Summer’s Abundance

Photo of the Day
September 11, 2012

This is my second food photo this week and it’s unusual for me to post food photos. I’ve been the recipient of home-grown vegetables this week and I can’t resist the brilliant colors and the beauty of this food. My own basil plants are growing like weeds. Many of us use our homes for cooking and eating. This is the perfect time of year to cook, making the most of the summer harvest. Bon appétit!

A medley of zucchini, red pepper, garlic, slivered almonds, fresh basil, Parmesan cheese, sea salt and pepper.

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Green Tomato and Silver Fork

Photo of the Day
September 8, 2012

A friend gave me this tomato from her garden. I love tomatoes. This was a feast for both the eyes and the palate.  It’s not everyday I get a green tomato; I loved the color as much as the taste.

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Home and Garden Show in Minneapolis

Home and Garden Show

February 29-March 4, 2012
Minneapolis Convention Center

$2 Off Discounted Tickets to the Home and Garden Show

The Home and Garden Show is taking place at month’s end. This is an opportunity to get lots of ideas and advice on these two topics. Hundreds of exhibits and displays will be placed throughout the Minneapolis Convention Center. Show highlights include:

Innovation Avenue

Green Scene

The Ultimate Backyard Lounge

Glorious Feature Gardens

The Idea Home

The Chandelier Fashion Show

Taste on Third Avenue

Shop the Marketplace

The Annual Plant Sale (5pm on Sunday)

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What show would be complete without celebrity guests? Here’s a partial list of celebrities at the show this year:

Chip Wade of HGTV’s Curb Appeal, The Block and Designed to Sell

Mark Brunetz of Style Network’s Clean House

Pat Simpson, nationally recognized home building and remodeling expert

Marjorie Johnson, a national star in the world of baking (and a Twin Cities native)

HOURS:

Wednesday Noon – 9pm
Thursday 10am – 9pm
Friday 10am – 10pm
Saturday 9am – 9pm
Sunday 9am – 6pm

ADMISSION COSTS:

$13.00 adults;
$4 children 6 to 12
5 and under free

More information on the Minneapolis Home and Garden Show

Maps – Minneapolis Convention Center

More information on Gardens

Here’s a link to Entertaining–Green/Eco Tips–Recipes | Tips Trends and Tools for those who can’t make the show in person.

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Farmers Market Finds

The Minneapolis Farmers Market
A Photo Walk Tour–Part 2

Flowers and Jeans

Burst of Floral Color

Lettuce Wrapped in White Paper

Rooster Feet and Shadows

Metal Birds Flock Together

Sea of Flowers

Green Stalks Tied with Red

Pasta and More

See more photos and learn more about the Minneapolis Farmers Market:

It’s Not All Food at the Farmers Market

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“Star Berries”

It’s blueberry season and the pickings are good right now. The blueberry is one of the few fruits that are native to North America. The Northeast Native American tribes revered blueberries and the elders of the tribe named them “star berries” due to the shape of a perfect five-point star blossom at the end of each blueberry.

Blueberries, also known as “star berries”, are ready to pick and eat.

Blueberries can be enjoyed in a multitude of ways: plain, in cereals, in pancakes and waffles, on ice cream, in pies, in muffins and scones, in a salad, in a smoothie, etc. I recently picked my own blueberries at Blueberry Fields of Stillwater. They’re easy to pick and it’s a good way to save money at the grocery store. And these are grown without pesticides, a definite plus!

Pick your own blueberries at Blueberry Fields of Stillwater

Bev, one of the owners of Blueberry Fields of Stillwater,
greets you and shows you how to pick if it’s your first time.
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My box of blueberries and a sheet with several recipes. Picking is easy.
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Beautiful, ready to eat and wonderfully fresh.
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Bev and Mike O’Connor of Blueberry Fields of Stillwater
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Check their website for a schedule of picking times:

Blueberry Fields of Stillwater

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Blueberries are a real food that are naturally good for you:

Nutrition Facts on Blueberries

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Grow Good Food

Wow! You Can Grow Food Almost Anywhere!

The question used to be “How does your garden grow”? A more apt question today might be “Where does your garden grow”?

It’s time to think outside the box…er, or perhaps outside the planter container, the yard, and the garden plot. Consider more outrageous, yet entirely capable, avenues for gardening. Check out the slide show below and prepare to be enchanted and inspired. Spring is coming soon, is it not?

The Incredible Edible Urban Garden

Are you chomping at the lettuce to get your own urban garden planted? I know I am. Send me some photos of your creative gardens now or later and I’ll post them here. Let’s start arugula-revolution!

Watch this video to see a truck transformed into a “farm”. So cool!

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Now, let’s eat some homegrown foods. Bon appetit!

Food Rules: An Eater’s Manual

Home, on one level, is certainly about food. A home with food is a welcoming home that’s about nourishment, sustenance, gathering, and contentment.

Food choices today are abundant, both inside and outside of the home. I regularly hear people commenting about their eating choices. Below is a link to an article that has simple food for thought. And this post is my wish to you for good eating, good health and good living.

Rules Worth Following, for Everyone’s Sake

One of my favorite Minneapolis restaurants (located in Uptown) offers both delicious and healthy food choices: Lucia’s

I’m posting this on a Monday, the one day of the week that Lucia’s is not open. But visit it another day for an epicurean treat. Lucia’s includes a restaurant, a wine bar, and a To Go shop. Bon appetit!

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