How to "DO" fall: Waconia, Minnesota

So after our summer-like September turned into winter-like October, I started to go into hibernation mode, and glaze over any hope for my 2nd favorite season. Fall being my second favorite season (I'm SUCH a sticky, humid summer girl) is a rather new thing. As a teen, I despised Autumn. The shorter days and cold nights were a sign that winter would soon arrive. I couldn't find happiness or enjoyment in the apple-picking, pumpkin-patching or leaves-a-changin'. At all. In my twenties, I finally figured out how to truly enjoy fall through lots of apple and pumpkin-based baking, cute boots with tights and taking kids to pick apples. Life was good despite the 5:30 sunset. Now I'm full on lovin' me some fall. After meeting my husband, I even started enjoying all the fall squashes, and actually EATING them.

On a semi-recent September weekend, my family and I took a trip to Waconia, MN. Really a "trip" is exaggerating it...it's a brief drive. It's ridiculously close to the city, but feels like you left the Metro. Far behind you.

First we headed to Deardorff Orchard. Gorgeous rows of apple trees with a lake view: that's how you do fall in MN!

Okay, so I didn't even mention yet...it gets better...there's a winery onsite. I have to admit, my only other experience with Minnesota wine was not exciting. It tasted like the decent $5 bottle of wine from Trader Joe's that the hubby and I keep in the wine rack, except it was like $25! I appreciated the concept of Minnesota wine, but wasn't trying to mess with average tasting expensive wine. The winery at Deardorff, named after their lovely neighboring body of water "Parley Lake" was delicious. My mom and I sampled a rich Shiraz, and chilled on some shady picnic tables, but also had the option to wander the orchard with our wine glasses.

This place is obviously the ultimate cool Mom hang-out. When is the last time the apple orchard was a sophisticated, yet sincere farm-y wine-drinking weekend outing? Deardorff is the perfect mixture of down-to-earth family farm meets winery. The last "big" orchard that I traveled to with my youth program felt like Disney World. An entrance fee, expensive corn maze and overpriced gift store does not equate a genuine family attraction. Head to Deardorff for the real thing. Apple Jack Orchard in Delano is also another family-owned favorite, and the only place I can find my Liberty apples.

After Deardorff, we spotted my favorite Minnesota roadside stop yet: "At The Farm" market alongside Highway 5.

 

"At the Farm" is the corner store you'd die to have in your neighborhood. Seriously. Homegrown produce, fresh eggs (check out the ladies in the chicken coup!), homebaked pastries and treats, funky antiques and displays, and the best part: a proprietor who is clearly a respected matron of the community, Donna Frantz. I've always loved business owners who clearly know the community better than the politicians do AND know your name. Donna is it. Donna, I can't wait to have an excuse to get back to Waconia.

The onion staging room. Love it.

Donna's lovely gourd display, grown with love.

So much character...while totally genuine...when is the Powderhorn Youth Farm branch opening?

Exterior shot of the market.

Best seats in the house to take it all in.

After our early spell of cold, crop-ending weather, I felt uninspired to post this. Why encourage people to go out to the orchards when the season got cut short and ended abruptly? Then I remembered the most important element of "DOING" fall in Minnesota. You make the best of it and enjoy every minute you have, because it is short and sweet. My friend Crystal fell ill to the flu, could barely move, but wrapped herself in blankets and laid herself out in her adirondack chair to watch her son play in the leaves when the sun came out today. BAM. That's how we "Do" fall in Minnesota. 

Start reapin' October's Bounty: Minneapolis Farmers' Market

At the Minneapolis Farmers' Market this morning, I overheard a farmer chatting up another farmer: "This is the worst Sunday we've seen since before Spring crops". Yeah, it was pretty much a ghost town in there. What was most disappointing was that farmers are still in their peak of fall veggie harvest. This girl got a bag, A BAG, full of veggies for $7 today. I'm not trying to gloat or sound preachy, but I'm just wonderin' where everyone else is to scoop up these deals and support the local economy.

