Wild Berries in the Park

The little forested area and park near my apartment is more productive than one might think. There's wild columbines along the trail, and stinging nettle (edible), and I even found some morels this spring at the edge of a grassy park area. But my favorite time of year is when the blackcaps ripen, which are also at the edge between grass and forest. They aren't much, but it's just enough for the breakfast bowl...

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July Fourth

I hope everyone had a great July Fourth holiday. I had the chance to test out my camera to capture some great fireworks. This is on a hill overlooking Saint Paul, Minnesota. There was quite a crowd, and one kid near us seemed to enjoy it. He clapped wildly at every little spark in the sky.&nb...

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Farmer's Market Weekend in St Paul

I'm so sorry I haven't talk to you guys in awhile , I've been really busy with the opening team of a new restaurant in St Paul, Minnesota as one of the chefs, but I'll tell you more about that in a different post. So last Saturday I had an opportunity to have a day to myself and I took full advantage of that and went to explore the local farmer's market in St Paul. It's a great market because everything there is truly...

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What Organic Really Means Under Federal Law

As with all food in this great U-S of A, wording is not as clear and you would think, and "Organic" is no different. Here's a good little list of what that organic labeling really means. I do wonder why organic products cost more...Aren't they saving money by not buying pesticides? "100 Percent Organic" products must show an ingredient list, the name and address of the handler (bottler, distributor, importer, manufacturer,...

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Pickled Beets

I'm still going through all the great vegetables I got from the farmers' market. If anything, it's forcing me to eat my veggies. There's something great when you know you're eating things that were pulled out of the ground that morning. So when I spotted beets for $1 who could pass that deal? I love beets. They're really, really earthy with a unique flavor. I wanted to make something light and summery with them, so...

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