |
|
Spring is...coming!
Spring is slowly creaping towards us and many of us probably wish it would pick up the pace! Some farmers aren't waiting for the temperature to warm up and are starting their seeds in greenhouses or high tunnels.
 A greenhouse is a building with glass or plastic walls and roof. They can range is size from very small ro very large. The walls and ceiling help to trap solar rays in the building and keep the temperatures warm throughout the year.
 High tunnels are commanly half-circles made of plastic and support structures and can range in size. Some are large enough to drive farm equipment through. Using solar and ground heat, high tunnels retain heat under the structure and also protects plants from high winds, rains, hail and snow.
Many varieties of vegetables and fruits can be grown inside greenhouses and high tunnels. Some of the plants can be transplanted outside when the the weather increases.
Our farmers take advantage of this to help bring you fresh locally grown food earlier in the spring. Greenhouses and high tunnels can also help extend the growing season later in the fall. It's important to stay in touch with Minnesota Grown through the Minnesota Grown website and Facebook page to what's in season and when!
|
|
Garden Fresh Farms
On a wet, dreary day in March we had planned on doing a farm tour. Now normally, this wouldn't be the most pleasant of expeirences - trudging around in mud and in the cold. But this time, the farm tour was 100% indoors.
Garden Fresh Farms raises trout and talapia indoors in large tanks, using the "dirty water" as fertilizer for the plants. They pump the water from the tanks through a patent pending hyrdopoinc system to feed the lettuce, herbs and sprouts growing inside. And pump the excess back through the tanks.
The picture below shows the example of the system, where owner Dave explains the basics during the tour. The fish are to the right (under the net...they are jumpers!) and the water is pumped to the beds of lettuce.
Garden Fresh Farms is all about conservation, so they first step they did was figure how to grow a large amount of lettuces, herbs and sprouts without taking up a lot of space. They have figured out how to grow certain things in different directions to maximize they harvest per square foot. Through many avenues, they've also discovered where to place the lights to conserve the highest amount of energy and watering techniques to nearly elminate waste.
To learn more about Garden Fresh Farms systems and what is available in their CSA visit their website and schedule a tour. (You must have a reservation, no drop-bys allowed).
The Minnesota Grown Directoy boasts 93 CSA farms ranging in locations and drop site locations all across Minnesota. Signing-up for a CSA farms is a great way to connect with your local farmer, increase your consumption of fresh veggies and most likely get you to try a few new things! |
|
Minnesota Grown Facebook
Don't forget to like us on Facebook and to add us to one of your interest lists! An interest list is a new way to organize your friends, fan pages and sort your news feeds. Adding us to one of your interest lists will make it easier for you to follow our page and see our posts. Of course, the best way to stay in touch is to like our comments and photos, participate in our conversations and post to our page. The more active you are with us, the more active we can be with you and also, the more likely you are to see information from us!
|
|
Sponsors
Minnesota Farmers union is the lead sponsor for The Minnesota Grown Directory. They work to protect and enhance the economic interests and quality of life for family farmers, ranchers and rural communities. They are a nonprofit membership-based organization. Did you know you don't have to be a farmers to be a member?
|
|
|
|
|