After my previous Sunday visit, I made enough Red Curry for my lunches every day of the week, passed some onto friends, and froze some! And the veggies were so perfect, I never got sick of it! The whole pot of curry set me back $20. $20!!! It ended up being $2 per serving, using all fresh, locally-grown veggies.  I thought it is darn time for me to pass on the recipe immediately, straight from Thailand, to boost our local farmers and their prized October crops. Everyone will run out and buy mad veggies from their local farmer!

So the history of the recipe: the hubby and I had the privilege to travel to Thailand and take a vegetarian cooking class from the lovely international-sensation May Kaidee. I finally learned all the secrets that had been preventing me from making a non-jacked-up curry! How exciting! And at the class, we hit up the local Bangkok neighborhood farmer's market, and I loved hearing about the connections the ingredients had with the surrounding environment. This recipe can use any veggies in season, just go for a variety of textures. Curry is so versatile! It's a great recipe right now for the lucious creamy squashes!

So! DISCLAIMER: this recipe is a SKELETON for folks who like to experiment in the kitchen. The secret ingredients are the most crucial elements anyway, but I think a lot of the measurements got lost in translation. No joke. At the class, she mostly measured by "handfuls" and "pinches", which is the most natural way to cook, but proves a bit harder to share recipes. But any cook that knows how to add ingredients "to taste" will have a blast. 

May Kaidee's Red Thai Curry

Make Red Chili Paste first:

Add to food processor or Mortar and Pestle and go at it:

3 TBSP hot Red Thai chills

1 Small handful each of chopped onion and garlic

1 TBSP each:

chopped lemon grass

galangal

kaffir lime leaves

coriander or cumin

The paste freezes well (seen above in the processor, don't be scared of the oyster mushrooms!), so don't be afraid to baggie up excess. It's SUPER potent. You will use many of the same ingredients for the actual curry, so set needed items aside before going crazy with the processor.

Now for the CURRY! I'm using her direct excerpt from the cookbook, look for notes below. 

1 TBSP oil of choice

1 tsp Red Chili Paste

2 Slices Galangal*

2 Kaffir lime leaves

2 two-inch stalks of lemon grass

1 handful mixed veggies (try to include pumpkin, squash, beans, carrots and onions)**

1.25 cup coconut cream or coconut milk

1 TBSP Soy Sauce mixture***

1 tsp Sugar

1. Add red chili pasted in hot oil until fragrant.

2. Add galangal, kaffir lime leaves, lemon grass and 1/4 of the coconut milk. Stir thoroughly.

3. Add veggies and remaining cup of coconut of milk and cook until the mixture is thick. 

4. Slacken with a little water and add soy sauce and sugar.

5. Serve with prepared brown rice after veggies have softened.

* Galangal is the secret! It's in the ginger family, but ginger is NOT a substitute. Yes, you need to go to an Asian market to pull this off. Galangal is also known as Kalanga at Shuang Hur market, where I shop for my ingredients in MPLS. The galangal, lemon grass, and kaffir lime leaves are used like bay leaves: you remove them before eating. (Sometimes I cheat and chop them small and leave them, because I know I will forget!).

**You can see by using only "a handful" of veggies, the original recipe is for one person. I usually do this x 10 (ish) and do stuff "by taste" and estimates. It's kind of fun, if you think you can pull off ratios. This is about the quantity of veggies I use (below). I wanna eat all week!

***The "Soy Sauce" Mixture is an awesome fish sauce substitute. It's a 50/50 split of a sweet thick soy sauce, and a salty one. I'm including the photos, cause it was just dumb luck we got it purchased correctly the first time returning from Thailand. May Kaidee basically told us to look for a pair in the same brand, one with a sugar content, one with a sodium content. All the characters on the bottles are non-english, but the salty, sweet goodness when mixed together prove fish sauce is not necessary in curry.

Other Julie tips:

I add a whole block of tofu. I cube it, throw it in my wok on top of some sizzling peanut oil, lightly fry it, and continue on with step 1 of the Red Curry recipe directions right then and there. I leave the tofu to absorb all the spicy chili paste goodness.

 

Also, think ahead of what veggies will get soggy if they're in the bubbly curry too long. I tend to overcook broccoli, personally! For this amount of veggies and tofu this time, I only required two cans of coconut milk. I almost pushed the limits...another 1/2 cup would have been nice.

Here's how I did my shopping:

Shuang Hur:

brown rice (big bag lasts forever!)

soy sauces (again, will last forever...)

galangal (3 inch piece is sufficient, and about $2)

kaffir lime leaves (small package about $1.50)

lemon grass (about $1 for 3 sticks)

tofu brick ($1.49)

oyster mushrooms (totally love them, but totally optional, about $2)

Farmers' Market:

bundle of "Jewel Carrots" $1

variety of 5 squash $4

Broccoli $2

Green Beans $1

red HOT thai chilis (Cheap..they are potent! You only need a handful)

Trader Joe's

TJ's has dirt cheap organic light coconut milk for $0.99 a can! The hubby and I stock up on staples like this (but not our groceries) once a month. Buy at the Asian Market if you prefer.

Have fun, and remember...this recipe is a total adventure! Good luck!

That's what we are, we all want a junk bizarre: Shakopee, MN

If you hadn't got the hint yet, I love antiques and re-purposed junk (and Sheila E. & Prince). I often wonder where we will dig the landfills of tomorrow, and through re-tooling my lifestyle (composting, recycling, antiquing, re-purposing items, etc) I'd like to think I'm contributing less waste. My husband and I were recently charged with the duty of replacing my 1993 Cadillac (yes, driven by the girl trying to create less waste...baby steps, baby!). We were lured into the Cash-4-Clunkers program, and started driving new cars as soon the incentive began. After a few drives, and a little research, I started feeling repulsed by the program. Halfway decent cars, with 5-10 years left on their lifespan, were going straight to the junkyard. What the hecks? The environmental equation of this economic stimulator made little sense to me.  We ended up purchasing a used car with better gas mileage, and donated the Cadi to Newgate, who would in turn fix her up and give her to a family in need of a vehicle.

Back to more exciting junk (love you Cadi, ol' girl!). Junk Bizarre is like Midwest junk mecca, all housed within Canterbury Park in Shakopee. It's apparently the biggest annual junk swap in the Midwest. Three days of price haggling, casts of interesting characters and the constant reminder that the items you buy are salvaged lovelies that would have most times ended up in a landfill.

So are you really sifting through junk at the bizarre? Course not, all the hard work of re-purposing and upcycling all the un-usable stuff has been completed by vendors, who are clearly artists in their trade. Each stall is like an exciting adventure, organized artistically like an old-school department store window display. Vendors only bring their best stuff...they're hauling it all the way from their store, so they intend to sell everything.

I had planned for the Junk Bizarre for months, so I did not go home empty handed. The green cabinet will now live in my "coal room" in the basement to organize paint and painting materials. Each panel of the cabinet came from a different source (all broken, but salvageable wood items). 

 I also collect old beverage crates from Minnesota. I bought the yellow one, which was a past home to non-alcoholic beverages during prohibition from Duluth. Now our dominos and other games will live in there, creating easy transport for non-prohibition game nights.

Finally, I purchased this primitive red cupboard to gain more storage in our pantry. It replaced a mounted cabinet that I donated to the Re-Use Center.

The incredible immigrant trunks and tin ceiling tiles at the top of the post are from "Dona-Rose" antiques. If you missed out on Junk Bizarre, Dona Rose will be at an upcoming sale "Gathering of Friends" (terrible name acknowledged), October 8-11 at Bachman's on Lyndale. Swaps or "Occasional Sales" such as this are becoming a huge trend for vendors, because they have the ability to sell their goods to a huge concentration of customers over a short period of time. I've heard of some great ones also in Buffalo, Lindstrom and Anoka. Occasional Sales typically go down one weekend per month in a set location, and the swaps are annual and plentiful. Again, dealers only bring their best stuff, and are makin' huge deals by the final day of the sale. 

Local Farm Charm: In and Outside Waterloo, IA

Cedar Falls, Iowa is home to my grandparents, Unc, cousins, great....yeah, you get it. Most of the fam is in Northeast Iowa. I have these vivid childhood memories that are labeled "IOWA" in my mind. From feeding my grandparents' dogs freshly-picked asparagus through the fence, to my great-grandfather's farm, to putting the tomato plants in Grandpa's garden, all my favorite memories are connected to the landscape and products of the natural environment.

One of my absolute favorite "photo study" locations is on an old farm, re-imagined as an art studio and gardens outside Fairbank, Iowa. It makes the move from "landscaped-inspired" art to art "produced within the landscape".  Lyle Chase is a sculpture artist who essentially pours cement in natural molds (such as the ground) and imprints them with found natural objects. 

The best part of visiting Lyle's "Country Roads" studio and shop: it's a surreal cottage-like fantasy land with plenty of mini-exhibits to encounter. I become a little kid, lost with my camera when I visit. I feel like I'm scavenging around a whimsical found-object playland of sets and props: but the Iowa farm version versus LA or NY.

                    

Lyle also grows garden plants and succulents, all very affordably priced. I brought home about five healthy Jade and other succulents, all for about $4 each, and most varieties were rare. 

              

This year, I also picked-up a cement-poured bird bath, which is particularly hilarious because I am terrified of birds. I couldn't help myself! Its a green-shimmery vessel pressed with leaves. I wish I could bathe in it! I put it on the side of the house to divert the birds' attention from me entering in the front (and attacking me). LOL, mostly.

The best reason for a stop by Country Roads: it's the least pretentious art space I've ever been to. It's accessible, affordable, and genuine. Lyle's low-pressure sales and encouragement to enjoy the space make seem more like your stopping by a cool uncle's farm for a visit.

When we get done at Lyle's, we cruise into Waterloo for Rudy's Tacos. Rudy's has been using a sustainable agricultural model since 1997. I don't think "locavore" had become celebrity-status-sexy at that point. Just about every ingredient at Rudy's is locally sourced, so just imagine how fresh the taste is when you've got all the summer veggies in season. In a great article I found about the impact Rudy's has on the community, here's a standout quote:"I like seeing the old men show up with their pickup trucks full of tomatoes," says Mary Twaites, an industrial engineer at the John Deere plant and a Rudy's regular. "The food is so much fresher, tastier. And if I support local farmers, then they can buy a new John Deere tractor." 

The bean burrito drowned in homemade salsa, local cheese and guacamole (ok, that's probably one of the non-local delicacies in Waterloo) is my plate of choice. Great kitchy decor to match great food. Check out my Mom, Grandma and Grandpa, post-taco. Gramps and Grams are 82 years-old, so you can see how that locavore diet pays off in Iowa!

 

This is my last "Iowa series" post, so I wanna give a shout-out to Unc (my Uncle Jim), who works as navigator and local guide on the Iowa adventures. I couldn't find half of the places I go in Iowa without him!

Decorah, IA: Heirloom Seed Sanctuary

When my friends Molly and Heidi told me they would genuinely consider moving to Decorah, Iowa, I had a hunch it would score high on the Julie scale. Nestled in river bluffs, with a thriving main street of locally owned businesses, Decorah wins as a quaint town with strong community. The Oneota Food Co-op and Hotel Winneshiek (opera house included!) sealed the deal for downtown Decorah charm. The true purpose of the trip to Decorah was a visit to Seed Savers Exchange.

The Seed Savers Exchange is committed to sustaining heirloom varieties that have been personally passed down from generation to generation in certain families, but have become nearly extinct as a whole. It is the largest non-governmental seed bank in the United States. Since the exchange began over 30 years ago, over one million rare seeds have been preserved and re-distributed including: Smoke Signals corn, Kiss-Me-Over-The-Garden-Gate flower, Minnesota Midget melon, Black Sea Man tomato, Love, Lies, Bleeding Flower...you get it...naming your family heirloom seed is a blast! My family on my Mom's side has some Hollyhocks passed on from my great grandma Amy, and I'm hopin' to win the title of official seed namer.

The coolest part of this farming project is the generational connection to gardening. I have fond memories of both my Grandparents' gardens, and believe my love for growing my own food began with them. Seed Savers' Co-founder, Diane Ott Whealy started the exchange when her terminally ill grandfather passed on seeds for Morning Glories and German Pink tomatoes. The seeds were brought from Bavaria to Saint Lucas, Iowa in the 1870's. Seed Savers Exchange "permanently maintains more than 25,000 endangered vegetable varieties, most having been brought to North America by members' ancestors who immigrated from Europe, the Middle East, Asia and other parts of the world". Seriously, you gotta go check it out. I can hardly wait to unleash my Seed Savers membership on garden season 2010.

Final anecdote: the lovely towering hollyhocks you see above are of the "outhouse" variety, because back in the day, a proper Iowan lady didn't have to ask where the outhouse was, she just looked for the gigantic flowers to lead the way!

Madison County, Iowa: Farm Junk Paradise and Covered Bridges

I love love LOVE farm junk and antiques. I get giddy at the idea of farmhouse kitchens with old pie safes, primitive-style cabinets with glass doors, lots of antique nick-knacks, etc. (NOT to be confused with "Country Kitchen" decor: lots of periwinkle, gingham and apple motifs). But where I really want to go within your lovely farmhouse property is straight out to the deepest cob-webbed corner of the barn to uncover "farm junk".

That's exactly what I got to do on my trip to Old Crow Farm in late August. Old Crow is an amazing oasis in Southern Iowa where Jordana and her husband Kasey showcase the best kind of "farm junk": salvaged and re-purposed items that would probably be laid to rest in a landfill, if they hadn't rescued it. 

 

Discarded and un-needed items become creatively re-visioned as functional artistic pieces. Considering that Iowa once had 200,000 barns at it's peak, and now that number has plummeted to 50,000, this girl wonders if all those barns' contents ended up in a landfill. It reassures me that Jordana and Kasey are rescuing some of those items and putting them to use somewhere else. Although you are looking through  goods inside of their barn, farm junk isn't the only brand of salvaged goods. Many items have an urban and industrial feel as well, creating a nice balance. If you're not in the neighborhood of Southern Iowa anytime soon, check out their Etsy shop. If you do make it to Madison County, you can check out some their famous covered bridges. That was the selling point of the trip to anchor my mother as a co-pilot!

Iowa: Your Remote Midwest Paradise

Iowa isn’t what you consider a high-profile destination, and I’m pretty sure that’s why I love it. This girl loves an underdog. In the Upper-Midwest, it competes with the lakes and Northwood culture of Minnesota and Wisconsin; and then there’s the rugged, western terrains of the Dakotas. But don’t forget Iowa, folks.

Ok, so Iowa Blood runs deep in my veins. My Mom’s family on both sides has an extensive farming history in Northeast Iowa. Of course, her immediate family has left the farm, which makes me even more infatuated with the modern-day Iowa farmer. But I genuinely swear locavore culture originated in Iowa (probably out of necessity). And Iowans are far too humble to claim themselves as the innovators.  I have locavore nostalgia for my family trips to Iowa during the growing season.  I would watch my grandma eat each meal constructed from local foods: tomatoes and muskmelons sprinkled with salt, a minimum of three ears of sweet corn per day, BLTS’s and some concoction of cucumbers, onions and vinegar which I even witnessed (in Oelwein, Iowa) last summer at a lunch counter. As a kid, I figured this is how everyone ate in Iowa. My grandma even brings her own in-season Iowa produce to Minnesota when she visits, and refuses to eat Minnesota sweet corn!

Finally, this girl can’t help but embrace Iowa as a genuine pioneer of social justice issues.  Not only does Iowa recognize all varieties of families and domestic partnerships through their decision to legalize gay marriage, they have always been on the forefront on social issues. Iowa was one of the first states to “legalize interracial marriage and to allow married women to own property. It was also the first state to admit a woman to the bar to practice law and was a leader in school desegregation.” (MSNBC, April 2009). Hecks yeah, Iowa, you make me proud.

There is a current wildly innovative movement of salvaging and revisioning the family farm as not only sustainable small-scale family operations but also as perrenial flower farms, art workshops and my fave: shops brimming with re-purposed farm junk and antiques. In the next few days, my posts will highlight and celebrate these amazing places that make Iowa one of my favorite retreats.